{{dayPoint.date | date : 'd MMMM yyyy'}}

{{newsPoint.title}}

{{newsPoint.title+ ' '}}

{{newsPoint.subtitle}}

US-Israeli strikes on Iran

Iranian authorities confirm death of Larijani, appoint successors

The politician died due to the US and Israeli strikes on Iran

Ali Larijani AP Photo/Vahid Salemi

Ali Larijani

© AP Photo/Vahid Salemi

CAIRO, March 17. /TASS/. The Iranian authorities have confirmed information about the death of the Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, Ali Larijani, as a result of a strike by the US and Israel.

"Ali Larijani has been martyred," states a statement published on the politician's Telegram channel.

According to the Fars news agency, the Iranian authorities have appointed three to seven successors for key positions in the structure of state administration and the command of the country's army.

According to its information, from three to seven successors have been appointed for all responsible government positions and military commanders. It is indicated that this decision was made so that in the event of any incident, "the administration of the country and defense operations could continue without the slightest disruption."

Tags

US-Israeli strikes on Iran

Iranian president vows to avenge death of Larijani

Earlier, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned that any country allowing its territory to be used by the US or Israel for aggression against Iran "is a legitimate target for Iran"

Zapad 2025 drills debunk fakes about Moscow, Minsk's aggressive plans — Belarusian SC

Alexander Volfovich recalled that Russian and Belarusian troop groups had returned to their permanent bases

About 1,000 troops to fire Grad multiple launch rocket systems in Russia’s Far East drills

The drills will also involve infantry fighting vehicles, tanks and Sani mortar systems

Russia deeply concerned about growing tensions around Cuba — Foreign Ministry

Russia strongly condemns attempts at gross interference in the internal affairs of a sovereign state, intimidation, and the imposition of illegal unilateral restrictive measures

Trump postpones visit to China due to lack of strong negotiating position — expert

Alexander Shpakovsky noted that the closure of the Strait of Hormuz negatively impacted China's energy security, however, US military spending significantly exceeded China’s losses

EU intends to have Hungary’s ban lifted at forthcoming summit

The EU summit is scheduled to be held on March 19-20, 2026

EU experts arriving in Ukraine to assess Druzhba pipeline damage

The EU delegation is said to be in Kiev already and the EU mission in Ukraine deals with its plans and logistics

Venezuela, Russia support multipolar world — Foreign Minister

Yvan Gil Pinto says that Venezuela and Russia are brotherly countries and strategic partners

US administration seeks resignation of Cuban president — NYT

According to the newspaper, the step would allow to implement structural changes in the country’s economy

Iranian president vows to avenge death of Larijani

Earlier, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned that any country allowing its territory to be used by the US or Israel for aggression against Iran "is a legitimate target for Iran"

BRICS making big contributions in public health sphere — senior Russian diplomat

"The health sector has established itself as one of the most productive and content-rich areas of BRICS cooperation in recent years," Sergey Ryabkov pointed out

Approval of 20th package of anti-Russian sanctions 'overdue' — Kallas

The foreign ministers of member-states of the European Union discussed how to push this forward

Rostec to unveil anti-drone projectile at Riyadh exhibition

The projectile is designed for firing from small-caliber artillery systems equipped with the 2A42 automatic cannon

Putin pardons 23 women — Human Rights Council head

"At the meeting with the president, the issue of a possible pardon was raised," Valery Fadeyev said

EU leaders joined talks with US president in White House 'armed with flattery' — paper

According to the publication, for Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky and EU leaders, one of the main tasks was to "to prise Trump from the diplomatic embrace" of Russian President Vladimir Putin

Up to 90 people may be trapped underground in coalmine rock collapse in Russian Arctic

There has been no information yet on the people injured in the coalmine accident

Iranian authorities confirm death of Larijani, appoint successors

The politician died due to the US and Israeli strikes on Iran

Russia’s NWF down $16.5 bln in September 2022 — Finance Ministry

It is noted that 138.433 bln rubles ($2.29 bln) more are deposited with VTB and Gazprombank for funding of self-sustained infrastructural projects

Russia, Turkey confirm bilateral intentions of maintaining high-level contacts — ministry

On March 17, 2026, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov held telephone talks with Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Turkey Hakan Fidan

US president may send naval ships to Persian Gulf 'if he dares' — IRGC

Iran has full sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz, General Ali Mohammad Naini said

Russian troops liberate two communities in Ukraine operation over past day — top brass

According to the latest figures, the Ukrainian army lost roughly 1,240 troops in battles with Russian forces in all the frontline areas over the past 24 hours

Peruvian Prime Minister Miralles vacates office

Peru’s interim President Jose Maria Balcazar appointed Miralles, former Economy Minister, as Prime Minister on February 25, 2026

Tankers start crossing Hormuz, White House says

It's a sign of how little Iran has left, Director of the US National Economic Council Kevin Hassett said

Trump's victory boosts hopes for resolving Ukraine conflict, Turkish foreign minister says

From the first day of the conflict, Turkey has insisted that diplomacy should be a priority, Hakan Fidan recalled

SAS to cancel over 100 flights in Norway this week due to fuel prices

The company explained such measure by the conflict in the Middle East and high fuel prices

Spain to release up to 11.5 mln barrels from strategic oil reserves

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for the Ecological Transition Sara Aagesen recalled the IEA members' decision to release a total of 400 million barrels of oil from emergency stocks to stabilize the market amid the Middle East conflict

Mojtaba Khamenei is well and may soon deliver new address

Foreign Ministry Spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei announced the speech, adding "The Iranian people are determined to defend their homeland"

Most UEFA members support allowing Russian U17 teams to play on neutral fields

Earlier, President of the Hellenic Football Federation Chrysostomos Gkagkatsis offered to return Russian youth teams to international competitions

Russia creates multi-layered defense against Ukrainian long-range drones — expert

Dmitry Kuzyakin noted that after the system identifies targets, the UAV-destroying capabilities are activated

US spending on war with Iran could exceed trillion dollars — The Intercept

The Pentagon said the US spent about $11.3 billion in just one week of its war on Iran

Fuel, power supply issues: situation in Cuba

The energy supply situation in Cuba has severely deteriorated as a result of a blockade on fuel shipments caused by unilateral US restrictions

Aeroflot to add 43 extra flights to Thailand, Maldives, Sri Lanka

Ticket sales are already open

Rocket with Progress MS-33 cargo spacecraft rolled to Baikonur launch pad

The launch of the Progress MS-33 spacecraft is scheduled for March 22

Kiev seeks to further upend oil markets, create utter chaos globally — senator

Alexander Voloshin noted that Ukraine was taking the initiative to escalate the Middle East conflict and intended to send an armed contingent to the region for that purpose

Iranian soldiers write messages on missiles telling US to get out of Middle East

Iranian soldiers write on misseles that they will continue strikes until the last American soldier leaves the Middle East

Hormuz and US-Israel compensation: statement by new supreme leader of Iran

Mojtaba Khamenei confirmed the deaths of his sister and wife

Rubio orders US diplomats to influence other nations to take action against Iran — TV

The American diplomatic institutions are also instructed to "swiftly" urge the local governments to declare the IRGC and Hezbollah terrorist organizations

Putin backs placing shares of companies bought out from non-residents on stock exchange

Earlier, the Finance Ministry reported that one of the conditions for buying out Russian businesses of non-residents leaving the country could be the placement up to 20% of the shares of their Russian assets on the domestic stock exchange

Lavrov, Fidan discuss Iran war, energy projects — Russian Foreign Ministry

Special attention was drawn to the absolute importance of ensuring comprehensive pipeline safety

Conflict in Ukraine would have ended in day without Washington's help to Kiev — Trump

Ukraine had the best equipment in the world given by sleepy Joe Biden, the US president said

US allies reluctant to get involved in operation against Iran — Trump

The United States does not need the help of anyone, the US president noted

Medvedev laces into West’s hate-filled sanctions targeting ordinary Russians

The Russophobia even spreads to Russian culture, the Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council pointed out

Russia’s Provod fiber-optic drones effectively deployed in special military op zone

The drones are equipped with coils of 25, 30, and 36 kilometers

Deputy commander-in-chief of Russian Navy arrives at Massawa port in Eritrea

The visit is part of the events marking the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Russia and Eritrea

Press review: Tehran pursues attrition as Trump delays China visit amid Iran tensions

Top stories from the Russian press on Tuesday, March 17th

FACTBOX: Russia hit by 206 drones overnight, injuries reported in Belgorod Region

As a result of the attack, five people were wounded in the city of Korocha in the Belgorod Region

Russian army destroys ammunition depot with HIMARS missiles near Odessa — Defense Ministry

The complex entered the service of the Russian Navy in 2012

Power restored to one-third of Havana after nationwide outage

As of 7:06 a.m. local time, power supplies were restored to 24 substations of 89 power distribution networks serving 269,367 clients

Press review: US tries to assemble Hormuz tanker coalition as Russia eyes new fuel markets

Top stories from the Russian press on Monday, March 16th

Israeli army no longer needs political approval to eliminate senior Iranian officials — TV

According to the TV channel, this will make it possible to speed up the decision-making process

US and Israel to lose Iranian war — Dotcom

US President Donald Trump has five options for dealing with Iran, including admitting defeat or starting World War III, the founder of the Megaupload file said

Czech, Slovak officials to discuss expert examination of Druzhba oil pipeline

Negotiations are scheduled for Wednesday in Prague

Ruble’s real effective exchange rate up 7.1% in March — Central Bank

The ruble’s real effective exchange rate increased by 19.2% in January-March in annual terms

Middle East share of Russian wheat exports grows to 37% in July-February

Overall, Russian exports maintain a strong position: from July 2025 to February 2026, wheat exports totaled 32.7 million tonnes, barley 4.77 million tonnes, and corn 3.47 million tonnes.

Switzerland to follow EU in softening sanctions on Russian oil — official

Federal authorities may take enforcement measures to ensure compliance with sanctions introduced by the UN, USCE or main trade partners of Switzerland, official spokesperson of the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs Fabian Maienfisch stated

UK, EU no longer hide their anti-Trump sentiments — Russian envoy

According to Kirill Dmitriev, the masks have slipped

Call on Ukraine, NATO to stay away from Belarus and Oreshnik: Lukashenko’s statements

The Belarusian president stressed that Ukraine and NATO should refrain from interfering in Belarusian affairs, lest Minsk be compelled to use the Oreshnik missile system

Trump says could have decided to withdraw from NATO without Congress

The US leader added that he was not currently raising the issue of withdrawing from NATO

Flood damage recovery nears completion in south Siberia

Rubicon fighters are elite drone operators, feared by Ukrainian troops — governor

Vladimir Saldo said the enemy is well aware of their capabilities

UN is working to implement Russian part of Istanbul accords — spokesman

According to the representative of the secretary general of the organization Stefan Dujarric, the UN continues to interact with all parties of the Black Sea initiative

Iran destroys hangars with US fighter jets at bases in UAE, Bahrain — IRGC

The strikes on US military bases in the Middle East will continue until US forces completely withdraw from them

UAE may join US efforts to protect Strait of Hormuz — Reuters

Diplomatic adviser to the UAE President Anwar Gargash also said that once the US-Israeli war with Iran ends, an arrangement would be needed to ensure that Iran cannot use its nuclear, missile or drone programs "to terrorize the region"

Turkish military may leave Syria after securing border — sources

The Turkish Armed Forces are in Syria based on the right to self-defense under international law to ensure the security of the country and its borders, combat terrorism, and prevent the formation of a terrorist corridor, the source said

Martial law in Strait of Hormuz prevents US from supplying its bases — Iranian ambassador

According to Kazem Jalali, Iran is taking measures to disrupt the enemy’s logistics for its own security

Iberia cancels flights, also to Moscow

The company had to cancel flights because of a strike of two main trade unions representing pilots and cabin crew

Countering 56 countries waging terror: remarks by Russia's top security official

Sergey Shoigu said that amid escalating tensions in the Middle East, the threat of terrorist attacks against critical infrastructure is becoming "even more imminent and widespread"

OPCW experts confirm toxic substances in Navalny’s blood

Iranian embassy in Vienna has no information about strikes on 'Taleghan' center

According to the Israeli army's press service, the "Taleghan" compound was "utilized by the regime to advance critical capabilities for developing nuclear weapons"

US is preparing to end its military campaign in Iran — Bloomberg

The agency's sources indicated that they consider US President Donald Trump’s recent statements about the US having destroyed Iran’s military potential an exaggeration

US base in Iraq attacked with fiber-optic FPV drones — expert

Abbas Juma noted Iran's significant success in building its unmanned aerial vehicle industry

LGBT agenda contradicts Serbian values — prime minister

"Serbia is a nation with deeply rooted traditions, culture, and spirituality, where family values hold central importance," Duro Macut said

Russian Railways to bid for construction of railroads in Saudi Arabia

Russian Railways will soon submit an application for the construction of railways in Saudi Arabia, the head of the Russian Direct Investments Fund says

US asks Turkey to guarantee S-400 systems will not come into operation — Erdogan

The deployment of the S-400 anti-aircraft missile systems will begin in April, Turkey's president recalled

German subsidiary of Russian pharma company announces bankruptcy due to sanctions

According to the report, the main cause of the bankruptcy were European sanctions against Russia and Russian tit-for-tar measures, which adversely affected the business

EU has no money to mitigate energy shock caused by conflict in Iran — WSJ

According to the newspaper, the public debt of some European countries, particularly the UK and France, is reaching 60-year highs

Russian military train Republic of Congo security forces based on special military op

According to a Russian instructor, the Congolese military itself approached the Russian Federation for assistance in training its special forces

Slovak PM Fico predicts worsening global oil market situation amid Iran conflict

There is every indication that this conflict will continue for a long time, Robert Fico noted

Trump says Europe unwilling to help US with Iran after American support regarding Ukraine

The US president met with Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin at the White House

No EU money for Ukraine until Druzhba oil flows resume, Orban says

The Hungarian foreign minister noted that Brussels’ recent proposals to repair the transit route would not change Budapest's stance

Russian stock market closes in the red — market reports

The ruble MOEX Russia Index ticked down by 0.02% to 2,853.53 points

Tanker near UAE coast damaged due to air defense operation

The vessel received minor structural damage however all crew are confirmed as safe

Russia holds ceremony for Paralympic athletes on Red Square

State Duma deputy and Olympic champion in speed skating Svetlana Zhurova, Olympic silver medalist ski mountaineer Nikita Filippov and others came to congratulate the athletes

France to never participate in operations to reopen Strait of Hormuz — President Macron

Paris will not do this under any circumstances, Emmanuel Macron said

Delo Group expects cargo traffic growth via Far East

The task of Russia is to provide for logistical solutions in interests of Russian exporters and importers, Board Chairman Sergey Shishkarev said

Debris from intercepted missile falls in UAE's Abu Dhabi, killing one person — authorities

According to the report, the debris fell in the Bani Yas area

Europe needs time to start asking for Russian gas again — Dmitriev

The Russian presidential envoy noted that the price hike would be devastating for industry and households

American sailors set fire to USS Gerald R. Ford to avoid fighting — Iranian army

On March 12, the US Naval Forces Central Command reported that a fire broke out on board the USS Gerald R. Ford

Ukrainian attacks kill nearly 40, injure over 200 Russian citizens over week — diplomat

Most of the injuries were caused by Ukrainian drone attacks

Over half of Russians long for days of USSR — pollster

Experts believe that should a referendum on the Soviet Union’s future be organized today, two thirds of those polled would vote for its preservation

Russian Deputy PM states tense situation with gas reserves in Europe

The possible halt of Russian gas transit through Ukraine will lead to an even greater acceleration in the rate of gas withdrawal from European storage facilities, Alexander Novak noted

Hungary will refuse to support Ukraine’s joining EU, €90 bln loan for Kiev — top diplomat

"Ukraine’s accession to the EU is out of the question, and a 20th sanctions package and a 90 billion euro loan can only be included in the agenda as soon as the Ukrainians resume oil supplies," Peter Szijjarto said

Russian equities open lower after Total chief’s death in Moscow air crash

The Russian stock indexes fell following deterioration in external markets and under the impact of the death of Total CEO Christophe de Margerie in an air crash at Moscow’s Vnukovo airport

Russia, Myanmar developing cooperation in renewable energy — Putin

More than 90% of oil was supplied to the market of Myanmar from Russia in 2024, the President recalled

Iran completes heaviest missile attack on Israel — IRGC Aerospace Force chief

According to the report, the operation successfully disrupted and destroyed key Israeli aerial surveillance systems

Russian national under arrest in US severely poisoned in pre-trial detention center

According to Ivan Melnikov, he hopes for an easing of the restrictive measure or for an early exchange

First ROS crew to be on ISS at time of modules’ undocking — Russian cosmonaut

Oleg Kononenko said the ISS will most likely remain in operation until 2030

EU agrees on 90 billion euro loan to Kiev breaking Hungary's veto — Bulgarian radio

On Tuesday European Council President Antonio Costa demanded that Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban adhere to the decision adopted at the December summit, in which Budapest also participated

Crimean resident detained for shooting rifle at police officers

The shooter was injured by return fire, the regional Interior Ministry reported

Russian commandos employ latest Upyr drone in Ukraine operation

The Upyr FPV drone was engineered in the Sverdlovsk Region in the Urals and is designed to strike enemy targets in the front’s depth and wipe out armor at sheltered positions

Putin: Russia over-fulfilled Kyoto Protocol, delaying global warming almost by a year

Russia has managed to cut greenhouse gas emissions considerably by modernizing the economy and introducing environmentally-clean and energy-saving technologies, the Russian president said