The IDF struck targets in Tehran and Beirut simultaneously on Saturday morning. The US struck Natanz again with bunker-busting munitions; the IDF explicitly denied involvement. Iran fired two intermediate-range ballistic missiles at the joint US-UK base at Diego Garcia, roughly 4,000 kilometers from their launch sites; both failed to hit the base. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz announced the strikes against Iran will “increase significantly” starting the week of March 22. CENTCOM Commander Adm. Brad Cooper updated the total US strike count to more than 8,000 targets and 130 naval vessels destroyed. Trump called NATO allies “cowards” on Truth Social for failing to help open the Strait of Hormuz. The US deployed thousands more Marines and sailors to the region, including the USS Boxer amphibious ready group. Saudi Arabia shot down 20 Iranian drones in two hours in its eastern oil region. The UAE responded to 3 ballistic missiles and 8 drones. The US is actively weighing a military seizure or blockade of Kharg Island.
Natanz. The US struck Iran’s Natanz nuclear enrichment facility on Saturday morning using bunker-busting munitions, per IRNA, Tasnim, and US officials cited by the Times of Israel and NDTV. Iran’s official Mizan news agency confirmed the strike and stated no radiation leaked. The IAEA posted on social media that Iran had informed it of the attack and said “no radiological consequence” is expected. The IDF issued a direct clarification: “The Air Force was not involved in the strikes on Natanz overnight.” Saturday’s strike is distinct from previous joint US-Israel operations targeting the facility. Natanz has now been hit in three separate conflict periods: the June 2025 Twelve-Day War, the opening days of Operation Epic Fury, and again on Day 22. The structural condition of the underground centrifuge halls following two bunker-busting strikes in the current war has not been confirmed. The IAEA has not released an updated assessment of operational status.
