Newshour

The US president has called on the UK and other allies to join the United States in sending ships to help secure the Strait of Hormuz. His comments come after he said US forces had “obliterated” military targets on Iran’s key Kharg Island - a commercial lifeline for the Iranian regime. We discuss these latest developments with Mark Kimmitt, former US Assistant Secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs under George W. Bush.
Also on today’s programme: an Israeli strike in southern Lebanon has killed 12 medical workers; and we hear from Cuba, where protesters have attacked a Communist Party office.
(Photo: Kharg Island - a military target on Kharg Island, that was struck by the US forces. Source: U.S. Central Command on social media / X / @CENTCOM)

The US military has given more details about its strikes last night on Kharg Island, where most of Iran's oil exports are shipped from. It said it had struck more than 90 military sites, including missile storage facilities. Video on social media showed multiple explosions, including at an airfield.

Also in the programme: our correspondent has been to a Kurdish Peshmerga mountain base in Iraq; and we meet the man who did the make-up and prosthetics for the new film Frankenstein.

(Photo: A satellite image shows an oil terminal at Kharg Island, Iran, February 25, 2026. 2026 Credit: Planet Labs PBC/Handout via Reuters)

European leaders have reacted with alarm to a US plan to ease some oil sanctions on Russia. The intention, in Washington, is to tackle surging energy costs caused by the war in the Middle East, in particular the blockage by Iran of tanker traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly 20 per cent of the world's oil usually transits. With her country at war with Russia, a Ukrainian MP gives us her reaction to this development.
Also on the programme: a look at the current state of Iran’s military capabilities as war continues to rage; how spider’s silk could be used to treat nerve damage in humans; and the bid to restore the resting place of saxophone inventor Adolphe Sax.
(Photo: General view of the Arcelor Mittal plant in Fos-sur-Mer, Southern France, 12th March 2026. Credit: Guillaume Horcajuelo/EPA/Shutterstock)

The massive bombardment of Iran is continuing with explosions heard across Tehran. Iranian state television reported a major blast near where thousands of Iranians are taking part in a Quds Day rally - an annual march in support of Palestinians and opposing Israel. One person is reported to have been killed. There is also growing criticism in Europe of Washington's decision to ease sanctions on Russian oil in a bid to counter rising oil prices caused by the US and Israel's war with Iran.
Also, how the White House is selling its war on social media.
And we look ahead to the Oscars, where international cinema in the spotlight this year.
Plus researchers warn AI toys for children misread emotions and respond inappropriately.
(Photo: Iranians collect their belongings among the rubble of their damaged residential buildings in central Tehran, Iran, 12 March 2026. Credit: EPA)

As Iran releases the new supreme leader's first statement, we hear from the country's UN ambassador, Ali Bahreini. We also track the expanding Israeli military assault on Lebanon, and ask how the insurance industry is handling the Iranian blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, a major conduit for global oil supplies.
Also in the programme: British tourist among those arrested in Dubai for having missile photographs on his phone; and a tribute album for the jazz musician Miles Davis on the centenary of his birth.
(Photo: Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei; Credit: ABEDIN TAHERKENAREH/EPA/Shutterstock)