{"id":343596,"date":"2026-03-18T10:08:14","date_gmt":"2026-03-18T09:08:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/?p=343596"},"modified":"2026-03-18T22:10:02","modified_gmt":"2026-03-18T21:10:02","slug":"iran-news-in-brief-march-18-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/news\/iran-news-in-brief-news\/iran-news-in-brief-march-18-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Iran News in Brief \u2013 March 18, 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Aftermath
Aftermath of U.S.\u2013Israeli airstrikes across multiple Iranian cities, with damaged buildings, fires, and rising smoke reported on March 17, 2026<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

THIS PAGE WILL BE UPDATED WITH THE LATEST NEWS<\/h3>\n

UPDATE: 10:00 PM CET<\/strong><\/p>\n

Iran at War: A Regime Under Fire from Without \u2014 and Within<\/h3>\n

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As the war surrounding Iran enters its 18th day, the country stands at a moment of historic uncertainty. Missiles and drones have struck military installations and strategic infrastructure across the country, while the regime\u2019s leadership struggles to project an image of authority. Yet the most important battle may not be unfolding in the skies above Iran or in the waters of the Persian Gulf. It is taking place on the ground, inside the country itself.<\/p>\n

Even as explosions reverberate across the region, Resistance Units linked to the Iranian opposition movement, the People’s\u00a0Mojahedin\u00a0Organization of Iran\u00a0(MEK), have intensified their campaign against the theocratic regime. Their actions,\u00a0ranging from acts of defiance to targeted disruption,\u00a0highlight a reality Tehran\u2019s rulers have long feared,\u00a0that an external conflict could ignite a domestic uprising capable of toppling the regime from within.\u00a0For decades the clerical establishment has relied on two pillars to maintain its grip on power,\u00a0repression at home and confrontation abroad. The current war is exposing the fragility of that strategy.<\/p>\n

Read more<\/a><\/p>\n

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UPDATE: 09:00 PM CET<\/strong><\/p>\n

South Pars Strike, Gulf Missile Alerts and New Leadership Hits Mark Another Day of Escalation in Iran War<\/h3>\n

The war entered a more dangerous phase on Wednesday as strikes hit Iran\u2019s South Pars gas complex and nearby facilities at Asaluyeh, pushing the conflict deeper into energy infrastructure and raising the threat of direct retaliation against Gulf oil and gas sites. Brent crude surged above $108 and toward $110<\/a>, while Saudi Arabia said it intercepted four ballistic missiles over Riyadh hours before an emergency consultative meeting of Arab and Islamic foreign ministers in the capital. Residents of Riyadh received hostile-threat phone alerts for the first time, underscoring how far the conflict has spread beyond Iran and Israel.<\/p>\n

Iranian state media said<\/a> projectiles hit parts of the South Pars Special Economic Energy Zone and the Asaluyeh refinery complex, with accounts describing damage to tanks and refinery infrastructure and naming phases 3, 4, 5 and 6 among the affected units. Workers were moved to safe areas, firefighting teams were deployed and several phases were taken offline to prevent the fire from spreading. South Pars is the Iranian section of the world\u2019s largest known natural gas reservoir, shared with Qatar, and is central to Iran\u2019s domestic energy system. The IRGC-run news agency Fars said gas tanks and parts of a refinery were hit and that the fire was later brought under control. Qatar called the strike a dangerous escalation, the UAE also condemned it, and Reuters reported that Iran halted gas flows to Iraq to divert supply to domestic use.<\/p>\n

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Hours ago, U.S. forces successfully employed multiple 5,000-pound deep penetrator munitions on hardened Iranian missile sites along Iran\u2019s coastline near the Strait of Hormuz. The Iranian anti-ship cruise missiles in these sites posed a risk to international shipping in the\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/hgCSFH0cqO<\/a><\/p>\n

— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) March 17, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n