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U.S.-Israeli War on Iran Enters Third Week as Iranian Foreign Minister Denies Asking for Ceasefire

HeadlineMar 16, 2026

The U.S.-Israeli war on Iran has now entered its third week. On Friday, President Trump ordered strikes on military installations on Iran’s Kharg Island, which handles 90% of the country’s crude oil exports. In a phone call with NBC News journalist Kristen Welker on Saturday, President Trump said U.S. strikes had “totally demolished” much of the island, and warned of more, saying, “We may hit it a few more times just for fun.” President Trump also claimed that Iran wanted a ceasefire, which Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi flatly denied.

Abbas Araghchi: “No, we never asked for a ceasefire, and we have never asked even for negotiation. We are ready to defend ourselves as long as it takes. And this is what we have done so far, and we’ll continue to do that until President Trump comes to the point that this is an illegal war with no victory.”

Reuters reports that President Trump has ignored attempts by allies in the Middle East to start negotiations aimed at ending the Iran war. Over the weekend, U.S. and Israeli forces continued to bombard Iran, hitting cities such as Tehran, Hamadan and Isfahan. Iranian media says that a U.S.-Israeli strike killed 15 people at a factory in Isfahan. Iran’s Cultural Heritage and Tourism Ministry said Saturday that at least 56 museums and historic sites have been damaged. At least 1,348 civilians in Iran have been killed since the start of the war, according to Iran’s U.N. ambassador. Meanwhile, Iran’s police chief says that the country has arrested 500 people accused of sharing information with enemies. This is Mohammad Taheri, whose home was damaged in a U.S.-Israeli strike.

Mohammad Taheri: “It’s a terrible incident, very bitter. Many people have been killed, and so many have lost their homes and lives. However, because of that heroic spirit that has arisen among all the people of Iran, it is now bearable. That is, that sense of resistance within us has grown, strengthened and matured. For that reason, we’re trying to get through these days, and, God willing, we will rebuild everything better from the start, just as we are rebuilding our country and moving closer to our ideals.”

Iran continued to launch retaliatory strikes at Israel as Iranian rumors spread that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was killed in an Iranian strike. In response, Netanyahu posted a video of himself getting coffee and chatting with an aide in Jerusalem on Sunday. Over the weekend, Iran launched multiple ballistic missiles at Israel carrying cluster bombs, injuring at least eight people across the country.

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