What we know on the 13th day of the US and Israel’s war with Iran

By CNN Newsource

Published March 11, 2026 10:04 PM

By Jessie Yeung, Issy Ronald, CNN

(CNN) — Iran’s new supreme leader has purportedly delivered his first written message, demanding that the United States and Israel pay “compensation” for their attacks on Iran and warning that the key Strait of Hormuz shipping route will remain closed to apply pressure, as the conflict increasingly spreads to the seas.

The International Energy Agency (IEA) has warned that the war is causing the “largest supply disruption in the history of the global oil market.” To help absorb the shock, a global body of countries has agreed to release emergency oil reserves.

Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump continues to make conflicting comments about when the war might end.

Here’s what to know on Day 13.

What’s happening in the region?

Supreme leader’s written message: Mojtaba Khamenei issued his purported first message Thursday as Iran’s new supreme leader, calling for unity among the Iranian people and warning that the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping route, will remain closed as a “tool of pressure.” He also insisted that the US and Israel should pay “compensation” for their actions. He has not yet appeared in public, on video or released an audio statement.
US assets: In western Iraq, a US refueling aircraft went down with at least five crew members aboard, though the military says it was not due to “hostile fire or friendly fire.” The military did not specify whether any US service members were hurt or killed.
Strikes target oil: Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) warned it would set the region’s oil and gas “on fire” if Iranian energy infrastructure and ports are attacked. Bahrain said that Iranian attacks targeted fuel tanks in the country’s north, and Greenpeace mapped 85 large oil tankers trapped in the Persian Gulf. The group said that if those ships are hit, an oil spill could result. It called the situation an “ecological ticking bomb.”
Attacks near strait: A container ship off the coast of the United Arab Emirates was struck by an “unknown projectile” early Thursday, a day after three vessels were hit by projectiles near the Strait of Hormuz. The strait carries roughly one-fifth of global crude oil shipments. Iran’s UN ambassador said the country would not close the strait, just hours after the new supreme leader purportedly said the waterway will remain closed.
Hezbollah and Israel: As Israel continues striking sites belonging to the Iranian-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz instructed the military to prepare for expanding operations in Lebanon. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he urged the Lebanese government to disarm Hezbollah, or else Israel will do so “in our own methods.” He would not specify if this would be done “on the ground or in other ways.” At least 687 people including 98 children have been killed in the Israeli strikes since March 2, Lebanon’s health ministry says.
Iran strikes continue: Israeli drone strikes targeted IRGC and Basij checkpoints in Tehran, killing at least 10 “security defenders,” Iranian state media said Thursday.
Tensions in Iraq: Six French soldiers were wounded in a drone attack targeting a base hosting a coalition of troops in Erbil, northern Iraq, according to the governor. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack but in a statement issued afterwards, an Iran-backed militia in Iraq, Ashab al-Kahf, threatened to target French interests in Iraq and the wider region.
Millions displaced: Up to 3.2 million people have been displaced inside Iran since the conflict with Israel and the US began on February 28, according to the United Nations. Most of them are reportedly fleeing Tehran and other urban areas toward the north of the country and rural parts in search of safety, the UNHCR said in a statement. And in Lebanon, the UN says more than 800,000 people have already been displaced.
Gulf nations: Kuwait’s international airport was damaged in a drone attack Thursday morning, the country’s civil aviation authority said. Other Persian Gulf states intercepted new waves of Iranian drones and missiles early Thursday, including in the global business hub of Dubai, where a drone fell on a building near the luxury neighborhood of Creek Harbour.

What are the other main headlines?

Oil supply disruption: The flow of crude and oil products through the crucial Strait of Hormuz has slowed to “a trickle,” the IEA said in its monthly oil report, as it warned of an unprecedented disruption to global oil supplies. Those supplies would plunge by 8 million barrels per day this month, it said.
Oil prices: Stocks fell and global oil prices settled at $100 per barrel for the first time since 2022 as the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz continued to roil markets.
The school strike: The US military accidentally struck an Iranian elementary school likely due to outdated information about a nearby naval base, according to sources who were briefed on the preliminary findings of an ongoing military investigation. The attack killed at least 168 children and 14 teachers, Iran’s state media reported.

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