Iran raps UAE for calling it ‘enemy’, urges neighbors to choose sides in war

Exiled Iranian Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi announced the creation of a committee to draft regulations for transitional justice in Iran, saying Nobel Peace Prize laureate Shirin Ebadi will lead the body.

In a statement on Monday, Pahlavi said the “Committee for Drafting Transitional Justice Regulations” would prepare the framework for both a court and a fact-finding commission aimed at addressing decades of alleged abuses under the Islamic Republic.

The committee will include several Iranian legal experts and activists from different generations and will be supported by prominent international jurists serving as advisers, according to Pahlavi.

He said the initiative was launched for those who “over the past five decades have been victims of injustice, torture and repression.”

“Truth will be revealed. Justice will be carried out,” he added.

President Trump said on Monday the United States does not know whether Iran's new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei is dead or alive.

"This one we haven't seen at all. So that could be for a lot of different reasons. We don't know if he's dead or not."

"A lot of people are saying that he's badly disfigured. They're saying that he lost his leg, one leg, and he's been hurt very badly. Other people are saying he's dead. Nobody's saying he's 100% healthy," he said.

"Numerous countries have told me they're on the way. Some are very enthusiastic about it, and some are in. Some are countries that we've helped for many, many years. We've protected them from horrible outside sources, and they weren't that enthusiastic," he said in a news conference in Washington DC.

"The level enthusiasm matters to me. We have some countries where we have 45,000 soldiers, great soldiers, protecting them from harm's way, and we have done a great job. And well, we want to know, do you have any mine sweepers? Well, would rather not get involved, sir."

"For 40 years, we're protecting you, and you don't want to get involved in something that is very minor, very few shots going to be taken... But they said, we'd rather not get involved."

"When I've been a big critic of all of the protecting of countries, because I know that we'll protect them, and if ever needed, if we ever needed help, they won't be there for us," Trump said.

"Reports claim that some neighboring states which host US forces and permit attacks on Iran are also actively encouraging this slaughter," Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in a post on X. "Stances should be promptly clarified."

Iran’s top security official Ali Larijani on Monday accused Islamic countries of abandoning Iran during the war with the United States and Israel, singling out the United Arab Emirates for describing Tehran as an enemy after attacks on Emirati targets.

In a statement addressed to Muslims across the world and to the governments of Islamic countries, Larijani slammed the response of Muslim governments to the US-Israeli attacks which began in late February, regretting that "no Islamic government stood alongside the people of Iran except in rare cases and limited to political positions."

“Is the position of some Islamic governments not in contradiction with the words of the Prophet of Islam who said: ‘Whoever hears the cry for help of a Muslim and does not respond is not a Muslim’?” he said. “So what kind of Islam is this?”

In an apparent reference to the United Arab Emirates, Larijani said some governments had gone further by calling Iran an enemy because it targeted what he called "American bases and US and Israeli interests on their soil."

“Is Iran expected to sit idly by while American bases in your countries are used to attack it?” Larijani asked. “These are weak excuses.”

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In a written decree attributed to Iran’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei has ordered that officials who were directly appointed by his slain father should continue in their positions without requiring renewed appointments.

“Following inquiries from some managers and officials of bodies who were directly appointed by the martyred leader, I hereby announce that none of them need a renewal of their appointment for now,” the decree released on Monday said.

He instructed the officials to continue their duties based on the policies and guidance they had received during the lifetime of Ali Khamenei.

Six hospitals in Iran have been evacuated since the start of the US-Israeli war on the country, but the health system is holding up for now, a World Health Organization official said on Monday.

WHO regional director Hanan Balkhy said Iran’s healthcare infrastructure remained robust and authorities had not requested emergency relief from the global health agency.

"The primary healthcare and the health infrastructure of Iran is quite good and robust, and they're able to accommodate the casualties as of now," Balkhy told Reuters.

The WHO said it has verified 18 attacks on healthcare facilities and the deaths of eight medical workers.

Balkhy added that the agency had contingency plans to send emergency supplies if conditions worsen, warning that toxic pollution from damaged oil facilities could increase respiratory illnesses.

The European Union on Monday imposed sanctions on an Iranian company over cyber-attacks targeting EU member states and partners, the Council of the EU said.

The company, Emennet Pasargad, unlawfully accessed a French subscriber database and offered the data for sale on the dark web, the Council said in a statement.

It also said the firm compromised advertising billboards to spread disinformation during the 2024 Paris Olympic Games and breached a Swedish SMS service affecting a large number of EU citizens.

Under the sanctions, the company is subject to an asset freeze and EU citizens and companies are banned from providing funds or economic resources to it.

The EU also sanctioned two Chinese individuals and two China-based companies over cyber-attacks against member states and critical infrastructure.

Iran has asked India to release three tankers seized in February as part of talks aimed at securing safe passage for Indian-flagged or India-bound vessels through the Strait of Hormuz, three sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.

Indian authorities seized the vessels near Indian waters, alleging they had concealed or altered their identities and were involved in illegal ship-to-ship transfers.

Iran’s ambassador to New Delhi met officials at India’s foreign ministry on Monday to discuss the issue, one source said, adding Tehran had also sought supplies of some medicines and medical equipment.

India’s foreign ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said recent ship movements reflected a history of engagement between the two countries and said nothing was being exchanged.

India said at least 22 Indian-flagged vessels and 611 Indian seafarers remain in the Persian Gulf as shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has slowed sharply since the start of the conflict involving Iran.

Indian authorities seized the tankers Asphalt Star, Al Jafzia and Stellar Ruby, which are currently anchored off Mumbai.

A Pakistan-flagged oil tanker has transited the Strait of Hormuz and is sailing toward Pakistan after traveling close to Iran's coastline, Bloomberg News reported on Monday, citing ship-tracking data.

The Aframax tanker Karachi, operated by Pakistan National Shipping Corp., cleared the strait on Sunday and was later seen near Sohar in Oman, according to the report.

The vessel loaded crude inside the Persian Gulf after leaving Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates last month and is expected to arrive in Pakistan on March 18, Bloomberg reported, citing a company spokesperson.

Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has largely halted since US and Israeli strikes on Iran began last month, with traders closely watching the few vessels that still pass through the key oil chokepoint.

Israel's military said on Monday it had destroyed a facility in central Tehran that it said was used to develop capabilities to attack satellites in space.

The Israeli air force struck what it described as a center linked to Iran's military space program that was used to develop offensive systems capable of damaging satellites, the military said in a statement.

It said the facility was involved in programs including the development of the Chamran-1 satellite, which it said was built by Iran's defense ministry electronics industries and launched by the Revolutionary Guards in September 2024.

The commander of the United States Central Command said on Monday that US forces carried out a large-scale precision strike on Iran's Kharg Island last week, hitting more than 90 military targets including storage sites for naval mines and missiles.

Admiral Brad Cooper said in a video briefing that US and partner forces had flown more than 6,000 combat flights over the past 16 days and were maintaining air superiority over Iranian skies.

He said the strikes were aimed at eliminating Iran's ballistic missiles, drones and naval threats and dismantling what he described as the country's defense industrial base.

Cooper said US and partner forces had also destroyed more than 100 Iranian naval vessels and were working to reduce Iran's ability to threaten shipping in and around the Strait of Hormuz.

He also said Iran had launched more than 300 attacks across the region over the past two weeks, targeting civilian areas.

Basij forces and government security agents had gathered inside a school, a citizen who sent a video to Iran International said.

The United States is "fine" for now with some Iranian, Indian and Chinese fuel ships moving through the Strait of Hormuz, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Monday.

Bessent told CNBC that more fuel tankers were beginning to transit the key waterway and said Iranian vessels had already been leaving to supply global markets.

"We are seeing more and more of the fuel ships start to go through," he said, adding that Indian ships and some Chinese vessels had also departed the Persian Gulf.

Bessent said the movement of ships could help reopen the route naturally before any naval escort missions are deployed in the region.

He added that any US action to mitigate higher energy prices from the war would depend on how long the conflict lasts.

Iran warned Romania on Monday it would respond politically and legally if the country allowed the United States to use bases on its territory for operations against Iran.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said Tehran was urging countries not to become involved in the war.

"If Romania makes its bases available to the United States, it would amount to participation in military aggression against Iran," Baghaei told a weekly news conference.

He said such a move would be unacceptable under international law and would carry international responsibility for Romania.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Monday the United Kingdom would not be drawn into a wider war with Iran but would work with allies to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

Starmer said efforts to secure the key shipping route would not be a NATO mission.

He told a press conference that reopening the strait was vital to stabilize oil and liquefied natural gas markets, although he warned it would not be easy.

"We're working with all of our allies, including our European partners, to bring together a viable collective plan that can restore freedom of navigation in the region as quickly as possible," he said.

A fire broke out in a building in the UAE emirate of Umm al Quwain after a drone attack, the emirate's media office said on Monday.

No injuries were reported, it added.

Iran's attacks and threats against civilian targets have not stopped, Qatar's Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Monday.

The spokesperson said communications were ongoing with different parties to ensure the Strait of Hormuz remains open so goods can reach Persian Gulf states and energy exports can continue.

Iran needs to stop the attacks so a diplomatic resolution can be found, the spokesperson added.

Iran has not asked for a ceasefire and will continue its resistance in the current conflict, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Monday.

Araghchi told reporters that Iran had endured "difficult but proud days" and would keep resisting without hesitation.

"We have not sent any message and we have not requested a ceasefire," Araghchi said, adding that the war should end in a way that prevents it from happening again.