![Smoke rises after an Israeli air raid on the Qasmiyeh bridge in southern Lebanon, located on a main highway linking villages in the Tyre district with others further north, after Israel said it was being used by Hezbollah, on March 22, 2026 [AFP]](/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/AFP__20260322__A49P698__v2__HighRes__LebanonIsraelUsIranWar-1774253993.jpg?resize=730%2C410&quality=80)
Video Duration 05 minutes 21 seconds play-arrow05:21Israel launches 'extensive' strikes on Iran, with powerful explosions reported in Tehran
The war launched by the United States and Israel against Iran entered its 24th day on Monday.
On Sunday, Iran said it would strike the energy and water systems of its Gulf neighbours if US President Donald Trump followed through with a threat to hit Iran’s electricity grid, which would mark a serious escalation in the war. Trump’s 48-hour deadline for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz or face attacks on its power plants ends at 23:44 GMT on Monday — 3:14am on Tuesday for Iran.
On Monday, stocks in China and Hong Kong were on track for their worst day in nearly a year as the escalating war in the Middle East fanned stagflation fears and roiled global financial markets.
United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer has called for an emergency meeting later in the day as the economic fallout from the war mounts.
Meanwhile, attacks have continued in Iran, Israel and in the Gulf countries. Here is what is happening.
