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By Humeyra Pamuk WASHINGTON, March 16 (Reuters) - President Donald Trump's administration on Monday urged U.S. diplomats abroad to push allies to designate Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Lebanon-based Hezbollah as terrorist groups, citing elevated risk of attack, according to an internal State Department cable seen by Reuters.

The Latest: Trump seeks help opening the Strait of Hormuz as Iran war chokes oil shipping  5 EYEWITNESS NEWS

Motorcyclist shot dead in Ramle identified as Marwan Abu Ghanem, 21; another man later shot in Musheirifa, in 70th homicide in Arab community this year, according to watchdog The post Two Arab men killed in separate shootings, following earlier homicide appeared first on The Times of Israel.

Trump demands allies help secure Strait of Hormuz  KTEN

By Humeyra Pamuk and Bo Erickson WASHINGTON, March 16 (Reuters) - U.S. Vice President JD Vance on Monday expressed support for the way President Donald Trump was handling the war in Iran and said he trusted him to make sure that "the mistakes of the past" are not repeated. Vance's comments appeared to be an effort to counter questions about whetherhis well-known anti-war and isolationist views put him at odds with Trump. Since the war began on February 28, Vance had not publicly offered unequivocal support for it.

SEOUL, March 17 (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on a phone call with South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun on Monday that cooperation among countries to secure safety in the Strait of Hormuz is more important than ever to stabilize the global economy and oil prices, Seoul said. South Korea has said it would carefully consider U.S. President Donald Trump's call for countries including South Korea, Japan and China to deploy navy ships to the Middle East to form a coalition to ensure safe passage through the waterway.

Donald Trump claimed he ordered strikes on Iran to prevent a nuclear conflict that would have turned into World War III.

Opinion | The Battle for the Strait of Hormuz  WSJ

US Central Command says US struck 7,000 targets in Iran US Central Command says its forces have carried out thousands of strikes during the ongoing war with Iran. In a statement, CENTCOM said American forces hit more than 7,000 targets while flying roughly 6,500 combat sorties during the campaign. The command also said US forces destroyed several Iranian vessels during the operations. The figures provide one of the clearest snapshots yet of the scale of the US military campaign against Iran, which has involved sustained air operations and attacks on multiple targets across the country.

Vance backs Trump on Iran — but defends past skepticism  Politico

Iran war live updates: Family members speak out after US airman killed  USA Today

What does Israel want from the Iran war? Is it different from what the US wants?  CNN

By Samia Nakhoul DUBAI, March 16 (Reuters) - Gulf Arab states did not ask the U.S. to go to war with Iran, but many are now urging it not to stop short by leaving the Islamic Republic still able to threaten the Gulf’s oil lifeline and the economies that depend on it, three Gulf sources told Reuters.

200 US troops wounded since Iran war started: Centcom  The Hill

Details from US Central Command come as 13 US service members and more than 1,300 Iranians have been killed At least 200 US troops have been injured in the US-Israeli war on Iran, a US military spokesperson said on Monday. “Since the start of Operation Epic Fury, approximately 200 US service members have been wounded,” US Central Command spokesperson Cpt Tim Hawkins told the Guardian via email. Continue reading...

American Military Casualties Climb to 200 as Iran Conflict Enters Third Week  Fine Day 102.3

Trump Says He Asked China to Delay Xi Summit Due to Iran War  Bloomberg.com

Iran-backed group was responsible for kidnapping of Israeli Elizabeth Tsurkov, who says slain commander 'was personally involved in keeping me captive' The post Security commander of Iraq’s Kataeb Hezbollah said killed in airstrike appeared first on The Times of Israel.

US president says 'numerous countries' have said they're joining, urges others to do so 'with great enthusiasm'; says it's unknown if Mojtaba Khamenei is alive The post Trump slams allies’ low ‘enthusiasm’ for his proposed coalition to open Hormuz appeared first on The Times of Israel.

Trump threatens NATO over Strait of Hormuz. Will they send ships?  USA Today