News agencies are reporting explosions in Baghdad near the US embassy.

Journalists at the AFP news agency have reported explosions in the Green Zone, the highly secure section of the Iraqi capital that is home to diplomatic missions including the US embassy, and international organisations.

An eyewitness told Reuters of explosions and sirens near the embassy, which has repeatedly been targeted since the start of the US-Israeli war with Iran.

Shortly, Donald Trump and his Vice-President JD Vance will be taking part in an executive order signing ceremony at the White House.

Cameras are there in the Oval Office, so we will monitor what is said and bring you any remarks relevant to the conflict in the Middle East.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has held a call with French President Emmanuel Macron where he insisted "Iran did not begin this atrocious war".

"Defending against invasion is a natural right, in which we are good at," Pezeshkian said on social media.

"Using the American bases against Iran in the region, with the purpose of disturbing our relations with our neighbours, should be stopped."

Pezeshkian insisted Iran "will not surrender to bullies" as he called on the "global community to condemn this invasion".

"Speaking of ending the war, is meaningless, until we ensure there will be no more attacks in our land in the future," Pezeshkian adds.

The United Nations says it's working discreetly as leaders look for a diplomatic solution to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

The vital shipping passageway has been largely blockaded by Iran after the US and Israel began airstrikes on Iran. Earlier today, the European Union's foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said she held talks with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres on a possible UN-backed initiative that would allow some cargo to pass through the strait.

Guterres' spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric says the UN will not be publicly discussing those plans.

"As you will recall during the run-up of the Black Sea Grain initiative, silence was the much better half of valor," Dujarric says referring to a 2022 agreement with Ukraine and Russia during the early months of their war that allowed tonnes of grains and fertilizer to safely pass through the Black Sea, helping to stabilise world food prices.

"I can tell you that the Secretary-General remains in very frequent contact with senior officials in the region and beyond," Dujarric says in a statement. "We will not be feeding this speculation and will continue to work discreetly. The stakes are too high."

Earlier in the UK, Defence Secretary John Healey spoke to MPs in the House of Commons to update them on British involvement in the Gulf.

He informed them that the RAF has now conducted over 550 hours of defensive operations in five countries and Drones have been shot down by UK forces nearly daily. The UK now has more jets flying in the region than at any time in the last 15 years.

Calling the Strait of Hormuz "vital" to the "international economy and to security", Healey said the government is in "continued conversations with European allies and with the US" and that any plan to navigate the strait must be "multilateral" with "as many nations taking part as possible".

He added that the UK has autonomous mine-hunting capabilities in the region, as well as counter-drone systems and he is now looking at "additional innovative options, including interceptor drones for the Middle East".

Officials in the Emirati capital of Abu Dhabi say they are fighting a fire caused by a drone strike on a nearby oil field.

No injuries have been reported, the Abu Dhabi media office reports.

Shah oil field, located 230km south of Abu Dhabi, is a large oil project operated by the state-owned Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC).

According to its website, the field has a production capacity of 70,000 barrels of oil per day.

Image source, Reuters

As Israel continues its operations against Hezbollah in neighbouring Lebanon, Defence Minister Israel Katz says Lebanese people displaced by the fighting will not be able to return home until the north of Israel is secure.

Israel has been sharing evacuation warnings to residents in southern Lebanon, and today the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) says its troops are "operating in evacuated areas that were used by Hezbollah terrorists to exploit civilian infrastructure for terrorist activity".

It says these "limited, targeted" operations have located weapons and "incitement materials", while IDF soldiers were also able to dismantle a weapons cache in southern Lebanon.

Israel's ground offensive has, though, drawn criticism from Turkey.

In a statement, the Turkish Embassy in London says "strongly condemn Israel’s attacks on Lebanon", which it says has resulted in the "displacement of approximately one million people".

The embassy says it will continue to support the Lebanese population, and says Israel's attacks "threaten Lebanon’s territorial integrity and sovereignty".

Ghoncheh Habibiazad
Senior reporter, BBC Persian

Iran's new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has instructed officials appointed by his father, late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, to remain in post and continue working under existing directives, according to the message published by Iranian outlets.

“I hereby announce that, for the present, none of them requires the renewal of their appointment. It is crucial that they continue their work in accordance with the directives received during the lifetime” of Ayatollah Khamenei, says the message.

Khamenei who was chosen as the successor of his father on 8 March has yet to be seen in-person - nor filmed or photographed - since being named as the new supreme leader.

A message from him was read by the presenter on state-run news channel on 12 March. US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said on 13 March, without providing evidence, that Khamenei had been "wounded and likely disfigured" in one of the first air strikes on Tehran that killed Khamenei's father

Son of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Yousef Pezeshkian, said in a message on 11 March he had "heard reports" that the supreme leader had been injured. "I asked several friends who had relevant contacts, and they said that: by the grace of God, he is safe and there is no problem," Pezeshkian said.

Trump frames Strait of Hormuz efforts as test for Natopublished at 17:52 GMT 16 March

17:52 GMT 16 March

Helena Humphrey
Reporting from Washington

President Trump is framing efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz as a test of Nato allies.

The president says the United States does not necessarily need help securing the vital shipping route - but implies it would be revealing to see which countries 'rise to the challenge'.

The task itself is significant: the Strait of Hormuz is one of the world’s most important energy chokepoints, through which a large share of global oil supplies normally pass.

When asked during a White House media conference which countries had refused to help, Trump declined to name them.

Instead, he joked about rating leaders’ performances - saying that “on a scale of zero to ten” French President Emmanuel Macron was “an eight - not perfect, but it’s France”.

Trump also pointed out that the US receives only a small share of its oil through the Strait of Hormuz - singling out other countries such as Japan, which relies on the Middle East for about 95% of its oil imports.

But the fact that he is asking other nations to help reopen the waterway - even while insisting the US does not necessarily need it - underlines the scale of the task now facing the administration.

Image source, EPA

Donald Trump took some time to address Iran while speaking at a White House event - here's what he had to say:

• The US president began by repeating his message that the US has "obliterated" Iran's military capacity - and went on to claim that 7,000 targets have been hit in Iran so far
• The biggest point of contention surrounded support for the US operation to contain Iran's threat to commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, which Trump said the US is "hammering"
• Nonetheless, Trump told reporters that he's asked countries for help in the Strait "to find out how they react". He was critical of the UK, who he suggested "should be involved enthusiastically"
• The president then said his Secretary of State Marco Rubio would be announcing the countries who will be supporting US efforts in Iran soon
• After Iran announced Mojtaba Khamenei as its new supreme leader, Trump speculated "we don't know if he's dead or not" and suggested: "We don't know who their leader is. We have people wanting to negotiate. We have no idea who they are"

A bullish Trump, but questions remainpublished at 17:35 GMT 16 March

17:35 GMT 16 March

Bernd Debusmann Jr
Reporting from the White House

Trump sounded characteristically upbeat today, and bullish on the prospects of military success in this conflict.

As he often has in the weeks since Operation Epic Fury, Trump was quick to repeatedly point to the damage that the US and Israel have inflicted on Iran's military.

There are, however, several issues in which the president has been far less clear.

For one, Trump still has not detailed what the end of the conflict looks like, or who he believes can run the country if not Iran's current Supreme Leader.

Additionally, Trump seemed to suggest that his administration will remember which countries came to help secure the Straight of Hormuz and which did countries did not. He specifically mentioned the UK, several times.

He did not name the countries that will participate in that operation - nor why that continues to be necessary if, according to him, Iran's ability to threaten shipping has been obliterated.

Trump has now finished speaking in Washington DC. We'll bring you a summary of what he said on Iran shortly.

Image source, Getty Images

The US president says he was "very surprised" with the attitude of the United Kingdom towards the war.

"Two weeks ago I said 'why don't you send some ships over' and he [Keir Starmer] really didn't want to do it," Trump says.

Trump says he told Starmer, "you're our oldest ally" and stresses that he's supported the UK's efforts in Ukraine.

"Then they tell us that we have a mine ship around and they don't want to do it, I think it's terrible," he adds. "We requested two aircraft carriers which they have and he didn't really want to do it."

Trump then suggests that Starmer eventually offered to send aircraft carriers to the Middle East, but says this was already "after the war had ended".

"I was not happy with the UK," he says. "I think they'll be involved maybe, but they should be involved enthusiastically."

Trump says he asked other nations to help out in the Strait of Hormuz "not because we need them, but because I want to find out how they react".

He then repeats a claim he has made before, that the US is always protecting other countries, but other countries won't protect us when we need it.

Moving on to speak about Mojtaba Khamenei, Iran's new supreme leader, Trump says he's he's heard reports from his advisors and the media that he has been disfigured as a result of attacks, or that he has lost a leg.

"We don't know if he's dead or not," Trump says. "Nobody's seen him which is unusual."

It was reported by Reuters news agency, citing an unnamed Iranian official, that Khamenei was "lightly injured", but there have been no details.

Back to Donald Trump, who is now taking question from reporters.

He's asked first about which countries will be supporting US efforts in Iran. He says Secretary of State Marco Rubio will be making that announcement soon, and that some countries are local to the area and others are further away.

A reporter asks the president if he has spoken to Emmanuel Macron about getting France's help to open the Strait of Hormuz.

Trump says he has spoken to Macron, adding he rated him an eight out of 10 in terms of his support level. He says he thinks France will help.

Image source, Reuters

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has ruled out his country's participation in the US-Israel war against Iran, according to Reuters news agency.

"We lack the mandate from the United Nations, the European Union or Nato required under the Basic Law. It was therefore clear from the outset that this war is not a matter for Nato," Merz has told a Berlin press conference.

He says Germany was not consulted by either the US or Israel before they began their campaign.

This means, Merz says, that there has never been a discussion of "whether" German troops should be involved.

"That is why the question of how Germany might become militarily involved here does not arise," he says.

Trump has moved on and is addressing other topics in this media appearance.

We're monitoring to see if the president says more about Iran - if he does, we'll bring you an update in this page.

The US president now lauds the US's own oil production capacities.

Trump again calls for countries to assist the US in ensuring ships can cross the Strait of Hormuz safely, and says he has this support from "a number" of leaders.

But, he refuses to name those who have offered help, saying: "I'd like to say their names but frankly I don't know if they would want me to or not, because maybe they don't want to be targeted."

The US is "hammering" Iran's capacity to threaten commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, Trump says.

All of Iran's 30 mine-laying ships have been destroyed, Trump says, but adds that he doesn't know if Iran has laid any mines in the strait.

Trump says "we've already taken care of Iran", and urges other nations "to come and help us with the strait".

Numerous countries are already on their way to help, he says.

But he has derided nations that aren't as "enthusiastic" about assisting the US: "They said we'd rather not get involved ... I know that we'll protect them, and if we ever needed help, they won't be there for us."

Trump says the US has hit 7,000 targets and sunk more than 100 ships so far in the war.

"They have been literally obliterated," the president said, adding that the country's air force and navy is gone, their leaders are gone, and their anti-aircraft technology has been "decimated".

The US and Israel are "doing what should have been done many years ago", he says. He adds that the US has today struck three plants in Iran where drones and missiles were being manufactured.

He also referenced the US bombing of Kharg Island last week, saying they destroyed everything besides "the pipes" where they keep the oil. But the president made it clear he could change his mind, adding that destroying the oil would only take "minutes".