Iran war news LIVE updates: Pentagon preparing for ground operations; Tehran threatens US universities in the region

Al Jazeera Arabic is reporting that air raid sirens are sounding in Kuwait and that this is the second time the alarms have gone off since midnight local time.

Earlier, the Kuwaiti army said there were some 15 drone attacks on the country on Saturday and that they caused a fire to break out at the airport.

Iran’s exiled Crown Prince, Reza Pahlavi, on Saturday (local time), asserted that the transition from the current regime in the Islamic Republic will be done in an “orderly” manner, noting that the regime in Tehran must go “in its entirety” amid escalating conflict in the region.

Speaking during the Conservative Political Action Conference in Dallas, Texas, Pahlavi credited US military operations against the Islamic Republic–referred to as “Midnight Hammer” and “Epic “Fury”–for significantly weakening the ruling establishment and claimed that these operations had resulted in the killing of key leadership figures, including the former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, and the destruction of a substantial portion of Iran’s missile capabilities and nuclear infrastructure.

Pahlavi praised US President Donald Trump and American forces for their role, stating that their actions had given “millions of Iranians a fighting chance” to end decades of what he described as repression and instability under the Islamic Republic.

“Operations Midnight Hammer and Epic Fury have done something extraordinary. The killing of Khamenei and many of his henchmen, the destruction of more than 80 per cent of the regime’s ballistic missile arsenal, and the obliteration of the nuclear sites have levelled the playing field. This did not happen by accident. It happened because of President Trump’s resolve and the courage of American troops. On behalf of millions of Iranians, we thank them,” Pahlavi said.

Calling for decisive action, Pahlavi warned that leaving any part of the current regime intact would prolong instability, adding that the leadership cannot be trusted to deliver peace or reform.

“If we do not finish the job and leave a rump of the regime in place, the threat posed by this Islamic Republic will not be solved. It will only be made worse. Those who have spent 47 years sewing chaos cannot be trusted to bring about stability. Terrorists cannot be trusted to bring peace. If they are left in place, they will bring only more of the instability, chaos, and destruction they have brought for 47 years,” he said.

The US Central Command (CENTCOM) has said that some 3,500 additional troops have arrived in the Middle East on board the USS Tripoli.

The sailors and marines are with the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit and arrived in the region on March 27, along with “transport and strike fighter aircraft, as well as amphibious assault and tactical assets”.

The deployment comes even as Trump claims that negotiations are under way to end the war on Iran. The US military is also expected to deploy thousands more soldiers from its 82nd Airborne Division.

Huge crowds of protesters rallied across the United States on Saturday against President Donald Trump, venting their fury over what they see as his authoritarian style of governing, his hardline immigration policies and the war with Iran.

Organizers said “at least 8 million people gathered today at more than 3,300 events across all 50 states,” from big cities and small towns. US authorities provided no national crowd estimate.

It was the third time in less than a year that Americans have taken to the streets as part of a grassroots movement called “No Kings,” the most vocal and visual conduit for opposition to Trump since he began his second term in January 2025.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on Sunday issued a stern warning that American and Israeli universities in the West Asian region could be considered legitimate targets in retaliation for the US and Israeli strikes on Iranian academic institutions and heritage infrastructure.

In a statement broadcast by Iranian state media Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) on Telegram, the IRGC condemned recent attacks on Iranian universities, including what it described as a bombardment of the University of Science and Technology in Tehran, and accused US-Israeli forces of targeting Iranian educational infrastructure.

“The American-Zionist aggressor forces have targeted Iranian universities for the umpteenth time by bombing the Tehran University of Science and Technology,” the statement read, as quoted by IRIB.

The statement warned that all universities affiliated with the United States and Israel in West Asia are “legitimate targets” unless specific conditions are met.

The IRGC also urged staff, faculty, students and residents near American and Israeli university campuses in the region to stay at least one kilometre away to protect their safety and also demanded that the US government officially condemn the bombing of Iranian universities by noon on Monday, March 30 (Tehran time), if it wants those institutions to be spared from retaliation.

Aluminium Bahrain (Alba) on Sunday confirmed that its industrial facility was targeted in an Iranian attack on Saturday, according to a statement reported by the Bahrain News Agency (BNA).

In its statement, Alba said that two employees sustained minor injuries, adding that the safety and security of its workforce remain its top priority.

The company further noted that it is currently assessing the extent of damage to its facilities while continuing efforts to maintain operational resilience and ensure employee safety.

“The safety and security of Alba’s people remain its top priority, and the Company confirms that two of Alba’s employees sustained minor injuries,” the statement read as quoted by BNA.

Alba said it will provide further updates as more information becomes available.

Hezbollah said in a statement that it targeted the Ein Shemer Airfield and the Regavim military camp in northern Israel with “a salvo of high quality missiles”.

The Lebanese armed group said the attacks took place at 11:45pm local time on Saturday and were in retaliation for Israel’s continued attacks on and forced displacement of Lebanese civilians as well as its demolition of Lebanese homes.

The Pentagon is preparing for weeks of ground operations in Iran, the Washington Post reported Saturday, citing US officials.

The plans could involve raids by Special Operations and conventional infantry troops, the Post reported. Whether President Donald Trump would approve any of those plans remains uncertain, according to the Post.

The Trump administration has deployed US Marines to the Middle East as the war in Iran stretches into its fifth week, and also has been planning to send thousands of soldiers from the US Army’s 82nd Airborne to the region.