Iran and Hezbollah launched renewed missile barrages early Monday, targeting the Bazan oil refinery in Haifa, Israel, striking it with debris from intercepted missiles and causing fires and localized power outages, while no significant damage or casualties were reported at the facility.

The attack, which also hit radar systems at the Kiryat Eliezer base and the Stella Maris maritime monitoring facility, followed a series of strikes by Iran on energy infrastructure across the Gulf, including hits on Saudi Arabia's Ras Tanura refinery and Kuwait's power and desalination plants (which Iran denied doing), as Tehran retaliated against what it called Israeli and U.S. attacks on its South Pars gas field and nuclear sites.

Iran's IRGC confirmed targeting Haifa and Ashdod with Khyber-Shakan missiles in response to attacks on its energy infrastructure, while Hezbollah simultaneously launched precision rockets against Israeli air defense and surveillance sites.

In response, Israel and the United States continued their offensive against Iran, with B-2 stealth bombers striking ballistic missile facilities and the U.S. claiming the destruction of Iran's navy headquarters and multiple warships.

Power cuts were reported in Tehran and Alborz provinces after attacks on Iran's electricity infrastructure, though services were largely restored in most areas.

While President Donald Trump declared the war would end "pretty soon," U.S. Vice President JD Vance advocated for a rapid U.S. exit from the conflict, citing the high human and economic costs.

"The United States of America is in serious discussions with A NEW, AND MORE REASONABLE, REGIME to end our Military Operations in Iran," Trump wrote on Truth Social. "Great progress has been made but, if for any reason a deal is not shortly reached, which it probably will be, and if the Hormuz Strait is not immediately 'Open for Business,' we will conclude our lovely 'stay' in Iran by blowing up and completely obliterating all of their Electric Generating Plants, Oil Wells and Kharg Island (and possibly all desalinization plants!), which we have purposefully not yet 'touched.' This will be in retribution for our many soldiers, and others, that Iran has butchered and killed over the old Regime’s 47 year 'Reign of Terror.' Thank you for your attention to this matter."

SpaceX Falcon 9 launched the Transporter-16 rideshare mission on Monday(March 30,) at 1102 UTC, carrying 119 payloads into Sun-synchronous orbit (SSO) from Space Launch Complex 4E at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, the 21st flight in the company's dedicated smallsat rideshare program.

The Falcon 9 first-stage booster, B1093, embarked on its 12th flight, having previously flown SDA T1TL-B, SDA T1TL-C, and nine Starlink missions. About 8.5 minutes after liftoff, the booster executed a precision landing on the autonomous droneship "Of Course I Still Love You" stationed in the Pacific Ocean.

Deployment of the 119 payloads began roughly 55 minutes after launch and continued for over two hours through roughly T+2 hours 31 minutes, temporarily increasing the density of tracked objects in the SSO shell.

The mission featured a diverse manifest including cubesats, microsats, hosted payloads, a reentry vehicle, and orbital transfer vehicles (OTVs) that would later deploy eight additional satellites.

Exolaunch served as the largest customer, managing the deployment of 57 payloads for over 25 entities, including private companies, government agencies, and academic institutions. Other key integrators included SEOPS (19 payloads), NearSpace Launch (hosting the "Dream Big Constellation"), and Momentus Inc. (deploying the Vigoride-7 Orbital Service Vehicle with 10 payloads).

Transporter-16 is part of a broader rideshare lineage that has collectively delivered over 1,600 payloads to orbit, with the program now operating at a near-quarterly cadence.

The mission highlights the contributions of Elon Musk's SpaceX to the rapid growth of the commercial small-satellite industry, enabling universities, startups, and researchers to access space without the expense of dedicated launches.

Transporter missions like this one enable smaller operators to reach orbit affordably (as low as hundreds of thousands of dollars per payload in some cases) without needing a dedicated launcher. They have been key to the growth of commercial EO constellations and smallsat innovation.

Vandenberg’s coastal location and southern launch azimuth support high-inclination/polar/SSO orbits without overflying populated areas.

Israel conducted strikes on Iran’s heavy water plant in Arak and two major steel plants in Isfahan and Khuzestan, despite President Donald Trump’s announced pause on attacks targeting Iran’s energy infrastructure.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the attacks, carried out in coordination with the U.S., contradicted Trump’s extended diplomatic deadline, and warned Iran would exact a “heavy price.”

"Israel has hit 2 of Iran's largest steel factories, a power plant and civilian nuclear sites among other infrastructure. Israel claims it acted in coordination with the U.S," Araghchi wrote on X. "Attack contradicts POTUS extended deadline for diplomacy. Iran will exact HEAVY price for Israeli crimes."

The Israeli military confirmed striking the Arak heavy water facility—described as a key site for plutonium production—and the uranium extraction plant in Yazd, marking a significant escalation in Operation Epic Fury, which began on February 28, 2026. Israeli strikes also targeted University of Science and Technology in Tehran, founded in 1929.

Iran responded with missile and drone attacks targeting Kuwait, Tel Aviv and Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia, injuring at least 10 U.S. troops, two seriously, and damaging a refueling tanker. A missile strike near Tel Aviv killed two people in Ramat Gan and injured others, while air raid sirens continued to sound across Israel.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) warned that retaliation “will no longer be an eye for an eye,” and threatened U.S.- and Israeli-linked companies. The Strait of Hormuz remains a flashpoint, with Iran warning of complete closure if U.S. attacks proceed.

The IRGC also claimed it struck U.S. Marines on Kuwait's Bubiyan Island with drones and missiles, allegedly killing "many" American troops:

"This attack will continue everywhere in this region until they are completely wiped out from Muslim lands," IRGC spokesman said.

Over 300 U.S. servicemembers have been injured in the conflict, with 13 American troops killed.

More than 1,900 people have died in Iran, 1,100 in Lebanon, and 18 in Israel.

The U.S. has proposed a 15-point ceasefire plan, including restrictions on Iran’s nuclear program and reopening the Strait of Hormuz, but Iran has rejected it, demanding reparations and sovereignty recognition.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio told G7 allies the war could end in “weeks, not months,” and emphasized no U.S. ground troops would be deployed.

Oil prices have surged past $100 per barrel, and global markets remain volatile amid widespread damage to regional energy and civilian infrastructure