Name: Iran threatens "zero restraint" as it launches major attacks overnight
Uploaded: 2026-03-20T23:02:04.000Z
Duration: 7 min 54 s
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The conflict in the Middle east is escalating once again.

Iran now threatening zero restraint and attacking energy infrastructure across the Gulf region.

Yesterday, Tehran launched missile and drone attacks on Kuwait.

A strike set this Kuwait owned refinery on fire.

And overnight, Israel pounded Tehran with a fresh wave of airstrikes.

And at the White House yesterday, President Trump and Japan's prime minister discussed ways to, to stabilize the global energy market.

During the meeting, we just pressed Mr. Trump on the Pentagon's $200 billion request for the war.

If the war is almost over, why is the Pentagon going to ask Congress for an additional $200 billion?

Well, we're asking for a lot of reasons beyond even what we're talking about in Iran when this is a very volatile world and the military equipment, the, the power of some of this weaponry is unthinkable.

Oh, you could end this thing in two seconds if you wanted to.

But, but we are, we are being very judicious.

Now, President Trump was also asked if he plans to put more troops, U.S. troops in the region.

And he responded, quote, I'm not putting troops anywhere, but

if I were, I certainly wouldn't tell you, end quote.

We've got team coverage on all of this for you this morning.

Natalie Brand standing by at the White House.

But let's begin with CBS News foreign correspondent Remy Inocencio who's tracking the latest from the Middle east in London.

What is the latest on the fighting this Friday?

This is also, I want to note the Persian New Year of Nowruz, but

it is absolutely hard to find reason to celebrate if anyone is in in Iran this morning, Israel's military launched another wave of strikes on the country and said that it was targeting the infrastructure of what it calls the terror regime in the capital.

But Israel so far we're seeing, is keeping to its word from yesterday to not strike Iran's energy sites.

That's after we reported yesterday that it hit the South Pars gas field that's part of the biggest gas field in the world.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu talked about this after reports that the White House actually knew that this was going to happen.

Fact number one, Israel acted alone against the slowly gas compound.

Fact number two, President Trump asked us to hold off on future attacks and we're holding on.

And Netanyahu also denied dragging the US into the war.

And that Iran now has no ability to enrich uranium or to produce ballistic missiles.

But the IRGC spokesperson, he pushed back on that and he said that Tehran is still producing missiles and that the war will go on.

Notable though, that just in the past couple hours we got word that from Iran that revealed that that spokesperson was also killed, his name, Ali Mohammed Nayeni.

And Iran is keeping up its missile and drone launches anyways, as it has been doing every day.

Our CBS News team in Israel tells us that there were at least eight barrages of missiles from Iran, most of which were aimed at northern Israel.

Haifa was one city mentioned, but no significant damage reported.

Iran this morning also launching missiles on its Gulf neighbors, drones as well, Dubai, Kuwait, Saudi and Bahrain again.

Now we're three weeks into this war and it seems as if things are still carrying on.

And because of that, Remy, does it appear that markets calmed at all energy markets over the jump in attacks we saw yesterday on energy infrastructure?

That would certainly concern a lot of people.

This is hitting the pocketbooks of people starting to at least I'm seeing some relief on the oil and gas markets today versus yesterday.

A barrel of international crude, this is Brent crude, has fallen to 107 bucks a barrel.

But this time yesterday we were talking about 116, but

that's something like 75% higher still than the start of this year.

European gas futures eased a bit to Euro 60 per megawatt, hour, down from 68 yesterday, but

still again, nearly double as much as the day before the war started.

But looking ahead, based on all the damage being done to oil and gas facilities across the region, we should very much expect this to at least be volatile, if not higher.

Remy in Asensio in London with the latest headlines there.

We're going to jump to CBS News correspondent Natalie Brand standing by as always for us at the White House, which we appreciate.

Did President Trump and Japan's prime minister reach any sort of consensus on Iran, specifically as they met yesterday today?

Well, it's notable that right ahead of the president's meeting with Japan's prime minister, Japan signed on to a joint statement issued by a group of U.S.

france, Germany, the Netherlands and Italy, which kind of signaled a willingness to help in some way with respect to the Strait of Hormuz and the blockade, the effective blockade there.

The statement is vague, doesn't detail commitments, but

says, quote, we express our readiness to contribute to appropriate efforts to ensure safe passage through the strait.

The statement also condemned attacks by Iran on commercial vessels and oil and gas infrastructure.

This is very top of mind for Japan because it's estimated that the country receives an estimated 90% of oil from the Middle east through the strait.

But it's also unclear what kind of assistance they would be able to provide because Post World War II, Japan's constitution has a no war clause, which the prime minister cited when the president had initially asked allies to send ships to the strait.

And Natalie, I'm wondering how lawmakers are reacting to this potential $200 billion budget request from the Pentagon to continue this war.

And as you heard, the president was asked by CBS about that number.

The estimated more than $200 billion, which is going to be requested, and

the defense secretary signaled that number could move.

Both the president and Hegseth also noted that this would be not just for the war, but

But already Democrats on Capitol Hill are pushing back Our Caitlin Huey Burns over on Capitol Hill spoke to Vermont Senator Peter Welch.

He essentially called this a nonstart or take a listen.

Where are you on possible supplemental funding for the Iran war?

$200 billion is the number we're hearing.

The president is on the verge of getting us into another Iraq and another Afghanistan, $200 billion, and

he hasn't even told us what the war plan is.

The price of letting Iran move forward in the way they were is far more costly.

You know, when I'm at nobody asked what did it cost to win World War II.

Senator Lindsey Graham, a staunch supporter of the war, essentially said whatever it cost to finish it, that's what he would support.

But other Republicans are striking a more cautious tone.

Senator Lisa Murkowski, for instance, she's called for open hearings on Iran, saying before she approves funding, she wants to be able to answer some of the questions that her constituents in Alaska are asking her.