A Trump official quits over the Iran war, as Israel says it killed 2 Iranian commanders

Updated March 17, 2026 at 9:24 AM PDT

Israel said it killed two top Iranian security officials, Ali Larijani and Gholamreza Soleimani.

The head of the U.S. National Counterterrorism Center, Joe Kent, became the first senior Trump administration official to resign over the war with Iran.

President Trump said most NATO members have informed the U.S. they want to stay out of the Iran war, after he said he had demanded their help securing the Strait of Hormuz.

Overnight, Israel reported continued operations in Lebanon and Iran, while the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad came under attack again, according to the Iraqi government. Projectiles were fired in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, and a tanker was struck in Oman.

Health authorities have reported about 1,300 killed in Iran, 912 in Lebanon and 12 in Israel since the start of the war on Feb. 28. U.S. Central Command has said 13 U.S. service members have been killed and roughly 200 troops wounded.

Here are more updates on the situation in the Middle East.

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Trump official quit | Top Iranian officials killed | Lebanon war| Europe's response to Trump | U.S. Embassy in Baghdad | Strikes across the Gulf

A top counterterrorism official quits over Iran war

Joe Kent announced his resignation as director of the National Counterterrorism Center on Tuesday citing his objection to the Trump administration's war with Iran. He is the first senior official to quit over the war.

"I cannot in good conscience support the ongoing war in Iran. Iran posed no imminent threat to our nation, and it is clear that we started this war due to pressure from Israel and its powerful American lobby," Kent wrote in a social media post, where he attached his resignation letter.

President Trump reacted to the news, saying in the Oval Office he thought Kent was "very weak on security" and insisting "Iran was a tremendous threat."

Israel says it killed two top Iranian leaders in Tehran

Israel says it killed two senior Iranian officials: Ali Larijani, the head of Iran's Supreme National Security Council and public policy adviser to the supreme leader, and Gholamreza Soleimani, the commander of Iran's paramilitary Basij forces.

Israel's defense minister, Israel Katz, described the killings as part of an ongoing effort to eliminate the regime's main figures.

Iran did not immediately confirm the killings, but these would be the highest-profile assassinations in Iran since Israel killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other top leadership on the first day of the war.

The Basij forces are a volunteer paramilitary militia, a branch of Iran's Revolutionary Guard, which Israel says was responsible for violently suppressing street protests against the Iranian government earlier this year.

Katz said the military would continue to target Iranian government figures.

Western leaders warn against a ground offensive in Lebanon

In a joint statement, the leaders of Canada, France, Germany, Italy and the U.K. warned that a significant Israeli ground offensive in Lebanon could have "devastating humanitarian consequences" and risk a protracted conflict. They called for immediate de-escalation and urged meaningful engagement by Israeli and Lebanese representatives toward a political solution.

The warning came as Israel deepened its operations against the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon.

On Tuesday, Israel's military issued a fresh evacuation warning for residents in the village of Arab al-Jal, telling people to leave a specific building and adjacent structures ahead of what it said would be an imminent strike on Hezbollah infrastructure.

The warning is the latest in a pattern of pre-strike notices as Israel says it is targeting Hezbollah sites across Lebanon while trying to limit civilian casualties.

Israel's assault in Lebanon has killed 886 people and displaced more than 1 million, according to the Lebanese government's disaster management office.

Europe rebuffs Trump's call for help in the Strait of Hormuz

European Union countries have largely rebuffed President Trump's call for help to open the Strait of Hormuz, with EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas saying there was "no appetite" among member states.

President Trump appeared to express his dismay in a social media post Tuesday acknowledging their stance.

"The United States has been informed by most of our NATO 'Allies' that they don't want to get involved with our Military Operation against the Terrorist Regime of Iran, in the Middle East, this, despite the fact that almost every Country strongly agreed with what we are doing, and that Iran cannot, in any way, shape, or form, be allowed to have a Nuclear Weapon," he wrote on Truth Social. "I am not surprised by their action, however, because I always considered NATO, where we spend Hundreds of Billions of Dollars per year protecting these same Countries, to be a one way street — We will protect them, but they will do nothing for us, in particular, in a time of need."

Trump had said on Sunday he was "demanding that these countries come in and protect their own territory."

Several European officials made their objection clear. U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer said "we will not be drawn into the wider war." German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said "It's not our war, we didn't start it." Spain and Italy also said they would not send ships to police the strait.

Estonia, an EU and NATO member, was one of the few to express willingness to consider the request. "We are always ready to hold discussions with the United States, including now in connection with the situation in the Strait of Hormuz," Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said.

President Trump has previously mentioned several other countries including China, South Korea and Japan he believed should help secure the strait.

South Korean Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back said that any deployment of the nation's warships to the Middle East would require parliamentary approval. He told a parliamentary defense committee that his ministry has not received any official requests to send warships, and he doesn't consider Trump's social media posts an official request.

U.S. Embassy in Baghdad targeted again

The Iraqi government said Tuesday that the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad came under attack again, along with an iconic hotel and oil field, amid continued exchanges between the U.S. military and Iran-backed militias in Iraq.

The Iraqi interior ministry said a drone hit Baghdad's Rasheed Hotel, used by Iraqi officials and visiting foreign delegations, causing some damage but no casualties.

Tanker hit near Fujairah; Pakistani national killed in UAE from falling shrapnel

The U.K. Maritime Trade Operations center reported that a tanker near Fujairah, located on the Gulf of Oman, was struck by an unidentified projectile on Tuesday, causing minor structural damage. Authorities said they were investigating, and ships were advised to transit with caution.

In Abu Dhabi, authorities said a Pakistani national was killed after shrapnel fell during the interception of a ballistic missile.

Daniel Estrin contributed to this report from Tel Aviv, Hadeel Al-Shalchi from Beirut, Rebecca Rosman from Paris, Alex Leff from Washington.

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