US-Israel war on Iran intensifies, Asian markets slump.

Recent satellite imagery from Friday (March 20) purported to show the United States' largest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, approaching the Gulf of Suez. Reuters confirmed the identity of the vessel as USS Gerald R. Ford by its deck shape, which matched file imagery. The U.S. confirmed USS Gerald R. Ford was deployed to the region.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

AT SEA (MARCH 20, 2026) (EUROPEAN UNION/COPERNICUS SENTINEL-2 - Must on-screen courtesy European Union/Copernicus Sentinel-2) (MUTE)

1. VARIOUS OF SATELLITE IMAGERY PURPORTING TO SHOW USS GERALD R. FORD, THE LARGEST U.S. AIRCRAFT CARRIER, APPROACHING GULF OF SUEZ

Late on Saturday (March 21), Iranian missiles hit the southern Israeli cities of Dimona and Arad, injuring dozens of people. Iran's Revolutionary Guards said in a statement early on Sunday (March 22) that they targeted "military installations" and security centres in southern Israel. On Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the strike site in Dimona. (6365-IRAN-CRISIS/ISRAEL-DIMONA-NETANYAHU)

DIMONA, ISRAEL (MARCH 22, 2026) (GPO - Access all) (MUTE)

2. VARIOUS OF NETANYAHU TOURING STRIKE SITE WITH SECURITY TEAMS

Israeli army vehicles and soldiers were deployed near Lebanon's border on Sunday (March 22) as Hezbollah and Israel continued exchanging fire. Hezbollah launched rockets into Israel, with some seen intercepted overhead. Earlier on Sunday, Israel also struck a main bridge linking Lebanon's south to the rest of the country after ordering its military to destroy all crossings over Lebanon's Litani River and to step up the demolition of homes near the southern border. The destruction of bridges and homes marked a significant escalation in Israel's military campaign in Lebanon. (6396-IRAN-CRISIS/ISRAEL-LEBANON-ARMY FORCES)

NORTHERN ISRAEL (MARCH 22, 2026) (REUTERS - Access all)

3. VARIOUS OF ISRAELI SOLDIERS WALKING ON ROAD

4. VARIOUS OF ISRAELI ARMY HELICOPTER IN SKY, DEPLOYING COUNTERMEASURES (SEEN AS

WHITE CURLS OF SMOKE)

5. ISRAELI INTERCEPTOR MISSILES FLYING / BLACK PLUMES OF SMOKE IN SKY

6. ISRAELI ARMY VEHICLES DRIVING

Iranians in the capital Tehran staged a pro-government rally on Sunday (March 22), many waving Iranian flags and others holding images of new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei. The rally took place against the backdrop of a prolonged period of heightened regional friction as the war rages on, with protesters voicing their ire towards U.S. President Donald Trump with one protester mocking Trump's statements amid the ongoing

standoff in the Strait of Hormuz. Trump threatened overnight to "obliterate" Iran's power plants if Tehran did not

fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz within 48 hours, barely a day after he talked

about "winding down" the war. (6421-IRAN-CRISIS/TEHRAN-RALLY-NIGHT)

TEHRAN, IRAN (MARCH 22, 2026) (WANA - No use BBC Persian. No use VOA Persian. No use Manoto. No use Iran International. No use Radio Farda)

7. PEOPLE WAVING IRANIAN FLAGS

8. WOMAN WAVING FLAG AND CHANTING

9. (SOUNDBITE) (Farsi) PROTESTER, MS RAYHANEH, SAYING:

"As usual since the beginning of the war, Trump has made many false statements, talked a lot, done nothing, because in the face of Iran's power he is nobody and can do nothing; he only talks. Trump and Israel claim they have won the war 10 times a day. They still haven't accomplished anything. A clear example is the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. He (Trump) has gone to the superpowers, NATO, and others to ask for help to open it, but he will achieve nothing. Because when faced with people like this—present on the scene—they can't do anything."

10. PEOPLE WAVING IRANIAN FLAGS

11. PLACARD, READING (English): "NO ISRAEL / NO U.S. PROXY"

The United States on Sunday (March 22) released video of what it said shows the U.S. military striking and destroying Iran's drones. Reuters was not able to verify the location and date of the footage. No older version of the video was found posted before March 22. (6464-IRAN-CRISIS/USA-STRIKE)

UNKNOWN LOCATION (RELEASED MARCH 22, 2026) (CENTCOM VIA X - Must on-screen courtesy "CENTCOM via X") (MUTE)

12. VARIOUS MONOCHROME SURVEILLANCE SHOTS SAID TO SHOW STRIKES TARGETING IRAN'S ONE-WAY ATTACK DRONE CAPABILITIES

Elsewhere, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said on Sunday (March 22) that a group of 22 countries, including many from NATO, are coming together to ensure the Strait of Hormuz opens up as soon as possible. (6466-IRAN-CRISIS/RUTTE)

THE HAGUE, NETHERLANDS (MARCH 22, 2026) (FOX NEWS SUNDAY WITH SHANNON BREAM - Mandatory on-air and on-screen credit to “Fox News Sunday” / No obstruction of Fox bug / No more than two minutes use allowed / No archive / No reuse / No resale)

13. (SOUNDBITE) (English) NATO SECRETARY GENERAL, MARK RUTTE, SAYING:

"I know the president was angry because he feels that European and other allies have been too slow. The good news here is that since Thursday, a group of 22 countries, most of them from NATO, but also Japan, Korea, Australia, New Zealand, to UAE and Bahrain, most of the other countries from NATO, coming together to implement his vision of making sure that the Strait of Hormuz is free, is opening up as soon as that is possible."

Meanwhile, the International Energy Agency's Executive Director, Fatih Birol, said on Monday (March 23) that the crisis in the Middle East was "very severe" and worse than the two oil shocks of the 1970s, as well as the impact of the Russia-Ukraine war on gas, put together. (6437-IRAN-CRISIS/FUEL-IEA)

CANBERRA, AUSTRALIA (MARCH 23, 2026) (AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION – Broadcast: No use Australia. Digital: No use Australia / .com.au internet sites / any internet site of any Australia based media organisations or mobile platforms / Australian NVO clients / smh.com.au / news.com.au)

14. (SOUNDBITE) (English) INTERNATIONAL ENERGY AGENCY EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, FATIH BIROL, SAYING:

"So the situation is, if we want to put in context, this crisis, as it stands now, two oil crises, and one gas crisis, all put together."

15. JOURNALIST WALKING UP TO MICROPHONE TO ASK A QUESTION

16. (SOUNDBITE) (English) INTERNATIONAL ENERGY AGENCY EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, FATIH BIROL, SAYING: "Situation is very severe, I can tell you that. In fact, as it started some three weeks ago, I decided not to talk to press, three weeks. But last Friday, I thought I should say a few things because I thought the depth of the problem was not well appreciated by the decision makers around the world."

Share markets tumbled in Asia on Monday (March 23) as the United States and Iran traded escalating threats and Israel planned for "weeks" more fighting, sending oil prices on another roller-coaster ride. Japan's Nikkei slumped as much as 5% earlier in the session, wiping out all its gains for the year. In South Korea, the won hit 17-year lows, and the benchmark KOSPI fell 289.24 points, or 5%, to 5,491.96 as of 0131 GMT, extending losses even after a trading curb was activated on the index earlier in the session.

(6435-GLOBAL-MARKETS/ASIA-OPEN)

TOKYO, JAPAN (MARCH 23, 2026) (REUTERS - Access all)

17. SCREEN SHOWING BENCHMARK NIKKEI INDEX AT 51310.16, -2062.37 AT 0133 GMT, AND CONTINUING TO FALL

18. SCREEN SHOWING MAJOR STOCK INDEXES

19. SCREEN SHOWING NIKKEI INDEX / YEN AND CURRENCY EXCHANGE RATES

SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA (MARCH 23, 2026) (REUTERS - Access all)

20. SCREEN SHOWING KOREA COMPOSITE STOCK PRICE INDEX (KOSPI)

21. ELECTRONIC BOARS SHOWING USD/KRW EXCHANGE RATE, KOSPI AND KOREA SECURITIES DEALERS AUTOMATED QUOTATION (KOSDAQ)

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