Reuters World News - Cluster munitions, Larijani, Joe Kent and Trump-Takaichi

Episode Date: March 18, 2026

* This episode has been corrected to remove an erroneous reference to the meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi being on Wednesday. It is scheduled for Thursday, March 19. Iran hits Tel Aviv with cluster warheads. It’s retaliation for the killing of Tehran’s security chief and powerbroker, Ali Larijani, whose death leaves a vacuum that will make de-escalation efforts tricky. The head of the National Counterterrorism Center, Joe Kent, quits over the Iran war blaming Israel’s influence. And Japan’s Sanae Takaichi will have a tightrope to walk in her meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump. Listen to the Morning Bid podcast ⁠⁠here⁠⁠. Sign up for the Reuters Econ World newsletter ⁠⁠here⁠⁠. Listen to the Reuters Econ World podcast ⁠⁠here⁠⁠. Visit the Thomson Reuters Privacy Statement for information on our privacy and data protection practices. You may also visit megaphone.fm/adchoices to opt out of targeted advertising. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hi, I'm Kim Vinal in Wanganui, New Zealand. It's Wednesday, March 18th. Today, Iran strikes Tel Aviv with cluster warheads. It's retaliation for the killing of Tehran's security chief and backroom power broker. Trump's counter-terrorism chief quits over the Iran war and blames Israel. And Japan's prime minister is said for a high-stakes meeting with Trump. This is Reuters World News, bringing you everything you need to know from the front lines in 10 minutes, seven days a week. Reuters captures the moment missiles with cluster warheads fall from the sky in Israel. Iranian state television says Tehran attacked using the restricted weapons in retaliation for the assassination of Iran's security chief, Ali Larajani. Cluster warheads break apart mid-eastern.

air, scattering multiple smaller explosives over a wide area and making them harder to intercept. The impact is clear in the Hollande neighborhood near Tel Aviv, where residents described hearing explosions and seeing fire, and now burnt vehicles line the street. No injuries have been reported. It's not the first time Iran has used the weapons, which are restricted under an international Convention because of the risk they pose to civilians, though Iran, like Israel and the United States, is not a signatory. Human Rights Watch also has reported that the Israeli military has illegally used white phosphorus munitions of the homes in southern Lebanon. Reuters could not independently verify the group's findings. In Tehran, the new Supreme

leader is rejecting offers to de-escalate the war, saying the U.S. and Israel must first be brought to their knees. Ayatollah Moshtaba Khameni has turned down ceasefire proposals from intermediary countries in his first foreign policy session since taking power last week. Meanwhile, the death of Ali Larajani, who we mentioned earlier, and who is one of Iran's most powerful figures, may well further complicate any potential negotiations. Here's our Middle East editor, Ed Blair. So Ali Larajani has been the Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council. That's a body which takes or handles the state security issues at the highest level. He has been very close to the former Supreme Leader, Ali Khamani, whose son has now

been appointed the new Supreme Leader. Larajani has sort of emerged as something of a go-between, working between the different power structures in Iran and also handling some of the negotiations. And losing Ali Larajani does whittle away at the numbers of people who have the power, the influence, and the trust of the ruling clerical establishment in any negotiations. So without Larajani, that does raise a question of who parties in. this conflict would use as an interlocutor in any negotiations, any effort for outreach to Iran. For the first time since the war with Iran began, a senior national security official has broken publicly with President Donald Trump and quit. Joe Kent, who headed the National Counterterrorism

Center, has resigned over the war in Iran, saying Tehran posed no imminent threat. He blames pressure from Israel and its American lobby for the war. Trump disputes that, calling Kent weak on security. It's a good thing that he's out because he said that Iran was not a threat. Iran was a threat. Every country realized what a threat Iran was. Kent was a close ally of Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and has been criticized by Democrats for his associations with far-right figures.

Media reports have linked him to self-avowed white. nationalist Nick Fuentes, whose views Kent has since announced. Kent did not respond to requests for comment and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, which oversees the Counterterrorism Center, also did not immediately respond. More than 3,000 people have now been killed in Iran, including over 1,300 civilians and more than 200 children. That's according to US-based rights group, H-R-A-N-A. Iran's official figures are much lower and Reuters has not independently verified the numbers. Lebanese authorities say more than 900 people have been killed in Israeli strikes there, while Iraq has reported at least 58 deaths.

There's been another drone attack on the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, a day after a series of rocket and drone strikes triggered air raid sirens at the diplomatic compound. Security sources say explosive drones targeted US facilities early on Wednesday, with an explosion heard near the embassy and air defences activated at a separate diplomatic site near Baghdad airport. There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage. The Federal Reserve meets today, the first time since the war in Iran began. While it's expected to hold interest rates steady, the Fed will give a statement on how the war has recast the outlook for the American economy.

You can listen to our sister podcast MorningBit. available wherever you get your podcasts for more. Pakistan and Afghanistan are trading accusations over the deadliest strike yet in their months-long conflict. A warning, some people may find details of this story distressing. At a morgue in Kabul, hospital staff inspect rows of body bags. There are so many dead.

There are now no trays left, and bodies are piling on the floor. They were killed in Monday's strike, in Kabul, which Afghanistan says hit a huge drug rehabilitation center, killing more than 400 people. Pakistan dismisses that, saying it targeted military installations. Blood now lines the floors of the hospital corridors where the dead were taken. Hassan survived the strike. He described rushing out of his kitchen and seeing that everything was on fire before losing consciousness. Mediation efforts by Qatar, Turkey and Saudi Arabia

have all failed to end the fighting between the South Asian neighbours. The UK and Ukraine are teaming up to sell drone technology abroad. Vladimir, let me welcome you back to down the streets. Ukrainian President Volodomé Zelenskyy met with UK Prime Minister Kirstama in London to announce the new partnership. There, it was also revealed that more than your support. than 200 Ukrainians are already deployed across the Middle East and the Gulf, after what Zelensky described as requests from partners, including the US.

European leaders are working to keep Ukraine in focus, especially as surging oil prices from the Iran war deliver what Stama called a windfall for Putin. It's really important, and we're clear and consistent, that Putin can't be the one who benefit from the conflict in Iran, whether that's oil price. or the dropping of sanctions. Japan's Prime Minister, Sanai Takkeichi, is meeting US President Donald Trump. The meeting comes as Washington pushes allies to shoulder more of the global security burden amid wars in the Middle East and Ukraine.

And Takaiichi is the first major ally set for face-to-face talks with Trump since he demanded that Japan, among others, send ships to escort tankers through the Strait of Hormuz. Japan has so far declined Trump's request. for help to open the waterway. Takeichi faces a dilemma, defy U.S. demands for military support in the Gulf, and risk its security guarantees, or push the limits of its pacifist constitution.

Cuba has reconnected its electrical grid after a nationwide blackout left 10 million people in the dark. It was the first such collapse since the U.S. cut off the island's oil supply from Venezuela. Behind the scenes, Havana and Washington have open talks aimed at diffusing tensions as Trump continues to single out the island nation. Well, Cuba right now is very bad shape. They're talking to Marco, and we'll be doing something with Cuba very soon. In Havana, Cubans expressed serious concern about the escalating rhetoric,

a day after Trump said he could, quote, do anything I want in the country. And finally, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi has been subpoenaed. she's to testify behind closed doors in front of the House Oversight Committee of allegations that the Justice Department concealed the names of Jeffrey Epstein's powerful associates. The subpoena orders Bondi to give a sworn deposition on April 14th as lawmakers probe redactions in millions of Epstein documents that they say go beyond what the law allows.

The Justice Department is pushing back, calling the subpoena completely unnecessary and saying lawmakers can already view unredacted files privately. For more on any of the stories from today, check out Reuters.com or the Reuters app. Don't forget to follow us on your favourite podcast player. If you're listening on a smart speaker, just ask for the latest news from Reuters seven days a week. We'll be back tomorrow with our daily headline show.