While You Were Sleeping: 5 stories you might have missed, March 14, 2026
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Iran’s new supreme leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei. tops a list of 10 Iranians for whom the US is offering a US$10 million (S$12.8 million) reward.
PHOTO: REUTERS
US offers $12m reward for info on top Iran leaders
The US State Department offered a US$10 million (S$12.8 million) reward on March 13 for information about Iran’s new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei and other top officials.
Iranian Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni and Minister of Intelligence and Security Esmail Khatib were among the 10 individuals on the State Department list.
“These individuals command and direct various elements of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which plans, organises and executes terrorism around the world,” the State Department said.
It urged tipsters to send information via Tor or Signal and said “your information could make you eligible for relocation and a reward.”
Israel targets checkpoints in Iran using informer tip-offs
Israel has launched a new phase of its assault on Iran, targeting checkpoints manned by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) based on tip-offs from informants on the ground, a source briefed on Israel’s military strategy told Reuters.
The targeting of checkpoints secured by IRGC personnel suggests an intensification of Israel’s efforts to weaken Iran’s elite forces as it carries out joint aerial bombardment with the United States.
Israel says its war objectives include destroying Iran’s military and nuclear capabilities but also “creating the conditions” for Iranians to overthrow their government, though Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said this is an uncertain prospect.
UK’s Andrew, Mandelson in bathrobes with Epstein
PHOTO: REUTERS
A photograph of Britain’s former prince Andrew and veteran politician Peter Mandelson sitting in bathrobes alongside late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein was unearthed on March 13 in previously published documents.
The image is believed to be the first known photograph of the two men with Epstein.
They are both currently engulfed in scandal in the UK over their ties to their mutual friend.
Phones ‘ringing off the hook’ for Ukraine defence firms
PHOTO: BRENDAN HOFFMAN/NYTIMES
For most of its four-year-long war with Russia, Ukraine has been a recipient of security aid from the United States and European allies. With war now raging in the Middle East, Ukraine’s government is seeking to turn the tables by offering a pivotal technology to intercept the exploding drones menacing the region’s oil facilities and shipping.
In a possible prelude to sales agreements, Ukraine has sent interceptor drones and teams to operate them to three American allies in the Persian Gulf: Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.
Eleven countries in all, including the United States, European nations and Gulf monarchies, have sought Ukraine’s assistance or advice on shooting down Iranian-made Shahed drones, according to President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Arteta shrugs off siege mentality talk as quadruple looms
PHOTO: REUTERS
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta dismissed suggestions the Premier League leaders have adopted a siege mentality amid mounting pressure, saying on March 13 that the squad’s focus remains firmly on their own performances rather than outside noise.
Arsenal sit seven points clear of Manchester City, who have a game in hand, and the North London side’s dreams of an unprecedented quadruple are still alive.
“You just have to go in that dressing room and feel the mood, the energy and the way we talk to each other and how much we value the position that we have right now,” Arteta told reporters ahead of their March 14 home game against Everton.
