Eight Islamic and Arab countries on Thursday condemned Israel for keeping al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem closed during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
Israel has shut all holy sites in east Jerusalem’s Old City for security reasons after it began airstrikes against Iran. The closure coincides with Ramadan, when tens of thousands of Palestinian Muslims would normally pray every Friday at the mosque, the third holiest site in Islam.
The foreign ministers of Pakistan, Egypt, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar said continuing to restrict access was “illegal and unjustified” and “provocative”. They added it was “a flagrant violation to international law … and the principle of unrestricted access to places of worship”.
Police announced last Monday that all holy sites in the Old City, including the Western Wall, al-Aqsa mosque, Temple Mount complex and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, would remain closed “to safeguard public safety and human life”. Israel occupied east Jerusalem in 1967 and later annexed it in a move that is not internationally recognised.
First message by Iran’s new supreme leader to be released
The first message from Iran’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, will be released shortly, Iranian state media reported on Thursday.
Iranian reports suggested that Iran’s leader would comment on the death of his father Ali Khamenei, the role and responsibilities of the people, the armed forces, executive bodies, and the role of Iran’s resistance proxy groups, as well as its war with the US and Israel.
The lack of any previous statement or appearance from Khamenei since he succeeded his father had fuelled speculation that he was injured or incapacitated during US-Israeli strikes. Unconfirmed reports have even claimed he was in a coma, or had lost a leg, after his father, mother, wife and son were killed by Israeli bombing on February 28, the first day of the war.
Identity of Zefyros tanker hit by unknown projectile confirmed
Details of the second ship hit by an Iranian attack in Iraqi waters have been confirmed by its managing company.
The Zefyros tanker was hit by an unknown projectile during a ship-to-ship transfer with the oil tanker Safesea Vishnu at Iraq’s Umm Qasar anchorage, the vessel’s Greece-based manager Benetech Shipping SA said on Thursday.
The incident took place at 11.41pm local time on Wednesday, the company said.
“All 23 crew members are safe and accounted for. They have been evacuated and were brought to shore,” Benetech Shipping said, adding that the vessel’s condition was being assessed.
Earlier an Indian sailor was reported to have died during the attack on the vessels.
US soldiers’ injuries in Kuwait strike more severe than first thought
Dozens of US service members suffered serious injuries in Kuwait, including brain trauma, shrapnel wounds and burns, according to CBS news.
Six troops were killed in a drone strike in the country during the first week of the war against Iran. Injuries sustained by others in the same strike have been reported as more severe than first thought. At least one of the soldiers may need to have a limb amputated, sources told the outlet.
They described a chaotic scene after the strike on March 1 involving difficult conditions for rescuers.
More than 30 service members remained in hospitals as of Tuesday this week, including about 20 who arrived via military transport aircraft reserved for those with “urgent” injuries.
US unable to provide naval escorts despite Trump promise
The US energy secretary has said that the country will not be able to provide naval escorts through the Strait of Hormuz.
President Trump last week promised to assist vessels after Iran threatened any that tried to cross. He wrote on Truth Social: “If necessary, the United States navy will begin escorting tankers through the Strait of Hormuz, as soon as possible.”
On Thursday Chris Wright told CNBC that the US was unable to do so now, but that it was “quite likely” it could by the end of the month.
Exhibitions group postpones Middle East events
Informa, the world’s largest exhibitions group, has postponed events in the Middle East until the end of the year due to conflict in the region.
Stephen Carter, the chief executive, said only a nominal number of clients have withdrawn from events in the region due to the conflict. He added that this involved some rescheduling costs that the company would “have to swallow”.
The British group runs events in the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Bahrain, Turkey and Saudi Arabia. This year’s Dubai International Boat Show is reported to have been rescheduled from April to November. Informa shares, down 11 per cent so far this year, slid 0.7 per cent to 774p.
IDF kills senior Iranian commander who worked with Hezbollah
The IDF announced on Thursday that a senior Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps operations commander working with Hezbollah in Beirut had been assassinated.
Abu Dharr Mohammadi was a “central figure coordinating between Hezbollah and the Iranian terror regime”, the military said, adding that he played a crucial part in rehabilitating the militant group’s missile programme after Operation Northern Arrows, an airstrike campaign launched by Israel in September 2024 against Hezbollah.
The Israeli military said on Thursday that Hezbollah had fired about 200 rockets at Israel the night before in what it described as the Lebanese armed group’s “biggest barrage” since the war began.
The military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani told journalists: “Last night, Hezbollah timed a simultaneous attack with Iran, firing rockets and drones at towns and communities across Israel. The numbers [are] about approximately 200 rockets, approximately 20 UAVs [drones] and combine those with ballistic missiles that were being fired from Iran in the same time,”
He added: “We had a good aerial defence and rapid response, resulting in minimal casualties, only two or three direct hits… and a few civilians that were lightly injured.”
IDF apologises to Israelis for failing to warn of Iran-Hezbollah barrage
The Israeli military has apologised to the public for not alerting them sooner to Hezbollah’s barrage overnight.
In the largest attack of the conflict so far, the militant group and Iran planned to launch about 600 rockets and 60 drones. Ultimately 200 rockets and 20 drones were launched, hitting some residential areas in Israel, causing damage and leaving two people with minor injuries, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said. Most of the projectiles were intercepted or fell in open areas.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps said it had carried out a “joint and integrated operation” alongside Hezbollah, aimed at more than 50 targets including military bases in Haifa, Tel Aviv and Beersheba. It was the first time that Iran and Hezbollah had coordinated attacks since the conflict broke out almost two weeks ago.
The IDF said it made a mistake in not updating the public ahead of the attack on Wednesday evening. Officials admitted they should have been more transparent about assessments of the barrage, particularly when it was reported by international media.
Indian sailor killed after oil tanker hit by Iranian suicide boat
An Indian sailor was killed after an oil tanker was hit in the Gulf on Thursday by an Iranian suicide boat designed for kamikaze missions, according to reports.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed responsibility for the attack on the Safesea Vishnu tanker in Iraqi territorial waters.
Iran’s state news agency IRNA reported that the Marshall Islands-flagged ship was hit “after it failed to comply with warnings and requests from the Revolutionary Guard Navy”. According to Iran, the ship is US-owned.
Another tanker was also attacked on Thursday, also in Iraqi waters.
Iranian nuclear site hit by strikes, Israeli military claims
The Israeli military said on Thursday that it had struck an Iranian site used for developing nuclear weapons capabilities.
“As part of the waves of strikes completed in recent days in Tehran, the air force struck, with precise guidance from military intelligence, another site in the Iranian nuclear programme, the ‘Taleqan’ site, which the regime used to advance critical capabilities in developing nuclear weapon,” the Israel Defence Forces announced on X.
“The site was used in recent years to develop advanced explosives and conduct sensitive experiments as part of ‘Project Amad’, the secret programme to develop nuclear weapons in the 2000s,” it added. It claimed that Iran had for a while abandoned the site but started using it again in late 2024.
US military publishes video showing strikes on Iranian aircraft
Footage released by the US Central Command
The US military published footage showing airstrikes on Iranian aircraft early on Thursday.
The context of the strikes or when they happened was difficult to verify.
“The Iranian regime is losing air capability day by day. US forces aren’t just defending against Iranian threats, we are methodically dismantling them” the US Central Command said on X.
Video released by Central Command of strikes on stationary targets
Iranian nuclear facility before and after strikes
Taleghan 2 facility, a nuclear weapons research facility within the Parchin military complex, on March 6, top, and on March 11 after airstrikes
GETTY IMAGES
Iranian ambassador to UN rejects call to halt attacks on Gulf states
Iran’s ambassador to the UN rejected the UN security council’s call for Tehran to halt its attacks on Gulf states.
Amir Saeid Iravani said Resolution 2817 was “deeply regrettable” and “a serious setback” for the council’s credibility. “Today’s action represents a blatant misuse of the security council mandate in pursuit of the political agendas of certain members, the various states responsible for the brutal war of aggression against my country,” Iravani said.
The council adopted the resolution yesterday with 13 votes in favour of condemning Iran’s “egregious attacks” against its regional neighbours, and two abstentions by China and Russia. The resolution did not mention US or Israeli strikes on Iran.
The resolution “demands the immediate cessation of all attacks by the Islamic Republic of Iran against Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Jordan”. It also “condemns any actions or threats by the Islamic Republic of Iran aimed at closing, obstructing, or otherwise interfering with international navigation through the Strait of Hormuz”.
Iran vows to ‘abandon all restraint’ if US attacks Gulf islands
Iran’s parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf warned on Thursday that Tehran will “abandon all restraint” if the United States and Israel attack any of its islands in the Gulf.
“Any aggression against soil of Iranian islands will shatter all restraint. We will abandon all restraint and make the Persian Gulf run with the blood of invaders,” Ghalibaf said on X.
It was not immediately clear which islands he was referring to, but a recent Axios report cited US officials as saying that capturing Kharg, a hub for processing Iranian oil, was being considered as the war in the Middle East spirals.
‘The longer this war continues, the deeper the damage to the global economy’
Mohamed El-Erian speaking to Times Radio
The UK can expect lower growth, higher unemployment, and more serious economic damage as the conflict continues, a former deputy director at the International Monetary Fund has warned.
Mohamed El-Erian told Times Radio that “the longer this war continues, the deeper the damage to the global economy and the UK economy, and it is going to be harder to reverse quickly”.
He added: “On current projections, the UK would lose about half a per cent of growth, which will take the growth rate below 1 per cent, which is near stall speed.”
Lower oil demand expected due to record supply disruption
The global oil market is facing its largest supply disruption on record as the conflict in the Middle East halted tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, the International Energy Agency said in its monthly report on Thursday.
The agency warned that Wednesday’s release of a record 400 million barrels from emergency reserves was only a short-term measure, as the market outlook hinged on how quickly shipping through the strait could safely resume.
The conflict is weighing on demand. Flight cancellations across the region and supply disruptions are expected to reduce global oil consumption by about 1 million barrels a day in March and April, while demand growth for 2026 has been revised lower.
US spent more than $11.3bn in first week of war, reports says
The opening week of the war against Iran cost the United States more than $11.3 billion, lawmakers were told in a Pentagon briefing, according to a New York Times report which suggested that weapons and hardware were being used at an extremely high rate.
The report citing unnamed sources familiar with Tuesday’s closed-door briefing, said members of Congress were told that the figure excludes many costs connected with the build-up to the strikes, suggesting the final tally for the first week could rise substantially.
Defence officials had told Congress that roughly $5.6 billion worth of munitions were expended in just the first two days of fighting, according to US media, far higher than earlier public estimates.
The Iran War Cost Tracker website, an unofficial analysis which estimates the cost of the conflict in real time, showed a figure of more than $17.5 billion on its counter by Thursday morning.
According to the site, the United States was spending $1 billion per day on the war.
However, it pointed out that the true cost of the war was likely to be higher, as the figures do not take into account long-term expenses such as veteran healthcare.
US-owned ship hit in Gulf, Iranian military says
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said on Thursday that they had struck a Marshall Islands-flagged ship, which they claimed was US-owned, in the northern part of the Gulf.
On their website, known as Sepah News, the military force said the ship, named Safesea, was “one of the assets of the US terrorist army” and that it “was hit in the northern Gulf after ignoring and not complying with warnings and alerts”.
War hits UK package holiday group
On the Beach’s shares fell 10 per cent on Thursday after it suspended its profit forecast, saying the Iran war had resulted in a sharp slowdown in bookings to destinations such as Turkey, Greece, Cyprus and Egypt.
The company said that although it had limited exposure to the Middle East, demand for holidays in surrounding destinations had dropped since the conflict began. Analysts at Peel Hunt said On the Beach’s move was unsurprising and they expect the company to be “back on track after the Iran disruption concludes”.
Israel warns Lebanese residents of strike targeting ‘Hezbollah infrastructure’
The Israeli military has issued more displacement orders to Lebanese residents, this time for people living in the eastern village of Douris in the Bekaa Valley.
The Israeli military’s Arabic-language spokesman Avichay Adraee said Israel plans to carry out a strike in the town targeting what he claimed was “military infrastructure belonging to Hezbollah”.
In a post on X, he urged residents to move at least 300 metres away from a building marked in red on a map. “For your safety, you must evacuate immediately,” he said.
Dubai reports ‘minor drone incident’
Dubai has reported a “minor drone incident” on Thursday after explosions were heard in the city’s downtown.
“Dubai authorities are responding to a minor drone incident in the Al Bada’a area. No injuries have been reported,” the Dubai government’s media office said on X.
Oil eases in volatile trading
The oil price has fallen back this morning after rising above $100 a barrel as Iran increased attacks on oil infrastructures and shipping in the Middle East.
Brent crude slid from $100.70 a barrel overnight to $96.51, up 5 per cent, as trading in Europe started. The price has been rising after the biggest release of oil reserves in 50 years by the International Energy Agency on Wednesday failed to calm fears about oil supplies.
Stock markets remain wary. The FTSE 100 opened down 0.5 per cent, as rising defence and mining shares were offset by a fall in property and financial stocks on fears that higher energy prices will stoke inflation. making an interest rate cut less likely and even opening the way for a possible rate increase. Stock markets in Germany and France were also lower after subdued trading in Asia.
Increased security at Oscars amid fears of Iranian drone strikes
The Oscars will have increased security amid the war in the Middle East and fears of an Iranian plan to attack California with drones.
During a press conference on Wednesday, the Oscars telecast’s executive producers Katy Mullan and Raj Kapoor said they wanted everybody to feel safe at the ceremony.
“We have the support of the FBI and the LAPD, and it’s a close collaboration,” Kapoor said. “This show has to run like clockwork […] We want everybody to feel safe and protected and welcome, so it’s our job as a producing team to make sure that that translates.”
In a statement shared with The Hollywood Reporter, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said: “In light of current global events, the department remains at an elevated level of readiness and is maintaining increased vigilance as we continue to protect our residents of Los Angeles county.
Iraq halts operations at all oil terminals after strike
Two fuel tankers attacked in Iraqi waters
An attack on Iraq’s Basra port has forced authorities to halt operations at all the country’s oil terminals.
The strike early on Thursday that killed at least one person, an Indian national, was aimed at a ship engaged in an oil transfer in the Basra port on the Persian Gulf, according to Farhan al-Fartousi, the director-general of the General Company for Ports of Iraq.
Fartousi said in a statement reported by the state-run Iraqi News Agency that it remained unclear whether the ship was targeted by a flying or seaborne drone or a missile.
Rescuers recovered one dead body and helped 38 others after the attack, while the “search continues for the missing”. He said commercial ports in Iraq remained open but that oil terminals had been shut.
Iraq’s oil ministry said on Thursday it had “deep concern” about incidents involving oil tankers in the Gulf. “The safety of navigation in international maritime corridors and energy supply routes must remain free from regional conflicts,” the ministry added.
Briton charged after filming missiles passing overhead in Dubai
A British man is among 21 people charged in the United Arab Emirates under cybercrime laws after the circulation of videos showing missile activity and explosions.
The 60-year-old Briton said he filmed the scene as missiles passed overhead and deleted the footage immediately when asked, insisting he meant no harm, according to the campaign group Detained in Dubai.
The 21 suspects charged together are alleged to have used an information network or information technology tool to broadcast, publish, republish or circulate false news, rumours or provocative propaganda that may incite public opinion or disturb public security.
Radha Stirling, founder of Detained in Dubai, said: “The charges sound extremely vague but serious on paper. In reality, the alleged conduct could be something as simple as sharing or commenting on a video that is already circulating online.”
Penalties in such cases can include up to two years in prison, fines of up to £40,000, or both, and foreign nationals could also face deportation, the organisation added.
Seven people killed in Israeli strike on Beirut, Lebanon says
Lebanon said an Israeli strike on central Beirut’s seafront killed at least seven people early on Thursday.
It marks another attack in the heart of the capital as Iran-backed Hezbollah, which announced a major new operation against Israel, launched more missiles at Israel.
The Israeli military said separately that it had carried out overnight strikes against Hezbollah on Beirut’s southern suburbs.
Local media aired footage showing smoke rising along the seaside road area after the strike in central Beirut, which the state-run National News Agency said targeted a car. “The Israeli enemy strike on Ramlet al-Bayda in Beirut led to an initial toll of seven dead and 21 wounded,” the health ministry said.
It was the third attack in the heart of the capital since the war began. Israel has also repeatedly hit the southern suburbs of Beirut where Israeli military said on Thursday it had hit ten Hezbollah targets.
The site of overnight Israeli airstrikes in the southern suburbs of Beirut
GETTY IMAGES
Lebanon’s National News Agency reported on Thursday that Israeli strikes had also hit several towns in southern Lebanon, including Taybeh and al-Sultaniyya as well as Qana, near the city of Tyre.
Hezbollah said early on Thursday that it had fired missiles at an Israeli military intelligence base in the suburbs of Tel Aviv.
Iranian leaders depicted as bowling pins in video shared by White House
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The White House has published a video depicting Iranian officials as bowling pins being knocked down by a stars and stripes ball.
The video shows angry-looking, animated pins marching while carrying guns and holding a sign saying “we won’t stop making nuclear weapons”.
A remix of Lynyrd Skynyrd’s Free Bird plays in the background as they get knocked over, before a montage of US airstrikes on Iranian targets is shown. The White House official account shared the video on X with the caption “STRIKE” accompanied by American eagle and explosion emojis.
It is the latest salvo in a propaganda war with Iran, which has included several AI-generated memes and an Iranian video depicting animated Lego figures of Trump, Binyamin Netanyahu and missile strikes.
Iranian attacks on Gulf countries continue
A fire inside a building near Dubai Creek Harbour after a drone attack
REUTERS
Iranian attacks on Gulf countries are continuing and further strikes have been reported on land and at sea early on Thursday.
Saudi Arabia’s defence ministry said on Thursday it intercepted drones heading toward the Shaybah oil field, close to its border with the United Arab Emirates, at least three times.
Bahrain reported Iran had carried out an attack on fuel tanks in the country and drones struck fuel tanks at Oman’s Salalah port, where operations were subsequently suspended.
A container ship was struck in the Persian Gulf near Dubai by an “unknown projectile” that caused a small fire, according to the UK’s Maritime Trade Operations Centre.
New Delhi secures oil waiver from Tehran, according to Indian source
Iran will allow Indian-flagged tankers to transit the Strait of Hormuz, an Indian source said on Thursday, although an Iranian source based outside the country denied any such agreement had been reached.
Iran has attacked at least 16 ships in the strait since Israel and the United States began their war on the country, including a Thai vessel bound for Kandla port in western India on Wednesday. Typically about 40 per cent of India’s crude imports pass through the narrow pinch point as they come from the Gulf.
Reuters said the Indian source declined to be named, citing a lack of authorisation to speak to the media, while the Iranian source pointed to the sensitivity of the matter. Other Asian countries, including Pakistan to Thailand, have imposed austerity measures to conserve fuel.
India’s foreign ministry and the Iranian embassy in New Delhi did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Tehran has warned that oil prices could surge to $200 a barrel, nearly double current levels.
Trump’s team meets Russian envoy to tackle oil crisis
Trump vows to “look at the straits” amid oil crisis
Russia’s presidential envoy Kirill Dmitriev said on Thursday he had discussed the energy crisis with his American counterparts Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner during a meeting of the US-Russia working group on economy that took place in Florida.
The US lifted some sanctions on Russian oil earlier this week — imposed because of Moscow’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine — to ease prices as war engulfed the Middle East.
“Thank you, Steve, Jared, and Josh [Gruenbaum, White House senior adviser], for a productive meeting,” Dmitriev posted on X. He added on Telegram: “Today, many countries, primarily the United States, are beginning to better understand the key, systemic role of Russian oil and gas in ensuring the stability of the global economy, as well as the inefficiency and destructive nature of sanctions against Russia.”
Witkoff said earlier: “The teams discussed a variety of topics and agreed to stay in touch.” Trump said this week that Putin, to whom he spoke on Monday, wanted to be “helpful” in relation to the Middle East war.
Italian base in Iraq ‘attacked’
Antonio Tajani, Italy’s foreign minister, said Thursday there had been an “attack” on an Italian base in the Iraqi Kurdish city of Erbil, but that there were no injuries.
“I strongly condemn the attack on the Italian base in Erbil,” Tajani said on X, without giving more details. “I just spoke with the Italian ambassador to Iraq. Fortunately, all our soldiers are well and safe in the bunker.” Italy’s soldiers in Erbil are training Kurdistan’s security forces as part of an international coalition force.
Oil back above $100 as Iran steps up attacks
Oil has risen back above $100 a barrel on Thursday as Iran increased attacks on oil and transport facilities across the Middle East, raising fears of a prolonged conflict and disruptions to oil supply.
Oman has moved all ships from the Port of Salalah, which lies outside the Strait of Hormuz, after the key hub was attacked by Iranian drones, while two foreign tankers carrying Iraqi oil were reportedly attacked by Iranian boats in Iraq’s territorial waters, causing them to catch fire.
Brent crude rose $8.54, or 9 per cent, to $100.52 a barrel. The price was already rising after the biggest release of oil reserves in 50 years by the International Energy Agency on Wednesday failed to calm fears about oil supplies, pushing the Brent crude price above $90 a barrel.
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