The US will be escorting oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz, a senior official has said.
The secretary of the treasury, Scott Bessent, said that the US navy would be working in the key shipping lane “as soon as it is militarily possible”.
Bessent told Sky News that the US ships could operate with an “international coalition”.
He added that Iran had not mined the strait because Iranian tankers had been passing through.
Earlier Iran’s new supreme leader said that blocking of the strait of Hormuz should “definitely still be used”.
Iran has attacked ships and energy infrastructure in the region and the oil price has soared, which is likely to have a damaging effect on the global economy.
India’s PM speaks to president of Iran
Narendra Modi, India’s prime minister, has called the Iranian president, Masoud Pezeshkian, to discuss the situation in the region.
Modi reiterated India’s commitment to peace and stability, urging for dialogue and diplomacy. In a post on social media, he said he expressed “deep concern over the escalation of tension and the loss of civilian lives as well as damage to civilian infrastructure.”
“The safety and security of Indian nationals, along with the need for unhindered transit of goods and energy, remain India’s top priorities,” he said.
It comes after an earlier report said Iran would allow Indian-flagged tankers to transit the Strait of Hormuz, according to an Indian source. However an Iranian source based outside of the country denied that any such agreement had been reached.
IDF strikes Iran’s paramilitary checkpoints
Israel’s military said it had struck checkpoints in Tehran set up by the Basij paramilitary force of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, as part of efforts to undermine control by the authorities.
“Over the past day, the Israeli Air Force, acting on [military] intelligence, has targeted the Basij roadblocks and operatives,” the IDF said in a statement.
“These forces led the regime’s primary efforts to suppress internal protests, particularly in recent months, employing severe violence, mass arrests and the use of force against civilian demonstrators.”
G7 ministers to hold war discussions
The foreign ministers from the G7 will have detailed discussions on diplomatic efforts related to the war in Iran when they meet near Paris at a scheduled meeting at the end of March, Anita Anand, Canada’s foreign minister, said on Thursday.
France, which is currently chairing the group, will host the first of two foreign ministers meeting on March 26-27 in Paris.
“We will be having a full-fledged conversation about the diplomatic efforts relating to the war,” Anand said on Thursday.
People evacuate during strikes on Lebanon
The Israeli Defence Force has launched a “broad wave of strikes” in southern Lebanon, targeting infrastructure linked to Hezbollah.
In a post on X, the IDF said the strikes were “parallel” with the strikes being carried out in Beirut.
Israel also ordered mass evacuations in those same areas, prompting more than 800,000 people to flee their homes.
People gather in Beirut after an evacuation order
CLAUDIA GRECO/REUTERS
UN secretary-general urges de-escalation
Antonio Guterres, the UN secretary-general, has called for de-escalation and dialogue in the Middle East.
“The unfolding crisis in the Middle East constitutes a grave threat to international peace and security and has caused immense suffering for civilians,” he posted on X. “De-escalation and dialogue are the only way out.
“I strongly urge all parties to cease the hostilities, uphold international law, protect civilians and return immediately to the negotiating table.”
French oil firm’s production cut by 15 per cent
TotalEnergies, a French multinational integrated energy and petroleum company, said on Thursday it had shut down 15 per cent of its total oil and gas production due to the war in the Middle East.
“Production has been shut down or is in the process of shutting down in Qatar, Iraq and UAE offshore, representing approximately 15 per cent of our total output,” it said.
TotalEnergies said, however, that higher oil prices would more than compensate for the loss of Middle East production.
Tehran’s retaliatory strikes on shipping and Gulf neighbours have nearly cut off maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, through which pass around a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas.
TotalEnergies said it was the world’s third largest liquefied natural gas (LNG) player and was also involved in oil and renewable energies.
Israel did not ‘plan for regime change’
Israel had no plan for regime change in Iran when it attacked the country, with expectations that airstrikes could lead to a popular uprising resting on “wishful thinking” rather than hard intelligence, according to the Guardian which cited security sources.
If the regime remained in power, the long-term measure of success in the military campaign could rest on the stores of enriched uranium buried far underground during US strikes last June, Israeli defence and intelligence sources said.
There was enough to build ten nuclear warheads if the material stayed in Iran.
“These 440kg of uranium are one of the clearest litmus tests for how this war ends, whether it is a success,” said one official. “We need to be in a position where either this material is out of Iran, or you have a regime where you are confident that it is safeguarded [inside Iran] in a very meaningful way.”
US strikes hit 6,000 Iranian targets
Munitions are loaded into a US Air Force B-1B Lancer bomber at RAF Fairford, Gloucestershire
CHRISTOPHER FURLONG/GETTY IMAGES
The US military has hit 6,000 Iranian targets so far, according to the latest figures from Central Command.
At least 60 ships and 30 minelayers have also been damaged or destroyed.
It said the targets included IRGC headquarters and intelligence sites, ballistic missile sites, air defence systems and weapons production facilities among others.
White House: Threat of California attacks is fake news
The White House has condemned a report by ABC News that said the FBI warned police of possible retaliatory attacks by Iran involving drone launches against the west coast.
Karoline Leavitt, the press secretary, said the outlet had provided “false information to intentionally alarm the American people”, and downplayed the existence of any serious threat.
“They wrote this based on one email that was sent to local law enforcement in California about a single, unverified tip,” she wrote on X. “The email even states the tip was based on unverified intelligence. Yet ABC News left out this critical fact in their story! WHY?
“TO BE CLEAR: No such threat from Iran to our homeland exists, and it never did.”
Emergency meeting over shipping in the Middle East to be held
An emergency meeting of officials will be held in London next week to discuss threats to shipping in the Middle East.
The International Maritime Organisation will convene for an “extraordinary session” at its headquarters between March 18 and 19.
The meeting was requested by six of the group’s 40 members: Britain, Egypt, France, Morocco, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.
The Strait of Hormuz — through which a fifth of global oil passes — has been effectively shut down by Iranian retaliatory attacks against ships and its Gulf neighbours.
On Thursday, an attack on two oil tankers off Iraq killed at least one crew member, while a cargo ship caught fire after being hit by shrapnel.
Iran’s new supreme leader ordered the strait to remain closed, while President Trump said stopping the Islamic Republic’s “evil empire” was more important than oil prices, which soared on Thursday to above $100.
Foreign Office withdraws staff from Baghdad
The Foreign Office has temporarily withdrawn some staff from its embassy in Iraq due to the conflict.
Its embassy in Baghdad will continue to operate.
A warning against all travel to the country, which borders Iran, remains in place.
Academics killed in strike on Lebanon university
An Israeli strike on Beirut’s southern suburbs leaves a building exposed
STRINGER/REUTERS
Two academics have been killed in an Israeli airstrike on the campus of Lebanon’s public university, state media reported.
The director of the faculty of sciences at the south Beirut campus, Hussein Bazzi, and Professor Mortada Srour were killed by an Israeli drone strike on the university, the National News Agency said.
The campus is located on the edge of Beirut’s southern suburbs, an area under Hezbollah’s sway, which was spared in the last war between the pro-Iran militant group and Israel.
US opposition to the war is weakening
Americans are less opposed to the US-Israeli war against Iran now than they were when the conflict began on February 28.
However, more people would still prefer that the strikes cease rather than continue. A poll of 1,005 Americans by the Washington Post found that 42 per cent oppose the US military campaign, 40 per cent support it and 17 per cent are unsure.
In a poll conducted shortly after the attacks began, only 39 per cent were supportive and 52 per cent were opposed to it.
Just 35 per cent said the Trump administration had clearly explained its goals behind the military action and 65 per cent said it had not.
Iran wants to stop future war being ‘imposed’
Iran wants to ensure that a war will not be imposed again on it in the future, the deputy foreign minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi has said.
“We want to see that war is not going to be imposed again on Iran,” Takht-Ravanchi told the AFP news agency.
“When the war started last June, after 12 days there was a so-called cessation of hostilities … but after eight or nine months, they regrouped and they did it again.”
Analysts have previously said the regime is determined to survive and carry on an attritional war, even as the US and Israel intensify their air strikes.
“If the White House imagines the conflict will stop when Donald Trump decides it … they’re making a mistake and ignoring the lessons of history,” Pierre Razoux, of the Mediterranean Foundation for Strategic Studies, said.
“The Iranian regime, which no longer has anything to lose, will wage a war of attrition against the US and Israel to punish them for their aggression.”
Healey: Russia linked to Iranian attacks
John Healey speaks about Russian involvement in Iran
“Putin’s hidden hand is behind some of the Iranian tactics” deployed against British, American, Israeli and Gulf allies, the defence secretary has said.
John Healey gave the assessment after being briefed by military chiefs at Northwood Headquarters, the main command centre of Britain’s armed forces, on Thursday.
Healey was told by Lieutenant General Nicholas Perry that analysis of Iranian drone attacks had “definitively” revealed a link to Russia.
“They’re flying them much lower, and therefore they are effective … It’s the drones that are causing the biggest damage across the region for our allies,” Perry said.
A military source told The Times that the suicide drone that slipped past British defences in Cyprus was able to do so due to its small size and because it was flying low and close to the water at night amid electronic interference.
It later emerged that the drone contained Russian hardware, specifically a Kometa-B navigation system.
IDF strikes Hezbollah targets in Beirut
The Israeli military said it had begun a wave of strikes across Beirut on Thursday, after it warned residents in a central neighbourhood of the Lebanese capital that it would target a building there.
“The IDF has begun a wave of strikes targeting Hezbollah terrorist infrastructure across Beirut,” a military statement said, as footage showed a strike hitting a central Beirut building.
Trump: Iran should not play in Fifa tournament
Iran’s national football team should not participate in the Fifa World Cup “for their own life and safety”, President Trump has posted on Truth Social, in the run-up to the tournament that is due to take place in the US, as well as Canada and Mexico.
“The Iran National Soccer Team is welcome to The World Cup, but I really don’t believe it is appropriate that they be there, for their own life and safety. Thank you for your attention to this matter!” Trump wrote on Thursday.
A day earlier, the sports minister of Iran, Ahmad Donyamali, said that his country would not take part in the tournament, due to start in June.
But Gianni Infantino, the Fifa president, had previously said that Trump’s view was that Iran would be “welcome” to compete.
‘Largest supply disruption ever’ in oil market
The price of a barrel of Brent crude oil has risen to just over $100, up 8.5 per cent today. It follows reported comments from Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei who vowed to continue to block the Strait of Hormuz.
The rise in the oil price comes after the International Energy Authority said the war in the Middle East is creating the largest supply disruption in the history of the global oil market. It also warned that Wednesday’s emergency release of 400 million barrels of oil was only a “stop-gap measure”.
Aluminium prices have also hit their highest level in almost four years due to the war. Deliveries from aluminium producers in the region account for around 9 per cent of the global aluminium supply. The benchmark three month aluminium price on the London Metal Exchange rose 1 per cent to $3,492 a metric ton, its highest since March 2022.
Fire on US aircraft shift not combat related
A fire broke out Thursday aboard an American aircraft carrier in the Red Sea, injuring two sailors, the US navy said, although the cause was not combat related.
According to US Central Command, the fire originated in the main laundry spaces of the USS Gerald R Ford, and the two sailors are receiving treatment for non-life-threatening injuries.
The ship’s engines were not affected and the carrier continues to be fully operational, off the coast of Saudi Arabia.
The aircraft carrier is participating in Operation Epic Fury, the US-Israeli campaign against Iran, having transited the Suez Canal last week alongside its escort ships, the USS Mahan, USS Bainbridge and USS Winston S Churchill.
Coalition base hit by Iranian suicide drones
A base housing British and American troops in Iraq has been hit by Iranian kamikaze drones in the third successful strike against UK forces since the start of the war. Some American troops were hurt but there were no British casualties.
Specialist counter-drone troops used surface-to-air missiles to destroy two “unmanned aerial systems” heading for their coalition camp in Erbil, northern Iraq, overnight on Wednesday.
An unknown number of the one-way attack bombs made it past their air defences, however, striking the base and injuring American soldiers stationed there, who were not seriously harmed.
The same camp was hit on the first day of the conflict almost two weeks ago, when British personnel came within 400m of an Iranian missile strike. The next day a suicide drone, believed to have been fired by Hezbollah militants in Lebanon, hit RAF Akrotiri, Britain’s airbase in Cyprus, blowing a hole in a hangar housing American spy planes.
Police to use Thames as barrier to split al-Quds march
Police will use the Thames to separate al-Quds Day demonstrators and anti-Iranian protesters on Sunday while enforcing strict conditions with more than 1,000 officers on duty.
The Met said it would use the river as a physical barrier for the first time to separate the groups because of the “unique set of circumstances” facing the force.
Strict conditions require the al-Quds Day demonstration to take place on the Albert Embankment on the south bank of the Thames, while counterprotests will be constrained to the Millbank area on the north side. The demonstration will be limited to two hours between 1pm and 3pm, with anyone breaching either the timing or location conditions facing arrest.
The Met is expecting at least 12,000 people to turn out.
US military declassifies video of strikes on Iranian vehicles
Video released by Central Command of strikes on stationary targets
Further videos of direct strikes on Iranian rocket launchers and vehicles were declassified by the US military on Thursday.
The black and white footage showed several targets being engulfed in explosions.
“We are eliminating Iran’s ability to threaten American forces and regional partners through lethality and precision,” US Central Command said.
Iranian commander vows to keep Strait of Hormuz closed
The commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps navy has pledged to inflict the “harshest blows” on Iran’s enemies by keeping the Strait of Hormuz closed.
Commodore Alireza Tangsiri, posted on X after Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei’s statement, saying: “In response to the order of the commander-in-chief, while maintaining the strategy of keeping the Strait of Hormuz closed, we will deliver the harshest blows to the aggressor enemy.”
Trump: Higher oil prices means greater profits
Shortly before the first official statement from Iran’s new supreme leader, President Trump had posted on Truth Social that rising oil prices mean greater profits for the US. But Trump added that his priority remained stopping Iran from having nuclear weapons.
He wrote: “The United States is the largest Oil Producer in the World, by far, so when oil prices go up, we make a lot of money. BUT, of far greater interest and importance to me, as President, is stoping [sic] an evil Empire, Iran, from having Nuclear Weapons, and destroying the Middle East and, indeed, the World. I won’t ever let that happen!”
Khamenei describes his father’s dead body
Khamenei said he had seen the body of his father, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike on February 28.
“I had the opportunity to visit his body after his martyrdom; what I saw was a mountain of strength and I heard that his healthy hand was clenched in a fist,” he claimed.
After the strike, President Trump, along with the Israeli prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu, were reported to have been shown a photograph of Ali Khamenei’s body, but this has not been made public.
Ali Khamenei is due to be buried in his hometown of Mashhad in northeastern Iran, although a date has not yet been set for the funeral.
Mojtaba Khamenei may rule merely as a figurehead
Analysis by Samer Al-Atrush
Mojtaba Khamenei
AMIR KHOLOUSI/REUTERS
Mojtaba Khamenei has issued his first speech as Iran’s supreme leader, according to state media, in which he signalled a more hardline stance by the regime after his predecessor and father Ali Khamenei was killed in an Israeli airstrike.
In a speech read out by a state TV presenter, Khamenei called for the continued closure of the Strait of Hormuz and for an end to US bases in the region.
His remarks go some way to explaining why Iran’s powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which consolidated power under Ali Khamenei, supported his son’s succession. The new supreme leader will struggle to check their power and may, for now, rule merely as a figurehead.
“Right now it doesn’t look like there’s anyone to answer to — [the Guards] just make decisions and move forward among themselves,” Sanam Vakil, Chatham House’s Middle East director, said while referring to the alliance of Guards and bureaucrats who control the country.
Khamenei: We will take compensation from the enemy
The supreme leader also threatened to seize or destroy assets as “compensation” for the war, although he did not specify details.
“We will take compensation from the enemy, and if they refuse, we will seize as much of their property as we deem appropriate, and if that too is not possible, we will destroy that same amount of their property,” Khamenei’s statement adds.
Iran limiting attacks on Gulf states, Khamenei says
Khamenei claimed that Iran was limiting its retaliations to their enemies’ “military and financial bases” in other Middle Eastern countries, although a much broader pattern of attacks has already been seen.
He called on US allies to close those bases as soon as possible, “because they must have realised by now that the claim of establishing security and peace by America was nothing more than a lie”.
“The enemy has been gradually establishing military and financial bases in some of these countries for years to ensure its dominance over the region,” the supreme leader said. “In the recent attack, some military bases were used, and naturally, as we had explicitly warned, we simply attacked those bases without attacking those countries.”
Khamenei said: “We still believe in the need for friendship between ourselves and those neighbours, but these countries must make their duty clear to the aggressors of our beloved homeland and the murderers of our people.”
Iran will ‘avenge death of supreme leader’
A mourner holds a poster depicting Mojtaba Khamenei, right, the successor to Ali Khamenei, left, his father
VAHID SALEMI/AP
Khamenei spoke of the loss of his father, the previous supreme leader, other senior leaders and his own family during the war, as well as referring to a deadly US missile strike on a girl’s school in Iran.
“I assure everyone that we will not refrain from avenging the blood of your martyrs,” he added. Khamenei vowed to avenge not only the “martyrdom” of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, but “every member of the nation who is martyred by the enemy is an independent subject for revenge”.
“We will be especially sensitive to the blood of our children and grandchildren,” he added. “Therefore, the crime that the enemy deliberately committed in the case of the Shajareh Tayyebeh Minab School and some similar cases has a special place in this investigation.”
Khamenei thanks Iran’s allies abroad
Khamenei expressed “sincere gratitude” to the fighters of the Resistance Front, referring to Iran’s allies and proxy groups based abroad.
He referred to Hezbollah in Lebanon and pro-Tehran militants in Iraq, and noted the historic support of Yemen’s Houthi rebels during the war in Gaza. The Yemeni group has not attacked shipping infrastructure on the Red Sea so far in the current conflict.
“As we have seen, the brave and faithful Yemen did not stop defending the oppressed people of Gaza, and the devoted Hezbollah has come to the aid of the Islamic Republic despite all obstacles, and the Iraqi resistance has also courageously taken the same line,” Khamenei said.
Iran looking at ‘opening other fronts’
Addressing his “brothers in arms” the supreme leader’s statement added: The will of the masses is to continue the effective and regrettable defence [of the country]. The lever of blocking the Strait of Hormuz must definitely be used.”
He claimed that Iran is looking at “opening other fronts where the enemy has little experience and will be extremely vulnerable, and their activation will take place if the war situation continues”.
Supreme leader thanks Iranian armed forces
Mojtaba Khamenei thanked Iran’s armed forces for responding to unjust attacks by the leaders of the “arrogant front,” referring to the US and Israel.
They “have blocked the enemy’s path with their crushing blows and have removed them from the illusion of the possibility of dominating our beloved homeland and possibly dividing it.”
Iran’s new supreme leader issues first message
Iran’s new supreme leader had said all American military bases in the Middle East should immediately be closed and that the blocking of the Strait of Hormuz should “definitely still be used” as a tool to pressure the enemy.
Iranian state media is reading out the first message of Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, but he is not being seen or heard from himself.
Khamenei also called for Iranians and supporters to unite on Friday for Quds Day, an annual event held during Ramadan.
“Iran will not refrain from avenging the blood of its martyrs,” Khamenei added.
Iran threatens to target Middle East power grids
Ali Larijani, Iran’s national security council secretary, threatened on Thursday to target power grids in the region if the United States attacked the Islamic republic’s electricity supplies.
“If they do that, the whole region will go dark in less than half an hour and darkness provides ample opportunity to hunt down US servicemen running for safety,” Larijani said on X.
President Trump has said US forces could knock out Iran’s electricity supply “within one hour”, leaving the country with reconstruction that could take a generation.
German shipowner Hapag-Lloyd said on Thursday that one of their cargo vessels in the Gulf caught fire after being “hit with shrapnel” overnight, adding that no one was injured.
A company spokesman told AFP that “we don’t know where [the debris] came from, whether it was a rocket or a drone” or another munition. He said “the fire has been put out and the crew is unharmed”.
The container ship, the Liberian-flagged Source Blessing, was sub-chartered by Hapag-Lloyd to Maersk.
It is the third ship confirmed to have been attacked on Thursday after a strike on two oil tankers off Iraq killed at least one crew member.
At the beginning of the Middle East conflict, Hapag-Lloyd had announced that it would suspend passage of its vessels through the Strait of Hormuz.
Bombings cannot overthrow regime, opposition group says
An Iranian opposition group based overseas acknowledged on Thursday that the US-Israeli war on Iran would not topple the clerical leadership, and argued that only a popular uprising backed by internal resistance could do so.
“The 12-day war in June, and the current war, now in its 12th day, proved that bombings cannot overthrow the regime,” Mohammad Mohaddessin, the head of foreign policy at the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), said.
“Even if you have 50,000 armed soldiers on the ground, you need the support of Iranian people. You need a popular uprising. The combination of this 50,000 or 20,000 or any other number with a popular uprising, then you have this power to overthrow the regime.”
A member of Iraq’s Hashd al-Shaabi forces in front of a banner depicting Iran’s Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Baghdad
AHMAD AL-RUBAYE/GETTY IMAGES
Mohaddesin said he did not consider a deployment of US ground troops realistic.
The NCRI, also known as Mujahideen-e-Khalq, is an umbrella group of various factions opposed not just to the Islamic Republic but also a return of the shah or a monarchy in Iran. It was listed as a terrorist organisation by the United States until 2012 and is banned in Iran.
Mohaddessin acknowledged that his group alone could not bring down the system. But he predicted that mass protests, like those that spread in January until they were violently quashed, would resume once the bombing stopped.
Islamic countries condemn Israel for shutting mosque
Eight Islamic and Arab countries on Thursday condemned Israel for keeping the 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.
Iran’s new supreme leader to deliver message
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.
Details of second tanker attack revealed
Information about the second ship hit by an Iranian attack in Iraqi waters have been confirmed by its managing company.
The Zefyros tanker was targeted 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 severely injured in Kuwait strike
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
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
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
Footage from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps showing the launch of a missile targeting Israel
AFP
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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