Israel will fight on with ‘all our force’
In a televised address on Saturday, Binyamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, said the war on Iran would continue with “full force”.
Netanyahu added: “We have a systematic plan to eradicate the Iranian regime and achieve many other objectives.”
He said: “Citizens, you are telling me, the government and our heroic soldiers to continue until victory, and I thank you. I can assure you that we will continue with all our force … We are changing the face of the Middle East.”
In pictures: War felt around the Gulf and beyond
An explosion at Mehrabad airport near the Azadi Tower in Tehran on Saturday night
ATTA KENARE/AFP/GETTY IMAGES
Tankers sit anchored off Oman as travel through the Strait of Hormuz remains severely limited
BENOIT TESSIER/REUTERS
A man donates blood in Tehran
MAJID ASGARIPOUR/WANA/REUTERS
Video showed smoke coming off a skyscraper in Dubai …
… while the city remains quieter amid Iranian attacks
FATIMA SHBAIR/AP
Rocket trails above Netanya in Israel this evening. Israel said missiles were launched from Iran and Lebanon
JACK GUEZ/AFP/GETTY IMAGES
A pro-Israeli counter-protester at the “Hands Off Iran” march in London
TOLGA AKMEN/EPA
US navy boss: ‘We will never forget their service’
John Phelan, the secretary of the navy, paid tribute to the fallen soldiers on X.
“Today, we mourn the loss of six United States Servicemembers who paid the ultimate sacrifice in service to our Nation. These brave Americans answered the call without hesitation. They stood the watch on behalf of the American people and our way of life,” he wrote today.
“We will never forget their service. We will honor their sacrifice not only in words, but in our continued commitment to readiness, strength, and the defense of this great Nation.”
• Read more: Who were the US soldiers killed in an Iranian attack? The victims named
Trump arrives to pay respects to war dead
President Trump has landed at the Dover Air Force Base in Delaware to pay his respects to the six members of the US military who have been killed.
There, the president is meeting the families of the soldiers before the “dignified transfer”, a ceremony in which fallen service members are transferred from an aircraft to a vehicle that then takes them to their final resting place.
During his first term, Trump said that witnessing a dignified transfer was the “the toughest thing I have to do”.
Before flying to Delaware, Trump hailed the six soldiers as “great heroes” and vowed to keep American deaths “to a minimum.”
Spain has evacuated staff from its embassy in Iran.
“The Ambassador and essential personnel who remained in Tehran have just crossed the border into Azerbaijan and are safe,” José Manuel Albares, the Spanish foreign minister, wrote on X. “The safety of our citizens and of the foreign service is my priority.”
The other embassies in the region remain “fully operational”.
Trump has ‘killed’ de-escalation hopes
President Trump has “killed” the chance to de-escalate the conflict in the Middle East, Iran’s foreign minister said.
In a post on social media, Abbas Araghchi described the US-Israeli attacks on Iran as a “week-long misadventure” costing $100 billion.
“If Mr Trump seeks escalation, it is precisely what our powerful armed forces have been prepared for, and what he will get,” Araghchi wrote.
He claimed that Iran’s president had “expressed openness to de-escalation within our region” but that this “gesture to our neighbours was almost immediately killed by President Trump”.
Trump to mark return of killed troops
President Trump and Pete Hegseth at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware
SAUL LOEB/AFP/GETTY IMAGES
President Trump has travelled to Delaware for a service marking the return of six US soldiers killed in the Iran war.
He was pictured arriving in Dover with Pete Hegseth, the secretary of war.
Satellite images show damage to Iran base
Damage to naval halls at Bushehr airbase
VANTOR/EPA
The airstrip at Bushehr
VANTOR/EPA
Newly released satellite images have shown the damage caused by US-Israeli strikes on Iranian military sites.
At the Bushehr air base in the southwest of the country, a row of warehouses have been hit in succession by precision strikes, while jets on the base’s runway have also been destroyed.
Three arrested at London protest
Police arrested a further three people at the “Hands off Iran” protest in central London today.
One was arrested for possession of an offensive weapon and another for racially aggravated public order offences in relation to a chant.
The third was a man in his thirties who was arrested on suspicion of violent disorder in relation to an incident in Maida Vale yesterday.
The demonstration ended at the US embassy in Nine Elms at about 5pm.
Death in Dubai from falling debris
A person has been killed after debris from the successful interception of a projectile fell onto a vehicle in the Al Barsha area of Dubai.
Earlier this evening, debris resulting from an interception caused minor damage on the façade of a tower in Dubai marina, although no injuries were reported. It is unclear if these were the same interception.
A Dubai Media Office spokesman said: “Authorities confirm that debris from an aerial interception fell onto a vehicle in the Al Barsha area, resulting in the death of a Pakistani driver.”
US embassy in Iraq ‘hit by rockets’
Katyusha rockets, a type of artillery first used by the Soviet Union in the Second World War, have targeted the US embassy in Baghdad this evening, according to witnesses.
The extent of the damage or whether there are any casualties was not immediately clear.
Jason Cowley: Labour is dominated by Miliband’s politics of pacifism
Just as appeasement scarred the Conservative Party for a generation, the Iraq war still haunts and divides Labour. Sir Keir Starmer’s tortured response to the US-Israeli attacks on Iran can be best understood in the long shadow of that political trauma.
The fault line in the party was clear in the 2010 leadership contest when the rivalrous Miliband brothers went head to head. Seeking a strategy to undermine and defeat his elder brother, Ed Miliband alighted on Iraq and repeatedly insisted he had never backed the war.
Ed, who is now the energy secretary, has defined himself as an anti-war politician ever since. He may have led Labour to defeat in a general election that he expected to win in 2015, but he remains one of the party’s chief powerbrokers.
According to a Spectator report that has not been denied, Miliband took a “petulant, pacifist and very political” view in opposing Britain’s involvement in Iran.
• Read in full: Labour is dominated by Ed Miliband’s politics of pacifism
Hardliner calls for ‘weak’ president to go
President Pezeshkian of Iran has been criticised as “weak and unprofessional” by Hamid Rasai, a hardline cleric, after Pezeshkian apologised to Gulf states hit by Iranian attacks.
In a post on X Rasai demanded a swift end to the temporary leadership council instituted following Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s death last weekend.
He said that this would “guarantee the protection of the revolution of Imam Khomeini and the martyred Imam Khamenei”.
More than 150 Iranians, including diplomats and their families, left Lebanon today after Israel threatened to “target” Iranian government representatives.
It comes as the number of people killed by Israeli strikes in the country since Monday rose to 294.
A further 1,023 people have been injured, according to Lebanon’s health ministry. Tens of thousands more have been displaced.
Britons invited to apply for Dubai flights
Further details have emerged of the UK government’s plan to charter a commercial flight out of Dubai early next week.
British nationals with a valid passport can register their interest via the Foreign Office website.
However, there will be a charge for the flight and it will be subject to conditions on the ground, sources said.
Joe Bennett: Bring Mum home from Iran jail
Craig and Lindsay Foreman
It was Saturday lunchtime in Tehran. I was on the phone with my mum, Lindsay Foreman, trying to get our heads around the implications of the British consul leaving Iran, when the first bomb hit close to the prison. We were three minutes into a conversation, trying to snatch a moment of normality from the madness of her prison existence, when the world simply exploded.
She screamed as the force of the bomb tore through the prison wings. In the background, I could hear the primal screams of dozens of other women, a chorus of pure panic. Then the line went dead.
Read in full: Mum screamed as the bomb went off. Then the line to Evin jail went dead
Mark Urban: Why this very modern war is a test for the West
In just over one week we have seen the new Gulf War spread across the region, sending global energy prices soaring and drawing in different world powers. And as if that wasn’t enough, the idea that the chaos might swiftly be stilled has been scotched by President Trump talking again about regime change.
Key to understanding this battle are the very different wars being fought by the different sides. For the Islamic Republic, it’s a matter of survival. For Israel, too, destroying Iran’s military and nuclear capabilities is considered existential. But for the US this is a war of choice, which ideally will end quickly.
Some have rushed to call this conflict World War Three, but no one can afford a conflict like the 1940s. If America depletes its expensive, air-reliant military in Iran, however, then China and Russia may gleefully take advantage.
• Read in full: Rushing to call the Iran conflict World War Three misses the point
Don’t let Iran distract from Ukraine, warns Macron
The Middle East crisis must not divert attention from efforts to support Ukraine against Russian attacks, President Macron of France has written on X.
He said France’s allies could count on the country, adding: “This is the case for Ukraine, which is holding its ground despite massive Russian attacks that continue to claim numerous civilian casualties — attacks which I condemn.”
Macron continued by saying that other countries must not hesitate in applying sanctions and releasing financial support promised to Ukraine in December.
Watch: Thousands join anti-war protest
A large crowd gathered in Westminster today, some carrying placards of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Protesters took to the streets of London on Saturday
Russia: US is to blame and we are on Iran’s side
Russia is “supportive to Iran” and not neutral in the Iran-US war, Andrey Kelin, Russia’s ambassador to the UK, has told Sky News.
“We consider very negatively what is being done,” he added. “It is the logic at the moment of western countries … that Iran is to blame for everything.
“But no one is saying that US and Israel has initiated an attack against Iran. And Iran is only responding to this attack. This is simply unfair.”
Kelin added that a negotiated, peaceful solution would be the ideal scenario, with the war stopping immediately.
UK may charter flights from Dubai
Foreign Office officials are “exploring options” to commission charter flights from Dubai.
The flights would allow British citizens to return to the UK from the United Arab Emirates, pending confirmation that it is safe to fly after a drone strike on Dubai airport this morning, according to PA.
Inside the Royal Navy’s flagship
The Royal Navy has said it will boost the state of readiness of one of its two aircraft carriers. Here’s how the £3 billion ship works.
Israel fails to recover remains of pilot
An operation to retrieve the remains of an IDF pilot yesterday was unsuccessful, Binyamin Netanyahu wrote on X.
The Israeli prime minister said: “The commitment of the State of Israel and my commitment to completing all the missions of our captives and missing persons is absolute and everlasting.”
A commando operation was launched to a cemetery in eastern Lebanon where it it thought that the remains of Ron Arad, a navigator who went missing in Lebanon in 1986, are buried.
The operation was interrupted and fighting broke out after the Lebanese army detected the soldiers. Three Lebanese soldiers and 41 residents of the Beqaa valley were killed in the fighting and accompanying air strikes.
‘UAE has thick skin and bitter flesh’
The president of the United Arab Emirates has spoken for the first time since the war on Iran began, saying “all is well” in his country.
“We will carry out our duty towards our country, our people, and our residents who are also part of our family,” Mohamed bin Zayed al-Nahyan said.
He thanked the armed forces, adding: “The UAE is attractive; the UAE is beautiful, the UAE is a model. Do not be misled by the UAE’s appearance. The UAE has thick skin and bitter flesh — we are no easy prey.”
It comes as the UAE, Bahrain and Qatar continued to intercept missiles and drones from Iran this afternoon.
Israel targets IRGC air base
Smoke rising in Tehran today after further strikes on the Iranian capital
REUTERS
Israel’s military has hit Tehran’s Mehrabad airport, which it said served as a “central hub for arming and funding” the regime’s proxies in the Middle East, writes Gabrielle Weiniger.
The IDF said in a post on social media that it targeted “military infrastructure at Mehrabad airport, a central hub used by the IRGC to arm and fund its terror proxies across the Middle East”.
Further strikes hit 16 aircraft allegedly used by the Revolutionary Guards Corps’ Quds Force to transfer weapons to Hezbollah.
“Prior to the strikes, steps were taken to mitigate harm to civilians,” the IDF added.
Iran to elect supreme leader ‘within day’
The Iranian assembly of experts is to meet in the next day to choose a new supreme leader, an assembly member was cited as saying by Iranian media.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the former supreme leader, was killed in the initial US-Israeli strikes on Iran last weekend and was never publicly recorded as naming a successor.
A temporary leadership council formed of Masoud Pezeshkian, Iran’s reformist president, Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje’i, the hard-line head of the judiciary, and Alireza Arafi, a jurist and head of the Basij, a paramilitary force, have governed in the interim.
The 88-strong assembly will decide on the new leader, who will have final say on all matters of state.
UAE: Iran ‘not helping themselves’
An Emirati official has said that they want Iranian aggression to end immediately.
“Any sort of escalation is worrying. We want to contain the war. We don’t want the war to expand,” the official said, according to Reuters.
They continued: “We want to start with the Iranians realising that they are not helping themselves by attacking their whole neighbourhood and to stop there and realise that.”
Trump: Dead soldiers are ‘great heroes’
President Trump has called the six American soldiers killed in a drone strike in Kuwait on March 1 “great heroes” while speaking at a summit with Latin American and Caribbean leaders.
He added: “[It is a] very sad situation to greet the families of the heroes who are coming home from Iran and coming home in a different manner than they thought they’d be coming home.”
Trump will be at Dover air force base in Delaware later today when the soldiers’ remains are returned to the US.
• Read more: Who were the US soldiers killed in an Iranian strike? The victims named
Turkey fears attack on Cyprus
The Turkish defence ministry has said it is considering deploying F-16 fighter jets to northern Cyprus to “ensure the security” of the ethnic Turkish area of the island.
Meanwhile about 300 protesters have marched on the presidential palace in Nicosia, the island’s capital, calling for Britain to quit its military bases on Cyprus. “Say it loud, say it clear, British bases out of here,” the protesters chanted, as well as “A-hey, a-ho, British bases have to go”.
US ‘doing very well in Iran’, Trump says
President Trump at the Shield of the Americas Summit on Saturday in Florida
REBECCA BLACKWELL/AP
President Trump has called the US military operation in Iran a major success and said strikes have dealt “decisive blows” while speaking at a summit in Florida, where he is hosting the leaders of 13 countries across Latin America and the Caribbean.
“We’re doing very well in Iran,” he said. “We’ve knocked out 42 navy ships […] that was the end of the navy, we’ve knocked out their air force, we knocked out their communications and all telecommunications is gone.
“It’s not working out too well,” he continued. “They’re bad people, they’re just bad people. When you look at October 7 and beyond October 7 look at all the killing that they’ve done over the years, for 47 years and this had to be done. They were very close to a nuclear weapon.”
US attack on infrastructure ‘will have grave consequences’
“Attacking Iran’s infrastructure is a dangerous move with grave consequences,” Abbas Araghchi, the Iranian Foreign Minister, said on X this afternoon.
It follows a US strike on a freshwater desalination plant in Qeshm, an island in the Strait of Hormuz. Araghchi confirmed that 30 villages’ water supply had been affected and added: “The US set this precedent, not Iran.”
Turkey is pushing for peace
President Erdogan of Turkey has told Sir Keir Starmer that there are “still things that can be done” to promote American-Iranian dialogue in a phone call today, according to a statement from his office.
Turkey is monitoring the war and its “peace-focused efforts” are continuing, Erdogan told the prime minister. The statement added that prolonged conflict could damage injure regional and global stability.
28,000 Americans repatriated
More than 28,000 Americans have returned home from the Middle East since the start of the Iran war last week, according to the US State Department.
The majority returned without assistance on commercial flights but the US government said it had arranged over a dozen charter flights to evacuate its citizens.
On Tuesday, President Trump said “it happened all very quickly,” in response to criticism of his government over the lack of an evacuation plan.
MoD: Aircraft carrier being prepared to sail
The Ministry of Defence has confirmed that the HMS Prince of Wales, one of two UK aircraft carriers, has been ordered into a higher state of readiness. However, it is understood that no decision has been taken yet to deploy the aircraft carrier.
The spokesman said: “We have been bolstering our UK military presence in the Middle East since January, and we have already deployed capabilities to protect British people and our allies in the region, including Typhoons, F-35 jets, air defence systems and an extra 400 personnel into Cyprus.
“Since the strikes began, we’ve had British jets in the sky shooting down drones and have sent additional assets to the region to further reinforce our air defences, including more Typhoons and Wildcat helicopters with drone-busting missiles.
“HMS Prince of Wales has always been on very high readiness and we are increasing the preparedness of the carrier, reducing the time it would take to set sail for any deployment.”
Kuwait cuts oil production
Kuwait has cut its oil production as a precaution amid ongoing attacks from Iran and following the interception of a drone attack on the Gulf country earlier today
No casualties were reported. The National Guard, which helps protect against Iranian missiles and drones, announced the interception on social media.
The move to reduce oil production is part of the Kuwait Petroleum Corporation’s “risk management and business continuity strategy”. The state oil company said it would be ready to restore oil production levels once conditions allow.
Marc Bennetts: Israel aims to devastate Hezbollah
Damage in southern Lebanon on Saturday
NIDAL SOLH/AFP/GETTY IMAGES
The sound of heavy machine gunfire and the distinctive thud of outgoing artillery reverberated across the grassy hills and valleys on Israel’s border with Lebanon, shattering a brief, deceptive calm.
“We’d better not stand here too long,” said Arna Weinberg, a 70-year-old resident of Manara, a tiny hilltop kibbutz, as the sun dipped beneath the red-tinged horizon. “[Hezbollah] can see us. We make an easy target for a sniper.”
Soon after, as darkness fell, Israeli forces launched missiles from a position near by, the deafening sound of the explosions mingling with the panicked howling of wild jackals.
• Read in full: Israel aims to devastate Hezbollah as war spreads to Lebanon
More US bombers land in UK
A USAF B1-B bomber arrives at RAF Fairford
PETER MACDIARMID
Three more US bombers landed at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire on Saturday morning.
It follows the arrival of the first B-1 Lancer on Friday evening.
Sir Keir Starmer has granted permission for the US to use UK bases for “defensive action” against Iranian missile sites.
Pre-revolutionary Iranian flags joins those of the US, UK and Israel outside RAF Fairford on Saturday
CHRISTOPHER FURLONG/GETTY IMAGES
Iran targets tanker in Gulf
The Iranian navy has said an oil tanker bearing the flag of the Marshall Islands was hit by a drone in the Gulf, according to state news agencies.
The tanker was trading under the name “Louise P”. The Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it was considered “one of the assets of the terrorist America”.
Earlier this week, the IRGC’s navy said all assets of the Israeli and American regimes are “legitimate targets”.
Rishi Sunak: How the conflict will play out
Regrettably, the most likely scenario right now is that the Iranian regime survives. Unlike Libya and Syria, which were personal dictatorships, the Islamic Republic of Iran has a broad and dispersed structure. Our assessment was always that removing the regime’s leaders wouldn’t collapse it.
Despite its deep unpopularity, there is no ready-made alternative. Revolutions require both an inspirational figurehead and organisation; neither is currently present.
After the brutality with which January’s protests were put down, and the failure of President Trump to deliver on his promise that help was on the way, it is unlikely that people will take to the streets again.
• Read in full: How the conflict in Iran will play out
Drones target Iraqi oil facility 
Photos and video show the aftermath of a suspected Iranian drone attack in Basra, Iraq, on Friday night.
A fire broke out at an oil facility housing foreign energy companies, including the US firm Halliburton.
Baghdad International Airport, which houses a military base and a US diplomatic facility, was also attacked overnight.
Ruined offices and warehouses used by Halliburton in Basra
ESSAM AL-SUDANI/REUTERS
London protesters carry Khamenei portraits
Hundreds of protesters have gathered in central London for a demonstration against the US-Israeli strikes on Iran.
Some carried Iranian and Palestinian flags as well as portraits of the former supreme leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, who was killed in the bombing of Tehran last weekend.
Others bore placards reading “Stop Trump’s Wars”, “Stop the War on Iran”, “Stop Arming Israel” and “No War on Iran”.
The march is being led by groups including the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND), Stop The War, Palestine Solidarity Campaign, Muslim Association Of Britain, Palestinian Forum in Britain and Friends Of Al-Aqsa.
Iranian president offers olive branch to Gulf
President Pezeshkian of Iran suggested this morning that Iran would stop targeting nations that withdrew permission for the US to use their bases, Mark Urban writes. This appears to be a shrewd attempt to divide countries like Saudi Arabia, that have been alarmed by the US-Israeli strikes, from Trump.
However, there are doubts as to whether Pezeshkian, a moderate in Iranian terms, could hold sway over the more radical Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps elements of the regime firing these weapons. Furthermore, Gulf states with close military ties to the US such as Kuwait, Qatar, and the UAE have already experienced such a pounding from Iran that they are unlikely to trust the Iranian president’s offer.
UAE intercepts drone and missile wave
The United Arab Emirates said it had intercepted 15 ballistic missiles and 119 drones so far today.
Another missile fell into the sea while two drones landed within UAE territory, the country’s defence ministry posted on social media.
The ministry claimed that Iran had launched more than 1,300 drones and 220 missiles towards the UAE since the start of the conflict.
Iran’s president has apologised for attacking neighbouring Gulf countries.
HMS Prince of Wales ordered to increase readiness
The Royal Navy has reportedly ordered the HMS Prince of Wales, one of Britain’s two aircraft carriers, to increase its readiness levels.
This shortens the time required for the carrier to put to sea, should the government decide additional assets are necessary. The move was first reported by Navy Lookout, the military magazine.
It does not mean the carrier will definitely be deployed, but allows the carrier to sail within five days rather than the previous 14-day period.
Practice includes final maintenance tasks, as well as recalling the ship’s company from leave and training courses. Stores and ammunition will be resupplied and all electronic systems are checked.
Drone that hit RAF Akrotiri launched from Lebanon
Sir Richard Knighton, the head of Britain’s armed forces, confirmed that Monday’s drone attack on RAF Akrotiri was launched from Lebanon.
He said “We also assessed that a drone had been launched from Lebanon by an Iranian-aligned group targeting Cyprus.”
The drone hit the British military base in the Mediterranean last week, causing minimal damage to an aircraft hangar. There were no casualties. Before now, the Ministry of Defence refused to say where the attack originated.
It is believed the strike was launched by Hezbollah militants.
• Comment: Akrotiri exposes atrophy of UK military might
UK defence chief denies military was unprepared
The head of Britain’s armed forces rejected the suggestion the military was unprepared for the conflict in Iran in an interview this morning.
Sir Richard Knighton, the chief of defence staff, said “I completely reject that criticism” when asked if the military had been ill-prepared.
“When the war started on Saturday, it became clear over the next 48 hours that Iran’s response was going to be far broader and more reckless compared to what we saw in the 12-day war last summer,” he said.
“So, on Sunday and Monday, we assessed our options and looked at what the risks were in response to that much broader and reckless action by Iran.”
Asked whether the response came too late, he said: “I completely disagree,” adding that “our posture had been built up over several weeks”.
Jordan targeted by 119 missiles and drones
Jordan said it has been attacked by 119 missiles and drones since the start of the conflict in the Middle East last week.
A Jordanian military spokesman, Brigadier General Mustafa Hiyari, told a news conference earlier today the attacks were aimed at “purely Jordanian targets”. He said no attacks against Iran originated from Jordan.
Police said 14 people have been injured in the attacks. Most of the casualties suffered minor injuries from falling shrapnel.
Israeli jet downs Iranian drone
The Israeli air force has posted footage of a fighter jet intercepting an Iranian drone before it entered its territory.
Israel said it has intercepted over 110 drones heading towards Israel since the start of the military operation last week.
Starmer ‘too scared to make decisions’
Kemi Badenoch has accused the prime minister of “sitting on the fence” over the conflict in the Middle East.
The Tory leader, speaking at the Conservative Party’s spring conference in Harrogate, said the UK is “in this war whether Keir Starmer likes it or not”.
“Now Keir Starmer is too scared to make foreign interventions for fear of upsetting a tiny section of that electorate,” she said.
“Everyone remembers the mistakes of the Iraq war, nobody sensible is suggesting that we should drop bombs without a second thought.
“But Keir Starmer spent days consulting lawyers, plucking up the courage to say whose side he was on.”
Watch video of Dubai airport drone strikeAnalysis: Is this the beginning of the worst gas crisis the world has seen?
There are many important places in the world, many crucial pieces of infrastructure and, as we have learnt this past week, many critical chokepoints, but few are quite as important as the Ras Laffan complex, at the very nape of Qatar.
Most folks haven’t heard of Ras Laffan, let alone visited it, but like it or not, our lives are bound up with this place. For this is the gateway to the single biggest store of energy anywhere in the world. It sits on the edge of the North Field, a vast underground reservoir of gas, smack bang in the middle of the Gulf.
• Read in full: Is this the beginning of the worst gas crisis the world has seen?
No other single gas field, or for that matter oilfield or coalmine or uranium mine, accounts for quite so much of the world’s useful energy (in other words after you adjust for losses when burning it). The North Field is in a league of its own, as is Ras Laffan, which processes most of the gas coming out of it.
In pictures: strikes on Iran 
Rescuers works in the rubble of a destroyed building on Saturday
:ZUMAPRESS.COM/AVALON
Mourners at the funeral of a two-year-old child in Tehran killed in the bombing
MAJID ASGARIPOUR/WANA/REUTERS
Analysis: how the war will affect fuel prices
The Strait of Hormuz, between Oman and Iran, is a busy place, carrying 20 per cent of global oil supplies. Since last weekend it has ground to a halt. With oil prices jumping to $90 a barrel — and projected to rise to $150 — fuel prices are following. The RAC said between Saturday and Thursday prices rose 3p per litre for petrol and 5p for diesel.
If the conflict continues, expert expect a litre of petrol to jump from an average £1.34 a litre today to £1.90, a price not seen since the Russia-Ukraine war broke out. Diesel prices, currently at £1.44, are likely to top £2.
Colin Walker, head of transport at the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit, said this would add more than £500 to the average fuel bill of a British petrol car driver. Drivers of electric cars will be protected by the energy price cap until July, but then their costs are also expected to rise.
Trump: Iran ‘is being beat to HELL’
President Trump has said Iran “is being beat to HELL”, adding it has “surrendered to its Middle East neighbors and promised that it will not shoot at them anymore”.
In a post of Truth Socia, Trump promised Iran will be “hit very hard” today. “Under serious consideration for complete destruction and certain death, because of Iran’s bad behaviour, are areas and groups of people that were not considered for targeting up until this moment in time.”
He added: “They were looking to take over and rule the Middle East. It is the first time that Iran has ever lost, in thousands of years, to surrounding Middle Eastern Countries. They have said, “Thank you President Trump.” I have said, “You’re welcome!” Iran is no longer the “Bully of the Middle East,” they are, instead, “THE LOSER OF THE MIDDLE EAST,” and will be for many decades until they surrender or, more likely, completely collapse!”
Swinney may ban US warplanes from Scottish airport
John Swinney, Scotland’s first minister, said he would consider banning US military aircraft from using Prestwick Airport if it was confirmed they were involved in strikes on Iran,
Speaking to the BBC, Swinney said he was seeking clarity from the British government about the role of US planes using the airport, which is based in South Ayrshire and owned by the Scottish government.
Asked whether he would ban the aircraft, he said: “I will consider that based on the evidence that’s provided to me.”
The first minister has previously said he was “concerned” about the military action and he did not think it conformed with international law.
Israeli forces hunt for remains of missing soldier
The IDF said its special forces had been operating in Lebanon overnight to find the remains of an Israeli soldier, Ron Arad, who has been officially missing since the 1980s.
The military said the mission was unsuccessful, but added there were no casualties. It declined to say where the operation took place.
Earlier today, the Lebanese National News Agency reported that an Israeli commando raid took place overnight in the Bekaa Valley and that 26 people had been killed, including three Lebanese soldiers.
Ayatollahs call for rapid selection of new supreme leader
The late supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei
YAHYA ARHAB/EPA
Iran’s religious clerics have called for the immediate selection of a new supreme leader, according to state media.
Ayatollah Makarem Shirazi told members of the Assembly of Experts, which picks the supreme leader, that the process should be resolved in a “timely” manner.
“The timely realisation of this important matter will lead to national authority and the best possible organisation of affairs,” he was reported as saying.
Another religious leader, Ayatollah Nouri Hamedani, told the Assembly to accelerate the election in order to “cause despair to the enemy and preserve the cohesion and solidarity of the nation”.
Qatar Airways to start repatriation flights to Heathrow
Qatar Airways has said it will begin repatriation flights to Heathrow and four other European airports today, after it was granted permission to travel through a “safe corridor”.
Qatari airspace remained closed on Saturday, but the airline said it received temporary authorisation from the Qatar Civil Aviation Authority to travel.
It said priority on these flights has been given to stranded passengers with families, elderly passengers and those with urgent medical and compassionate travel needs.
The airline asked passengers not to travel to airports unless they have been officially asked to, adding it is working “around the clock” to organise further relief flights.
‘26 dead’ in Lebanon after Israeli ground assault 
A ruined building following an Israeli military operation in the Bekaa Valley of Lebanon
NIDAL SOLH/AFP/GETTY IMAGES
A huge crater in the town of Nabi Chit, Bekaa Valley
MOHAMMAD YASSINE/REUTERS
Lebanon’s National News Agency has said at least 26 people were killed, including three Lebanese soldiers, in overnight clashes with Israeli troops.
It said that an Israeli commando team had deployed to the region in four helicopters before being confronted by armed fighters from the militant group, Islamic Resistance. The Lebanese militant group Hezbollah confirmed it had also targeted Israeli forces with rockets.
The fighting reportedly took place in the eastern Bekaa Valley, with further clashes in the town of Nabi Sheet between local residents and armed units. The news agency claimed Israel carried out 40 airstrikes before withdrawing its units.
In pictures: Beirut under Israeli attack
Blackened buildings in the southern suburbs of the Lebanese capital
REUTERS
Residents of Beirut displaced by the bombings sleep at Martyrs’ Square in the city centre
BILAL HUSSEIN/AP
The southern suburbs of Beirut have been repeatedly bombed by Israel
REUTERS
Analysis: how will the war affect UK energy prices?
The Iran war has caused the biggest shock to gas prices since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022.
Wholesale prices have jumped 50 per cent and in Britain we are particularly exposed to fluctuations in the gas market because four-fifths of our homes are heated by gas boilers and a third of our electricity is generated by gas-fired power stations.
We will not, however, feel the impact of war on our energy bills quite yet. Our energy bills are protected by Ofgem’s price cap — and that has been fixed until July.
But analysts project that at that point bills could rise as high as £2,500 a year, up from £1,641 at present. Many households are also protected by 12-month fixed contracts. Anyone looking for a new tariff, however, will find fewer good deals around, and many suppliers have stopped offering fixed deals altogether in fear of the turbulent market.
UAE air defences facing ‘missile and drone threats’
Smoke rising in Dubai as seen from the city’s international airport on Saturday
REUTERS
Following reports of a drone strike at Dubai airport, the government confirmed “a minor incident resulting from the fall of debris after an interception” on Saturday morning.
However the Dubai government denied “information circulating on social media regarding incidents at Dubai International Airport”.
It followed witness reports of an explosion at the airport. Footage was posted on social media of what appeared to be a cloud of smoke rising from the scene.
The UAE’s ministry of defence said: “The air defences of the United Arab Emirates are currently responding to missile and drone threats coming from Iran.”
US approves emergency weapons sale to Israel
The US State Department has approved the emergency sale of 12,000 bomb casings to Israel.
The sale, which includes US contract and engineering, logistics and technical support services, has estimated total cost is $151.8 million.
“The proposed sale will improve Israel’s capability to meet current and future threats, strengthen its homeland defense, and serve as a deterrent to regional threats,” the department’s Bureau of Political-Military Affairs said.
The US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, issued a waiver to bypass the needed Congressional approval for US arms sales.
“The secretary of state has determined and provided detailed justification that an emergency exists that requires the immediate sale to the government of Israel of the above defense articles and defense services is in the national security interests of the United States,” the department said.
Iran must ‘exercise wisdom’, Saudi defence minister warns
Saudi Arabia’s defence minister called on Iran to “exercise wisdom and avoid miscalculation” after a series of drone and missile attacks on the kingdom overnight.
Prince Khalid bin Salman said in a post on X that the Iranian attacks “undermine regional security and stability”.
The defence ministry said that a ballistic missile had been intercepted and destroyed as it headed “towards Prince Sultan Air Base” southeast of the capital, Riyadh.
At least 17 drones targeted the Shaybah oil field near the Emirati border but were also intercepted, according to the official Saudi Press Agency.
Dubai airport resumes partial operations
Dubai International Airport has partially resumed operations this morning, less than one hour after announcing they had been suspended over “safety” concerns.
Posting on X, the airport wrote: “We have partially resumed operations from today, 7 March, with some flights operating out of DXB and DWC [Al Maktoum International Airport]
“Please do not travel to the airport unless you have been contacted by your airline that your flight is confirmed, as schedules continue to change.”
Dubai airport suspends operations
Dubai International Airport has suspended operations this morning, citing “safety” concerns, after an evening which saw further Iranian strikes in the region.
Posting on X, the airport said: “For the safety of passengers, airport staff, and airline crew, operations at Dubai International (DXB) have been temporarily suspended. All procedures are being managed in line with established safety protocols.”
The Iranian president, Masoud Pezeshkian, said on Saturday that its temporary leadership council had approved the suspension of attacks against neighbouring countries unless an attack on Iran came from those countries.
Masoud Pezeshkian addresses his nation
The Iranian president said his country will never surrender to Israel and the US, but apologised to neighbouring countries for launching strikes on them.
Masoud Pezeshkian said in a speech broadcast on state TV on Saturday: “The enemies must take their wish for the surrender of the Iranian people to their graves.”
“I apologise… to the neighbouring countries that were attacked by Iran”, he added. “The interim leadership council agreed yesterday that no more attacks will be made on neighbouring countries and no missiles will be fired unless an attack on Iran originates from those countries.”
Emirates U-turn on Dubai flights suspension
Emirates announced they had suspended all flights to Dubai, only to announce 30 minutes later that their service would resume.
The airline posted on X that all flights to and from Dubai have been suspended until further notice and said “please do not go to the airport”.
But a later statement posted this morning said Emirates had resumed operations, advising that passengers who have confirmed bookings for this afternoon’s flights may proceed to the airport, including customers transiting in Dubai, if their connecting flight is also operating.
It added that customers booked to travel between 28 February until and including 31 March could rebook an alternative flight or request a refund.
Iran ‘suspends attacks against neighbours’
The Iranian president, Masoud Pezeshkian, said on Saturday that its temporary leadership council had approved the suspension of attacks against neighbouring countries unless an attack on Iran came from those countries.
The announcement came after Iran continued to launch attacks in the region in response to US-Israeli strikes on the Islamic Republic. Iranian strikes have hit Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Dubai.
American bomber lands in Britain
An American bomber landed in Britain as questions linger over the UK’s future role in the American-Israeli conflict with Iran.
The 146ft B-1 Lancer arrived at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire on Friday evening after Sir Keir Starmer granted permission for “defensive” US action against Iranian missile sites from UK bases.
A second Government charter flight carrying British citizens from Oman also landed at Gatwick Airport at 12.30am on Saturday as efforts to help people trapped in the war zone continue. Around 6,500 Britons have now returned from the United Arab Emirates since widespread conflict began in the region.
A B1B bomber arrives at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire
PETER MACDIARMID
Explosions echoed across Iran’s capital, Tehran, on Saturday morning as new airstrikes hit the city.
Reuters reported that explosions had been heard in several parts of the city, amid Israel’s “broad-scale wave of strikes”.
The death toll continued to rise Saturday with at least 1,230 people killed in Iran, more than 200 in Lebanon and around a dozen in Israel, according to officials. Six US troops have been reported killed.
Fire and smoke billow from Tehran’s Mehrabad International Airport
Fire and smoke billowing has been pictured billowing from Tehran’s Mehrabad International Airport after it was hit, during Israel’s “broad-scale wave of strikes” on government sites in the Iranian capital.
Renewed Israeli attacks on Tehran come a day after Israel intensified its air strikes on Lebanon, striking Beirut’s southern suburbs, where the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah holds sway, and Baalbeck in the east.
Loud booms sound in Jerusalem
Loud booms have sounded in Jerusalem, AP reports, after Iran launched another wave of missiles and drones.
People headed to bomb shelters across Israel early Saturday after hearing loud booms as Iranian missiles attacked more targets.
There were no immediate reports of casualties by Israel’s emergency services.
Six Americans detained in Iran face “unprecedented danger” due to war
Families and supporters of Americans detained in Iran say their loved ones face new dangers during the intensifying war, including the risk of becoming unintended casualties of Israeli and American bombardment or victims of retaliation from Iran’s repressive regime.
“For Americans imprisoned in Iran, this is about as terrifying a moment as it gets,” said Siamak Namazi, an Iranian American who was detained for nearly eight years before being released as part of a deal with the U.S. in 2023. “What these families are facing now is days of war with no clear end in sight.”
The US government would not confirm how many Americans are being held in Iran, but the James W. Foley Legacy Foundation, a hostage advocacy organization, said there are six and that they face “unprecedented danger” because of the military conflict.
Almost 60,000 pilgrims stranded in war travel chaos
The travel chaos from the war in the Middle East has ensnared many of the Muslims who have converged on Saudi Arabia for the Umrah pilgrimage, leaving them stranded and scrambling to find other ways home. Others had to scrap their planned visits altogether.
As of Thursday, more than 58,860 Indonesian pilgrims were stranded in Saudi Arabia, according to Indonesia’s Vice Minister of Hajj and Umrah Dahnil Anzar Simanjuntak.
The government is negotiating with Saudi authorities and airlines to ease the financial burden of hotel and flight costs on the stranded pilgrims, he said. The government also is urging about 60,000 others to postpone their Umrah travel until April for safety reasons, he said.
Which countries were attacked overnight?
Saudi Arabia has said that it intercepted and destroyed 16 drones targeting a large oil field in Shaybah.
Dubai’s media office said there was “a minor incident resulting from the fall of debris after an interception has been successfully contained”.
In eastern Lebanon, Iranian-backed Hezbollah fighters clashed with Israeli forces. Hezbollah said Israel launched airstrikes mid-fighting, although Israel has not addressed the clash.
The Lebanese health ministry said three people were killed and more than a dozen others were injured.
In Bahrain, air raid sirens sounded across the country after an Iranian attack.
Videos also showed explosions in the western part of Tehran, while the IDF said Iran had launched missiles targeting Israel. Israel told its citizens to seek cover.
Drone explodes near hotel in Iraq
A drone exploded near a hotel in Erbil in Iraq’s Kurdistan region hours after the US embassy in Baghdad warned of potential attacks by pro-Iranian militias in the area.
The Kurdistan counter-terrorism service said that drone and at least three others targeting a US military base and the headquarters of an Iranian Kurdish opposition group were shot down, and that no casualties were reported.
“Iran-aligned terrorist militia groups may seek to target hotels frequented by foreigners in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region,” the US embassy had said in a statement hours before the attacks.
“US citizens are strongly encouraged to depart as soon as they are safely able to do so, and reconsider lodging options if choosing not to depart.”
Iran fires more missiles at Israel
The Israeli military said that air defences were responding to an Iranian missile attack on Saturday.
Forces had “identified missiles launched from Iran toward the territory of the State of Israel. Defensive systems are operating to intercept the threat,” the military said in a statement.
Air raid alerts across the country’s north were lifted several minutes later.
Europe could be a ‘legitimate target’
Majid Takht-Ravanchi, Iran’s deputy foreign minister, has said that European countries will be “legitimate targets” if they join attacks against Iran.
“[We] already informed the Europeans and everybody else that they should be careful not to be involved in this war of aggression against Iran,” Takht-Ravanchi told France 24.
“[Any country that] joins America and Israel in the aggression against Iran, they will be also legitimate targets for Iran’s retaliation.”
The minister also said that Iran was striking US-backed Kurdish groups inside Iraq.
“If there is a need to protect our sovereignty, definitely we do it,” he added.
President Trump to pay respects to fallen US troops
President Trump and his wife, Melania, will be travelling to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware to pay their respects to the six US troops who have died in the first week of the US-Iran war.
The dignified transfer, a ritual that involves the transfer of remains of US troops killed on duty, will take place tomorrow.
The caskets of the fallen soldiers, draped with the American flag, will be carried by service members from the aircraft to an awaiting vehicle. The remains are transported to the base’s medical examiner, where they are identified and prepared for their final rest.
US satellite firm delays release of Gulf state images
Planet Labs PBC, a California-based company that produces satellite images, said it is holding back the release of images of Gulf states targeted by Iran.
The company said it would delay the release of images due to its “commitment to responsible data practices and the safety of personnel on the ground.” It did not say if the US government made the request.
“All new imagery collected over the Gulf States and adjacent conflict zones (not including Iran) will be subject to a mandatory 96-hour delay before it is made available in our archive,” Planet said in a statement. “
“This measure is intended to prevent adversarial actors from endangering the safety of allied and Nato-partner personnel and civilians there.”
‘US to blame for strike that killed dozens of schoolgirls’
The US military is to blame for a strike on an Iranian school that killed dozens of girls on Saturday, two US officials told Reuters. Information released by the US and Israeli militaries and an analysis of satellite images by The New York Times and the Associated Press also reached that conclusion.
Iranian officials said that at least 165 people, most of them schoolgirls, died in the attack.
While Israel is thought to have conducted strikes closer to its territory, with no reports of Israeli strikes south of Ishafan, the US is believed to be targeting other regions from its warships in the Arabian Sea, one of which is within range of the Shajareh Tayyebeh Elementary School in the town of Minab, southeast of Tehran.
An official also told the AP that the Pentagon’s investigation into the strike, although not finished, is likely to determine US culpability.
The school was once part of a military base belonging to the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), but walls were built to separate it from the base in 2016, and the building was not connected to the base when it was struck. According to satellite photos, strikes hit at least five buildings in the IRGC compound. Experts have said that regardless of its proximity to the compound, the school was a civilian object and an attack to a civilian object is illegal under international law.
“My assumption is that probably there were some activities recently there and they detected and tracked them, but … they weren’t aware or didn’t have an up-to-date database that a girls’ school was there, and they bombed it,” Farzin Nadimi, a senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, told the AP.
Will the US put boots on the ground in Iraq?
The US Army has recently cancelled major training exercises for troops specializing in ground combat, fuelling rumours that the defence department may be preparing for a ground offensive in the Middle East, the Washington Post reported.
More than 4,000 soldiers with the 82nd Airborne Division in North Carolina were told to stay put instead of travelling to Louisiana to join a previously scheduled training element. The 82nd division soldiers are trained in seizing airfield and can deploy within an 18-hour notice.
President Trump on Monday refused to rule out the possibility of deploying US ground troops to Iran, adding that he would make the order “if necessary”. The White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Wednesday that sending ground troops into Iran was “not part of the current plan, but I’m not going to remove an option for the president that is on the table”.
Ali Larijani, the secretary of the Supreme National Security Council of Iran, said in a statement that Iranian troops are “ready to disgrace those corrupt American officials by killing and capturing thousands” if US ground boots are sent. Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi also told NBC earlier this week that ground offensive would be a “big disaster” for America.
Ben Stiller: War is not a movie
The actor Ben Stiller has condemned the use of footage from a war film he starred in, Tropic Thunder, in clips by the White House about the war in Iran.
Clips from films and video games have been stitched together with war footage. Stiller shared his response above a video from the White House with the caption: “JUSTICE THE AMERICAN WAY.”
He wrote: “Hey White House, please remove the Tropic Thunder clip. We never gave you permission and have no interest in being a part of your propaganda machine. War is not a movie.”
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Hollywood films such as Star Wars, shoot ’em up video games like Grand Theft Auto and cartoon jokes from Spongebob Squarepants are being used by the White House to promote airstrikes on Iran in clips that millions have viewed online.
The Trump administration has been criticised for supplementing grainy videos of bombs falling on Iran with comic clips from American popular culture.
In one video, the sinking of an Iranian warship by a US submarine, which killed 87 people, was accompanied by footage from Grand Theft Auto showing a gangster walking through the streets based on Los Angeles alongside the caption marking the death of a character: “Wasted”.
Another showed US missiles destroying Iranian lorries, planes and launchers, accompanied by clips from Braveheart, Gladiator and Ironman. “JUSTICE THE AMERICAN WAY,” the White House posted on X.
More than 1,300 people have died in Iran as a result of US and Israeli attacks. The death toll includes 175, many of them children, killed at a girl’s school in Minab. An internal Pentagon investigation has concluded the US was probably responsible.
Chartered flight lands at Gatwick
The second government chartered flight from the Middle East landed at Gatwick Airport at 12.30am on Saturday.
The Titan Airways repatriation flight departed from Muscat International Airport in Oman at 5.33pm before a short layover in Cairo, Egypt, on Friday.
The latest evacuees join 6,500 Britons who have returned from the United Arab Emirates since widespread conflict began in the region seven days ago.
More than 160,000 British nationals have registered their presence in the Middle East with the UK government.
Kurdistan region attacked
Following reports that US-backed Kurdish militants would attempt to cross into Iran, strikes blamed on Tehran have hit the northern Kurdistan region in Iraq.
Meanwhile an oil facility where foreign energy companies operate was targeted in Iraq’s southern port city of Basra, while Baghdad International Airport, which is home to a US diplomatic facility and a military base, “came under a series of attacks,” a security official told AFP.
The official also said “two drones were shot down over the Burjesia oil complex, but a third got through”.
The US Central Command had dismissed reports on Thursday that a US fighter jet was shot down over Basra, calling the rumours “baseless and not true”.
‘War could last four to six weeks’
Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, said on Friday that Operation Epic Fury should be finished within four to six weeks.
But according to a memo seen by Politico, Central Command is asking the Pentagon to send intelligence officers to support operations against Iran for at least 100 days.
The notification also suggested preparations are being made for the campaign to last until September.
We’ve hit 3,000 targets and 43 warships, US claims
Operation Epic Fury has struck more than 3,000 targets and destroyed or damaged 43 Iranian ships, the US Central Command said in its report of the operation’s first week on Friday.
The agency said its focus is to dismantle Tehran’s security apparatus by prioritizing the strike of targets that pose an imminent threat.
Targets include Iran’s control and command centres, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ joint and aerospace headquarters, integrated air defence systems, missile sites, Iranian Navy ships and submarines and military communication capabilities.
The commander of Central Forces, Admiral Brad Cooper, and the secretary of war Pete Hegseth, said on Thursday that the US has delivered devastating blows to Iran’s military, cutting back missile attacks “by 90 per cent since day one”.
“In just the last few hours, we hit an Iranian drone carrier ship roughly the size of a World War Two aircraft carrier. And, as we speak, it’s on fire,” Cooper said at a press conference.
SOBHAN FARAJVAN/PACIFIC PRESS
SOBHAN FARAJVAN/PACIFIC PRESS
SOBHAN FARAJVAN/PACIFIC PRESS
Israel has come under attack again, with explosions heard around the southern city of Beersheba as well as in Tel Aviv.
The Home Front Command issued an early warning to residents in central Israel alerting them to incoming missile fire from Iran, for a seventh consecutive night.
Several explosions were also heard above Tel Aviv as air defence systems were activated, but there was no immediate reports of damage or casualties.
Shortly before the alerts were raised, Israel said it was launching new “broad-scale” strikes on targets in Tehran.
The Iranian state broadcaster reported an explosion in the western part of the city.
“The IDF has begun a broad-scale wave of strikes” on government targets in the Iranian capital, an Israeli military statement said.
RAF strikes on Iranian sites ‘would be entirely legal’
It would be legal for RAF jets to strike Iranian missile sites which could target Britons, David Lammy said.
The deputy prime minister stressed that the present operations involved British planes shooting down missiles and drones which were already in the sky over allied nations.
But he indicated they could lawfully be used to hit targets within Iran to prevent the launch of attacks. He told BBC Breakfast: “It is entirely legal to protect our people and protect our staff, and therefore all operational capability is available to us in those circumstances.”
Asked if that meant the UK could attack Iranian missile sites from our bases he said: “I’m not here to act as a lawyer, but I think your viewers will understand that in response to being attacked, yes, we can take down sites that are anticipating attacking our people across the region.”
Analysis: UK households face a renewed energy crisis
If the predictions of Qatar’s energy minister come to fruition, it could leave UK household budgets staring down the barrel of a renewed energy crisis, turning an international war into a serious domestic problem (Megan Harwood-Baynes writes).
Britain produces about 45 per cent of the gas it uses, and imports the rest. Our markets are more sensitive to disruption in the Middle East than our European counterparts, in part because we possess little long-term gas storage (holding about 12 days of winter supply compared with Germany’s 89).
With many businesses and households still recovering from an energy crisis triggered by the war in Ukraine, the surge in costs also threatens to trigger a new wave of inflation, which could result in Britons paying more for transport, manufacturing and consumer goods.
Ofgem’s price cap dictates how much energy companies can charge those on variable tariffs, as the price has already been set for April, higher wholesale costs will not be reflected until July.
But prices are already higher than they were before the 2022 crisis began, leaving Britons very little room to absorb any further increases. About 40 fixed-rate energy deals have already disappeared from the market, and while the situation (and wholesale prices) may stabilise over the next few weeks, there could be a rush as customers try to lock in their energy prices by fixing their tariff rates now.
Iran war ‘could bring down world’s economies’
Qatar’s energy minister has warned that war in the Middle East could “bring down the economies of the world”, suggesting that all Gulf energy exporters would shut down production for weeks and drive oil to $150 a barrel.
Saad al-Kaabi said that that even if the war ended immediately it would take Qatar “weeks to months” to restart deliveries of liquid natural gas (LNG) after an Iranian drone strike at its largest plant. Qatar is the world’s second-largest producer of LNG.
He said Europe would feel significant pain as Asian buyers outbid Europeans for whatever gas is available on the market.
“This will bring down the economies of the world,” he told the Financial Times. “If this war continues for a few weeks, GDP growth around the world will be impacted. “Everybody’s energy price is going to go higher. There will be shortages of some products and there will be a chain reaction of factories that cannot supply.”
Trump demands ‘unconditional surrender’
President Trump said on Friday that there will be no deal with Iran “except unconditional surrender”.
“After that, and the selection of a GREAT & ACCEPTABLE Leader(s), we, and many of our wonderful and very brave allies and partners, will work tirelessly to bring Iran back from the brink of destruction, making it economically bigger, better, and stronger than ever before,” he wrote on Truth Social.
“IRAN WILL HAVE A GREAT FUTURE. MAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN (MIGA!).”
He later elaborated and told Axios: “Unconditional surrender could be that [the Iranians] announce it. But it could also be when they can’t fight any longer because they don’t have anyone or anything to fight with.”
Russia ‘giving Iran intelligence on US targets’
Russia has provided Iran with information that could help it to strike American warships, aircraft and other assets in the region, officials say. US intelligence had not, however, found that Russia was directing Iran on how to use that information.
The White House downplayed the suggestion. Karoline Leavitt, the press secretary, said: “It clearly is not making any difference with respect to the military operations in Iran because we are completely decimating them.”
Leavitt declined to say if President Trump had spoken to President Putin about it or if he believed Russia should face repercussions.
Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin spokesman, said that Tehran had not asked Russia for military assistance. “We are in dialogue with the Iranian side, with representatives of the Iranian leadership, and will certainly continue this dialogue,” he said.
‘British ministers didn’t do enough’
A former British diplomat who was up until recently working at the UK embassy in Tel Aviv, told Sky news that ministers “didn’t do enough” to prepare for the war in Iran.
Ameer Kotecha said the ambassador based in Tel Aviv, Simon Walters, is well plugged in to to Israeli movements and reported back to London that it was highly likely the US and Israel were going to strike Iran.
“He was following Israeli intentions vis-a-vis Iran for weeks, and it was highly likely that the Israelis and the Americans were going to strike Iran … He was reporting those conversations back to London.”
Asked what action was taken in the UK, Kotecha said: “Officials can do some things, but ultimately ministers need to make the really big judgment calls around, for example, deploying military assets.
“And clearly we didn’t do that.”
“They didn’t do enough,” he said, referring to the decision to increase British military assets in Cyprus and Qatar, but not, for example, to deploy the warship HMS Dragon which will set sail next week.
“Partly it was poor planning on the part of the government but I think yes, if you boil it down what it really comes to is we haven’t invested enough in our military capabilities.”
He said the decision not to deploy a destroyer sooner was “ultimately with the prime minister, the foreign secretary and the attorney general”.
“It’s the politicians that make those really big calls. We could have done a lot more but ministers seem to have either been caught off guard or actively, didn’t want to take those steps.”
A government spokesperson told Sky: “As the prime minister outlined, the UK moved defensive assets to Cyprus and Qatar in January and February including jets, air defense missiles and advanced radar.”