\u201cEurope, and Austria as well, will not allow itself to be blackmailed,\u201d he said Thursday in Brussels. \u201cIntervention in the Strait of Hormuz is not an option for Austria anyway.\u201d<\/p>\n
Stocker called for the stabilization of the supply and prices of energy following the blockage of the Strait of Hormuz.<\/p>\n
China criticizes Israel over attack authorizations<\/p>\n
China says it is shocked at reports that Israel authorized the killing of senior Iranian and Hezbollah figures without case-by-case approval, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Thursday in Beijing.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have been opposed to the use of force in international relations, and the killing of Iran\u2019s national leaders and attacks on civilian targets are even more unacceptable,\u201d spokesperson Lin Jian said.<\/p>\n
China urges all parties involved to immediately cease military operations and prevent the regional conflict from spiraling out of control, he said.<\/p>\n
Cathay Pacific suspends Dubai and Riyadh flights through April<\/p>\n
Cathay Pacific says it is further suspending its flights to Dubai and the Saudi capital Riyadh until the end of April.<\/p>\n
The Hong Kong-based airline attributed the suspensions to \u201cthe developing situation in the Middle East.\u201d<\/p>\n
It is one of several long-haul carriers outside the Middle East that have temporarily stopped serving the region due to the conflict.<\/p>\n
Saudi Arabia says drone hit the country\u2019s SAMREF refinery<\/p>\n
Saudi Arabia said a drone hit the country\u2019s SAMREF refinery in the port city of Yanbu on the Red Sea on Thursday.<\/p>\n
The Saudi Defense Ministry announced the news, saying without elaborating that \u201cdamage assessment in underway.\u201d<\/p>\n
The strike comes as drones also hit two oil refineries in Kuwait.<\/p>\n
Overnight, Iranian attacks hit natural gas sites in Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, spiking global prices.<\/p>\n
Iran is retaliating over an Israeli strike Wednesday on its South Pars natural gas field in the Persian Gulf that it shares with Qatar.<\/p>\n
SAMREF is a joint venture between the kingdom\u2019s oil giant Saudi Aramco and ExxonMobil that processes more than 400,000 barrels per day of Arabian Light crude oil.<\/p>\n
The attack on the Red Sea now reaches into Saudi Arabia\u2019s assets there, where it has been trying to lift crude oil out to the global market via pipeline to avoid the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf, which remains under Iranian attack.<\/p>\n
Global oil and natural gas prices soar<\/p>\n
Global oil and natural gas prices soared Wednesday after Iran attacked a key natural gas facility in Qatar that can supply one-fifth of the world\u2019s gas and two oil refineries in Kuwait.<\/p>\n
The attacks raised fears that the global energy crisis trigged by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz to tanker traffic would be longer and more extensive than feared, with lasting damage to oil and gas productions.<\/p>\n
International benchmark Brent crude rose to near $114 per barrel, up from under $73 per barrel on the eve of the war.<\/p>\n
The European TTF benchmark for natural gas prices traded 24% higher on Thursday.<\/p>\n
Thai worker killed by munitions in Israel<\/p>\n
Thailand\u2019s Labor Minister Treenuch Thienthong said Thursday that a Thai agricultural worker was killed by cluster munitions in Israel late Wednesday.<\/p>\n
The worker was identified as 30-year-old Chaiwat Waewnil.<\/p>\n
The minister said Chaiwat registered his employment last year with a potato farm in Adanim, central Israel.<\/p>\n
His body is expected to be returned to his family in Thailand after authorities complete an autopsy process.<\/p>\n
Kuwait says a second oil refinery ablaze after drone attack<\/p>\n
Kuwait said a drone attack set a second oil refinery ablaze in the small, oil-rich nation on Thursday.<\/p>\n
The blaze hit the Mina Abdullah refinery.<\/p>\n
The nearby Mina Al-Ahmadi refinery earlier caught fire after a drone attack.<\/p>\n
Saudi air defenses destroy 6 drones<\/p>\n
Saudi Arabia says its air defenses have intercepted and downed six drones in Riyadh and the Eastern Province.<\/p>\n
Kuwait says drone attack targeting oil refinery sparked a fire<\/p>\n
Kuwait said Thursday a drone attack sparked a fire at an oil refinery in the small, oil-rich nation.<\/p>\n
The state-run KUNA news agency cited the Kuwait Petroleum Corp. for the announcement.<\/p>\n
It said the drone attack sparked a fire at the Mina Al-Ahmadi refinery but caused no injuries.<\/p>\n
The refinery is one of the biggest in the Middle East, with a petroleum production capacity of 730,000 barrels per day.<\/p>\n
Iran announces execution of 3 men detained in January protests<\/p>\n
Iran\u2019s judiciary announced Thursday the execution of three men detained in January\u2019s nationwide protests, the first such sentences known to have been carried out.<\/p>\n
Iran\u2019s Mizan news agency reported the executions and identified the men as Mehdi Ghasemi, Saleh Mohammadi and Saeed Davvodi.<\/p>\n
Iran typically carries out the death penalty with hangings.<\/p>\n
The three men allegedly stabbed two police officers to death in Qom, some 130 kilometers (80 miles) south of the capital, Tehran, during the protests.<\/p>\n
Iran\u2019s judiciary had been threatening to carry out executions of those arrested in the protests.<\/p>\n
Iran put down the demonstrations with intense violence that killed thousands of people and saw tens of thousands others detained.<\/p>\n
Activists have warned Iran could carry out a wave of mass executions of those detained in the protests.<\/p>\n
Iran long has been accused by rights campaigners of extracting coerced confessions from detainees and not allowing them to fully defend themselves in court.<\/p>\n
Iran\u2019s foreign minister lashes out at Macron<\/p>\n
Iran\u2019s foreign minister lashed out Thursday at French President Emmanuel Macron over his comments on Tehran attacking Qatar.<\/p>\n
Macron early Thursday morning wrote he spoke with U.S. President Donald Trump and Qatar\u2019s emir over Iran\u2019s attack.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is in our common interest to implement, without delay, a moratorium on strikes targeting civilian infrastructure, particularly energy and water supply facilities,\u201d Macron wrote on X.<\/p>\n
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, channeling Trump, called Macron\u2019s comments \u201csad!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMacron has not uttered one word of condemnation of the Israel-US war on Iran,\u201d Araghchi wrote on X. \u201cHe did not condemn Israel when it blew up fuel storage in Tehran, exposing millions to toxins. His current \u201cconcern\u201d didn\u2019t follow Israel\u2019s attack on our gas facilities.\u201d<\/p>\n
Satellite images show damage to UAE air base<\/p>\n
Satellite images show damage at Al Dhafra Air Base in the United Arab Emirates after repeated Iranian attacks targeting the facility hosting American troops.<\/p>\n
The images, taken Sunday by an Airbus Defence and Space\u2019s Pl\u00e9iades Neo satellite and analyzed by The Associated Press, show damage at one set of hangars to the northwest of the facility in Abu Dhabi.<\/p>\n
Another hangar to the southeast of the facility appears shredded by fire, with an adjacent hangar sustaining roof damage.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s unclear what had been in the hangars.<\/p>\n
Al Dhafra had hosted some 2,000 U.S. troops and has served as a major base of operations for everything from armed drones to F-35 stealth fighters in recent years.<\/p>\n
The U.S. military for years only vaguely referred to Al Dhafra as a base in \u201csouthwest Asia\u201d before the UAE became more willing to acknowledge the U.S. presence there.<\/p>\n
Ship hit by a projectile off coast of Qatar<\/p>\n
A projectile hit a ship off the coast of Qatar on Thursday morning, authorities said.<\/p>\n
The British military\u2019s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center reported the incident off Ras Laffan, an important natural gas supply point which had been repeatedly hit by Iranian fire overnight.<\/p>\n
The UKMTO said the ship\u2019s crew was safe.<\/p>\n
It wasn\u2019t immediately clear if the vessel had been deliberately targeted or potentially struck by falling debris as Qatar fired off missile interceptors at incoming Iranian barrages.<\/p>\n
South Pars gas crucial for Iran<\/p>\n
Attacking Iran\u2019s South Pars natural gas field, which it shares with Qatar in the Persian Gulf, threatens electricity supplies in the Islamic Republic.<\/p>\n
Some 80% of all power generated in Iran comes from natural gas, according to the Paris-based International Energy Agency.<\/p>\n
It also is used to supply household heating and cooking across the Islamic Republic.<\/p>\n
That is why Iran responded with an aggressive series of attacks targeting gas fields and infrastructure in Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.<\/p>\n
Latest reports of live fire<\/p>\n
Mobile phone alerts sounded Thursday morning in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, warning of incoming Iranian missile fire.<\/p>\n
Kuwait said it shot down Iranian drones incoming to the oil-rich Mideast nation early Thursday morning.<\/p>\n
Latest reports of live fire<\/p>\n
Israel warned the public of another Iranian missile salvo early Thursday morning.<\/p>\n
Bahrain sounded its missile sirens early Thursday over an incoming Iranian attack.<\/p>\n
Trump threatens to blow up South Pars gas field if Iran attacks Qatar again<\/p>\n
U.S. President Donald Trump pledged Israel would make no more attacks on Iran\u2019s major South Pars gas field, but if Iran attacked Qatar again, the U.S. would retaliate and \u201cmassively blow up the entirety\u201d of the field.<\/p>\n
Trump made his threat on social media Wednesday night as the war roiled global energy markets and Iranian missiles hit Qatar.<\/p>\n
Trump said in his post that the U.S. \u201cknew nothing\u201d about the attack, but a person familiar with the matter said earlier Wednesday that the U.S. was informed about Israel\u2019s plans to strike the gas field but did not take part.<\/p>\n
Trump said Qatar \u201cwas in no way, shape, or form, involved\u201d in Israel\u2019s attacks on Iran\u2019s gas field, but, \u201cUnfortunately, Iran did not know this\u201d and \u201cunjustifiably and unfairly\u201d attacked Qatar.<\/p>\n
\u201cI do not want to authorize this level of violence and destruction because of the long term implications that it will have on the future of Iran,\u201d Trump said in his threat.<\/p>\n
He added that he would \u201cnot hesitate to do so,\u201d if Qatar\u2019s liquified natural gas sites were attacked again.<\/p>\n
Australia\u2019s leader condemns \u2018reckless\u2019 Iran reprisals<\/p>\n
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has condemned Iran\u2019s \u2018reckless\u2019 reprisal attacks in the Middle East.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m deeply concerned by attacks on civilian and energy infrastructure, including the latest overnight in Qatar,\u201d Albanese told reporters in Hobart on Thursday. \u201cWe do not want to see the conflicts escalate further.\u201d<\/p>\n
Qatar says Iran missiles damage more liquefied natural gas sites<\/p>\n
Qatar warned Thursday that additional Iranian missile attacks damaged more liquefied natural gas sites in the energy-rich nation, \u201ccausing sizable fires and extensive further damage.\u201d<\/p>\n
Qatar Energy, the nation\u2019s state-owned oil and gas company, announced the damage.<\/p>\n
It said firefighters were working to halt the blazes and no one had been hurt so far.<\/p>\n
Qatar is a key source of natural gas for the world\u2019s energy markets.<\/p>\n
It already shut in its production earlier in the war, but extensive damage could delay Qatar in getting its supplies to the market after the Iran war ends.<\/p>\n
Arab summit ends with renewed call for Iran to end attacks<\/p>\n
A summit of Gulf Arab countries and others ended a meeting Thursday with a renewed, unified call for Iran to halt attacks on its neighbors.<\/p>\n
A statement by the nations at the summit denounced \u201cthese deliberate Iranian attacks using ballistic missiles and drones, which targeted residential areas and civilian infrastructure, including oil facilities, desalination plants, airports, residential buildings, and diplomatic missions.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe participants emphasized that these attacks cannot be justified under any pretext or in any way,\u201d the statement said.<\/p>\n
The nations represented at the summit were Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates.<\/p>\n
Analyst group calls gas field attack \u2018clear expansion\u2019 of war<\/p>\n
A New York-based think tank, the Soufan Center, described Israel\u2019s decision to attack the Iranian offshore natural gas field as \u201ca clear expansion of the conflict.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cUnlike oil storage depots that can be replenished and rebuilt on a shorter timeline, liquefied natural gas production facilities cannot be as easily … repaired, especially against a backdrop of war,\u201d the center said Thursday. \u201cExtended timelines for repairs are a major blow to Iran\u2019s economy, but above all else, they will be felt by Iranian civilians.<\/p>\n
The center added, \u201cIsrael\u2019s target selection in this war has heavily focused on the institutions, leaders and infrastructure within Iran that have been used for domestic repression, aiming to shape the conditions ripe for successful anti-regime mobilization by Iranians. It now seeks to inflict additional pressure on the regime by making the living conditions for civilians intolerable.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ship ablaze after attack off UAE<\/p>\n
An attack set a ship ablaze early Thursday off the coast of the United Arab Emirates, authorities said.<\/p>\n
The British military\u2019s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center said \u201ca vessel has been hit by an unknown projectile, which has resulted in a fire onboard.\u201d<\/p>\n
It said the vessel was just off the coast of Khor Fakkan in the UAE, near the mouth of the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf through which 20% of the world\u2019s oil and natural gas typically flows.<\/p>\n
Over 20 vessels have been attacked during the Iran war so far as Tehran tries to squeeze shippers as part of its pressure campaign over the conflict.<\/p>\n
US Senate vote on Iran war fails along familiar lines<\/p>\n
U.S. Senate Democrats forced another vote on legislation that would have halted President Donald Trump from continuing the war with Iran without congressional approval, but the vote failed along familiar lines.<\/p>\n
The vote breakdown was unchanged from last week on a similar war powers resolution.<\/p>\n
Democrats forced this vote mostly to bring up another debate on the war and force the Senate for a couple hours officially off the topic of a GOP push to impose strict voter identification requirements.<\/p>\n
Democrats are threatening to force more votes on the war unless Republicans agree to hold Cabinet-level hearings on the conflict.<\/p>\n
Latest reports of live fire<\/p>\n
Israel\u2019s military warned the public early Thursday of an incoming Iranian missile attack.<\/p>\n
Saudi Arabia\u2019s foreign minister harshly criticizes Iran after overnight attacks<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat little trust there was before has completely been shattered,\u201d Prince Faisal bin Farhan said after a meeting between foreign ministers of the Gulf Arab states and others over the Iranian attacks tearing at the wider Middle East.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe attacks on my country and on my neighboring countries that are not involved in this conflict \u2014 that\u2019s all I\u2019m interested in,\u201d Prince Faisal said. \u201cWe\u2019re going to use every lever we have \u2014 political, economic, diplomatic and otherwise \u2014 to get these attacks to stop.\u201d<\/p>\n
He criticized Iran\u2019s attacks on Riyadh, the capital hosting the meeting.<\/p>\n
\u201cI cannot see it as coincidental,\u201d he said. \u201cThat\u2019s the clearest signal of how Iran feels about diplomacy. \u2026 It tries to pressure its neighbors, and that\u2019s not going to work.\u201d<\/p>\n
UAE says Iran attacks targeting key gas sites are a \u2018dangerous escalation\u2019<\/p>\n
The United Arab Emirates early Thursday denounced Iran\u2019s attacks targeting its Habshan gas facility and Bab field as a \u201cdangerous escalation.\u201d<\/p>\n
Authorities in Abu Dhabi say the gas operations had been shut down after interceptions over the sites.<\/p>\n
Iran also had attacked gas facilities in Qatar after Israel launched an attack against Iran\u2019s South Pars offshore natural gas field in the Persian Gulf that it shares with Doha, Qatar\u2019s capital.<\/p>\n
Saudi Arabia also reported downing Iranian drones targeting its natural gas facilities overnight.<\/p>\n
No \u2018robust debate\u2019 ahead of Trump\u2019s decision to strike Iran, former counterterrorism official says<\/p>\n
Former National Counterterrorism Center Director Joe Kent says he and other senior administration officials with doubts about the Iran war were prevented from sharing them with President Donald Trump.<\/p>\n
Speaking on Tucker Carlson\u2019s show, Kent, who resigned this week, claimed Israel forced Trump\u2019s hand despite what he said was no evidence that Iran posed an imminent threat to the U.S.<\/p>\n
\u201cA good deal of key decision makers were not allowed to come and express their opinion to the president,\u201d Kent told Carlson. \u201cThere wasn\u2019t a robust debate.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kent, a former Green Beret, declined to say who blocked his access to Trump when Carlson asked.<\/p>\n
Cargo ship struck by projectile off UAE coast<\/p>\n
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center said that a vessel about 11 nautical miles east of Khawr Fakkan, in the Gulf of Oman off the United Arab Emirates\u2019 eastern coast, was hit by an \u201cunknown projectile,\u201d igniting a fire aboard.<\/p>\n
UKMTO issued the report early Thursday, saying authorities were still investigating the cause of the strike and that the ship\u2019s crew managed the blaze.<\/p>\n
Since the Iran war started, some 20 vessels in the region have come under attack as the Iranian fire effectively halts traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf through which 20% of all oil and natural gas traded passes.<\/p>\n
Qatari authorities warn of possible incoming attack<\/p>\n
Qatari authorities issued an emergency alert on mobile phones early Thursday, warning of a possible incoming attack.<\/p>\n
Kuwait says Grand Mosque to be closed to worshippers on major Muslim holiday<\/p>\n
Kuwait\u2019s ministry of information said early Thursday that the largest mosque in Kuwait City, which can accommodate thousands of worshippers for major prayers, will be closed to worshippers on Eid al\u2011Fitr due to the \u201ccurrent circumstances.\u201d<\/p>\n
Eid al\u2011Fitr, a Muslim holiday that marks the end of Ramadan and is expected this year on March 19\u201320 typically draws tens of thousands of Muslims to pray together across Kuwait, including at the Grand Mosque.<\/p>\n
Authorities across Gulf countries have announced that Eid prayers will be held only inside regular mosques, with no large outdoor gatherings as a precaution. The ongoing Iran war has prompted Gulf states to curb large public events and gatherings.<\/p>\n
Fatality and injury counts in strike in West Bank are in flux<\/p>\n
Medics and doctors were still assessing victims early Thursday morning as the Palestinian Red Crescent adjusted their toll to at least three killed and at least 13 injured. It had earlier reported four deaths.<\/p>\n
Those injured were taken to hospitals in nearby cities, Dura and Hebron.<\/p>\n
The group called the count preliminary and said the deaths resulted from a direct strike and \u201cfalling missile fragments.\u201d<\/p>\n
House Speaker insists US operation in Iran \u2018all but done\u2019<\/p>\n
Speaker Mike Johnson still declines to call it a war, but he acknowledged the situation in the Strait of Hormuz \u201cis dragging it out a little bit.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Republican who is close to Trump told AP and others at the U.S. Capitol that the president was right to ask countries who have interests in the region to help in securing the strait.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it\u2019s pretty absurd that those requests were rebuffed,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI do think the original mission is virtually accomplished now: We were trying to take out the ballistic missiles and their means of production, and neuter the Navy, and those objectives have been met,\u201d he said. \u201cAs soon as we bring some calm to the situation, I think it\u2019s all but done.\u201d<\/p>\n
Israel\u2019s medical service says man in South Sharon region killed by shrapnel<\/p>\n
Israel\u2019s Magen David Adom said early Thursday that a foreign worker in his 30s was killed by shrapnel wounds at a scene in the South Sharon region, where its paramedics responded.<\/p>\n
Israel had said that it detected a new missile launch from Iran targeting the country late Wednesday, and that its defense systems were working to intercept the threat.<\/p>\n
Paramedics in West Bank say their response to strike was delayed due to Israeli military gates<\/p>\n
Palestinian Red Crescent said it sent five ambulances to the Hebron-area strike site, where crews treated and rushed victims to the nearest hospital and clinic. Paramedics said they faced serious delays getting there, slowed by gates the Israeli military has set up around Palestinian towns in the occupied West Bank and kept largely closed during the war.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis forced closure caused significant delays, compelling ambulances to take long, rugged alternative routes, which critically impacted the \u2018golden hour\u2019 essential for life-saving interventions,\u201d the organization said in a statement.<\/p>\n
Israeli military says an Iranian cluster munition escaped Israeli air defense<\/p>\n
The Israeli military told the AP that the hit in the West Bank was from an Iranian missile impacting \u2014 not shrapnel from an interception.<\/p>\n
The Israeli military said it had been a cluster munition that was not intercepted by Israel\u2019s air defense system and crashed into a structure.<\/p>\n
The strike killed at least four people and injured at least eight more, the Palestinian Red Crescent said. The tally of those killed or injured has increased as medics continue to assess the scene.<\/p>\n
At least 4 killed in West Bank from Iranian missile attack, Palestinian medics say<\/p>\n
The Palestinian Red Crescent says first responders were treating people for shrapnel wounds in the occupied West Bank on Wednesday night as Iran fired missiles toward Israel.<\/p>\n
It said a strike killed at least four people and injured at least six others in Beit Awa. At least two wounded survivors were transported to a hospital. Palestinian Red Crescent medics are continuing to assess the scene, and the tally of those dead or injured may change.<\/p>\n
The fatalities were the first in the occupied West Bank during the Iran war. Missile debris has damaged homes and businesses during the first two and a half weeks.<\/p>\n
Palestinians lack the shelter and siren system that Israelis rely on to stay safe from incoming missiles or debris from Iran or Hezbollah. It was not immediately clear if the deaths and injuries were a result of a direct strike or debris from an interception.<\/p>\n
USS Ford will head to Mediterranean for repairs after a fire<\/p>\n
The USS Gerald R. Ford is heading back to the Mediterranean for repairs and resupply following a fire, a person familiar with the matter confirmed to The Associated Press.<\/p>\n
The person, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive military plans, said the Navy\u2019s largest and newest aircraft carrier will pull into either the Navy\u2019s base in Crete or another port in Europe.<\/p>\n
The carrier is currently operating in the Red Sea and its departure will mean U.S. Central Command will only have one aircraft carrier supporting operations against Iran.<\/p>\n
Last week\u2019s fire in a laundry room rendered more than 100 beds unusable and led to about 200 sailors being assessed for smoke inhalation, according to military officials. They also said that while the fire was extinguished in a few hours, broader damage control efforts took around 30 hours.<\/p>\n
___<\/p>\n
By Konstantin Toropin<\/p>\n
Key things to know about Iran’s South Pars field<\/p>\n
The natural gas field under the Gulf is the world\u2019s largest. It\u2019s shared by Iran and Qatar, and is called South Pars on the Iranian side and the North Field on the Qatari side.<\/p>\n
Iran is the fourth-largest consumer of natural gas in the world, and 80% of it comes from South Pars.<\/p>\n
Although the field mainly supplies Iran\u2019s domestic needs, global oil prices rose on news of the attack due to fears of Iranian retaliation on Gulf energy infrastructure.<\/p>\n
Qatar, which has a much smaller population than Iran, has invested billions in developing the field as a source of liquefied natural gas for export. Iran tried to develop similar LNG exports but was blocked by sanctions over its nuclear program.<\/p>\n
\u25b6 Read more<\/a><\/p>\n Israel\u2019s military says it is striking northern Iran for the first time since the war began<\/p>\n The military said it was launching the strikes based on naval and military intelligence.<\/p>\n Trump pays his respects as the remains of 6 US service members return from the Middle East<\/p>\n It was the second time<\/a> since launching the war with Iran<\/a> on Feb. 28 that the president has attended the solemn military ritual known as a dignified transfer, which he once described as the \u201ctoughest thing\u201d he has had to do as commander in chief.<\/p>\n All six crew members<\/a> of a KC-135 Air Force refueling aircraft were killed last week in a plane crash over friendly territory in western Iraq while supporting operations against Iran.<\/p>\n Wednesday\u2019s dignified transfer was closed to news media coverage at the request of the families in accordance with military policy<\/a>. Trump spent just under two hours on the ground and didn\u2019t speak to reporters leaving Air Force One or returning to it.<\/p>\n