Israel previously claimed that the strike was coordinated with the US. Reports of that, citing Israeli officials, have swirled today – contradicting Trump\u2019s claim – along with other reports that the US was \u201caware\u201d of the strike.<\/p>\n
When he spoke on this in the Oval Office earlier, Trump was not specific about when exactly he had spoken to the Israeli PM.<\/p>\n
Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a016.04 EDT<\/p>\n Key events<\/p>\n <\/p>\n 1m ago<\/p>\n UAE arrests members of Iran-linked ‘terrorist network\u2019: state media<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 2h ago<\/p>\n Damage from Iranian strikes on gas facilities will take years to repair, says Qatar<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 4h ago<\/p>\n Japan tried to explain to Trump that it cannot join his Iran war due to its US-drafted constitution<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 4h ago<\/p>\n Iran fires at Israel after Netanyahu boasts of war gains<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 4h ago<\/p>\n European Council calls for de-escalation as it ‘deplores loss of civilian life’<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 5h ago<\/p>\n The day so far<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 5h ago<\/p>\n US says it has destroyed Iranian missile plant<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 6h ago<\/p>\n Analysis: Strike on Iran gasfield exposes US-Israel rift as Trump claims he did not know<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 6h ago<\/p>\n France says it will double its humanitarian aid to Lebanon to $20m<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 7h ago<\/p>\n ‘Israel acted alone’ in striking Iranian gasfield, Netanyahu says<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 7h ago<\/p>\n Netanyahu denies that Israel ‘dragged’ US into war with Iran<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 7h ago<\/p>\n War on Iran will take ‘as long as is necessary’, says Netanyahu<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 7h ago<\/p>\n Iran has ‘no ability to enrich uranium and create ballistic missiles’, says Netanyahu, as he outlines three goals for war<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 7h ago<\/p>\n Saudi Arabia intercepts three drones in eastern region<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 8h ago<\/p>\n ‘I told him don’t do that’: Trump confirms he told Netanyahu to stop attacks on Iranian energy facilities<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 9h ago<\/p>\n Iranian attack damages Israeli oil refinery in Haifa<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 9h ago<\/p>\n Trump says he is not putting US troops in region amid Iran war<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 11h ago<\/p>\n Gabbard: ‘US and Israel have different objectives in Iran war’<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 12h ago<\/p>\n More than 1,000 people killed in Lebanon in Israel-Hezbollah war, says health ministry<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 12h ago<\/p>\n UK and allies say they are ready to join ‘efforts to ensure safe passage’ in strait of Hormuz<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 13h ago<\/p>\n Israel says US helped coordinate gasfield attack, despite Trump’s claim he knew nothing about it<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 13h ago<\/p>\n Trump administration has ‘lost control of its own foreign policy’, says Oman<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 13h ago<\/p>\n Hegseth reiterates claim that Trump ‘knew nothing’ about attack on gasfield<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 14h ago<\/p>\n Caine admits Iran retains ‘some capability’ to attack US assets<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 14h ago<\/p>\n Hegseth says US ‘on track’ but declines to say when war will end<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 14h ago<\/p>\n ‘We will finish this’, says Hegseth of Iran war<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 14h ago<\/p>\n Starmer: ‘We are working towards a swift resolution to the situation in the Middle East’<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 16h ago<\/p>\n Energy sites in the Middle East that have come under attack<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 16h ago<\/p>\n Iran considers transit fees on shipping through strait of Hormuz – state media<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 16h ago<\/p>\n Four people killed in overnight Iranian missile attacks against Israel<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 18h ago<\/p>\n Drone crashed at Saudi oil refinery, defence ministry says<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 18h ago<\/p>\n European gas prices jump 35% as attacks on energy infrastructure in the Gulf intensify<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 19h ago<\/p>\n Oil refinery targeted in Kuwait – state media<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 19h ago<\/p>\n Interim summary<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 20h ago<\/p>\n Australia seeks to be ‘over-prepared’ amid fuel crunch<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 22h ago<\/p>\n Saudi Arabia reserves \u2018right to take military actions\u2019 over Iran attacks<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 22h ago<\/p>\n Ship attacked near strait of Hormuz \u2013 UK agency<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 23h ago<\/p>\n Cathay Pacific suspends Dubai flights until end of April<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 23h ago<\/p>\n Opening summary<\/p>\n <\/a>Show key events only<\/p>\n Please turn on JavaScript to use this feature<\/p>\n UAE arrests members of Iran-linked ‘terrorist network\u2019: state media<\/p>\n UAE authorities have arrested at least five members of a \u201cterrorist network\u201d linked to Iran and Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, state media said Friday<\/a>.<\/p>\n The alleged network had \u201csought to infiltrate the national economy and carry out external schemes threatening the country\u2019s financial stability\u201d as part of \u201ca pre-established strategic plan in coordination with external parties linked to Hezbollah<\/a> and Iran\u201d, the official WAM news agency said, citing the UAE state security apparatus.<\/p>\n The report included mug shots of five detained suspects.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n China is clamping down on fertiliser exports to protect its domestic market, a number of industry sources have told Reuters, putting an additional strain on global markets that were already grappling with shortages caused by the US-Israeli war on Iran.<\/p>\n China is among the largest fertiliser exporters, shipping more than $13bn worth of it last year, and it has a history of controlling exports to keep prices low for farmers.<\/p>\n Shipments through the war-blocked strait of Hormuz account for roughly one-third of the sea-borne supply.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Lebanese president Joseph Aoun said a proposed framework to halt fighting between Israel and Iran-backed militant Hezbollah<\/a> was \u201cstill on the table\u201d, as he hosted French foreign minister Jean-Noel Barrot on Thursday, Agence France-Presse reports.<\/p>\n Lebanon was pulled into the regional war on 2 March, when Hezbollah fired rockets toward neighbouring Israel in response to the killing of its ally Iran\u2019s supreme leader in Israeli-US attacks.<\/p>\n Israel responded with heavy airstrikes across Lebanon and ground incursions in the border area, which combined have left more than 1,000 people dead.<\/p>\n Meeting Barrot on Thursday, Aoun stressed \u201cthe necessity of a ceasefire, and to provide the necessary guarantees for its success by the parties concerned\u201d, according to a presidency statement.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Oil prices could climb beyond $180 per barrel if the US-Israel war on Iran continues to disrupt energy supplies until late April, Saudi officials project, the Wall Street Journal reports<\/a>.<\/p>\n That is the \u201cbase case\u201d in Saudi Arabia, the largest oil producer in the Gulf, according to the Journal, which cites several unnamed oil officials in the country.<\/p>\n Oil prices have already soared to their highest levels in four years since the start of the conflict, which has sparked fears of energy shortages across the world. Brent crude, the international benchmark, is currently trading at $105.81 per barrel.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n France plans to sound out permanent members of the UN Security Council to gauge the prospect of a UN framework to secure the strait of Hormuz, Emmanuel Macron said.<\/p>\n The French president\u2019s remarks, reported by the AFP news agency, follow a joint statement<\/a> from Britain, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Japan, which expressed \u201creadiness\u201d to help shore up the vital waterway.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have initiated an exploratory process, and we will see in the coming days whether it stands a chance of succeeding,\u201d Macron said in Brussels, after a European summit.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Benjamin Netanyahu has hinted at a possible \u201cground component\u201d to the US-Israel warn on Iran \u2013 while Donald Trump<\/a> suggested the US had no plans to put boots on the ground.<\/p>\n \u201cYou don\u2019t want to replace one ayatollah with another,\u201d the Israeli prime minister said on Thursday, adding that the Iranian regime is unlikely to be overthrown \u200busing air strikes alone.<\/p>\n It is \u201coften said\u201d that you can\u2019t \u201cdo revolutions from the air\u201d, Netanyahu told a press conference. \u201cThere has to be a ground component as well. There are many possibilities for this ground component and I take the liberty of not sharing [those] with you.\u201d<\/p>\n Trump, meanwhile, claimed he had no plans for the US to engage in such an operation. \u201cI\u2019m not putting troops anywhere,\u201d he told a reporter, when asked about using ground troops. \u201cIf I were, I certainly wouldn\u2019t tell you.\u201d<\/p>\n Some 65% of Americans believe Trump will order troops into a large-scale ground war in Iran<\/a>, according to a new Reuters\/Ipsos poll, but just 7% support that idea.<\/p>\n Israeli tanks are seen on the Israeli side of the border with Lebanon in the Upper Galilee in northern Israel on Thursday. Photograph: Odd Andersen\/AFP\/Getty ImagesShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a021.06 EDT<\/p>\n Damage from Iranian strikes on gas facilities will take years to repair, says Qatar<\/p>\n Iranian attacks on Ras Laffan Industrial City in Qatar have reduced the country\u2019s liquefied natural gas (LNG) export capacity by 17%, according to QatarEnergy, the state-run energy giant.<\/p>\n The \u201cextensive damage\u201d could reduce its annual revenues by $20bn and take \u201cup to five years\u201d to repair, Saad al-Kaabi, the Qatari energy minister and CEO of QatarEnergy, said in a statement.<\/p>\n This will impact \u201csupply to markets in Europe and Asia\u201d, he added in a post<\/a> on X, describing the strikes as \u201cunjustified and senseless\u201d.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n After Donald Trump\u2019s calls for countries<\/a> to help reopen the strait of Hormuz encountered a muted response, the International Maritime Organisation is now trying to launch negotiations over the vital waterway<\/a>. <\/p>\n Victor Jimenez Fernandez, the organisation\u2019s chair, expressed confidence that it will start talks with Iran<\/a> and regional powers over the next week.<\/p>\n \u201cNo regional country can be outside of these negotiations,\u201d Fernandez told BBC News. \u201cAll [of] the region needs to come to gather to find a solution to allow the safety and secure transit of commercial vessels through the strait of Hormuz.\u201d<\/p>\n More on why the strait matters here:<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Oil prices have pulled back slightly after Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu moved to address escalating concerns over the US-Israel war on Iran<\/a>.<\/p>\n Israeli strikes on Iran\u2019s <\/a>South Pars<\/a> gasfield<\/a> on Wednesday, the first targeted attacks on Iranian fossil fuel production since the start of the conflict, further rattled markets and lifted oil prices to fresh four-year highs.<\/p>\n Asked whether the US had been told about the strikes, Netanyahu said<\/a> that Trump had \u201casked us to hold off on future attacks and we are\u201d. Trump, for his part, again claimed the war would be over \u201cvery soon\u201d, without providing specifics.<\/p>\n The West Texas Intermediate (WTI) price of US crude slipped 1.9% to $94.29 per barrel after the remarks.<\/p>\n This video grab shows the fire at Iran\u2019s South Pars gasfield on Wednesday. Photograph: screengrabShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a021.13 EDT<\/p>\n Authorities in the United Arab Emirates authorities say they have dismantled a \u201cterrorist network\u201d funded and operated by Lebanon\u2019s Hezbollah and Iran, and arrested its members.<\/p>\n The network was involved in \u201cmoney laundering, financing terrorism and threatening national security\u201d, the state news agency said, according to Reuters. There was no immediate comment from Hezbollah or Iran<\/a>.<\/p>\n Share<\/a> Reporting from Jerusalem<\/p>\n A fresh ballistic missile launch from Iran has been detected, with the Jerusalem area identified as a potential target, as sirens sound once again \u2014 the fourth alert within the space of an hour.<\/p>\n Loud explosions are echoing across the city.<\/p>\n Despite repeated claims by Israel and the US that Iran\u2019s airspace is under control, Tehran has continued to penetrate Israel\u2019s defences, with missiles reaching the skies over the holy city and triggering successive warnings.<\/p>\n People take shelter in an underground tunnel as air raid sirens signal a warning of incoming Iranian missiles in Jerusalem on Thursday. Photograph: Ohad Zwigenberg\/APShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a021.16 EDT<\/p>\n Japan tried to explain to Trump that it cannot join his Iran war due to its US-drafted constitution According to a pool report, Japan\u2019s prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, was asked by Japanese reporters if Donald Trump had privately asked her to dispatch Japanese naval vessels to help reopen the strait of Hormuz.<\/p>\n Takaichi said that she explained to Trump that Japan\u2019s ability to deploy military forces overseas is still limited by the constitution drafted for Japan<\/a> by the United States after the second world war.<\/p>\n \u201cWhile the conversation was of a sensitive nature, the consensus was that ensuring the safety of the Strait of Hormuz<\/a> is of the utmost importance,\u201d Takaichi said. \u201cHowever, there are certain actions we can and cannot take within the scope of Japanese law, so I provided a detailed and thorough explanation of this matter.\u201d<\/p>\n Japanese law does permit Takaichi to deploy Japan\u2019s Maritime Self-Defense Force vessels on law-enforcement operations, such as the anti-piracy mission off Somalia Japan took part in in 2009.<\/p>\n But the prime minister is still barred by law from ordering naval ships into combat, and Takaichi has so far declined to say whether Japan consider the US attack on Iran<\/a> legal under international law.<\/p>\n United States president Donald J Trump stands with Japan\u2019s prime minster Sanae Takaichi as she makes remarks during a bilateral state dinner in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington, DC on Thursday. Photograph: Aaron Schwartz\/Pool\/CNP\/ShutterstockShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a021.20 EDT<\/p>\n Iran fires at Israel after Netanyahu boasts of war gains<\/p>\n Iran launched multiple rounds of missiles towards Israel late on Thursday after Benjamin Netanyahu declared that Tehran\u2019s capabilities had been \u201cdecimated\u201d by the war, with the Iranian barrage triggering loud blasts over Jerusalem.<\/p>\n Israel\u2019s military said it identified three rounds of missile fire in the hour and a half preceding midnight local time.<\/p>\n There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage from the Magen David Adom emergency services.<\/p>\n But AFP reporters heard several loud blasts over Jerusalem following the Iranian fire, as air raid sirens rang out across the city.<\/p>\n As we reported earlier, Netanyahu told a press conference on Thursday evening that Israel and the United States were \u201cwinning\u201d the war they launched on Iran 20 days ago.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are taking action to destroy the industries that make it possible to build missiles. Iran no longer has the capacity to enrich uranium and manufacture ballistic missiles,\u201d the Israeli prime minister said.<\/p>\n Trails and lights from missile defence interceptors are seen in the sky, as excess gas is burned at the oil refinery in Israel’s northern city of Haifa late on Thursday. Photograph: Odd Andersen\/AFP\/Getty Images<\/p>\n \u201cWe are winning and Iran is being decimated.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"Lorenzo](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/1773973088_777_Lorenzo_Tondo.jpg\")
Lorenzo Tondo<\/p>\n![\"Robert](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/1773973088_874_Robert_Mackey.png\")
Robert Mackey<\/p>\n