Iran\u2019s armed forces threatened on Saturday to destroy US-linked oil infrastructure<\/strong> after president Donald Trump<\/a> said the US had bombed Iran\u2019s oil hub of Kharg Island.<\/p>\n The military said in a statement cited by Iranian media that oil and energy infrastructure belonging to firms that cooperated with the US would \u201cimmediately be destroyed and turned into a pile of ashes\u201d if Iran\u2019s energy facilities were attacked.<\/p>\n The announcement was in \u201cresponse to statements\u201d made by the Trump, who earlier said on social media that strikes had \u201cobliterated\u201d military targets on Iran\u2019s Kharg Island<\/strong>.<\/p>\n If you are just tuning in, here is a quick recap of the latest:<\/p>\n Trump said he had chosen not to wipe out the oil infrastructure on Kharg Island<\/strong>, which serves as the export terminal for 90% of Iran\u2019s oil shipments. But he added: \u201cShould Iran, or anyone else, do anything to interfere with the Free and Safe Passage of Ships through the Strait of Hormuz<\/a>, I will immediately reconsider this decision.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Explosions rocked Iraq\u2019s capital Baghdad on Saturday after two strikes targeted the powerful Iran-backed group Kataeb Hezbollah,<\/strong> killing two members including a \u201ckey figure\u201d, security sources told AFP.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n At least 12 medical personnel were killed in an Israeli strike on a healthcare center in the town of Borj Qalaouiya in southern Lebanon<\/a><\/strong>, the Lebanese state news agency reported, citing the health ministry.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Israeli<\/strong> strikes have killed more than 100 children in Lebanon, according to the latest data<\/a> from the Lebanese health ministry<\/strong>. A total of 773 people have been killed since Israel\u2019s first strikes on the country on 2 March, with a further 1,933 people wounded, the ministry said in its daily report. It said 103 children had now been killed in the strikes, and a further 326 children have been wounded.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Qatar\u2019s interior ministry said it was evacuating a number of \u201ckey areas\u201d as Iran presses its retaliatory air campaign against Gulf countries<\/strong>. In Doha\u2019s central Musheireb district some residents received phone alerts telling them to \u201cevacuate the area immediately… to the nearest safest place as a temporary precaution\u201d.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n The US energy department said it expects initial deliveries of oil from its strategic petroleum reserve will begin moving to the market by the end of next week.<\/strong> Members of the 32-nation International Energy Agency, announced earlier this week they would unlock 400m barrels of oil in an effort to bring down prices.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n The Pentagon is moving additional Marines and warships to the Middle East<\/strong>, the Wall Street Journal <\/a>and other outlets reported. US defence secretary Pete Hegseth reportedly approved a request from US Central Command for an element of an amphibious ready group and attached Marine expeditionary unit (MEU). There are differing reports about the size of the contingent to be deployed, but the group typically consists of several warships and 5,000 Marines and sailors.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n The UN under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator, called for humanitarian aid to be allowed to pass safely through the<\/strong> strait of Hormuz<\/strong> as the US-Israeli war on Iran continues to disrupt one of the world\u2019s most vital shipping routes.<\/strong> In a statement, Tom Fletcher said this will make it harder and more expensive to deliver critical supplies, including food and medicine. Only 77 ships have so far crossed through the critical waterway this month.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Key events<\/p>\n Show key events only<\/p>\n Please turn on JavaScript to use this feature<\/p>\n Reuters has reported further details on the explosion that damaged a Jewish school in Amsterdam early on Saturday:<\/p>\n The explosion happened in an upscale residential neighbourhood on the south side of Amsterdam, and caused limited damage. No injuries were reported.<\/p>\n Security at synagogues and Jewish institutions in the Dutch capital had already been heightened after an overnight arson attack at a synagogue in the centre of Rotterdam on Friday.<\/p>\n In neighbouring Belgium, an explosion caused a fire at a synagogue in Liege on Monday.<\/p>\n Amsterdam\u2019s mayor Femke Halsema said the attack was \u201ca cowardly act of aggression against the Jewish community\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cJewish people in Amsterdam are increasingly confronted with antisemitism. This is unacceptable,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n An Israeli strike hit an apartment building in a northern Beirut suburb that had also been targeted a day earlier,<\/strong> Lebanese media reported on Saturday.<\/p>\n An AFP correspondent saw rescue workers at the scene and damage, including a hole, in a building in the Nabaa-Burj Hammoud area<\/strong>, outside Iran-backed Hezbollah\u2019s strongholds in the capital\u2019s southern suburbs.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n A Jewish school in Amsterdam was damaged in an explosion that the city\u2019s mayor has described as a deliberate attack against the Jewish community<\/strong>, Dutch news agency ANP reported.<\/p>\n The explosion, which happened early on Saturday, caused limited damage, Mayor Femke Halsema told ANP.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a002.26 EDT<\/p>\n Hamas has called on Iran<\/a> to refrain from targeting neighbouring countries, in a statement released on Saturday.<\/strong><\/p>\n The group said:<\/p>\n double quotation markWhile affirming the right of the Islamic Republic of Iran to respond to this aggression by all available means in accordance with international norms and laws, the movement calls on the brothers in Iran to avoid targeting neighbouring countries.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Hamas previously condemned the killing of Iran\u2019s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, on the first day of the war as a \u201cheinous crime\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cHe provided all forms of political, diplomatic and military support to our people, our cause, and our resistance,\u201d Hamas said soon after the killing of Khamenei.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Iranian media has reported there is no damage to its oil infrastructure on Kharg Island, <\/strong>following US attacks that Trump claimed had \u201cobliterated\u201d military targets on the Island.<\/p>\n Iran\u2019s armed forces have threatened to destroy US-linked oil infrastructure if its own energy facilities are hit.<\/p>\n Kharg Island serves as the export terminal for 90% of Iran\u2019s oil shipments.<\/p>\n The Iranian island of Kharg in the Persian Gulf (file photo from August 31, 2002) Photograph: dts News Agency Germany\/ShutterstockShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a001.58 EDT<\/p>\n The US can provide \u201creliable\u201d energy supplies to Asia-Pacific<\/strong>, US Interior Secretary Doug Burgum told an energy security forum in Tokyo<\/strong>, as the Middle East war causes oil and gas prices to surge.<\/p>\n Burgum told attendees that Trump\u2019s \u201cenergy dominance\u201d policy aims to ensure that \u201cwe have energy to allow for prosperity at home, and we have the ability to sell energy to our friends and allies,\u201d Burgum said.<\/p>\n That ensures the region has a \u201creliable, affordable and secure\u201d energy supply that \u201ccan\u2019t be interrupted by a terrorist regime,\u201d he said. The event, which was attended by representatives of 17 countries from the region, was organised before the Middle East war erupted.<\/p>\n The forum brings together political leaders and US energy companies with the aim of sealing commercial agreements.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Details are still emerging about the attack on the US embassy in Baghdad, with some conflicting reports about what struck the embassy.<\/p>\n Two security officials told AFP the embassy complex was hit in the attack, though the exact cause was not clear. One security source said a drone had hit the embassy, while another said a projectile, believed to be a rocket had fallen on the diplomatic complex.<\/p>\n Earlier, Associated Press cited two Iraqi security officials as saying that a missile has struck a helipad inside the compound.<\/p>\n The embassy has not yet commented on the reports, but has perviously warned of \u201cattacks against US citizens, US interests, and critical infrastructure\u201d, saying that Iran-backed groups have \u201cattacked US businesses and US-operated energy infrastructure and may continue to target them.\u201d<\/p>\n The attack followed strikes that earlier killed two members of a powerful Iran-backed group in the capital.<\/p>\n Smoke rises from the U.S. embassy building in Baghdad, Iraq, Saturday, March 14, 2026. Photograph: Ali Jabar\/APIn this screen grab obtained from a social media video, flames and smoke rise from the U.S. embassy building, after Iraqi security sources said the embassy was hit in a missile attack, in Baghdad today. Photograph: Social Media\/ReutersShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a002.00 EDT<\/p>\n In its current phase, the Israeli-US war against Iran<\/a> and its proxies has become a proving ground for two competing concepts of military escalation, each of which threatens to become a trap<\/strong>, writes the Guardian\u2019s senior international reporter, Peter Beaumont:<\/p>\n double quotation markOn one side, Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu have failed thus far in their ill-defined and shifting strategic aims. Despite killing Iran\u2019s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, and other key leaders in the opening salvo of the campaign, the clerical regime remains and Iran\u2019s stockpile of highly enriched uranium is unsecured. Airstrikes are intensifying and hitting a greater number of targets.<\/p>\n Tehran\u2019s counter is a \u201chorizontal escalation\u201d, one long prepared by the regime, that is intended to widen the conflict geographically, with strikes on the Gulf states, and also in terms of the costs to Washington and the global economy, not least in energy supplies.<\/p>\n The coming days and weeks are likely to reveal important lessons, <\/strong>not least about the potency of US military<\/a> power in an increasingly fragile and multipolar world.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Read the full analysis below:<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Iraq has downed a drone targeting a US diplomatic centre near Baghdad Airport,<\/strong> Iraqi security sources told Reuters. This follows reports earlier that a missile struck a helipad inside the US Embassy compound in the capital.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Trump says Iran ‘totally defeated’, ‘wants a deal’ he won’t accept<\/p>\n US president Donald Trump<\/a> said Friday that Iran has been \u201ctotally defeated\u201d in the US-Israeli military campaign against the country and wanted a deal he would not accept, despite Iranian officials pledging to continue the fight.<\/p>\n double quotation markThe Fake News Media hates to report how well the United States Military has done against Iran, which is totally defeated and wants a deal – But not a deal that I would accept!\u201d Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform, without elaborating.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n president Donald Trump speaks to reporters before he boards Air Force One, Friday, 13 March 2026, at Joint Base Andrews, Md., for a trip to Florida. Photograph: Mark Schiefelbein\/APShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a000.29 EDT<\/p>\n Israeli military tells Iranians to ‘immediately evacuate’ an industrial area of Tabriz<\/p>\n The Israeli military has issued an evacuation warning for a designated industrial area in Tabriz, in northwestern Iran<\/strong>, saying it will \u201cconduct operations in this area in the coming hours\u201d. The warning, issued on social media, tells citizens to \u201cimmediately evacuate\u201d.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Summary<\/p>\n Donald Trump has said Iran will be hit \u201cvery hard\u201d<\/strong> in the coming days, describing leaders of the regime as \u201cderanged scumbags\u201d who it was a \u201cgreat honor\u201d to kill, as Tehran residents reported relentless bombing and violence continued to spiral across the Middle East, write Guardian journalists Jason Burke<\/strong> and Deepa Parent<\/strong>.<\/p>\n For the full report on the latest events, read the wrap here:<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a000.33 EDT<\/p>\n Missile strikes helipad inside the US Embassy compound in Baghdad<\/p>\n A missile has struck a helipad inside the US Embassy compound in Baghdad<\/strong>, two Iraqi security officials told Associated Press.<\/p>\n The US Embassy in Baghdad has not yet commented on the reports. On Friday, the embassy renewed its Level 4 security alert for Iraq, warning that Iran<\/a> and Iran-aligned militia groups have previously carried out attacks against US citizens, interests and infrastructure, and \u201cmay continue to target them.\u201d<\/p>\n Smoke rises following a drone attack on the US embassy in Baghdad on 14 March 2026. Photograph: AFP\/Getty Images<\/p>\n The embassy complex, which is one of the largest US diplomatic facilities in the world, has been repeatedly targeted by rockets and drones fired by Iran-aligned militias.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a000.31 EDT<\/p>\n Opening summary<\/p>\n Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the ongoing conflict in Iran<\/a> and across the Middle East.<\/p>\n Iran\u2019s armed forces threatened on Saturday to destroy US-linked oil infrastructure<\/strong> after president Donald Trump<\/a> said the US had bombed Iran\u2019s oil hub of Kharg Island.<\/p>\n The military said in a statement cited by Iranian media that oil and energy infrastructure belonging to firms that cooperated with the US would \u201cimmediately be destroyed and turned into a pile of ashes\u201d if Iran\u2019s energy facilities were attacked.<\/p>\n The announcement was in \u201cresponse to statements\u201d made by the Trump, who earlier said on social media that strikes had \u201cobliterated\u201d military targets on Iran\u2019s Kharg Island<\/strong>.<\/p>\n If you are just tuning in, here is a quick recap of the latest:<\/p>\n Trump said he had chosen not to wipe out the oil infrastructure on Kharg Island<\/strong>, which serves as the export terminal for 90% of Iran\u2019s oil shipments. But he added: \u201cShould Iran, or anyone else, do anything to interfere with the Free and Safe Passage of Ships through the Strait of Hormuz<\/a>, I will immediately reconsider this decision.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Explosions rocked Iraq\u2019s capital Baghdad on Saturday after two strikes targeted the powerful Iran-backed group Kataeb Hezbollah,<\/strong> killing two members including a \u201ckey figure\u201d, security sources told AFP.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n At least 12 medical personnel were killed in an Israeli strike on a healthcare center in the town of Borj Qalaouiya in southern Lebanon<\/a><\/strong>, the Lebanese state news agency reported, citing the health ministry.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Israeli<\/strong> strikes have killed more than 100 children in Lebanon, according to the latest data<\/a> from the Lebanese health ministry<\/strong>. A total of 773 people have been killed since Israel\u2019s first strikes on the country on 2 March, with a further 1,933 people wounded, the ministry said in its daily report. It said 103 children had now been killed in the strikes, and a further 326 children have been wounded.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Qatar\u2019s interior ministry said it was evacuating a number of \u201ckey areas\u201d as Iran presses its retaliatory air campaign against Gulf countries<\/strong>. In Doha\u2019s central Musheireb district some residents received phone alerts telling them to \u201cevacuate the area immediately… to the nearest safest place as a temporary precaution\u201d.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n The US energy department said it expects initial deliveries of oil from its strategic petroleum reserve will begin moving to the market by the end of next week.<\/strong> Members of the 32-nation International Energy Agency, announced earlier this week they would unlock 400m barrels of oil in an effort to bring down prices.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n\n
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Peter Beaumont<\/p>\n\n
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