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The US State Department has ordered “non-emergency US government employees” and the family members of US government employees to leave Oman, citing “safety risks” in the country.
It did so on Friday, according to a update published by the US Embassy in Oman.
Pentagon identifies US airmen killed in Iraq crash
The Pentagon has identified the six US airmen killed in a refuelling plane crash over western Iraq on Thursday.
They are Maj. John A. Klinner, 33, of Auburn, Alabama; Capt. Ariana G. Savino, 31, of Covington, Washington; and Tech. Sgt. Ashley B. Pruitt, 34, of Bardstown, Kentucky; Capt. Seth R. Koval, 38, of Mooresville, Indiana; Capt. Curtis J. Angst, 30, of Wilmington, Ohio; and Tech. Sgt. Tyler H. Simmons, 28, of Columbus, Ohio.
A KC-135 crashed earlier this week after an incident the military said involved another aircraft, but was not the result of hostile or friendly fire.
Formula One has cancelled the Bahrain and Saudi Arabia grands prix because of the war, underlining the disruption across the Middle East.
The races were due to take place on 12 April in Bahrain and 19 April in Saudi Arabia but the sport was approaching the point at which a decision on cancellation needed to be made to prevent more freight being sent to Bahrain.
In a statement the sport’s governing body, the FIA, and F1 conceded they had been left with no choice but to cancel the races for the safety of everyone involved.
Read more from Giles:
Donald Trump is trying to play down fears around sharply rising fuel prices, both in the US and around the world.
Frustration is already bubbling. “Nothing is worth higher gas prices, obviously,” Victor Rodriguez told the Guardian at a gas station in Detroit last week. He had just paid $110 to fill up his F-250 diesel pickup truck. “Ridiculous,” he said.
In his latest interview, Trump claimed to be unconcerned about higher prices at the pump, as November’s midterm elections loom in the US. “I think they’ll go lower than they were before,” he told NBC News
“There’s so much oil, gas. There’s so much out there. But you know, it’s being clogged up a little bit,” the US president added. “It’ll be unclogged very soon.”
The unanswered question, of course – whether you’re running a vast oil multinational, or filling up your car – is just how soon is “very soon”.
Iran continues to conduct strikes across the Gulf. Explosions rang out over Bahrain’s capital of Manama early on Sunday, the AFP news agency reported.
Bahrain has intercepted 125 missiles and 203 drones since the start of the Iranian attacks, according to authorities in the country.
The US strikes on Kharg Island come amid intense anxiety around energy supply disruptions sparked by the war in the Middle East.
The strait of Hormuz, one of the most important waterways in world trade, has been all but closed for two weeks. Oil prices have soared to four-year highs.
A series of moves, including the largest release of government oil reserves in the history of the International Energy Agency, and the easing of some US sanctions on Russian oil, failed to reassure global markets last week.
Trump tried soothe concerns on Saturday, claiming on social media that “many countries” would be sending vessels to help reopen the strait of Hormuz.
But he later declined to say whether the US Navy would be escorting ships – “I don’t want to tell you anything about that,” he told NBC News, only stating that it was “possible” – amid concern over Iranian mines in the strait.
“We’re going to be sweeping the strait very strongly,” Trump told the network. “And we believe we’ll be joined by other countries who are somewhat impeded, and in some cases impeded, from getting the oil.”
Updated
US has 'decimated' Iran's vital Kharg Island oil hub, Trump claims
Donald Trump has declared he does not yet want to make a deal with Iran, claiming that the US “totally decimated” a crucial oil export hub for the regime.
The US president announced on Saturday that US forces had conducted strikes on Kharg Island, but insisted that they had hit military targets, and that the key oil infrastructure was preserved.
In a new interview, however, the president claimed the island had been “demolished”, and even suggested more strikes could follow.
“We’ve totally decimated it,” he told NBC News. “Except, as you know, I didn’t do anything having to do with the energy lines, because having to rebuild that would take years.”
Updated
Britain is considering sending minehunting drones to unblock Iran’s stranglehold over a key oil shipping route, it was reported, as Donald Trump called for allied warships to protect tankers in the region.
The Sunday Times, which first reported the proposals, said the minehunting drones could be deployed from the Royal Navy’s Mine and Threat Exploitation Group, which is currently in the Middle East.
But the newspaper said it is not known how many drones are in service and which could be deployed.
The Sunday Telegraph meanwhile reported that interceptor drones, made in the UK for Ukraine to use against Russia, could also be used against Iran’s aerial Shahed drones.
That option is understood to be at a much earlier stage of consideration.
A fire that broke out at the Lanaz refinery in the northern Iraqi city of Erbil after a drone strike was contained by authorities but operations at the refinery remain suspended, officials told Reuters.
President Trump also told NBC News he is hearing that Iran’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, may not be alive.
Donald Trump has told NBC News that U.S. strikes on Kharg Island “totally demolished” most of the island, adding “we may hit it a few more times just for fun”.
He added he is not ready to make a deal with Iran to end the conflict because “the terms aren’t good enough yet.”
Updated
Three of the five players from the Iran women’s football team, who had attempted to seek asylum earlier this week while the team was in Australia, have elected to return home, The Australian newspaper reported.
The Iranian team was in Australia for the Women’s Asian Cup when the conflict began. Five players left the team and were given humanitarian visas in Australia.
“While the Australian government can ensure that opportunities are provided and communicated, we cannot remove the context in which the players are making these incredibly difficult decisions,” home affairs minister Tony Burke said, according to the Australian.
“The Australian government has done everything we could to make sure these women were provided with the chance for a safe future in Australia.”
Summary of the day so far
Lebanon’s health ministry said Israeli strikes have killed 826 people, including 65 women and 106 children, since the start of the war. In a statement today, the ministry said 31 paramedics were among those killed. Local health authorities reported this morning that an Israeli strike killed 12 medical staff at a clinic in the southern town of Burj Qalaouiya.
At least 15 people were killed when a strike by Israel and the US hit a factory in the central Iranian city of Isfahan, the semi-official Fars news agency said. There were workers inside the factory, which produces heaters and refrigerators, when the strike hit, Fars reported.
Iran issued an evacuation warning for three major ports in the United Arab Emirates on Saturday, including the busiest in the Middle East, the Associated press reported. Iran claims the US had used “ports, docks and hideouts” in the UAE to launch strikes on Iran’s Kharg Island. It urged people to evacuate areas where it said US forces were sheltering.
Trump renewed his call for other nations to help secure the strait of Hormuz and said the US will coordinate with them amid the US-Israeli war on Iran. “The United States of America has beaten and completely decimated Iran, both Militarily, Economically, and in every other way, but the Countries of the World that receive Oil through the Hormuz Strait must take care of that passage, and we will help – A LOT,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post.
The Trump administration rebuffed efforts by Middle Eastern allies to start diplomatic negotiations aimed at ending the Iran war that started two weeks ago with a massive US-Israeli air assault, according to reporting from Reuters.
The Israeli military says it killed two senior officials in Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya Emergency Command in an air strike on Tehran. In a post on X, army spokesperson Avichay Adraee said Abdullah Jalali-Nasab and Amir Shariat, described as senior figures in the command’s intelligence branch, were killed in the attack.
Israel informed the US this week that it is running critically low on ballistic missile interceptors as the conflict with Iran continues, Semafor reported on Saturday, citing US officials familiar with the matter.
Federal Communications Commission (FCC) chair Brendan Carr accused news broadcasters of “running hoaxes and news distortions” amid the ongoing war in Iran in a post on X. “Broadcasters that are running hoaxes and news distortions - also known as the fake news - have a chance now to correct course before their license renewals come up,” Carr wrote.
WHO verifies that 12 healthcare workers killed in strike in Lebanon
The director general of the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Saturday that it had verified 12 doctors, paramedics and nurses were killed in a strike on the Burj Qalaouiyah primary healthcare center in Lebanon late Friday.
“The killings in the last 24 hours of 14 health workers in southern Lebanon mark a tragic development in the escalating Middle East crisis,” director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a post on X, adding that two paramedics had been killed in an earlier attack on a health facility in al-Sowana.
“These incidents highlight the ongoing assault on Lebanon’s healthcare system, which is crucial for the populations it serves,” he wrote. “WHO condemns this tragic loss of life and emphasizes that health workers must always be protected. According to international humanitarian law, medical personnel and facilities should never be attacked or militarized.”
Israel’s military campaign in Lebanon has intensified sharply, killing hundreds of people since hostilities escalated earlier this month. The ongoing bombings have triggered a massive humanitarian crisis, displacing hundreds of thousands people across the country. Hezbollah has launched significant counter-strikes, firing hundreds of rockets and several drones into northern Israel.
Updated
Netanyahu appoints former US ambassador to oversee talks with Lebanon
Benjamin Netanyahu has appointed his longtime confidant and former US ambassador Ron Dermer to oversee talks with Lebanon, according to sources speaking with CNN.
The appointment by the Israeli prime minister follows an appeal last week from Lebanese president Joseph Aoun for direct talks to halt the intensifying conflict between Israel and the Iran-backed group Hezbollah. While the Lebanese government has moved to outlaw Hezbollah’s military activities, Israel has yet to issue an official response to Aoun’s proposal.
An Israeli official clarified that Dermer’s new role does not guarantee that negotiations are imminent.
“We acknowledge the Lebanese government’s appeal for diplomacy, but they have not shown the capabilities, or the will, to disarm Hezbollah, and stop it from firing towards Israeli communities. Israel wants to finish the job in Lebanon,” an Israeli source told CNN.
Updated
The six US service members who died in the crash of a US military refueling aircraft included an Alabama father and several members based in Ohio.
Officials say the Thursday crash is under investigation and was not caused by hostile or friendly fire. The Ohio air national guard says three service members come from its 121st air refueling wing in Columbus.
The family of Birmingham, Alabama, pilot Alex Klinner confirmed to the Associated Press that he also was killed in the crash. The family says Klinner had recently been promoted to major and been deployed less than a week.
Klinner, 33, leaves behind three small children: seven-month-old twins and a two-year-old son, his brother-in-law, James Harrill, said Saturday while confirming his death.
Updated
Israel running critically low on ballistic missile interceptors
Israel informed the US this week that it is running critically low on ballistic missile interceptors as the conflict with Iran continues, Semafor reported on Saturday, citing US officials familiar with the matter.
The US has been aware of Israel’s low capacity for months, the report said, adding that it is not running low on interceptors of its own.
“We have all that we need to protect our bases and our personnel in the region and our interests,” a US official told the outlet, adding that Israel is “coming up with solutions to address” their shortage.
Updated
The Swiss government said on Saturday that it discussed requests by US military and official aircraft to fly over the country, and based on its law of neutrality, rejected two but permitted three, according to Reuters.
“The law on neutrality prohibits overflights by parties to the conflict that serve a military purpose related to the conflict. Permitted are humanitarian and medical transits, including the transport of wounded persons, as well as overflights that are unrelated to the conflict,” the government said in a statement.
FCC chair accuses news broadcaster of 'hoaxes and distortions' amid US war on Iran
Federal Communications Commission (FCC) chair Brendan Carr accused news broadcasters of “running hoaxes and news distortions” amid the ongoing war in Iran in a post on X on Saturday.
Responding to a post by Trump in which he accused the “Fake News Media” of running an “intentionally misleading headline” regarding the five US air force refuelling planes that had reportedly been hit in an Iranian strike in Saudi Arabia, Carr doubled down on claims that the media is pushing fake news and appeared to again advocate for revoking news stations’ broadcast licenses.
“Broadcasters that are running hoaxes and news distortions - also known as the fake news - have a chance now to correct course before their license renewals come up,” Carr wrote.
“The law is clear,” he continued. “Broadcasters must operate in the public interest, and they will lose their licenses if they do not.”
He added: “It is very important to bring trust back into media, which has earned itself the label of fake news.”
Updated
Abbas Araqchi, the Iranian foreign minister, also told MS Now that the US attacked Kharg Island and Abu Musa Island with low-range artillery from two locations in the UAE, Ras Al-Khaimah and a place “very close to Dubai,” calling that dangerous and saying Iran “will try to be careful not to attack any populated area” there.
The Iranian foreign minister, Abbas Araqchi, told MS Now in an interview on Saturday that there is no problem with Iran’s new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei, after the US defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, claimed on Friday that he was wounded and likely disfigured.
Khamenei, who was recently named to succeed his father after the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in the US-Israeli strikes, has not appeared in public since assuming power, fueling rumors regarding his health and whereabouts. Despite these reports and the intensity of the ongoing conflict, Iranian officials maintain that he remains fully capable of performing his duties.
Updated
Trump renews calls for international aid to secure strait of Hormuz
Trump on Saturday renewed his call for other nations to help secure the strait of Hormuz and said the US will coordinate with them amid the US-Israeli war on Iran.
“The United States of America has beaten and completely decimated Iran, both Militarily, Economically, and in every other way, but the Countries of the World that receive Oil through the Hormuz Strait must take care of that passage, and we will help – A LOT,” the US president wrote in a Truth Social post.
He added that “the US will also coordinate with those Countries so that everything goes quickly, smoothly, and well. This should have always been a team effort, and now it will be – It will bring the World together toward Harmony, Security, and Everlasting Peace!”
Trump’s assertion that “this should have always been a team effort” could be seen as somewhat of a pivot from his earlier stances that Operation Epic Fury was a unilateral (plus Israel) show of force that didn’t require international permission. With the current disruption of global oil supplies, it is increasingly falling onto the international community to help manage the effects.
At the same time, Trump has long argued that the US pays too much to protect global trade routes (like the strait of Hormuz) that he says primarily benefit other countries like China or European nations.
Updated
Iran orders evacuations for three major ports in UAE
Iran issued an evacuation warning for three major ports in the United Arab Emirates on Saturday, including the busiest in the Middle East, the Associated press reported.
Iran claims the US had used “ports, docks and hideouts” in the UAE to launch strikes on Iran’s Kharg Island. It urged people to evacuate areas where it said US forces were sheltering.
Hours after the threat, there was no sign of an attack on Dubai’s Jebel Ali port or the Khalifa port in Abu Dhabi. But images showed a fire at the third port, in Fujairah, caused by debris from an intercepted Iranian drone hitting an oil facility. Iran says the US attacked from close to Dubai.
Updated
US embassy in Iraq issues evacuation alert for US citizens
US citizens should leave Iraq immediately, the US embassy in Baghdad said in an updated security alert on Saturday, following an overnight missile attack on the embassy’s building.
“Americans face a risk of kidnapping, and US individuals have been directly targeted. Iran-aligned terrorist militias may hinder the Iraqi authorities’ ability to respond effectively in emergencies,” the embassy said.
“US citizens should leave Iraq immediately. US citizens who choose to remain in Iraq are encouraged to reconsider their decision given the significant threat posed by Iran-aligned terrorist militias.”
Updated
Israeli military says it has killed two senior Iranian officials
The Israeli military says it killed two senior officials in Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya Emergency Command in an airstrike on Tehran.
In a post on X, army spokesperson Avichay Adraee said Abdullah Jalali-Nasab and Amir Shariat, described as senior figures in the command’s intelligence branch, were killed in the attack.
“The Air Force attacked yesterday in Tehran and eliminated Abdullah Jalali-Nasab and Amir Shariat, both senior officials in the intelligence apparatus affiliated with the Khatam al-Anbiya Emergency Command, which is directly subordinate to the supreme leader,” he wrote.
Adraee said the attack followed the earlier killing of Saleh Asadi, head of the intelligence unit, at the beginning of the US and Israel’s ongoing assault.
Updated
Trump administration rebuffed efforts to start talks about ending Iran war
Trump’s administration has rebuffed efforts by Middle Eastern allies to start diplomatic negotiations aimed at ending the Iran war that started two weeks ago with a massive US-Israeli air assault, according to reporting from Reuters.
Iran has rejected the possibility of any ceasefire until US and Israeli strikes end, two senior Iranian sources told Reuters, adding that several countries had been trying to mediate an end to the conflict. The lack of interest from Washington and Tehran suggests both sides are digging in for an extended conflict, even as the widening war inflicts civilian casualties and Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz sends oil prices soaring.
Updated
At lesat 15 people killed after US-Israel strike in Iranian city of Isfahan
At least 15 people were killed when a strike by Israel and the US hit a factory in the central Iranian city of Isfahan, the semi-official Fars news agency said on Saturday.
There were workers inside the factory, which produces heaters and refrigerators, when the strike hit, Fars reported.
Updated
Turkish foreign minister Hakan Fidan said on Saturday that Iran had denied responsibility for missiles fired toward Turkey, adding that Ankara was discussing contradictions between Tehran’s statements and available technical data on the launches.
Speaking at a press conference in Ankara, Fidan said Turkish authorities possessed technical data regarding the missiles fired toward Turkey and were raising the inconsistencies with Iranian officials.
Here are some pictures on the newswires from the Middle East today.
Israeli strikes have killed 826 people in Lebanon, including 65 women and 106 children
Lebanon’s health ministry said Israeli strikes have killed 826 people, including 65 women and 106 children, since the start of the war.
In a statement today, the ministry said 31 paramedics were among those killed.
Local health authorities reported this morning that an Israeli strike killed 12 medical staff at a clinic in the southern town of Burj Qalaouiya.
Israel has not commented on the report, but its military said it carried out “several additional waves of attacks” against Hezbollah infrastructure in Beirut and southern Lebanon.
Updated
Israeli military issues evacuation order for southern suburbs of Beirut
The Israeli military has once again issued an evacuation order for the southern suburbs of Beirut, known as the Dahiyeh, telling people to “evacuate immediately and not return to these neighbourhoods until further notice”.
The humanitarian organisation Norwegian Refugee Council said 1 million Lebanese people have been displaced from their homes since the conflict began.
Updated
‘Worst nightmare’: anger and frustration as Gulf states bear brunt of war they did not start
An eerie quiet hangs over Ras Al Khaimah’s industrial port. Usually a thriving maritime hub of the United Arab Emirates, now ships stand docked and silent. Not far out along the hazy horizon, a backlog of hundreds of tankers have lined up in recent days, halted along a waterway flooded with danger.
Any vessel heading past Ras Al Khaimah out to the Arabian Sea must traverse the world’s most treacherous strip of water for shipping today: the strait of Hormuz. Just over 20 nautical miles from Ras Al Khaimah, two oil tankers heading for the strait were attacked by Iranian missiles this week, one catching fire.
Aviation in the region remains highly restricted, with airlines losing billions of dollars. Bahrain is facing an economic crisis, while the UAE’s reputation as a haven for tourism and western investment has taken a significant hit.
While the Gulf expected to be caught in the backlash, the scale of Iran’s campaign of revenge has left many shocked. Gulf states had assured Tehran that none of their bases would be used for attacks but that has not stopped Iran launching thousands of drones and missiles targeting airports, military bases, oil refineries, ports, hotels and office buildings.
For all the geopolitical ramifications, the economic effects have also trickled down to ordinary life. Sumon, 27, who works for a boat and jetski rental firm in the marina next to Ras Al Khaimah port, says business has been throttled because none of their boats are allowed out to sea by the coastguard.
“No boats are moving any more,” he says. “No one knows when it will end.”
Read the full report here:
The UN secretary general, António Guterres, is in the Lebanese capital Beirut, where he has opened a press conference regarding the humanitarian crisis unfolding in the country.
He noted that Muslims in Lebanon were observing Ramadan, while Christians were also following Lent. “It breaks my heart to see this period shattered by escalating attacks,” he said.
“Over the past two weeks we have seen widespread destruction. Hezbollah rockets and drones were launched at targets in northern Israel and occupied Syrian Golan.
“This was followed by devastating Israeli bombing operations and blanket evacuation notices.”
He said many Israelis have been sent to shelters while hundreds of Lebanese people have been killed, including many children. Hundreds of thousands of civilians in Lebanon are fleeing with “nothing but what they can carry”, he added.
“I was deeply saddened by the testimonies of the displaced people when I visited a shelter today,” he said, adding that southern Beirut “risks being bombed into oblivion”.
Updated
In further comments on his Truth Social app, Donald Trump said “many countries” would send warships to keep the strait of Hormuz open, without providing details on which countries would do so.
He said he hoped the UK, China, France, Japan, South Korea and others will send ships to the area.
Two Indian-flagged tankers carrying liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) have safely passed through the strait of Hormuz, a Delhi official said.
“They crossed the strait of Hormuz early morning safely and are en route to India,” said Rajesh Kumar Sinha, India’s special secretary of the ministry of ports, shipping and waterways.
It marks a rare exception after Iran effectively blocked traffic through the key oil route since the conflict began.
The tankers Shivalik and Nanda Devi are expected to arrive in the next couple of days, the Associated Press news agency reported.
The safe passage of the two Indian vessels followed talks between New Delhi and Tehran in recent days. Indian foreign minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar posted on social media earlier this week that he held talks with the Iranian foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi.
Donald Trump has taken to his social media platform Truth Social to take issue with media reports that five US air force refuelling planes had been hit in an Iranian strike on Prince Sultan air base in Saudi Arabia in recent days.
The US president claimed: “In actuality, the Base was hit a few days ago, but the planes were not ‘struck’ or ‘destroyed’. Four of the five had virtually no damage, and are already back in service. One had slightly more damage, but will be in the air shortly.”
The Wall Street Journal, which cited two US officials as the source of its story, had reported that the tanker planes were damaged but not fully destroyed and were being repaired. The WSJ reported that no one was killed in the strikes.
Blasts have been heard over Jerusalem, AFP reports, shortly after the Israeli military said that it had detected incoming missiles from Iran.
The Israeli military said its defence system was “operating to intercept the threat”.
Iran warns residents to leave areas in the UAE
Reuters, citing Iranian news agencies, reports that Iran is warning residents to leave areas near Fujairah port, Jebel Ali port in Dubai and Khalifa port in Abu Dhabi.
Here is the video posted by Donald Trump on his Truth Social platform late on Friday of the US strikes on Iran’s Kharg Island, which he said had “obliterated” military targets. The US president warned that crucial oil infrastructure there could be next if Tehran interfered with the safe passage of ships through the strait of Hormuz.
Summary of developments so far
The US Central Command (Centcom) said a “large-scale precision strike” on Kharg Island, an Iranian oil hub, hit 90 military targets while “preserving the oil infrastructure”. It said the strike “destroyed naval mine storage facilities, missile storage bunkers, and multiple other military sites”.
The statement follows remarks by US president Donald Trump that the strikes had “obliterated” military targets on Kharg Island. He said he had chosen not to wipe out the oil infrastructure on the island, which serves as the export terminal for 90% of Iran’s oil shipments.
Iranian state media, citing officials and officials, reported that oil exports from Kharg Island are continuing as normal. But Iran’s armed forces vowed to destroy oil and energy infrastructure belonging to firms that cooperated with the US.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) warned the UAE that US “hideouts” in the country are “legitimate” targets. An Iranian official ordered UAE residents to stay away from ports, docks and US military areas “to avoid any harm”.
Some oil loading operations have reportedly been suspended at a port in the UAE after the interception of a drone caused a major fire. The fire at the port in Fujairah, a key oil storage and trading centre, occurred after debris fell during the interception of a drone, according to local media.
An Israeli strike killed a dozen medical staff at a clinic in the southern Lebanese town of Burj Qalaouiya, according to local health authorities. There was no comment from the Israeli military, but it said it carried out “several additional waves of attacks” against Hezbollah infrastructure in Beirut and southern Lebanon.
French president Emmanuel Macron said Lebanon was ready to engage in “direct talks” with Israel and offered to host negotiations in Paris. “It is imperative to do everything possible to prevent Lebanon from sliding into chaos,” he said.
At least 56 museums and historic sites across Iran have been damaged by US-Israeli strikes, the country’s culture and tourism ministry said. Among them was Tehran’s 14th century Golestan Palace, a world heritage site under the protection of the UN’s cultural body, Unesco.
‘No clear goal’: lack of Iran war plan has unleashed chaos and could stymie US military for decades, say critics
As US and Israeli jets descended to deliver the opening salvos of the war in Iran, Donald Trump’s back-of-the-envelope plan for regime change in Tehran was about to run into the reality of the largest US intervention in the Middle East since the start of the Iraq war in 2003.
That reality came quickly.
One hundred and seventy-five people were killed when a US Tomahawk missile slammed into a girls’ school, apparently because the Pentagon used outdated targeting data for the strike. Hundreds of air-defence missiles were expended as Iran’s initial missile counterattack was mostly parried – but one drone smashed into a makeshift command centre in Kuwait, killing six US troops and wounding dozens more.
Tens of thousands of US citizens were stranded in the region as the state department hurriedly slapped together a taskforce to evacuate them. The US strikes that killed Ayatollah Ali Khamenei also killed many of the US’s preferred successors; and in his first address, Trump simply told Iranians “when we are finished, take over your government” – with no suggestion on how that might be done.
And the first six days of the war alone cost the US $11.3bn, the Pentagon briefed members of Congress – though it wasn’t clear if those numbers included the cost of the buildup or the US missile defenses as well. The ultimate toll of Iran’s closure of the strait of Hormuz on the world economy remains to be seen.
Past administrations had been war-gaming an Iran invasion for decades – but with Trump in the White House, observers said that the rigidly closed circle of advisers around him, the collapse of an interagency process in the government and his erratic decision-making process made this unlike any other US military campaign in recent memory.
Read the full report here:
War entering 'decisive' phase, says Israel defence minister
Israel’s defence minister, Israel Katz, said the US-Israeli military campaign against Iran was entering a “decisive’ phase, but cautioned that it would “continue as long as necessary”.
He said it was up to the Iranian people “to put an end” to the war during a meeting with Israeli miltiary officials, according to the Times of Israel. Israeli and US officials, including presidents Benjamin Netanyahu and Donald Trump, have touted the idea of regime change as a goal of their joint bombing campaign against Iran.
More than 1,200 people in Iran have been killed by Israeli and US strikes, according to the Iranian Red Crescent Society.
Updated
US Centcom says 90 military targets on Kharg Island hit by US strikes
The US Central Command (Centcom) said a “large-scale precision strike” on Iran’s Kharg Island hit 90 military targets while “preserving the oil infrastructure”.
In a statement posted on social media, it said:
Last night, US forces executed a large-scale precision strike on Kharg Island, Iran. The strike destroyed naval mine storage facilities, missile storage bunkers, and multiple other military sites. US forces successfully struck more than 90 Iranian military targets on Kharg Island, while preserving the oil infrastructure.
Updated
Oil exports from Kharg Island continue uninterrupted - Iranian state media
Iranian news agencies, citing sources and local officials, reported that oil exports from Kharg Island are continuing as normal after US attacks that Donald Trump claimed had “obliterated” military targets on the island.
The semi-official Tasnim news agency quoted an official as saying the oil terminal is “fully operational” and activities “continue without interruption”, adding that there were no reports of casualties.
Meanwhile, the Mehr news agency reported that “the situation on the island has quickly returned to normal and conditions are under control”.
Trump said that the US military had conducted a bombing raid on Friday targeting military facilities on Kharg Island in the northern Persian Gulf off the coast of Iran.
“For reasons of decency, I have chosen NOT to wipe out the Oil Infrastructure on the Island,” Trump wrote on social media. “However, should Iran, or anyone else, do anything to interfere with the Free and Safe Passage of Ships through the strait of Hormuz, I will immediately reconsider this decision.”
Kharg Island handles roughly 90% of Iran’s oil exports.
Oil loading operations suspended at UAE port after major fire caused by intercepted drone - report
Some oil loading operations have been suspended at a port in the UAE after the interception of a drone caused a major fire, Reuters news agency reported, citing industry and trade sources.
The Emirates media office said the fire at the port in Fujairah, a key oil storage and trading centre, occurred after debris fell during the interception of a drone and that no injuries were reported.
In Lebanon, an Israeli strike overnight killed a dozen medical staff at a clinic in the southern town of Burj Qalaouiya, according to local health authorities.
Local media reported further strikes on an apartment building in a northern suburb of the capital Beirut.
Israel has not commented on the reports, but its military said this morning that it carried out “several additional waves of attacks” against Hezbollah infrastructure in Beirut and southern Lebanon.
The Lebanese health ministry said on Friday that 773 people have been killed by Israeli strikes, including more than 100 children. Humanitarian organisations say more than 800,000 people have been displaced after being forced out of their homes by Israeli orders covering large swathes of the country.
Updated
Macron: Lebanon ready to engage in 'direct talks' with Israel
French president Emmanuel Macron said Lebanon was ready to engage in “direct talks” with Israel and offered to host negotiations in Paris.
“The Lebanese government has signalled its willingness to engage in direct talks with Israel,” he said in a post on X.
“France is ready to facilitate these talks by hosting them in Paris,” Macron said, adding he had spoken to the president and prime minister of Lebanon.
It is imperative to do everything possible to prevent Lebanon from sliding into chaos.
Hezbollah must immediately halt its escalatory approach. Israel must abandon any large-scale attack and cease its intensive airstrikes, at a time when hundreds of thousands of residents have already fled the shelling.
Updated
US 'hideouts' in UAE are 'legitimate' targets, IRGC warns
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has warned the UAE that US “hideouts” in the country are “legitimate” targets after American forces struck Kharg Island.
In a statement carried by Iran’s semi-official Mehr news agency, an official from the Khatam-al Anbiya central headquarters, which coordinates the army and IRGC, ordered UAE residents to stay away from ports, docks and US military areas “to avoid any harm”.
A translation of its statement read:
We declare to the leaders of the Emirates that the Islamic Republic of Iran considers it its legitimate right, in defence of its national sovereignty and territory, to strike the source of American enemy missile launches at the ports, docks, and hideouts of US military personnel in some of the cities of the Emirates.
Updated
Iran’s culture and tourism ministry said at least 56 museums and historic sites across the country have been damaged by US-Israeli strikes, the AFP news agency reported.
The most serious confirmed damage to date has been to Tehran’s 14th century Golestan Palace, a world heritage site under the protection of the UN’s cultural body, Unesco.
Naghsh-e Jahan Square, a 17th-century architectural jewel in the heart of the central Iranian city of Isfahan, has also been damaged, the ministry said.
The Guardian’s Julian Borger and Deepa Parent reported earlier this week of the Iranian hertiage sites that have suffered damage in the US-Israeli bombing campaign, as an Iranian official accused both countries of “a declaration of war on a civilisation”. You can read their report here:
Iran's army appeals to Muslim leaders in Middle East to unite against US 'hollow power' – report
The Iranian army has appealed to Muslim leaders of the Middle East for unity against the “hollow power” of the US and Israel, state media reported.
Gen Abolfazl Shekarchi, the senior spokesperson for Iran’s armed forces, addressed the leaders of Muslim countries in the region saying they should “trust” Iran and unite the Islamic world “against infidelity, polytheism, and hypocrisy” in the US and Israel, according to a translation of his statement carried by the semi-official Tasnim news agency.
“Do not trust the hollow power of America, an America that cannot even defend its own faltering army and will be unable to secure the safety of Muslim countries and the region,” he was quoted as saying.
He also repeated claims of Iranian military victories against US targets which American officials have denied.
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Map: US/Israeli strikes and Iranian retaliatory attacks in the Middle East
Ten foreign nationals arrested in UAE for sharing videos of drone attacks on social media - report
Ten foreign nationals have been detained in the UAE for allegedly posting footage on social media of missile and drone attacks in the country, the official Emirates News Agency (WAM) reported.
They were alleged to have shared videos featuring real footage of air defence systems intercepting attacks, as well as AI-generated content of purported attacks on prominent landmarks, according to the news agency. The report does not state their nationalities.
The report says sharing such footage “whether real or fabricated, could affect public security”. UAE general prosecutor Hamad Al Shamsi was quoted as saying the crimes are punishable by imprisonment of at least a year and a fine of at least 100,000 dirhams (about £20,000).
Earlier this week, a British man was charged in the UAE under cybercrime laws in connection with filming and posting material related to Iranian attacks on the country. The 60-year-old, understood to be a tourist who was visiting Dubai, was among 20 people charged under a law that prohibits sharing material that could disturb public security.
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The Associated Press news agency shared a report from Iranian state media of an airstrike in the western Iranian city of Eyvan that killed six members of the same family.
Mizan news agency, the official news outlet of Iran’s judiciary, said one of those killed was a six-month-old baby.
Interim summary
Hello and thank you for following our live coverage of events in the Middle East.
If you are just joining us, here is a quick recap of what you need to know.
Iran’s armed forces threatened on Saturday to destroy oil and energy infrastructure belonging to firms that cooperated with the US if its own energy facilities were attacked. The announcement was in “response to statements” made by the Trump, who earlier said on social media that strikes had “obliterated” military targets on Kharg Island, an Iranian oil hub.
Trump said he had chosen not to wipe out the oil infrastructure on Kharg Island, which serves as the export terminal for 90% of Iran’s oil shipments. But he added: “Should Iran, or anyone else, do anything to interfere with the Free and Safe Passage of Ships through the strait of Hormuz, I will immediately reconsider this decision.”
The US embassy in Baghdad was attacked on Saturday morning following strikes that killed two members of a powerful Iran-backed group in the capital, AFP reported. It was unclear if the embassy was hit by a drone or projectile. Associated Press reported that a missile has struck a helipad inside the embassy’s compound.
The Israeli military issued an evacuation warning for a designated industrial area in Tabriz, in northwestern Iran, saying it would “conduct operations in this area in the coming hours”.
Qatari authorities evacuated parts of Doha’s Msheireb district, which includes government offices and a Google office, early on Saturday. Its ministry of defence later said it had intercepted two missiles.
Hamas has called on Iran to refrain from targeting neighbouring countries, in a statement that also affirmed Iran’s to defend itself against US and Israeli attacks.
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. 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.
A Jewish school in Amsterdam was damaged in an explosion that the city’s mayor Femke Halsema has described as a deliberate attack against the Jewish community. The explosion caused limited damage and no injuries were reported.
Reuters has reported further details on the explosion that damaged a Jewish school in Amsterdam early on Saturday:
The explosion happened in an upscale residential neighbourhood on the south side of Amsterdam, and caused limited damage. No injuries were reported.
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.
In neighbouring Belgium, an explosion caused a fire at a synagogue in Liege on Monday.
Amsterdam’s mayor Femke Halsema said the attack was “a cowardly act of aggression against the Jewish community”.
“Jewish people in Amsterdam are increasingly confronted with antisemitism. This is unacceptable,” she said.
An Israeli strike hit an apartment building in a northern Beirut suburb that had also been targeted a day earlier, Lebanese media reported on Saturday.
An AFP correspondent saw rescue workers at the scene and damage, including a hole, in a building in the Nabaa-Burj Hammoud area, outside Iran-backed Hezbollah’s strongholds in the capital’s southern suburbs.
A Jewish school in Amsterdam was damaged in an explosion that the city’s mayor has described as a deliberate attack against the Jewish community, Dutch news agency ANP reported.
The explosion, which happened early on Saturday, caused limited damage, Mayor Femke Halsema told ANP.
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Hamas urges Iran to stop 'targeting neighbouring' countries
Hamas has called on Iran to refrain from targeting neighbouring countries, in a statement released on Saturday.
The group said:
While 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.
Hamas previously condemned the killing of Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, on the first day of the war as a “heinous crime”.
“He provided all forms of political, diplomatic and military support to our people, our cause, and our resistance,” Hamas said soon after the killing of Khamenei.
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Iranian media reports no damage to Kharg oil infrastructure after US strike
Iranian media has reported there is no damage to its oil infrastructure on Kharg Island, following US attacks that Trump claimed had “obliterated” military targets on the Island.
Iran’s armed forces have threatened to destroy US-linked oil infrastructure if its own energy facilities are hit. Kharg Island serves as the export terminal for 90% of Iran’s oil shipments.
According to the Fars news agency, the US operation “tried to damage the army’s defences, the Joshan naval base, the airport control tower and the helicopter hangar of the Iran Continental Shelf Oil Company.” There had been no damage to oil facilities, it said.
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The US can provide “reliable” energy supplies to Asia-Pacific, US Interior Secretary Doug Burgum told an energy security forum in Tokyo, as the Middle East war causes oil and gas prices to surge.
Burgum told attendees that Trump’s “energy dominance” policy aims to ensure that “we have energy to allow for prosperity at home, and we have the ability to sell energy to our friends and allies,” Burgum said.
That ensures the region has a “reliable, affordable and secure” energy supply that “can’t be interrupted by a terrorist regime,” he said. The event, which was attended by representatives of 17 countries from the region, was organised before the Middle East war erupted.
The forum brings together political leaders and US energy companies with the aim of sealing commercial agreements.
Details are still emerging about the attack on the US embassy in Baghdad, with some conflicting reports about what struck the embassy.
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.
Earlier, Associated Press cited two Iraqi security officials as saying that a missile has struck a helipad inside the compound.
The embassy has not yet commented on the reports, but has perviously warned of “attacks against US citizens, US interests, and critical infrastructure”, saying that Iran-backed groups have “attacked US businesses and US-operated energy infrastructure and may continue to target them.”
The attack followed strikes that earlier killed two members of a powerful Iran-backed group in the capital.
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In its current phase, the Israeli-US war against Iran and its proxies has become a proving ground for two competing concepts of military escalation, each of which threatens to become a trap, writes the Guardian’s senior international reporter, Peter Beaumont:
On one side, Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu have failed thus far in their ill-defined and shifting strategic aims. Despite killing Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, and other key leaders in the opening salvo of the campaign, the clerical regime remains and Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium is unsecured. Airstrikes are intensifying and hitting a greater number of targets.
Tehran’s counter is a “horizontal escalation”, 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.
The coming days and weeks are likely to reveal important lessons, not least about the potency of US military power in an increasingly fragile and multipolar world.
Read the full analysis below:
Iraq has downed a drone targeting a US diplomatic centre near Baghdad Airport, Iraqi security sources told Reuters. This follows reports earlier that a missile struck a helipad inside the US Embassy compound in the capital.
Trump says Iran 'totally defeated', 'wants a deal' he won't accept
US president Donald Trump said Friday that Iran has been “totally defeated” 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.
The 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!” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform, without elaborating.
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Israeli military tells Iranians to 'immediately evacuate' an industrial area of Tabriz
The Israeli military has issued an evacuation warning for a designated industrial area in Tabriz, in northwestern Iran, saying it will “conduct operations in this area in the coming hours”. The warning, issued on social media, tells citizens to “immediately evacuate”.
Donald Trump has said Iran will be hit “very hard” in the coming days, describing leaders of the regime as “deranged scumbags” who it was a “great honor” to kill, as Tehran residents reported relentless bombing and violence continued to spiral across the Middle East, write Guardian journalists Jason Burke and Deepa Parent.
For the full report on the latest events, read the wrap here:
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Missile strikes helipad inside the US Embassy compound in Baghdad
A missile has struck a helipad inside the US Embassy compound in Baghdad, two Iraqi security officials told Associated Press.
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 and Iran-aligned militia groups have previously carried out attacks against US citizens, interests and infrastructure, and “may continue to target them.”
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.
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Opening summary
Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the ongoing conflict in Iran and across the Middle East.
Iran’s armed forces threatened on Saturday to destroy US-linked oil infrastructure after president Donald Trump said the US had bombed Iran’s oil hub of Kharg Island.
The military said in a statement cited by Iranian media that oil and energy infrastructure belonging to firms that cooperated with the US would “immediately be destroyed and turned into a pile of ashes” if Iran’s energy facilities were attacked.
The announcement was in “response to statements” made by the Trump, who earlier said on social media that strikes had “obliterated” military targets on Iran’s Kharg Island.
If you are just tuning in, here is a quick recap of the latest:
Trump said he had chosen not to wipe out the oil infrastructure on Kharg Island, which serves as the export terminal for 90% of Iran’s oil shipments. But he added: “Should Iran, or anyone else, do anything to interfere with the Free and Safe Passage of Ships through the Strait of Hormuz, I will immediately reconsider this decision.”
Explosions rocked Iraq’s capital Baghdad on Saturday after two strikes targeted the powerful Iran-backed group Kataeb Hezbollah, killing two members including a “key figure”, security sources told AFP.
At least 12 medical personnel were killed in an Israeli strike on a healthcare center in the town of Borj Qalaouiya in southern Lebanon, the Lebanese state news agency reported, citing the health ministry.
Israeli strikes have killed more than 100 children in Lebanon, according to the latest data from the Lebanese health ministry. A total of 773 people have been killed since Israel’s 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.
Qatar’s interior ministry said it was evacuating a number of “key areas” as Iran presses its retaliatory air campaign against Gulf countries. In Doha’s central Musheireb district some residents received phone alerts telling them to “evacuate the area immediately... to the nearest safest place as a temporary precaution”.
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. 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.
The Pentagon is moving additional Marines and warships to the Middle East, the Wall Street Journal 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.
The UN under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator, called for humanitarian aid to be allowed to pass safely through the strait of Hormuz as the US-Israeli war on Iran continues to disrupt one of the world’s most vital shipping routes. 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.
