The West Asia conflict, triggered by US-Israeli strikes on Iran, entered its 12th day as Tehran unleashed a wave of retaliatory attacks on Israel and Gulf states, and amid rising tensions over a blockade in the Strait of Hormuz, through which about 20% of the world’s oil and gas trade passes.
DAY 12 | TOP DEVELOPMENTS
'Most intense' strikes: Iran retaliated with a wave of attacks on Israel and Gulf nations on Wednesday, including targeting a Saudi oilfield, Qatar, the UAE, Kuwait. The IRGC said it had carried out its “most intense and heaviest” salvo, firing missiles for three hours at cities across Israel.
Cargo ship hit in Hormuz: An unknown projectile hit a cargo ship near the strategic Strait of Hormuz abutting Iran on Wednesday, causing a fire and forcing the crew to evacuate. A second container ship was hit off the coast of the UAE by an unidentified projectile.
Mojtaba 'safe and sound': Iran's new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei is "safe and sound" despite reported injuries, the son of Iran's president said on Telegram. State television had called Khamenei a "wounded veteran of the Ramadan war" but never specified his injury.
Protester 'enemies': Iranian protesters will be treated as enemies if they support Tehran's foes, the country's top police officer warned.
Iran's civilian sites targeted: Explosions rocked Tehran as Iran says US and Israeli forces have bombed nearly 10,000 civilian sites in the country, and killed more than 1,300 civilians since the war began 11 days ago.
US hits Iranian mine-laying vessels: US forces have destroyed 10 Iranian mine-laying vessels, President Donald Trump said, warning Tehran of unprecedented military consequences if it targets the Strait of Hormuz.
Israel hits apartmet in Beirut: An Israeli strike hit an apartment in central Beirut, state media reported, the second targeting the heart of the Lebanese capital since the start of the latest war. Meanwhile, Iran accused Israel of killing four of its diplomats in a weekend strike on a seafront Beirut hotel in what it called a "terrorist attack."
G7 weighs oil reserve release: G7 leaders will meet by video conference later on Wednesday to discuss the war's economic consequences, particularly the "energy situation", as the IEA will decide on a proposal for its largest-ever oil reserve release.
A joint Iranian military command said Wednesday that banks and financial institutions are now targets in the Middle East.
The Khatam al-Anbiya Headquarters issued a statement identifying the targets. It came after Iranian media reported staff at a bank in Tehran had been killed in Israeli-American airstrikes.
The threat would put at risk particularly Dubai, which is home to many international financial institutions, as well as Saudi Arabia and the island kingdom of Bahrain.
Lebanon’s minister of social affairs says the war has displaced 780,000 people in the country so far.
Haneen Sayed told reporters after meeting President Joseph Aoun on Wednesday morning that 120,000 displaced people are staying in shelters around Lebanon.
They discussed the challenges of the response and the humanitarian aid arriving to support the displaced, Sayed said.
Sayed added that a European Union plane arrived Tuesday with aid that will be distributed in shelters. She said additional aid shipments from Jordan, France and other countries are expected.
Drones fell near Dubai airport on Wednesday, injuring four people, but air traffic continued as normal, Dubai's government said, as Iran presses on with attacks against Gulf countries.
"Authorities confirm that two drones fell in the vicinity of Dubai International Airport a short while ago, resulting in minor injuries to two Ghanaian nationals and one Bangladeshi national, and moderate injuries to one Indian national. Air traffic is operating as normal," said a statement from the Dubai Media Office.
US President Donald Trump has said that Iran is "welcome" to play at the upcoming World Cup in North America, despite the ongoing war in the Middle East, FIFA chief Gianni Infantino said Wednesday.
During a meeting to discuss preparations for the competition, "we also spoke about the current situation in Iran," the head of the world football governing body, wrote on Instagram.
"During the discussions, President Trump reiterated that the Iranian team is, of course, welcome to compete in the tournament in the United States," he wrote.
A second container ship was hit off the coast of the UAE by an unidentified projectile on Wednesday, a British maritime security agency said, as Iran presses attacks on the Gulf and Strait of Hormuz.
"The master of a bulk carrier has reported their vessel being hit by an unknown projectile. There is no report of any environmental impact. The crew are reported safe and well," said the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations.
It said the incident took place 50 nautical miles northwest of Dubai.
Some tankers, believed linked to Iran, are continuing to get through the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf.
Some of the ships getting through are so-called “dark” transits, meaning they aren’t turning on their Automatic Identification System tracks, which show where vessels are.
Vessels carrying sanctioned Iranian crude often turn off their AIS trackers.
The security firm Neptune P2P Group said Wednesday that seven ships had passed through the strait since March 8. Of those, five were linked to Iranian-associated shipping, it said.
The commodity-tracking firm Kpler said Iran has restarted crude exports through its Jask oil terminal on the Gulf of Oman.
A tanker loaded roughly 2 million barrels at Jask on March 7, it said.
The son of Iranian president's Masoud Pezeshkian has confirmed that the Islamic Republic's new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei remains "safe and sound" despite war injuries.
Iran’s ruling clerics on Sunday appointed Mojtaba — the son of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei — as the country’s third supreme leader after US-Israeli strikes killed his father.
"I heard news that Mr Mojtaba Khamenei had been injured. I have asked some friends who had connections. They told me that, thank God, he is safe and sound," said Yousef Pezeshkian, who is also a government adviser, in a post on his Telegram channel.
State television had called Khamenei a "wounded veteran of the Ramadan war" but never specified his injury.
An unknown projectile hit a cargo ship in the strategic Strait of Hormuz abutting Iran, causing a fire and forcing the crew to evacuate, a maritime security agency said on Wednesday.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center, run by the British military, said the vessel had been hit just north of Oman in the strait.
"It has been reported that a cargo vessel has been hit by an unknown projectile in the Straits of Hormuz which has resulted in a fire onboard," the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said.
Iran did not immediately claim the attack though it has been targeting ships in and around the strait, disrupting a waterway that sees a fifth of all oil and natural gas traded pass through it.
The UKMTO earlier reported on another attack targeting a vessel off Ras al-Khaimah in the United Arab Emirates.
Wednesday's attack comes after the US targeted Iranian minelaying vessels that could target the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf.
Two more members of the Iranian women’s football team were granted asylum in Australia before their teammates departed the country, Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said Wednesday, but one of the women changed her mind and plant to return to Iran.
Six women from the Iranian squad will remain in Australia on humanitarian visas after accepting offers of asylum shortly before their scheduled return home, Burke said. The names and photographs of the team members initially granted asylum have been widely published, including by Burke, and it was not immediately clear which of the women reversed her decision.
The rest of the team’s departure from Sydney, Australia, happened late Tuesday during fraught and outraged protests at the delegation’s hotel and the airport. Iranian-Australians sought to prevent the women from leaving the country, citing fears for their safety in Iran.
Russia said its consulate in the Iranian city of Isfahan was damaged in airstrikes targeting the central Iranian city.
The state-run Tass news agency quoted Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova saying there were “no casualties or serious injuries” in the strike Sunday, which targeted the nearby governor’s office in the city.
“Windows were shattered in the office building and residential apartments, and several employees were thrown back by the blast wave. Fortunately, there were no casualties or serious injuries,” Zakharova said.
Qatar issued a warning to the public on Wednesday morning of a possible Iranian attack. Several loud explosions heard across the country’s capital Doha as air defenses intercepted incoming fire.
"The security threat level is high," the interior ministry posted on X, urging "everyone to adhere to staying at home, not going out, and staying away from windows and open areas to preserve public safety."
Iran's top police officer warned protesters who support the positions of the country's enemies that they would be treated as such by authorities, according to footage posted by state broadcaster IRIB late on Tuesday.
"If anyone comes forward in line with the wishes of the enemy, we will no longer see them as merely a protester, we will see them as an enemy. And we will do to them what we do to an enemy. We will deal with them in the same way we deal with enemies," said national police chief Ahmad-Reza Radan in comments aired by IRIB.
"All our forces are also ready, with their hands on the trigger, prepared to defend their revolution."
Qatar says it won’t serve as a mediator for Iran as it remains under attack from Tehran.
Qatar’s minister of state for foreign affairs Mohammed bin Abdulaziz al-Khulaifi made the statement to Al Jazeera in an interview aired Wednesday.
He noted both Qatar and Oman had been attacked even though they worked to “build bridges between Iran and the West.”
“We will not be able to fulfill that role under attack, and that’s something the Iranians need to understand,” al-Khulaifi said.
He added: “The regional countries are not an enemy of Iran, and the Iranians are not understanding that idea.”
An Israeli strike hit an apartment in central Beirut on Wednesday, state media reported, the second targeting the heart of the Lebanese capital since the start of the latest war with Iran-backed Hezbollah.
Lebanon's state-run National News Agency said that "the enemy targeted an apartment in the Aisha Bakkar area" in central Beirut.
A container ship was hit off the coast of the United Arab Emirates by an unidentified projectile, a British maritime security agency reported Wednesday, as Iran carries out a retaliation campaign in the Gulf in response to US-Israeli strikes.
"The Master of a container vessel has reported that the vessel has sustained damage from a suspected but unknown projectile," the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said, adding the extent of the damage was unknown but all crew members were safe.
The incident took place 25 nautical miles (29 miles) northwest of the emirate of Ras Al Khaimah, the agency said.
Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said US forces hit more than 5,000 targets.
The Pentagon separately said Tuesday that about 140 US service members have been wounded in the war, and the “vast majority” of the injuries were minor, with 108 service members already back on duty. Eight US service members suffered severe injuries, and seven have been killed.
The West Asia conflict, triggered by US-Israeli strikes on Iran, entered its twelfth day as attacks across the Gulf region roiled markets, upended global energy and transport sectors and pushed oil prices past $100 a barrel for the first time in years, even as Washington and Tehran remained poles apart on when the war might end.
TOP DEVELOPMENTS
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Tuesday that “today will be yet again our most intense day of strikes inside Iran.” Speaking at the Pentagon news briefing, US Joint Chiefs chairman said Iran’s missile attacks have fallen 90%.
Explosions rock Tehran as Iran says US and Israeli forces have bombed nearly 10,000 civilian sites in the country, and killed more than 1,300 civilians since the war began 11 days ago.
Iran launched new attacks on Israel and Gulf countries on Tuesday, keeping up pressure on the Middle East. The United Arab Emirates’ Defense Ministry said nine drones hit the country and reported two more deaths. Authorities in Bahrain said an Iranian attack killed one person and wounded eight others. Saudi Arabia said it destroyed two drones over its oil-rich eastern region, and Kuwait’s National Guard said it shot down six drones.
The US military said it destroyed 16 inactive Iranian mine-laying vessels after President Donald Trump warned of grave consequences if oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz are disrupted.
'Eye for an eye' response: Iran's parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf warned that any attack on the Islamic republic's infrastructure would result in a tit-for-tat response.
Airline price surge: Air India's fares are set to go up as the airline on Tuesday announced a hike in fuel surcharge between Rs 399 and $50 (Rs 4,600) amid the ongoing conflict between the US-Israel coalition and Iran in West Asia.
Death toll: Iran’s health ministry said on Monday that over 1,200 people had been killed, including about 200 women and 200 children under 12, with more than 10,000 civilians injured. In Lebanon, the health ministry said Israeli strikes had killed 486 people and wounded 1,313 since fighting began last week.
Saudi Arabia's defence ministry said on Wednesday that it intercepted seven drones heading towards an oil field in the southeast of the country.
"Two drones heading towards the Shaybah oil field were intercepted and destroyed," the ministry said in a post on X.
Another five drones were intercepted and destroyed, the ministry said in separate posts.
The oil field sits near the border with the United Arab Emirates and is operated by Saudi giant Aramco, one of the world's biggest companies by market capitalisation.
The field is crucial to the kingdom's vast oil production.
The Kuwaiti National Guard says it has shot down eight drones as “part of the ongoing efforts to enhance security, protect vital sites, and confront any potential threats”
Iran says US and Israeli forces have bombed nearly 10,000 civilian sites in the country, and killed more than 1,300 civilians since the war began 11 days ago.
Israel’s military identified another salvo of missiles from Iran early on Wednesday, bringing the overnight total to four. None of the four resulted in casualties, according to Israeli emergency services.
Israel’s military warned early Wednesday it had detected an Iranian missile launch targeting the country and sirens sounded in Tel Aviv.
It was the third such announcement of the night. Israel’s emergencies services said the first two did not result in casualties. What sounded like small impacts were heard near Tel Aviv.
Sirens sounded in Bahrain early Wednesday, warning of an incoming Iranian attack. The previous day, an Iranian attack hit a residential building in the capital, Manama, killing a 29-year-old woman and wounding eight people.
Also early Wednesday, the United Arab Emirates said its air defenses were firing at incoming Iranian strikes. The UAE issued a similar warning just after midnight.
An Israeli strike killed five people and wounded five others in the town of Qana in the Nabatiyeh district, the Health Ministry said early Wednesday.
Another strike in the Tyre district killed one and wounded eight, while a separate strike in the Bint Jbeil district killed one and injured two, the ministry added.
Pyongyang also criticized the United States and Israel for what it called “illegal” attacks on Iran and interference in its internal affairs.
In comments attributed to an unidentified Foreign Ministry spokesperson, North Korea said it respects Iranians’ right to choose their leader.
The spokesperson denounced the United States and Israel, saying their military actions against Iran and efforts to “interfere in its internal affairs and openly advocate the attempt to overthrow its social system deserve worldwide criticism.”
The short draft resolution “condemns in the strongest terms all attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure, and calls for their protection.”
It strongly encourages a quick return to negotiations and diplomacy but does not specifically name Iran, the United States or Israel.
The draft was put in a final form Tuesday evening. It could be put to a vote as early as Wednesday afternoon, following a vote on a resolution by Gulf nations demanding that Iran stop attacking its Arab neighbors.
The proposed Russian resolution, obtained by The Associated Press, recalls the U.N. Charter’s prohibition on the use of force against a country’s territorial integrity or political independence.
It underlines the importance of ensuring the security of all countries in the Middle East and beyond.
Qatar Airways will operate 29 flights to and from Doha on Thursday after "temporary authorisation from the Qatar Civil Aviation Authority", the company has announced.
"Following temporary authorisation from the Qatar Civil Aviation Authority allowing limited operating corridors, Qatar Airways plans to operate select flights in the coming days to support passengers affected by the disruption," the company said in a post on X late Tuesday.
The flights include departures to London, New York and Madrid, even as Iran continues its retaliatory strikes across the Gulf.
Israel's military said Wednesday that it detected missiles heading towards the country from Iran and had activated air defences, as it pressed a "wave" of strikes against Iran and Lebanon.
"A short while ago, the IDF identified missiles launched from Iran toward the territory of the State of Israel. Defensive systems are operating to intercept the threat," the military said on its official Telegram account.
Israeli strikes struck Beirut's southern suburbs on Wednesday, Lebanese state media reported, with the Israeli army saying it is again targeting the Iran-backed Hezbollah.
Lebanon's state-run National News Agency said "the Israeli enemy launched a violent raid" on Beirut's southern suburbs, where Hezbollah holds sway. AFPTV's live footage showed plumes of smoke rising from places struck.
The Israeli military said in a statement it "has begun strikes against Hezbollah infrastructure" in the area.
The price of the main US benchmark for oil surged more than five percent late Tuesday as US President Donald Trump upped his threats surrounding the strategic Strait of Hormuz.
Around 2230 GMT, the West Texas Intermediate (WTI) was up 5.03 percent at $87.65 a barrel.
The US military said Tuesday it has destroyed 16 Iranian mine-laying vessels "near the Strait of Hormuz," following reports Tehran is mining the key waterway that has been virtually closed due to the Middle East war.
"US forces eliminated multiple Iranian naval vessels, March 10, including 16 minelayers near the Strait of Hormuz," the United States Central Command said in a post on X that included video footage of various boats being struck by projectiles and exploding.
Iran's Revolutionary Guards said they had targeted US bases in Bahrain and Iraqi Kurdistan in a fresh missile attack, Iranian media reported in the early hours of Wednesday.
In a statement carried by the Tasnim news agency, the Guards said "a mass" of ballistic missiles had been fired at the base of the US Navy's Fifth Fleet in Bahrain and at three other facilities in the Kurdish region of Iraq.
North Korea respects Iran's choice of new supreme leader, state media reported Wednesday, as it accused the United States and Israel of destroying regional peace.
"With regard to the recent official announcement that Iran's Assembly of Experts elected the new leader of the Islamic Revolution, we respect the rights and choice of the Iranian people to elect their supreme leader," an unnamed Foreign Ministry spokesperson was quoted as saying by state news agency KCNA.
The Islamic republic on Sunday named Mojtaba Khamenei as its new leader, replacing his father Ali Khamenei who died in an Israeli airstrike on February 28.
Israel's military said late Tuesday that it had unleashed a new "wave of strikes" on Tehran, shortly after a round of explosions was heard in the Iranian capital.
"The IDF (military) has begun an additional wave of strikes on Iranian terror regime targets in Tehran," the Israeli military wrote on its official Telegram channel.
G7 leaders will hold a video conference on Wednesday to discuss the economic consequences of the war in the Middle East, particularly the "energy situation", the French presidency said.
"This will be the first discussion on these issue between G7 members. Economic coordination is a key issue for an effective and useful response to the situation," the Elysee said. The meeting will start at 1400 GMT.
President Emmanuel Macron will chair the meeting, as France holds the G7 presidency this year.
US forces have destroyed 10 Iranian mine-laying vessels, President Donald Trump said Tuesday, warning Tehran of unprecedented military consequences if it targets the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump's comments came after Tehran vowed that no Gulf oil would pass through the key waterway, with oil prices remaining highly volatile over the virtual halt of shipping in the strait.
"I am pleased to report that within the last few hours, we have hit, and completely destroyed, 10 inactive mine laying boats and/or ships, with more to follow!" Trump said on his Truth Social platform.
The Iranian ambassador to the United Nations on Tuesday accused the Security Council of ignoring what he called a "war crime" after Iran said Israel killed four of its diplomats in a weekend strike on a Beirut hotel.
"The Council is turning a blind eye to this grave violation despite its primary responsibility under the UN Charter to maintain international peace and security," Amir Saeid Iravani told reporters in New York.
The White House said Tuesday that President Donald Trump would not be "happy" if Russia is sharing intelligence with Iran during the Middle East war, but it held back any strong criticism for Moscow.
The Washington Post reported on Friday that Moscow had passed sensitive intelligence to Tehran, including the locations of US warships and aircraft in the region.
But Washington has taken a restrained tone in response so far, with Trump saying President Vladimir Putin wanted to be "helpful" on the Middle East in a call on Monday, even as Putin offered "unwavering support" to Iran's new supreme leader.
Washington has also halted sanctions on some Russian oil as crude prices spiked because of the Iran war. The sanctions were originally imposed to cut Russia's funds for its war on Ukraine.
US President Donald Trump warned Iran on Tuesday not to mine the Strait of Hormuz, after Tehran vowed that no Gulf oil would pass through the key waterway while the Middle East war is ongoing.
"If for any reason mines were placed, and they are not removed forthwith, the Military consequences to Iran will be at a level never seen before," Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform.
Press secretary Karoline Leavitt didn’t answer why Trump falsely asserted on Monday that Iran has access to the U.S.-made Tomahawk cruise missile, the weapon likely used to strike a girls school in Iran, killing 165 people.
She responded in part that “the president has a right to share his opinions with the American public” while noting “he has said he’ll accept the conclusion of that investigation.”
Raytheon, the U.S. manufacturer of the Tomahawk, sells the weapon to some allies, but there is no evidence to suggest that Iran has gotten its hands on the cruise missile.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told UN chief Antonio Guterres on Tuesday that Tehran expected him and the Security Council to take a stronger position condemning US and Israeli "aggression", the Tasnim news agency reported.
In a phone conversation, Araghchi noted the UN's role in maintaining peace and "emphasised the serious expectation of the Iranian government and people from the Secretary-General and the UN Security Council to adopt stronger and more responsible positions in explicitly condemning the aggression", Tasnim said.
Iran is not seeking a ceasefire in the war against the United States and Israel, the powerful Iranian parliament speaker said on Tuesday, adding that the "aggressor" should be punished.
"Certainly we aren't seeking a ceasefire," Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, a former top commander in Iran's Revolutionary Guards and key figure after the killing of former supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, wrote in an English-language X post.
"We believe the aggressor must be punished and taught a lesson that will deter them from attacking Iran again," he added.
About 140 US military personnel have been wounded in attacks since the start of the war against Iran, the Pentagon said on Tuesday.
"The vast majority of these injuries have been minor, and 108 service members have already returned to duty," Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said in a statement.
"Eight service members remain listed as severely injured and are receiving the highest level of medical care," he added.
Seven US military personnel were also killed in Iranian attacks early in the conflict -- six in Kuwait and one in Saudi Arabia -- the US military has previously said.
Explosions thundered out in Tehran on Tuesday after the Pentagon chief warned US strikes on Iran would reach their highest intensity since the start of the war in the Middle East.
The war has been a shock to energy markets, and Iran has vowed that no crude exports would leave the Gulf if the United States and Israel kept up their bombardment.
But the war has shown no sign of relenting, with AFP journalists reporting three explosions in Tehran on Tuesday evening, with no immediate information available about the intended targets.
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had earlier told a news conference at the Pentagon that Tuesday would "be yet again our most intense day of strikes inside Iran -- the most fighters, the most bombers".
The United States has not escorted any oil tanker through the Strait of Hormuz, the White House confirmed Tuesday, after the energy secretary deleted a post that had said so and Iran issued a denial.
"I can confirm that the US Navy has not escorted a tanker or a vessel at this time, though of course that's an option," White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told a briefing.
Explosions were heard on Tuesday in Bahrain's capital, Manama, as Iran continued its retaliatory strikes across the Gulf, according to a report by AFP.
Bahrain has been targeted by waves of Iranian drones and missiles, which have so far killed two people in the country, according to authorities.
Iran accused Israel on Tuesday of killing four of its diplomats in a weekend strike on a seafront hotel in Beirut, according to a letter addressed to the United Nations chief.
"In the early hours of Sunday, 8 March 2026, the Israeli regime carried out a deliberate terrorist attack against the Ramada Hotel in Beirut, which resulted in the assassination and martyrdom of four diplomats of the Islamic Republic of Iran," Tehran's permanent mission to the UN said.
The Israeli military had previously claimed responsibility for the attack.
It said it had "conducted a precise strike targeting key commanders" in the Iranian Revolutionary Guards' Quds Force, its foreign operations arm.
Iran's Revolutionary Guards said Tuesday that no US Navy vessel has "dared" approach the Strait of Hormuz, after a senior official in Washington said a warship had escorted a tanker through the strategic waterway.
"None of the US warships have dared to approach even the Sea of Oman, the Persian Gulf or the Strait of Hormuz during the war," Guards spokesman Ali Mohammad Naini said, calling the claim a "pure falsehood".
US Energy Secretary Chris Wright had initially said the navy had escorted an oil tanker through the strait, but the post was deleted minutes after it was published.
Fresh Israeli strikes hit Beirut's southern suburbs and south Lebanon on Tuesday after the Israeli army warned people to evacuate, with Lebanese authorities saying nearly 760,000 people had been registered as displaced.
Lebanon was drawn into the Middle East war last week when Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah attacked Israel in response to the killing of Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in US-Israeli strikes.
Israel, which kept up strikes targeting Hezbollah despite a 2024 ceasefire, has since launched new waves of attacks across Lebanon and sent ground troops into border areas.
Lebanon's state-run National News Agency (NNA) reported several strikes Tuesday on the capital's southern suburbs, where Hezbollah holds sway.
