War returns to Iran with Israel, US strikes

The US is well on its way toward controlling Iranian airspace, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt has told reporters, adding that Washington expects the achievable US objectives to be completed in four to six weeks, Reuters reports.

The US has sufficient weapon stockpiles to meet operational needs related to the conflict in Iran, White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt says as President Donald Trump prepares to meet with major defence contractors alongside Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, Reuters reports.

Saudi Arabia’s finance ministry says ⁠the kingdom’s ⁠fiscal position is strong and it has access to multiple export routes, including the Red Sea, a week ⁠into the US-Israeli war on Iran, Al Jazeera reports.

“Economic activity across Saudi Arabia continues to ⁠operate normally,” the finance ministry’s spokesperson has said in a statement that referred to “recent developments” but did not directly mention the conflict.

“We continue to assess economic and fiscal indicators on an ongoing basis, and ‌current data confirm that our fiscal position and medium-term outlook remain solid,” the statement adds.

French President Emmanuel Macron says he spoke to Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani and praised his efforts to keep his country out of the conflict in the Middle East, Reuters reports.

“I reiterated my support for his resolute action to prevent Iraq from being drawn into the conflict,” Macron said in a post on social media X.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard says it has begun its latest round of strikes, Al Jazeera reports, quoting a statement carried by Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency.

The update comes as the Israeli military reports that missiles have been launched from Iran towards Israel.

At least two people have been killed in a US-Israeli attack on a residential building in the city of Qom, Al Jazeera reports citing the Tasnim news agency.

The strike hit a house on Kargar Street in Qom, said the deputy political and security officer of Qom governorate, Tasnim adds.

The official has said that “more than four points” across the province were targeted in today’s attacks.

Shipments of garments for Zara owner Inditex and other major clothing retailers are stranded at airports in Bangladesh and India, according to three manufacturers, as the conflict in the Middle East forces airlines such as Emirates and Qatar Airways to cancel flights, Reuters reports.

South Asia is a clothes manufacturing powerhouse and fast fashion brands around the world rely on factories in Bangladesh, India and Pakistan for a constant stream of new T-shirts, dresses and jeans.

“Some of my apparel consignments are currently stuck at Dhaka airport,” says Shovon Islam, managing director of manufacturer Sparrow Group, whose European clients include Inditex, M&S, Next, and Primark.

“They were supposed to be flown to the UK via Dubai, but with operations at Dubai airport suspended, we are now in a very difficult position. We’re trying to figure out alternative routes, but none of them are simple or cost-effective,” Islam adds.

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United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has condemned “unlawful attacks” across the Middle East and warned that the situation could spiral out of control as the regional war raged across multiple countries, AFP reports.

“All the unlawful attacks in the Middle East and beyond are causing tremendous suffering and harm to civilians throughout the region — and pose a grave risk to the global economy, particularly to the most vulnerable people,” he said.

“The situation could spiral beyond anyone’s control. It is time to stop the fighting and get to serious diplomatic negotiations.”

Only nine oil tankers, cargo and container ships, some of which at times concealed their position, have been recorded crossing the Strait of Hormuz since Monday, according to data from tracking monitor MarineTraffic analysed by AFP.

After three ships were attacked on Sunday, at least three tankers and a vessel carrying gas have crossed this chokepoint.

Nearly 20 per cent of the world’s crude oil and about 20pc of liquified natural gas (LNG) transit through the Strait of Hormuz.

The Israeli military claims it hit more than 400 targets in Iran, including ballistic missile launchers and storage facilities for unmanned aerial vehicles, Al Jazeera reports.

In western Iran’s Shahroud area, Israeli forces destroyed a truck that was transferring air defence systems to another location, the army has claimed on Telegram.

It attached an aerial photo of what appeared to be a truck on an unidentified road.

There was no immediate response from Iran.

An Iranian attack on a US base in Bahrain has resulted in deaths and injuries, the Tasnim news agency has reported, citing the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, which assumes operational command of Iran’s armed forces during wartime.

Al Jazeera could not independently verify the report, and the US has yet to comment on the alleged incident.

Planet Labs PBC, a leading provider of high-resolution images taken from space, says it will hold back images of Gulf states for 96 hours, al Jazeera reports.

“All new imagery collected over the Gulf States and adjacent conflict zones [not including Iran] will be subject to a mandatory 96-hour delay before it is made available in our archive”, the company said.

“This measure is intended to prevent adversarial actors [from] endangering the safety of allied and Nato-partner personnel and civilians there,” it added.

The satellite images produced by the California-based company are normally available almost immediately to its clients, including media outlets, companies and researchers.

It did not say if it had acted at the request of US authorities.

“As the conflict evolves, the area impacted may change,” it added.

US Central Command chief Admiral Brad Cooper claims that Iranian forces fired seven attack drones at civilian and residential neighbourhoods on Thursday, Reuters reports.

Canada’s Foreign Minister Anita Anand says that approximately 3,500 nationals have requested to leave the Middle East and Gulf regions, Al Jazeera reports.

“As of this morning, more than 108,000 Canadians in the region have registered with Global Affairs. Of these, approximately 3,500 Canadians have contacted Global Affairs to request assistance in departing”, Anand has told a virtual briefing on the latest situation of Canadians in the region.

“At this time, our government continues to provide three types of departure options: first, charter flights, second, block bookings and third, ground transportation, when and where it is safe to do so.”

Describing the situation in the region as “volatile and unpredictable”, the minister stresses that Ottawa has “no intention to participate in Operation Epic Fury”.

“We were not consulted on this military operation and have not participated,” she said.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards say they targeted a US base in the UAE that they alleged had been used as a launchpad for a strike on a girl’s elementary school in Minab, AFP reports.

“Al-Dhafra air base, belonging to American terrorists in the region, was targeted using drones and precision missiles,” the Guards said in a statement broadcast on state TV.

Neither Israel nor the United States has claimed responsibility for the reported attack, which was close to sites controlled by the Revolutionary Guards.

The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) has called on Israel to immediately “reverse mass evacuation orders” in Lebanon, warning they risk triggering a humanitarian catastrophe as hundreds of thousands flee their homes, Al Jazeera reports.

In an email statement sent to Al Jazeera, the rights group said it estimates about 300,000 people have already been displaced in “less than 100 hours” since Israel launched a wave of air strikes on southern Lebanon, the capital Beirut, and other parts of the country.

“Families who had barely begun rebuilding their lives are now forced to flee once again,” Maureen Philippon, country director for NRC in Lebanon, says.

“People left their homes in the middle of the night with nothing but the clothes they were wearing. Once again, civilians are paying the highest price. If implemented, the latest evacuation orders from Israel could yet produce a humanitarian crisis unlike anything we have seen in over two years.”

The NRC has warned that the number of people forced to flee could exceed 1 million if the orders are fully implemented.

France has sent a helicopter carrier to the Mediterranean Sea in response to the Middle East war, the French military tells AFP.

“An amphibious helicopter carrier has been deployed in the Mediterranean to reinforce the presence of the French armed forces in the context of the Middle East crisis,” a spokeswoman has said, after France decided to deploy its flagship aircraft carrier and a frigate earlier in the week.

A fire at Fujairah Oil Industry Zone in the United Arab Emirates, which was sparked by falling debris after air defences successfully intercepted a drone, is now under control, Al Jazeera reports citing state media.

The Emirates News Agency (WAM) has written in a brief social media post that the flames are now under control.

The zone flanks the Port of Fujairah and comprises the Middle East’s largest commercial storage capacity for refined oil products, according to its website.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has spoken with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, where the former expressed concern over the evolving situation in the Middle East, the Foreign Office (FO) says.

“The DPM/FM expressed concern over the evolving regional situation. The two agreed to remain in touch on the developments,” the FO said in a post on X.

An Iranian warship has docked in the southwest Indian port of Kochi, a government source has said, after a US submarine sank another Iranian frigate and a third docked in Sri Lanka, AFP reports.

“IRIS Lavan … docked at Kochi on March 4. In this context, its crew of 183 are currently accommodated at naval facilities in Kochi,” the source has said.

Riyadh has intercepted a cruise missile east of the Al-Kharj governorate, the Saudi Press Agency reports citing a defence ministry spokesperson.

The price of the benchmark US oil contract has soared more than 10 per cent on fears of extended disruption to crude supplies after US President Donald Trump demanded Iran’s “unconditional surrender”, AFP reports.

West Texas Intermediate surged 10.63pc to $89.62 per barrel, while international benchmark Brent North Sea crude reached $91.89, the highest level in nearly two years.

Oil prices have jumped after Qatar’s energy minister warned he expects all oil and gas exporters in the Gulf to stop production within days, BBC reports.

Saad al-Kaabi has told The Financial Times that the conflict in the Middle East could “bring down the economies of the world”.

Brent crude oil has risen to $89.17 a barrel on Friday, up 4.4 per cent from the end of trading on Thursday.

If ships were unable to proceed through the Strait of Hormuz, Kaabi said that in two to three weeks, the price of oil could soar much further to $150 a barrel.

Kaabi told The FT: “If this war continues for a few weeks, GDP growth around the world will be impacted. Everybody’s energy price is going to go higher. There will be shortages of some products and there will be a chain reaction of factories that can’t supply.”

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