War returns to Iran with Israel, US strikes

Continuing his speech at the COP31 climate conference, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian says US and Israeli attacks on fuel facilities in Iran released 1.5 million tonnes of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, causing extensive environmental damage, Anadolu reports.

Pezeshkian outlines that attacks on fuel facilities in Asaluyeh released 500,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide. In comparison, strikes on fuel storage tanks near Tehran produced another 1 million tonnes.

Israeli strikes targeted oil storage facilities in Tehran on March 7, while gas processing facilities in Asaluyeh in southern Iran were hit on March 18.

The Saudi-led coalition says it has intercepted two Houthi drones targeting the kingdom’s Makkah and Southern regions.

Addressing the COP31 climate conference in Turkiye, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has said that the environment is a “silent victim of war”, saying that the US and Israel’s military operations on Iran have caused significant environmental damage.

“We cannot speak about the future of the Earth while turning a blind eye to wars that target natural resources and human life,” he says, according to state news agency IRNA.

Noting the environmental damage of the US-Israeli war alongside the human toll, Pezeshkian calls for “stronger mechanisms to document the actions of aggressors, prevent such actions, and hold those responsible accountable”.

He adds that despite sanctions, Tehran has pursued clean energy solutions and that the country’s clean power generation capacity has risen to 6,150 megawatts, up from 1,250 two years ago.

Iranian national security chief Mohsen Rezaei has threatened to strike US bases beyond the Middle East, including in Europe, if they are used for attacks against the country, AFP reports.

“If American aircraft take off from an American military base, even one located in a European country or some other distant region, to bomb Iran, we will strike those bases as well,” Rezaei says in an interview with Lebanon’s Al-Mayadeen TV.

Iran’s defence ministry spokesperson Reza Talaei-Nik says that there are only two outcomes in the war: Washington accepting Iran’s demands, or facing defeat on the battlefield.

In a post on X, Talaei-Nik says Iran’s military capabilities exceed that of US President Donald Trump and Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth’s statistics.

“Our defence capabilities have been strengthened, and the outcome of the war is clear: either acceptance of Iran’s legitimate demands, or the enemy’s surrender on the battlefield,” he writes.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, in a meeting with the Iranian president, has said that Pakistan is playing a “sincere and constructive role” in trying to ensure peace in the Middle East and building on the agreements reached under the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding.

The premier says in a social media post that he met Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on the sidelines of the COP31 summit in Turkiye, where both leaders “reaffirmed the deep and enduring bonds between Pakistan and Iran … and agreed to further strengthen our cooperation”.

“I conveyed Pakistan’s deep concern over the prolonged conflict in our region. Dialogue, restraint, de-escalation and sustained diplomacy are the only path to lasting peace,” PM Shehbaz writes.

“Building on the understandings reached under the Islamabad MoU, Pakistan continues to play a sincere and constructive role for peace and stability in the region and beyond.”

Mohammed Reza Naqdi, a senior official in Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, says that Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei has authorised operations in any location and “given a free hand” to the military, according to the ISNA news agency.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has met Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store on the sidelines of the COP31 summit in Turkiye, according to state news agency IRNA.

Both leaders have discussed regional developments and stressed that “diplomacy, constructive dialogue, and multilateral cooperation are essential for tackling shared global challenges”.

The Persian Gulf Strait Authority (PGSA) — the Iranian body governing the Strait of Hormuz — says it has taken legal action against two bulk carriers for allegedly using forged documents to travel to ports in Gulf countries, state broadcaster Press TV reports.

In a statement on its official X account, the PGSA, which did not identify the ships or provide details about when the violations occurred, says the vessels tried to sail without coordinating their movements with it.

The body adds that both ships accepted commitments set by the PGSA, allowing them to avoid being placed on its blacklist.

It adds that other vessels which have previously breached PGSA regulations could face less stringent commitments if they “acknowledge their violations by sending an email”.

Iran’s national security chief Mohsen Rezaei claims that US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu no longer have the political capacity to resume their war on Iran, according to the IRNA state news agency.

He is quoted as saying both leaders lack international political backing, “nor on the domestic political front do they have the backing needed to sustain a large-scale war”.

Iranian national security chief Mohsen Rezaei has taken a jab at US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, calling him an “ignorant war minister [who] was brought to his knees by Iranian commanders in battle”, state news agency IRNA reports.

Iranian national security chief Mohsen Rezaei has warned that if the US tries to do “anything foolish, Iran’s response will not be limited to nearby American bases”, according to Iran’s ISNA news agency.

“In addition to the bases that have already been targeted, distant American bases will also be within our range,” Rezaei has told Lebanese broadcaster Al-Mayadeen in an interview.

He claims that Tehran has managed to hijack control of American drones operating in the area and brought them down safely, capturing seven intact.

The Saudi-led coalition says it has intercepted and destroyed three Houthi cruise missiles targeting the Riyadh area.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has relocated from his residence to a military base following threats to his life from Iran according to Anadolu, which cites media reports.

The Washington Post, citing three people familiar with the matter, reports that US officials determined in recent weeks that Iranian plots targeting current and former American officials had reached a more advanced stage, partly based on intelligence concerning threats against Bessent.

The Treasury chief, who has led a US economic pressure campaign against Iran since August through tighter sanctions and restrictions on trade routes, has become one of the administration officials Tehran is particularly keen to target, according to the report.

US officials say Iran has limited capabilities to carry out large-scale attacks in the US and other countries, but have identified specific threats targeting individuals as serious, including an alleged Iranian plot to assassinate President Donald Trump during his 2024 election campaign.

In a statement, a Treasury Department spokesperson says Bessent “will not be deterred by the Iranian regime’s threats,” adding that he remains committed to pursuing the campaign aimed at putting further pressure on Iran’s economy.

Top oil exporter Saudi Arabia boosted oil output in October to the highest since February, the last month before the Iran war disrupted Middle East supplies, according to a copy of Opec’s monthly report seen by Reuters.

Saudi Arabia told Opec that it pumped 10.563 million barrels per day (bpd) of crude in October, the report says, up from 8.372 million bpd in September. This marks its highest since February this year, when Saudi Arabia told Opec it produced 10.882 million bpd.

Major General Ali Abdollahi, Iran’s Chief of General Staff, has issued a stark warning to the US and Israel, saying that any renewed aggression or “miscalculation” will result in a more devastating response, state broadcaster Press TV reports.

“We warn the United States and the Zionist regime (Israel) once again that the previous slaps were only the beginning of the story, and in the event of any new miscalculation, far more lethal blows await them,” he is quoted as saying, warning that this is a “credible threat” which Iran is capable of acting on.

He declares that any location acting as a centre of threats against Iran will be the direct target of asymmetric operations.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has met with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on the sidelines of the COP31 summit summit in Antalya.

According to the government, the meeting has begun and will focus on bilateral relations and the promotion of mutual cooperation between Pakistan and Iran.

“The two leaders will also discuss the regional situation and issues related to peace and stability in the region,” the government said on X.

Oil prices are up about one per cent from the previous session’s two-month lows, after Iran’s security chief said Tehran would not allow even a single particle of enriched nuclear material to leave the country, Reuters reports.

Brent futures are up $1.28, or 1.4pc, to $92.77 a barrel as of 0934 GMT (2:34pm PKT). US West Texas Intermediate crude has gained 76 cents, or 0.9pc, to $86.80.

Iran’s IRIB state broadcaster reports that a second tanker passing through the Strait of Hormuz, escorted by US fighter jets, hit a mine in the waterway and caught fire.

It adds that efforts to extinguish the blaze have been unsuccessful.

Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf says China can play a significant role in ending the war and resolving Iran’s current “neither war nor peace” situation with the US, according to Anadolu.

In an article published on the website of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, Ghalibaf has highlighted Beijing’s potential role in regional diplomacy.

“China’s role in ending the war and the situation of ‘neither war nor peace’ is significant,” he writes, adding that China’s relations with Iran and Arab countries, along with Beijing’s diplomatic initiatives, provide an opportunity to strengthen regional stability and help shape a new regional order.

He adds that Khamenei issued detailed instructions concerning relations with China, emphasising specific priorities rather than broad recommendations.

Ghalibaf has announced plans to establish a high-level steering and oversight body to coordinate and monitor cooperation with Beijing, focusing on strategic coordination, setting priorities, accelerating decisions and following up on major cross-sectoral issues, rather than replacing government institutions’ responsibilities.

Iran’s government has warned of worsening internal gas shortages this winter, as a result of damage to processing facilities in the war with the United States that could lead to cuts in supply, Reuters reports.

“If the level of consumption is high, it is possible that gas cuts will occur all over the country, including in Tehran,” government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani says at a news conference.

Oil prices rose on Wednesday from the previous session’s two-month lows, as the market swung between hopes for a de-escalation in the US-Israeli war on Iran and concerns about attacks on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, AFP reports.

Also on Wednesday, a regional governor said a drone attack caused a fire in the port area of Ust-Luga by the Baltic Sea in northwest Russia, injuring three workers.

Brent futures climbed 52 cents, or 0.6 per cent, to $92.01 a barrel by 0730 GMT. US West Texas Intermediate crude rose 16 cents, or 0.2pc, to $86.20.

Recent data showed little sign of fewer attacks in November, after 37 ships were attacked in October, the highest monthly total since the start of the Middle East war, according to data from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.

Iran’s security chief Mohsen Rezaei says that Tehran is waiting for a response from the US on its seven conditions for peace talks, while dismissing speculation about holding any negotiations with Washington, Al Jazeera reports.

The US-Iran war will cost Gulf countries more than $200 billion in damage and economic losses could reach nearly four times that amount by 2030, insurer Allianz Trade said, AFP reports.

“Physical damage across the region is assessed just above $200bn, mostly concentrated in Hormuz-locked economies, especially in energy infrastructure,” the insurer said in a report.

More than 80 energy facilities were hit in the war, mostly in Kuwait, Qatar and Bahrain, the report said, with a third of them “severely damaged”.

Iran hit out at the United States’ $20 million reward for information on its nuclear programme on Wednesday, calling it “repugnant and regrettable,” AFP reports.

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi urged the United Nations’ atomic energy agency and the Security Council to condemn the reward, which was announced last week.

Last Friday, the US military said up to $20 million and “possible relocation” were available for information about the programme’s “facilities, equipment, and associated personnel”.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran calls upon the UN Secretary-General, the Security Council, and the Director General of the IAEA to condemn this repugnant announcement explicitly and unequivocally,” Araghchi wrote in a letter addressed to all three.