The US and Israel on Feb 28 launched what they described as a “pre-emptive” joint strike against Iranian targets, with Trump announcing start of “major combat operations”
A meeting of the foreign ministers of the regional countries, hosted by Saudi Arabia, has condemned Iran’s retaliatory campaign against Gulf countries, calling on the country to “immediately” cease the aggression
Trump has threatened to destroy Iran’s key South Pars gas field if there are further attacks against Qatar’s main gas plant
Iran’s internet blackout has entered its 20th day, with international connectivity unavailable to the general public for over 456 hours, according to NetBlocks.
China has condemned the killing of Iranian national security chief Ali Larijani by an Israeli air strike, calling it “unacceptable,” AFP reports.
“We have always opposed the use of force in international relations. The acts of killing Iranian state leaders and attacking civilian targets are even more unacceptable,” China’s foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian told a news conference when asked about Larijani’s death.
“China urges the parties concerned to immediately cease military operations and prevent the regional situation from spiralling out of control”, Lin said.
The Kuwait Petroleum Corporation says a “limited fire” has broken out after a drone hit an operational unit at the Mina al-Ahmadi refinery, reports Al-Jazeera.
According to the Kuwait News Agency, the company said that the incident did not result in any injuries, and the fire was dealt with “according to the highest safety standards”.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has responded to a post on X by Emmanuel Macron, in which the French president called for a moratorium on attacks on civilian infrastructure.
“Macron has not uttered one word of condemnation of the Israel-US war on Iran. He did not condemn Israel when it blew up fuel storage in Tehran, exposing millions to toxins,” Araghchi wrote.
Oil giant Saudi Aramco’s SAMREF refinery in the Red Sea port of Yanbu was targeted in an aerial attack, an industry source said, adding there was minimal impact, reports Reuters.
An Iraqi security source has said that there’s been an attack involving two drones on a US camp near the airport in the Iraqi capital, reports Al Jazeera.
The report came amid several deadly attacks on sites belonging to the paramilitary Popular Mobilisation Forces. The umbrella group includes factions that are aligned with Iran.
Hezbollah says its fighters have clashed with Israeli ground troops who were attempting to advance in south Lebanon, from the town of Taybeh towards Baydar al-Fuqa’ani area, deploying missiles and destroying six Israeli Merkava tanks, Al Jazeera reports.
It claimed the Israeli military “brought in several helicopters to evacuate the wounded under heavy fire and smoke cover”.
It also said it launched three separate rocket attacks on the northern Israeli city of Kiryat Shmona and targeted Israeli troops in Khirbet al-Manara, opposite the border town of Houla, and at the Miskav Am site opposite the border town of Al-Adisa.
fireball rises from the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted a building in Beirut’s Bashoura neighbourhood early on March 18, 2026. —AFP
The Bank of Japan kept interest rates steady but warned of the impact rising oil costs from the Middle East conflict could have on underlying inflation, signalling its caution over mounting price pressures.
Two hawkish board members also dissented to the central bank’s projection on how soon inflation may durably hit its target, arguing that the timing could be faster than initially expected.
The BOJ’s decision came in a week crammed with central bank meetings, where policymakers grappled with a policy path muddled by the Middle East oil shock.
The Federal Reserve and Bank of Canada kept rates on hold but struck hawkish tones on Wednesday, mindful of the risk surging oil prices could fan inflation.
Iran seeks compensation from the United Arab Emirates, accusing it of enabling US attacks against Iranian territory, Iran’s UN Ambassador told the UN Secretary General in a letter according to a Nournews report, according to Reuters.
In the letter, Amir Saeid Iravani said the UAE’s decision to allow its territory to be used for the strikes constituted “an internationally wrongful act that entailed state responsibility.”
Tehran said the UAE had an international responsibility to provide reparation, including compensation for all material and moral damages incurred.
Iranian missile attacks have killed three Palestinian women in the occupied West Bank and a foreign worker in central Israel, medics said, AFP reports.
Falling shrapnel struck a hair salon in the West Bank town of Beit Awa near Hebron late Wednesday, killing the three women, according to the Palestine Red Crescent Society, marking the first Palestinian deaths from Iranian attacks in the ongoing Middle East war.
The victims include 17-year-old Mays Ghazi Masalmeh, according to the official Palestinian news agency, Wafa.
The Red Crescent said at least eight others were wounded, including one woman in critical condition. Wafa reported that the salon had been set up in a metal caravan next to a house.
AFP images showed civil defence workers inside the caravan, whose roof appeared to be punctured by the falling munition. A rug and bed sheets were covered in blood.
Palestinian security forces gather at the scene where Palestinian women were killed in an Iranian missile attack near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank March 18. — Reuters
Iran has executed three people convicted of killing police officers and carrying out operations in favour of the United States and Israel during unrest earlier this year, the judiciary said, reports Al-Jazeera.
It added that those executed were involved in the killing of two law enforcement personnel.
Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea port of Yanbu, currently the only export outlet for its crude, was targeted in an aerial attack, an industry source said, adding there was minimal impact, reports Reuters.
It was not immediately clear what specifically was targeted in Yanbu.
The Kuwaiti Army says its air defences are “confronting hostile missile and drone attacks”, about an hour after the National Guard said it shot down several drones, reports Al-Jazeera.
The army advises the public to adhere to “security and safety instructions” and says that any explosions heard are the result of interceptions.
The Channel 12 broadcaster says Iranian missile attacks on Israel have triggered air raid sirens in central Israel, the occupied West Bank and the Jordan Valley, reports Al-Jazeera.
The Israeli military also said that it has detected incoming missiles from Iran.
The price of the main US benchmark for crude oil rose more than three per cent following strikes against energy infrastructure in Iran and Qatar, reports Reuters.
At around 2230 GMT, a few minutes after the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) reopened, the West Texas Intermediate (WTI) contract was up 3.15pc at $99.35 a barrel.
An influential armed group in Iraq pledged to stop attacking the US embassy for five days, presenting a series of conditions, reports Reuters.
Kataeb Hezbollah said the group’s secretary-general had “issued orders to suspend operations targeting the US Embassy in Baghdad for a period of five days”, but stipulated several conditions, notably preventing Israeli bombing of a southern Beirut neighbourhood, and “a commitment to refrain from bombing residential areas in Baghdad and other provinces”.
AFP reported no drone or rocket attacks so far on the US embassy in Iraq’s capital Baghdad, between Wednesday night and Thursday morning.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi held separate phone conversations with the foreign ministers of Turkey, Egypt, and Pakistan.
In a post on X, the Iranian foreign ministry said regional developments in light of the “ongoing US and Zionist regime’s military aggression” against Iran and its regional and global repercussions was discussed.
“In these discussions, Iran’s foreign minister assessed the US and Zionist regime’s attack on Iran’s infrastructure as an action aimed at escalating tensions and destabilizing the region, emphasizing the need for vigilance and coordination among regional countries in the face of these threats.”
The Iranian diplomat said that the Islamic republic will not spare any effort in “defending its national sovereignty and the security of its citizens”.
