Iran hits 2 oil tankers in GULF as IDF reports striking 'critical' nuclear site near Tehran

Iran hits 2 oil tankers in Gulf as IDF reports striking ‘critical’ nuclear site near Tehran

Emanuel Fabian 

Two oil tankers were struck in the Gulf, killing one person, as Iran continued its attacks on targets across the region and the IDF reported hitting a “critical” nuclear site near Tehran, amid ongoing US-Israeli strikes on the Islamic Republic.

Iran also continued its missile attacks on Israel, firing five salvos by midafternoon Thursday, the 13th day of the war, after attacking Israel on Wednesday night in coordination with its Lebanese terror proxy Hezbollah. No injuries were reported in the Thursday salvos.

The attacks on the two oil tankers exacerbated a crisis that has sent crude prices soaring, despite countries releasing their oil reserves at historic rates. Arab states in the region also reported shooting down Iranian projectiles, including in residential and diplomatic areas.

The renewed attacks followed a warning from Tehran that it could wage a prolonged war that would “destroy” the world economy. The Islamic Republic has also threatened to bomb the offices of tech giants in Israel and the region.

US President Donald Trump has sent shifting signals on how long the American fight against the regime would last, and another sign of the war’s cost came in a report from The New York Times that the fighting’s opening week cost the United States more than $11.3 billion.

The report, citing what lawmakers were told in a Pentagon briefing, says the figure excludes many costs connected with the buildup to the strikes — suggesting the final tally for the first week could rise substantially.

The two tankers came under attack near Iraq on Thursday, with Iraqi authorities saying at least one crew member was killed, another 38 had been rescued and a search for others was ongoing.

Additional footage of the two oil tankers struck by Iran in the northern Persian Gulf tonight, both reportedly loaded with Iraqi oil. The tankers have been completely engulfed in flame, and are leaking burning oil.

Israel prepares for major escalation against Hezbollah, calls up more IDF reservists

Israel prepares for major escalation against Hezbollah, calls up more IDF reservists

All Israel News Staff

“We are on the eve of a fateful campaign in Lebanon which will determine the future of both countries,” a senior security official told Ynet News, adding that the cabinet was holding a security discussion on Wednesday evening.

“The campaign in Lebanon is going to expand significantly,” he said, which will also include the call-up of more reservists.

“Hezbollah, in its calculations, wants to turn our attention away from Iran, and thinks that if it draws us in, we will take our foot off the gas in the campaign against Iran,” said the official.

The terror group “wants to create a new balance in which Israel’s enforcement policy in Lebanon ends, and we don’t attack at all. That won’t happen. Therefore, this is heading toward a serious escalation.”

“We have more capabilities and tools, and we can conduct campaigns in parallel against Iran and against Lebanon,” the official concluded.

Iran Hits Major International Airports, Oil Refineries, and Commercial Ships — Regime Threatens $200 Oil as Gulf Conflict Explodes

WAR ON GLOBAL TRADE: Iran Hits Major International Airports, Oil Refineries, and Commercial Ships — Regime Threatens $200 Oil as Gulf Conflict Explodes

Jim Hᴏft

The Middle East conflict spiraled into a direct threat against the global economy this week after Iran launched attacks targeting major international infrastructure and commercial shipping lanes, while warning the world to brace for $200-per-barrel oil if the war continues.

Iranian drones reportedly struck areas near Dubai International Airport, the busiest hub for international travel, injuring several people and sending shockwaves through the global aviation sector.

According to an AP report:

On Thursday, an Iranian attack sparked a major fire on Bahrain’s Muharraq Island, home to the island kingdom’s international airport. Authorities urged people to stay indoors and close windows to avoid smoke. The airport has jet fuel tanks, and other tanks in the area serve the kingdom’s oil industry.

Iran has targeted oil fields and refineries in Gulf Arab nations and effectively stopped cargo traffic through the narrow Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of all traded oil passes.

BREAKING: Iran Has Struck An Oil Tanker Just Outside The Umm Qasr Port In Southern Iraq. Iran Is Now Openly Targeting All Middle Eastern Arab States & Their Shipping As A Form Of Terror.

Iranian drones reportedly struck areas near Dubai International Airport, the busiest hub for international travel, injuring several people.

At the same time, commercial ships moving through the Persian Gulf and near the Strait of Hormuz were attacked or damaged by projectiles and explosive sea drones, marking a dangerous escalation in the war’s maritime front.

TRT World reported:

Three vessels were hit by unknown projectiles in the Strait of Hormuz, maritime security agencies said on Wednesday, as one of the strikes resulted in a fire onboard a ship and forced most of its crew to evacuate it.

The Thailand-flagged bulk carrier Mayuree Naree was attacked approximately 11 nautical miles north of Oman, two maritime security sources said.

Earlier, the Japan-flagged container ship One Majesty had sustained minor damage from an unknown projectile 25 nautical miles (46 km) northwest of Ras Al Khaimah in the United Arab Emirates, two maritime security sources said.

Its crew members are safe, and the vessel is sailing towards a safe anchorage, the sources added.

A third vessel, a bulk carrier, was also hit by an unknown projectile approximately 50 miles northwest of Dubai, maritime security firms said.

The projectile had damaged the hull of the Marshall Islands-flagged Star Gwyneth, maritime risk management company Vanguard said, adding that the vessel’s crew were safe.

A spokesperson for the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters issued a stark warning to Washington and its allies regarding energy shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, PressTV reported.

“We will not allow even a single liter of oil to pass through the Strait of Hormuz for the benefit of America and its allies,” the spokesman said.

The spokesperson also outlined the broader scope of Iran’s military posture, declaring that any vessel—or oil cargo—linked to the United States, Israel, or what Tehran described as “hostile partners” would be considered a legitimate target for Iran’s armed forces.

Iranian officials argued that the current instability in global oil markets is the result of what Tehran claims are conditions created by the United States and Israel.

President Donald Trump previously issued a stark warning to Iran over any attempt to disrupt oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz.

“If Iran does anything that stops the flow of Oil within the Strait of Hormuz, they will be hit by the United States of America TWENTY TIMES HARDER than they have been hit thus far.

Additionally, we will take out easily destroyable targets that will make it virtually impossible for Iran to ever be built back, as a Nation, again – Death, Fire, and Fury will reign upon them – But I hope, and pray, that it does not happen!

This is a gift from the United States of America to China, and all of those Nations that heavily use the Hormuz Strait. Hopefully, it is a gesture that will be greatly appreciated.”

On Wednesday, President Donald Trump ordered the release of 172 MILLION barrels of oil from the United States’ Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) to combat record-high energy prices triggered by the ongoing war with Iran.

The release, one of the largest in American history, will begin next week and will take approximately 120 days to complete, according to Energy Secretary Christopher Wright.

Iranian attack in Kuwait more severe than initially reported, sources say - report

Iranian attack in Kuwait more severe than initially reported, sources say - report

ARIELLA ROITMAN

United States service members suffered brain injuries, shrapnel trauma, and burns following the Iranian drone strike in Kuwait, indicating the attack was more severe than previously revealed, according to a report by CBS News published on Wednesday. 

Six soldiers died in the attack on a tactical operations center in the Shuaiba port outside of Kuwait City on March first, one day after the US and Israel joint operation against Iran began.

Sources described a “grim and chaotic scene” in the strike’s aftermath, said CBS, and more than 30 American military members were hospitalized. One was taken to Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio and 12 to Walter Reed Medical Center in Washington DC. 

Twenty-five were hospitalized in Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany, 20 of whom arrived with injuries designated as “urgent,” including traumatic brain injuries, memory loss, and concussions, according to three sources.

Officials from the US Defense Department didn’t initially specify how many had been hurt from the strike. They reported on the day of the attack that five had been seriously wounded, with several others sustaining “minor shrapnel injuries and concussions,” said the report.

Two service members went missing and were later found under the rubble, according to sources.

Hegseth: ‘These are powerful weapons’

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth spoke at the Pentagon last week regarding the attack. “You have air defenses, and a lot’s coming in, and you hit most of it,” he said. “Every once in a while, you might have one, unfortunately, we call it a squirter, that makes its way through. And in that particular case, it happened to hit a tactical operations center that was fortified, but these are powerful weapons."

Sources told CBS News that the military has robust air defenses shielding all US personnel from Iranian attacks.

Hezbollah, Iran continue launching coordinated barrages on northern, central Israel; sirens triggered in Eilat

Hezbollah, Iran continue launching coordinated barrages on northern, central Israel; sirens triggered in Eilat

ynet

For the second time overnight, sirens sounded across northern and central Israel amid coordinated rocket and missile fire from Lebanon and Iran. Alerts were also triggered in the Eilat area.

Sirens warning of incoming missiles and drones sounded across northern Israel earlier overnight as Hezbollah launched repeated barrages toward the Galilee and Haifa area, before expanding its fire toward central Israel, including the Sharon region and Gush Dan.

At the same time, Iran launched missiles toward the Jerusalem area, marking a further escalation as Israel reported it had begun a broad wave of strikes against Iranian regime targets in Tehran.

Explosions were heard across several areas as air defenses intercepted part of the incoming fire. Israeli emergency services said there were no immediate reports of casualties.

Drone infiltration alerts were also activated shortly before 1 a.m. in communities in the northern Golan Heights and the Galilee panhandle, according to the Home Front Command.

Earlier in the night, Hezbollah fired dozens of rockets toward Haifa and the Haifa Bay area in a coordinated salvo launched from several locations in Lebanon.

That barrage set off sustained sirens across the Galilee, the Golan Heights and Haifa. One rocket scored a direct hit on a house in the Lower Galilee village of Bi’ina, lightly wounding two people.

Hezbollah later announced the start of what it called “Operation Devoured Chaff,” signaling what appeared to be a new phase in its attacks on northern Israel as sirens continued to sound repeatedly along much of the Lebanese border through the night.

Following the earlier barrage, Golan Regional Council head Uri Kellner warned that Israel could not wait for another disaster like the one in Majdal Shams to secure life along the northern border.

“We do not need another disaster, like the massacre in Majdal Shams, to ensure the safety of our lives here on the northern border,” Kellner said Wednesday evening. “The brutal rampage of fire by the terrorist organization is a test for Israeli security, and the response to it should be determined by the intent, not by the result.”

His remarks referred to the July 2024 rocket strike on the Druze town of Majdal Shams in the Golan Heights, which killed 12 children and teenagers and marked one of the deadliest Hezbollah attacks on civilians since fighting along the northern border began.

Meanwhile, plumes of smoke rose over Beirut’s southern Dahieh district, a Hezbollah stronghold, following Israeli strikes in the area. IDF Arabic-language spokesman Avichay Adraee issued an urgent warning urging residents not to return to Dahieh until further notice.

Separately, the IDF said it had begun a broad wave of strikes targeting Iranian regime sites in Tehran.

There were also reports of interceptor fragments falling in Ramat Gan and Jerusalem. The Magen David Adom emergency service said it had not received reports of injuries.