Iran intensified its around the Gulf on Thursday in retaliation for an Israeli attack on a key Iranian gas field, dramatically raising the stakes in a war that is sending .
President Donald Trump warned that the U.S. would of Iran鈥檚 gas field if it continues attacking its neighbors. And Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared later Thursday that Iran no longer can enrich uranium or make ballistic missiles. As he spoke, Israel’s military sent another alert about incoming Iranian missiles, and sirens sounded from Haifa to the Sea of Galilee.
, the international standard, spiked more than 60% since Israel and the U.S. started the war with Iran. The death toll from Israeli strikes in Lebanon topped 1,000 people on Thursday during with the militant group Hezbollah.
Here is the latest:
Shrapnel sparks fire in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia destroys drones
Bahrain鈥檚 Interior Ministry reported a fire erupted Friday morning after shrapnel fell on a warehouse in the island kingdom. Firefighters worked to control the blaze, it said.
Saudi Arabia reported shooting down multiple Iranian drones Friday morning targeting its oil-rich Eastern Province.
Explosions shake Dubai
Heavy explosions shook Dubai in the United Arab Emirates early Friday as air defenses intercepted incoming fire over the city.
A missile alert sounded prior to the strike, with authorities saying there were activating air defenses to counter an Iranian barrage.
The Dubai Media Office, the sheikhdom鈥檚 government communication鈥檚 arm, said, 鈥淎uthorities in Dubai confirm the success of all air interception operations, with no injuries reported.鈥�
It came as the UAE marked Eid al-Fitr, the end of the holy Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, and as mosques made the day鈥檚 first call to prayers.
Kuwait also said Friday morning it had worked to intercept incoming Iranian fire.
Iranians mark Nowruz under early morning airstrikes
Iranians marked Nowruz, or the Persian New Year, early Friday morning as airstrikes began.
Israel鈥檚 military said very early Friday it had begun to strike Tehran.
Activists reported hearing strikes around Tehran after Israel鈥檚 announcement of a new wave of attacks.
The announcement came after an intense day of Iranian missile strikes targeting Israel, with more than a dozen launches on Thursday alone, according to Israel鈥檚 military.
UAE says it disrupts 鈥榯errorist network鈥� of Hezbollah and Iran
The United Arab Emirates announced Friday it disrupted what it called 鈥渁 terrorist network funded and operated by Lebanon鈥檚 Hezbollah and Iran,鈥� arresting its operatives.
The UAE accused the men of 鈥渙perating within the country under a fictitious commercial cover and sought to infiltrate the national economy and carry out external schemes threatening the country鈥檚 financial stability.鈥�
It described the men as allegedly laundering money.
It published images of five prisoners on its state-run WAM news agency, without identifying the men. It wasn鈥檛 immediately clear if they had lawyers.
The Strait of Hormuz has a long history of disruption
The war has thrust the , which connects the Persian Gulf to the rest of the globe鈥檚 oceans, once again into the crosshairs of a geopolitical conflict.
Nearly all traffic in the waterway, shutting down a critical path for the . Attacks and threats of further strikes have stopped nearly all tankers from carrying oil, gas . That has also led to cuts from some of the world鈥檚 largest producers, because their crude has nowhere to go.
This is hardly the first time the Strait of Hormuz has been weaponized. Ship seizures and past fighting in the region have raised alarm for commercial ships, at times severely disrupting their ability to sail through. Iran has also repeatedly threatened to close the strait in response to sanctions and other tensions over the years, but stopped short of cutting off traffic entirely.
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Japanese PM does not say whether Trump asked her country to send warships to Strait of Hormuz
Sanae Takaichi, asked by a reporter at a briefing after her summit with the U.S. president in Washington, said the conversation was 鈥渙f a sensitive nature鈥� and 鈥渢here are certain actions we can and cannot take within the scope of Japanese law, and I provided a detailed and thorough explanations of this matter.鈥�
The consensus between the two leaders was that ensuring the safety of the Strait of Hormuz is of the utmost importance, Takaichi said.
Iran women鈥檚 soccer team greeted in Tehran
Members of Iran鈥檚 national women鈥檚 soccer team were greeted with a welcome ceremony upon their return to the Islamic Republic after several of the players had sought asylum in Australia.
鈥淔irst of all we are so happy to be in Iran, because Iran is our homeland,鈥� midfielder Fatemeh Shaban said.
People in the crowd waved flags, while some players held bouquets of flowers and signed what appeared to be miniature soccer balls. Iranian media had reported that the team .
鈥淚 wasn鈥檛 expecting this many people to come to welcome us, and I am happy to be the daughter of Iran,鈥� Shaban said in translated comments.
Two players, Fatemeh Pasandideh and Atefeh Ramezanisadeh, chose to remain in Australia and have been .
Others who initially sought asylum after the team was knocked out of the later changed their minds and said they would return.
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How the Iran war and surging oil prices are affecting consumers at the gas pump 鈥� and beyond
As the ratchets up, the price of crude oil has been swinging sharply. Consumers are already feeling the effects of the war and its destabilizing effect on .
are climbing, and many people will find some of the most immediate economic pain at the pump.
But not only drivers are affected. Food and nearly everything else that鈥檚 bought and sold must travel from where it鈥檚 produced. Those costs will climb with , diesel and .
Brent crude oil, the international standard, is . That will likely be a big factor for inflation. As the war continues, some experts say the price of everything could be affected 鈥� which could eat into wider spending down the road.
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War and displacement mar the run-up to Eid al-Fitr holiday for many in Lebanon
Back home, Lilian Jamaan would have been shopping for clothes for her daughter and buying meat and sweets in preparation for the Islamic holiday of , which marks the end of the Muslim holy month of .
But now 鈥渢here鈥檚 no joy for Eid or for Ramadan or for anything,鈥� she said by phone from a school-turned-shelter in the Lebanese city of Sidon.
As Muslims worldwide prepare for the typically joyous holiday, Lebanon has crossed a grim milestone. The between Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah has displaced more than 1 million people in the country. Israeli strikes have killed more than 1,000 people, Lebanese health officials say.
The Iran-backed Hezbollah entered this month by firing rockets at Israel. That prompted heavy Israeli bombardment of southern Lebanon and Beirut鈥檚 southern suburbs, driving many from their homes.
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Trump and Netanyahu split on gas field attack, raise questions about whether they鈥檙e in sync on war
President and Israeli Prime Minister 鈥檚 diverging language on Israel鈥檚 decision to marks the most notable difference of opinion between the two leaders since the start of .
The attack by Israel on the South Pars gas field prompted in other Middle East countries. The Iranian strikes led to already elevated global and spurred Gulf allies to call for Trump to rein in Netanyahu.
The aftermath of the strike left Trump and Netanyahu facing questions on whether they鈥檙e entirely in sync in prosecuting the war that began as a closely coordinated joint attack on the longtime regional foe. The emergence of daylight 鈥� or at least the appearance of it 鈥� between the two leaders could shape the balance of the conflict and any eventual endgame.
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Israel鈥檚 emergency service reports no casualties from latest missile launches from Iran
But a person critically injured earlier in the day in an attack in the area of was medically evacuated, the Magen David Adom emergency medical service said.
A direct hit damaged a building in the northern Israeli city, which is near Lebanon. It has been targeted repeatedly by both Iran and Hezbollah.
EU leaders call for free navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, safety for energy and water sites
Leaders of the bloc鈥檚 27 nations called for a moratorium on strikes on energy and water infrastructure in the Middle East and for the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz during a summit in Brussels.
They also asked for Iran to stop striking neighbors across the Persian Gulf, sought international cooperation to prevent any large-scale refugee crisis in the Middle East and said some EU nations are exploring ways 鈥渢o ensure freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.鈥�
European leaders have deflected entreaties from U.S. President Donald Trump to join the fight, but they have also fiercely criticized the Iranian government.
UN Security Council holds urgent closed meeting on energy attacks in Iran war
Bahrain鈥檚 U.N. Ambassador Jamal Alrowaiei, the Arab representative on the U.N.鈥檚 most powerful body, said his country requested the meeting because of the continuing 鈥渃owardly attacks by Iran鈥� on Gulf countries, Jordan and other nations.
He said afterward that Bahrain and many of the 15 council members stressed a need for Iran to implement a March 11 resolution demanding an immediate halt to attacks against Gulf countries and the targeting of civilians and civilian infrastructure including energy installations.
He said the resolution, adopted by a vote of 13-0 with Russia and China abstaining, also calls for Iran to stop all actions and threats aimed at closing, obstructing or interfering with navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, a key waterway for shipment of 20% of the world鈥檚 oil.
Alrowaiei dodged a question about reports that Bahrain is seeking a resolution on freedom of navigation, including through the strait.
Qatar Energy says damage from Iranian missile attack can take up to 5 years to fix
Qatar, a key source of natural gas for world markets, gave more details late Thursday of the extensive damage caused by missiles hitting the Ras Laffan liquefied natural gas facility.
Qatar Energy said on the social platform X that the attacks reduced LNG exports by about 17% and will cost about $20 billion per year in lost revenue.
The damage will take up to five years to repair, even though production at the facility had already been halted after earlier attacks.
Israel鈥檚 military says Iran launched another missile attack just before midnight
Sirens sounded in a large swath of central Israel, from the Mediterranean Sea to the Dead Sea. Loud explosions were heard in Jerusalem.
It was the 13th such alert in a day, making it one of the most active for missile launches from Iran toward Israel in the war.
The targeting of key Gulf energy infrastructure raises the risk of long-term disruption
Escalating in the Persian Gulf have increased the risk of an extended bout of higher prices for everything from gasoline and electricity to computer chips and food.
Even if the Strait of Hormuz becomes safe for tankers to transit soon, it will be some time before oil and gas begin flowing again due to the complexity of restarting refineries and other facilities. If energy infrastructure has been damaged by the ongoing attacks, it will take even longer.
It鈥檚 not just oil and gas: Key raw materials 鈥� like helium used in making computer chips and sulfur, a raw material in fertilizer 鈥� have been obstructed and could soon be in short supply, raising prices of goods all the way along the supply chain.
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France will double humanitarian aid for Lebanon to 17 million euros
During a visit to Beirut, French Foreign Minister Jean-No毛l Barrot said on X that his country would increase its humanitarian aid to Lebanon to nearly $20 million.
Israeli strikes against the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon have displaced more than 1 million people 鈥� roughly 20% of the population 鈥� and killed more than 1,000 people, according to the Lebanese government. Many families are sleeping in cars, on the streets or in overcrowded schools turned into shelters.
Attempts by Lebanese officials to enter into with Israel to halt the fighting have been unsuccessful. Neither Hezbollah nor Israel appears to have any immediate desire to stop the war.
Energy expert says lifting Iranian oil sanctions would benefit Iran
And lifting those sanctions wouldn鈥檛 benefit many other players, said Daniel Sternoff, senior fellow at the Columbia Center on Global Energy Policy.
Earlier Thursday, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the U.S. may un-sanction about 140 million barrels of Iranian oil that鈥檚 already currently at sea.
Normally, the only buyers of Iranian oil are private refiners in China, who purchase it at a steep discount, Sternoff said.
鈥淵ou鈥檙e going to have others who are now not able to get other Middle Eastern grades scramble to buy them,鈥� Sternoff said. 鈥淚t will reduce the Iranian discount, or raise the prices of Iranian crude, to the benefit of Iran.鈥�
That the U.S. is considering lifting sanctions on Iranian oil shows how serious the supply situation has become, said Kevin Book, managing director at Clearview Energy Partners.
Brent crude briefly tops $119 per barrel before receding, shaking markets worldwide
A roller-coaster day for oil prices has showed how they鈥檙e dictating where financial markets and maybe even the global economy are heading. Stocks tumbled in Europe and Asia when oil prices shot higher early Thursday, but U.S. stocks pared sharp losses as the day progressed and oil prices fell back.
The price jump followed in response to an Israeli attack on an important . That worsened fears of a long-term knockout for in the Middle East, which could lock in high prices and push inflation higher around the world.
Trump and have made to the impact on consumers, but they鈥檙e mostly short-term fixes.
The S&P 500, Dow Jones Industrial Average and the Nasdaq composite finished Thursday鈥檚 trading with minor dips, recovering from early losses.
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Israel鈥檚 military says it鈥檚 working to intercept a missile launch from Iran
The late-evening attack was the 12th salvo Iran fired at Israel on Thursday, making this one of most active days for launches since the war started.
Sirens sounded in Jerusalem and nearby areas, including in the occupied West Bank.
FIFA wants Iran to keep its US World Cup schedule and won鈥檛 act on Palestinian complaint about Israel
FIFA president Gianni Infantino said after the body鈥檚 ruling council met Thursday that it will not grant to move the team鈥檚 three World Cup group games in June from the United States to Mexico.
鈥淲e have a schedule,鈥� Infantino said. 鈥淲e want the FIFA World Cup to go ahead as scheduled.鈥�
Iranian officials say they don鈥檛 want to boycott the , but insist it鈥檚 not possible for the national team to play in the United States after America and Israel launched a war on their country.
Soccer鈥檚 governing body meanwhile took no action on its Palestinian member federation鈥檚 by letting teams from Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank play in its national league. FIFA did, however, fine the Israel Football Association 150,000 Swiss francs ($190,000) on disciplinary charges relating to 鈥渄iscrimination and racist abuse,鈥� plus 鈥渙ffensive behavior and violations of the principles of fair play.鈥�
State Department cut staff with deep expertise in Middle East
The widening war in Iran is exposing big gaps at the State Department, especially in .
Former officials say Trump administration staff cuts have left key leadership jobs vacant, so the bureau now relies on a small circle of aides along with task forces and volunteers.
The former officials describe an understaffed and demoralized workforce in turmoil, which they link to mixed public messaging, weak planning and trouble helping Americans trapped in conflict zones.
The State Department is vigorously disputing this Associated Press report.
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Netanyahu says he didn鈥檛 deceive Trump about war with Iran
鈥淚 misled no one,鈥� Israel鈥檚 prime minister said in a news conference Thursday.
鈥淎nd I didn鈥檛 have to convince President Trump about the need to prevent Iran from developing its nuclear program,鈥� he continued, 鈥減utting it underground and being able to launch nuclear-tipped missiles at the United States. He understood that.鈥�
Regarding the war鈥檚 toll on U.S. troops, he sent his condolences on behalf of Israel, saying, 鈥淭he cost to bereaved families is enormous.鈥�
Netanyahu also waved off rising fuel prices as a 鈥渟pike鈥� that will come down and said he expects the U.S. will reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
Netanyahu says Israel will hold off on any further attacks on Iran鈥檚 giant natural gas field at Trump鈥檚 request
In a televised address, Netanyahu also said that 鈥淚ran鈥檚 air defenses have been rendered useless, their navy is lying at the bottom of the sea … their air force is nearly destroyed.鈥�
The Israeli leader said he hopes the Iranian people will rise up against the Islamic Republic that has ruled for nearly half a century, but he conceded 鈥渋t鈥檚 too early鈥� to say whether that will happen. There鈥檚 been no sign of such an uprising since the war began in Iran, where authorities .
Iraqi security tracks dozens of attacks on US facility next to Baghdad airport
A former U.S. base adjacent to Baghdad鈥檚 airport that still provides logistical support to American operations has been attacked at least 65 times since the beginning of the war, according to an Iraqi security report obtained by The Associated Press.
The vast majority of the attacks between March 2 and 18 involved drones 鈥� sometimes several fired at once 鈥� a total of 73. The report said between 17 and 22 shells and missiles were fired at the facility. Iran-backed Iraqi militias have claimed some of the attacks.
Most of the launches have been intercepted, but on Wednesday, a rocket attack wounded four airport security personnel and staff. Multiple attacks have also targeted the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad and the U.S. consulate in the northern city of Irbil.
A U.S. official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment publicly, said the Iraqi report figure is 鈥渋n the ballpark鈥� of what the U.S. has been tracking in terms of rocket, drone or other attack attempts on the airport.
鈥� Qassim Abdul-Zahra and Matthew Lee
Netanyahu denies that Israel pressured the United States into going to war
The Israeli leader dedicated a substantial chunk of his news conference to denying that his government pushed the United States into war.
鈥淭his canard that we dragged the United States into this is not just a canard, it鈥檚 ridiculous,鈥� he said, reciting a checklist of Iranian attacks and threats against America over the decades. He said Trump had told him more than a year ago: 鈥淏ibi, we鈥檝e got to make sure that Iran doesn鈥檛 have nuclear weapons.鈥�
鈥淭he world owes a debt of deep indebtedness, deep indebtedness to President Trump for leading this effort to safeguard our future,鈥� he said.
Netanyahu says Iran no longer can enrich uranium or make ballistic missiles
Since the U.S. and Israel launched the war on Feb. 28, Iran鈥檚 in airstrikes and the country鈥檚 military capabilities have been severely degraded. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said late Thursday that Iran no longer has the ability to enrich uranium or make ballistic missiles.
Still, Iran 鈥� now led by the son of the killed in the war鈥檚 opening salvo 鈥� remains rattling its Gulf Arab neighbors and a global economy dependent on the energy they produce.
Israel says Hezbollah has fired roughly 700 rockets, missiles and drones
Israeli military spokesman Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani accused Lebanon鈥檚 government of failing to clear the militant group from the country鈥檚 south as required by a 2024 ceasefire.
Hezbollah began firing toward Israel in the opening days of the current war, renewing fighting that had been muffled since the ceasefire. Shoshani said Israel had 鈥渘o choice but to operate against the threat Hezbollah poses to our civilians.鈥�
The Iran-backed group鈥檚 strikes have not caused any fatalities but have wounded Israelis and damaged buildings in the country鈥檚 north. Israel has responded with airstrikes and expanded its ground operations in southern Lebanon, displacing more than 1 million people and killing more than 1,300, according to Lebanese authorities.
Will Trump deploy US troops to seize Iran鈥檚 uranium?
is facing perhaps the most daunting question of , one that could define his time in office: Will he send U.S. troops to secure some that Tehran could potentially use to build nuclear weapons?
Trump has offered for joining Israel in launching the war, but he鈥檚 consistently said Iran must
Much of Iran鈥檚 near-bomb-grade nuclear material is believed to be buried under the rubble of a mountain facility Trump ordered last June.
Seizing or destroying it would be risky and complicated, and many nuclear experts say it can鈥檛 be done without a sizable, dangerous and politically fraught troop deployment by the Republican leader who has vowed in another extended and bloody Middle East conflict.
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Iran war puts risks of Trump鈥檚 oil focus on display
When Trump returned to office last year, he launched a crusade in pursuit of what he calls American energy dominance.
Now, as crude oil prices rise above $100 a barrel and gasoline prices surge toward $4 a gallon, experts say Trump鈥檚 strategy of blocking clean energy such as wind and solar power has made the U.S. more vulnerable to supply shocks caused by the war. The Strait of Hormuz, a key access point for the global oil market, is effectively blocked.
Trump said Thursday he knew oil prices would go up and 鈥渢he economy will go down a little bit鈥� as a result of the war.
鈥淚 thought it would be worse 鈥� much worse, actually,鈥欌�� he said.
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F-35 jet is forced to make an emergency landing, US military says
One of made an emergency landing after flying a combat mission over Iran, U.S. Central Command says.
The jet landed safely and the pilot was in 鈥渟table鈥� condition, said Capt. Tim Hawkins, a spokesman for the command that oversees the Middle East.
CNN first reported on the incident and said the jet was believed to be hit by Iranian fire. Iran鈥檚 state TV, quoting a Revolutionary Guard statement, said its air defense system badly damaged an F-35. Hawkins wouldn鈥檛 comment on the report and said the incident was under investigation.
The stubby-nosed aircraft with stealth coatings costs up to $77 million a piece in 2023, according to the Congressional Research Service.
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