Main pointsKey reads

Tim O’Brien – 19 minutes ago

Petrol and diesel prices will hit €2 a litre soon, leading Bus Operator Brendan Crowley of Wexford Bus has said. Crowley, who is also vice chairman of the Coach Tourism and Transport Council of Ireland said prices were increasing daily and “at the rate we’re going, €2 per litre is not terribly far away,”

Fuel prices in Europe are at their highest levels in three years with more upheaval likely, as the effects of attacks and shutdowns at some of the world’s busiest logistics hubs trickle through the global trade system.

Conor Pope took a closer look at how the war could impact Irish consumers: What will the war in the Middle East mean for Irish consumers? From heating bills to mortgages

Tim O’Brien – 41 minutes ago

Air strikes are continuing on Gulf states. Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said it launched retaliatory strikes against a US air combat centre and satellite communications hub at the Uniter Arab Emirates Dhafra Air Base, on Saturday.

The Israeli military has said its air force has begun another “broad wave of strikes” against infrastructural targets in Iran.

The announcement by Israel Defense Forces (IDF) follows a night of heavy bombardment, involving more than 80 fighter jets. The attacks were aimed largely at Tehran and the city’s Mehrabad airport.

Gulf states including Saudi Arabia and the UAE are continuing to repel retaliatory strikes from Iran, a week into the war.

Tim O’Brien – 2 hours ago

Welcome to Saturday’s live Irish Times coverage of the war in the Middle East.

Overnight, Iran’s president rejected a demand by US president Donald Trump for his country’s unconditional surrender and apologised for Iran’s attacks on regional countries.

Trump called for Iran’s “unconditional surrender” on Friday, a dramatic escalation of his demands a week into the war the US has launched alongside Israel.

In a pre-recorded address aired by Iranian state television, president Masoud Pezeshkian said the US demand is a “dream that they should to take to their grave”.

He also apologised for Iran’s attacks on regional countries, insisting that Tehran would halt them and suggesting they were caused by miscommunication in the ranks.

The comments came as intense Iranian fire targeted the Gulf Arab states on Saturday morning as Israel and the United States kept up their air strikes targeting the Islamic Republic.

There were repeated attacks on Saturday morning on Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Read more here.