Main PointsKey Reads
Hugh Dooley – 1 minute ago
Refrain from escalating Middle East conflict, Iran tells France
Iran’s foreign minister told his French counterpart that countries must refrain from any action that could escalate the conflict in the Middle East, Abbas Araqchi said in further comments following an interview on Sunday.
This comes after US president Donald Trump called upon various states, including France, to deploy vessels to help secure shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, which has been blocked by Iran following U.S.-Israeli strikes on its territory.
About a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas normally passes through the strait, a narrow passage of water between Iran and Oman. – Reuters
Hugh Dooley – 17 minutes ago
What we know about Mojtaba Khamenei, Iran’s new supreme leader
Iran issued its first message in the name of its new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, on Thursday, saying it would keep the strait of Hormuz closed and continue to attack US bases in the region.
He has yet to make a public appearance, but what do we know of Khamenei, son of the late ayatollah Ali Khamenei?
Read a profile of Mojtaba Khamenei by Patrick Wintour here:
Demonstrators hold posters of Iranian supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei in Tehran. Photograph: Vahid Salemi, AP
Hugh Dooley – 28 minutes ago
Iranian supreme leader ‘in good health’ says foreign minister
Iranian supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei is “in good health and is fully managing the situation” according to the state’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi.
In a statement on Telegram following a phone interview to a news station, Araghchi countered claims by US president Donald Trump that the new leader of Iran had been killed.
Trump said on Satuday; “I’m hearing he [Khamenei] is not alive, and if he is, he should do something very smart for his country, and that’s surrender.”
More to follow from the interview…
Hugh Dooley – 53 minutes ago
UK considering sending minesweepers to the Strait of Hormuz
The UK is “intensively” looking at what it can do to help reopen a key oil shipping route in the Middle East, which has been blocked by Iran and has led to energy price spikes, Ed Miliband said.
The UK energy secretary was asked on Sky News’s Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips whether Britain was looking at sending minesweepers or minehunting drones to the Strait of Hormuz.
“We are talking to our allies,” he said. “There’s different ways in which we can make maritime shipping possible. We are intensively looking with our allies at what can be done, because it’s so important that we get the strait reopened.”
Miliband had earlier said there are “a range of things that we can do, including autonomous minehunting equipment”, but refused to speculate on how far along these proposals were.
He also refused to be drawn into suggestions that Britain did not have a large enough military to meet all its commitments, as well as respond to the crisis.
He told Sky News: “Of course it’s the case that there are significant demands in this unstable world on our armed forces. I think our armed forces are actually doing a fantastic job in responding to those demands, and as I say, it is this Government that is investing in our armed forces.” – PA
Iran vows to ‘pursue and kill’ Binyamin Netanyahu ‘with force’ – report
Reports in Iran from news agency Mehr quote the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) as having vowed to kill the Israeli prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu.
The IRGC was quoted as saying they “will continue to pursue and kill him with force”. The IRGC is a major military, political and economic force in Iran, loyal to the country’s supreme leader. – Guardian
Zelenskiy says Ukraine wants money, technology in return for Middle East drone help
Ukraine wants money and technology in return for helping Middle Eastern nations defend against Iranian kamikaze drones, president Volodymyr Zelenskiy said, after Kyiv sent specialists to four countries in the region.
Zelenskiy told reporters in comments cleared for release on Sunday that each of the three teams sent to the Middle East consisted of dozens of people, who will conduct expert assessments and demonstrate how drone defences should operate.
Gulf states have expended large quantities of air-defence missiles to counter Iran’s attack drones and have sought Ukraine’s expertise in downing them.
Kyiv downs Russian drones every night using an array of weaponry including cheaper, smaller drones or jamming equipment. – Reuters
Key UAE port outside Strait of Hormuz resumes oil operations after drone strike
Oil-loading operations at a key port in the United Arab Emirates resumed on Sunday after a drone strike and fire forced a halt to exports.
A drone was intercepted Saturday and falling debris caused the fire, Fujairah’s media office said. However, operations at Fujairah, which sits outside the Strait of Hormuz, have restarted, according to sources.
Fujairah sits at the end of a pipeline allowing the UAE to bypass the Strait of Hormuz, the key transit point that has been all-but-closed because of the war between the US, Israel and Iran.
Positioned between the Gulf of Oman and Hajar Mountains, Fujairah is the main export terminal for the UAE’s Murban crude, piped from Abu Dhabi’s production areas.
In addition to Adnoc’s crude-storage facility, the port has capacity for more than 70 million barrels of oil and fuels for traders needing rapid supply access, while the port also serves as a ship refueling hub. – Bloomerg
Plumes of smoke and fire rise after debris from an intercepted Iranian drone struck an oil facility, according to authorities, in Fujairah, United Arab Emirates (Altaf Qadri/AP) Formula One races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia confirmed cancelled by FIA
The Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) has confirmed previous reports of the cancellation of two grands prix set to take place in the Middle East next month.
The international motor racing federation, which acts as the rules bod behind Formula One (F1), said the decision came “after careful evaluations” and was made “due to the ongoing situation in the Middle East region”.
“While several alternatives were considered, it was ultimately decided that no substitutions will be made in April.”
F1’s chief executive Stefano Domenicali said the decision was made with the “safety and well being of our community and colleagues first”.
The circuit in Sakhir, Bahrain, is just 32km from a US base previously struck by missiles.
Trump threatens further Kharg Island strikes ‘just for fun’
Trump said on Saturday that the US may carry out more strikes on Iran’s vital Kharg Island oil export hub “just for fun”, rejecting the prospect of a swift peace deal with Tehran.
“The terms aren’t good enough yet,” the US president told NBC News. The Iranian regime wants to make an agreement, he claimed.
After days of conflicting messaging from the White House on how much longer it will continue to wage war on Iran, Trump alleged US strikes had “totally demolished” most of Kharg Island, and told the network that its military may hit the site “a few more times just for fun”.
“We’ve totally decimated it,” he said. “Except, as you know, I didn’t do anything having to do with the energy lines, because having to rebuild that would take years.” – Guardian
Three more members of Iranian soccer team to leave Australia
Three members of the Iranian women’s soccer team who had sought asylum in Australia have decided to return to Iran, Australia’s government said on Sunday.
Australia granted humanitarian visas to seven Iranian footballers last week after they sought asylum, saying they feared persecution if they returned home after they failed to sing the national anthem at a Women’s Asian Cup match.
Four of the seven members have decided to leave Australia so far. Another member changed her mind last week.
“After telling Australian officials they had made this decision, the players were given repeated chances to talk about their options,” Australian home affairs minister Tony Burke said in a statement.
“While the Australian government can ensure that opportunities are provided and communicated, we cannot remove the context in which the players are making these incredibly difficult decisions,” he added.
The Iranian Football Association (FFIRI) named the players as Mona Hamoudi, Zahra Sarbali and Zahra Meshkehkar.
“After arriving in Malaysia and joining the rest of Iran’s women’s national football team, the three players will travel to Tehran in the coming days to once again be embraced by their families and homeland,” FFIRI added in a statement.
The Iranian team’s campaign in the Asian Cup started just as the US and Israel launched air strikes on Iran, killing the Islamic Republic’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. They were eliminated from the tournament last Sunday. – Reuters
The Pentagon on Saturday identified the six US service members who died this past week when a refuelling aircraft crashed in Iraq.
The service members were Maj John A Klinner (33), of Auburn, Alabama; Capt Ariana G Savino (31), of Covington, Washington; Tech Sgt Ashley B Pruitt (34), of Bardstown, Kentucky; Capt Seth R Koval (38) of Mooresville, Indiana; Capt Curtis J Angst (30), of Wilmington, Ohio; and Tech Sgt Tyler H Simmons (28), of Columbus, Ohio.
US Central Command stated that the aircraft crashed after an incident involving another plane, which landed safely. The crash, which happened on Thursday in western Iraq, was not a result of hostile or friendly fire, the Central Command said.
The plane that went down was a KC-135, which is used by the Air Force to refuel a wide range of aircraft while in flight. A US official previously said the other plane involved was also a KC-135.
Three of the service members – Klinner, Savino and Pruitt – were assigned to the 6th Air Refueling Wing at MacDill Air Force Base. – New York Times
US citizens should leave Iraq immediately, the US embassy in Baghdad said in an updated security alert on Saturday, following an overnight missile attack on the embassy’s building.
“US citizens choosing to remain in Iraq are strongly encouraged to reconsider in light of the significant threat posed by Iran-aligned terrorist militia groups,” the embassy said – Reuters