{"id":340264,"date":"2026-03-11T09:26:10","date_gmt":"2026-03-11T09:26:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/340264\/"},"modified":"2026-03-11T09:26:10","modified_gmt":"2026-03-11T09:26:10","slug":"irans-new-ayatollah-was-wounded-early-in-war-us-threatens-strikes-over-moves-to-stop-flow-of-oil-the-irish-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/340264\/","title":{"rendered":"Iran\u2019s new ayatollah was wounded early in war; US threatens strikes over moves to stop flow of oil \u2013 The Irish Times"},"content":{"rendered":"

Main pointsKey Reads<\/p>\n

Ronan McGreevy – 3 minutes ago<\/p>\n

Will Trump chicken out? <\/p>\n

After barely a week, public support for Trump\u2019s Iran war is at the same level it was for the Vietnam War in late 1967 following more than 11,000 American deaths. There is no US tolerance today for even a few dozen casualties. Taco \u2013 \u201cTrump always chickens out\u201d \u2013 is thus a question of when, Edward Luce writes.<\/a> <\/p>\n

\"SmokeSmoke rises from the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted an area in Beirut’s southern suburbs on March 11, 2026. Lebanon was drawn into the Middle East war last week when Hezbollah attacked Israel in response to the killing of the Iranian supreme leader in US-Israeli strikes. (Photo by ibrahim amro \/ AFP via Getty Images) <\/p>\n

Ronan McGreevy – 9 minutes ago<\/p>\n

Three vessels hit by missiles in the Middle East <\/p>\n

The Royal Navy said three vessels were hit with suspected projectiles in the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf on Wednesday, as the conflict in the region continues to menace shipping.<\/p>\n

The targets, none of which were identified, include a cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz off Oman, container vessel west of Ras Al-Khaimah and a bulk carrier northwest of Dubai, the UK Maritime Trade Operations Centre said. The cargo ship reported a fire on board and the crew are evacuating, it added.<\/p>\n

Traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a key chokepoint for energy exports, has virtually ground to a halt since the US and Israel launched airstrikes on the Islamic Republic last month, prompting Iran to retaliate with attacks on shipping and elsewhere in the region. <\/p>\n

The near-standstill has forced some of the biggest Gulf producers to lower oil output as storage tanks start to fill – Bloomberg<\/p>\n

Ronan McGreevy – 57 minutes ago<\/p>\n

Spanish PM shrugs off Trump trade warning<\/p>\n

Spanish prime minister Pedro S\u00e1nchez dismissed concerns over US president Donald Trump\u2019s threats to cut trade off trade ties with Spain.<\/p>\n

In an interview with Spanish website Eldiario.es, the Spanish premier said he was not worried about possible reprisals by the US.<\/p>\n

S\u00e1nchez\u2019s comments come as Spain has come under attack from Trump over its refusal to let US armed forces use military bases for strikes against Iran. The US president said he had asked the Treasury secretary to cut off all dealings with Spain.<\/p>\n

Trump didn\u2019t explain how he planned to cut off trade with Spain, which could prove difficult since the US has a trading relationship with the broader European Union. <\/p>\n

Later, he suggested he had the power to impose a full embargo on goods from the country, though didn\u2019t indicate explicitly that he planned to do so.<\/p>\n

In the El Diario interview, S\u00e1nchez added that being a member of the EU offers assurances against Trump\u2019s threats. Being an ally to the US \u201cdoesn\u2019t mean saying yes to everything\u201d, he said – Bloomberg <\/p>\n

Ronan McGreevy – 57 minutes ago<\/p>\n

Two \u200cdrones came \u200bdown in the vicinity \u200bof \u2060Dubai airport \u200con \u200cWednesday, \u200binjuring \u2060four \u200bpeople, Dubai\u2019s \u200bmedia \u200coffice said. Air \u200btraffic is \u2060operating \u2060as \u200bnormal. <\/p>\n

Ronan McGreevy – 1 hour ago<\/p>\n

Where is the new supreme leader of Iran? <\/p>\n

Mojtaba Khamenei, who succeeded his father as Iran\u2019s supreme leader, has not been seen from or heard since he assumed the position three days ago. <\/p>\n

According to the New York Times, it is likely he was badly wounded in the initial US-Israel attacks on February 28th. <\/a><\/p>\n

People of Iran,<\/p>\n

We are waging a historic war for liberty.<\/p>\n

This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for you to remove the Ayatollah regime and gain your freedom.<\/p>\n

Together with the United States, we are hitting the Tyrants of Teheran harder than ever.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Prime Minister of Israel (@IsraeliPM) March 10, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

BREAKING: Iran has reportedly sent more than 11 million barrels of oil through the Strait of Hormuz since the war began, all bound for China, CNBC reported, citing shipping data. pic.twitter.com\/jrmjXvq6Io<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Al Jazeera Breaking News (@AJENews) March 11, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

Ronan McGreevy – 1 hour ago<\/p>\n

Get rid of the \u2018idiot king\u2019 Donald Trump<\/p>\n

Only the midterms can save the United States from the \u201cidiot king\u201d Donald Trump, Michael McDowell writes in his weekly column<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Ronan McGreevy – 1 hour ago<\/p>\n

The US and Israel traded air strikes with Iran across the Middle East on Wednesday \u200cas the besieged Tehran government warned its state security forces were ready with \u201cfingers on the trigger\u201d to confront any anti-government protests.<\/p>\n

Following an exchange of some of the heaviest bombardments in the region yet on Tuesday, the combatants renewed their attacks on opposing targets in Israel, Lebanon and the Gulf as the war stretched into its 12th day.<\/p>\n

The conflict has effectively blocked vital shipping lanes through the Strait of Hormuz, halting the flow of a fifth of the world\u2019s fossil energy supplies from the petroleum-rich Gulf. After a major surge in crude oil prices on Monday, global energy prices have tumbled and stock markets rebounded as investors bet that US president Donald Trump would seek to end the war soon. <\/p>\n

Adding to market optimism, the International Energy Agency has proposed the largest release of oil reserves in its history to further stabilize crude prices, the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday, citing officials familiar with the matter. <\/p>\n

Nevertheless, Iran\u2019s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps vowed to block oil shipments from the Gulf unless US and Israeli attacks ceased. And air strikes between the two sides showed no immediate sign of abatement.<\/p>\n

A cargo vessel was hit by an unknown projectile in the Strait of Hormuz, resulting in a fire onboard and prompting \u200cthe crew \u200cto evacuate and request assistance, according to the UK Maritime Trade Operations. <\/p>\n

The maritime body also said it had received a report of a separate incident off the UAE coast, with the master of a container vessel reporting it sustained damage from a suspected but unknown projectile.<\/p>\n

The White House on Tuesday reiterated Trump\u2019s threat to hit Iran hard over moves by Tehran to stop the flow of energy supplies through the Strait of Hormuz. The US Central Command said 16 Iranian mine-laying vessels had been \u201celiminated\u201d near the strait on Tuesday.<\/p>\n

Millions of Israelis were repeatedly driven into bomb shelters overnight as the military warned Iran had launched missiles toward Israel, a sign that Tehran retains the capacity to strike \u200cIsrael after nearly two weeks of hostilities.<\/p>\n

The sound of explosions from air defences intercepting the rockets punctuated the pre-dawn darkness as air raid sirens blared and Israelis scrambled to safe rooms and shelters. There was no immediate word of whether any of the missiles reached the ground.<\/p>\n

Iran\u2019s armed forces spokesman Abolfazl Shekarchi on Wednesday urged regional countries and fellow Muslims to indicate \u201cUS-Zionist (Israeli) hiding places\u201d to maximise the precision and impact of Iranian strikes, while minimising harm to civilians, who he said are \u201cused as human shields\u201d, according to Defapress, a news outlet affiliated with the military.<\/p>\n

Shekarchi also said that Iran will respond to recent US-Israeli strikes in residential areas.<\/p>\n

The latest attacks from Iran roughly coincided with a new Israeli barrage on Beirut aimed at rooting out the Iran-backed group Hizbullah, which has fired into Israel from Lebanon in solidarity with the Tehran government. <\/p>\n

Large-scale rallies have been held in Iran in support of its newly named supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, a hardliner chosen to succeed his father, who was killed on the war\u2019s first day. A funeral procession for high-level Iranian military commanders killed early in the war will be held in Tehran on Wednesday from 10am. <\/p>\n

Many Iranians want change and some openly celebrated the death of the elder Khamenei, weeks after his security forces killed thousands of people to put down anti-government protests.<\/p>\n

But there has been little sign of protest during the war, and Iran moved \u200cto clamp down further on internal dissent days after Trump exhorted Iranian citizens to seize an opportunity afforded by US and Israeli attacks to rise up and overthrow their government.<\/p>\n

Fearing a revival of anti-government demonstrations, Iran\u2019s police chief Ahmadreza Radan warned that \u201canyone taking into streets at the enemy\u2019s request will be confronted as an enemy not protestor\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll our security forces have their fingers on the trigger,\u201d Radan told state television.<\/p>\n

Iran also arrested \u200cdozens of people, including a foreign national, accused of spying for the country\u2019s \u201cenemies,\u201d the intelligence ministry said on Tuesday.<\/p>\n

More than 1,300 Iranian civilians have been killed since the US and Israeli air strikes began on February 28th, according to Iran\u2019s UN ambassador, Amir Saeid Iravani. He said nearly 8,000 homes have been destroyed, along with 1,600 \u201ccommercial and service centres\u201d and dozens of medical, educational and energy-supply facilities.<\/p>\n

Scores have also been killed in Israeli attacks on Lebanon, while Iranian strikes on Israel have killed at least 11 people. In addition to seven US soldiers killed in the conflict, the Pentagon on Tuesday estimated about 140 American troops have been wounded – Reuters <\/p>\n

\"EmergencyEmergency personnel work at the site of an Israeli air strike that targeted a building in Beirut’s Aisha Bakkar neighbourhood on Wednesday. Photograph: Ibrahim Amro\/AFP via Getty Images <\/p>\n

Ronan McGreevy – 2 hours ago<\/p>\n

US strikes 16 Iranian mine-laying vessels<\/p>\n

Overnight the US military said it struck 16 Iranian mine-laying vessels near the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world\u2019s most important passageways for oil.<\/p>\n

Tanker traffic through the strait is largely paused because of concerns they could be hit by drones or missiles, resulting in soaring oil prices across the world.<\/p>\n

It is not clear if Iran has deployed any naval mines since the US-Israeli strikes began on February 28th, but Iran\u2019s ability to potentially block the strait of Hormuz with mines has long been a concern for the United States. <\/p>\n

US president Donald Trump has said the destruction of Iran\u2019s navy is among the core objectives of the US military campaign.<\/p>\n

The US believes Iran was preparing to mine the strait but had not begun the operation, according to a US official. <\/p>\n

The preparations prompted the White House to order the strikes on Iran\u2019s mine-laying capabilities. Along with ships, US forces were also targeting mine-storage facilities, Dan Caine, chair of the joint chiefs of staff, said on Tuesday.<\/p>\n

– New York Times<\/p>\n

Ronan McGreevy – 2 hours ago<\/p>\n

There have been US strikes on 16 Iranian mine-laying vessels near the Strait of Hormuz overnight, while Iran has said it launched missile attacks on the US bases of Al Udeid in Qatar, Camp Arifjan in Kuwait and Harir in Iraq.<\/p>\n

The UN Security Council is due to vote later today on competing draft resolutions over the war in Iran and its impact across the region.<\/p>\n

We will bring you the latest as it happens here. <\/p>\n