{"id":346390,"date":"2026-03-14T19:18:15","date_gmt":"2026-03-14T19:18:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/346390\/"},"modified":"2026-03-14T19:18:15","modified_gmt":"2026-03-14T19:18:15","slug":"iran-vows-revenge-for-kharg-island-attacks-us-citizens-told-to-leave-iraq-the-irish-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/346390\/","title":{"rendered":"Iran vows revenge for Kharg Island attacks; US citizens told to leave Iraq \u2013 The Irish Times"},"content":{"rendered":"

Saturday: Five things that happened todayKharg Island strikes raises stakes in war<\/a> between the US and IranUS president Donald Trump<\/a> has said the US will strike Iran<\/a> \u201cvery hard over the next week\u201dIran\u2019s foreign minister says his country will respond to any attack on Iranian energy facilities by targeting US companies in the region<\/a>Israel and Lebanon are expected \u200cto hold direct talks<\/a> in \u200bthe coming daysIran has allowed some Indian vessels through Strait of Hormuz<\/a>, says ambassadorKey Reads<\/p>\n

Ronan McGreevy – 1 hour ago<\/p>\n

US citizens should \u200cleave Iraq immediately, the US \u200bembassy in Baghdad said in \u200ban updated security \u2060alert on Saturday, \u200cfollowing \u200can \u200bovernight missile attack \u2060on \u200bthe embassy\u2019s \u200bbuilding.<\/p>\n

\u201cUS citizens \u200cchoosing to remain \u200bin Iraq \u2060are \u2060strongly encouraged \u200bto reconsider in light of the significant threat posed \u200cby Iran-aligned \u2060terrorist militia groups,\u201d the \u200cembassy said – Reuters<\/p>\n

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi:<\/p>\n

Last night, they have attacked Kharg Island and Abu Musa Island with the artillery rocket system, HIMARS as they call it, which is a low-range rocket system.<\/p>\n

And they have done it from the soil of our neighbors. This is crystal clear that\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/P7LblrSMV1<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Clash Report (@clashreport) March 14, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

Ronan McGreevy – 1 hour ago<\/p>\n

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has warned that another round of Iranian missiles has been detected – the sixth wave of strikes targeting the country on Saturday.<\/p>\n

Three rounds came within less than two hours earlier this afternoon.<\/p>\n

Defensive systems are operating to intercept the threat, the IDF says, before asking the public in affected areas to seek shelter. <\/p>\n

Ronan McGreevy – 2 hours ago<\/p>\n

Prolonged gas shortage for Ireland could cost \u20ac4.6 billion a month<\/p>\n

The energy crisis arising out of the war in the Middle East is a timely reminder of Ireland\u2019s vulnerabilities. <\/p>\n

A prolonged closure of Ireland\u2019s sub-sea gas infrastructure could cost the state \u20ac4.6 billion a month, according to this report<\/a> by Martin Wall and Jack Horgan-Jones. <\/p>\n

Ronan McGreevy – 2 hours ago<\/p>\n

Iran vows revenge for Kharg Island attacks<\/p>\n

Iran\u2019s foreign minister says his country will respond to any attack on Iranian energy facilities by targeting US companies in the region, according to the Tasnim News Agency, which is affiliated with the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps.<\/p>\n

Abbas Araghchi said: \u201cIf Iranian facilities are targeted, our forces will target facilities of American companies in the region or companies in which the United States has shares.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe will definitely respond to these attacks, while at the same time acting with caution so that densely populated areas are not targeted.\u201d<\/p>\n

It comes hours after the US military targeted Kharg Island – critical to Iran as it\u2019s thought about 90 per cent of its oil exports pass through the island.<\/p>\n

The US reportedly targeted air defences, a naval base, an airport control tower and a helicopter hangar – it added there had been no damage to oil infrastructure.<\/p>\n

Ronan McGreevy – 3 hours ago<\/p>\n

\u2018No one has done more with less than the Iranians\u2019<\/p>\n

The Iranian response to the US-Israel attacks has caught the Trump Administration off guard. <\/p>\n

Former US officials and military experts said Iranian forces had been able to use a combination of intelligence, lessons from Russia, satellite imagery and proximity to hit US bases, energy facilities and other strategic targets across the Gulf.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo one has done more with less than the Iranians,\u201d said Seth Krummrich, former chief of staff at US Soccent, the special forces command responsible for operations in the Middle East. You can read the analysis here. <\/a><\/p>\n

Ronan McGreevy – 3 hours ago<\/p>\n

One of Donald Trump\u2019s close White House advisers has called for the US to \u201cfind the off-ramp\u201d in its conflict with Iran, the first public signal of discontent over the war from a senior figure in his administration.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a good time to declare victory and get out,\u201d David Sacks, Trump\u2019s AI and crypto tsar<\/a>, said on the All-In podcast he co-hosts. Such a move \u201cis clearly what the markets would like to see\u201d, he added in an article quoted by the Financial Times. <\/p>\n

In his comments on All-In, Sacks raised specific concerns about the consequences of further attacks by the US on such infrastructure, including the prospect of nuclear war. <\/p>\n

\u201cYou are seeing a faction of people, I would say largely but not exclusively in the Republican Party, who want to escalate the war,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n

If more Iranian energy infrastructure gets hit, \u201cthey could continue to target the oil and gas infrastructure across the Gulf states\u2009.\u2009.\u2009.\u2009that would be a much worse outcome\u201d, he added.<\/p>\n

Further escalation \u201ccould render the Gulf almost uninhabitable\u201d, Sacks said, mentioning Saudi Arabia in particular. \u201cThat would be a truly catastrophic scenario.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sacks, a longtime critic of foreign intervention, who has opposed further US involvement in the war in Ukraine, singled out Israel as the biggest potential flashpoint.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf this war continues for weeks or months, then Israel could just be destroyed,\u201d he said. \u201cTheir air defences could become exhausted\u2009.\u2009.\u2009.\u2009And then you have to worry about Israel escalating the war by contemplating using a nuclear weapon.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2018Even the George W. Bush administration, when they were preparing to invade Iraq, they at least had the common decency to lie to Americans\u2019: Irish Times contributor Mark O\u2019Connell looks at how White House videos are capturing the \u2018Brain Rot War\u2019<\/p>\n

Tap on the link to read Mark\u2019s\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/KVO9Ml3oka<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 The Irish Times (@IrishTimes) March 14, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

Ronan McGreevy – 4 hours ago<\/p>\n

India seeks to open the Strait of Hormuz for its ships<\/p>\n

India has sought safe passage for 22 of \u200cits vessels stranded west of the Strait of Hormuz, a foreign affairs ministry spokesperson said on Saturday, after Iran \u200ballowed a few Indian ships to sail through, in a rare exception to the blockade.<\/p>\n

Randhir Jaiswal told a press conference that India has stayed in touch with all major parties in the Middle \u200bEast \u2013 including Gulf Cooperation Council countries, Iran, the US and Israel \u2013 to convey its priorities, particularly on energy security.<\/p>\n

Tehran\u2019s \u2060ambassador to India, Muhammad Fathali, confirmed that Iran has allowed some Indian vessels \u200cto \u200csail \u200bthrough the Strait of Hormuz. He was speaking on broadcaster India Today\u2019s conclave in New Delhi.<\/p>\n

Since the United States and Israel \u2060launched a bombing campaign on Iran, \u200bTehran has largely halted traffic through \u200bthe strait, which runs past its coast and through which around 20 per cent of global oil \u200cand seaborne liquefied natural gas is \u200bsupplied. <\/p>\n

The blockade has triggered India\u2019s worst gas crisis in decades with the government cutting \u2060supplies for industries to shield households \u2060from any shortage \u200bof cooking gas \u2013 Reuters <\/p>\n

It\u2019s crystal clear now that Trump has lost control of this war. He badly misjudged Iran\u2019s ability to retaliate. The region is on fire. <\/p>\n

1\/ I\u2019m going to explain to you in this\ud83e\uddf5what I\u2019ve learned – in part from closed door briefings – about the four biggest current crises.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Chris Murphy \ud83d\udfe7 (@ChrisMurphyCT) March 14, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

Ronan McGreevy – 4 hours ago<\/p>\n

Israel and Lebanon to hold talks <\/p>\n

Israel and Lebanon are expected \u200cto hold talks in \u200bthe coming days, their first since the start of \u200bthe Iran war that \u2060has drawn Lebanon \u200cdeeper into \u200cconflict, \u200bIsraeli newspaper Haaretz reported on \u2060Saturday.<\/p>\n

US president \u200bDonald Trump\u2019s son-in-law Jared \u2060Kushner \u2060will be \u200binvolved in the talks that may be held in Paris or in Cyprus, with \u200cIsraeli prime \u2060minister Binyamin Netanyahu\u2019s confidant Ron Dermer leading \u200cthe Israeli delegation, Haaretz \u200bsaid \u2013 Reuters <\/p>\n

Ronan McGreevy – 4 hours ago<\/p>\n

The Palestinian, Iran-aligned militant group Hamas \u200chas called on Iran to not target neighbouring countries, while still reaffirming \u200cTehran\u2019s right to respond to the US-Israeli attacks.<\/p>\n

This is the first time the \u200bgroup has publicly commented on Iranian policies. It has expressed solidarity with Iran during the war but appeared to steer clear from threatening \u200bany retaliatory actions so far.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile the group affirms Iran\u2019s right to respond to \u2060this aggression by all available means in accordance with international \u200cnorms \u200cand \u200blaws, it calls upon our brothers in Iran not to target neighbouring countries,\u201d it said.<\/p>\n

It \u2060also called on \u200ball countries in the region \u200band international organisations to immediately stop the war.<\/p>\n

Israel and Hamas \u200cagreed on a ceasefire in \u200bGaza that went into effect in October, but there have \u2060been regular outbreaks of violence \u2060since \u200bthen. While Israeli attacks on Gaza declined at the beginning of the war with Iran, they have since begun to rise.<\/p>\n

The Lebanese Iran-aligned Hizbullah, meanwhile, opened fire on Israel on March 2nd to avenge the killing of Iran\u2019s supreme leader at the start of \u200cthe war. Israel \u2060has since then pounded Lebanon and targeted the group.<\/p>\n

Yemen\u2019s Iran-aligned Houthis, which launched a military campaign against ships \u200cthey perceived as affiliated with Israel in the Red Sea during the \u200bwar in Gaza, have also expressed strong solidarity \u200bwith Tehran. They have not yet threatened to resume attacks.<\/p>\n

Some oil export operations at the UAE\u2019s port of Fujairah have been suspended after an Iranian drone attack this morning -Reuters <\/p>\n

Multiple areas of the port, a key installation and the UAE\u2019s only oil export terminal outside of the Strait of Hormuz, were seen burning. pic.twitter.com\/3ybiql7Aax<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) March 14, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

\"OilOil tankers and ships have been lining up in the Strait of Hormuz. Photograph: Altaf Qadri\/AP <\/p>\n

Ronan McGreevy – 5 hours ago<\/p>\n

Kharg Island strikes raises stakes in war between the US and Iran<\/p>\n

President Donald Trump said military facilities on the Gulf Kharg Island had been \u201cobliterated,\u201d adding that he chose not to hit oil infrastructure \u201cfor reasons of decency.\u201d <\/p>\n

He threatened to do just that should Iran \u201cdo anything to interfere with the Free and Safe Passage of Ships through the Strait of Hormuz\u201d.<\/p>\n

Iran reacted by warning it will target American-linked oil and energy facilities in the Middle East if its own petroleum infrastructure is attacked. Iranian media said all oil-industry workers on the island, which sits about 25km (16 miles) off the mainland, are safe and unharmed.<\/p>\n

The strike on is likely to raise fears of more oil and natural gas supply disruptions in the region. Brent crude closed above $100 a barrel on Friday and is at its highest level in almost four years.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll oil, economic, and energy facilities belonging to oil companies in the region that are partly owned by the United States or that co-operate with the United States will be immediately destroyed and reduced to ashes\u201d if Iran\u2019s energy and economic assets are hit, the country\u2019s Fars News Agency reported, citing the central military command \u2013 Bloomberg <\/p>\n

BREAKING: <\/p>\n

Iran has struck the UAE\u2019s port of Fujairah, which is one of the most strategically important ports in the Middle East. <\/p>\n

– The port provides a strategic backup export route if Hormuz is threatened or closed. <\/p>\n

– Oil can reach global markets without ships passing\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/cyCiz1vC9v<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Brian Krassenstein (@krassenstein) March 14, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

\"ThisThis video grab taken from images posted on social media shows smoke billowing from the US embassy in Baghdad. Photograph: AFP via Getty Images <\/p>\n

Sarah Burns – 6 hours ago<\/p>\n

Sinn F\u00e9in motion on soaring fuel costs to be debated in D\u00e1il next week<\/p>\n

Sinn F\u00e9in\u2019s finance spokesperson Pearse Doherty has confirmed that he will bring a motion before the D\u00e1il next week demanding urgent action to tackle the soaring cost of home heating oil, petrol and diesel.<\/p>\n

The Private Members\u2019 motion, which will be debated on Wednesday, calls on the Government to immediately intervene to reduce fuel prices and scrap planned tax increases on home heating oil.<\/p>\n

Doherty said the debate will give Fianna F\u00e1il and Fine Gael an opportunity to \u201cfinally act\u201d to protect workers and families facing severe financial pressure.<\/p>\n

\u201cWorkers and families have been struggling through an unrelenting cost of living crisis and the rapid rise in the cost of petrol, diesel and home heating oil is making an already difficult situation far worse,\u201d the Donegal TD said. <\/p>\n

\u201cHouseholds are under enormous pressure and yet Fianna F\u00e1il and Fine Gael continue to sit on their hands while costs spiral.\u201d<\/p>\n

Doherty said the Sinn F\u00e9in motion will highlight the growing hardship being experienced across the State.<\/p>\n

\u201cRecord numbers of households are already struggling to pay their energy bills, with hundreds of thousands in arrears and many more on the brink,\u201d he added. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe number of people at risk of poverty has also increased.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Sinn F\u00e9in motion calls on the Government to scrap planned tax increases on home heating oil, due to take effect on May 1st, and to reduce the cost of petrol, diesel and home heating oil by implementing the party\u2019s Mineral Oil Tax (Emergency Cost of Living Reduction) Bill 2026.<\/p>\n

\"SinnSinn F\u00e9in TD Pearse Doherty is to bring energy motion before the D\u00e1il next week. Photograph: Stephen Collins\/Collins Photos<\/p>\n

Sarah Burns – 7 hours ago<\/p>\n

Some oil loading operations suspend in Fujairah following drone attack<\/p>\n

Some oil-loading operations have been \u200bsuspended in the United Arab Emirates\u2019 Fujairah emirate, a major bunkering hub and crude export terminal, after a drone attack and fire on Saturday, industry and trade sources have said.<\/p>\n

The suspension comes hours after the US attacked \u200bmilitary targets on Iran\u2019s Kharg Island oil export terminal and Iran\u2019s Revolutionary Guards responded by saying that US interests \u2060in the UAE – including ports, docks and military locations – were legitimate targets.<\/p>\n

Fujairah, outside the Strait \u200cof \u200cHormuz, \u200bis the outlet for about one million barrels per day of the UAE\u2019s Murban crude oil – a volume equal to about one per cent \u2060of world demand. <\/p>\n

Earlier this \u200bweek, the International Energy Agency said the world was facing its biggest ever oil supply \u200ccrisis due to the effective closing of \u200bthe Strait of Hormuz, a channel along the Iranian coast, since the US and \u2060Israel began airstrikes on Iran on February \u206028th, with the \u200bUAE among producers forced to cut oil output.<\/p>\n

The fire in Fujairah occurred after debris fell during the interception of a drone, but no injuries were reported, the emirate\u2019s media office said.<\/p>\n

Civil defence forces are handling the incident to contain the fire, it added.<\/p>\n

Authorities did not provide any information about the suspension of operations.<\/p>\n

Abu Dhabi state oil giant ADNOC, which operates in the emirate, did not immediately respond \u200cto a request for \u2060comment.<\/p>\n

\"SmokeSmoke and flames rise from an energy installation in the Gulf emirate of Fujairah on Saturday. Smoke could be seen rising from the direction of a major UAE energy installation, in what appeared to be the latest strike targeting the Gulf’s petroleum facilities hours after the US struck Iran’s Kharg Island. Photograph: AFP via Getty Images <\/p>\n

Sarah Burns – 7 hours ago<\/p>\n

\"SmokeSmoke rises from the direction of an energy installation in the Gulf emirate of Fujairah on Saturday. Smoke could be seen rising from the direction of a major UAE energy installation, in what appeared to be the latest strike targeting the Gulf’s petroleum facilities hours after the US struck Iran’s Kharg Island. Photograph: AFP via Getty Images \"SmokeSmoke rises from the direction of an energy installation in the Gulf emirate of Fujairah on Saturday. Smoke could be seen rising from the direction of a major UAE energy installation, in what appeared to be the latest strike targeting the Gulf’s petroleum facilities hours after the US struck Iran’s Kharg Island. Photograph: AFP via Getty Images \"SmokeSmoke rises from the direction of an energy installation in the Gulf emirate of Fujairah on Saturday. Smoke could be seen rising from the direction of a major UAE energy installation, in what appeared to be the latest strike targeting the Gulf’s petroleum facilities hours after the US struck Iran’s Kharg Island. Photograph: AFP via Getty Images <\/p>\n

Sarah Burns – 7 hours ago<\/p>\n

More than 90 Iranian military targets struck, says US Central Command <\/p>\n

US \u200cforces executed a large-scale \u200bprecision strike on \u200bKharg Island \u2060in Iran \u200con \u200cFriday night, \u200bthe \u2060US \u200bCentral \u200bCommand \u200csaid on Saturday.<\/p>\n

\u201cUS \u200bForces successfully \u2060struck \u2060more \u200bthan 90 Iranian military targets,\u201d \u200cit \u2060said.<\/p>\n

Sarah Burns – 7 hours ago<\/p>\n

Mark O’Connell looks at how White House videos are capturing the ‘Brain Rot War’. Video: Enda O’Dowd <\/p>\n

Sarah Burns – 8 hours ago<\/p>\n

Iran has allowed some Indian vessels through Strait of Hormuz, says ambassador<\/p>\n

Iran has allowed some Indian vessels \u200cto sail through the Strait of \u200bHormuz, Tehran\u2019s ambassador to India, Mohammad Fathali, said on Saturday, confirming \u200ba rare exception to the \u2060blockade that has disrupted global \u200cenergy \u200csupplies.<\/p>\n

Fathali \u200bdid not confirm the number of \u2060vessels \u200bthat have been provided \u200bsafe passage. He was \u200cspeaking at broadcaster \u200bIndia Today\u2019s conclave in New \u2060Delhi.<\/p>\n

Since the \u2060United \u200bStates and Israel launched a bombing campaign on Iran, Tehran has largely halted traffic through the strait, which runs \u200cpast its \u2060coast and through which around 20 per cent of global \u200coil and seaborne liquefied natural \u200bgas is supplied. <\/p>\n

Message from the Editor<\/p>\n

\"RuadhanIrish Times Editor Ruadh\u00e1n Mac Cormaic <\/p>\n

Thanks for reading. If you\u2019re interested in world news, The Irish Times has the largest network of foreign correspondents of any Irish news organisation. <\/p>\n

Our team provides sharp reporting, in-depth analysis and thought-provoking commentary. Receive our Global Briefing newsletter<\/a> in your inbox every morning to enjoy Denis Staunton\u2019s guide to understanding world events; what\u2019s happening, why it matters and how it affects you.<\/p>\n

At The Irish Times, our journalism is free of any personal, political or commercial control. Unlike most publishers, we have no shareholders to satisfy, no media baron owner in the background telling us what we can and cannot publish.<\/p>\n

We are owned by a Trust that mandates us to uphold a set of public-interest values. Those values describe a worldview that is outward-looking, tolerant, curious, interested in divergent views and attentive to the needs of minorities.<\/p>\n

Our watchwords are fairness and accuracy. Our goal is to enable you to make informed and independent judgments. And any profit we make goes towards supporting our journalism. <\/p>\n

Ruadh\u00e1n Mac Cormaic<\/p>\n

Editor <\/p>\n

To join Ireland\u2019s biggest community of news subscribers, sign up here<\/a><\/p>\n

Sarah Burns – 8 hours ago<\/p>\n

The US struck military sites on Kharg Island, from which Iran exports almost all its oil, for the first time overnight.<\/p>\n

US president Donald Trump said military facilities on the Gulf island had been \u201cobliterated,\u201d adding that he chose not to hit oil infrastructure \u201cfor reasons of decency\u201d. <\/p>\n

He threatened to do just that should Iran \u201cdo anything to interfere with the free and safe passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz\u201d.<\/p>\n

Iran reacted on Saturday morning by warning it will target American-linked oil and energy facilities in the Middle East if its own petroleum infrastructure is attacked. Iranian media said all oil-industry workers on the island, which sits about 25km off the mainland, are safe and unharmed.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll oil, economic, and energy facilities belonging to oil companies in the region that are partly owned by the United States or that co-operate with the United States will be immediately destroyed and reduced to ashes\u201d if Iran\u2019s energy and economic assets are hit, the country\u2019s Fars News Agency reported, citing the central military command.<\/p>\n

The outlet said more than 15 explosions shook Kharg Island, with the targets including air-defence systems, a naval base, an airport control tower and a helicopter hangar. It didn\u2019t specify the scale of the damage.<\/p>\n

In the United Arab Emirates, some oil operations at Fujairah on the Gulf of Oman were suspended after a drone attack and fire on Saturday morning. Dubai authorities said debris from an interception hit the facade of a building in a central part of the city. \u201cNo fire occurred and no injuries were reported,\u201d the Dubai Media Office said.<\/p>\n

Iranian media reported more attacks on Tehran early Saturday, while Iran\u2019s military said it again targeted Israel overnight and a base near Abu Dhabi that hosts US troops. <\/p>\n

\"RescueRescue workers search for survivors in the rubble after a strike in southern Tehran, Iran. Photograph: Sajjad Safari\/AP \"AnAn apartment building damaged in a missile strike in Tehran on Thursday. Photograph: Arash Khamooshi\/The New York Times <\/p>\n

Sarah Burns – 9 hours ago<\/p>\n

As smoke rises over Tehran from latest strikes, Trump announced that ‘we’re going to cut off all trade with Spain’ from their refusal to allow bases to be used. <\/p>\n

Sarah Burns – 9 hours ago<\/p>\n

British government looking to provide \u2018targeted\u2019 support to offset impact of surging energy costs <\/p>\n

The British government is looking to provide \u201ctargeted\u201d support for poorer \u200chouseholds to offset the impact of surging energy costs due to the conflict in the Middle East, finance minister Rachel Reeves \u200chas said. <\/p>\n

Reeves told the Times newspaper the government was looking at options to help those vulnerable \u200bto sharp rises in energy prices, especially those who relied on heating oil, but she ruled out universal help for all households, saying it would be unaffordable.<\/p>\n

The Labour government, trailing in the polls to the populist Reform UK party, has come \u200bunder pressure from opponents to cap regulated household energy tariffs – due for review in late May – and to scrap a \u2060planned rise in vehicle fuel duty in September.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have found the money and we\u2019ve \u200cworked \u200cthrough \u200bwith MPs (lawmakers) and others a response for people who are not protected by the energy price cap. We\u2019re giving greater support to those who \u2060really need it,\u201d she said of \u200bthe plan to help households who rely on heating \u200boil.<\/p>\n

More than a million households in Britain use oil for heating, particularly in rural areas where \u200cconnection to the gas grid is not available. \u200bThe highest concentration is in Northern Ireland, where almost half of households rely solely on \u2060the fuel.<\/p>\n

\"UKUK chancellor of the exchequer Rachel Reeves during a roundtable with petrol retailers and energy suppliers, hosted at 11 Downing Street, Westminster, on Friday. Photograph: Dan Kitwood\/PA Wire <\/p>\n

Sarah Burns – 9 hours ago<\/p>\n

Iran\u2019s Revolutionary Guards \u200csaid on Saturday that \u200bUS interests in the United \u200bArab Emirates (UAE), including \u2060ports, docks and \u200cmilitary \u200clocations, \u200bare legitimate targets \u2060after \u200bUS forces \u200battacked Iranian \u200cislands, Iranian state \u200bmedia reported.<\/p>\n

In its \u2060statement, \u2060IRGC \u200burged residents in UAE to evacuate ports, docks \u200cand \u2060US military shelters to \u200cavoid civilian casualties.<\/p>\n

Sarah Burns – 9 hours ago<\/p>\n

Iran is \u2018totally defeated and wants a deal\u2019, claims Trump<\/p>\n

US president Donald Trump has claimed Iran is \u201ctotally defeated and wants a deal\u201d. <\/p>\n

In a post on Truthsocial over recent hours, Trump said: \u201cThe Fake News Media hates to report how well the United States Military has done against Iran, which is totally defeated and wants a deal – But not a deal that I would accept! Thank you for your attention to this matter. President DJT.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"USUS president Donald Trump speaks to reporters before boarding Air Force One as he departs Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on Friday. Photograph: Saul Loeb\/AFP via Getty Images <\/p>\n

Sarah Burns – 10 hours ago<\/p>\n

The US embassy in the \u200bIraqi capital Baghdad was hit \u200bin a \u2060missiles attack, \u200cIraqi \u200csecurity sources \u200bhave told \u2060Reuters on \u200bSaturday.<\/p>\n

The \u200battack \u200ccaused smoke to \u200brise from \u2060the \u2060embassy\u2019s \u200bbuilding, the sources said, without providing \u200cdetails \u2060on the damage.<\/p>\n

\"TheThe US embassy headquarters in Iraq pictured last week. Photograph: Ahmad Al-Rubaye\/AFP via Getty Images <\/p>\n

Sarah Burns – 10 hours ago<\/p>\n

Some oil -loading operations in \u200bthe port of UAE\u2019s Fujairah, \u200boutside \u2060the Strait of \u200cHormuz, \u200chave \u200bbeen suspended \u2060after \u200ba drone \u200battack \u200cand fire \u200bon Saturday \u2060morning, Bloomberg \u2060News has \u200breported.<\/p>\n

A Jewish school in Amsterdam was damaged in an explosion that the city\u2019s mayor has described as a deliberate attack against the Jewish community, Dutch news agency ANP reported. <\/p>\n

The explosion, which happened early on Saturday, caused limited damage, Mayor Femke Halsema told ANP. <\/p>\n

Elsewhere, explosions rocked Iraq\u2019s capital Baghdad on Saturday after two strikes targeted the powerful Iran-backed group Kataeb Hizbullah, killing two members including a \u201ckey figure\u201d, security sources told AFP. <\/p>\n

In Lebanon, at least 12 medical personnel were killed in an Israeli strike on a healthcare centre in the town of Borj Qalaouiya in southern Lebanon, the Lebanese state news agency reported, citing the health ministry. <\/p>\n

\"EmergencyEmergency personnel work at the site of an Israeli air strike that targeted an apartment building in the southern Lebanese town of Haret Saida, on the outskirts of Sidon, on March 14th, 2026. Photograph: MAHMOUD ZAYYAT\/AFP via Getty Images \"TheThe site of an overnight Israeli air strike that targeted Beirut’s southern suburbs, on March 14th, 2026. Photograph: AFP via Getty Images <\/p>\n

Israeli strikes have killed more than 100 children in Lebanon, according to the latest data from the Lebanese health ministry. A total of 773 people have been killed since Israel\u2019s first strikes on the country on March 2nd, with a further 1,933 people wounded, the ministry said in its daily report.<\/p>\n

It said 103 children had now been killed in the strikes, and a further 326 children have been wounded. \u2013 Guardian<\/p>\n

Kharg Island is a key hub for oil exports<\/p>\n

Kharg Island is the hub for 90 per cent of Iran\u2019s oil exports \u200cand has long been seen as a key vulnerability that would provoke a severe response by Tehran if attacked.<\/p>\n

Iran, which ramped up oil output in the run-up to the February 28th launch of the war by Israel and the US, has continued to ship oil at a rate of 1.1 million to \u200b1.5 million barrels per day, TankerTracker.com and Kpler data show.<\/p>\n

Kharg sits 26km (16 miles) from \u2060Iran\u2019s coast, more than 480km \u200bnorthwest of the Strait of Hormuz, in waters deep enough to enable the docking of tankers that are too large to approach the mainland\u2019s shallow coastal waters.<\/p>\n

\"AnAn infographic titled “Kharg Island” created in Ankara, Turkey. Photograph: Elif Acar\/Anadolu via Getty Images <\/p>\n

Kharg has storage capacity of roughly 30 million barrels, and held about 18 million barrels of crude as of early March, according to a JP Morgan report citing Kpler \u200bdata.<\/p>\n

The last time the island came under significant fire was during the Iran-Iraq War in the 1980s. The Iraqi military, under Saddam Hussein, conducted heavy bombing raids on the island\u2019s oil infrastructure at the time, causing extensive damage. But Iran was able to rebuild the facilities. \u2013 Agencies<\/p>\n

In response, Iran\u2019s Armed Forces Unified Combatant warned that any attack on Iran\u2019s oil and energy infrastructure would lead to attacks on energy infrastructure owned by oil companies co-operating with the US in the region, Iranian media reported. <\/p>\n

The military\u2019s Al-Anbiya Central Headquarters said in a statement cited by Iranian media that oil and energy infrastructure belonging to firms that co-operated with the United States would \u201cimmediately be destroyed and turned into a pile of ashes\u201d if Iran\u2019s energy facilities were attacked.<\/p>\n

President Donald Trump said US forces had \u201cobliterated\u201d military targets on Iran\u2019s Kharg Island \u2013 hours after the American military said it has ordered 2,500 Marines and an amphibious assault ship to the Middle East.<\/p>\n

Kharg Island is the primary terminal that handles Iran\u2019s oil exports, and Trump warned that the island\u2019s oil infrastructure could be next.<\/p>\n

Announcing the action in a social media post, the US president said: \u201cMoments ago, at my direction, the United States Central Command executed one of the most powerful bombing raids in the History of the Middle East, and totally obliterated every MILITARY target in Iran\u2019s crown jewel, Kharg Island.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor reasons of decency, I have chosen NOT to wipe out the Oil Infrastructure on the Island. However, should Iran, or anyone else, do anything to interfere with the Free and Safe Passage of Ships through the Strait of Hormuz, I will immediately reconsider this decision.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMoments ago, at my direction, the United States Central Command executed one of the most powerful bombing raids in the History of the Middle East, and totally obliterated every MILITARY target in Iran\u2019s crown jewel, Kharg Island… Iran has NO ability to defend anything that we\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/2iEzCOyA3P<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 The White House (@WhiteHouse) March 13, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

Iran\u2019s semi-official Fars news agency reported at least 15 explosions with thick smoke rising over Kharg Island.<\/p>\n

It said the strikes targeted an air defence facility, a naval base, the airport control tower and an offshore oil company\u2019s helicopter hangar, adding no oil infrastructure was damaged in the attack. \u2013 Associated Press<\/p>\n