Israeli air force strikes nuclear site in Iran, IDF says
The Israeli military announced today that it had struck a nuclear program site in Iran.
The strike on the Taleghan compound was part of a wave of strikes conducted over the past few days, the IDF said.
The Guardian was not able to immediately verify this statement.
According to Reuters, Taleghan is a facility at the Parchin military complex, located about 30 kilometres (19 miles) southeast of Tehran. From the beginning of the US-Israeli war with Iran, Donald Trump has said that one of his war aims was to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon.
Tehran has long insisted that its nuclear programme was for civilian purposes but in 2002, two undeclared sites, for uranium enrichment and heavy water plutonium production, were discovered, raising suspicion.
The Israeli military said that IDF intelligence had determined that the Taleghan compound was utilized by Tehran to develop weapons and conduct experiments as part of Amad, an Iranian scientific project aimed at developing nuclear weapons that was believed to have ended in 2003.
The Israeli military had announced last week that it had struck Minzadeheian, another nuclear site in Iran where it said scientists were covertly developing a key component for nuclear weapons.
Updated at 07.58 EDT
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Damien Gayle
As many as 3.2m Iranians have fled their homes to find safety from the joint US-Israeli aerial bombing campaign bombarding the country, according to preliminary assessments by the the UN refugee agency.
“Most of them are reportedly fleeing from Tehran and other major urban areas towards the north of the country and rural areas to seek safety,” the UNHCR said in a statement on Thursday afternoon.
“This figure is likely to continue rising as hostilities persist, marking a worrying escalation in humanitarian needs.”
The UNHCR has a longstanding presence in Iran supporting refugees from neighbouring Afghanistan, who it said were “particularly vulnerable” to the current displacement crisis, “given their already precarious situation and limited support networks”.
US energy secretary Chris Wright told CNBC on Thursday that the navy cannot escort ships through the strait of Hormuz now but it was “quite likely” that could happen by the end of the month.
The issues with protecting oil tankers in the strait were discussed by US military officials in a classified briefing to top lawmakers on Tuesday, according to a person familiar with the matter.
Updated at 08.37 EDT
Patrick Wintour
The first official message from the new supreme leader in Iran, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, is due to be published shortly.
It will be his first official public remarks since he was made supreme leader and, depending on the format, may go some way to allay reports that he was seriously injured in the attack at the outset of the war
Iranian press reported this strategic message, issued in seven important chapters, contains special points regarding the martyred leader of the revolution, the role and duties of the people, armed forces, executive bodies and resistance front, as well as regional countries and dealing with enemies.
ShareThailand demands apology from Iran after ship struck in strait of Hormuz
Thailand’s foreign ministry on Thursday said it had requested an apology from after a Thai bulk carrier was attacked in the strait of Hormuz yesterday.
Three ships were hit by unknown projectiles in the strategic strait abutting Iran. While two of the ships sustained damage, the crew was forced to evacuate the Thai bulk carrier after it caught fire.
According to Reuters, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said in a statement carried by the Tasnim news agency that the ship was “fired upon by Iranian fighters“.
DPS Sirilak met with Amb. of Iran to raise concerns regarding the incident of the Thai-flagged cargo ship “Mayuree Naree,” which was hit and damaged in the Strait of Hormuz. Thailand conveyed its strongest protest and requested the Iranian authorities issue a statement of apology… pic.twitter.com/QLte85JUvd
— กระทรวงการต่างประเทศ | MFA of Thailand (@MFAThai) March 12, 2026
ShareToday so far
Iran appeared to have set two tankers ablaze on fire in Iraqi waters, killing one crew member, as it stepped up strikes on oil and transport facilities around the Middle East.
Oil prices, which shot up earlier in the week to nearly $120 a barrel before retreating, jumped almost 10% back above $100 a barrel before dropping to $98 a barrel amid renewed fears about supply disruption. A spokesperson for Iran’s military command had earlier warned in remarks directed at the US: “Get ready for oil to be $200 a barrel, because the oil price depends on regional security, which you have destabilised.”
Israeli forces conducted a drone strike on an area of Beirut where displaced residents were sheltering in tents. At least eight people were killed in the attack on the capital’s beachfront.
The Israeli military issued a warning on Thursday to residents of a village in Lebanon located about 64 kilometres (40 miles) east of Beirut. It also announced that it had begun yet another widescale wave of strikes on Iran. The IDF also said that Israeli forces had struck a nuclear program site in Iran earlier this week, but the Guardian was not able to independently verify that statement.
Amid the Israeli strikes on Lebanon and Iran, displaced Palestinians in a tent encampment near Gaza City said they received a call from the Israeli military on Wednesday night ordering them to evacuate in five minutes. Video shows the camp then getting struck.
Drones struck Kuwait international airport on Thursday, causing some material damage. It is unclear who is responsible for the attack, which came one day after four people were injured when air defences intercepted two drones near Dubai airport in the United Arab Emirates. Soon after the attack, the Dutch carrier KLM canceled all flights to Dubai up to and including 28 March.
An Italian military base in the Kurdish region of Iraq was attacked, Italian foreign minister Antonio Tajani said in a post on X. Tajani said he strongly condemned the attack in Erbil, but didn’t say if authorities knew who was responsible for it. He said all soldiers on the base were safe.
About 2,000 people have reportedly been killed in the war launched almost two weeks ago, while Unicef said more than 1,100 children had been killed or injured.
ShareIsraeli airstrike sets fire to camp sheltering displaced Palestinians near Gaza City
Amid airstrikes on Lebanon and Iran, video shows Israeli forces targeting a tent camp sheltering displaced Palestinians west of Gaza City on Wednesday night.
Palestinians in the Al-Ansar camp said they received phone calls from Israeli military personnel ordering them to evacuate the area within five minutes. After two initial warning strikes, the camp was struck a third time.
More here:
Fire breaks out after Israel strikes Gaza displacement camp – video reportShareIsraeli air force strikes nuclear site in Iran, IDF says
The Israeli military announced today that it had struck a nuclear program site in Iran.
The strike on the Taleghan compound was part of a wave of strikes conducted over the past few days, the IDF said.
The Guardian was not able to immediately verify this statement.
According to Reuters, Taleghan is a facility at the Parchin military complex, located about 30 kilometres (19 miles) southeast of Tehran. From the beginning of the US-Israeli war with Iran, Donald Trump has said that one of his war aims was to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon.
Tehran has long insisted that its nuclear programme was for civilian purposes but in 2002, two undeclared sites, for uranium enrichment and heavy water plutonium production, were discovered, raising suspicion.
The Israeli military said that IDF intelligence had determined that the Taleghan compound was utilized by Tehran to develop weapons and conduct experiments as part of Amad, an Iranian scientific project aimed at developing nuclear weapons that was believed to have ended in 2003.
The Israeli military had announced last week that it had struck Minzadeheian, another nuclear site in Iran where it said scientists were covertly developing a key component for nuclear weapons.
Updated at 07.58 EDT
Here are some images coming out of the Middle East:
Bahrain:
Firefighters work at the site after reported Iranian strikes triggered fire at fuel tanks near the airport, in Muharraq, Bahrain on 12 March 2026. Photograph: Bahrain Information Ministry/ReutersSmoke rises over Bahrain’s capital, Manama, after a reported Iranian drone strike on a fuel storage facility at Bahrain international airport on 12 March 2026. Photograph: Reuters
United Arab Emirates:
Workers inspect damage caused by an overnight drone strike at the Address Creek Harbour hotel in Dubai, United Arab Emirates on 12 March 2026. Photograph: Fatima Shbair/APAnother view of the damage at the Address Creek Harbour hotel in Dubai. Photograph: ReutersShare
Updated at 07.04 EDT
The Australian government has directed all “non-essential” diplomats to leave Israel and the United Arab Emirates because of the conflict, the foreign minister, Penny Wong, said on Thursday.
Essential Australian officials will remain to support Australians who need it, she added.
“We continue to advise Australians not to travel to Israel and the UAE,” Wong said. “We urge you to leave the Middle East if you can and if it’s safe to do so. Don’t wait until it’s too late. It may be the last chance for some time.”
Updated at 06.41 EDT
Earlier today, Iran appeared to set ablaze two tankers in Iraqi waters.
Here are some images of the aftermath:
A foreign tanker carrying Iraqi fuel oil was damaged after an attack caused it to catch fire in Iraq’s territorial waters on 12 March 2026. Photograph: Mohammed Aty/ReutersA foreign tanker carrying Iraqi fuel oil was damaged after an attack caused it to catch fire in Iraq’s territorial waters on 12 March 2026. Photograph: Mohammed Aty/ReutersA foreign tanker carrying Iraqi fuel oil was damaged after an attack caused it to catch fire in Iraq’s territorial waters on 12 March 2026. Photograph: Mohammed Aty/ReutersShare
The Guardian has published a video showing the tankers in Iraqi waters bursting into flames.
Fuel tankers burst into flames in Iraqi waters after suspected Iranian boat attacks – videoShareIsraeli drone strikes area in Beirut where displaced people had been sheltering
William Christou
The aftermath of Israel’s drone strike last night on the central Beirut neighbourhood of Ramlet al-Baydaa was still evident on Thursday morning. Two bombs from a drone had fallen in quick succession on the beachfront corniche where displaced people had been sleeping for the past week, killing eight people and injuring 21.
It was the third time that Israel bombed central Beirut in recent days, striking areas previously thought as safe. The strike came a few hours after Hezbollah launched its most intense bombing of Israel yet, launching waves of rockets and drones in tandem with Iran.
The sand had turned red where bodies had lay just a few hours ago, and the wreckage of a motorcycle leaned against two bombed out cars. The bombs had bore two deep holes into the sidewalk, and Lebanese soldiers peered inside with a flashlight, seeing if any of the explosives remained.
“It was terrifying. We heard them hit once and then once again almost immediately. We didn’t think they would hit here. What’s here? It’s just the sea,” said Riyadh al-Lattah, a 57-year-old woodworker from the southern suburbs of Beirut who was camped out with his wife and five children across the street from the impact site.
Al-Lattah was one of hundreds of residents who turned to the city’s beachfront when Israel ordered Beirut’s southern suburbs to be evacuated last week. With nowhere else to go, al-Lattah set up two tents along the beach, joining the growing tent encampment in front of the usual upscale neighbourhood.
He did not expect, however, that Israel would strike without warning.
“This war is harder. At least last time they would warn you. They’d tell you before they hit; now it’s just random bombings,” said al-Lattah. Another man who was camped out, 18-year-old Hussein al-Atrash, said that he would soon leave Beirut, afraid of more strikes to come.
“We came here because we thought we would be safe. Wherever we go, they bomb,” said al-Atrash, a displaced resident of Dahiyeh.
As he spoke, the army began to yell for crowds to stand back – they had found an unexploded bomb in one of the holes in the sidewalk.
The Israeli military announced that it has begun another widescale wave of attacks on Iran.
Israeli forces earlier today launched a wave of strikes on Lebanon, killing at least seven people on central Beirut’s seafront.
ShareDrones strike Kuwait airport, causing material damage
Kuwait international airport was struck by several drones on Thursday, according to Kuwait News Agency.
The drones caused some material damage, but no injuries. It is still unclear who was responsible for the strike.
On Wednesday, four people were injured after air defences intercepted two drones near Dubai airport in the United Arab Emirates. Soon after the attack, the Dutch carrier KLM canceled all flights to Dubai up to and including 28 March.
Updated at 04.54 EDT
The Israeli military issued an urgent warning on Thursday to the residents of Qasr Naba, a town in Lebanon about 64 kilometres (40 miles) east of Beirut.
Israeli forces will be attacking at least one building in the village believed to be Hezbollah military infrastructure, IDF spokesman Avichay Adraee said on X.
The warning came shortly after an Israeli strike on central Beirut’s seafront killed at least seven people.
ShareOil prices top $100 before dropping back slightly
Oil prices topped $100 a barrel on Thursday before falling back as Iran stepped up its attacks on energy infrastructure around the Middle East.
The Guardian’s Callum Jones reports that the price of Brent crude – the international benchmark – show up by 9% to $100.29 per barrel on Thursday, despite efforts by governments across the world to allay fears of a sustained supply crunch.
That price has since dropped to $98 a barrel, according to the Associated Press.
On Wednesday. the International Energy Agency ordered the largest release of government oil reserves in its history in an effort to calm the oil price shock triggered by the conflict.
ShareItalian base in Kurdish region of Iraq attacked, says Italian foreign minister
An Italian military base in the Kurdish region of Iraq was attacked, Italian foreign minister Antonio Tajani said in a post on X.
Tajani said he strongly condemned the attack in Erbil, but didn’t say if authorities knew who was responsible for it. He said all soldiers on the base were safe.
ShareSummary
In case you’re just tuning in to our live coverage of the US-Israel war on Iran, here’s a snapshot of the latest key developments. It’s now 10.30am in Tehran, 9am in Beirut and Tel Aviv and 3am in Washington DC.
Iran appeared to have set two tankers ablaze on fire in Iraqi waters, killing one crew member, as it stepped up strikes on oil and transport facilities around the Middle East.
About 2,000 people have reportedly been killed in the war launched almost two weeks ago, while Unicef said more than 1,100 children had been killed or injured.
Donald Trump said at a rally in Kentucky that the US had won the war but didn’t want to have to go back every two years. “We don’t want to leave early do we? We’ve got to finish the job.”
Oil prices, which shot up earlier in the week to nearly $120 a barrel before retreating, jumped almost 10% back above $100 a barrel in Asian trade on Thursday amid renewed fears about supply disruption.
A spokesperson for Iran’s military command warning in remarks directed at the US: “Get ready for oil to be $200 a barrel, because the oil price depends on regional security, which you have destabilised.”
British prime minister Keir Starmer said the government would “step in” if companies exploited rising heating oil prices amid the Middle East conflict.
US intelligence indicates that Iran’s leadership is still largely intact and is not at risk of collapse any time soon, the Reuters news agency reported, citing three sources. A “multitude” of intelligence reports provide “consistent analysis that the regime is not in danger” of collapse and “retains control of the Iranian public”, one of the sources said.
Lebanon said an Israeli strike on central Beirut’s seafront killed at least seven people early on Thursday – another attack in the heart of the capital as Hezbollah launched more missiles at Israel. The Israeli military earlier said it launched a “large-scale wave of strikes” on Beirut’s densely populated suburbs after the Iran-backed militant group fired what the IDF said were “dozens” of rockets.
The International Energy Agency ordered the largest release of government oil reserves in its history – 400m barrels – in a bid to calm concerns over supplies and dampen one of the worst fuel shocks since the 1970s. The US said it would release 172m barrels of oil from its strategic petroleum reserve.
An attack on Iraq’s Basra port early on Thursday killed at least one person and forced authorities to halt operations at all the country’s oil terminals, officials said.
Other reports of Iranian attacks included the targeting of fuel tanks at a facility in Bahrain’s Muharraq and drones striking oil storage facilities at Salalah port, while another container vessel reported being struck near the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait reported a drone hitting a building, injuring two, and Dubai authorities responded to a drone that fell on a building.
With news agencies
Updated at 03.26 EDT
Foreign ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) will hold a special meeting on the situation in the Middle East on Friday, a Philippine foreign ministry official has been quoted as saying.
Donald Trump has been at pains in recent days to reassure the world that the economic impact of his war on Iran can be contained, but across Asia – the world’s top crude oil importing region – the rhetoric around the ramifications of this conflict is less important than the reality.
Asian countries from Pakistan to South Korea have been forced to confront a brewing energy supply crisis.
You can read more in this analysis from Callum Jones here: