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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Iran no longer has the ability to enrich uranium, as he asserts: “we are winning”.<\/p>\n
Donald Trump said there are no plans to deploy US ground troops in the region, after he threatened retaliation after Iranian strikes on a major liquefied natural gas production facility in Qatar. <\/p>\n
The price of gas rose drastically in Europe and the UK, following an attack on Qatar’s Ras Laffan energy complex.<\/p>\n
Brent crude oil, a benchmark for oil markets, was above $110 a barrel in morning trading, up more than 50% since Israel and the United States began their war with Iran on 28 February.<\/p>\n
UK natural gas prices spiked by more than 20% on Thursday morning to around 172p per therm, a unit of heat energy \u2013 the highest in three years. <\/p>\n
A summit of Gulf Arab countries and others ended with a renewed, unified call for Iran to halt attacks on its neighbours, saying they “cannot be justified under any pretext or in any way”.<\/p>\n
More than 1,300 people in Iran have been killed. In Lebanon, 968 have been killed, while 1 million (around 20% of the population) have been displaced. 15 people have been killed in Israel, while at least 13 US service members have also died.<\/p>\n
Iran said on Thursday it would show “zero restraint” if its energy infrastructure was targeted again, as it intensified its attacks on oil and natural gas facilities around the Gulf following an Israeli attack on one of its key gas fields.<\/p>\n
An overnight strike on South Pars, the Iranian part of the world\u2019s largest gas field, located offshore in the Persian Gulf and owned jointly with Qatar, sent global oil and gas prices rising sharply. <\/p>\n
This was followed by an Iranian attack on the Ras Laffan<\/a> liquefied natural gas (LNG) production and export facility in Qatar \u2013 a key source of natural gas for world markets. <\/p>\n Production had already been halted at Ras Laffan due to earlier attacks, and while firefighters managed to put out the blaze, state-owned QatarEnergy said the fire had caused \u201cextensive\u201d damage.<\/p>\n Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE denounced the Iranian attacks, with Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit calling them a \u201cdangerous escalation\u201d, but Tehran has shown no signs of backing down. <\/p>\n The wave of attacks sent brent crude oil, a benchmark for the oil industry, up by 7% to reach a significant price of $114 – around \u00a386 – on Thursday morning. <\/p>\n Before this month, prices had not passed the $100 per barrel mark since July 2022.<\/p>\n Netanyahu says Iran can no longer enrich uranium<\/p>\n In a televised address, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel will hold off on any further attacks on Iran’s giant natural gas field, at Trump’s request.<\/p>\n Speaking during a press conference late Thursday, Netanyahu said that Iran has “no ability to enrich uranium at the moment and no capability of manufacturing ballistic missiles.” <\/p>\n The Israeli leader also said that “Iran’s air defences have been rendered useless, their navy is at the bottom of the sea… their air force is nearly destroyed.”<\/p>\n He also laid out Israel’s three main objectives for the war on Iran – those are to “completely annihilate” the country’s nuclear programme, as well as their ballistic missile programme; and to create conditions that allow Iranians to “take their fate in their own hands.”<\/p>\n He said Israel was “stronger than ever”, while Iran is “weaker than ever.” <\/p>\n Netanyahu also denied that Israel had pressured the United States into going to war, amid growing US domestic concerns about the country’s involvement. <\/p>\n “This canard that we dragged the United States into this is not just a canard, it’s ridiculous,” he said. <\/p>\n “I didn\u2019t have to convince President Trump about the need to prevent Iran from developing its nuclear programme, putting it underground, and being able to launch nuclear-tipped missiles at the United States. He understood that. <\/p>\n “The world owes a debt of deep indebtedness to President Trump for leading this effort to safeguard our future”, he said, adding that his partnership with Trump is “the only way to avoid this catastrophic development.”<\/p>\n Trump says war with Iran is “ahead of schedule”<\/p>\n Earlier on Thursday, Donald Trump said the US and Israel had “obliterated” Iran’s navy, air force, and leadership.<\/p>\n The US president also said he would not be deploying US troops to the region, amid reporting that his administration was considering deploying thousands of troops. <\/p>\n \u201cNo, I\u2019m not putting troops anywhere. If I were, I certainly wouldn\u2019t tell you, but I\u2019m not putting troops,\u201d Trump said in the Oval Office on Thursday. <\/p>\n He confirmed that his administration may seek a further $200 billion in new Pentagon funding, calling it a “small price to pay” to ensure the military has all it needs to wage war with Iran. <\/p>\n \u201cWe want to be in the best shape, the best shape we\u2019ve ever been in,\u201d he said from the Oval Office. \u201cIt\u2019s a small price to pay to make sure that we stay tippy top.\u201d <\/p>\n He was speaking during a meeting at the Oval Office with the Japanese Prime Minister, Sanae Takaichi. She said she believes that Trump is the one “who can achieve peace across the world.”<\/p>\n Speaking during a meeting at the Oval Office in front of the world’s press, Takaichi told the US president that Japan has opposed Iran’s development of its nuclear programme. <\/p>\n “Japan condemns Iran’s actions such as attacking the neighbouring region and also the de facto or effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz. <\/p>\n “As a matter of fact, my fellow minister, (Foreign) Minister (Toshimitsu) Motegi, also had a direct exchange with the Iranian foreign minister and urged Iran to stop such activities.<\/p>\n Trump had previously complained that Japan was among the nations that did not join his call to help protect the Strait of Hormuz. <\/p>\n US President Donald Trump with Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. Credit: AP<\/p>\n UK natural gas prices spike<\/p>\n UK natural gas prices spiked by more than 20% on Thursday morning to around 172p per therm \u2013 the highest in three years. <\/p>\n Kathleen Brooks, research director at XTB, said the escalation in the conflict was \u201cspooking the market\u201d and traders were predicting \u201chefty losses for stocks\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cThis war looks far from over, and the energy crisis is shifting from a shipping crisis to a supply crisis,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n