04.06 GMT
Opening
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Hello and
welcome to our live coverage of the ongoing conflict in Iran and across the
Middle East.
Iran’s
armed forces threatened on Saturday to destroy US-linked oil infrastructure
after president Donald Trump said the US had bombed Iran’s oil hub of Kharg
Island.
The
military said in a statement cited by Iranian media that oil and energy
infrastructure belonging to firms that cooperated with the US would
“immediately be destroyed and turned into a pile of ashes” if Iran’s energy
facilities were attacked.
The
announcement was in “response to statements” made by the Trump, who earlier
said on social media that strikes had “obliterated” military targets on Iran’s
Kharg Island.
If you
are just tuning in, here is a quick recap of the latest:
Trump
said he had chosen not to wipe out the oil infrastructure on Kharg Island,
which serves as the export terminal for 90% of Iran’s oil shipments. But he
added: “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.”
Explosions
rocked Iraq’s capital Baghdad on Saturday after two strikes targeted the
powerful Iran-backed group Kataeb Hezbollah, killing two members including a
“key figure”, security sources told AFP.
At least
12 medical personnel were killed in an Israeli strike on a healthcare center in
the town of Borj Qalaouiya in southern Lebanon, the Lebanese state news agency
reported, citing the health ministry.
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’s first strikes on the country on 2 March, with a further 1,933
people wounded, the ministry said in its daily report. It said 103 children had
now been killed in the strikes, and a further 326 children have been wounded.
Qatar’s
interior ministry said it was evacuating a number of “key areas” as Iran
presses its retaliatory air campaign against Gulf countries. In Doha’s central
Musheireb district some residents received phone alerts telling them to
“evacuate the area immediately... to the nearest safest place as a temporary
precaution”.
The US
energy department said it expects initial deliveries of oil from its strategic
petroleum reserve will begin moving to the market by the end of next week.
Members of the 32-nation International Energy Agency, announced earlier this
week they would unlock 400m barrels of oil in an effort to bring down prices.
The
Pentagon is moving additional Marines and warships to the Middle East, the Wall
Street Journal and other outlets reported. US defence secretary Pete Hegseth
reportedly approved a request from US Central Command for an element of an
amphibious ready group and attached Marine expeditionary unit (MEU). There are
differing reports about the size of the contingent to be deployed, but the
group typically consists of several warships and 5,000 Marines and sailors.
The UN
under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief
coordinator, called for humanitarian aid to be allowed to pass safely through
the strait of Hormuz as the US-Israeli war on Iran continues to disrupt one of
the world’s most vital shipping routes. In a statement, Tom Fletcher said this
will make it harder and more expensive to deliver critical supplies, including
food and medicine. Only 77 ships have so far crossed through the critical
waterway this month.
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