Power cuts have been reported across Tehran today after the latest Israeli airstrikes rained down on Iran’s capital.

According to the New York Times, multiple people living in different neighbourhoods of the city are reporting outages.

Powerful explosions were reported across central, southern and eastern Tehran, with Iranian air defence systems activated throughout the capital, according to Al Jazeera Arabic.

Middle East Eye has reported residents using torches in Khorramabad, west of Tehran, where a building was destroyed by bombing.

Iran’s Fars news agency reported airstrikes had targeted five areas of the Iranian capital while Israeli military said it had ‘begun a wide-scale wave of strikes targeting Iranian terror regime infrastructure’.

Iran’s state media is reporting any attack on the country’s southern coast and islands will lead to Gulf routes being cut with the laying of sea mines.

The US is considering plans to occupy or blockade Iran’s Kharg Island, the country’s main oil export hub, to pressure Tehran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to all shipping, according to Axios.

‘Any attempt to attack Iran’s coasts or islands will cause all access routes in the Gulf (…) to be mined with various types of sea mines, including floating mines that can be released from the coast,’ a statement from , Iran’s Defence Council said today.

‘In this case, the entire Gulf will practically be in a situation similar to the Strait of Hormuz for a long time (…) One should not forget the failure of more than 100 minesweepers in the 1980s in removing a few sea mines.’

The Defence Council recalled that non-belligerent states can only pass through the Strait of Hormuz by coordinating passage with Iran.

China has warned further attacks in the Middle East risk is creating an ‘uncontrollable situation’ in the region as Donald Trump threatens to ‘obliterate’ Iran’s power plants.

The conflict and its impact on Hormuz has threatened global energy security as well as China’s oil supplies and the ‘use of force will only lead to a vicious cycle’, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian told a news conference, when asked about Trump’s threats.

‘If the war expands further and the situation deteriorates again, the entire region could be plunged into an uncontrollable situation,’ he said.

Beijing is a partner of Iran, which has been targeted by US-Israeli attacks since last month, but has also said it ‘does not go along’ with Tehran’s strikes against Gulf states housing US military bases and urged a ceasefire.

Trump, who was due to visit Beijing this month but delayed his trip to deal with the fallout from the war, had called on China and other countries to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

Trump gave Tehran a 48-hour deadline on Saturday to end its partial blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway into the Gulf through which about one-fifth of the world’s oil flows, or risk an attack on its vital energy infrastructure.

European stock markets extended heavy losses at the start of trading today following sharp falls in Asia as oil prices jumped on the escalating Iran war.

London’s benchmark FTSE 100 index shed 1.4 per cent, Paris lost 1.7 per cent and Frankfurt tumbled 2.0 per cent.

In Asia, South Korea’s benchmark Kospi index and Japan’s Nikkei sharply dropped in early trade.

The Kospi was down 4.69 percent at 5,509.88 points. The Nikkei 225 was down 3.54 percent at 51,483.91 points.

Chris Beauchamp, Chief Analyst at IG commented: ‘Investors who have spent the weekend watching fresh strikes in the Middle East are now waiting to see what will happen when Trump’s 48 hour deadline expires tonight.

‘But they are in no mood to hang around, and have continued to sell stocks and precious metals. Each day that the war goes does more damage to the global economy and drives inflation higher, with recession chances rising by the hour.’

by Andrew Jehring and Martin Robinson

Donald Trump has promised the ‘total decimation’ of Iran as reports emerged of American plans for a lengthy ground war in the Middle East with thousands of US marines arriving in the region this week.

Amid reports he is ready to send his troops, Mr Trump promised that the destruction of Iran would ‘work out very good’ and the rogue state is ‘getting their comeuppance’.

He may seize Kharg Island, Iran’s oil terminal in the Persian Gulf, although the White House insists no final decision has been made.

Iran has ferociously rejected President Trump’s ultimatum to reopen the Strait of Hormuz by Midnight tonight, UK time, and threatened to wipe out the entire region’s energy infrastructure.

Trump warned Tehran on Saturday it had 48 hours to allow cargo through the vital global shipping lane ‘without threat’ or he would ‘obliterate’ their power plants.

But the regime hit back yesterday saying if its plants were targeted then energy infrastructure ‘across the entire region’ would be ‘irreversibly destroyed’.

International Energy Agency Executive Director Fatih Birol

The global economy is under ‘major threat’ from the energy crisis caused by the Middle East war, International Energy Agency chief Fatih Birol said.

Speaking at the National Press Club in Australia’s capital, Birol warned ‘no country will be immune’ to its effects.

He compared the current energy crisis to those of the 1970s and the impact of Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

‘This crisis as things stand is now two oil crises and one gas crash put all together,’ he said.

‘The global economy is facing a major, major threat today, and I very much hope that this issue will be resolved as soon as possible,’ Birol added.

‘No country will be immune to the effects of this crisis if it continues to go in this direction. So there is a need for global efforts.’

Explosions rang out in Tehran early this morning as Israel announced it launched a fresh wave of strikes.

Iran’s Fars news agency reported airstrikes had targeted five areas of the Iranian capital while Israeli military said it had ‘begun a wide-scale wave of strikes targeting Iranian terror regime infrastructure’.

Israel has also expanded its ground campaign against Iran-allied Hezbollah in Lebanon, warning of a lengthy operation there.

‘Citizens of Israel, we face more weeks of fighting against Iran and Hezbollah,’ Israeli military spokesman Brigadier General Effie Defrin said.

Israeli forces were given orders to destroy bridges they said were used by Hezbollah to cross the key Litani river, 30 kilometres (20 miles) north of the border.

More than 1,000 people have died in Lebanon since Israel launched strikes, according to the health ministry, with more than one million people displaced.

Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates reported coming under fresh attacks this morning, with explosions and sirens sounding over the oil-rich Gulf.

The Saudi Ministry of Defense said it had detected two incoming ballistic missiles targeting the capital on Monday, ‘one of which was intercepted and the other fell in an uninhabited area’.

The UAE defence ministry said it was ‘currently responding to incoming missile and drone threats from Iran’, explaining ‘the sounds heard are the result of the Air Defence Systems intercepting missiles and drones’.

Hours earlier, Abu Dhabi authorities reported an Indian national had been wounded by falling debris from an intercepted ballistic missile.

And sirens were sounding in Bahrain, with residents instructed to seek shelter.

‘Citizens and residents are urged to remain calm and head to the nearest safe place,’ the interior ministry posted on social media.

Gulf nations that have long billed themselves as oases of safety and stability in the region have been drawn into the Middle East war as Iran retaliates against US-Israeli strikes.

Iran today faces a deadline by President Donald Trump to open up the crucial Strait of Hormuz or face a major US assault on power plants, as Israel warned of weeks more of war.

Trump and Tehran traded threats as the war entered its fourth week, with the US president demanding the Islamic republic reopen the blocked Strait of Hormuz, through which some 20 per cent of the world’s oil and gas shipments transit.

The bottleneck has nearly halted all petroleum shipments through the narrow waterway, and oil prices have spiked.

Trump posted late Saturday on Truth Social that US forces would ‘hit and obliterate’ Iranian power plants – ‘starting with the biggest one first’ – if Tehran did not fully reopen the strait within 48 hours, or 23:44 GMT on Monday, according to the time of his post.

In response, Iran’s army said it will target energy and desalination infrastructure ‘belonging to the US and the regime in the region,’ according to the Fars news agency.

Shortly after the markets opened in Asia, the price of West Texas Intermediate (WTI), the US benchmark crude, for May delivery was up 1.8 percent to just over $100 per barrel, before retreating slightly.

The price of North Sea Brent crude for May delivery rose at a similar rate, to $113.44 per barrel before sliding to around $111 some 45 minutes into trading.

On February 27, the day before the US-Israeli attacks began on Iran, they stood at $67.02 and $72.48 per barrel, respectively.

In Asia, South Korea’s benchmark Kospi index and Japan’s Nikkei sharply dropped in early trade.

The Kospi was down 4.69 percent at 5,509.88 points. The Nikkei 225 was down 3.54 percent at 51,483.91 points.

Hello and welcome to the Daily Mail’s live coverage of the US-Israel war with Iran as the conflict enters its fourth week.

Over the weekend, Donald Trump and Iran traded tit-for-tat threats as the President demanded the Strait of Hormuz to be fully reopened or Tehran will face having power plants blown up.

In response Iran’s army said it will target energy and desalination infrastructure ‘belonging to the US and the regime in the region’.

As the deadline approaches on Trump’s 48-hour ultimatum he pronounced on Saturday, we will bring you the latest developments on the war throughout the day.

The Qatari government has said it is dealing with a fire in the area of Ras Laffan – home to a refinery that Iranian state media earlier said it would target and warned should be evacuated.

Qatar is one of several Gulf Arab states that had been bracing for Iran’s retaliation after Israel struck Iranian facilities in the South Pars field, the world’s largest gas field, today.

The South Pars and the adjacent North Dome fields have been shared between Iran and Qatar for years.

Qatar’s Foreign Ministry spokesman, Majed Al Ansari, condemned Israel’s attack on the key economic target as being ‘reckless and irresponsible’.

QatarEnergy said:

Emergency response teams were deployed immediately to contain the resulting fires, as extensive damage has been caused.

All personnel have been accounted for and no casualties have been reported at this time

Striking video shows the moment Saudi Arabia’s capital Riyadh was targeted by missiles.

A bright orange fireball lit up the sky as huge explosions rocked the city.

It comes just hours after Iran threatened to wage a ‘full scale economic war’ by attacking energy facilities across the Middle East.

Oil prices have surged today after Iran said the US and Israel struck one of its gas facilities.

Brent oil rose 5% to over $108 a barrel after Iran vowed to hit energy facilities throughout the Gulf in retaliation to what it said was an attack on a facility on the Gulf coast serving a massive gas field it shares with Qatar.

The three main US stock indexes all opened lower, and European stock markets reversed earlier gains.

Earlier today, oil prices fell slightly after Iraq said it had resumed limited oil exports through the Turkish port of Ceyhan, using a pipeline that avoids the effectively shut Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of global oil flows.

The prices dropped despite Iran vowing revenge after Israel killed security chief Ali Larijani, a key force leading Iran since the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in the first strikes of the war.

The latest flareup in violence appears to rule out any opening of the Strait of Hormuz – which in peacetime carries about a fifth of global oil and LNG trade – to shipping in the near term.

Oil prices have soared by five percent as Iran targets oil and gas facilities across the Middle East after threatening ‘full scale economic war’.

Energy sites in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar have been evacuated after the regime said it would pummel them with strikes in ‘the coming hours’.

‘These centres have become direct and legitimate targets ‌and will be targeted in the coming hours,’ the Islamic Republic warned.

‘Therefore, all citizens, residents, and employees are ‌requested to immediately leave these ⁠areas and move to a safe distance without ⁠any delay.’

The evacuation warning came after Iranian facilities in South Pars and Asaluyeh ‌were struck by Israeli missiles.

An Iranian assault would further devastate the global economy, with the closure of the Strait of Hormuz already sparking fears of a worldwide economic crisis.

The fire in Ras Laffan has been brought under control, Qatar’s interior ministry has said.

No injuries were reported.

The United Arab Emirates has said its air defences are currently responding to incoming missile and drone threats from Iran.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has warned of ‘consequences beyond our control’ after the attack on its South Pars gas field.

He warned the scope of the consequences would ‘engulf the entire world’.

Qatar is one of several Gulf Arab states that had been bracing for Iran’s retaliation after Israel struck Iranian facilities in the South Pars field, the world’s largest gas field, today.

Qatar has called the missile attack at Ras Laffan Industrial City a ‘direct threat to its national security and the stability to the region’.

The country’s foreign ministry wrote on social media:

The Iranian side continues its escalatory policies that are pushing the region toward the abyss and drawing in countries that are not parties to this crisis into the circle of conflict.

The statement added Qatar ‘reserves its right to respond’ and that it will ‘not hesitate to take all necessary measures to protect its sovereignty, security, and the safety of its citizens’.

QatarEnergy has released a statement confirming emergency response teams were ‘deployed immediately’ to contain the fire at Ras Laffan.

A spokesman said ‘extensive damage’ had been caused.

Kuwait’s Ministry of Interior has reported 17 cases of fallen debris.

This brings the total number of reports since attacks began to 421.

General Nasser Bouslaib, the ministry’s spokesman, added that 94 alert sirens had also been activated since then.

Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Defence has said it intercepted and destroyed four missiles – which were ‘launched towards Riyadh’.

The General Directorate of Saudi Civil Defence stated that ‘initial assessments indicate no damage or injuries’.

It accompanied this with a warning that debris had scattered in areas across the city.

A social media post said:

Avoid gathering or filming, stay away from hazardous areas, and report any danger

The UN’s nuclear watchdog has now confirmed missiles struck a building just 350 metres from an Iranian nuclear plant reactor.

The structure was destroyed but there ‌was no damage to ‌the reactor itself, ​IAEA director general Rafael ⁠Grossi ⁠said.

Iran reported the incident in Bushehr city to the IAEA this morning.

Israeli media are reporting the IDF has launched an assassination attempt on Iranian security chief Ali Larijani.

According to media reports, the IDF is investigating whether Larijani was killed following an attack.

It comes four days after he marched alongside thousands of Iranians at a Quds Day rally in Tehran where he criticised Trump during a live interview.

Larijani, the strongman head of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, continued his threats with a stream of invective on X aimed at President Trump.

‘Trump says he is looking for a speedy victory. While starting a war is easy, it cannot be won with a few tweets. We will not relent until making you sorry for this grave miscalculation,’ he wrote.

by David Patrikarakos

Thick smoke coils across Iran’s horizon; the acrid stink of burning oil hangs over its cities. In the Strait of Hormuz, tankers burn and drones strike. Violence spreads like infection.

Operation Epic Fury is now into its third week, and its effects are global. According to US Central Command, by March 12 combined US and Israeli forces had struck around 6,000 targets in Iran since operations began – working out at around 460 strikes per day.

Iran’s leadership is decapitated; its control centres in disarray, its nuclear programme in ruins.

And yet, the Iranians fight on. How? Because they have spent twenty years preparing for this moment.

Their strategy is known as Decentralised Mosaic Defence (DMD), built around a single brutal principle: that the ‘body’ keeps fighting even if the ‘head’ is cut off – which is exactly what the Americans did when they killed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on the first day of the war.

Read more here:

Iraq’s oil minister has said talks are taking place with Iran to allow some of the country’s oil tankers to pass through the Strait of Hormuz.

Iraq is seeking to ease disruptions to crude exports following recent attacks on tankers in its own waters with separate plans underway to restore a disused pipeline that would allow oil to be pumped directly to Turkey’s Ceyhan port, Hayan Abdel-Ghani said.

Iraq will complete an inspection of a 100-km (62-mile) section of the pipeline within a week to enable direct exports from Kirkuk, he added.

The reopening of the Kirkuk-Ceyhan pipeline, which has been shut for more than a decade, would offer an alternative export route at a time when shipping through the strategic Strait of Hormuz is severely disrupted by the conflict in the Middle East.

Falling debris from an intercepted missile killed one person in Abu Dhabi yesterday.

Authorities say the fatality was recorded in the Bani Yas area following the interception of a ballistic missile by air defences, the Abu Dhabi Media Office said on X.

The day before a Palestinian national was killed on the edge of the city when a missile hit his car.

It brings the death toll in the United Arab Emirates since the start of the Iran war to eight, with six civilians dead as well as two military personnel killed in a helicopter accident.

The oil-rich Gulf has borne the brunt of Iran’s attacks in response to US-Israeli strikes that sparked the Middle East war, with Tehran targeting US assets but also civilian infrastructure.

On the east coast of the country, the oil industrial zone of Fujairah was hit on Tuesday morning, sparking a fire but causing no injuries, local authorities said.

The IDF has claimed it has killed the high-ranking Iranian military chief Gholamreza Soleimani.

Soleimani is a senior Revolutinary Guards officer and commander of the paramilitary Basij forces.

Israel said his death marked a ‘serious blow’ to the regime’s security command.

In a statement, the Israeli Air Force said: ‘The Air Force, with precise intelligence guidance, carried out a targeted attack yesterday in the heart of Tehran and killed Gholam Reza Soleimani, commander of the Basij unit for the past six years.

‘The Basij forces are part of the armed forces of the Iranian terrorist regime, as part of the internal protests in Iran, and particularly in the recent period when they have intensified.

‘The Basij forces under Soleimani’s command led major repressive operations using severe violence, widespread arrests, and the use of force against civilian protesters.’

Loud explosions shook Tehran overnight following new Israeli strikes in the Iranian capital.

Blasts were heard in Tehran after a night of heavy bombardment mixed with thunder and rain.

It was not immediate clear what the targets were, but Israel’s army said earlier it had launched a wave of strikes ‘against Iranian terror regime infrastructure across Tehran’, as well as strikes in Lebanon.

Sources have since said the strikes have targeted Ali Larijani, Iran’s security chief. It is unclear whether he was killed in the overnight attack.

Oil prices surged more than 5% today as several countries pushed back against Donald Trump’s demand that they help secure the key Strait of Hormuz.

Investors are awaiting a slew of central bank decisions this week that analysts say could see a resumption of interest rate hikes aimed at offsetting a possible spike in inflation caused by the surge in crude prices.

Australia said today it had lifted borrowing costs because of ‘sharply higher fuel prices’.

Trump has called for allies in Europe and elsewhere to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran has effectively closed, saying at the weekend that securing the waterway ‘should have always been a team effort, and now it will be’.

But there was only a lukewarm response, with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz saying the war started by US-Israeli strikes on Iran was ‘not a matter for NATO’, while Britain, Spain, Poland, Greece and Sweden all distanced themselves from the calls. Australia and Japan also opted not to join.

Iranian leaders marched through Tehran on Friday at an annual anti-Israeli Quds Day rally, where they publicly taunted the US and Israel as an IDF missile exploded nearby.

Amongst those in attendance was national security chief Ali Larijani, who dismissed the latest Israeli-US attacks on the capital as being ‘out of desperation’.

‘These attacks are out of fear, out of desperation. One who is strong wouldn’t bomb demonstrations at all. It’s clear that it has failed,’ Ali Larijani told state TV.

Striking a defiant tone, he said US President Donald Trump ‘doesn’t understand that the Iranian people are a brave nation, a strong nation, a determined nation. The more he presses, the stronger the nation’s determination will become.’

Larijani added Trump would be ‘sorry’ for his ‘grave miscalculation’ after the President declared the US had won the war.

The attendance by Larijani was one of the most high-profile public appearances by an Iranian official since the February 28 strike that killed supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other top officials.

Ali Larijani yesterday accused Gulf nations of abandoning Iran in its war with the US and Israel as he warned them ‘America is not loyal and Israel is your enemy’.

In a statement addressed to governments of Islamic countries, Larijani blasted the response of Iran’s neighbours since the conflict broke out on February 28.

‘Is the position of some Islamic governments not in contradiction with the words of the Prophet of Islam who said: ‘Whoever hears the cry for help of a Muslim and does not respond is not a Muslim?’ he said.

In an apparent sideswipe at the UAE, Larijani said some countries had described Iran as an enemy because American bases had come under attack on its soil

‘Is Iran expected to sit idly by while American bases in your countries are used to attack it?’ These are weak excuses,’ Larijani said.

Urging Muslim countries to unite, he added: ‘You know that America is not loyal and that Israel is your enemy.’

Israel targeted Ali Larijani in an airstrike in Iran overnight, according to Israeli officials.

It remains unclear if Larijani, the secretary of Iran’s National Security Council, was killed or injured in the strike.

IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir appears to confirm the details in remarks reported by the Times of Israel.

Zamir says that ‘significant elimination achievements were also recorded overnight, with the potential to impact the campaign’s achievements and the IDF’s missions’ — in an apparent reference to the attempted assassination of Larijani.

On the 14th day of the war Ali Larijani, the brutal Iranian regime’s security chief, sought to taunt Donald Trump from the streets of Tehran.

Larijani, 67, joined an annual Quds Day march and, as an explosion rocked Ferdowsi Square, he ranted to a state media TV camera that America would be defeated.

‘The attacks they carry out are out of fear, out of desperation,’ he claimed. ‘Trump’s problem is that he doesn’t understand the Iranian nation is wise and determined.’ Around him chants erupted of ‘Death to Israel’ and ‘Death to America.’

Amid such anti-American grandstanding, it may come as surprise to some – including to those chanting around him and his X followers – how closely linked Larijani’s family is to the US, and to Canada and the UK.

Indeed, it may also explain why some in the West had previously seen him as a potentially pragmatic figure the US could deal with in the wake of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s death on the opening day of the war.

Larijani is one of five brothers dubbed the ‘Kennedys of Iran’ who have reached senior roles in the Iranian regime.

He has relatives in Canada and the UK but, perhaps most surprisingly, his daughter has spent the best part of a decade in the US.

An explosion is captured in Baghdad

A drone and rocket attack targeted the US embassy in Baghdad this morning, while a strike killed four people at a house hosting Iranian advisors, security officials said.

The strikes came hours after air defences thwarted a rocket attack at the embassy and a drone sparked a fire at a luxury hotel frequented by foreign diplomats in Baghdad’s fortified Green Zone.

Iraq was drawn into the Middle East war after having long been a proxy battleground between the United States and Iran, with strikes targeting Iran-backed groups that have claimed daily attacks on US interests in Iraq and across the region.

Meanwhile, a strike on a house in Baghdad killed four people early Tuesday, with initial reports suggesting that two of the dead were ‘Iranian advisors’ to Tehran-backed groups, a security source told AFP.

Another source from an Iran-backed faction confirmed that four people were killed in the strike on a house hosting Iranian advisors in al-Jadiriyah neighbourhood.

The attacks came shortly after the powerful Tehran-backed Kataeb Hezbollah group announced that its senior security commander Abu Ali al-Askari had been killed, without providing details on the circumstances of his death.

Landing ship RFA Lyme Bay is being prepared for potential deployment to the eastern Mediterranean, the Ministry of Defence said.

The vessel has aviation and medical facilities allowing it to be used in support of humanitarian and disaster relief missions.

A Ministry of Defence spokesman said: ‘As part of prudent planning, we have taken the decision to bring RFA Lyme Bay to heightened readiness as a precaution, should she be needed to assist in maritime tasks in the eastern Mediterranean.’

Meanwhile, Type 45 destroyer HMS Dragon is due to be sent to the eastern Mediterranean to help protect Cyprus and the RAF bases there from further drone or missile attacks by Iran and its proxies.

On Monday, Defence Secretary John Healey told MPs the warship would sail from Portsmouth ‘in the next couple of days’.

A fire has broken out at an industrial complex in Abu Dhabi following a drone attack, authorities have confirmed.

The blaze broke out at one of the facilities within the Ruwais Industrial Complex, home to one of the biggest oil refineries in the Middle East.

In a statement, the Abu Dhabi media office said: ‘The competent authorities in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi are dealing with a fire that broke out in one of the facilities within the Ruwais Industrial Complex, resulting from a drone attack, with no injuries recorded so far.

‘The competent authorities have urged the public to obtain information from official sources only, and to avoid circulating rumors or unverified information.’

Iran’s neighbours in the Gulf have reported more attacks after Tehran launched missiles and drones in retaliation for US and Israeli airstrikes.

Here’s the latest situation unfolding in the Gulf:

Bahrain’s interior ministry said an Iranian attack on a residential area in the capital Manama killed one person and injured others. ‘Initial reports indicate one person died and others were injured in a blatant Iranian attack targeting a residential building in the capital,’ the ministry said.

The UAE’s ministry of defence has today confirmed it is dealing with missile and drone threats from Iran. Meanwhile the UAE’s consulate in Iraq’s Kurdish region was reportedly attacked by a drone. Abu Dhabi has confirmed a fire has broken out at an industrial complex in Ruwais as a result of a drone attack.

Qatar has said it has intercepted a missile attack today and the interior ministry has declared the security threat level has been elevated. It means residents are required to remain indoors and stay away from windows and exposed areas.

Iran’s security chief Ali Larijani has dismissed Donald Trump’s ’empty threats’ over the Strait of Hormuz.

It comes after Trump warned he will hit Iran ‘TWENTY TIMES HARDER’ if the flow of oil stops through the key waterway which transports a fifth of the world’s oil.

‘Iran is not afraid of your empty threats. Even those greater than you could not eliminate the Iranian nation. Take care of yourself not to be eliminated!’ said Larijani in a post on X.

More than 170,000 people in the Middle East have registered their presence with the UK government, Defence Secretary John Healey announced yesterday.

He added More than 37,000 British nationals have been evacuated since the start of the Iran war.

Three chartered flights have taken off from the Omani capital Muscat, with more to come this week.

The Kremlin has declined to say whether the United States warned it against sharing intelligence with Iran.

The Washington Post reported on Friday that Moscow had passed sensitive intelligence to Tehran, including the locations of US warships and aircraft in the region.

US special envoy Steve Witkoff said Saturday he had ‘strongly’ communicated to Russia not to share targeting information with Tehran.

When asked by AFP about Witkoff’s statement, or whether US President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin had discussed this in a phone call on Monday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: ‘All I can say is that Witkoff is in constant contact with his Russian counterparts, and that this channel of communication indeed allows us to hand each other signals about the most sensitive issues.’

by Natalie Lisbona

Terrified Iranians have warned that having the slain Ayatollah’s son as their new leader will change nothing as he is ‘as bad as his father’.

Mojtaba Khamenei was elected as Iran’s new Supreme Leader on Sunday following the killing of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in a missile strike on the first day of the war.

Hardliner Mojtaba, 56, is one of the most influential figures in Iran’s clerical establishment and has for years been seen as one of the top candidates to succeed his father.

Israel vowed at the weekend to hunt down and kill whoever Iran’s Assembly of Experts decided to elect as its new leader.

It has emerged that Mojtaba was wounded in a bomb blast, but it is unclear whether it was the same one that killed his father.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has offered to help resolve the Iran war, the Kremlin has said.

Putin has put forward different options to mediate and ways to reduce tensions in the Middle East with his proposals still on the table, it was claimed

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters Moscow is ready to provide any assistance it can.

He declined to provide more details on the specifics of the ‘considerations’ on Iran that Putin raised on a call with Donald Trump last night.

Trump revealed details of a ‘positive call with Putin, where the pair spoke about Ukraine and Iran.

by Eliana Silver

This is the incredible moment a UAE F-16E fighter jet chases after an Iranian Shahed-136 attack drone over Al Mamzar Beach in Dubai.

Social media footage shows shocked beachgoers looking at the sky as the drone flies low over the water.

Within seconds, the F-16E enters the picture and fires what appears to be an AIM-9X Sidewinder, a heat-seeking air-to-air missile designed for close-range engagements, at the drone.

The attack drone is subsequently destroyed moments after impact.

The intercept came as the UAE defense ministry said on Sunday that a total of 117 drones were detected, with 113 intercepted and destroyed, while four fell within the country.

India has ordered tighter controls over natural and cooking gas today amid warnings restaurants could face widespread closures.

The world’s most populous nation is the fourth largest liquefied natural gas (LNG) buyer, and second-largest buyer of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), such as that used for cooking – much of which is sourced from the Middle East.

‘The ongoing conflict in the Middle East has resulted in the disruption of liquefied natural gas shipments through the Strait of Hormuz,’ the Ministry of Petroleum said in an order issued on Tuesday.

It said the new rules would ‘ensure equitable distribution and continued availability for priority sectors’.

The ministry ordered that LNG supplies be prioritised to supply households, transport sectors and production of LPG.

A tearful Iranian footballer appeared to be dragged onto a bus in chaotic scenes as protesters in Australia tried to stop the women’s team from being forced home by the cruel regime.

Protesters ‘rammed’ the bus and temporarily prevented the squad from leaving their hotel on the Gold Coast on Tuesday afternoon after five members were granted humanitarian visas following an intervention by Donald Trump.

Players were seen making what appeared to be an ‘SOS’ hand signal, a closed fist with the thumb underneath the fingers, on their team bus after their Asian Cup campaign ended on Sunday night.

A group of players then escaped from their hotel on Monday night in a desperate bid to avoid returning to their war-torn country, where they faced persecution over their refusal to sing the Iranian national anthem.

Extra police will reportedly be stationed at Gold Coast Airport ready to assist any other team members who wish to seek asylum.