UAE reopens airspace after Iran attack – as it happened

This blog is closing now but we’re continuing our live updates from the US-Israel war on Iran in a new live blog, which includes a recap of the latest key developments. Thanks for reading.

An “unknown projectile” struck a tanker 23 nautical miles east of Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency said, causing minor structural damage.

No injuries reported among the ship’s the crew, according to the UKMTO, which added that no environmental impact was reported.

As Donald Trump expresses frustration with countries declining to send warships to reopen the strait of Hormuz, the response remains muted among those he directly called upon.

South Korea will make any decision on deploying military forces to the strait in accordance with domestic law and the constitution, its foreign minister Cho Hyun said earlier.

The Israeli military is saying it has launched simultaneous waves of “extensive strikes” on Tehran and Beirut.

The strikes were targeting the Iranian regime’s infrastructure throughout the capital, the Israel Defence Forces posted on social media.

It said that at the same time it had now begun “another wave of strikes” targeting Hezbollah infrastructure in Beirut.

More now on the reported drone and rocket attack on the US embassy in Baghdad early on Tuesday:

An Iraqi security official has said that “three drones and four rockets attacked the embassy, with at least one drone crashing inside it”, Agence France-Presse is reporting.

A witness said black smoke was rising after an explosion in the embassy complex, as well as air defences intercepting another drone.

Hours earlier, air defences reportedly thwarted a rocket attack at the embassy.

Reuters has quoted security officials as saying the drone and rocket attacks on the embassy were the the most intense assault since the attacks began and that at least five drones were involved.

The news agency also quoted security sources as saying two airstrikes had targeted a house in Baghdad used as a headquarters by the Shia militia umbrella organisation the Popular Mobilisation Forces and that at least two people had been killed.

The strike occurred in the Iraqi capital’s Jadiriya area, they said.

Air traffic operations in the United Arab Emirates have returned to normal after the temporary closure of its airspace earlier on Tuesday, the Gulf state’s aviation authority has said, quoted by the state news agency.

The UAE’s ministry of defence said earlier that the country’s air defences were responding to incoming missiles and drones from Iran.

A wave of drone and rocket attacks targeted the US embassy in Baghdad early on Tuesday, Iraqi security sources said.

They described it as the most intense assault since the attacks began, with at least five drones used, Reuters is reporting.

It quoted a witness as saying a powerful explosion was heard in the Iraqi capital.

In Australia amid soaring petrol prices, the country’s consumer watchdog is calling major fuel suppliers and retailers to an emergency meeting today to demand explanations for the recent price surge.

Some retailers in regional areas have even run dry, with customers panic-buying petrol over concerns the Middle East conflict will lead to shortages.

Representatives of major fuel suppliers and retailers, including Chevron, BP and Ampol, have been called in to the meeting run by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC). The treasurer, Jim Chalmers, said:

Today the regulator will get a chance to make the retailers and suppliers justify their prices. I’ve made it very clear that if they find evidence of misconduct, we expect the ACCC to throw the book at them.

Petrol prices have started to push past A$2.30 ($1.62) a litre in most state capitals.

Global oil prices have surged by about 40% in March in response to the Middle East conflict and closure of the crucial strait of Hormuz, prompting fears of a breakout in global inflation.

The aviation authority in the United Arab Emirates has announced the “temporary and full closure” of the Gulf country’s airspace, the state news agency is reporting.

The General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) had taken the measure “as an exceptional precautionary measure aimed at ensuring the safety of flights and air crews, and safeguarding the UAE’s territory, amid rapidly evolving regional security developments”, the Emirates News Agency said.

The UAE’s ministry of defence said earlier on Tuesday that the country’s air defences were responding to incoming missiles and drones from Iran.

The GCAA urged passengers to contact their respective airlines for the latest updates on flight schedules.

On Monday Dubai authorities temporarily suspended flights at the city’s international airport after a “drone incident” caused a fuel tank fire in the vicinity. The suspension was lifted later in the day.

Dubai international airport (DXB) is one of the busiest in the world, with more than 95 million passengers reportedly transiting through in 2025 alone.

Two explosive drones have targeted the US embassy in Baghdad, security sources are reportedly saying.

More on this soon.

Air defences in the United Arab Emirates are currently responding to incoming missiles and drones from Iran, the Gulf state’s ministry of defence (MOD) said a short while ago.

It posted on X:

MOD asserts that the sounds heard are the result of the Air Defence Systems intercepting missiles and drones

The Israeli military is saying missiles were launched at Israel from Iran a short time ago and that people should go to shelters.

The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said on social media that defence systems were operating to intercept the missiles.

It said the Home Front Command had issued a preliminary directive via mobile phones in the relevant areas for people to go to “protected spaces” and stay there until directed.

The IDF post said:

The public is requested to exercise responsibility and act in accordance with the directives – they save lives.

Operations at the Shah oil and gas field are suspended following a fire that broke out due a drone attack, Abu Dhabi officials announced on X.

“Abu Dhabi authorities and relevant response teams have contained and brought under control a fire that broke out at Shah gas field, caused by a drone attack,” the statement said. “Operations at the facility have been suspended while damage is assessed, and no injuries have been reported.”

We have more now from Iraq’s interior ministry, which said that a drone hit a hotel in Baghdad without causing casualties or material damages on Monday.

Security sources earlier told Reuters a drone hit Al-Rasheed hotel in the Green Zone, which houses governmental buildings and the US embassy, as fire and smoke were seen rising.

After examination, it was determined a drone had collided with the hotel’s upper fence, the ministry said, condemning any attempts to target diplomatic envoys in the country.

Security sources had also earlier told Reuters that two Katyusha rockets were fired at the US embassy in Baghdad.

• Donald Trump said he will “soon” announce countries that have agreed to help the US reopen the strait of Hormuz, as he criticised his many allies, including Nato and the UK, that have so far declined to get involved. He told reporters in the Oval Office that South Korea, Japan, and China, should be helping the US. He warned that Nato faced a “very bad” future if it didn’t help and said he was “not happy” with the UK.

• Meanwhile, allies responded by saying “this is not Nato war”, with the EU insisting it has “no appetite” to expand its naval mission to the strait of Hormuz. German chancellor Friedrich Merz earlier said this war “is not a matter for Nato”, while Nato said “allies have already stepped up to provide additional security in the Mediterranean”. The UK prime minister Keir Starmer had earlier resisted Trump’s call to send warships to the strait, saying the UK “will not be drawn into a wider war” but was working “with allies” on a plan to reopen the strait.

• Trump also said the war would be “wrapped up” soon, saying it wouldn’t be this week but “it won’t be long”. He also suggested he would delay his upcoming trip to China, which was scheduled for the end of March, by “a month or so”. His administration has insisted that this was not to pressure Beijing to help reopen the strait of Hormuz.

• US vice-president JD Vance deflected and attacked the media when he was asked if he supports Trump’s war on Iran, given his prior criticisms of open-ended US foreign interventionism. It followed US media reports that he had privately expressed scepticism and counselled Trump against striking Iran. Vance accused the media of trying to “drive a wedge” between him and his president, and repeated Trump’s claim that Tehran was close to developing a nuclear weapon. “I trust President Trump to get the job done,” he said.

• Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi denied recent contact with US special envoy Steve Witkoff, and said their last contact was prior to the US attack on Iran. He wrote on X: “My last contact with Mr. Witkoff was prior to his employer’s decision to kill diplomacy with another illegal military attack on Iran. Any claim to the contrary appears geared solely to mislead oil traders and the public.” It followed an Axios report that a direct communications channel between Witkoff and Araghchi had been reactivated in recent days, with Araghchi attempting to engage with Witkoff about ending the war.

• The leaders of the UK, France, Germany, Canada, and Italy issued a joint statement expressing “grave concern” after Israel launched a ground invasion of Lebanon. They called for meaningful engagement by Israeli and Lebanese representatives to negotiate a sustainable political solution. A significant Israeli ground offensive would have devastating humanitarian consequences, they warned, adding that it could lead to a protracted conflict with “devastating humanitarian consequences”.

• Earlier on Monday, the IDF had said its ​troops had ​begun what it described as “⁠limited and targeted” ⁠ground operations – a ground invasion – against ‌Hezbollah strongholds in ‌southern Lebanon, and told hundreds of thousands of Lebanese civilians they cannot return to their homes.

• It comes as the latest reports indicate that Israeli strikes have killed at least 850 people in Lebanon, including at least 107 children, and have left more than a million displaced.

• Elsewhere, explosions were reported in Baghdad’s heavily fortified Green Zone, the highly secure section of the Iraqi capital that is home to diplomatic missions including the US embassy, and international organisations.

• Operations at the UAE’s Shah gas and oil field are suspended after a fire that broke out due a drone attack. Abu Dhabi authorities said on Monday night that the fire had been brought under control.

• Qatar said it intercepted a second wave of missiles from Iran following an attack earlier on Monday.

The US president said he would “soon” announce countries that have agreed to help the US reopen the strait of Hormuz amid rising global oil prices, as he acknowledged that many allies have so far declined to do so.

He told reporters in the Oval Office:

There are a couple, we’ll be announcing some names soon There are some that really were right up front.

Trump added that nations like Japan, South Korea, and China – which get much of their oil through the key waterway – “should be thanking me”.

And they should be not only thanking us, they should be helping us. What does surprise me is that they’re not eager.

Donald Trump also claimed his war with Iran would be “wrapped up soon”.

Asked if the US could finish the war this week, Trump was vague, telling reporters:

I don’t think so. But it’ll be soon. Won’t be long. We’re gonna have a much safer world when it’s wrapped up. It’ll be wrapped up soon.

Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi has said that his last contact with US special envoy Steve Witkoff was prior to the US attack on Iran.

He wrote on X:

My last contact with Mr. Witkoff was prior to his employer’s decision to kill diplomacy with another illegal military attack on Iran. Any claim to the contrary appears geared solely to mislead oil traders and the public.

It follows an Axios report that a direct communications channel between Witkoff and Araghchi had been reactivated in recent days, with Araghchi attempting to engage with Witkoff about ending the war.