The latest developments
Welcome to our live coverage of the war in the Middle East, as the conflict enters its fifth week with no sign of easing.
Here’s the latest developments from the region:
- Iran has warned the US against a ground invasion, saying it will set American troops “on fire”. It comes as thousands of service members arrive in the Middle East, and a Beirut-based American university moves to online classes after Iran threatened US and Israeli campuses in the region.
- A peacekeeper has been killed and another critically injured in southern Lebanon, the UN has said, after a projectile exploded at one of its positions. The UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon has launched an investigation to determine the origin of the projectile and the circumstances leading to the death.
- The International Atomic Energy Agency has said that Iran’s heavy water production plant at Khondab, which the country reported had been attacked on March 27, has suffered severe damage and is no longer operational. The installation contains no declared nuclear material, the UN nuclear watchdog said.
- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he has ordered the military to further expand its operations in southern Lebanon, citing continued rocket fire by Hezbollah. It comes as Iranian media reports a facility belonging to the Tabriz Petrochemical Company was struck in a northern province of the country.
Trump wants US to ‘take’ Iran’s oil
US President Donald Trump says he wants to “take the oil in Iran” and could seize the export hub of Kharg Island, he has told the Financial Times in an interview, as the US sends thousands of troops to the Middle East.
Trump told the FT his “preference would be to take the oil”, comparing the potential move to Venezuela where the US intends to control the oil industry “indefinitely” following its capture of strongman leader Nicolás Maduro in January.
The comments come as the US-Israeli war against Iran has thrust the Middle East into crisis and sent the price of oil surging by more than 50 per cent in a month.
“To be honest with you, my favourite thing is to take the oil in Iran, but some stupid people back in the US say: ‘why are you doing that?’ But they’re stupid people,” Trump said.
Trump didn’t rule out taking Kharg Island, through which most of Iran’s oil is exported, but said the US could take the island “very easily”. The Pentagon has ordered the deployment of 10,000 troops trained to seize and hold land, as the US beefs up military forces in the region.
“Maybe we take Kharg Island, maybe we don’t. We have a lot of options,” Trump said. “It would also mean we had to be there [in Kharg Island] for a while.”
Dozens arrested in LA protest against Trump
Authorities in Los Angeles deployed tear gas and made dozens of arrests following one of thousands of “No Kings” rallies held at the weekend across the US and in Europe to protest US President Donald Trump’s actions and the war in Iran.
Los Angeles police say 74 people were arrested for failing to heed a dispersal order given after a rally ended. One other person was taken into custody on suspicion of possessing a weapon that police described as a dagger.
The arrests stood out from what otherwise were mostly peaceful protests. Organisers said there were more than 3100 events registered in all 50 US states at the weekend.
Police said those arrested included eight juveniles. Also detained was a woman dressed as the Statue of Liberty, smiling as she chatted with an officer who led her away.
The latest developments
Welcome to our live coverage of the war in the Middle East, as the conflict enters its fifth week with no sign of easing.
Here’s the latest developments from the region:
- Iran has warned the US against a ground invasion, saying it will set American troops “on fire”. It comes as thousands of service members arrive in the Middle East, and a Beirut-based American university moves to online classes after Iran threatened US and Israeli campuses in the region.
- A peacekeeper has been killed and another critically injured in southern Lebanon, the UN has said, after a projectile exploded at one of its positions. The UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon has launched an investigation to determine the origin of the projectile and the circumstances leading to the death.
- The International Atomic Energy Agency has said that Iran’s heavy water production plant at Khondab, which the country reported had been attacked on March 27, has suffered severe damage and is no longer operational. The installation contains no declared nuclear material, the UN nuclear watchdog said.
- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he has ordered the military to further expand its operations in southern Lebanon, citing continued rocket fire by Hezbollah. It comes as Iranian media reports a facility belonging to the Tabriz Petrochemical Company was struck in a northern province of the country.
US embassy in Iraq warns universities after Iran threat
The US embassy in Iraq has issued a security alert to American universities in the Iraqi cities of Baghdad, Sulaymaniyah, and Duhok, as well as other universities perceived to be associated with the US, after Iran threatened to strike US and Israeli university campuses in the Middle East.
“Iran has specifically threatened American universities across the Middle East,” the embassy said.
“The Iraqi government has not prevented terrorist attacks against the United States and regional countries from Iraqi territory. US citizens should leave Iraq now.”
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei said dozens of universities and research centres have been hit, among them the Iran University of Science and Technology and Isfahan University of Technology.
The paramilitary Revolutionary Guard warned that Iran would consider Israeli universities and branches of US universities in the region “legitimate targets” unless offered safety assurances for Iranian universities, state media reported.
Petrochemical facility struck in Iran’s north
Iranian media has reported that one of the facilities of the Tabriz Petrochemical Company was struck in a northern province of the country. They said no hazardous materials had been released.
The company takes oil or natural gas and processes them into chemical products used to make everyday materials like plastics and chemicals.
AP
Peacekeeper killed in southern Lebanon, UN says
The UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon (UNIFIL) said a peacekeeper has been killed by a projectile that exploded at one of its positions near the southern Lebanese village of Adchit al-Qusayr on Sunday.
Another peacekeeper was critically injured, the mission said in a statement.
“We do not know the origin of the projectile. We have launched an investigation to determine all of the circumstances,” UNIFIL added.
Reuters
US to allow Russian oil tanker to reach Cuba, New York Times reports
The US is allowing a Russian tanker full of crude oil to reach Cuba, in an easing of the de facto oil blockade that Washington has imposed on the island nation, The New York Times reported, citing a US official briefed on the matter.
Washington has effectively blocked all oil shipments to Cuba in an attempt to pressure the government in Havana. The Times report said it was unclear why the Trump administration was allowing the shipment to go through.
Meanwhile, the US has temporarily lifted sanctions on Russia to help improve the flow of oil that has been restricted by the US and Israeli military strikes on Iran.
The US-sanctioned tanker Anatoly Kolodkin was on its way to Cuba, LSEG ship-monitoring data also showed. The vessel departed from Russia’s Primorsk port carrying some 650,000 barrels of crude, though the Times report said it had 730,000 barrels.
In either case, that much oil would provide significant relief to Cuba, which, according to President Miguel Diaz-Canel, has not received any oil imports for three months, leading to strict rationing of petrol and exacerbating an energy crisis that has resulted in multiple power outages across the Caribbean island nation.
Reuters
Iran threatens homes of US and Israeli commanders, politicians
Iran has threatened to attack homes of US and Israeli “commanders and political officials” in the Middle East.
A spokesperson for the Iranian military’s joint command, Ebrahim Zolfaghari, cited the “targeting of residential homes of the Iranian people in various cities” and other “malicious actions,” state media reported.
It follows Iranian threats to strike Israeli universities and branches of US universities in the region, after Israel hit Iranian universities it claimed were used for nuclear research and development.
AP
Over 150 Israeli fighter jets hit Tehran in 24 hours
Israel has deployed more than 150 fighter jets to strike infrastructure targets in Tehran over the past 24 hours, the country’s military has said.
Among the targets struck include a site Israel said was used for the development of critical components for ballistic missiles, another facility used by the Revolutionary Guard for the research and development of ballistic missile systems and satellite launchers, and a military research, development and weapons production site.
Israel has struck several universities claimed to be used for nuclear research and development, including the Iran University of Science and Technology and Isfahan University of Technology.
The strikes prompted Iran to warn of retaliation against Israeli universities and branches of US universities in the region, prompting the American University of Beirut to move to online classes today and tomorrow.
More than 120 munitions were used to hit the sites in Tehran, the Israeli military said.
Iranian plant no longer operational, IAEA confirms
The International Atomic Energy Agency has said that Iran’s heavy water production plant at Khondab, which the country reported had been attacked on March 27, has suffered severe damage and is no longer operational.
The installation contains no declared nuclear material, the UN nuclear watchdog added in a social media post on X.
Several US and Israeli strikes have targeted Iranian nuclear sites since the war began.
AP
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: www.smh.com.au
