Iran intensified its attacks on oil and gas facilities around the Gulf on Thursday in retaliation for an Israeli attack on a key Iranian gas field, dramatically raising the stakes in a war that is sending shock waves through the global economy.
Brent crude oil, the international standard, spiked to as high as $118 a barrel, up more than 60% since Israel and the United States started the war with Iran.
The direct attacks on energy infrastructure mark a major escalation in the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran. One think-tank said Israel's targeting of South Pars, the Iranian part of the world's largest gas field, aimed to inflict more pressure on the Iranian government by making living conditions for its civilians intolerable. Iran responded by hitting a Saudi refinery on the Red Sea and setting Qatari liquefied natural gas facilities and two Kuwaiti oil refineries ablaze.
U.S. President Donald Trump warned on social media that the U.S. would retaliate and " massively blow up the entirety " of Iran's gas field if it continues. The Pentagon, meanwhile, asked the White House for another $200 billion to carry out the war, a senior administration official said.
Here is the latest:
Treasury Secretary says US is considering lifting sanctions on Iranian oil currently at sea
“In the coming days, we may un-sanction the Iranian oil that’s on the water. It’s about 140 million barrels,” Scott Bessent said Thursday on Fox Business Network’s “Mornings with Maria.” He said the move is a way to prevent only China from benefiting from the crude.
Bessent said it amounts to roughly “10 days to two weeks of supply that the Iranians had been pushing out that would have all gone to China,” and that “good actors” such as Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Japan and India should have access.
“In essence, we will be using the Iranian barrels against the Iranians to keep the price down for the next 10 or 14 days, as we continue this campaign,” he said.
The Trump administration also eased sanctions on certain Russian oil shipments for 30 days to boost global oil supplies while the Iran war continues.
Israel says it has killed more than 500 Hezbollah fighters in Lebanon
Israeli military spokesman Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani said Thursday that 200 of those killed were members of the elite Radwan unit. He gave no further evidence.
The claim came as the death toll in Lebanon topped 1,000.
Asked about the strike on the South Pars gas field, Shoshani declined to comment, but said that in general the Israeli military had “great coordination” with the United States.
Lebanon’s health ministry says over 1,000 people have been killed in war between Israel and Hezbollah
Among the 1,001 killed were 118 children and 79 women, and 2,584 people were wounded, according to the ministry’s daily casualty count released Thursday.
More than one million people in Lebanon have been displaced in the intense fighting, as Israel continues its daily strikes across large swaths of southern Lebanon and Beirut’s southern suburbs.
Hezbollah has fired rockets and drones across the border into northern Israel, as its militants have also clashed in southern Lebanon with Israeli ground troops.
Israeli military says it struck Iranian targets in the Caspian Sea for the first time
The strikes hit dozens of targets on Iran’s northern coast on the Caspian Sea, including missile ships, a shipyard and a command and control center, Israeli military spokesman Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani said Thursday.
Egypt Red Crescent facilitates aid entry and assists patients as Gaza border reopens
The Egyptian Red Crescent supported Palestinian medical patients crossing in and out of Egypt.
The Rafah border crossing with Gaza reopened Thursday for after Israel closed it from the Palestinian side when the Iran war began.
Teams on the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing assisted people returning to the Gaza Strip, provided psychosocial support to children, and helped facilitate the entry of an aid convoy carrying 1,950 tons of food, flour, fuel and winter supplies. It remains unclear whether the convoy entered Gaza after inspection at the Israeli-controlled Kerem Shalom Crossing.
WTO warns prolonged high oil and gas prices in 2026 would ‘slash’ already grim trade forecast
The World Trade Organization issued the warning as it published a regular forecast that trade growth in goods — even before the energy market shocks due to the Mideast war — would drop to 1.9% this year, compared to 4.6% in 2025.
If crude oil and liquefied natural gas prices remain elevated throughout 2026, it said Thursday’s economic growth forecast would darken further, slashing another 0.5 percentage points off global trade and as much as 1 percentage point for regions dependent on energy imports.
And that scenario would in turn reduce growth in the volume of goods traded to 1.4%, the Geneva-based trade body said Thursday. Net fuel-importing regions like Asia and Europe would face the biggest cuts, while net fuel exporters that can still export “would broadly enjoy more income and therefore more import growth.”
US Jews grapple with a surge in attacks and bitter rifts over Israeli policies
There is widespread anger over rising attacks on Jewish communities in the U.S., alongside deep internal divisions over whether to support or oppose Israel’s actions in the Middle East. Rabbis nationwide also say soaring security costs are straining congregations, with some synagogues spending over $1 million annually as threats rise.
Last week, communities united in condemning an attempted attack at a Detroit-area synagogue. A man whose family members were killed by an Israeli strike in Lebanon drove a pickup truck into a building hosting more than 100 preschool children; he later killed himself in a gunfight with police.
“No matter what Israel does, no matter how immoral or brutal or horrifying, it doesn’t justify attacking a synagogue or justifying attacking American Jews in any way,” said Peter Beinart, a Jewish author and commentator.
Health of the new Iranian leader is ‘unclear’ after strike, Gabbard says
The health of Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei remains uncertain, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard told Congress Thursday.
Testifying before the House Intelligence Committee, Gabbard said his exact condition, as well as the leadership structure in Iran, is not fully known to U.S. intelligence.
“It is unclear his status or his involvement. He was injured very severely in one of the Israeli strikes,” Gabbard said. “So the decision-making is unclear.”
Officials have said the new leader was wounded and possibly disfigured by the Israeli strike. Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei issued his first statement on the war last week, though he did not appear on camera and the speech was read by a news anchor.
He was chosen to succeed his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in a major attack by Israel and the United States at the start of the war.
Japan and European nations demand end to attacks on shipping, oil and gas
The leaders of five European countries and Japan condemned “in the strongest terms” Iranian attacks on shipping and oil and gas facilities, and demanded Tehran reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
BritishPrime Minister Keir Starmer issued a joint statement Thursday with the leaders of France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Japan, demanding Iran “cease immediately” its drone and missile attacks and other attempts to block the Strait to commercial shipping.
The countries said they are ready to contribute to “appropriate efforts” to ensure ships can pass safely through the strait, a key oil route. British officials have acknowledged that planning for such action is at a very early stage.
The leaders also called for a “comprehensive moratorium” on attacks on oil and gas installations.
UAE says it’s defending against incoming Iranian missiles
The United Arab Emirates said Thursday afternoon its air defense were engaging an incoming Iranian missile barrage.
Hegseth warns that US military controls Iran’s fate
Hegseth warned that Iran should stop targeting neighboring countries with drones and missiles as American forces continue to attack the Islamic Republic.
“The United States military controls the fate of that country,” Hegseth said Thursday from the Pentagon. “Iran has the ability to make the right choices. It should not, going forward, target Arab allies, Arab countries, trying to create pain, the pain that they created themselves.”
Gen. Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, added that U.S. forces continue to attack deeper into Iranian territory, with A-10 Warthog attack planes hunting Iranian boats in the Strait of Hormuz and Apache helicopters striking Iranian drones.
Caine said the U.S. military has also dropped 5,000-pound penetrator weapons into underground weapon-storage facilities.
Pentagon seeks another $200 billion for the Iran war, AP source says
The department sent the request to the White House, according to the senior administration official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the private information.
This $200 billion is an extraordinarily high number and comes on top of extra funding the Defense Department already received last year in Trump’s big tax cuts bill.
Congress is bracing for a new spending request but it is not clear the White House has transmitted the request for consideration. It is unclear whether the spending request would have support.
— By Lisa Mascaro
Journalists wounded on-air while reporting on Israel’s war with Hezbollah
The two journalists were lightly wounded in a strike while reporting in southern Lebanon near the coastal city of Tyre.
Steven Sweeney, correspondent of state-run Russia Today, was giving a broadcast on Israel’s targeting of infrastructure during its war against the Hezbollah militant group. Cameraman Ali Reda Sbeiti was also wounded.
In a video widely circulated on social media, the strike apparently fell just meters away from Sweeney while he was speaking on camera. He was taken to a hospital in Tyre for shrapnel wounds in his arm, and Sbeiti also was treated for light injuries.
The circumstances of the strike were unclear. Russia Today did not issue an immediate statement.
Hegseth says US taking ‘countermeasures’ to help Iranians get information
Without giving details, the defense secretary said the U.S. was working “to ensure that messaging is delivered, not just to the Iranian people writ large, but to the right audiences, certain audiences that need to hear certain things about what their fate might look like or what their choices are.”
An internet blackout imposed by the government in Tehran has stifled almost all communications from the country, making it nearly impossible to reliably survey Iranian perspectives on the escalating conflict.
“Their own people can barely receive a lot of those messages and communicate because of the blackout that they’ve imposed upon them,” Hegseth said. “But we work around that for sure.”
Caine says US military hit more than 90 targets on Iran’s Kharg Island
Gen. Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, says American forces struck more than 90 targets on Kharg Island, which is vital to Iran’s oil network.
Caine said the U.S. targets included all of the island’s military-only infrastructure, such as air defenses, a naval base and mine storage facilities.
Trump said a few days ago that the U.S. military had "totally obliterated" the island's military assets. He has warned that if Iran or anyone else interferes with ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz, he will reconsider his decision not to target oil infrastructure.
Hegseth says all 11 of Iran’s submarines are ‘gone’
Saying that Iran’s “surface fleet is no longer a factor,” Hegseth also said that “their submarines — they once had 11 — are gone.”
The crafts Hegseth referenced are “midget” submarines designed to work in shallow waters in the Persian Gulf and its narrow mouth, the Strait of Hormuz.
The small vessels are designed to evade sonar as they lay mines and fire torpedoes.
Hegseth opens Pentagon briefing with remarks about dignified transfer
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says he told families of service members killed in the Iran war that U.S. forces “will finish this.”
Hegseth said they told him “through tears, through hugs, through strength and through unbreakable resolve” that they wanted the U.S. military to “finish this. Honor their sacrifice. Do not waver. Do not stop until the job is done.”
“My response, along with that of the president, was simple: Of course we will finish this. We will honor their sacrifice,” Hegseth said. “Their sacrifice only steels our commitment.”
Pregnant woman among 4 killed in Iranian missile attack on the West Bank
The Palestinian Health Ministry said earlier that three women were killed and three others, including a child, were wounded in the overnight attack. It says a fourth person, a 32-year-old pregnant woman, has died.
The fatalities were the first in the occupied West Bank during the Iran war.
Russia’s nuclear chief says “no one will escape radiation” if Iran’s nuclear reactor is hit
The head of Russia’s state nuclear corporation Rosatom on Thursday urged the U.S. and Israel to make sure they don’t hit Iran’s Russia-built nuclear power plant.
Alexei Likhachev warned that “not a single party to the conflict will escape the impact of radiation if there is a serious accident.” He had previously reported that a strike on Tuesday hit the territory of the plant near the building of metrology service close to the operating nuclear reactor, causing no injuries or damage.
Likhachev said that Rosatom had evacuated some of its personnel in Bushehr and is planning to pull out most of 480 people left there, leaving just a few dozen to operate the plant.
Shell says it is assessing damage in Qatar
Energy firm Shell PLC says it is assessing the damage after Iran launched attacks on Qatar.
Shell said it was looking at the damage at the Pearl gas-to-liquids plant at the Ras Laffan liquefied natural gas facility after it was hit by Iranian missiles. It said all staff on site are safe after the attack.
“We are currently assessing any potential damage to Pearl GTL and working with Qatar Energy and the relevant authorities to understand the damage to the wider Ras Laffan Industrial City facilities,” it said.
French president condemns “reckless” escalation
Emmanuel Macron has also called for a truce as the Middle East enters a religious holiday at the end of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. “The fighting should stop for a few days to try to give negotiations another chance,” Macron said in Brussels ahead of a meeting of European Union leaders. He said France is pushing for a moratorium on attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure.
German leader says weapons must ‘fall silent’ before he would commit to any Mideast mission
Chancellor Friedrich Merz is underlining his insistence that the war must end before his country can help with matters such as keeping shipping lanes clear.
Merz said Thursday that “we can and will commit ourselves only when the weapons fall silent.” He added that “we can then do a great deal, as far as opening sea lanes and keeping them clear, but we’re not doing it during ongoing combat operations.”
He said an international mandate that doesn’t yet exist also would be needed, and “there are still many steps ahead of us before we can even consider such an issue.”
Four Palestinians killed in Gaza City
Two separate Israeli strikes have killed four Palestinians early Thursday in Gaza City, a health official in the Shifa medical complex told the AP.
The first strike killed two in the Zeitoun area and the second strike killed two others in the Tuffah area of Gaza City, said Rami Mhanna, managing director of Shifa hospital, where the casualties arrived.
Israel’s military did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Gaza Strip has seen near daily Israeli fire and strikes since the start of the latest war in the Middle East nearly three weeks ago. More than 72,200 Palestinians have been killed in the war sparked by Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 attack into Israel, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
Arab League chief condemns Iranian attacks on gas facility in Qatar
Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit has condemned what he described as a “flagrant” Iranian attack on a major gas facility in Ras Laffan Industrial City in Qatar.
He also condemned Iran's attacks on Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates on Wednesday, and warned against the “dangerous escalation” caused by targeting oil and gas facilities in the Gulf, according to a statement released early Thursday.
The Arab League chief reiterated full support to Gulf nations in “all measures they undertake to confront these malicious Iranian attacks, and their right to safeguard the security of their citizens and the integrity of their facilities.”
Sirens sound in Jerusalem and other parts of central Israel
For the second time in an hour, Israel has warned of an incoming attack from Iran.
It is the eighth salvo of missiles launched on Israel so far on Thursday in one of the most intense days of Iranian fire on the country.
Egypt foreign minister calls for Iran to halt attacks
Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty has called for Iran to end attacks in the region.
During a meeting of foreign ministers Thursday, Abdelatty and his regional and Arab counterparts expressed solidarity with countries impacted by Iran’s “threats.”
They condemned Iranian attacks on civilian and energy infrastructure in Gulf nations, calling them “unjustifiable violations” that immediately need to stop.
Austrian chancellor says Europe will not be ‘blackmailed’ into fight
Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker said Europe will not be “blackmailed” into the U.S. and Israeli military campaign in the Middle East.
“Europe, and Austria as well, will not allow itself to be blackmailed,” he said Thursday in Brussels. “Intervention in the Strait of Hormuz is not an option for Austria anyway.”
Stocker called for the stabilization of the supply and prices of energy following the blockage of the Strait of Hormuz.
China criticizes Israel over attack authorizations
China says it is shocked at reports that Israel authorized the killing of senior Iranian and Hezbollah figures without case-by-case approval, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Thursday in Beijing.
“We have been opposed to the use of force in international relations, and the killing of Iran’s national leaders and attacks on civilian targets are even more unacceptable,” spokesperson Lin Jian said.
China urges all parties involved to immediately cease military operations and prevent the regional conflict from spiraling out of control, he said.
Cathay Pacific suspends Dubai and Riyadh flights through April
Cathay Pacific says it is further suspending its flights to Dubai and the Saudi capital Riyadh until the end of April.
The Hong Kong-based airline attributed the suspensions to “the developing situation in the Middle East.”
It is one of several long-haul carriers outside the Middle East that have temporarily stopped serving the region due to the conflict.
Saudi Arabia says drone hit the country’s SAMREF refinery
Saudi Arabia said a drone hit the country’s SAMREF refinery in the port city of Yanbu on the Red Sea on Thursday.
The Saudi Defense Ministry announced the news, saying without elaborating that “damage assessment in underway.”
The strike comes as drones also hit two oil refineries in Kuwait.
Overnight, Iranian attacks hit natural gas sites in Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, spiking global prices.
Iran is retaliating over an Israeli strike Wednesday on its South Pars natural gas field in the Persian Gulf that it shares with Qatar.
SAMREF is a joint venture between the kingdom’s oil giant Saudi Aramco and ExxonMobil that processes more than 400,000 barrels per day of Arabian Light crude oil.
Global oil and natural gas prices soar
Global oil and natural gas prices soared Wednesday after Iran attacked a key natural gas facility in Qatar that can supply one-fifth of the world’s gas and two oil refineries in Kuwait.
The attacks raised fears that the global energy crisis trigged by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz to tanker traffic would be longer and more extensive than feared, with lasting damage to oil and gas productions.
International benchmark Brent crude rose to near $114 per barrel, up from under $73 per barrel on the eve of the war.
The European TTF benchmark for natural gas prices traded 24% higher on Thursday.
Kuwait says a second oil refinery ablaze after drone attack
Kuwait said a drone attack set a second oil refinery ablaze in the small, oil-rich nation on Thursday.
The blaze hit the Mina Abdullah refinery.
The nearby Mina Al-Ahmadi refinery earlier caught fire after a drone attack.
Saudi air defenses destroy 6 drones
Saudi Arabia says its air defenses have intercepted and downed six drones in Riyadh and the Eastern Province.
Kuwait says drone attack targeting oil refinery sparked a fire
Kuwait said Thursday a drone attack sparked a fire at an oil refinery in the small, oil-rich nation.
The state-run KUNA news agency cited the Kuwait Petroleum Corp. for the announcement.
It said the drone attack sparked a fire at the Mina Al-Ahmadi refinery but caused no injuries.
The refinery is one of the biggest in the Middle East, with a petroleum production capacity of 730,000 barrels per day.
Iran announces execution of 3 men detained in January protests
Iran’s judiciary announced Thursday the execution of three men detained in January’s nationwide protests, the first such sentences known to have been carried out.
Iran’s Mizan news agency reported the executions and identified the men as Mehdi Ghasemi, Saleh Mohammadi and Saeed Davvodi.
Iran typically carries out the death penalty with hangings.
The three men allegedly stabbed two police officers to death in Qom, some 130 kilometers (80 miles) south of the capital, Tehran, during the protests.
Iran’s judiciary had been threatening to carry out executions of those arrested in the protests. Iran put down the demonstrations with intense violence that killed thousands of people and saw tens of thousands others detained.