US-Israel War with Iran Enters Decisive Phase: Strikes on Kharg Island Oil Hub and Other Targets

Hezbollah says it launched rockets at Goren in northern Israel. As per the Al Jazzera report, the Lebanese group also said it targeted an Israeli air defence system in the town of Ma’alot-Tarshiha. The exiled son of Iran’s last shah, who was ousted by the 1979 revolution, says he is ready to lead the country “as soon as the Islamic Republic falls.” In a message on his social media channels, US-based Reza Pahlavi says he has already been working on two projects to make sure that Iran does not suffer a big disruption when the Islam republic ultimately falls. As per Pahlavi's latest post on social media, these projects include developing a clear plan to lead the transition for Iran's governance model. The second part of this project as per Pahlavi has been the recruitment of individuals both inside and outside Iran to serve on what he calls a “Transitional System.” Pahlavi leads one of several opposition movements based outside Iran, but his prominence grew after January protests against the clerical system, with some demonstrators calling for a return of the monarchy. A public ally of Donald Trump, Pahlavi has previously publicly praised Donald Trump for his efforts to bring in a much needed change sought by the people of Iran. Notably, the Trump administration's war efforts in Iran recently came under scrutiny after reports surfaced that a US missile had resulted in the death of more than 150 schoolgirls in Iran. A formal investigation into the matter is currently underway. Pahlavi says that Saeed Ghasseminejad, senior Iran and financial economics advisor at the US-based think tank Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), which is staunchly critical of the Islamic Republic, had been leading the process to select members of a transitional body. “Capable individuals both inside and outside the country have been identified and evaluated to lead various sections of the Transitional System,” he further said in a message. “The Transitional System, under my leadership, will be ready to assume governance of the country as soon as the Islamic Republic falls, and in the shortest possible time, establish order, security, freedom, and the conditions for Iran’s prosperity and flourishing,” he concluded. In another major development, The United Arab Emirates has “strongly condemned the treacherous drone attack that targeted the UAE Consulate General in Iraqi Kurdistan for the second time in a week, injuring two security personnel and causing damage to the consulate building”. In a statement, its Foreign Ministry said the attack represents “a dangerous escalation and a threat to regional security and stability”. “The UAE called upon the governments of the Republic of Iraq and the Kurdistan Regional Government to investigate the circumstances of this attack to identify those responsible and to take all necessary measures to ensure that the perpetrators are held accountable,” it said. Three members of Iraq's Shi'ite ⁠Popular ​Mobilisation ​Forces were ​killed ⁠in a strike ‌on PMF headquarters in ⁠Baghdad ⁠earlier morning, ⁠Reuters reported ​on ‌Saturday. In another development, Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz has stated that the war with Tehran has now entered a “decisive phase”, praising US attacks on what Washington called military targets on Iran’s Kharg island oil export hub. “The global and regional struggle against Iran, led by US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, is escalating and entering the decisive phase that will continue as long as necessary,” Katz told military top brass in a televised statement as per reports carried out by Israeli media (With Inputs from Agencies.) In another development, spokesperson for Iran's government, Fatemeh Mohajerani said that US and Israel's strikes have severely damaged the country's civilian infrastructure including 36,469 residential units and 6,179 commercial facilities. Notably, Iran hasn’t yet provided any information about military losses and damage. Mohajerani, meanwhile, said the war has taken a heavy toll on women, with 223 women and girls killed and 2,129 others wounded since Feb. 28. (With inputs from agencies.) In another development, Iranian media is showcasing that their naval forces launched “several consecutive waves” of attacks against US forces in two military bases in the region. Quoting IRGC’s navy chief, Admiral Alireza Tangsiri, Iranian media outlets listed Abu Dhabi’s al-Dhafra, Kuwait’s al-Adiri and Bahrain’s Sheikh Isa as the affected sites. The targets, Tangsiri claimed, included patriot radar systems, planes and aircraft fuel storage tanks. (With inputs from Agencies.) In its latest report, the Associate press reported that a missile struck a helipad inside the U.S. Embassy compound in Baghdad and debris from an intercepted Iranian drone hit an oil facility in the United Arab Emirates as the U.S.-Israel war with Iran entered its third week Saturday. Associated Press images showed a column of smoke rising over the embassy compound in the Iraqi capital and a fire in the Fujairah port in the UAE that broke out after what authorities said was a drone interception. A day earlier, President Donald Trump said the U.S. has destroyed military sites on an island vital to Iran’s oil network and warned that its oil infrastructure could be next if Iran continues to interfere with the passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz. Trump said U.S. forces on Friday “obliterated” targets on Iran’s Kharg Island, which is home to the primary terminal that handles the country’s oil exports. Shipping Ministry’s Special Secretary Rajesh Kumar Sinha said all Indian seafarers operating in the Persian Gulf are safe and no incidents involving them have been reported in the past 24 hours. Speaking on the situation, he said 24 Indian-flagged vessels had been positioned west of the Strait of Hormuz. Two of them — the LPG carriers Shivalik and Nanda Devi — successfully transited the strait late last night and early this morning and are now sailing toward India. The two ships are carrying around 92,700 metric tonnes of liquefied petroleum gas, with expected arrivals at Mundra Port on March 16 and Kandla Port on March 17. Following their transit, 22 Indian-flagged vessels remain in the Persian Gulf, with a combined crew of 611 seafarers, he added. An Iranian official said oil exports from Kharg Island are continuing “fully under way” and that operations by energy companies at the terminal remain unaffected. The statement, carried by the IRNA and Tasnim news agencies, came after the United States said it had struck military targets on the island and warned that its key oil facilities could be targeted next if Iran continues to obstruct shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. Iran will deploy ballistic missiles and other advanced weapons with greater destructive power and precision, a spokesperson for the Defence Ministry said. Lebanon's Health Ministry strongly condemned an Israeli airstrike on a healthcare centre in Borj Qalaouiye that killed 12 medical staff — including doctors, nurses and paramedics. Separately, Israeli shells struck the headquarters of a Nepalese peacekeeping battalion serving with UNIFIL in southern Lebanon's Meiss el-Jabal. Lebanon's toll from Israeli attacks has risen to at least 773 killed since March 2. Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem declared his group is ready for a "long confrontation" with Israel. Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps warned on Saturday that US-linked assets in the United Arab Emirates, including ports, docks and military facilities, could become “legitimate targets”, according to Iranian state media. In a statement cited by Reuters, the IRGC urged residents in the UAE to move away from areas surrounding ports, docks and US military shelters in order to avoid civilian casualties. The ongoing war involving the United States and Israel against Iran is raising alarms over the safety of the country’s cultural heritage, with several historic landmarks reportedly damaged in strikes that began on February 28. Among the sites affected are palaces and an ancient mosque included on the UNESCO World Heritage list. UNESCO said it has conveyed the geographic coordinates of World Heritage sites and other nationally significant landmarks to all parties involved in the conflict in an effort to prevent further damage. The UN body added that it is closely monitoring the situation across Iran and the wider region to safeguard cultural heritage at risk from the fighting. Iraqi officials confirmed that a helipad at the US Embassy compound in Baghdad was struck in a missile attack, according to the Associated Press. No casualty figures were immediately available. The strike represents a direct hit on a US diplomatic facility and is among the most audacious Iranian-linked attacks since the war began. The US Embassy had renewed its Level 4 security alert for Iraq earlier today. At least 112 people have been killed in US-Israel attacks on Iran’s Kurdistan province, according to a local official quoted by the Tasnim news agency. The head of the province’s emergency department said at least 969 people have also been injured in the strikes. Of the wounded, 27 are currently being treated in hospital wards, while five remain in intensive care units, the official added. According to monitoring group NetBlocks, two full weeks have passed since Iranian authorities imposed an internet blackout across the country. "Two full weeks have now passed since Iran fell into digital darkness amid a regime-imposed internet blackout. The public remains isolated from the outside world with only a limited domestic intranet after 336 hours, while state-approved accounts get whitelisted access," Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat on Saturday said there is no crisis regarding petroleum products in India, even as the West Asia conflict poses challenges for global energy markets. Shekhawat told ANI that the current war-like conditions in the Middle East have created concerns for several countries, stating that some neighbouring countries are facing serious disruptions. "There is no crisis regarding petroleum products in India... the war-like situation in the Middle East has posed a challenge before all countries. Speaking of our neighbouring countries, an emergency-like situation prevails in Pakistan, while schools and colleges have been closed in Bangladesh," he said. According to a Bloomberg News update, some oil loading operations in ⁠the port ​of UAE's Fujairah, ​outside ​the Strait ⁠of Hormuz, ‌have been suspended after a drone ⁠attack ⁠and ⁠fire ‌on Saturday ​morning. Abu Dhabi state oil company ADNOC has also shut the 922,000-bpd Ruwais refinery after a drone strike ​caused ​a fire. A separate fire also broke out at the Fujairah port, a key global oil ⁠storage and bunkering hub, on Friday. North Korea fired a projectile towards the sea on Saturday as the US and South Korea conducted military drills. Japan said it might have been a ballistic missile. The South Korean military said in a brief message to reporters that the projectile was fired toward the sea off North Korea’s east coast. South Korean Prime Minister Kim Min-seok and U.S. President Donald Trump discussed ‌possible reopening of talks between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in a meeting in Washington, Yonhap news agency reported on Saturday. The commander-in-chief of the Iranian army has warned that the recent strike against IRIS Dena “will not go unanswered”. More than 100 members of the crew were killed while returning to Iran following a military exercise in India. IRIS Dena had been one of the country's newest warships. “The crew of the Dena destroyer had completed a peaceful mission and were targeted while on their way back to Iran,” Amir Hatami was quoted as saying by IRNA news agency He noted that the sailors were attacked despite not being engaged in a direct battle. “The name of Dena and the sacrifice of its crew will remain a symbol of courage and dedication in Iran’s naval history. The army will defend Iran’s maritime borders and strengthen its naval power with even greater determination," Hatami added. In just 10 days, more than 800,000 people in Lebanon have been displaced by war, just over a year since the last conflict uprooted over a million Lebanese from their homes. That's one in every seven people in the tiny country, according to the humanitarian organisation the Norwegian Refugee Council. Many don't have a place to stay, and the cash-strapped government has only been able to accommodate roughly 120,000 people as it scrambles to open shelters and bring in more supplies. More than a million people were displaced in the last war, but that was toward the end of it, after a year of limited fighting that gradually escalated. This time, what took months took days. Humanitarian groups, saddled by years of underfunding, are struggling to keep up. They warn of a humanitarian crisis. "The needs are escalating much faster than our capacity to respond," Mathieu Luciano, the head of the International Organisation for Migration in Lebanon, said during a recent press briefing. The Trump administration has said it might suspend maritime shipping requirements under a more than a century-old law known as the Jones Act. The White House confirmed that it was looking into waiving Jones Act requirements this week in a temporary measure amid wider efforts to counter steep oil prices and cargo disruptions due to the war. The Jones Act requires that goods hauled between US ports be moved on US-flagged vessels. Passed in 1920, it aims to protect the American shipping sector — but it has also faced criticism over the years for slowing the delivery of goods, including critical aid during time of crisis . And it is often blamed for making gas, in particular, more expensive. US President Donald Trump threatened to strike the oil infrastructure of Iran's Kharg Island hub unless Tehran stopped attacking vessels in the Strait of Hormuz. He also claimed that Tehran now wanted a deal --- but he refused to accept. "Iran's Military, ​and all others involved with this Terrorist Regime, would be wise to lay down their arms, and save what's left of their country, which isn't much! The Fake News Media hates to report how well the United States Military has done against Iran, which is totally defeated and wants a deal - But not a deal that I would accept!" he posted on his Truth Social platform. "I can’t tell you that. I mean, I have my own idea, but what good could you do? It’ll be as long as it’s necessary. They’ve been decimated. The country is in bad shape, the whole thing is collapsing...” he said on Saturday. Kharg Island is the hub for 90% of Iran's oil exports. It has long been seen as a key vulnerability that would provoke a severe response by Tehran if attacked. Markets are watching for any sign that the strikes had damaged Kharg's intricate network of pipelines, terminals and storage tanks. Even minor disruptions could further tighten global supply, adding pressure to ​an ​already volatile market. Kharg ⁠sits 16 miles (26 km) from Iran's ⁠coast, about 300 miles (483 km) northwest of the Strait of Hormuz, in waters deep enough to enable the docking of tankers that are too large to approach ⁠the mainland's shallow coastal waters. Much ‌of the oil shipped from Iran via Kharg goes to China, the top global crude ​importer, which has been taking measures including banning refined fuel exports to ‌preserve supplies amid disruption in the Middle East. Iranian oil accounts for 11.6% of China's seaborne imports so far this year, according to tanker tracker Kpler, and is mostly bought by independent refiners attracted by ‌what had been deeply discounted prices ​due to U.S. ​sanctions on ​Tehran. Iran has exported 1.7 million bpd crude so far this year, of which 1.55 million bpd was shipped via Kharg, Kpler data shows. Prior to the war, Iran had ​ramped up exports to about 2.17 million bpd in February, Kpler data showed. ⁠It shipped a record 3.79 million bpd in the week of February 16, the data showed. Kharg has storage capacity of roughly 30 million barrels, and held about 18 million barrels of crude as of early March, according to a ‌JP Morgan report citing ⁠Kpler data. The Israeli military has warned civilians to evacuate an industrial area west of Tabriz --- a city in north-western Iran. A social media post said it would target military infrastructure in the region. “Dear citizens, for the sake of your safety and well-being, we kindly request that you immediately evacuate the designated area indicated on the map. Your presence in this area puts your life at risk," read an X post in Farsi. A map attached to the post indicated it would target the area around a piston factory. According to a Financial Times report, France and Italy have opened talks with Tehran and “seek to negotiate a deal to guarantee safe passage for their ships through the Strait of Hormuz”. The talks are reportedly at a "tentative" state. A separate Reuters report said France is putting together a coalition to “secure the Strait of Hormuz”, once the security situation stabilises. Paris has been talking to European, Asian and Gulf Arab states to draft a plan for warships to escort tankers through the strait. Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem has asserted that his organisation is prepared for a "long confrontation" with Israel. According to a report by The Times of Israel, Israeli authorities have warned that Lebanon would face an "increasing price" through extensive damage to its national infrastructure. The conflict intensified on Friday following Hezbollah's decision to target Israel in retaliation for the killing of the Iranian former supreme leader in joint strikes. The Saudi Arabian Ministry of Defence has just shared yet another drone interception update --- this time to the east of the country. This comes less than an hour after the Qatari Ministry of Defence said its armed forces intercepted a missile attack. Residents of Doha had woken up to explosions and received warnings to stay indoors earlier today. The alert was later lifted after the threat was 'eliminated'.