Iran-US war latest: Tehran launches ‘most intense’ barrage of missiles since start of conflict – UK Times

Qatar’s military has intercepted a fresh missile attack on the Gulf nation this morning, the country’s ministry of defence said.

Reuters said a witness heard a loud boom in Doha.

Qatari authorities said shortly after that “the security threat has been eliminated, and the situation has returned to normal.”

The interception followed an elevated security alert issued by officials minutes earlier.

Iran will respond to recent US-Israeli strikes on residential areas, a news outlet affiliated with its military quoted armed forces spokesperson Abolfazl Shekarchi as saying, after what he described as the heaviest strikes on the country since the war began.

Mr Shekarchi also urged regional countries and fellow Muslims to identify “US-Zionist hiding places” to maximise the precision and impact of Iranian strikes while minimising civilian casualties, accusing US-Israeli forces of using civilians as “human shields.”

The statement was carried by Defapress, which is affiliated with Iran’s military.

Lebanon state media says Israeli strikes overnight targeted an apartment in central Beirut. Israel said it was targeting infrastructure belonging to Iran-backed Hezbollah.

A video, reportedly from the southern suburbs of Lebanon’s capital, showed an explosion in some buildings.

The US Navy has refused near-daily requests from the shipping industry for military escorts through the Strait of Hormuz since the start of the war on Iran, saying the risk of attacks is too high for now, Reuters reported, quoting sources familiar with the matter.

Mr Trump said earlier on Monday the US Navy and its partners would escort tankers through the strait “when the time comes.”

The US military is looking at options to potentially escort ships, General Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said on Tuesday, but a US official told Reuters no commercial ships have yet been escorted through.

Shipping along the narrow strait has effectively halted since the start of the US-Israeli war on Iran more than a week ago, preventing exports of around a fifth of the world’s oil supply. A senior Iranian Revolutionary Guards official said last week Iran will “set fire” to any ship trying to pass.

A drone struck a major US diplomatic facility in Iraq yesterday, according to a US official and an internal State Department alert, Reuters news agency reported.

The drone hit the Baghdad Diplomatic Support Centre, next to the Baghdad airport, impacting near a guard tower, the internal alert said. Individuals at the facility were ordered to “duck and cover”.

A separate alert said everyone was accounted for and there were no injuries.

The White House and the State Department have not confirmed the incident yet.

A container ship was been hit near the coast of the United Arab Emirates by an unidentified projectile, the British maritime security agency said, as Iran launched its ‘heaviest’ barrage of missiles today in response to US-Israeli strikes.

“The master of a container vessel has reported that the vessel has sustained damage from a suspected but unknown projectile,” the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) says, adding the extent of the damage is unknown but all crew members are safe.

Rocket trails are seen in the sky above the Israeli centre coastal city of Netanya amid a fresh barrage of Iranian missile attacks today.

Oil prices fell further today after a report said the International Energy Agency could release more oil reserves than ever before in its history.

Brent fell 0.26 per cent to $87.57 a barrel, while US West Texas Intermediate dropped 0.44 per cent to $83.08, extending the fall seen yesterday after Donald Trump’s indication that war could be ending soon.

The drop comes after both posted their steepest single-day decline in four years on Monday, settling more than 11 per cent lower overnight.

The Wall Street Journal reported that the proposed release would exceed the 182 million barrels IEA members put on the market in two tranches in 2022 after Russia invaded Ukraine. The G7 has separately asked the IEA to model emergency reserve scenarios.

Oil prices have risen nearly 50 per cent since January, driven by the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, which handles roughly one-fifth of global oil flows.

The US-Iran war is now in its second week with oil tankers passing the strait still under threat from Iranian attacks. President Trump yesterday warned Iran to remove any mines from the strait, posting: “We want them removed, IMMEDIATELY!”

Iran has launched what its state media called the “most intense and heaviest” barrage since the start of the conflict, AFP reported. Israel said it identified missiles launched from Iran, though later told citizens it was safe to leave shelters.

Saudi Arabia also said it intercepted and destroyed two drones heading towards an oil field, while air raid sirens sounded in Bahrain, which hosts the headquarters of the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet.

Israel has launched a new wave of strikes at Beirut in Lebanon with explosions seen in a suburban area overnight.

The Israeli military said it was targeting infrastructure that belongs to Iran-backed Hezbollah in the south of the Lebanese capital.

A video on social media shows fire and smoke rising from an apartment complex.

Yesterday, strikes hit Lebanon’s southern city of Tyre while an air raid was launched on the southern Lebanese town of Qabrikha. Israeli jets also attacked the towns of Deir Siryan and Taybeh, Lebanon’s National News Agency (NNA) reported.