Iran-US war latest: Two killed in Abu Dhabi missile attack as Trump says Tehran ‘afraid’ to admit to peace talks – UK Times

Iran has been laying traps, and moving troops and air defences to Kharg Island in preparation for a US push to take the island, vital for its oil exports, according to a report.

Several sources familiar with recent US intelligence reports told CNN that there would be real risks involved in a ground operation, including significant US casualties.

They said Kharg Island has been fortified with ‘layered’ defences, including surface-to-air guided missile systems and anti-personnel and anti-armour mines.

Those mines extend to the shoreline, where US troops could stage a D-Day-style amphibious landing.

Israel has taken Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi off its list of assassination targets after Pakistan warned that killing him would leave them with nobody to talk to, a Pakistani official told Reuters.

“The Israelis had their … coordinates and wanted to take them out, we told the U.S. if they are also eliminated then there is no one else to talk to, hence the U.S. asked the Israelis to back off,” the official said.

The Israeli military says that one soldier was killed during combat in southern Lebanon.

A statement published on Thursday reads: “Sergeant Ori Greenberg, 21 years old, Petah Tikva, fighter in the Golani Patrol, Golani Brigade, fell in battle in southern Lebanon.”

Iran has allowed “friendly nations” including India, China and Russia to use the Strait of Hormuz for commercial shipping, Iranian foreign minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi has said.

“There’s no reason to allow the enemy to pass through the strait. We have permitted certain countries that we consider friendly to pass through; we allowed China, Russia, India, Iraq, and Pakistan to transit,” Mr Araghchi was quoted as saying by Iran’s official news agency.

Two people were killed in Abu Dhabi after debris from an intercepted missile fell on Sweihan Road, the emirate’s media office said this morning, adding that three others were injured and several vehicles were damaged.

US president Donald Trump’s war on Iran and the ongoing oil crisis have unilaterally impacted Asia and pushed nations to impose drastic Covid-19-era measures to conserve energy.

Asia has been at the frontline of the crisis, with almost 90 per cent of its purchased crude oil transiting through the Strait of Hormuz, which has been shut by Tehran after strikes by the US and Israel last month. The strait, which links the Persian Gulf to the Indian Ocean, is pivotal for the flow of roughly a fifth of the world’s energy supply.

The Philippines’ energy market regulator said this morning that it had suspended the country’s wholesale electricity spot market across all three grids until further notice, citing fuel supply risks and price volatility linked to the Middle East conflict.

The Energy Regulatory Commission said it has proposed a modified administered pricing scheme, which it expects to finalise by 1 April.

“Under the proposed scheme, coal plants may be paid at a fixed rate, natural gas plants based on contracted prices, and renewable energy sources such as hydro and geothermal under administered pricing with preferential dispatch,” it said in a statement.

The UAE says its air defence systems are currently dealing with a missile threat.

Iran is running a “de facto ‘toll booth’ regime” in the Strait of Hormuz, controlling which ships come through and getting payment for their safe passage, a leading shipping intelligence firm said.

Lloyd’s List Intelligence published an analysis highlighting Iran’s practices through the strait. It described vessels having to provide manifests, crew details and their destination to Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard.

The information goes to the Guard’s “Hormozgan Provincial Command for sanctions screening, cargo alignment checks that currently prioritise oil over all other commodities, and for what is described as ‘geopolitical vetting,’” Lloyd’s List said.

“While not all ships are paying a direct toll at least two vessels have and the payment is settled in yuan,” Lloyd’s List said, referring to China’s national currency.

Iran has not directly explained the process for ships to go through the strait, though a foreign ministry spokesperson appeared to acknowledge Tehran was receiving payments for some ships.

An Israeli ambulance service said it was providing aid to two people hurt in a blast after the missile barrage north of Tel Aviv in Kfar Qasim.