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Iran Launches New Israel, Gulf Attacks 03/10 06:27
Iran launched new attacks on Tuesday at Israel and Gulf Arab countries as it
kept up pressure on the Middle East in a war started by Israel and the United
States that has sent oil prices surging and stunned global economies.
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) -- Iran launched new attacks on Tuesday at
Israel and Gulf Arab countries as it kept up pressure on the Middle East in a
war started by Israel and the United States that has sent oil prices surging
and stunned global economies.
Sirens warned of incoming missiles in the futuristic business hub of Dubai,
and in Bahrain, authorities said an Iranian attack hit a residential building
in the capital, killing a 29-year-old woman and wounding eight others. Saudi
Arabia said it destroyed two drones over its oil-rich eastern region and
Kuwait's National Guard said it shot down six drones.
Later in the morning, sirens also sounded in Jerusalem, and sounds of
explosions could be heard in Tel Aviv as Israel's defense systems worked to
intercept incoming fire, not long after the military said it detected an
Iranian missile launch.
"We are definitely not looking for a ceasefire," Iran's parliament speaker,
Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, wrote on X. "We believe that the aggressor should be
punched in the mouth so that he learns a lesson so that he will never think of
attacking our beloved Iran again."
Another top Iranian security official, Ali Larijani, appeared to threaten
U.S. President Donald Trump himself, writing on X that "Iran doesn't fear your
empty threats. Even those bigger than you couldn't eliminate Iran. Be careful
not to get eliminated yourself." Iran has been accused of plotting attempts to
kill Trump in the past.
Witnesses reported hearing several explosions in Tehran in the afternoon as
Israel commenced a new wave of airstrikes.
Attacks aimed at pressuring the US
Along with firing missiles and drones at Israel and at American bases in the
region, Iran has also been targeting energy infrastructure and traffic through
the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway for traded oil, sending oil prices
soaring. The attacks appear aimed at generating enough global economic pain to
pressure the U.S. and Israel to end their strikes.
Brent crude, the international standard, spiked to nearly $120 on Monday
before falling back but was still at around $90 a barrel on Tuesday, nearly 24%
higher than when the war started on Feb. 28.
Trump, who has previously said that the war could last for a month or
longer, sought to downplay growing fears that it could take even longer, saying
it was "going to be a short-term excursion."
Still, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed the strikes on Iran
would continue.
"Our aim is to bring the Iranian people to cast off the yoke of tyranny,
(but) ultimately it depends on them," Netanyahu said during a meeting with
Israel's hospital and health system leaders. "There is no doubt that with the
actions taken so far, we are breaking their bones."
Oil is rerouted as Strait of Hormuz is largely cut off
Iran has effectively stopped tankers from using the Strait of Hormuz, which
connects the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman -- the gateway to the Indian
Ocean -- through which 20% of the world's oil is carried. Attacks on merchant
ships near the strait have killed at least seven sailors, according to the
International Maritime Organization.
A bulk carrier likely came under attack in the Persian Gulf on Tuesday off
the coast of the United Arab Emirates, with the captain reporting a splash and
a loud bang nearby, according to a monitoring center run by the British
military.
In a post on social media, Trump seemed not to acknowledge that, saying that
"If Iran does anything that stops the flow of Oil within the Strait of Hormuz,
they will be hit by the United States of America TWENTY TIMES HARDER than they
have been hit thus far."
Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard doubled down, saying in a statement
that it "will not allow the export of even a single liter of oil from the
region to the hostile side and its partners until further notice."
Meanwhile, Amin Nasser, the president and CEO of Saudi Arabia's oil giant
Aramco, said tankers were being rerouted to avoid the Strait of Hormuz, and
that its East-West pipeline would reach its full capacity of 7 million barrels
a day being brought to the Red Sea port of the Yanbu this week.
"The situation at the Strait of Hormuz is blocking sizable volumes of oil
from the whole region," he said, adding that tighter supplies would likely push
the price per barrel globally even higher, translating to higher costs for
gasoline and jet fuel.
"If this takes a long time, that will have serious impact on the global
economy," Nasser said.
Iranian women's soccer team gets asylum in Australia
Five members of the Iranian women's soccer team who were in Australia for a
tournament when the Iran war began were granted asylum, Home Affairs Minister
Tony Burke told reporters in Brisbane.
The team drew widespread news coverage in Australia when players didn't sing
the Iranian anthem before their first match. The 26 players had arrived for the
Women's Asian Cup last month, before the war started. They were knocked out
over the weekend, raising the prospect of having to return home to a country
under attack.
Burke, who posted photos on social media of the women smiling and clapping
as he signed documents, said all players on the squad had been offered asylum.
It was not clear if or when the other 21 players would return to Iran.
Airstrike on Iran-linked militia in Iraq kills 5
As the conflict spread across the region, Israel launched multiple attacks
on the militant Hezbollah group in Lebanon, which responded by firing missiles
into Israel.
Iran-backed militias in Iraq have also launched attacks at U.S. bases in the
country since the beginning of the conflict.
Early Tuesday, one such militia -- the 40th Brigade of the Popular
Mobilization Forces in the city of Kirkuk -- was hit with an airstrike that
killed at least five militiamen and wounded four, according to officials who
spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to
reporters.
It was not immediately clear who was behind the strikes.
Israel's military meanwhile reiterated a call for all residents of southern
Lebanon to evacuate their homes, saying it planned to "operate forcefully"
there against Hezbollah.
Since the war began, at least 1,230 people have been killed in Iran, at
least 397 in Lebanon and 11 in Israel, according to officials.
A total of seven U.S. service members have been killed.
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