War in the Middle East: latest developments

'Most intense day'
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said attacks on Iran will ramp up Tuesday with the heaviest strikes since Washington launched the war 10 days ago.

"Today will be yet again our most intense day of strikes inside Iran," Hegseth told a news conference at the Pentagon.'No common' war plan
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz voiced concern that the United States and Israel appear to have "no common plan" for bringing the war against Iran "to a swift and convincing end".

"The United States and Israel have been waging war against Iran for over a week. We share many of these goals, but with each day of the war, more questions arise," Merz said. "We are particularly concerned that there is apparently no common plan for how this war can be brought to a swift and convincing end."
Drone attack on Abu Dhabi
A drone attack caused a fire in an industrial zone in the emirate of Abu Dhabi, UAE authorities said, in an area that houses oil and energy infrastructure.

"Authorities in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi are responding to a fire at a facility within the Ruwais Industrial City, caused by a drone attack. No injuries have been reported so far," the Abu Dhabi media office said, without specifying if energy infrastructure had been hit.'Empty' threats
Iran's security chief Ali Larijani brushed off threats by US President Donald Trump to hit the Islamic republic harder if the flow of oil stops through the strategic Strait of Hormuz.

"Iran is not afraid of your empty threats. Even those greater than you could not eliminate the Iranian nation. Take care of yourself not to be eliminated!" he wrote in a post on X.
Fresh Tehran strikes
The Israeli military said it has begun a new wave of strikes on Tehran.

Shortly afterwards, AFP journalists in Tehran reported hearing a loud explosion in the city centre while Iranian media reported blasts across the capital.

The Kerman airport in southern Iran was damaged along with planes following strikes on Tuesday, Iranian media said.
Qatar rebuke
A spokesman for the Qatari foreign ministry, Majed al-Ansari, said that Iran has pressed its attacks against Qatar's civilian infrastructure "and we rebuke any justification that the Iranians are offering for these attacks".

He warned that attacks on energy facilities would "cause repercussions throughout the world".
Oil markets warning
The head of Saudi Arabia's state-owned Aramco energy giant, president and CEO Amin H. Nasser, warned the war could have "catastrophic consequences" on oil markets and said it was "absolutely critical" that oil shipping resumes in the Strait of Hormuz.
Displaced in Lebanon
More than 100,000 people have been displaced in Lebanon in a single day, the UN said, as Israel continued to pound Iran-backed Hezbollah militants.
Fresh Lebanon strike
A new strike hit Lebanon's southern city of Tyre, state media reported.

The strike came after Israel's military said it would hit Hezbollah targets there and in Sidon, telling residents to move away at least 300 metres (985 feet) from buildings that it said were Hezbollah's military infrastructure.
Azerbaijan aid
Azerbaijan sent humanitarian aid to Iran, days after an Iranian drone attack. The aid was shipped after the presidents of the two countries spoke by phone on March 8.
Energy prices drop, stocks rally
Oil and gas prices tumbled after US President Donald Trump said "I think the war is very complete, pretty much".

World oil prices dropped by around eight percent, while the European benchmark gas price, the Dutch TTF natural gas contract, fell around 15 percent.

European stocks jumped at open on Tuesday, after Asian markets rallied and all three main indexes on Wall Street ended sharply higher at their Monday close.
Talks 'not on agenda'
Iran's foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, told PBS news that "I don't think talking with the Americans would be on our agenda anymore", adding that Tehran had a "very bitter experience" during previous negotiations.'Not done yet'
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the offensive against Iran was "not done yet".

"Our aspiration is to bring the Iranian people to cast off the yoke of tyranny; ultimately, it depends on them. But there is no doubt that with the actions taken so far, we are breaking their bones -- and we are not done yet".
Patriot in Turkey
Ankara said a US-made Patriot missile defence system would be deployed to central Turkey, a day after NATO shot down a second ballistic missile fired from Iran in Turkish airspace.
Iran targets US base in Iraq
Iran's Revolutionary Guards said they targeted a US base in Iraq's Kurdistan region, the Al-Harir air base, with five missiles.

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