AJ
Recap of the war between US-Israel and Iran, including the latest political news, and updates on attacks across the regions.
US are set to deploy the USS George H W Bush aircraft carrier to Central Command’s area of responsibility, reported CBS, noting that the strike group recently completed training certifying it for major combat operations and could join ongoing efforts as the US aims to reinforce its position in the region.
India and Russia agreed to prepare for Russia to resume direct sales of liquified natural gas to India due to the fall out from the operations in Iran, but should India pursue this deal they would be violating western sanctions against the purchase of Russian oil, Reuters reported, noting the agreement was based on a verbal agreement between Russian Deputy Energy Minister Pavel Sorokin and Indian Petroleum and Gas Minister Hardeep Singh Puri reached during a meeting in Delhi on March 19.
Oman’s Government issued a statement saying: “A security source said that the port of Salaleh was targeted with drones, and the accident resulted in a moderate injury to one of the expatriates working at the port, and one of the cranes in the port facilities was subjected to limited damage. The Sultanate of Oman confirms its condemnation of these brutal targeting, and takes all measures to maintain the security of the country and the safety of its residents. May god protect Oman safe and reassuring.” It was later confirmed that two drones struck the port, but Iran hadn’t claimed responsibility, and had also denied the previous attack on the port, where they claimed a Shahed-clone had been used to attack the infrastructure.
Speaking to Iranian-English news channel Press TV, political commentator Mohammed Al-Zubaidi said Yemen’s leadership has demonstrated strong unity, describing it as resilience that adversaries did not expect, adding that the country remained firm and cohesive amid rising regional tensions.
Israeli Defence Forces announced they’d attacked Iranian nuclear weapons program facilities and weapons production sites in three areas across Iran in the early hours of Saturday morning, in attacks which reportedly involved more than 50 fighter jets, that targeted the Arak Heavy Water Plant, a ministry of defence site used for producing advanced explosive devices which were then supplied to Hezbollah and Hamas, along with a ballistic missile and anti-aircraft missile factory.
29 US soldiers were injured this week from Iranian attacks on Saudi Arabia’s Prince Sultan Airbase, reported the AP, noting that 15 were injured in Friday’s combined missile and drone attack (5 of whom were seriously wounded), and another 14 from previous attacks throughout the week, as Air & Space Forces reported that Iranian strikes at Saudi Arabia’s Prince Sultan Air Base on Friday damaged a US E-3 Sentry AWACS aircraft along with multiple refuelling aircraft.
Kuwait’s Civil Aviation Authority reported that Kuwait International Airport was attacked by several Iranian drones, which didn’t result in any casualties, but the radar system suffered serious damage following the strikes.
US-Israeli strikes expanded to critical infrastructure and industrial targets on Friday night according to the New York Times, citing Iranian media and officials, stating these included steel complexes in Isfahan and Khuzestan, a mine linked to a cement factory in Firouz Abad, an industrial city in Kheirabad and a warehouse at Mashhad’s airport, while Iranian state media said airstrikes on the mine killed two workers and injured two others, as officials described the target facilities as civilian, and the IRGC warned it would retaliate by striking industrial facilities in Gulf Arab states, particularly those with US-linked interests.
Bahrain faced a wave of Iranian missiles and drones overnight as result of the threats from Iran, with direct impacts recorded at the BAPCO oil facility which caused a large fire to break out, as Bahrain’s Defence Force intercepted 20 missiles and 23 drones in a 24 hour period, meaning Bahrain had shot down 174 missiles and 385 drones since the start of the war. Further reports suggested that the Khorramshahr Oil Refinery, the largest in the Middle East, was completely destroyed or burned down as a result of the fire, stating that damage assessments were very difficult, and that BAPCO had admitted the plant had completely burned down.
Israel have begun rationing its most advanced missile interceptors amid sustained missile and drone attacks, reported The Washington Post, noting that Israel were opting to preserve high-end systems such as Arrow while relying more heavily on lower-tier defences, while increasingly using upgraded versions of systems like David’s Sling and Iron Dome to intercept longer-range threats, though results have been mixed. Recent Iranian missile attacks have proven penetrative, including direct hits reported in cities such as Dimona and Arad, but the development highlights a growing strain on Israel’s air defence capabilities as continued barrages test interceptor stockpiles and raise concerns over the sustainability of current defence strategies in a prolonged conflict.
Eleven people were injured when an Iranian ballistic missile struck Beit Shemesh in central Israel.
Iran’s General Directorate of the Electricity Distribution Company in Tehran said that Israeli aggression had so far targeted 368 locations of power distribution facilities and equipment, which included a power cut on Saturday morning, but the supply in all areas of Tehran was restored in the shortest possible time.
Damage has been caused to more than 93,000 residential and commercial units during airstrikes on civilian areas in Iran, including 20,779 commercial units, 71,547 residential units, 31,562 residential and commercial units, 297 health, treatment and emergency centres in Tehran, 600 schools, 17 Red Crescent centres, 48 operational vehicles (rescue and tow), 46 Red Crescent and emergency ambulances, and 3 rescue helicopters belonging to the Red Crescent for used for emergency rescues, reported the Iranian Red Crescent Society.
President Masoud Pezeshkian said: “We have repeatedly said that Iran does not launch preemptive attacks, but will respond forcefully if our infrastructure or economic centres are targeted. To the countries of the region: If you want development and security, do not let our enemies wage war from your territories.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had been visiting all the Gulf states for two days to tighten security in the region and form investments and partnerships with Ukraine’s ongoing defence against Russia’s aggression, but Barak Ravid of Israeli Channel 12 was quick to point out that the only country not inviting Zelensky was Israel, adding that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had asked to speak with Zelensky on the phone two weeks ago but the call didn’t happen.
United States Central Command stated that US Sailors and Marines aboard the USS Tripoli (LHA 7) had arrived in the US Central Command area of responsibility on March 27, noting that the America-class amphibious assault ship serves as the flagship for the Tripoli Amphibious Ready Group / 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit composed of about 3,500 sailors and Marines in addition to transport and strike fighter aircraft, as well as amphibious assault and tactical assets.
Iranian Parliament Speaker Ghalibaf took to X: “I’m raising 10 red flags… the IDF will collapse into itself. By escalating tensions and attacking Iran’s industrial infrastructure, the criminal Zionist regime is attempting to ignore these warnings and restore the confidence of its corrupt cabinet and army. Instead, Iran’s fierce response will accelerate this ongoing collapse.”
Three Popular Mobilisation Forces fighters were killed and 7 others injured as a result of US airstrikes on a PMF headquarters in Kirkuk, northern Iraq, reported Al Jazeera, while later reports also suggested a strike on PMF positions in the western suburbs of Mosul, and Quds reported that three strikes had targeted the Hawi al-Kanis area of Mosul. Al Jazeera was later told by the Iraqi police that the second of the three strikes targeted the river police and resulted in two police officers being killed and six others were injured in the Mosul attack.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi took to X saying: “I express my gratitude to the government and people of Azerbaijan for their humanitarian assistance, as well as for the conditions that have been created for the delivery of aid from other countries. This support, which was demonstrated in difficult times, is based on the shared culture that unites the people of Iran and Azerbaijan.”
Kuwait Fire Force spokesman Brigadier Mohammad Al-Ghareeb reported crews had managed to put out fires that had occurred as a result of an Iranian drone strike on the Kuwaiti International Airport that had been raging for 58 consecutive hours.
UAE officials appeared to have changed their stance on the war within a 24 hour period, having stated on Friday that advocating for a ceasefire was not considered enough because Iran’s capabilities needed to be completely dismantled, but on Saturday, Anwar Gargash, the senior Diplomatic Advisor to the UAE President, clarified that the Emiratis want a diplomatic and political solution to ensure the regions security.
Israeli and US forces launched attacks on Iraq as well as Iran on Saturday evening, with one attack targeting the residence of the President of the Kurdistan Region in Dukok, Iraq, which Iranian FM Araghchi condemned while wishing President Barzani good health, reported Tasnim News.
Kurdistan Democratic Party President Masoud Barzani condemned the ongoing attacks on the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, stating that since the start of the war, the region had been struck more than 450 times by missiles and drones targeting Peshmerga positions and civilian areas, while noting that his own residence had also been attacked by a drone, calling on Iraqi authorities to either take serious action to stop the outlaw groups or acknowedge they are unable to do so: “The people of Kurdistan defend their peaceful message and just cause with steel will. No threat, attack or enemy has been able to break that will,” he added.
Following attacks in Iran that had targeted the universities in the country, Iran told the United States they had until 12:00pm (Tehran time) on March 30 to condemn the bombing, or Iran would carry out strikes against multiple American universities in the Middle East.
Kremlin Spokesman Dmitri Peskov said that “Trump’s Board of Peace seems irrelevant amid the Iranian war.”
Two US Air Force C-17 planes were seen on Saturday at Victoria Base in Baghdad, which were likely taking part in the evacuation of the medical facility of the airbase, while the HH-60M helicopters previously seen and targeted by an Iranian-backed Militia FPV were no longer there and there were no burn marks, but the presence of strategic airlifters in an area under FPV threat posed significant risks to the aircraft and they don’t appear to have been parked.
Central Command reported they had struck over 11,000 Iranian targets and flown over 11,000 combat flights, noting that 150 Iranian vessels had also been destroyed, adding that the sites targeted by US sea, land and air assets included IRGC headquarters and intelligence sites, ballistic missile systems and manufacturing sites, as well as Iranian maritime assets such as submarines and ships.
Pakistani Foreign Minister Dar announced that Iran had allowed 20 additional Pakistani flagged vessels to cross the Strait of Hormuz, with at least two ships crossing each day, praising the decision as a meaningful step towards peace, while tagging top US officials such as Vice President Vance, Special Envoy Witkoff, and Secretary of State Rubio.
US Vice President JD Vance said that Operation Epic Fury would continue until Iran is neutered and the US wouldn’t need to conduct similar operations in the future: “Well, the president said look, we’ve accomplished the gross majority of our military objectives, I think you can make a good argument. We’ve accomplished all of our military objectives. The President’s gonna keep at it for a little while longer to ensure that once we leave, we don’t have to do this again for a very long time. That was fundamentally the president’s goal, he said look, this country, they’re threatening us in all these ways, they’re still trying to build a nuclear weapon – we need to neuter them for a very, very long time, and that’s the purpose.”
