Tuesday to be ‘most intense day’ of US strikes

The US will on Tuesday send the highest number of fighter jets and bombers to attack Iran since Washington unleashed its war on the Middle Eastern country 10 days ago, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has told a Pentagon news conference.

“Today will be yet again our most intense day of strikes inside Iran,” Hegseth said.

The defense secretary, a former Fox News TV host, told the news conference that the US strikes aimed to destroy Iran’s missiles and defense industrial base, saying that the country stood alone and was losing badly.

Hegseth also accused Tehran of using schools and hospitals as missile launch sites, while saying that the number of missiles fired by Iran in the past 24 hours was the lowest since the war began.

A drone attack has caused a fire in an industrial area in the emirate of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates authorities have said, in an area that houses oil and energy infrastructure. 

“Abu Dhabi authorities are responding to a fire that broke out a facility in the Ruwais Industrial Complex, caused by a drone attack. No injuries have been reported at this time,” the Abu Dhabi media office wrote online.

Authorities did not say whether energy infrastructure had been hit and asked people to “avoid spreading rumors or unverified information.” 

The Ruwais industrial area houses key facilities like the Ruwais Refinery that can process almost 1 million barrels of oil per day and the Borouge 3 petrochemical plant.

Iran’s security chief has responded to a threat from US President Donald Trump to step up attacks on the Middle Eastern country if Tehran stopped the transport of oil through the Strait of Hormuz, saying that Iran was not afraid of him and warning him of possible personal danger.

“The sacrificial nation of Iran doesn’t fear your empty threats,” Ali Larijani wrote on X.

“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.

Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial transport route for oil, gas and fertilizer, has been severely disrupted by the war, while Iranian forces have threatened to block “the export of a single liter of oil from the region” to allies of the United States and Israel. 

The Israeli military has followed words with action, striking near the Lebanese city of Tyre after warning residents to move away from targeted buildings marked on a map, Lebanon‘s state-run National News Agency (NNA) said.

“The Israeli enemy launched a strike on the threatened area” in Abbassiyeh, next to Tyre, which is situated in the south of the country, NNA said.

The Israeli military has also warned it would strike in the coastal city of Sidon, some 40 km (25 miles) north of Tyre

Lebanon was drawn into the ongoing Middle East war last week after the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah that is based in the country attacked Israel in support of Tehran amid the US-Israeli offensive against it.

Lebanese authorities have said Israel’s attacks since March 2 have killed at least 486 people and wounded more than 1,300, while internally displacing hundreds of thousands.

Israel’s military has also said it has begun a new wave of strikes on the Iranian capital, Tehran.

“The IDF has begun a wave of strikes against Iranian terror regime targets in Tehran,” the military said in a brief statement.
 

People in Lebanon are being forced from their homes with their lives disrupted on a massive scale after the country was dragged into the US-Israeli war on Iran this month, according to the UN refugee agency.

More than 667,000 people are now registered as internally displaced, a rise of 100,000 in just a day, the UNHCR said, citing government figures.

Of those, some 120,000 are accommodated in shelters arranged by the government, while other still lack a place of abode, it said.

“Many others are staying ​with relatives or ‌friends or still searching for accommodation, and we see ​cars ⁠lined along the street with people sleeping in ⁠them and ​also on the sidewalks,” said Karolina Lindholm Billing, UNHCR representative in Lebanon.

Lebanon became involved in the war this month after the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah that is based in the country launched rockets and drones into neighboring Israel in support of Tehran, causing Israel to carry out heavy bombardments across the country.

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul on Tuesday urged caution about the prospects of an early end to the war in Iran.

His remarks came after US President Donald Trump told CBS news on Monday afternoon that the war was “very complete, pretty much.”

Wadephul said that even as the US continues to target Iran’s military capabilities, the war is unlikely to end until Tehran signals a willingness to negotiate or its forces are severely weakened.

Wadephul said European leaders must “position themselves very quickly now so that we can also play a role in these negotiations.”

After hitting its highest level since mid-2022 on Monday, the price oil dropped by around 7% on Tuesday after US President Donald Trump seemed to suggest that the war with Iran was drawing to a close.

At 08:40 GMT, Brent futures fell 6.9% to $92.17 (€79.12) a barrel, while US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude was down 6.9% to $88.22 a barrel.

On Monday, the price of oil rushed up past $100 a barrel as Saudi Arabia and other producers cut supplies amid disruptions caused by the widening conflict in the Middle East.

You can read more about the effect of the war on oil prices and supply here: Iran war: How long before Gulf nations stop pumping oil?

Israel’s military warned residents of the southern Lebanese cities of Tyre and Sidon on Tuesday to evacuate areas ahead of  planned strikes against Hezbollah.

In a post on X, Israeli military Arabic-language spokesperson Avichay Adraee said the army would soon target “military infrastructure belonging to the terrorist organization Hezbollah.”

He urged residents of buildings and structures marked on maps released by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), to “evacuate immediately and move at least 300 meters away.”  

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that his country’s offensive against Iran‘s clerical leadership was “breaking their bones” but was still going to continue.

“Our aspiration is to bring the Iranian people to cast off the yoke of tyranny; ultimately, it depends on them,” he said,.

“But there is no doubt that with the actions taken so far, we are breaking their bones — and we are not done yet,” Netanyahu said during a visit to the National Health Command Center on Monday night, according to a statement published Tuesday.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said on Tuesday they launched a missile attack on a US air base in northern Iraq.

In a statement on Telegram, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it targeted the Harir air base in Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan region with five missiles, describing it as the “headquarters of the invading US army” in the region.

Iran’s state broadcaster also reported the strike.

There was no immediate confirmation from the US on the reported attack.

Turkey‘s Defense Ministry says a US Patriot air defense system has been deployed to the southeastern province of Malatya amid the threat of missile attacks by Iran.

The announcement comes a day after NATO, of which Turkey is a member, intercepted a second ballistic missile launched from Iran in Turkish airspace.

In a statement on its website, the ministry said that “[I]n addition to the national measures we have implemented, NATO has enhanced air and missile defense measures.”

“As part of this framework, a Patriot system is currently in Malatya and is being prepared for operational readiness to support the protection of our airspace,” it added.

Malatya province is home to the Kurecik NATO radar base, which has helped detect the ballistic missiles launched from Iran toward Turkey.

Remarks by US President Donald Trump suggesting that the Middle East war could be “over soon” have prompted a rise in stocks and a drop in oil prices in Asian trading on Tuesday.

Japan‘s Nikkei 225 rose about 3% at the start of trading, while South Korea‘s KOSPI reversed a 6% drop from the previous session to open 5.5% higher.

In China, Hong Kong‘s Hang Seng index opened 1.3% higher, while the CSI 300 index, which tracks major mainland Chinese stocks, rose 0.8%.

Brent crude fell to $89.20 (€76.70) a barrel, down more than $30 from the night before, after exceeding $100 for the first time in years.

The rebound came after Trump told US broadcaster CBS that “I think the war is very complete, pretty much.”

He, however, appeared to temper that statement later, telling his fellow Republicans: “We’ve already won in many ways, but we haven’t won enough.”

Trump’s remarks also contrast with defiant statements from Iran’s military suggesting it would keep fighting for as long as necessary.

Germany has temporarily pulled out embassy staff from the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, because of growing risks to their safety amid the widening conflict in the Middle East, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Monday evening.

“The personnel of the German ​Embassy in Baghdad has now ​been temporarily ‌relocated from Iraq because of the threat situation,” the spokesperson said.

They added that staff safety was being assessed continuously. ‌ 

The spokesperson said the embassy could still be contacted but that its legal and consular services continued to be limited owing to the security situation.

Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul, speaking from Cyprus‘ capital, Nicosia, said he had thanked his US counterpart, Marco Rubio, in a phone call for US help in withdrawing the embassy staff.

Staff from the German Embassy in the Iranian capital, Tehran, were already taken to safety on Saturday amid the continued heavy attacks from Israel and the US.

Tehran is ready to continue with its missile attacks for as long as it needs to and is no longer considering negotiations with the US, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has told a US broadcaster.

His remarks to PBS News came after US President Donald Trump said the war with Iran would be over “very soon,” though without giving a definite timeline.

In response to a US-Israeli offensive launched on February 28, Iran has been carrying out missile and drone attacks on Israel and other countries in the region.

It has mostly targeted military infrastructure, though it has been accused recently of widening its attacks to include shipping and civilian sites.

FIFA Chief Operating Officer Heimo Schirgi said this summer’s World Cup will not be postponed due to the war between Iran, the US and Israel.

“The World Cup is too big,” he was quoted by NBC 5 in Dallas, also saying that he hopes all qualified teams will be able to participate.

This comes amidst worries that Iran — which was drawn to play in Group G with Belgium, Egypt and New Zealand — will not be able to participate due to the tournament being hosted by the US, together with Canada and Mexico.

“At some stage, we will have a ​resolution, and the World Cup will go on, obviously,” Schirgi said, adding that world football’s governing body is monitoring the situation.