No deal with Iran ‘except unconditional surrender’, Trump says
US President Donald Trump said that there would be no deal reached with Iran “except unconditional surrender”.
The US president wrote on social media that any such surrender by Tehran would then be followed by “the selection of a great and acceptable leader(s)”. Follow our liveblog for the latest developments.
Iran will not compete at Milano-Cortina Winter Paralympic Games, IPC says
Iran will not compete at the Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) announced.
“We were informed by National Paralympic Committee (of) Iran that safe passage to Milano-Cortina 2026 was not possible, and, as a result, they would not be able to come to the Games,” IPC president Andrew Parsons said in a statement.
US says it will escort ships in Strait of Hormuz ‘as soon as it’s reasonable’
Energy Secretary Chris Wright said the US navy was preparing to escort ships through the Strait of Hormuz “as soon as it’s reasonable to do it”, as traffic through the key trade route remains choked due to the US-Israel war on Iran.
“As soon as it’s reasonable to do it, we’ll escort ships through the straits and get the energy moving again,” he told US broadcaster Fox News’s “Fox and Friends” show.
US President Donald Trump had said on Tuesday that the US Navy would “begin escorting tankers through the Strait of Hormuz, as soon as possible” in a bid to avoid disruption of global oil supplies.
Roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil and gas exports pass through the narrow waterway between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.
Bangladesh rations fuel as Middle East conflict spur panic buying
Bangladesh imposed daily limits on fuel sales after panic buying and stockpiling raised concerns about supply as the war in the Middle East roiled global energy markets.
The measures follow US and Israeli airstrikes on Iran – and retaliatory strikes by Tehran across the Middle East – which have disrupted oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, a key energy route, and sent energy prices soaring.
Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation, the state-run importer and distributor, said the curbs aim to restrain excessive demand, calm the public and keep nationwide stocks stable.
“Fuel oil is essential for the country’s development, but about 95 percent of it must be imported,” it said, adding that global instability had occasionally delayed shipments.
UMKTO receives report of tugboat being hit by unknown projectiles in Strait of Hormuz
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said it had received a report of an incident 6 nautical miles north of Oman in the Strait of Hormuz.
A third-party source reported a tug being hit by unknown projectiles in the strait, UKMTO said.
Hezbollah warns Israeli residents to ‘evacuate’ 5km from Lebanon’s border
Iran-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah warned Israeli residents to evacuate areas within five kilometres of the border with Lebanon, a day after Israel told residents of Beirut’s southern suburbs to flee their homes.
In a message in Hebrew in the group’s Telegram channels, Hezbollah told Israelis to evacuate all localities “located within 5 kilometres of the border”.
“This is due to the (Israeli) army’s deployment of military vehicles and armoured personnel carriers in open areas, using these areas as military deployment points,” it added.
Spain PM Sanchez calls US war against Iran an ‘extraordinary mistake’
Drones hit airport, oil fields in Iraq’s Basra, security source says
Four drones struck Basra airport and two oil facilities in southern Iraq, a security official said.
“One drone crashed into the cargo terminal at Basra airport,” the official said, adding that two others hit a US company in the Burjesia oil complex, and a fourth struck the Rumaila oil field, where energy major BP operates.
Spanish PM Sanchez says ‘cooperation’ with US should prevail over ‘confrontation’
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said that “loyal cooperation” should prevail over “confrontation” in relations with the United States after tensions over Madrid’s opposition to Washington’s use of its military bases against Iran.
Relations should take place “with respect, in a spirit of loyal cooperation and on an equal footing”, he added during a joint news conference with Portuguese Prime Minister Luis Montenegro.
Merz warns against Iran state collapse, uncontrolled migration
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said the Middle East war must not lead to the collapse of the Iranian state, warning of the impact this would have on migration to Europe.
“An endless war is not in our interest. The same applies to a collapse of Iranian statehood or proxy conflicts fought on Iranian soil,” he said at a trade fair in Munich. “Such scenarios could have far-reaching consequences for Europe, including for security, energy supply and migration.”
“We do not want to see a Syrian scenario here,” he added.
Strikes hit Iranian Kurdish militants in Iraq, attack ongoing, exiled group says
Fresh strikes hit Iranian Kurdish opposition group targets in northern Iraq, an official from the exiled Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (PDKI) said.
“Our bases are under attack from the Iranian enemy,” the PDKI official said.
“After an attack this morning, our sites were targeted again 20 minutes ago with six drones,” he said, adding that the “attack continues”.
50,000 Syrians living in Lebanon fled home across the border, UN says
Around 50,000 Syrians living in Lebanon have fled back over the border into Syria in the past week, the United Nations’ migration agency said.
“Large-scale cross-border movements” have been taking place in recent days, said Mathieu Luciano, the Lebanon mission chief for the International Organization for Migration.
“Nearly 50,000 Syrians have crossed from Lebanon into Syria over the past week, not including those who may have crossed yesterday following the evacuation orders,” he added in a statement.
Ayaki Ito, emergencies chief and cross-regional refugee coordinator for the UN’s refugee agency (UNHCR), said more than 3,000 Lebanese had also crossed over into Syria to flee the conflict.
Swiss say they’re aiming to buy additional long-range surface-to-air missile system – preferably European
The Swiss government announced that as well as acquiring a Patriot System, it was looking at “an additional long-range surface-to-air missile system, preferably produced in Europe”.
The statement cited “the tense geopolitical situation and the growing threat posed by long-range weapons”.
Israel announces new wave of strikes against Tehran and Isfahan
New blasts heard in Kuwait City
Explosions were heard on Friday in the Kuwaiti capital, an AFP journalist said, as authorities said they were confronting missile and drone strikes on the country.
“Kuwaiti air defences are currently dealing with missile and drone attacks that penetrated Kuwaiti airspace,” the defence ministry said on X, after authorities said 67 soldiers were injured in Iranian strikes over the past week.
US Navy to escort ships when reasonable, US energy secretary says
The US Navy will escort ships as soon as reasonable, US Energy Secretary Chris Wright said on Friday in an interview on Fox News, as the conflict in the Middle East kept shipping and energy exports through the vital Strait of Hormuz halted.
Wright also said Americans should see lower gas prices in weeks, not months.
Oil prices surge as Iraqi Kurdish authorities say oil field hit
Crude prices rose further Friday after Iraqi Kurdish authorities said oil production at an oil field operated by a US firm was halted following an attack.
The main US contract West Texas Intermediate jumped 5.7 percent to $85.61 per barrel, its highest level since April 2024.
International benchmark, Brent North Sea crude, jumped 4.3 percent to $89.06 per barrel.
Son of late shah condemns Iran attacks on Arab neighbours
The son of the late shah on Friday condemned Iran’s attacks on its neighbours and said in future Tehran would be “true partners” of countries in the region.
Reza Pahlavi, who has positioned himself as an alternative if the Islamic republic falls, said in a post on X that Iran’s missile attacks on Gulf neighbors “are unacceptable and we condemn them”.
Pahlavi is the son of the shah toppled in Iran’s 1979 Islamic revolution. He vowed, “We will be true partners again.”
Emirates airline expects to return to full network within days subject to airspace availability
Emirates airline expects a return to 100% of its network within the coming days, subject to airspace availability and the fulfillment of all operational requirements, an airline spokesperson said on Friday.
The airline carried approximately 30,000 passengers out of Dubai on Thursday, the spokesperson said, adding that by Saturday, Emirates will have 106 return daily flights operating to 83 destinations, representing almost 60% of the route network.
Qatar says its naval troops were in Bahrain buildings targeted by Iran
Qatar on Friday said its naval troops were inside buildings targeted by Iran in Bahrain overnight, though they were unharmed, after Manama reported attacks on residential buildings and a hotel.
The Gulf has borne the brunt of Iran’s retaliation since US-Israeli strikes sparked war on Saturday, with Tehran striking US assets but also civilian infrastructure in the region.
“The State of Qatar strongly condemns the Iranian attack targeting buildings in various parts of the Kingdom of Bahrain, housing members of the Qatari Emiri Naval Forces participating in the Unified Maritime Operations Center of the Gulf Cooperation Council’s Unified Military Command,” the foreign ministry said in a statement.
“The Qatari Emiri Naval Forces personnel present in the targeted buildings are safe and unharmed,” it added.
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