Shortly after new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei’s address, two tankers were ablaze in an Iraqi port on Thursday after being hit by suspected Iranian explosive-laden boats, a step-up in attacks that have cut off oil from the Middle East. The attacks were a clear sign of defiance of U.S. President Donald Trump, who said on Wednesday the United States had already won the war.Images verified by Reuters as having been filmed from the shore of the port of Basra showed ships engulfed in massive orange fireballs that lit up the night sky. At least one crew member was killed in the attacks.Hours earlier, three other ships had been struck in the Gulf. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards claimed responsibility for at least one of those attacks, on a Thai bulk carrier that was set ablaze, which the Guards said had disobeyed their orders.Another container vessel reported being struck by an unknown projectile near the United Arab Emirates on Thursday.Oil ‘unlikely’ to hit $200 a barrel, US energy chief saysMarch 12, 2026 10:43 pmUS Energy Secretary Chris Wright said on Thursday that oil prices are unlikely to reach $200 a barrel, with President Donald Trump touting US gains from higher prices as the war with Iran disrupted traffic through the Strait of Hormuz. “I would say unlikely, but we are focused on the military operation and solving a problem,” Wright told CNN when asked if prices would reach $200 a barrel — a level that an Iranian official said prices could hit if the war further escalates.Closure of Strait of Hormuz should be used as leverage, says Iran’s Supreme LeaderMarch 12, 2026 10:10 pmIran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei says that the leverage of closing the Strait of Hormuz should be used and that Iran’s attacks on Gulf Arab neighbours will continue. His first statement since his appointment was read on state television Thursday by a news anchor. Khamenei did not appear on camera, and an Israeli assessment indicates he was wounded in the war’s opening.Trump says it is not appropriate Iranian soccer team be at World CupMarch 12, 2026 10:01 pmUS President Donald Trump said on Thursday the Iranian men’s national soccer team was welcome to participate in the 2026 World Cup but said he believed it was not appropriate that they be there “for their own life and safety.” “The Iran National Soccer Team is welcome to The World Cup, but I really don’t believe it is appropriate that they be there, for their own life and safety,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social.Israeli military says it targeted site used in Iran’s nuclear programmeMarch 12, 2026 7:08 pmThe Israeli military said on Thursday it had in recent days targeted a site used in the Iranian nuclear programme which is identified as “Taleghan”. Taleghan is a facility at the Parchin military complex which Western officials suspect is linked to Tehran’s nuclear programme. An Israeli intelligence assessment also indicates that Iran’s new supreme leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, was wounded at the start of the war.Citibank shuts most UAE branches temporarily as banks evacuate offices in regionMarch 12, 2026 5:46 pmCitibank will close most of its United Arab Emirates branches and financial centres through March 14 as a precaution, its website showed on Thursday, as banks in the region sent staff home in response to a deepening Middle East conflict. The US financial group’s measures are the latest sign of growing concern among banks after Iran threatened Gulf banking interests linked to the US and Israel. The Citi branch in the Mall of the Emirates in central Dubai is exempted from the closure, the bank said on its website, adding it plans to reopen all affected branches on March 16.Iran’s Parliament Speaker warns against any invasion of Iran’s islandsMarch 12, 2026 5:46 pmIran’s Parliament Speaker said on Thursday that any invasion of Iran’s islands will “make the Persian Gulf run with the blood of invaders.” It wasn’t immediately clear what prompted Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf’s comments, which again escalated the rhetoric surrounding the ongoing Iran war. Iran holds three islands it took from the United Arab Emirates before its formation in 1971.There also has been speculation that the United States could target Kharg Island in the Persian Gulf, Iran’s main oil terminal.Oil tankers burn as Iranian strikes defy Trump’s claim to have won the warMarch 12, 2026 5:43 pmTwo tankers were ablaze in an Iraqi port on Thursday after a hit by suspected Iranian explosive-laden boats, a step up in attacks that have cut off oil from the Middle East and defied Donald Trump’s claim to have won the war he launched two weeks ago. Images verified by Reuters as having been filmed from the shore of the port of Basra showed ships engulfed in massive orange fireballs that lit up the night sky, after the attacks which Iraqi authorities blamed on Iranian boats. At least one crew member was killed.Trump says Iran is virtually destroyed,’ promises to finish the job’March 12, 2026 5:36 pmSpeaking at an event in Kentucky, the president said the U.S. has won the war in Iran but isn’t ready to end it. “We don’t want to leave early, do we? We’ve got to finish the job,” the president said. He said the U.S. knocked out 58 naval ships and eliminated Iran’s air force. “You never like to say too early, We won,'” he said. “We won.”Trump tells FIFA chief that Iran remains welcome for World CupMarch 12, 2026 3:01 pmDubai: Even as leaders in Iran say it’s “not possible” for the country to participate in this year’s World Cup, the U.S. president is indicating Iran’s team is still welcome in the United States. Trump met privately with soccer chief Gianni Infantino on Tuesday at the White House, according to the FIFA president’s Instagram account. During the meeting, Trump “reiterated that the Iranian team is, of course, welcome to compete in the tournament in the United States,” Infantino wrote in the Instagram post. A White House official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss private conversations, confirmed Trump’s message to Infantino about Iran’s participation. APIsraeli jets pound Beirut’s southern suburbs after a large-scale Hezbollah rocket attackMarch 12, 2026 3:00 pmDubai: Simultaneous blasts rocked the Lebanese capital’s densely populated southern suburbs – an area known as Dahiyeh – where large fires and plumes of smoke could be seen on Wednesday evening. The Israeli military said it would respond aggressively after Hezbollah fired dozens of rockets at the same time into northern Israel, in one of the largest attacks in the current conflict. Israel struck what it said was infrastructure belonging to the militant group. The exchange marks an apparent escalation in the past week of fighting, which has killed more than 600 people in Lebanon and displaced about 800,000 others in the small country. APUS ambassador says Iranian attacks brought Gulf countries togetherMarch 12, 2026 3:00 pmDubai: Even before the Iranian ambassador got to speak, Mike Waltz, the US ambassador to the United Nations, said Tehran’s diplomat would present lies during the Security Council session on its actions in the region. Waltz said Iran’s repeated claims that it is only targets U.S. military bases in the Gulf is a lie. “These attacks were so brutal and so indiscriminate, as Iran shoots in all directions, that nations that previously had serious disagreements have now joined together,” he said. “They’ve now spoken as one voice.” APSecurity Council rejects Russian resolution urging a halt to hostilities in the Middle EastMarch 12, 2026 2:59 pmDubai: The Russian proposal failed to reach the nine votes needed to pass. The one-page text makes no mention of Iran, Israel, the U.S. or the Gulf states – all countries involved in the conflict – but simply urges military activities to cease. It also condemns attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure. Russia, China, Pakistan and Somalia were the only countries that supported the draft resolution. Other nations called it hypocritical for Russia to call for end of hostilities despite its own war with Ukraine. Vassily Nebenzia, Russia’s UN ambassador, had urged its adoption calling it “an impartial document” aimed at “de-escalating the situation.” APTrump says he will tap US Strategic Petroleum Reserve to try to bring prices downMarch 12, 2026 2:59 pmDubai: During an interview on Wednesday with WKRC Local 12 in Cincinnati, Trump was asked about tapping the reserve and said, “Well, we’ll do that and then we’ll fill it up.” He added, “Right now we’ll reduce it a little bit, and that brings the prices down.” He didn’t specify how many barrels of oil the US would release. Trump frequently criticised the administration of former President Joe Biden for tapping the reserve to try and bring down gas prices. APIranian diplomat says Security Council resolution seeks to distort the realities of the warMarch 12, 2026 2:58 pmDubai: Iran’s UN Ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani said the resolution adopted by the Security Council on Wednesday, which does not mention that U.S. and Israeli strikes launched the war, “deliberately ignores the root causes of the current crisis”. “The very purpose of this biased and politically motivated text, which was pushed by Israeli regime and the United States, is clear: to reverse the roles and positions of victim and aggressor,” Iravani told the 15-member council. APTrump says Iran is virtually destroyed, ‘promises to finish the job’March 12, 2026 2:58 pmDubai: Speaking at an event in Kentucky, the president said the US has won the war in Iran but isn’t ready to end it. “We don’t want to leave early, do we? We’ve got to finish the job,” the president said. He said the U.S. knocked out 58 naval ships and eliminated Iran’s air force. “You never like to say too early, We won,” he said. “We won.” APTrump says Iran didn’t have nuclear potential after last summer’s strikesMarch 12, 2026 2:57 pmDubai: The US president said that after the strikes with Israel last summer on Iran’s nuclear program: “We obliterated it. They don’t have nuclear potential.” But, Trump said, without offering specifics, that Iran “started again”. “That’s why we got to finish it, right? We don’t want to go back every two years.” Trump, along with others in his administration, have said as they justified the strikes on Iran that the country was weeks away from a nuclear weapon – despite claiming last summer’s strikes had destroyed the program. APIndian national killed in attack by Iran against US-owned oil tanker Safesea Vishnu in Iraqi watersMarch 12, 2026 9:28 amNew York: An Indian national has reportedly been killed in an attack carried out by Iran using a “suicide” boat against a US-owned oil tanker near Iraq. US-owned and Marshal Island-flagged oil tanker Safesea Vishnu was attacked off Khor Al Zubair port inside Iraq’s territorial waters by an Iranian “suicide” boat, sources told PTI. An Indian national, whose name is being withheld at the moment, has reportedly been killed in the attack while the remaining 27 crew and personnel on the oil tanker have been rescued and taken to Basra, the sources said. PTIBrent crude oil tops USD 100 a barrelMarch 12, 2026 9:09 amBangkok: The price of a barrel of Brent crude oil, the international standard, topped USD 100 a barrel early Thursday, just days after it spiked near USD 120. US benchmark crude oil jumped to about USD 95 a barrel. APUS pledges to keep strait openMarch 12, 2026 9:09 amDubai: The United States has pledged to keep the strait open and has led intense airstrikes targeting Iran’s navy and the port city of Bandar Abbas. The US military said Tuesday it destroyed 16 Iranian minelayers near the strait. At least 12 incidents involving vessels around the strait have been confirmed since fighting began, according to two global trackers, and at least seven mariners have been killed. A projectile hit a Thai cargo ship off the coast of Oman in the strait, setting it ablaze. Authorities are searching for three missing crew members from the Mayuree Naree after 20 were rescued by the Omani navy, according to Thailand’s Marine Department. APExplosions rock Jerusalem while Lebanon hit by Israeli strikesMarch 12, 2026 9:09 amDubai: On Thursday, sirens wailed and loud explosions were heard shortly after midnight in Jerusalem and other parts of Israel. The Israeli military said it was responding with another “wide-scale wave of strikes” in Tehran. The fallout across the Middle East widened as Israel also struck what it said were targets connected to Iran-backed Hezbollah militants in Lebanon. An Israeli strike hit a car Thursday in Ramlet al-Bayda, a major seaside tourist area on the eastern side of Beirut where dozens of displaced people have been sheltering. Seven people were killed and 21 others were wounded, the Lebanese Health Ministry said. Israel’s military did not immediately respond to a request for information. APUN body demands Iran stop ‘egregious attacks’ on Gulf nationsMarch 12, 2026 9:09 amDubai: The UN Security Council voted Wednesday to approve a resolution demanding a halt to Iran’s “egregious attacks” on its Gulf neighbours. Among the most recent attacks, four people were wounded after two Iranian drones hit near Dubai International Airport in the United Arab Emirates, though flights continued, the Dubai Media Office said. Firefighters extinguished a blaze early Thursday at a luxury apartment tower in Dubai Creek Harbor after an Iranian drone strike. Bahrain’s Ministry of Interior said Iranian-linked attacks targeted fuel tanks at a facility in Muharraq Governorate, northeast of the country’s capital, Manama, while crews at Oman’s Port of Salalah battled a blaze at fuel storage tanks there, according to the Oman News Agency. AP