US Iran war highlights: Saudi FM says two Riyadh refineries hit; Iran must review ‘misjudgements’
QatarEnergy’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) production facilities, amid the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, in Ras Laffan Industrial City
US Iran war highlights: Two big explosions were heard in Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh, Associated Press reported. This came after residents in the Capital city received a “hostile threat” alert on their mobile phones. Follow here for live updates Meanwhile, Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei issued a warning after the killing of the country’s security chief Ali Larijani, saying “criminals” will have to “pay soon for his blood.”
After Larijani’s death, Israeli defense minister Israel Katz on Wednesday said Iranian intelligence minister Esmail Khatib had been killed in overnight strikes on Tehran, while warning that “surprises can be expected this day on all the fronts.”
Iran’s security chief Ali Larijani was also killed in overnight Israeli strikes the previous day. Following this, Iran continued to pound central Israel and its Gulf neighbours . Apart from Larijani, his son Mortaza Larijani and Alireza Bayat, the deputy for national security, were also killed. On the Iranian officials’ deaths, Trump said, “Their leaders are gone. It’s an evil group.”
Earlier today, natural gas facilities associated with Iran’s massive offshore South Pars natural gas field were attacked Wednesday, Iranian state media reported.
Following the strikes, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards issued a “firm and clear warning”, threatening the “the fuel, energy and gas infrastructures” of those who attacked the facilities.
Meanwhile, Israel’s air force said it completed a wave of “wide-scale airstrikes” and hit “command centres” in Tehran.
On the other hand, the United States said late Tuesday that it hit Iranian missile sites near the Strait of Hormuz with “multiple 5,000-pound deep penetrator munitions”. The US Central Command said that the Iranian anti-ship cruise missiles in these sites “posed a risk to international shipping in the strait”.
India-flagged oil tanker reaches India
A second Indian-flagged LPG tanker, Nanda Devi, reached India early on Tuesday after sailing safely from the Strait of Hormuz warzone. The tanker reached Gujarat’s Kandla port at around 2:30am on Tuesday morning, the government confirmed.
The first ship, Shivalik, had reached Gujarat’s Mundra port on Monday.
The two ships were reportedly carrying about 97, 712 tonnes of LPG – equivalent to a day’s requirement of cooking gas in India.
The Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways also said that efforts were underway to ensure the safe passage of the remaining 22 Indian-flagged vessels, carrying 611 seafarers, which are still stranded in the Strait of Hormuz. The ministry said the Directorate General of Shipping (DG Shipping) is closely monitoring operations in coordination with shipowners, agencies and Indian embassies.
Global crisis and oil prices
Oil prices surged as Iran confirmed the death of its security chief, Ali Larijani, as the US-Israel-Iran war further intensified and escalated the tensions across the Middle East region.
The US benchmark West Texas Intermediate traded near $96 per barrel, after surging almost 3 per cent on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Brent settled above $103, Bloomberg reported.
Trump’s National Counterterrorism chief resigns
US President Donald Trump is facing an internal crisis, with backlash from within his country over the strikes and war against Iran. Latest in the series is the resignation of Joe Kent, the head of the US National Counterterrorism Centre, who advised Trump on “terror” threats. Kent said Iran “posed no imminent threat” to the US, asserting that Washington “started this war due to pressure from Israel and its powerful American lobby”.
Trump reacted to Kent’s resignation and called it a “good thing that he’s out because he said that Iran was not a threat”. He called Kent a “nice guy”, who he said was “very weak on security”.
Iranian leaders killed, Tehran strikes ‘100 Israeli targets’ | Latest developments
• After claiming that Iranian intelligence minister Esmail Khatib had been killed, Israeli defence minister Israel Katz said the Israeli military had been “authorised” to kill any senior Iranian leader “for whom the intelligence and operational circle has been closed” without any additional approval.
• Iran said it had struck “100 Israeli targets” in Tel Aviv to avenge the death of Iran’s security chief Ali Larijani. Tehran also attacked the Gulf countries, with explosions sounding in United Arab Emirates and Qatar, and interceptions reported in Saudi Arabia.
• Meanwhile, Israeli strikes reportedly hit central Beirut and the city’s southern suburbs early on Wednesday, with the Lebanese media reporting that the raids came without warning. One strike hit an apartment in the central Zuqaq al-Blat neighbourhood. At least two people were killed and seven injured in the Israeli air strike on Deir ez-Zahrani.
• Iran has also targeted Gulf countries, including Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province, where many oil fields are located, and the Al Minhad Air Base in UAE. UAE said it had been targeted by 12 missiles, and 27 drones on Wednesday.
Missile alerts sounded in Dubai, with Saudi downing a ballistic missile heading towards the Prince Sultan Air Base. Two drones targeting Riyadh’s diplomatic quarter, wherein the US Embassy is locates, were also intercepted.
• Iran’s intelligence ministry said it arrested over 100 alleged “monarchist cells” plotting against the Islamic Republic, as well as suspected spies and individuals accused of cooperating with an outlawed television channel.
• The International Atomic Energy Agency said Iran informed the global nuclear watchdog that a projectile hit the premises of its Bushehr nuclear power plant on Tuesday evening.
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After Larijani’s death, Israeli defense minister Israel Katz on Wednesday said Iranian intelligence minister Esmail Khatib had been killed in overnight strikes on Tehran, while warning that “surprises can be expected this day on all the fronts.”
Iran’s security chief Ali Larijani was also killed in overnight Israeli strikes the previous day. Following this, Iran continued to pound central Israel and its Gulf neighbours . Apart from Larijani, his son Mortaza Larijani and Alireza Bayat, the deputy for national security, were also killed. On the Iranian officials’ deaths, Trump said, “Their leaders are gone. It’s an evil group.”
Earlier today, natural gas facilities associated with Iran’s massive offshore South Pars natural gas field were attacked Wednesday, Iranian state media reported.
Following the strikes, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards issued a “firm and clear warning”, threatening the “the fuel, energy and gas infrastructures” of those who attacked the facilities.
Meanwhile, Israel’s air force said it completed a wave of “wide-scale airstrikes” and hit “command centres” in Tehran.
On the other hand, the United States said late Tuesday that it hit Iranian missile sites near the Strait of Hormuz with “multiple 5,000-pound deep penetrator munitions”. The US Central Command said that the Iranian anti-ship cruise missiles in these sites “posed a risk to international shipping in the strait”.
India-flagged oil tanker reaches India
A second Indian-flagged LPG tanker, Nanda Devi, reached India early on Tuesday after sailing safely from the Strait of Hormuz warzone. The tanker reached Gujarat’s Kandla port at around 2:30am on Tuesday morning, the government confirmed.
The first ship, Shivalik, had reached Gujarat’s Mundra port on Monday.
The two ships were reportedly carrying about 97, 712 tonnes of LPG – equivalent to a day’s requirement of cooking gas in India.
The Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways also said that efforts were underway to ensure the safe passage of the remaining 22 Indian-flagged vessels, carrying 611 seafarers, which are still stranded in the Strait of Hormuz. The ministry said the Directorate General of Shipping (DG Shipping) is closely monitoring operations in coordination with shipowners, agencies and Indian embassies.
Global crisis and oil prices
Oil prices surged as Iran confirmed the death of its security chief, Ali Larijani, as the US-Israel-Iran war further intensified and escalated the tensions across the Middle East region.
The US benchmark West Texas Intermediate traded near $96 per barrel, after surging almost 3 per cent on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Brent settled above $103, Bloomberg reported.
Trump’s National Counterterrorism chief resigns
US President Donald Trump is facing an internal crisis, with backlash from within his country over the strikes and war against Iran. Latest in the series is the resignation of Joe Kent, the head of the US National Counterterrorism Centre, who advised Trump on “terror” threats. Kent said Iran “posed no imminent threat” to the US, asserting that Washington “started this war due to pressure from Israel and its powerful American lobby”.
Trump reacted to Kent’s resignation and called it a “good thing that he’s out because he said that Iran was not a threat”. He called Kent a “nice guy”, who he said was “very weak on security”.
Iranian leaders killed, Tehran strikes ‘100 Israeli targets’ | Latest developments
• After claiming that Iranian intelligence minister Esmail Khatib had been killed, Israeli defence minister Israel Katz said the Israeli military had been “authorised” to kill any senior Iranian leader “for whom the intelligence and operational circle has been closed” without any additional approval.
• Iran said it had struck “100 Israeli targets” in Tel Aviv to avenge the death of Iran’s security chief Ali Larijani. Tehran also attacked the Gulf countries, with explosions sounding in United Arab Emirates and Qatar, and interceptions reported in Saudi Arabia.
• Meanwhile, Israeli strikes reportedly hit central Beirut and the city’s southern suburbs early on Wednesday, with the Lebanese media reporting that the raids came without warning. One strike hit an apartment in the central Zuqaq al-Blat neighbourhood. At least two people were killed and seven injured in the Israeli air strike on Deir ez-Zahrani.
• Iran has also targeted Gulf countries, including Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province, where many oil fields are located, and the Al Minhad Air Base in UAE. UAE said it had been targeted by 12 missiles, and 27 drones on Wednesday.
Missile alerts sounded in Dubai, with Saudi downing a ballistic missile heading towards the Prince Sultan Air Base. Two drones targeting Riyadh’s diplomatic quarter, wherein the US Embassy is locates, were also intercepted.
• Iran’s intelligence ministry said it arrested over 100 alleged “monarchist cells” plotting against the Islamic Republic, as well as suspected spies and individuals accused of cooperating with an outlawed television channel.
• The International Atomic Energy Agency said Iran informed the global nuclear watchdog that a projectile hit the premises of its Bushehr nuclear power plant on Tuesday evening.
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Mar 19, 2026 6:51:18 AM IST
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Mar 19, 2026 6:14:43 AM IST
US Iran war LIVE updates: Projectile hits vessel off UAE coast near Strait of Hormuz
US Iran war LIVE updates: A vessel off the coast of the United Arab Emirates near the Strait of Hormuz was struck by a projectile, triggering a fire on board, a British naval maritime security agency said Thursday.
The UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said it had received a report at 2300 GMT on Wednesday “that a vessel has been hit by an unknown projectile which has resulted in a fire on board” off the UAE port of Khor Fakkan in the Gulf of Oman.
Mar 19, 2026 6:01:10 AM IST
US Iran war LIVE updates: Qatar says it suffered ‘extensive damage’ after attack on largest LNG plant
US Iran war LIVE updates: A Qatari complex housing the world’s largest liquefied natural gas export plant suffered “extensive damage” amid a sharp escalation of attacks on energy facilities across the Persian Gulf.
The Ras Laffan Industrial City, home to the LNG plant that accounted for about a fifth of global supply before production was halted earlier this month, was hit by an Iranian missile after four others were intercepted, authorities said late Wednesday. Hours later, Abu Dhabi shut its Habshan gas facilities after they were hit by falling debris from an intercepted strike.
Mar 19, 2026 5:46:25 AM IST
US Iran war LIVE updates: Saudi FM says Iran ‘shattered’ the trust they had before the attack
US Iran war LIVE updates: Saudi FM says what little trust there was before with Iran has completely been shattered.
The minister also said Iran must review its “misjudgements,” warning that such attacks will not bring any gains. He further claimed that Iran had been “prepared in advance” for these attacks.
Mar 19, 2026 5:23:07 AM IST
US Iran war LIVE updates: Saudi Arabia says it reserves right to military action after Iran attacks
US Iran war LIVE updates: Saudi Arabia reserves the right to take military actions “if deemed necessary” following Iranian attacks on Gulf countries, the kingdom’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan said early on Thursday.
Mar 19, 2026 5:09:33 AM IST
US Iran war LIVE updates: Saudi FM says Iran must stop proxies, protect maritime navigation
US Iran war LIVE updates: Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister said Iran must immediately stop supporting proxy groups in the region and ensure the protection of maritime navigation, stressing that any threat to freedom of navigation requires collective international action. He added that Iran appears not to have understood the message and does not want to do so.
The minister also said Iran must review its “misjudgements,” warning that such attacks will not bring any gains. He further claimed that Iran had been “prepared in advance” for these attacks.
Mar 19, 2026 5:05:30 AM IST
US Iran war LIVE updates: Saudi Arabia’s biggest oil refinery resumes operation after an attack forced closure
US Iran war LIVE updates: Saudi Arabia’s biggest oil refinery restarted operations after an attack forced its closure earlier this month, according to a person familiar with the matter.
State oil giant Saudi Aramco, which operates the 550,000-barrel-a-day Ras Tanura plant, shuttered production on March 2 as a precaution after a drone strike in the area. The facility is located on Saudi Arabia’s Persian Gulf coast and is near Aramco’s main export terminal for crude and refined products.
Mar 19, 2026 4:50:25 AM IST
US Iran war LIVE updates: France’s Macron urges moratorium on strikes hitting civilian infrastructure
US Iran war LIVE updates: France’s President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday he spoke with the emir of Qatar and US President Donald Trump following strikes on gas production facilities in Iran and Qatar.
Macron urged all parties to immediately implement a “moratorium on strikes targeting civilian infrastructure”, especially water and energy facilities.
Mar 19, 2026 4:27:10 AM IST
US Iran war LIVE updates: Man killed in central Israel after latest round of Iranian missile fire
US Iran war LIVE updates: A man was killed in central Israel after the latest round of Iranian missile fire, medics said Thursday, describing the victim as a “foreign worker.”
The Magen David Adom emergency services said they responded to an area where “metal shrapnel was scattered across the scene,” and found a man “unconscious and suffering,” who they later pronounced dead.
Mar 19, 2026 3:57:49 AM IST
US Iran war LIVE updates: ‘Made a big mistake attacking the energy infrastructure’, says Iran
US Iran war LIVE updates: Iran warned on Wednesday that it would destroy the oil and gas industry of its Gulf neighbours, which it considers American interests, it its own energy sector is harmed again.
“We warn you once again that you made a big mistake in attacking the energy infrastructure of the Islamic Republic, the response to which is being implemented,” the Revolutionary Guards announced, in a statement carried by Iranian media.
Mar 19, 2026 3:13:05 AM IST
US Iran war LIVE updates: Iran warns it will destroy energy industry if it is attacked again
US Iran war LIVE updates: Iran on Wednesday warned that it will destroy energy industry if it is attacked again. Earlier, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards warned those who attacked facilities linked to the South Pars natural gas field.
Mar 19, 2026 2:50:32 AM IST
US Iran war LIVE updates: At least two Palestinian women killed after Iranian missile attack near West Bank
US Iran war LIVE updates: At least two Palestinian women were killed after an Iranian missile attack near Hebron in the West Bank, said the Red Crescent on Wednesday.
Mar 19, 2026 2:33:51 AM IST
US Iran war LIVE updates: Air raid warnings reach southern Israel followed by reports of a Lebanese rocket
US Iran war LIVE updates: Air raid sirens rang out late Wednesday across Israel from the north to the south following what Israeli media said was one or more missile launches from Lebanon.
The Israeli military did not immediately comment on a report from the N12 television channel that a missile fired from Lebanon had been intercepted over the southern coastal city of Ashdod.
Mar 19, 2026 2:14:47 AM IST
US Iran war LIVE updates: Qatar orders departure of two Iranian diplomats over gas facility attack
US Iran war LIVE updates: Qatar’s foreign ministry on Wednesday ordered Iran’s military and security attaches along with their staff to leave the country within 24 hours, following an attack on its massive natural gas facility.
“Both the military attache and the security attache in the embassy, in addition to those working in the two attache offices, persona non grata, and requests that they leave the state’s territories within a maximum period of 24 hours,” the ministry said, in a social media post.
Mar 19, 2026 1:56:07 AM IST
US Iran war LIVE updates: Ballistic missile fragment falls near refinery south of Riyadh
US Iran war LIVE updates: Saudi Arabia intercepted four ballistic missiles on Wednesday, with a fragment falling near a refinery south of Riyadh, its defence ministry said, as Iran threatened Gulf gas facilities following US-Israeli attacks on its own infrastructure.
“Four ballistic missiles launched toward the city of Riyadh were intercepted and destroyed, a fragment of one of the ballistic missiles landed near a refinery south of Riyadh,” the ministry said in a statement on X.
Mar 19, 2026 1:15:06 AM IST
US Iran war LIVE updates: Saudi Arabia says four injured in Riyadh by shrapnel following interceptions
US Iran war LIVE updates: Four people were injured when shrapnel from a ballistic missile interception fell on a residential area of the Saudi capital Riyadh on Wednesday, the civil defence said.
“Four residents sustained injuries, and limited material damage occurred, as a result of shrapnel falling onto a residential area in Riyadh following the interception of a ballistic missile,” said a civil defence statement on X.
Mar 19, 2026 1:07:25 AM IST
US Iran war LIVE updates: Fire at Qatar gas facility ‘under control’
US Iran war LIVE updates: Qatari civil defence on Wednesday brought a fire caused by an Iranian attack on the country’s main gas facility under control, the ministry of interior said, reporting no casualties.
“Civil Defence has initially brought the fire in Ras Laffan under control, with no injuries reported,” the ministry said, in a social media post.
Mar 19, 2026 12:37:01 AM IST
US Iran war LIVE updates: QatarEnergy says ‘extensive damage’ caused by Iran attacks on gas facility
US Iran war LIVE updates: Qatar’s state-run energy company said on Wednesday that fires set by Iranian strikes on its main gas facility had caused “extensive damage”, after Tehran said it would retaliate in kind for an attack on its own energy infrastructure.
“QatarEnergy confirms that Ras Laffan Industrial City this evening has been the subject of missile attacks,” the firm said in a statement.
Mar 19, 2026 12:27:07 AM IST
US Iran war LIVE updates: ‘Direct threat to national security,’ says Qatar after attack near gas facility
US Iran war LIVE updates: Qatar has said that the Iranian attack on Ras Laffan is a direct threat to its national security, strongly condemning the targeting of the Ras Laffan Industrial City.
Mar 19, 2026 12:04:40 AM IST
US Iran war LIVE updates: Qatar says Iran attack sparks fire in area hosting major gas facility
US Iran war LIVE updates: Qatar’s interior ministry said on Wednesday that an Iranian attack set a fire at the Gulf state’s main gas facility, situated on its north coast.
“Civil defence is dealing with a fire in the Ras Laffan area following an Iranian targeting,” the ministry said in a statement after Tehran said it would target energy infrastructure across the Gulf following a US-Israeli attack on its own gas facilities.
Mar 18, 2026 11:55:35 PM IST
US Iran war LIVE updates: UK to provide more support to Gulf partners under attack from Iran
US Iran war LIVE updates: Britain said it was working to provide more support for its partners in the Gulf who are under attack from Iran, as it announced plans to buy extra missiles to protect the region.
Britain’s fighter jets and other forces have been helping shoot down Iranian drones, and one of its warships is heading to the eastern Mediterranean, although the government has been criticised for not being able to send it sooner.
Mar 18, 2026 11:30:13 PM IST
US Iran war LIVE updates: Iran condemned as UN maritime body holds emergency talks on Mideast shipping
US Iran war LIVE updates: Gulf states and Western nations strongly criticised Iran at an emergency meeting Wednesday of the UN’s maritime body, convened amid growing fears for thousands of stranded ships and seafarers.
Numerous nations used opening statements at the International Maritime Organization gathering to lambast Tehran’s response to US-Israeli strikes, which has seen Iran target Gulf countries and commercial shipping.
Mar 18, 2026 10:42:38 PM IST
US Iran war LIVE updates: Israel strikes crossings over Lebanon’s Litani River
US Iran war LIVE updates: Israel on Wednesday struck crossings over the Litani River, alleging it had been used by Hezbollah to move from northern to southern Lebanon.
“The IDF struck two crossings over the Litani River in Lebanon a short while ago, which were used by terrorists and commanders of the Hezbollah terror organization as crossings from northern to southern Litani in Lebanon,” the IDF said in a statement on X. It claimed that the crossings were also used by Hezbollah for arms smuggling.
Mar 18, 2026 10:34:09 PM IST
US Iran war LIVE updates: Saudi Arabia intercepts two missiles, two drones
US Iran war LIVE updates: Saudi Arabia’s ministry of defence has said the country’s air defences have intercepted and destroyed two ballistic missiles launched towards the country’s eastern region.
The ministry earlier said a drone had been downed in the same area, and another in Riyadh.
Mar 18, 2026 10:32:34 PM IST
US Iran war LIVE updates: Iran Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei warns ‘criminal murderers’ will pay
US Iran war LIVE updates: Iran Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei issued a warning after the deaths of Iran security chief Ali Larijani and intelligence minister Esmail Khatib.
In a statement cited by Iran’s semiofficial Tasnim news agency, Khamenei said he received news of Larijani’s death with “great regret.”
“The anti-Islamists should know that shedding this blood at the foot of the tree of the Islamic system only makes it stronger, and of course, every blood has a price that the criminal murderers of the martyrs must soon pay,” Khamenei said.