The military operation in Iran is now over two weeks old. While overnight U.S. attacks on the critical Kharg Island avoided striking Iranian oil facilities, the Islamist regime in Tehran continues to attack energy infrastructure throughout the Gulf region.
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**Saturday’s live updates below. All updates in Eastern time**
6:35 PM: Formula 1 cancels Gulf races
The Formula 1 motorsport organisation said on Saturday that the Grand Prix races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia have been cancelled amid the “ongoing situation in the Middle East.” F1 did not say whether the two races, scheduled for April, could be rescheduled for later in the year.
3:45 PM: Trump demands “team effort” to keep Strait of Hormuz open
U.S. President Donald Trump suggested on Saturday that nations that benefit from oil flowing unencumbered through the Strait of Hormuz should help provide for the defence of international energy shipments through the waterway.
“The United States of America has beaten and completely decimated Iran, both Militarily, Economically, and in every other way, but the Countries of the World that receive Oil through the Hormuz Strait must take care of that passage, and we will help — A LOT!” he wrote on Truth Social.
“The U.S. will also coordinate with those Countries so that everything goes quickly, smoothly, and well. This should have always been a team effort, and now it will be — It will bring the World together toward Harmony, Security, and Everlasting Peace!” President Trump added.
Earlier, Trump suggested that nations such as China, France, Japan, South Korea, and the UK should be among those who help secure the Strait.
2:50 PM: Iran calls on Gulf neighbours to expel U.S.
Despite having taken the drastic decision to launch missiles and attack drones against countries throughout the Middle East amid the American-Isreali strikes, Tehran is now attempting to convince its neighbours that the true threat is the United States.
Iranian Foreign Minister Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said that the “touted US security umbrella has proven to be full of holes and inviting rather than deterring trouble. US is now begging others, even China, to help it make Hormuz safe.
“Iran calls on brotherly neighbors to expel foreign aggressors, especially as their only concern is Israel.”
1:55 PM: U.S. Embassy in Iraq urges citizens to leave country “immediately”
The U.S. Embassy in Iraq warned that “Iran-aligned terrorist militias have encouraged and carried out indiscriminate attacks against U.S. citizens and U.S.-associated targets throughout Iraq, including in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq,” and therefore, American citizens should “leave Iraq immediately.”
The statement also advised U.S. citizens against attempting to come to either the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad or the Consulate General in Erbil over the continued risk of drone, mortar, and rocket attacks from Iran.
The Embassy said that while there are no commercial flights operating out of Iraq, most land routes out of the country are currently open, including those leading to Jordan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey.
1:40 PM: Iran threatens to attack U.S. companies in Mideast
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Saturday that the regime in Tehran will target American firms located in the Middle East if the U.S. strikes against its energy infrastructure.
“Iran will respond to any attack on Iranian energy facilities. If Iranian facilities are targeted, our forces will target facilities of American companies in the region or companies in which the United States has a stake. We will definitely respond to these attacks, while at the same time acting with caution so that populated areas are not targeted,” he said per the state-backed Tasnim News Agency.
On Friday, President Donald Trump threatened to “wipe out” Iran’s oil infrastructure on Kharg Island — which processes around 90 per cent of the nation’s exports — if Iran interferes with the passage of energy through the Strait of Hormuz.
11:50 AM: Israeli jets strike 200 Iranian targets over past day
The Israel Air Force said on Saturday that it has “attacked more than 200 infrastructures of the Iranian terror regime in western and central Iran.”
“The Air Force struck dozens of ballistic missile launchers, some of which were loaded and ready to launch toward the territory of the State of Israel. In addition, defense systems and launch and storage sites for combat means were attacked,” the force added.
11:35 AM: U.N. demands ceasefire in Lebanon
Speaking from Beirut on Saturday, United Nations chief António Guterres called for an immediate “cessation” of fighting in Lebanon, which broke out after Iranian-backed Hezbollah terrorists broke a longstanding truce and fired rockets into Northern Israel in “revenge” for the killing of former Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
“There is no military solution, only diplomacy, dialogue and full implementation of the U.N. Charter and Security Council resolutions,” Guterres said.
Earlier on Saturday, French President Emmanuel Macron offered to host peace talks between Israel and Lebanon in Paris.
“Everything must be done to prevent Lebanon from descending into chaos. Hezbollah must immediately stop its headlong rush. Israel must abandon a large-scale offensive and cease its massive strikes, while hundreds of thousands of people have already fled the bombings,” the French president said.
10:30 AM: Hamas calls for restraint
The Iranian-backed Islamist terror group in Palestine has urged Tehran to stop strikes on neighbouring countries in the Gulf, which Iran has targeted in an apparent bid to drive up international energy prices and to intimidate American allies in the region.
However, this strategy has apparently irked some of Iran’s own allies, reportedly including Hamas. According to Reuters, the Palestinian terror group, although it supports Iran’s right to defend itself, called on “our brothers in Iran not to target neighbouring countries.”
10:20 AM: Trump says international coalition to patrol Strait of Hormuz
Writing on his Truth Social platform on Saturday morning, President Donald Trump said
that “one way or the other, we will soon get the Hormuz Strait OPEN, SAFE, and FREE!”
President Trump said that “many countries” impacted by Iran’s attempts to block the crucial energy supply chain chokepoint will send warships alongside the United States to prevent Tehran and its proxies from holding the world hostage.
“We have already destroyed 100% of Iran’s Military capability, but it’s easy for them to send a drone or two, drop a mine, or deliver a close range missile somewhere along, or in, this Waterway, no matter how badly defeated they are,” Trump explained.
“Hopefully China, France, Japan, South Korea, the UK, and others, that are affected by this artificial constraint, will send Ships to the area so that the Hormuz Strait will no longer be a threat by a Nation that has been totally decapitated. In the meantime, the United States will be bombing the hell out of the shoreline, and continually shooting Iranian Boats and Ships out of the water.”
9:35 AM: Conflict with Iran entering “decisive” phase, says Jerusalem
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Saturday that the conflict with Iran is “escalating” and that it is now entering the “decisive stretch that will continue as long as necessary.”
“Only the Iranian people can put an end to this through a determined struggle, until the fall of the terror regime and the saving of Iran,” he said per the Times of Israel.
9:10 AM: Petraeus says securing Strait of Hormuz by force is difficult but possible
Former CIA director and former commander of coalition forces in the second Iraq war, David Petraeus, told the BBC’s Today programme that he believes the United States can secure the Strait of Hormuz by force, but it will not be easy.
Outlining the potential difficulties, Petraeus said: “Keep in mind that just a handful of mines in the water can slow you down enormously, keep in mind that the minesweeping abilities are limited, but it’s painstaking business.
“There are mines that can be on the bottom of the floor of the Strait, there are those that float just below it, there are others that could be tethered to the bottom; it’s a painstaking effort.”
8:40 AM: Oil flows through Strait of Hormuz fall off a cliff
Estimates from Goldman Sachs cast a troubling picture of the future of energy prices, with the leading investment bank telling the Financial Times that the oil flow through the Strait of Hormuz has dropped from around 19 million barrels per day to around 600,000 amid the conflict between the United States, Israel, and the Islamist regime in Iran.
Meanwhile, multiple European countries, including France and Italy, are reportedly seeking talks with Tehran to ensure the safe passage of energy to protect the global economy. French President Emmanuel Macron has previously said he would seek to form an international naval coalition to protect oil tankers as they pass through the chokepoint.
8:00 AM: Authorities battle blaze at UAE port
The port of Fujairah came under attack by Iranian drones on Saturday morning, sparking a fire at the critical oil hub for the United Arab Emirates. The port is situated just outside the contested Strait of Hormuz, which Tehran is attempting to blockade in a bid to drive up international oil prices.
Following Friday evening’s U.S. strikes on Kharg Island, which is crucial to Iranian oil exports, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) reportedly told the UAE that American “hideouts” are “legitimate targets”, Al Jazeera reported.
7:40 AM: U.S. destroyed over 90 Iranian military targets on Kharg Island.
On Friday evening, President Donald Trump said that the U.S. Military had conducted “one of the most powerful bombing raids in the History of the Middle East” on Iran’s strategically significant Kharg Island, which he dubbed the “crown Jewel” of the regime.
On Saturday morning, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said that American forces destroyed “naval mine storage facilities, missile storage bunkers, and multiple other military sites,” amid the “large-scale precision” strikes on the island.
However, despite hitting over 90 targets in the strikes, the U.S. did not strike the Iranian energy facilities on the island, through which around 90 per cent of all oil exports flow, given the island’s deep water ports.
President Trump remarked last night that “for reasons of decency, I have chosen NOT to wipe out the Oil Infrastructure on the Island. However, should Iran, or anyone else, do anything to interfere with the Free and Safe Passage of Ships through the Strait of Hormuz, I will immediately reconsider this decision.”
“Iran’s Military, and all others involved with this Terrorist Regime, would be wise to lay down their arms, and save what’s left of their country, which isn’t much!” he added.
For earlier Livewire updates from Friday, please click here
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