Dubai below assault from Iranian missiles as drones fired in direction of airport and emergency sirens sound in Bahrain: Live updates

The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) has announced it has begun a “widespread wave” of simultaneous attacks on Beirut, Lebanon and across Iran.

Thailand’s navy has said a rescue operation is underway in the Strait of Hormuz after one of the country’s bulk carriers was attacked today.

Twenty crew members have been rescued so far with efforts taking place to locate the remaining three, the navy confirmed.

‘The Thai-flagged bulk carrier ‘Mayuree Naree’… was attacked while transiting the Strait of Hormuz,’ after departing from a port in the United Arab Emirates, the navy said in a statement.

‘Efforts are currently underway to rescue the remaining three crew members,’ while 20 were rescued by the Omani navy, it said, adding that the cause of the attack was under investigation.

by Eleanor Mann

An influential Emirati tycoon’s posts criticising US President Donald Trump over his handling of the war have been deleted.

Khalaf Al Habtoor’s tweets venting his frustration at Trump for drawing the Gulf into the conflict against Iran came as the UAE issued a stark warning to the public over posting anything online that might be harmful to ‘public order’ or ‘national unity’.

Mr Al Habtoor’s posts were removed soon after being posted without an explanation, and were replaced by ones praising the ‘beauty’ of the UAE.

Mr Al Habtoor is a prominent billionaire whose developments have influenced Dubai’s skyline. His posts on social media criticising Trump and the US government were widely followed by Gulf media and discussed online – with many agreeing with his comments.

In the posts, Mr Al Habtoor accused President Trump of placing Gulf states ‘at the heart of a danger they did not choose’, writing: ‘Who gave you the authority to drag our region into a war with Iran?’

A building was damaged in Bahrain’s capital yesterday following a drone strike

Iran’s Gulf neighbours have again come under attack today as the US-Israel war with Tehran sparks chaos across the Middle East.

Let’s take a look at the latest situation facing the Gulf nations:

The UAE has send it is today responding to Iranian drone and missile threats as four people were injured by two drones that fell near Dubai airport.

• Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia has said it has intercepted a wave of seven drones heading towards a strategic oil field. Two drones heading for Shaybah oil field were destroyed and another five were intercepted.

Qatar’s Ministry of Defence announced armed forces intercepted a missile attack on Wednesday morning. Shortly, residents received an alert message on their mobile phones saying the security threat has been eliminated.

Explosions were heard in Bahrain’s capital Manama last night with the kingdom targeted by waves of Iranian drones and missiles, which have so far killed two people in the country, according to authorities.

Iran said that at least two missiles targeted a United States base in Kuwait yesterday, referring to Camp Arifjan located south of Kuwait City. Kuwaiti authorities have not yet commented but it was later reported eight drones targeting the country were downed.

Mojtaba Khamenei pictured in Tehran in 2016

by Adam Pogrund

Iran’s new supreme leader was wounded in both legs on the day his father was killed, Israel claims, as it threatens to take him out.

Mojtaba Khamenei, 56, who has not been seen in public or pictured since taking over from his late father Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Sunday, was described as a ‘wounded veteran’ of the war by Iranian state TV.

Mojtaba suffered wounds in his legs on the opening day of the conflict, according to Israeli and Iranian officials cited in the New York Times.

His injuries could be behind his mysterious absence from the public eye, the report claims, although others suggest he wants to avoid the glare of Israel and the US.

The Iranian officials claim he remains alert and is sheltering at a highly secure location with limited communication.

The UAE has declared it is responding to the Iranian missile and drone threats in the latest attack on the Gulf state.

Fires have broken out on three commercial ships in the Gulf today as Iran launches more strikes against its oil-exporting neighbours and threatens shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.

The Thailand-flagged bulk carrier Mayuree Naree was targeted and damaged approximately 11 nautical miles north of Oman, two maritime security sources said.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said later, referring to the incident, that the fire had been extinguished and that there was no environmental impact. Necessary crew remained on the vessel.

Earlier, the Japan-flagged container ship One Majesty had sustained minor damage from an unknown projectile 25 nautical miles (46 km) northwest of Ras Al Khaimah in the United Arab Emirates, two maritime security sources said.

Its crew members are safe and the vessel is sailing towards a safe anchorage, the sources added.

A third vessel, a bulk carrier, was also hit by an unknown projectile approximately 50 miles northwest of Dubai, maritime security firms said.

Analysts say a prolonged closure of the Strait of Hormuz, which carries 20 percent of world oil and gas supplies and a third of its fertiliser for food production, would have a devastating effect on the economy, particularly in Asia and Europe.

Four people have been injured after two drones fell near Dubai airport earlier today.

Authorities said two Ghanaians and a Bangladeshi national received minor injuries while an Indian citizen was moderately hurt.

The incident has not affected operations at the airport with air traffic running as normal.

Iran’s military has declared it will strike economic targets including banks belonging to the US and Israel across the Middle East after an Iranian financial centre was hit.

In a message shared on Telegram, Iranian forces have urged people to reman more than 1km away from banks.

The message reads: ‘Last night, the terrorist US Army and the brutal Zionist regime, after failing in their military objectives, targeted one of the country’s banks.

‘With this illegitimate and unconventional act of war, the enemy has left our hands free to target economic centers and banks belonging to the United States and the Zionist regime in the region. Americans should expect our retaliatory and painful response.’

Iranian media said US and Israeli strikes hit a bank in Tehran overnight, killing an unspecified number of employees.

Trump was warded the first FIFA Peace Prize by Infantino in December

Donald Trump has said that Iran is ‘welcome’ to participate at the World Cup in North America, FIFA chief Gianni Infantino has said

The war has thrown into doubt Iran’s participation at this summer’s tournament, jointly hosted by Canada, Mexico and the United States.

During a meeting to discuss preparations for the competition, ‘we also spoke about the current situation in Iran,’ Infantino, the head of the world football governing body, wrote on Instagram.

‘During the discussions, President Trump reiterated that the Iranian team is, of course, welcome to compete in the tournament in the United States,’ he wrote.

The comments marked the first time Infantino, who awarded Trump the inaugural FIFA peace prize in December, has acknowledged the ongoing war in the Middle East.

Iran’s federation football chief on Tuesday cast doubt on his team’s participation in the sporting extravaganza, following the defection of several women footballers from the Islamic republic during the Asian cup in Australia

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) yesterday said it launched its ‘most intense and heaviest operation’ against US and Israeli targets, state media reported.

Iran claimed its overnight attack involved missile launches, including its long-range ballistic Khorramshahr missile, against targets in Israel and at US assets in the region, Iran’s state broadcaster IRIB reported.

The IRGC said:

We will continue our sustained attacks with purpose and strength, and in the continuation of this war we think only of the enemy’s complete surrender.

The war will end only when the shadow of war is removed from our country,’ it added.

The comments come hours after US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Tuesday would be the ‘most intense day of strikes inside Iran.’

Energy ministers of the G7 say they ‘stand ready’ to take ‘all necessary measures’ to tackle the rise in oil prices as a result of the Iran war.

The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday, citing officials familiar with the matter, that the International Energy Agency (IEA) had proposed its largest ever release of oil reserves to counter soaring crude .

After a virtual meeting on Tuesday with the IEA’s executive director, they said in a statement: ‘G7 members will carefully consider the recommendations issued during these discussions.

‘In principle, we support the implementation of proactive measures to address the situation, including the use of strategic reserves,’ they said, adding they were coordinating within the G7, with IEA member countries and beyond.

‘We agreed to stand ready to take all necessary measures in coordination with IEA Members,’ the statement said.