US Iran war news Highlights: US military plane declared emergency before crash in Iraq; fresh explosions in Tehran

Middle East war LIVE: Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, in his first statement on Thursday, said Iran seeks friendship with its neighbouring countries and insists that its actions are aimed only at military bases involved in attacks against Iran.

He added that such operations would inevitably continue as part of what Tehran calls its right to defend itself. He also said that all US bases should be immediately closed in the region and those bases will be attacked.

Middle East war LIVE: Iran’s security chief Ali Larijani on Thursday warned the United States of severe consequences if it targeted Iran’s power infrastructure.

Responding to US President Donald Trump’s remark that Washington could “take apart Iran’s electric capacity within one hour,” Larijani said such an action would plunge the entire region into darkness within half an hour. “The darkness provides ample opportunity to hunt down US servicemen running for safety,” he said in a post on X.

Middle East war LIVE: Turkey is talking to both Washington and Tehran in a bid to end the ongoing war in the Middle East, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Thursday

"We are at a time when we need negotiation and dialogue more than ever.. We are talking to the Iranian side, and we are talking to the American side," he said: "This war should end as soon as possible."

Middle East war LIVE: Lufthansa said on Thursday it would extend the suspension of flights to and from Dubai until March 28. Previously the German airline had suspended flights until March 15 due to the security situation in the Middle East.

The group said both airports in Dubai were significantly reducing the number of flights due to capacity reasons.

Middle East war LIVE: Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Thursday that Turkey will not allow anyone to make plans aimed at inciting civil war in Iran.

"We are against plans aimed at triggering a civil war in Iran and provoking conflicts along ethnic and religious fault lines," Fidan told a press conference.

Middle East war LIVE: The US military is currently "not ready" to escort tankers through the critical Strait of Hormuz because all its assets are focused on striking Iran, Energy Secretary Chris Wright said Thursday.

"It'll happen relatively soon, but it can't happen now. We're simply not ready," Wright told CNBC. "All of our military assets right now are focused on destroying Iran's offensive capabilities and the manufacturing industry that supplies their offensive capabilities."

Middle East war LIVE: The first message from Iran’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, is reported to be released shortly and will outline key points on the country’s leadership, Iran International reported.

The message will also define the role of the public and armed forces, and Iran’s stance toward its enemies

Middle East war LIVE: Iran's Revolutionary Guards said on Thursday they had targeted Israel as well as US sites in the United Arab Emirates, Iraq and Kuwait.

"The gathering place of American forces on Sheikh Zayed Road (Dubai) and the location of American forces at Ahmad Al-Jaber Airport (Kuwait) were targeted," said the Guards.

Middle East war LIVE: US energy secretary Chris Wright on Thursday said that the only option on the table is to destroy Iran's ability to threaten neighbours and the Strait of Hormuz, Reuters reported.

Earlier, Iran's parliament speaker, MB Ghalibaf, said that, “Any aggression against the soil of Iranian islands will shatter all restraint.”

Middle East war LIVE: Israel's military said Thursday that it had struck a site in Iran it claimed was being used by the Islamic republic to develop nuclear weapons.

The site was Taleghan compound, which likely refers to a facility in Parchin, southeast of Tehran, where US-based think tank the Institute for Science and International Security, which has been monitoring Iran's nuclear programme, recently claimed the Islamic republic conducts covert military activities, AFP reported.

Middle East war LIVE: Iran's foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei on Thursday accused EU of 'complicity' in US-Israel attacks. Speaking on the war, Baqaei said “The European Union's indifference and acquiescence in the face of US and Israeli aggression, brutalities, and atrocities amounts to nothing less than complicity.”

Middle East war LIVE: The Iran war is causing unprecedented turmoil in oil markets, hitting 7.5% of global supply and an even bigger swath of exports, the International Energy Agency said.

“The war in the Middle East is creating the largest supply disruption in the history of the global oil market,” the IEA said in its monthly report on Thursday.

Middle East war LIVE: Thailand's Foreign Ministry has demanded an apology from Iran over damage caused to a Thai vessel that was hit by a projectile in the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday, which led to a fire and forced the crew to abandon ship.

The ministry said it was seeking clarity from Iran's ambassador on Thursday on the facts surrounding the incident.

Middle East war LIVE: The Israeli military said on Thursday that Hezbollah had fired around 200 rockets at Israel the night before, in what it described as the Lebanese armed group's "biggest barrage" since the war began.

"Last night, Hezbollah timed a simultaneous attack with Iran, firing rockets and drones at towns and communities across Israel.

Middle East war LIVE: Up to 3.2 million people have been displaced inside Iran since the Middle East war erupted nearly two weeks ago, the United Nations refugee agency said Thursday.

"Between 600,000 and one million Iranian households are now temporarily displaced inside Iran as a result of the ongoing conflict, according to preliminary assessments, representing up to 3.2 million people," said Ayaki Ito, who heads UNHCR's emergency support team and is refugee response coordinator for the Middle East emergency.

Middle East war LIVE: Israel's defence forces on Thursday said that it has struck ‘Taleghan’ compound, a site it claimed was used by the Iranian regime to advance nuclear weapons capabilities.

“The compound was used to develop advanced explosives and conduct sensitive experiments as part of the covert ‘AMAD’ project in the 2000s,” the defence forces said in a post on X.

Middle East war LIVE: The Ministry of External Affairs on Thursday said that around 9,000 Indian nationals, including students, seafarers, professionals, business people, and pilgrims, are currently in Iran and are being assisted amid safety concerns in the country.

MEA also added that External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and the FM of Iran have had three conversations in the last few days. “The last one discussed issues pertaining to the safety of shipping and India's energy security.”

Middle East war LIVE: Iran embassy in Saudi Arabia on Thursday said that the attack on Oman’s oil facilities is a ‘false flag operation,’ adding that Iran ‘had no role in it.’

Oman’s key oil export terminal was evacuated and two crude tankers were hit in Iraqi waters, as risks to global energy supply from the Middle East war deepened. Ships were ordered to leave the port of Mina Al Fahal in Oman as a precautionary measure.

Middle East war LIVE: The Israeli military has been instructed to expand its operations in Lebanon, Defence Minister Israel Katz said on Thursday, after Hezbollah fired a heavy barrage of rockets at Israel overnight, Reuters reported.

Katz warned Lebanese President Joseph Aoun that if the Lebanese government could not prevent Hezbollah from attacking Israel, Israel "would do it ourselves", according to a statement released by his office.

Middle East war LIVE: Unrelenting Iranian attacks on shipping traffic and energy infrastructure pushed oil above $100 a barrel Thursday, as American and Israeli strikes pounded the Islamic Republic with no sign of an end to the war in sight.

With traffic in the strait effectively stopped, the price of Brent crude oil, the international standard, rose another 9% to more than $100 a barrel, up some 38% over what it cost when the war started, AP reported.

Middle East war LIVE: Iran's Revolutionary Guards said Thursday they had struck a Marshall Islands-flagged ship, which they claimed was US-owned, in the northern part of the Gulf.

On their website Sepah News, the Guards said the ship Safesea was "one of the assets of the US terrorist army" and that it "was hit in the northern Gulf after ignoring and not complying with warnings and alerts".

Middle East war LIVE: External affairs minister S Jaishankar spoke to his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi to discuss the safety of shipping and energy security as tensions escalate in the Strait of Hormuz, the MEA said in a press briefing.

The Strait of Hormuz has emerged as a major flashpoint in the ongoing regional conflict, with several vessels damaged in recent attacks

Middle East war LIVE: Iran's parliament speaker MB Ghalibaf on Thursday said that, “Any aggression against the soil of Iranian islands will shatter all restraint.”

Earlier in the day, Israel's military said it began a new "wide-scale" wave of strikes across Iran.

Middle East war LIVE: Israel's military said it began a new "wide-scale" wave of strikes across Iran on Thursday, on the 13th day of the US-Israeli war with the Islamic Republic.

"The IDF has begun a wide-scale wave of strikes targeting Iranian terror regime infrastructure across Iran," AFP quoted the Israeli military as saying

Middle East war LIVE: The first week of the US war against Iran cost more than $11.3 billion, lawmakers were told during a Pentagon briefing, according to a New York Times report.

The briefing highlighted the rapid pace at which the conflict is consuming weapons and resources.

The report, citing sources familiar with the closed-door briefing on Tuesday, said the figure does not include several costs linked to the military buildup before the strikes, indicating that the total expense for the first week could be significantly higher.