Israel kilos Tehran with airstrikes on Friday
Israel pounded Tehran with airstrikes on Friday as Iranians marked Nowruz, or the Persian New 12 months, and Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu denied he ‘dragged’ Trump into the warfare with Iran.
A lady retailers for flowers at a market in preparation for Nowruz celebrations on 19 March 2026 in Tehran, Iran. {Photograph}: Majid Saeedi/Getty Pictures
Activists reported listening to strikes round Iran’s capital. The assaults occurred a day after Israel pledged to chorus from extra strikes on a key Iranian gasoline subject and Iran intensified assaults on oil and pure gasoline services across the Gulf.
The strikes come as questions mount about how aligned the US and Israel are of their warfare goals, with Netanyahu saying that Israel had acted alone within the bombing of Iran’s South Pars gasoline subject. He additionally confirmed that Trump had requested Israel to carry off on such assaults.
Iran is being “decimated” and not had the capability to complement uranium or make ballistic missiles, however a revolution within the nation would require a “floor element,” he mentioned, with out elaborating.
The Israeli premier additionally rejected the notion that he had dragged Trump into the battle, implying that he was the junior accomplice within the joint assault on Iran.
“Does anybody actually assume that somebody can inform President Trump what to do?” Netanyahu advised reporters, at a press convention.
“He didn’t want any convincing,” he added.
“I don’t assume any two leaders have been as coordinated as President Trump and I. He’s the chief. I’m, you realize, his ally.”
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Up to date at 00.27 EDT
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Some extra photographs of individuals getting ready for Nowruz, or Persian New 12 months, in Tehran.
Individuals store for flowers at a market forward of Nowruz celebrations on 19 March 2026 in Tehran, Iran. {Photograph}: Majid Saeedi/Getty PicturesIndividuals store at a market in preparation for Nowruz celebrations on 19 March 2026 in Tehran, Iran. {Photograph}: Majid Saeedi/Getty PicturesIndividuals store for goldfish at a market forward of Nowruz celebrations on 19 March 2026 in Tehran, Iran. {Photograph}: Majid Saeedi/Getty PicturesA vendor sells flowers at a market as individuals store in preparation for Nowruz celebrations on 19 March 2026 in Tehran, Iran. {Photograph}: Majid Saeedi/Getty ImagesShare
Israel kilos Tehran with airstrikes on Friday
Israel pounded Tehran with airstrikes on Friday as Iranians marked Nowruz, or the Persian New 12 months, and Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu denied he ‘dragged’ Trump into the warfare with Iran.
A lady retailers for flowers at a market in preparation for Nowruz celebrations on 19 March 2026 in Tehran, Iran. {Photograph}: Majid Saeedi/Getty Pictures
Activists reported listening to strikes round Iran’s capital. The assaults occurred a day after Israel pledged to chorus from extra strikes on a key Iranian gasoline subject and Iran intensified assaults on oil and pure gasoline services across the Gulf.
The strikes come as questions mount about how aligned the US and Israel are of their warfare goals, with Netanyahu saying that Israel had acted alone within the bombing of Iran’s South Pars gasoline subject. He additionally confirmed that Trump had requested Israel to carry off on such assaults.
Iran is being “decimated” and not had the capability to complement uranium or make ballistic missiles, however a revolution within the nation would require a “floor element,” he mentioned, with out elaborating.
The Israeli premier additionally rejected the notion that he had dragged Trump into the battle, implying that he was the junior accomplice within the joint assault on Iran.
“Does anybody actually assume that somebody can inform President Trump what to do?” Netanyahu advised reporters, at a press convention.
“He didn’t want any convincing,” he added.
“I don’t assume any two leaders have been as coordinated as President Trump and I. He’s the chief. I’m, you realize, his ally.”
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Up to date at 00.27 EDT
As different Asian economies race to preserve power amid a scarcity sparked by the warfare, China has big reserves of oil and gasoline, in addition to different power sources like wind and photo voltaic.
The Guardian’s Callum Jones look’s at how Xi Jinping has been getting ready for a disaster like this for years.
A drone view exhibits oil storage tanks at a depot at Tsing Yi port in Hong Kong, China March 19, 2026. {Photograph}: Joyce Zhou/ReutersShare
Up to date at 00.24 EDT
South Korea, the world’s third greatest importer of liquified pure gasoline (LNG) has performed down the affect of Iranian strikes on Qatari power services.
QatarEnergy, the state-run power big, estimated earlier that Iran’s strikes on Ras Laffan Industrial Metropolis have decreased the nation’s LNG export capability by 17%, and warned it might take as much as 5 years to restore “in depth” injury.
“On condition that the share of imports from Qatar is comparatively low (at round 14% in 2026) and different provide sources can be found, there are not any points concerning gasoline provide and demand,” South Korea’s trade ministry mentioned in an announcement. “Nevertheless, as uncertainty has been rising, we plan to intently monitor provide, demand, and value tendencies and reply accordingly.”
Solely China and Japan import extra LNG from abroad than South Korea.
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One in every of Iran’s prime soccer gamers has been expelled from the nationwide workforce for a perceived act of disloyalty to the federal government, in line with Iranian media.
Sardar Azmoun is claimed to have upset authorities this week by posting an image on social media of a gathering with Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, ruler of Dubai.
A report on the Fars Information Company, which has hyperlinks to Iran’s hardline Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, cited “an knowledgeable supply throughout the nationwide workforce” as saying that Azmoun, 31, had been expelled from the squad.
The nation’s ladies’s soccer workforce returned to Iran earlier this week. Whereas seven members of the delegation had sought asylum in Australia final week, 5 later modified their minds, together with captain Zahra Ghanbari.
Iran’s Sardar Azmoun in motion with United Arab Emirates’ Kouame Kouadio, Azadi Sports activities Advanced, Tehran, Iran – March 20, 2025. {Photograph}: Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia Information Company)/ReutersShare
Up to date at 23.18 EDT
Israel launches contemporary wave of strikes on Tehran
Israel says it has launched extra strikes on the Iranian capital.
In a quick assertion on X, the Israel Protection Forces mentioned: “The IDF has now begun a wave of strikes focusing on infrastructure of the Iranian terror regime within the coronary heart of Tehran.”
Activists reported listening to strikes throughout town, the AP stories.
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UAE, Kuwait authorities say responding to missile assaults
Emirati and Kuwaiti air defences have been responding to missile assaults early on Friday, Kuwait’s military and the UAE’s inside ministry mentioned in separate statements.
Elsewhere within the Gulf, Bahrain’s inside ministry mentioned air raid sirens have been activated, and Saudi Arabia’s defence ministry mentioned it had intercepted a drone within the nation’s east.
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Up to date at 22.36 EDT
Welcome abstract
Hiya and welcome to our persevering with reside protection of the US-Israel warfare on Iran and the impact the battle is having on the area, the world and the worldwide economic system.
Benjamin Netanyahu has hinted at a attainable “floor element” to the US-Israel warn on Iran – whereas Donald Trump instructed the US had no plans to place boots on the bottom.
“You don’t wish to change one ayatollah with one other,” the Israeli prime minister mentioned on Thursday, including that the Iranian regime was unlikely to be overthrown utilizing air strikes alone.
It’s “typically mentioned” you could’t “do revolutions from the air”, Netanyahu advised a press convention. “There needs to be a floor element as effectively. There are various prospects for this floor element and I take the freedom of not sharing [those] with you.”
Trump, in the meantime, claimed he had no plans for the US to have interaction in such an operation. “I’m not placing troops anyplace,” he advised a reporter, when requested about utilizing floor troops. However he added: “If I have been, I definitely wouldn’t let you know.”
The president additionally confirmed that the Pentagon has requested Congress to approve an extra $200bn to fund the warfare.
Some 65% of Individuals imagine Trump will order troops right into a large-scale floor warfare in Iran, in line with a brand new Reuters/Ipsos ballot, however simply 7% help that concept.
In different developments:
Benjamin Netanyahu denied that Donald Trump was “dragged” into the warfare by Israel, as he tried to pour chilly water on ideas that Israel influenced the US’s choice to assault Iran and amid rising indicators that the US and Israel should not aligned on their warfare goals. “Does anybody actually assume that somebody can inform President Trump what to do,” the Israeli prime minister mentioned, including: “I misled nobody.”
Netanyahu additionally said that Israel “acted alone” in hanging Iran’s South Pars gasfield, although he didn’t tackle whether or not or not he had advised Trump concerning the assault beforehand. “President Trump requested us to carry off on future assaults, and we’re holding out,” he added. Trump has distanced himself from Israel’s assault on the world’s largest gasfield (which he claimed on Wednesday that Washington “knew nothing” about), and confirmed right this moment that he advised Netanyahu to cease attacking Iran’s power services.
Netanyahu additionally claimed that Iran has “no means to complement uranium for the time being and no functionality of producing ballistic missiles”. He mentioned that the warfare would take “so long as is important”, including: “We’ll crush them completely, all these capabilities.”
Iranian assaults on Ras Laffan Industrial Metropolis in Qatar have decreased the nation’s liquefied pure gasoline (LNG) export capability by 17%, in line with QatarEnergy, the state-run power big. The “in depth injury” might scale back its annual revenues by $20bn and take “as much as 5 years” to restore, Saad al-Kaabi, the Qatari power minister and CEO of QatarEnergy, mentioned in an announcement.
US Central Command mentioned that it has destroyed the Iranian regime’s surface-to-surface missile plant in Karaj. The plant was used to “assemble ballistic missiles that threatened Individuals, neighboring international locations, and business transport,” Centcom mentioned.
France will double its humanitarian help to Lebanon to the worth of €17m ($19.7m), overseas minister Jean-Noel Barrot mentioned, as Lebanon grapples with Israel’s newest army assault. Israeli strikes on Beirut and its floor invasion of southern Lebanon have killed over 1,000 individuals, together with 118 kids, and wounded greater than 2,500 since Tel Aviv’s renewed offensive on 2 March. Multiple million – roughly one in 5 – of the inhabitants have been displaced.
An Iranian missile assault hit Israel’s oil refineries within the northern port metropolis of Haifa however didn’t trigger “vital injury“, Israel’s power ministry mentioned. Vitality minister Eli Cohen mentioned energy was briefly disrupted, with electrical energy restored to most of those that have been affected, Reuters reported.
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