Mojtaba's father, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was killed in joint US-Israel strikes on February 28
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A large explosion rocked a central square in Iran’s capital where thousands were gathered Friday for an annual state-organized rally to support the Palestinians and call for Israel’s demise. Israel had warned that it would target the area in central Tehran.
There were no reports of casualties. But the decision to proceed with the mass demonstration that was attended by some senior government officials, and Israel’s threat to target the area, underscored the fierce determination on both sides nearly two weeks into a war that has rattled the global economy and shows no sign of letting up.
Meanwhile, a U.S. official told The Associated Press that roughly 2,500 Marines and at least one amphibious assault ship were headed for the Middle East in a major addition of troops.
Iran has continued to launch widespread missile and drone attacks on Israel and neighboring Gulf states, and has effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz , through which a fifth of the world's traded oil passes, even as U.S. and Israeli warplanes pummel military and other targets across Iran.
The humanitarian crisis in Lebanon deepened, with nearly 800 people killed and 850,000 displaced as Israel launched waves of strikes against Iran-backed Hezbollah militants and warned there would be no let up.
In an interview with Fox News, U.S. President Donald Trump said the war would end “when I feel it in my bones.”
Explosion rocks area of mass demonstration The explosion in Tehran rocked the Ferdowsi Square area midday, where thousands had gathered for an annual Quds Day rally in which they chanted “death to Israel” and “death to America.”
Israel had issued a warning on a Farsi-language X account for people to clear the area shortly before the blast. But few Iranians would have seen it, as authorities have almost completely shut down the internet since the start of the war. Footage from the scene showed people chanting “God is greatest,” as smoke rose in the area.
The Israeli military later posted a second message in Farsi, noting the head of Iran’s judiciary was at the rally and criticizing Iran for blocking many from seeing their warning.
The hard-liner who leads Iran’s judiciary, Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, had been giving an interview on state television at the demonstration when the strike happened. His bodyguards encircled him, as he raised his fist and said Iran “under this rain and missiles will never withdraw.”
US Marines and another ship are ordered to the Mideast Elements from the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit and the amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli have been ordered to the Middle East, according to the U.S. official, who spoke to AP on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive military plans.
Marine Expeditionary Units are trained and equipped to conduct amphibious landings, but they also specialize in bolstering security at embassies, evacuating civilians and disaster relief. While the deployment is a major increase of troops in the region, it does not necessarily indicate that a ground operation is imminent or will take place at all.
The 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, as well the Tripoli and other amphibious assault ships carrying the Marines, are based in Japan and have been at sea in the Pacific Ocean for several days, according to images released by the military. The Tripoli was spotted by commercial satellites sailing alone near Taiwan. That location puts it more than a week away from the waters off Iran.
Earlier in the week, the Navy had 12 ships, including the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and eight destroyers, operating in the Arabian Sea. Should the Tripoli join this flotilla, it would be the second-largest ship behind the Lincoln to operate in the waters off Iran.
While the total number of U.S. service members on the ground in the Middle East is not clear, Al-Udeid Air Base alone, one of the largest in the region, typically houses some 8,000 U.S. troops.
US says 15,000 targets struck in Iran since the start of the war Israel had earlier announced another wave of strikes in Iran targeting infrastructure, and said its air force had hit more than 200 targets in the last 24 hours, including missile launchers, defense systems and weapons production sites.
In Washington, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said that over 15,000 enemy targets have been struck, which is more than 1,000 a day since the war began.
He also sought to address concerns about the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, telling reporters: “We have been dealing with it and don’t need to worry about it.”
Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei on Thursday vowed to continue the attacks and keep the strait closed in his first public statement since succeeding his father, who was killed in the opening day of the war. Khamenei has not been seen in public since taking over leadership and released a written statement.
Hegseth said Khamenei “is wounded and likely disfigured,” without providing evidence or elaborating. Israel suspects Khamenei was wounded at the start of the war.
All six crew of US refueling plane confirmed dead after crash The U.S. military confirmed on Friday that all six crew members of an American KC-135 refueling plane were killed when it crashed in Iraq, bringing the U.S. death toll to at least 13 service members.
U.S. Central Command said the crash wasn’t related to friendly or hostile fire, and that two aircraft were involved, including one that landed safely.
The KC-135 is the fourth publicly acknowledged aircraft to crash as part of the U.S. military’s operations against Iran. Last week, three American fighter jets were mistakenly downed by friendly Kuwaiti fire.
New Iranian attacks across the region Iran continued its daily attacks on oil and other infrastructure across the Gulf. In Oman, two people were killed when two drones crashed in the Sohar region, the Oman News Agency reported.
The U.S. Navy destroyer USS Oscar Austin shot down an Iranian ballistic missile over Turkey on Friday, a U.S. official said on condition of anonymity in order to discuss ongoing military operations. It was the third such interception over the NATO member in the last two weeks.
Residents in the southern Turkish city of Adana reported hearing a loud explosion and sirens sounding at Incirlik Air Base, which is used by U.S. forces.
Fighting escalates between Israel and Hezbollah At least eight people were killed in an Israeli strike on Lebanon's southern coastal city of Sidon, Lebanon’s Health Ministry said Friday. Nine others were wounded, the ministry added. The toll could rise as rescuers search the rubble.
The ministry said 773 people — including more than 100 children and 62 women — have been killed since fighting erupted between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah militants 10 days ago. More than 1,900 people have been wounded, it said.
Some 850,000 have been internally displaced in Lebanon, according to United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, who launched a $325 million humanitarian appeal during a surprise visit to the country.
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam urged Israel to halt strikes on his country and criticized Hezbollah for firing rockets at Israeli targets.
“There is no justification in holding an entire nation hostage,” he said.
Earlier, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said the strikes so far were “just the beginning.”
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Rising reported from Bangkok. Corder reported from The Hague, Netherlands. Associated Press writers Kareem Chehayeb and Bassem Mroue in Beirut; Sam Mednik in Tel Aviv, Israel; and Konstantin Toropin and Tia Goldenberg in Washington contributed to this story.
PARIS, France, March 13, 2026 (AFP) - The war in the Middle East has largely paralysed the Gulf region's crucial oil industry, which has been hit by attacks and an export blockade.
The war has forced companies to dramatically slow or even halt production -- and restarting it will not be easy, even when the war is over.
- What has been targeted? -
Since the war started with US-Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28, at least 33 strikes or attempted strikes have targeted energy infrastructure in the Middle East, according to an AFP tally.
The United States and Israel carried out 13 of them against Iran.
The other 20, which struck seven Gulf countries, were attributed to Iran.
The strikes mostly hit oil and gas fields or complexes, such as the massive Ras Tanura refinery in Saudi Arabia, Ras Laffan gas processing base in Qatar and the complex housing the Ruwais refinery in the United Arab Emirates.
Iran has also effectively blocked the crucial Strait of Hormuz, the usual shipping lane for around 20 percent of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas output.
- Why is production down? -
Some infrastructure has been damaged.
Other facilities have closed or reduced activity as a precaution, such as Ruwais.
The near-closure of the strait has also had a major impact.
Gulf countries' output of oil and oil products has plunged from 30 million barrels per day last year, excluding Oman, to 20 million currently, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA).
It said the amount passing through the Strait of Hormuz had fallen to less than 10 percent of pre-war levels.
Saudi Arabia and the UAE have pipelines that can send some oil beyond the region, but their capacity is limited.
The result is storage facilities that are full to the brim.
"That's the main issue at the moment," an industry insider told AFP.
"Since there aren't enough ships to empty the storage facilities and export the product, suppliers have to stop production."
There is no easy fix, warned Pankaj Srivastava, a commodities expert at Rystad Energy.
"With crude supply increasingly stranded in the Gulf, refiners may soon be forced to adjust operations, curtailing runs as product exports stall and directing output solely to domestic markets," he said.
- How long to restart? -
"Depending how they were shut down, (restarting refineries) can take a week or two to reach full output," said the industry insider.
For oil wells, it is simpler: "You just reopen the valve."
According to the IEA, "upstream production will take weeks and, in some cases, months, to return to pre-crisis levels", depending on the site.
And "in the absence of a full ceasefire, ship owners, charterers, insurers, and crew will need to see robust security measures" to return to the strait, such as armed escorts, it added.
It said a traffic management system may need to be created to handle the massive backlog when traffic resumes in the strait, estimating it would take "several days to weeks" to clear.
Hinting at voter anxieties in the U.S. as the conflict in the Middle East continues, the president said the economy and American life will soon return to what it was before he launched strikes on Iran.
“This will bounce right back when it’s over, and I don’t think it’s going to be long,” Trump said in his interview with Fox News personality Brian Kilmeade.
Asked when the war will be over, Trump responded: “When I feel it — when I feel it in my bones.”
-All 6 crew aboard US KC-135 refueling aircraft that crashed in Iraq are dead, US military says. The American KC-135 aerial refueling aircraft crashed in western Iraq while a second plane involved in the incident landed safely, the US military said Thursday. "One of the aircraft went down in western Iraq, and the second landed safely. This was not due to hostile fire or friendly fire," US Central Command (CENTCOM), which is responsible for American forces in the Middle East, said in a statement.
Iran's military however said in a statement carried by state TV that an allied group in Iraq had downed the aircraft with a missile, killing all its crew.
- 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. Read more here.
Live Updates
- 13 March 2026 12:09 AM IST
US general tells lawmakers military has ‘robust standards’ for reducing civilian harm
A top Pentagon official said Thursday that the U.S. military has “robust standards” to reduce civilian harm, addressing concerns outdated intelligence likely led to a deadly American missile strike on an Iranian school.
Gen. Alexus Grynkewich spoke at a Senate committee hearing on European operations. But Sen. Kristen Gillibrand, D-N.Y., pressed the head of European Command on the strike and Trump administration staffing cuts at a Pentagon office focused on reducing civilian casualties.
Grynkewich said the cuts haven’t curtailed his ability to prevent civilian harm.
“We have robust standards that we go through, and look to see and update the imagery, and update our understanding of the target and refresh the intelligence on a recurring basis to determine the chances of civilian harm,” he said. — AP
- 13 March 2026 12:08 AM IST
Cyber threats rise as Iran-linked hackers eye US targets
Pro-Iranian hackers targeting sites in the Middle East are starting to stretch into the United States, raising risks that American defense contractors, power stations and water plants could be swept into the Iran war’s digital chaos.
Hackers supporting Iran claimed responsibility for a significant cyberattack Wednesday against U.S. medical device company Stryker. They’ve also tried to penetrate cameras in Middle Eastern countries to improve Iran’s missile targeting, and hit data centers in the region, industrial facilities in Israel, a school in Saudi Arabia and an airport in Kuwait.
Iran has invested heavily in offensive cyber capabilities. Groups working for Tehran have infiltrated the email system of Trump’s campaign, targeted U.S. water plants and tried to breach U.S. defense networks.
“Something is going to happen because the gloves are off,” said Kevin Mandia, founder of the cybersecurity companies Mandiant and Armadin. — AP
- 13 March 2026 12:07 AM IST
Israeli strike kills two academics at Lebanese university
The Israeli strike that apparently hit in the vicinity of Lebanon’s only public university killed the director of the faculty of sciences Hussein Bazzi and professor Mortada Srour.
The campus is in Hadath, on the outskirts of Beirut’s southern suburbs, which Israel had warned last week should be evacuated. It was not clear whether the campus was directly targeted, but smoke could be seen rising near the building’s courtyard in the aftermath. Israel had no immediate comment.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun condemned the bombing, which he said targeted the campus, as a crime and a “violation of international laws and norms that prohibit attacks on educational institutions and civilians.” — AP
- 12 March 2026 11:05 PM IST
Infrastructure that supplies the world with oil and gas is at risk
The Iran war threatens some of the world’s most critical oil and gas infrastructure — the pipelines, refineries, and shipping terminals that keep energy flowing from the Persian Gulf region to the global economy.
Strikes by Iranian drones and missiles have disrupted some operations, while the risk of Iranian strikes has effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, the conduit for some 20% of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas. Oil fields in the region have cut back output as storage fills up.
All that is raising the cost of everything that needs fuel made from crude: flying, cooking, heating homes, running factories, transporting goods, and farming. — AP
- 12 March 2026 11:03 PM IST
Brazil lifts fuel taxes to ease pain at the pump
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said Thursday his government will suspend two fuel taxes through Dec. 31 to offset rising costs linked to the war in Iran, temporarily cutting diesel prices by 0.64 Brazilian real per liter (about $0.12).
Lula, who is up for reelection, put most of the blame squarely on “the irresponsibility of global wars.”
Finance Minister Fernando Haddad said the priority is preventing diesel price increases, as the fuel underpins Brazil’s supply chain. — AP
- 12 March 2026 11:01 PM IST
US says it continues to destroy Iran’s minelaying capacity as crucial waterway remains closed
The U.S. military said Thursday that American forces have now struck more than 6,000 targets since the operation against Iran began Feb. 28, including 30-plus mine-laying vessels.
The U.S. wants to prevent any attempt by Iran to plant explosive mines in the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf, through which about a fifth of the world’s oil is shipped.
The war in Iran has ground tanker traffic through the chokepoint to a halt, and oil prices have been swinging sharply. The Islamic Republic vowed to block the region’s oil exports, saying it would not allow “even a single liter” to be shipped to its enemies. — AP
- 12 March 2026 10:42 PM IST
White House considers waiving Jones Act requirements during Iran war
The 1920s law is often blamed for making gas more expensive. It requires goods shipped between U.S. ports to be moved on U.S.-flagged vessels, and is designed to protect the American shipbuilding sector.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement that temporarily waiving the requirement could “ensure vital energy products and agricultural necessities are flowing freely to U.S. ports.” The action has not been finalized, she said. — AP
- 12 March 2026 10:39 PM IST
UN chief renews call for end to war, return to negotiations
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the U.S.-Israeli military strikes, followed by Iran’s retaliatory attacks, have caused “immense suffering” and pushed the region to a breaking point.
“And as always, the most vulnerable are being hurt first and worst,” Guterres said. “De-escalation and dialogue are the only way out.”
He made the comments in the Turkish capital where he received the country’s peace prize on behalf of global U.N. staff. — AP
- 12 March 2026 10:39 PM IST
Russia and China clash with US and its allies over Iran’s nuclear ambitions
U.S. Ambassador Mike Waltz told the U.N. Security Council that Iran is the only country without nuclear weapons to produce and accumulate uranium enriched up to 60%, which is near weapons-grade.
The United Kingdom’s acting ambassador, James Kariuki, said there is “no credible civilian justification” for Iran possessing more than 400 kilograms (about 880 pounds) of highly enriched uranium, adding the stockpile erodes confidence in the peaceful nature of Iran’s nuclear program and led to the “snapback” of U.N. sanctions last September.
But Russia’s U.N. Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia accused the U.S. and its allies of whipping up “hysteria” about Iran seeking a nuclear weapon to justify “yet another military venture against Tehran” and escalate tensions.
China’s U.N. Ambassador Fu Cong said Iran has repeatedly reaffirmed it does not seek nuclear weapons and that its “sincerity should be taken seriously.” — AP
- 12 March 2026 10:18 PM IST
Israel drops indictment of five soldiers in Palestinian detainee abuse case
JERUSALEM: The Israeli military said Thursday it had dropped charges against five soldiers accused of abusing a Palestinian detainee at the high-security Sde Teiman prison, a case that had sparked widespread outrage.
"In light of significant developments since the filing of the indictment in the Sde Teiman case, the Military Advocate General decided today to order the cancellation of the indictment against the five defendants," the military said.
In February 2025, the military announced that five reservists had been charged over the alleged abuse of a Palestinian detainee in July 2024 at the Sde Teiman detention centre near the Gaza Strip.
At the time, the army said the soldiers were accused of "acting against the detainee with severe violence, including stabbing the detainee's buttocks with a sharp object, which had penetrated near the detainee's rectum".
Explaining the decision to drop the charges, the military said "procedural difficulties regarding the transfer of information" by Israeli police had "undermined the defendants' right to a fair trial".
Another factor cited was that the detainee had been returned to Gaza and was therefore unable to testify in the case.
The military said army chief Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir had called on personnel "to draw lessons" from the case to prevent similar occurences in the future.
The case also involved the military advocate general, who resigned following suspicions that a video of the Sde Teiman incident had been leaked.
In her resignation letter, published in November 2025 by the media, the former military advocate general acknowledged that her office had distributed the video to the media.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed the decision.
"It is unacceptable that it took so long to close a case that was conducted in a criminal manner against IDF fighters who are confronting the worst of our enemies," he said in a statement.
"The State of Israel must pursue its enemies, not its heroic fighters."
The Sde Teiman detention centre was created to hold detainees from Gaza early in Israel's war with Hamas, sparked after the Islamist group's attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.
Rights groups frequently accuse the Israeli prison authorities of mistreating Palestinian detainees. — AFP
