US-IRAN War. Ayatollah Khamenei killed. Iranian missiles and drones all over Middle East. Iran closes Strait of Hormuz

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Netanyahu claims Iran nuclear build up would be 'immune within months'​

published at 10:20
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Israel's prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has defended the Israeli military strikes on Iran, claiming Tehran's recent nuclear build-up would have been "immune within months" before Israel's intervention.

Despite the joint Israeli-US air raids targeting three nuclear sites during the 12-day war in June, Netanyahu says Iranian soldiers and technicians started building new sites, including "underground bunkers", where they could develop ballistic missiles and atomic bombs.

"If no action was taken now, no action could be taken in the future," Netanyahu told Fox News.

Israel has long opposed Iran's nuclear enrichment, warning it could be used to develop nuclear weapons, instead of being harnessed for peaceful purposes as the Iranian government claims.

Image source,Getty Images

 

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23 min ago

Siren sounds over Bahrain, authorities call for residents to take shelter​

By Ross Adkin

A siren was sounded in Bahrain early on Tuesday, the country’s Interior Ministry said.

“The siren has been sounded. Citizens and residents are urged to remain calm and head to the nearest safe place,” the ministry wrote on X.

 

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Amazon says its data centres affected by drone strikes​

published at 10:34​

Osmond Chia
Business reporter

Amazon Web Services (AWS) says two of data centres in the United Arab Emirates were "directly struck" by drone strikes in the region.

Another facility in Bahrain was hit by drone strikes nearby, said AWS on Monday in a list of alerts, external on its services in the region.

The company, which operates data centres and digital services worldwide, said the strikes have caused "structural damage" and "disrupted power" to its infrastructure.

Data centres store and process information for a wide range of businesses and internet services like websites and online applications in a region. Any damage to such facilities could be seriously disruptive.

AWS urged its customers in the Middle East to immediately backup their data and move their systems to AWS platforms in the US, Asia, Europe or elsewhere, given the "unpredictable" situation in the Middle East.

 

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19 min ago

What to know about the Strait of Hormuz, as Iran warns vessels to stay out​

By Hanna Ziady

Oil tankers pass through the Strait of Hormuz, on December 21, 2018.
Hamad I Mohammed/Reuters


The Strait of Hormuz, a narrow waterway that bypasses Iran and Oman, is the main route for shipping crude from oil-rich countries such as Saudi Arabia and Kuwait to the rest of the world.

An adviser to the commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has warned that vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz would be targeted.

Even before the adviser’s comments, traffic through the waterway had effectively stopped due to safety concerns and after oil tankers in the region came under attack over the weekend.

Iran controls the strait’s northern side. About 20 million barrels of oil, or about one-fifth of daily global production, flow through the strait every day, according to the US Energy Information Administration, which calls the channel a “critical oil chokepoint.” According to the EIA, “very few alternative options exist to move oil out of the strait if it is closed.”

The strait also carries about one-fifth of global trade in liquefied natural gas.

Energy analysts have warned that oil and natural gas prices are likely to remain elevated until the strait is passable.

Major container shipping companies, including Maersk, Hapag-Lloyd, MSC and CMA CGM, are also diverting vessels away from the waterway and the region, according to logistics firm Freightos.

 

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1 min ago

Here's how many missiles and drones Gulf nations have intercepted so far​

By Jessie Yeung

A pigeon flies as trails from the interception of an Iranian projectile are seen in the sky over Dubai on Tuesday.
Giuseppe Cacace/AFP/Getty Images

The joint US-Israel attack on Iran has triggered retaliatory strikes across the Middle East, including on countries hosting US military bases. So far strikes have hit urban centers, energy infrastructure, airports and hotels, shaking populations long used to relative security.

Here’s a look at how many missiles and drones the Gulf nations have reported so far:

• Kuwait has intercepted 178 ballistic missiles and 384 drones, according to state media Kuwait News Agency on Monday.
• The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has intercepted 169 missiles out of 182 detected, with the rest landing in the sea. It has also intercepted 645 drones, with an additional 44 hitting within state territory, according to its ministry of defense.
• Bahrain has intercepted 70 missiles and 76 drones, state media reported on Tuesday, citing the General Command of the Bahrain Defence Force.
• Qatar has intercepted 101 missiles out of a total of 104 detected, as well as 24 out of 39 drones, and shot down two Iranian SU-24 bomber aircraft, according to the state-run Qatar News Agency.
• Saudi Arabia hasn’t released a total figure of missiles or drones intercepted. The US Embassy in Riyadh was hit by suspected Iranian drones, according to two sources familiar with the matter on Tuesday. The Ministry of Defense later said eight drones were intercepted near the cities of Riyadh and Al-Kharj.
• Oman has long played a mediating role between Washington and Tehran, and has largely stayed out of the line of fire. But Oman’s Duqm commercial port was targeted by two drones on Sunday, and an oil tanker was attacked about five nautical miles off the coast of Masandam.

 

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Iran really does have a huge stockpile of missiles and drones

 

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Satellite images show damage to Saudi oil refinery​

published at 11:35
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Daniele Palumbo and Shayan Sardarizadeh
BBC Verify

Image source,Vantor
New satellite images analysed by BBC Verify show damage to a major oil refinery in Saudi Arabia after reported drone strikes.

The images, captured today by Vantor, show fire and scorch marks around cooling towers in the central area of the oil refinery, located in the eastern city of Ras Tanura.

The area is occupied by a series of pipes connecting the different storage units to the central pier of the site that is normally able to fill four tankers simultaneously. The site has a productive capacity of 550,000 barrels per day.

The Aramco oil company said today that it had to temporarily shut down the refinery due to the strike.

Image source,Vantor

 

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Oil prices move higher as conflict continues​

published at 11:53
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Osmond Chia
Business reporter

Global energy prices continue to climb on Monday as the conflict in the Middle East threatens to restrict supplies from the oil-producing region.

The Brent crude was up by around 1.9% at $79.25 (£59.11) a barrel, while US-traded oil was up by about 1.5%.

Global oil and gas prices have surged since the US and Israel began their attacks on Iran over the weekend.

Natural gas prices spiked on Monday after QatarEnergy, one of the world's biggest exporters, stopped production following "military attacks" on its facilities.

 

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Tucker Carlson urges US to tell Israel: 'You are not in charge'​

published at 12:15​

Image source,Getty Images
Conservative US commentator Tucker Carlson has urged the US to "get [Benjamin Netanyahu] under control".

"Sorry, it's not antisemitism. This is a head of state whose decisions are getting Americans killed and affecting the history of the world and the fortunes, but also the future of the United States," Carlson said in his latest podcast on Tucker Carlson Network.

The former Fox News host added: "The United States has to say to the government of Israel, 'You are not in charge.' ...No administration has paid a higher price for going along than the current administration."

Carlson, a Trump ally, had lobbied against military action and even met with Trump at the White House several times to dissuade him from an attack, according to the New York Times.

Several US leaders, including House Speaker Mike Johnson, had defended Washington's actions as "pre-emptive" because they knew Israel was going to strike - though Israel's PM Netanyahu's remarks appeared to suggest otherwise.

"Donald Trump is the strongest leader in the world. He does what he thinks is right for America," Netanyahu told Fox News on Monday night.

 

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