LIVE: Iran hits Kuwait oil refinery in fresh attack

Iran has attacked an Israeli oil refinery.

Israeli media outlets have shared footage of black smoke billowing from oil facilities in the port city of Haifa where an Iranian missile struck earlier today.

According to reports, there have been no casualties.

It marks the latest retaliation from Tehran after Israel bombed Iran’s South Pars gas field, the world’s biggest gas facility, yesterday.

Iran warned attacks on its energy infrastructure were a “big mistake” and warned any repeat would lead to strikes on ‘your energy infrastructure and that of your allies until their complete destruction.’

An American F-35 fighter jet has been forced to make an emergency landing in the Middle East after it came under attack from Iranian fire.

The plane was taking part in combat operations over Iran when it was struck and damaged, causing the pilot to land at a nearby US air base.

Captain Tim Hawkins, a spokesman for US Central Command, said the aircraft landed safely, and the incident is under investigation

‘The aircraft landed safely, and the pilot is in stable condition,’ Hawkins added.

The incident marks the first time an American F-35 jet has been hit since the war began.

The US and Israel are flying F-35s across the region, which cost upwards of $100 million.

An American F-35 fighter jet was struck flying over Iran despite Pete Hegseth’s claims earlier today Tehran’s air defences have been ‘flattened’.

Earlier, the Defense Secretary said US military were on target to achieve its military objectives in what he described as an overwhelmingly successful war.

However General Dan Caine acknowledged Iran retains ‘some capability’ when it comes to missiles.

Israeli officials from the Environmental Protection Ministry are heading to the Bazan oil refinery in Haifa alongside emergency responders after facilities were struck by Iranian missile fragments.

‘At this stage, the circumstances of the incident are under investigation,’ the group said in a statement

‘The ministry is in continuous contact with all relevant agencies, is monitoring developments and will update details as necessary.

‘The public is asked to refrain from spreading unfounded information and to rely only on official publications.’

Iranian people shop in Tehran

by Olivia Allhusen, Foreign News Reporter

As US-Israeli strikes have pummeled Iran in recent days, Iranians are trying to maintain some semblance of normality while the conflict spreads across the region.

Images from cities in the country show people attempting to go about their business as usual, despite the constant threat of bombardment, as the conflict continues to spark global economic chaos.

Shopkeepers are still opening up, with vendors seen selling goods on busy streets, while trade continues in markets and along roadside stalls even as tensions escalate.

But it is not just business carrying on. Social life, too, has not ground to a halt.

Friends have been pictured chatting in cafes and smiling as they stroll through Tehran, in quiet moments of normality amid the unrest.

Children have also been seen playing, including roller skating in Enghelab Square, one of the capital’s most recognisable landmarks.

Israel has announced it has attacked Iranian Navy ships in the Caspian Sea for the first time since the war started.

Airstrikes were carried out overnight in an Iranian port where dozens of vessels are anchored. The Israeli military said targets included ships carrying air defence systems, anti-submarine weapons, and patrol boats.

The Israeli Air Force has shared footage of the operation which included strikes on a port command centre and infrastructure used to repair and maintain ships.

Pete Hegseth said he told his teenage son American troops killed during the Iran war that they ‘died for him’ so the younger generation would never had to deal with Iran’s nuclear threat.

He told the Pentagon briefing: ‘My 13-year-old son popped into my office last night while I was editing these remarks. He asked about the war and the families I met at Dover.

‘And I looked at him and I said, ‘They died for you, son, so that your generation doesn’t have to deal with a nuclear Iran. It’s the truth, and they did.’

As of now, 13 US service members have been killed in the Iran war

Israeli officials have said the attack on Iran’s South Pars gas field was co-ordinated with the United States, Reuters is reporting.

The three unnamed insiders said the attack will likely not be repeated after Donald Trump insisted Washington was not informed about the attack which has drawn a furious retaliation from Tehran.

Posting on Truth Social, Trump said: ‘Israel, out of anger for what has taken place in the Middle East, has violently lashed out at a major facility known as South Pars Gas Field in Iran. A relatively small section of the whole has been hit.

‘The United States knew nothing about this particular attack, and the country of Qatar was in no way, shape, or form, involved with it, nor did it have any idea that it was going to happen.’

Trump added the attacks will not be repeated unless Iran continues its attacks.

Iran responded to the Israeli strike by attacking energy sites in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the UAE and Kuwait.

The UK is among a coalition of countries willing to help ships safely navigate the Strait of Hormuz which remains closed off to oil tankers.

In a joint statement, the leaders of Britain, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Japan have called for attacks to stop near the strait to help stabilise the markets.

In the statement, they said:

Freedom of navigation is a fundamental principle of international law, including under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

The effects of Iran’s actions will be felt by people in all parts of the world, especially the most vulnerable.

We express our readiness to contribute to appropriate efforts to ensure safe passage through the Strait.

Iran is only allowing some tankers to pass the strait with permission after some commercial vessels were attacked.

Iranian foreign minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi has boasted Iran’s retaliation to an attack on the South Pars gas field showed a ‘fraction’ of its power.

Araghchi added Tehran has held off from further attacks because of requests for de-escalation but insisted ‘zero restraint’ would be shown if other sites are attacked.

It comes after Donald Trump threatened to ‘massively blow up’ the South Pars field if Iran continues to strikes more energy facilities across the Gulf.

by Taryn Kaur Pedler, Foreign News Reporter

Donald Trump is weighing a dramatic escalation in the Middle East conflict, with plans under consideration that could see thousands more American troops deployed.

The President’s administration is actively exploring a range of military options as the war with Tehran enters its third week, with the Pentagon preparing for what could come next in an increasingly volatile campaign, according to Reuters.

Among the scenarios under review is a major reinforcement of US forces in the region, giving Trump greater flexibility as he considers expanding operations against Iran.

Sources said these reinforcements could underpin efforts to secure safe passage for global oil supplies through the Strait of Hormuz – a critical artery for international trade.

Such a mission would largely rely on air and naval power. However, insiders warned it could also pave the way for American troops to be stationed along Iran’s own coastline – a move that would mark a significant escalation in the conflict.

The boss of QatarEnergy, the state-owned energy company, has said it could take up to five years to repair damaged facilities in the Gulf nation.

CEO Saad al-Kaabi said the annual revenue lost from three facilities struck by Tehran is around $20 billion.

He said Iranian attacks in Qatar have hit sites, including Ras Laffan Industrial City, the country’s main gas plant, that produce 17% of the company’s liquefied natural gas export capacity.

‘I never in my wildest dreams would have thought that Qatar would be – Qatar and the region – in such an attack, especially from a brotherly Muslim country in the month of Ramadan, attacking us in this way,’ he said.