LIVE: Fire at Israeli oil refinery after Iranian missile strike

A fire has broken out at an Israeli oil refinery following a missile strike earlier today.

Footage captured by Israeli media shows flames bursting from the Bazan refinery in the port city of Haifa which has previously come under attack in the Iran war.

Channel 12 News is reporting the refinery was attacked by Iran and Hezbollah – the Lebanese militant group fighting Israel in southern Lebanon.

According to the outlet, it is unclear whether the fire was caused by a direct missile strike or by debris from an interception.

Israel’s energy minister Eli Cohen said there was no damage to production facilities and fuel supplies will not be affected.

Here are the latest developments as the US-Israel war with Iran enters its fifth week:

• Donald Trump said in an interview with The Financial Times that he could ‘take Iran’s oil’ and added Kharg Island could be overtaken ‘very easily’
• A power station worker in Kuwait was killed following an Iranian strike which caused significant damage at the energy site.
• Iran’s Revolutionary Guards confirm the death of navy commander Alireza Tangsiri after he was targeted in an Israeli airstrike last week
• Iran has restored electricity across Tehran and nearby areas after strikes damaged power grids and briefly disrupted supply, the deputy energy minister said
• Indonesia has confirmed that one of its peacekeepers was killed in Lebanon where Israel is fighting Iran-backed Hezbollah
• Attacks are continuing on Gulf states as Saudi Arabia intercepts five ballistic missiles while air defences have also been operating in Dubai
• Pakistan has said it is ready to broker and host ‘meaningful talks’ between the US and and Iran to bring an end to the war

Stick with us as we bring you the latest developments throughout the day

Sir Keir Starmer has insisted British boots will not be placed on the ground in Iran.

Asked if he was considering deploying UK armed forces as the US musters its troops in the Middle East, Sir Keir told broadcasters: ‘This is not our war and we’re not going to get drawn into it.

‘What we have done is taken defensive action: so we’ve had our pilots up in the air since an hour or two after this war started, defending British lives, British interests and, of course, our allies in the region.”

The UK will continue to defend its interests and allies, and work to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, Sir Keir said.

‘But we are not going to get dragged into this war,’ he added.

Iran’s military has said Israel is behind an attack on Kuwait’s desalination plant.

‘The brutal aggression by the Israeli regime against Kuwait’s desalination plant, carried out in recent hours under the pretext of accusing the Islamic Republic of Iran, is a sign of the vileness and depravity of the Zionist occupiers,’ said the military’s operational command Khatam Al-Anbiya in a statement carried by state TV.

Iran has today insisted it is not seeking nuclear weapons but the issue of whether to remain part of the non-proliferation treaty was under review in parliament.

‘The Islamic Republic of Iran has never sought and does not seek nuclear weapons,’ said foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei in a weekly press briefing.

‘Regarding membership in this treaty, regardless of our clear position on the prohibition of all weapons of mass destruction, this is genuinely a debate taking place within public opinion and at the parliamentary level.’

Donald Trump has repeatedly claimed Iran was around two weeks away from developing a nuclear bomb and has said destroying Tehran’s nuclear capabilities is a US objective of the conflict.

The fire at the Bazan oil refinery broke out after an industrial building and a fuel tanker were struck by debris from an intercepted missile, Israel’s Fire and Rescue Service says.

Firefighters say the tanker was parked within the grounds of the oil refinery when it was hit.

Crews are currently working to prevent the blaze from spreading while also searching for trapped individuals. No casualties have been reported.

Israel’s military has announced a 19-year-old soldier has become the sixth to be killed in southern Lebanon since fighting broke out with Hezbollah on March 2.

Sergeant Liran Ben Zion, from Holon, died on Sunday, the IDF said.

In a statement online, the IDF said the teenager was promoted from the rank of corporal to sergeant after his death.

‘The IDF shares the family’s grief and will continue to accompany them,’ the message read.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has urged Russia to agree a mutual halt on strikes against energy sites to help ease a global oil crisis triggered by the Iran war.

‘If Russia is ready to stop hitting Ukrainian energy facilities, we will not respond against their energy sector,’ Zelensky told journalists.

by James Tapsfield, UK Political Editor

UK ministers are scrambling to deal with the threat of diesel shortages within weeks as experts warn the energy shock from Middle East chaos could be worse than the 1970s.

Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves are holding crisis talks amid mounting fears over the looming impact from the Iran war.

The Government has admitted it is drawing up contingency plans, despite appealing for Brits to continue their lives as normal. Sir Keir will meet Shell, BP and Norwegian energy company Equinor in Downing Street later to take stock.

But warnings are becoming more stark about the scale of the hit to the UK – and how long it might last – with soaring pump prices just the tip of the iceberg.

A former Bank of England chief cautioned this morning that Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz means a ‘long-term reduction in supply’ and the Government has to look at rationing consumption.

A leading shipping expert pointed out that the world was far more interlinked than at the time of the notorious 1970s energy shock. They suggested shortages of fertiliser could send food prices spiralling and could cause political turmoil in poorer countries.

Israel’s Bazan oil refinery in Haifa was forced to shut down last year after an Iranian missile attack during the 12-day Israel-Iran war.

On June 15, Iranian missiles hit pipelines and transmission lines in a strike that killed three workers.

After two weeks, activities began to resume.

Bazan is considered a major site in Israel’s energy market which has made it a target for the country’s enemies.

Owned by Petrochemical Enterprises, the site was said to have supplied 65 per cent of Israel’s diesel fuel for transportation, 59 per cent of its gasoline, and 52 per cent of its kerosene in 2024.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has hailed defence agreements signed with Gulf nations last week on a visit to the region as ‘historic’.

‘I believe these are historic agreements. We are reaching understanding on strategic cooperation in the military technology area and in other areas. We are talking about 10-year agreements,’ Zelensky told reporters.

Ukraine signed defence agreements with Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates last week.

The contents of the deals have not been made public, but Zelensky has said they include Ukrainian expertise in downing drones, a pressing need as Iranian strikes target Gulf countries in the Middle East war.

The American University of Armenia has said all classes would move online after reported Iranian threats to target American universities in West Asia.

‘Due to the threat made by Iran to target American universities in West Asia and the Middle East, all AUA classes on Monday, March 30, will be held fully online,’ the university said in a statement.

The university added it had received no direct threats and stressing there was no cause for alarm, calling the move ‘a precautionary measure’.