Iran, attacks on Israel in Dimona and Arad: over 100 injured

The death toll of the Iranian attack on the Israeli city of Dimona due to the direct impact of a missile has risen to 51 injured. Among the injured was a 12 year old teenager in serious condition. This was reported by the Israeli media citing the emergency services.

The Chief of Staff of the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF), Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir, said that Iranian missiles have "enough range to reach European capitals: Berlin, Paris and Rome, and they are all within direct firing range". This was reported by The Time of Israel. Zamir's statements after Iran launched an intercontinental ballistic missile with a range of 4,000 kilometres towards an American target on the island of Diego Garcia.

The US and Israel struck the Iranian nuclear facility in Natanz, the Atomic Energy Organisation of the Islamic Republic said. The IAEA reported no increase in radiation outside the area. In response to the raid, Iran claimed an attack on the Israeli city of Dimona, which also hosts a nuclear site. Dozens were injured. Teheran then confirmed that it had launched two ballistic missiles against the Anglo-American joint base on the island of Diego Garcia, in the Indian Ocean, 3,810 kilometres from Iran: Mehr writes. The IDF meanwhile reported that it clashed with Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, killing four people

Iran has claimed responsibility for the attack on the Israeli city of Dimona in the Negev desert, which houses a nuclear research centre and which left dozens of people injured. They are a 'response' to the 'enemy' attack on the Iranian nuclear site in Natanz, Iranian state television announced.

About 20 people were injured, mostly slightly, by the impact of the Iranian ballistic missile. This was stated by the Magen emergency service David Adom quoted by the Times of Israel. The missile directly hit a building in the city, according to the emergency services, according to which a 10-year-old boy, who was hit by shrapnel, was moderately injured. Another 20 people were injured by shrapnel, suffered injuries as a result of falling while seeking shelter or suffered severe anxiety, Magen David Adom added.

The Israeli army is about halfway through its military campaign against Iran. This was stated by the Chief of Staff of the IDF (Israel Defence Forces), Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir.

"We are halfway there, but the direction is clear. In about a week, at Easter, the feast of freedom, we will continue to fight for our freedom and our future,' he said in a video message.

The UK will not use its bases in Cyprus for any offensive action in the crisis with Iran. This was stated by a spokesman for the Cypriot government, citing a phone call between British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides. Reuters reports this on its website. "The British Prime Minister reiterated that the security of the Republic of Cyprus is paramount to the UK and, to that end, a decision has been taken to strengthen the means contributing to the preventive measures already in place," the spokesman said in a statement. "Finally, the Prime Minister reiterated that British bases in Cyprus will not be used for any offensive military operations." An Iranian-type Shahed drone caused minor damage when it struck facilities at the British airbase in Akrotiri, southern Cyprus, on 2 March, and two others were subsequently intercepted. There have been no other known security incidents.

"Indian refineries are planning" a possible "resumption of the purchase of Iranian oil", and "other refineries in Asia are considering a similar action after Washington temporarily lifted" some "sanctions to ease the energy crisis" caused by the war in the Middle East, Reuters writes on its website citing "some industry players".

"The war against Iran will continue for weeks. We will prolong it by at least two more weeks." This was stated by an Israeli political official quoted by Ynet. Security officials estimated that for now 'the centre of gravity will continue to be Iran', but that the military operation in Lebanon will 'intensify soon'. They stated that Hezbollah will suffer "hard blows that we have so far managed to avoid inflicting. The operation will be very powerful. There will be severe and deep damage to their ability to launch rockets and missiles. We will not reach a situation where they will have no missiles, but the goal is a clear distance beyond the Litani river'.

Iran is loading four million barrels of crude oil on the island of Khar. This was written in X Tanker Trackers, a maritime intelligence company that tracks global crude oil shipments. "On Kharg Island" Iran "is loading two more VLCC (Very Large Crude Carrier) supertankers today. These are about 4 million barrels of oil, worth more than $400 million,' it reads. A Vlcc is a supertanker that can carry about 2 million barrels of crude oil.

This is an important signal considering that Kharg Island is Iran's main oil terminal in the Persian Gulf and handles up to 90% of Iranian oil exports.

The number of countries ready to commit to Hormuz after the truce rises to 22. This can be seen on the Downing Street website where it is stated that, after the declaration of the past few days, 16 more countries have joined the joint declaration of the leaders of the United Kingdom, Italia, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Japan. "Following publication, Canada, the Republic of South Korea, New Zealand, Denmark, Latvia, Slovenia, Estonia, Norway, Sweden, Finland, the Czech Republic, Romania, Bahrain, Lithuania, Australia and the United Arab Emirates" have joined the initiative.

The Russian Federation condemns today's attack on the Iranian nuclear site in Natanz as a 'blatant violation of international law' and calls for an urgent assessment by the international community and the UN in particular.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova stated that the action attributed to the US and Israel was a violation of the UN Charter, the statutes of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), and the resolutions of the Security Council and the General Conference of the Agency.

The US and Israeli intelligence services are looking for concrete signals on the role and condition of Iran's new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei, whose prolonged public absence fuels questions about who is actually in charge in Tehran.

According to sources quoted by the American website Axios, the CIA and Mossad monitored the period of Nowruz - the Iranian New Year - to check on Mojtaba's possible moves: in particular, whether he would make a public speech, but in the end only a written message was circulated, raising doubts about his physical condition, but also about his position and decision-making capacity.

Iranian gas supplies to Iraq have resumed at the rate of five million cubic metres per day. This was reported by the state news agency citing the Iraqi Ministry of Electricity. The flows had been interrupted after Israel attacked Iran's main gas field, South Pars, last Wednesday.

Iran failed to strike the Anglo-American base on the island of Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean. This was emphasised by a British official source quoted by Afp after the Wall Street Journal reported the launch of two ballistic missiles from Tehran against the base. The source went on to clarify that the 'failed attempt to strike Diego Garcia' occurred before the British government announced yesterday that it would allow the US to use some of its bases to strike Iranian sites used to attack ships in the Strait of Hormuz.

"I spoke with President Dr Masoud Pezeshkian and conveyed to him my wishes for Eid and Nowruz. We expressed the hope that these holidays will bring peace, stability and prosperity to West Asia'. Writing this, in a post on X, was Indian PM Narendra Modi. "I have condemned attacks on critical infrastructure in the region, which threaten regional stability and disrupt global supply chains," it reads. "I reiterated the importance of safeguarding freedom of navigation and ensuring that sea lanes remain open and safe. Appreciated Iran's continued support for the security of Indian nationals present in Iran."

According to the Ministry of Defence, the UAE today intercepted three ballistic missiles and eight drones launched from Iran. "Since the beginning of Iran's overt aggression, the UAE's air defences have intercepted 341 ballistic missiles, 15 cruise missiles and 1,748 drones," the statement published in X reads. "These attacks resulted in the deaths of two active duty members of the armed forces, as well as six Pakistani, Nepalese, Bengali and Palestinian victims. In total, 160 people were injured, with injuries of varying severity, ranging from mild to moderate and severe."

Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IEAA) Rafael Mariano Grossi appealed for "military restraint" after Iranian media reported an Israeli-US attack on the Natanz uranium enrichment facility. "The IEA has been informed by Iran that the Natanz nuclear site was attacked today. No increase in radiation levels outside the site has been reported. The IEA is assessing," reads a post on the UN agency's X account. "IEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi reiterates the call for military restraint to avoid any risk of a nuclear accident," the post continues. Earlier, the Iranian Atomic Energy Organisation had said no leak of radioactive material was reported after the raid.

The UK Ministry of Defence criticised Iranian attacks, calling them 'a threat to British interests' after reports of the launch of two ballistic missiles against an Anglo-American military base on Diego Garcia Island in the Indian Oceando. "Iran's reckless attacks, extending across the region and holding the Strait of Hormuz hostage, pose a threat to British interests and UK allies," a spokesman said, as reported by Sky News. "Raf jets and other British military assets continue to defend our personnel and troops in the region. This government has authorised the US to use British bases for specific and limited defensive operations,' the UK MoD spokesperson added.

Hezbollah claims the launching of missiles 'against a group of Israeli soldiers gathered around the Al-Khayyam detention centre', reads the text of the Lebanese group's statement quoted by Iranian media.

The US and Israel will significantly intensify their attacks against Iran next week, starting tomorrow. This was announced by Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz. Next week, "the intensity of the attacks that will be conducted by the Israel Defence Forces and the US military against the Iranian terrorist regime and the infrastructure on which it relies will increase significantly," Katz said in a statement released by the Israeli defence ministry. "The IDF is strong and the Israeli home front is strong, and we will not stop until all war aims are achieved," Katz added.

The Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran (Aeoi) announced that following the attack on the Natanz nuclear facility it had carried out 'technical and expert assessments' regarding radioactive contamination and that, based on the results, 'no leakage of radioactive material has been reported at the facility and there is no danger to residents of the surrounding areas'. In a statement reported in the Iranian media, the organisation condemned the attack, saying it constituted a 'violation of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and other regulations related to nuclear safety'.

An Israeli Air Force fighter plane was targeted by anti-aircraft fire over Iran, according to military reports. The Times of Israel reports. According to the IDF, the launch of a surface-to-air missile in the direction of the jet was identified. "The crew acted according to procedures, the aircraft was not damaged and the mission was completed as planned," the Idf said in a statement.

"The vast majority of the British people want nothing to do with the war of choice waged by Israel and the US against Iran. By ignoring his own people, Mr Starmer is endangering British lives by allowing UK bases to be used for aggression against Iran." Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi wrote this on X, adding: 'Iran will exercise its right to self-defence'. Araghchi's statements come after the British PM authorised the US to use British bases to protect Hormuz.

Iraq has declared a state of force majeure on all oil fields developed by foreign oil companies, ordering the total shutdown of production in the affected concession areas, without any compensation under the terms of the contract. Reuters writes this, citing three energy officials. 'Navigation across the Straits has been severely compromised by unprecedented military activity,' reads a letter from the oil ministry in a letter dated 17 March and viewed by Reuters.

An Iraqi officer was killed in the drone attack that targeted the headquarters of the National Intelligence Service in a Baghdad residential district. 'An officer was martyred,' Iraqi intelligence said in a statement, condemning 'a terrorist attack perpetrated by deviant elements'. A security forces official and an Iraqi emergency services source reported that another officer was injured.

Azim Esmaili, a senior member of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps and the paramilitary organisation Basij, was killed in an attack in Tehran on 17 March. Iranian and Arabic-language media reported that Esmaili, deputy commander of the Basij forces, was killed in the Israeli-American raid on Tehran along with the organisation's commander-in-chief Gholamreza Soleimani.

Donald Trump's Board of Peace has presented Hamas with a written proposal on how to lay down arms, according to agency reports. This is a step that the Palestinian militants have so far refused to take, while the US president pursues his plan for the future of Gaza. The proposal was presented to Hamas during meetings held in Cairo last week. The talks were attended by Nickolay Mladenov and Aryeh Lightstone. Mladenov is the Board of Peace envoy to Gaza appointed by Trump. Lightstone is a US assistant to Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff. Trump's plan for Gaza, agreed by Israel and Hamas in October, calls for the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza and the start of reconstruction as soon as Hamas lays down its arms.

Israel and the United States have again attacked the uranium enrichment plant in Natanz. This was reported by the Iranian news agency Tasnim. According to the Iranian authorities, Tasmin reports, there has been no radioactive leakage from the plant and residents living nearby are not at risk.

The Iranian Revolutionary Guardians have issued a warning asking residents of Ras Al Khaimah to leave the UAE city, stating that the area is being used to launch operations against Iranian islands and may soon become a target. "To the citizens and residents of the city of Ras Al Khaimah in the United Arab Emirates: given the use of this area for operations targeting Iranian islands, the city of Ras Al Khaimah has become a possible target in the near future. All residents are requested to leave the city as soon as possible,' reads the note reported by the Tasnim news agency, accompanied by a map.

"I don't know anything about it," Donald Trump replied last night to a journalist's question about the Israeli attack on the heart of Iranian gas production. A few hours later the regime in Tehran had struck in retaliation Ras Laffan, Qatar's energy hub, spreading chaos in markets around the world. It is no small thing for a US president not to be informed about what happened to the world's largest gas field: 7.9 billion cubic metres.

'I don't know anything about it' has entered the lexicon of the 'virtual reality' inaugurated at the start of the first Trump administration. The president had also said this when asked who had bombed a school in southern Iran, resulting in the deaths of dozens of girls. A kind of 'I don't know anything about it' was also the speech in the House of Representatives committee by Tulsi Gabbard, Director of National Intelligence. To explain why the experts' assessment that Iran was not an imminent threat had not been heard, the head of all the country's intelligence services replied: Only the president decides what is meant by an imminent threat.

Today, Iranians celebrate the first day of the ancient Persian year, and morning prayers were held in several cities for the feast of Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan. In Tehran, thousands of people attended prayers in the Imam Khomeini Grand Mosque in the centre of the capital. The Iranian leader's office, which announces the end of the lunar month of Ramadan every year, said in a statement that yesterday was the 30th day of the month, followed by the Eid al-Fitr holiday on the following day. This year, the first day of the Iranian month of Farvardin coincided with the first day of Shawwal, the tenth month of the lunar calendar

A drone attack rocked a residential area in central Baghdad this morning, a security official who asked to remain anonymous told Afp. The attack targeted the telecommunications building of an Iraqi security service that works with US military advisers deployed in Iraq in the fight against jihadists, the official added. A second drone, which was filming the operation, crashed into the grounds of a sports club frequented by Iraqi elites and diplomats, according to the source.

Saudi Arabia has agreed to open the King Fahd airbase in Taif in the west of the country to the Americans. This was reported by the Middle East Eye, citing several US and Western officials familiar with the matter. The newspaper emphasised the importance of this base, which is located further away from the Iranian Shahed drones than the Prince Sultan base, repeatedly the target of Iranian atatacs, and is also close to Jeddah, the Red Sea port that has become a crucial logistical hub since Iran effectively took control of the Strait of Hormuz. American sources pointed out that if the Trump administration is preparing for a long war against Iran, Jeddah could be crucial for the sustenance of the armed forces.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian addressed the Arab countries in a post on X, stating that Tehran has no intention of quarrelling with them. "To the Islamic countries and our dear neighbours, you are our brothers and we have no intention of quarrelling with you. The only beneficiary of our differences is the Zionist entity," referring to Israel.

Tehran confirms that it has launched two ballistic missiles against the joint Anglo-American base on the island of Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean, 3,810 kilometres from Iran, Mehr writes. "This launch represents a significant step in the confrontation with the United States," the agency points out. The fact that Iran targeted the island suggests that its missiles have a longer range than estimated. Last month, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had claimed that Tehran had deliberately limited the range of its missiles to 2,000 km.

A new wave of missiles launched from Iran towards Israel, with the Israeli army issuing yet another warning - at least the fourth since Saturday morning - calling on the population to get to shelters and remain there until the danger ceased. As reported by the Israeli media, the military reported that air defence systems are in action to intercept the vectors, which were launched from Iranian territory earlier. According to the military, rescue and recovery teams have been sent to the centre of the country, where possible impact areas have been reported.

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said the UN could be part of a plan to reduce attacks and protect the Strait of Hormuz, recalling the organisation's past role in the Black Sea Initiative, which allowed for the export of food and fertiliser during the war in Ukraine. "My main goal is to see if it is possible to recreate conditions in the Strait of Hormuz similar to those of the past," he said in an interview with Politico, referring to ongoing contacts with key Gulf actors and the European Council.

The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) reported that they killed four Hezbollah militants during their ground incursion into southern Lebanon. As Haaretz reports, the Israeli army added that they "hit several Hezbollah headquarters" during a raid on Beirut.

Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated the Iranian leadership on the occasion of Nowruz, the Persian New Year, reaffirming Moscow's support for Tehran. According to Kremlin reports, the Russian president sent his congratulations to Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei and President Masoud Pezeshkian and wished the Iranian people "with dignity" to overcome their current difficulties. Putin stressed that Moscow remains a loyal friend and reliable partner for Tehran at this difficult time.

Since the war in Iran began, Maersk has suspended all passage of its ships through the Strait of Hormuz until a later date. The Danish shipping giant is diverting cargoes along the Cape of Good Hope route, extending the transit time for containers leaving Asia for Europe from 8 to 15 days.

The war in Iran does not only affect global supplies of energy and certain raw materials, such as urea or helium. The blockade of the Strait of Hormuz is also directly affecting the availability of maritime transport, transit times for cargo ships, and transport costs in the Asia-Europe corridors. This umpteenth side effect of the American and Israeli attack on Tehran has been the focus of researchers at Oliver Wyman, the strategy consulting firm of the American Marsh Group.

The Iranian military warns that any further attacks from UAE territory against the Iranian islands of Abu Musa and Greater Tunb will result in destructive attacks against Ras Al Khaimah in the UAE, Mehr reported. The Emirates have claimed the three Iranian islands of Abu Musa, Greater Tunb and Lesser Tunb, located in the Persian Gulf near the Strait of Hormuz.

The US airline United Airlines will reduce the number of flights due to the high increase in fuel prices caused by the war in Iran. According to the carrier, the cut will currently affect five per cent of total capacity. "We plan to fully restore flights from next autumn," explained United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby in a message to employees in which, however, he assured that the company has a solid financial margin and that there will be no reduction in investments. The carrier's guaranteed routes to Tel Aviv and Dubai, which account for about 1% of flights, had already been suspended due to the escalation in the Middle East. In addition, currently unprofitable routes, which account for about 3% of capacity, will not be operated in the next six months. A further 1% of flights will be cut at United's Chicago hub.

The Trump administration is developing strategies, methods and options to secure or extract Iran's nuclear materials. Cbs reports this, citing several sources informed about the dossier. The timing of a possible operation, should the US president decide to authorise it, is not yet clear, the broadcaster explains, citing a source who said no decision has yet been made. However, planning has focused on the possible deployment of forces of the Joint Special Operations Command, the elite military unit often in charge of the most sensitive counter-proliferation missions, two sources told CBS.

"Our message is that this war is not our war. It is a war that has been imposed on us. We were negotiating with the US when they decided to attack us. It was clearly an act of aggression; an illegal, unprovoked and unprovoked act. What we are doing is simply defending ourselves. We will continue to defend ourselves for as long as necessary and as long as necessary. Therefore, we hope that the whole world will unite with one voice against this aggression, the aggression of the United States and Israel, and force them to stop it'. This is how Iran's Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, put it in a telephone interview with the Kyodo News agency and relayed on his Telegram channel. "Our position is this, and I must reiterate it," he added. "We do not accept a ceasefire, because we do not want a repeat of last year's scenario. The war must end completely and permanently."

Iran fired two intermediate-range ballistic missiles at Diego Garcia, but did not hit the American-British military base on the island in the Indian Ocean. The Wall Street Journal reports this, citing several official US sources. One of the missiles malfunctioned during the flight, while a US warship fired an SM-3 interceptor at the other, the newspaper specified. It is unclear when the attack took place.

In a short note released via the Telegram channel, the Israeli Defence Forces announced that they were carrying out an attack 'against targets of the terrorist organisation Hezbollah in Beirut'. The Israeli army claimed to have hit targets. No casualties were reported. More than a thousand people have been killed in Lebanon and more than a million have been displaced since 2 March, when Hezbollah began launching raids against Israel in support of Iran and the IDF intensified its offensive against the Lebanese militia.

The US has given the go-ahead for the sale of Iranian oil already under sail. The authorisation announced by the US Treasury Secretary for the sale of Iranian oil already in navigation will be in force until 19 April, i.e. for one month. This is stated in the order published on the Treasury Department's website. Scott Bessent had merely said that it was a 'temporary and targeted' authorisation.

Donald Trump wrote in a lengthy post on Truth that the US is close to achieving its goals in the Iran war and is therefore considering a 'scaling back' of the military operation. "We are now very close to achieving our objectives and are considering scaling back our massive military efforts in the Middle East against the terrorist regime of Iran," wrote the presidentwho then listed the aforementioned objectives. "(1) Completely degrade its missile capabilities, delivery systems, and everything related to them. (2) Destroy Iran's defence industry. (3) Eliminate their Navy and Air Force, including anti-aircraft weapon systems. (4) Never allow Iran to come even remotely close to possessing nuclear capabilities and constantly keep the United States in a position to react quickly and decisively to such an eventuality, should it occur. (5) Protect, at the highest levels, our Middle Eastern allies, including Israel, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Kuwait, and others."