Israel launches more strikes on Tehran as Iran continues attacks on Gulf oil facilities : NPR

Israel launched more strikes in and round Tehran early Friday as Iranians marked Nowruz, the Persian New Year, as the warfare with Iran approached its fourth week.

President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu publicly diverged over Israel’s bombing of Iran’s South Pars fuel area on Wednesday, which rattled vitality markets and widened the battle’s spillover throughout the Gulf area. Iran focused a number of fuel and oil facilities on Thursday, together with Qatar’s Ras Laffan, a serious vitality hub.

Trump stated Thursday he advised Netanyahu to refrain from hitting Iranian vitality websites once more. Netanyahu responded that Israel acted alone in hitting the location, and stated Israel would “hold off on future attacks” at Trump’s request.
Overnight, Iranian drones hit Kuwait’s Mina Al-Ahmadi oil refinery once more, sparking fires as crews labored to include the blaze. Authorities within the United Arab Emirates stated the nation’s air defenses responded to missile and drone threats from Iran with explosions echoing throughout Dubai as worshipers marked the Muslim vacation of Eid.

Iran’s new supreme chief, Mojtaba Khamenei, who has not been seen publicly since he succeeded his slain father, issued a uncommon assertion Friday saying Iran’s enemies have to have their “security” taken away.

Here are additional updates from the battle.

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Trump and Netanyahu on Iran’s gas field | Netanyahu on Iran’s enriched uranium | Iran strikes Gulf countries | Iran’s new leader | IRGC spoke killed | EU on Strait of Hormuz

Trump and Netanyahu spar over strikes on Iran’s vitality infrastructure

President Trump advised reporters on the White House Thursday he had complained to Netanyahu about Israel’s strike on Iran’s South Pars fuel area. He urged Israel to keep away from future attacks on Iranian vitality infrastructure to keep away from additional disruption on world vitality provides.

Netanyahu later stated that Israel acted alone in finishing up the assault on South Paris on Wednesday. He stated Israel would honor Trump’s request.

“President Trump asked us to hold off on future attacks, and we’re holding off,” Netanyahu advised reporters at a press convention Thursday.

Netanyahu claims Iran “has no ability to enrich uranium”

Netanyahu claimed Iran “has no ability to enrich uranium” and “no ability to produce ballistic missiles.” At the press convention, the primary because the warfare started on Feb. 28, Netanyahu stated Israel is now focusing on industries that allow manufacturing.

Netanyahu stated that the warfare on Iran was targeted on destroying its nuclear and ballistic missile program and “creating the conditions that will allow the Iranian people to take their fate into their own hands.”

His remarks on Iran’s capacity to counterpoint uranium contradicted latest statements from the top of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) about Iran’s nuclear capabilities.

On Wednesday, Rafael Mariano Grossi, the IAEA’s director-general, told NPR He believes components of Iran’s nuclear program will stay, even after the heavy harm completed by US and Israeli navy strikes.

“Of course, there is an enormous degradation of the physical facilities,” Grossi advised NPR’s Geoff Brumfiel on Wednesday. “But most probably, at the end of this [military conflict]the material will still be there and the enrichment capacities will be there, perhaps some infrastructure will still be there.”

Israeli opposition chief Yair Lapid additionally pushed again towards Netanyahu’s claims.

“The question is not what Iran can do today, but what it will be able to do tomorrow, at the end of the war or in a year,” Lapid wrote in a post on X.

Iran hits Kuwait’s Mina Al-Ahmadi oil refinery once more

A normal view of Mina Al-Ahmadi refinery in Kuwait, on Friday.

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Kuwait stated Friday that Iranian drones struck the Mina Al-Ahmadi refinery in a single day, igniting fires at a number of operational models. Authorities stated firefighters have been working to manage the blaze and that no accidents have been reported.

The assault adopted a strike on the identical fuel facility the day earlier than, as Iran intensified attacks on Gulf vitality websites after Israel’s bombing of the South Pars oil area.

Mina Al-Ahmadi is Kuwait’s largest oil refinery, making it a outstanding goal amid the battle’s widening vitality entrance.

Iran’s new supreme chief says enemies’ “security must be stripped”

In a press release, the primary since Israeli airstrikes focused and killed Iran’s prime officers, Iran’s new supreme chief, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, stated Iran’s enemies should have their safety taken away.

“Security must be stripped from internal and external enemies,” Khamenei stated in a press release responding to Israel’s killing of Iran’s intelligence chief, Esmail Khatib, earlier this week.

Israel additionally killed Ali Larijani, the top of the Supreme National Security Council, and Gholamreza Soleimani, the commander of Basij paramilitary militia on Tuesday.

Khamenei, 56, has not been seen publicly since he succeeded his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike on Feb. 28.

Israel confirms killing of IRGC spokesperson

Israel’s navy says it “eliminated” the Iranian Revolutionary Guard’s prime spokesperson, Ali Mohammed Naini, early Friday.

Israel didn’t say how or the place Naini was killed. His dying makes him the fourth senior Iranian officer killed by Israel this week.

EU requires reopening of Strait of Hormuz, moratorium on strikes on water and vitality websites

European Union leaders met in Brussels Thursday, the place they called for “de-escalation and maximum restraint,” and pressed for the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.

“The European Council deplores the loss of civilian life and is closely monitoring the far-reaching impact of the hostilities, including on economic stability,” the leaders stated in a press release.

The leaders additionally known as for a moratorium on strikes focusing on vitality and water infrastructure, as vitality costs continued to climb as a results of the warfare.

A separate joint statement by France, Britain, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Japan and Canada condemned Iran’s latest attacks on industrial vessels and makes an attempt to dam the Strait of Hormuz, calling for an finish to mine-laying, missile and drone attacks.