Israel launched a fresh wave of attacks on Iran this morning, a day after president Donald Trump told it not to repeat its strikes on Iranian natural gas infrastructure, which sharply escalated the US-Israeli war on Iran.
Mr Netanyahu said Israel had acted alone in the bombing of the South Pars gas field and confirmed that Mr Trump had asked Israel to hold off on such attacks.
He claimed Tehran was “weaker than ever” as he praised Mr Trump for his co-operation in the US-Israeli war. Iran no longer has the capacity to enrich uranium or make ballistic missiles after 20 days of air attacks, the Israeli prime minister said.
Meanwhile, Mr Trump has suggested he is not planning to send soldiers to the Middle East with his war with Iran heads toward a fourth week. "I'm not putting troops anywhere”, the US president said Thursday when asked whether he was planning to send more service members to the region.
Read MoreIran oil attacks trigger 35% gas price spike – and warning of interest rate rises
How Trump’s Iran war could derail the economy – and the Labour government
Trump makes Pearl Harbor joke before Japanese PM when pressed on lack of warning over Iran attack
Netanyahu is copying Putin’s tactics by bombing Iran’s energy system – it will backfire badly
Key Points
- Netanyahu says Israel 'acted alone' in Iran gas field attack
- Fire breaks out at Kuwait's Mina Al-Ahmadi refinery after drone attack
- Israel launches new wave of attack on Iran
- Iran warns of 'zero restraint' if energy infra attacked again
- UAE says it disrupted 'terrorist network' backed by Hezbollah and Iran
- Oil prices ease at $105 a barrel
Minister insists UK is ‘right’ to let US use bases after Iran said it will be considered an act of 'aggression'
07:56 , Bryony GoochAthena Stavrou, political reporter, reports:
A UK government minister has insisted that Britain is “absolutely right” to allow the US to use British bases to defend British interests in the Middle East after Iran said it will be considered participation in “aggression”.
Iran’s foreign minister has told a UK foreign minister that providing military bases for the US will be considered participation in “aggression” amid the ongoing war in the region.
Asked about the comments, environment secretary Emma Reynolds told Sky News the government is “absolutely right to protect and defend” British nationals in the Middle East.
“But we are also right not to be an active participant,” she said.
“For example, we were called on to provide basis for offensive attacks in Iran and the prime refused to allow UK bases to be [used] on that basis.
“We haven't been dragged in to this war, and we do want to see a de-escalation of this conflict.”
PM Starmer recognises 'pressure on families' as iran war drives up prices
07:45 , Alisha Rahaman SarkarSir Keir Starmer said he recognises the "pressure rising costs puts on families" as the conflict in the Middle East threatens to drive up prices.
The government will set out new measures on Friday to revamp neighbourhoods in the south east of England as part of the Government's Pride in Place programme.
As households brace for a further squeeze on their wallets, Housing Secretary Steve Reed will meet local people and community leaders to discuss ministers' efforts to protect their finances.
Ahead of today's visit, Sir Keir said: "I know how much pressure rising costs can put on families here in the South East and beyond - especially when there is uncertainty on the global stage.
"That's why this Government is acting to protect household budgets, keep everyday costs down and provide reassurance at home - while listening directly to people about what matters most to them."
The Iran war has sent oil and gas prices soaring, putting further pressure on already-battered household budgets in the UK and many countries worldwide.
Tehran's throttling of the key Strait of Hormuz shipping route and attacks on energy facilities across the Gulf have heightened concerns about the security of the supply of fossil fuels.
Sir Keir has said that the longer the conflict continues, "the bigger the impact on the cost of living," arguing that "the best way forward is a negotiated settlement with Iran".
How countries are cutting deals with Iran to move oil through the Strait of Hormuz
07:30 , Alisha Rahaman SarkarAfter two weeks of turmoil and violence in the Strait of Hormuz, an international cargo ship has transited safely through the Iranian waterway with its tracker turned on in what experts described as a major breakthrough.
The Pakistan-flagged ship, the Karachi, also known as the Lorax, became the first non-Iranian vessel to pass through the strait with its automatic identification system (AIS) signal turned on, on Sunday afternoon.
Hundreds of ships are trapped in the Gulf after Iran claimed complete control over the strait, days after the US and Israel declared war and assassinated supreme leader Ali Khamenei.
At least 16 ships have been attacked in the Gulf since the war started on 28 February, according to the UK Maritime Trade Organisation.
More here.
How countries are cutting deals with Iran to move oil through the Strait of Hormuz
Fifa responds to Iran request to move their World Cup games from United States
07:16 , Alisha Rahaman SarkarFifa has appeared to rule out the possibility of relocating Iran’s matches at the World Cup to Mexico following the US and Israeli airstrikes on the country.
It comes after the president of the Iranian football federation, Mehdi Taj, said Iran was “negotiating” with Fifa to move the team’s matches outside of the United States due to the ongoing conflict.
US president Donald Trump said last week that he did not believe it was “appropriate” for Iran to play games in America “for their own life and safety”.
More here.
Fifa responds to Iran request to move their World Cup games from United States
Israeli military says it struck Syrian government targets
07:15 , Alisha Rahaman SarkarThe Israeli military said it struck infrastructure sites belonging to the Syrian government overnight in response to attacks against Druze civilians in Sweida.
The Israeli military said it targeted a command center and weapons in military compounds in southern Syria and said it will not tolerate harm toward the Druze population, adding it will continue to operate to defend them and monitor developments in the region.
Kuwait shuts down parts of Al Ahmadi refinery after attack
07:00 , Alisha Rahaman SarkarA Kuwaiti oil refinery came under attack early this morning from Iranian drones.
The Kuwait Petroleum Corporation has said that it was battling a fire at a unit of the Mina Al Ahmadi Refinery after it was hit by drones.
It added that parts of the refinery were shut down as a precautionary measure.
“No injuries have been reported, and emergency teams are actively working to contain the situation in line with established safety standards”.
Iran oil attacks trigger 35% gas price spike – and warning of interest rate rises
06:45 , Alisha Rahaman SarkarBritain is to “step up” defensive support for Gulf states after Iran attacked energy sites across the region in a “serious escalation” of the war that could push up inflation and interest rates.
The price of Brent crude climbed as high as $119 a barrel and European gas prices briefly surged by 35 per cent after Iran pounded Qatar’s Ras Laffan energy hub and other Middle Eastern oil and gas infrastructure with missiles.
Interest rates were held at 3.75 per cent instead of the previously expected cut, as the Bank of England warned that the war could push inflation as high as 3.5 per cent by July on the back of rising energy bills, and that rates could rise – creating misery for homeowners.
More here
Iran oil attacks trigger 35% gas price spike – and fears of interest rate rises
Israeli forces disperse Muslims gathered outside Jerusalem old city walls to perform Eid al-Fitr prayers
06:31 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar Sirens sounded in Jerusalem
06:30 , Alisha Rahaman SarkarIn Israel, sirens sounded early this morning, warning of attacks on Jerusalem and in the north of the country, sending people again scrambling to shelters. There were no immediate reports of casualties.
Not long after Israel announced that it had begun new strikes on Iran, the sound of explosions was heard in Tehran, as Iranians marked Nowruz, or the Persian New Year.
Netanyahu to 'hold off' attacks on Iranian oilfield
06:15 , Alisha Rahaman SarkarIsraeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said last night that at the request of US president Donald Trump, Israel will hold off any further attacks on Iran’s offshore South Pars gas field.
Iranian strikes in retaliation have led to already elevated global energy prices further surging and spurred Gulf allies to call for Mr Trump to rein in the Israeli leader.
South Pars, the Iranian part of the world’s largest gas field, is located offshore in the Persian Gulf and owned jointly with Qatar.
With some 80 per cent of power generated in Iran coming from natural gas, the attack posed a direct threat to the country’s electricity supplies.
Over 3,100 killed in Iran since beginning of war, says group
06:00 , Alisha Rahaman SarkarAt least 3,186 people have been killed in Iran since US and Israel launched strikes on the Islamic Republic on 28 February, the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (Hrana) said.
About 1,394 civilian casualties, including at least 210 children, were among the dead, the agency said.
Trump compares Pearl Harbour to strikes on Iran
05:45 , Alisha Rahaman SarkarPresident Donald Trump drew a parallel between US strikes on Iran and Japan's 1941 attack on Pearl Harbour, as he defended the war he launched against Tehran while meeting Japanese prime minister Sanae Takaichi in Washington.
"We wanted surprise. Who knows better about surprise than Japan? Why didn't you tell me about Pearl Harbor?" Mr Trump replied when a journalist asked why he had not told allies about his war plans.
"You believe in surprise, I think much more so than us."Ms Takaichi's eyes widened and she shifted in her chair as Mr Trump, seated beside her in the Oval Office, evoked the moment that drew the US into World War Two.
The Japanese attack on the U.S. naval base in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on 7 December 1941, killed 2,390 Americans.
The US declared war on Japan the next day, with president Franklin D Roosevelt calling it "a date which will live in infamy".
UAE under attack on Eid-al-Fitr
05:30 , Alisha Rahaman SarkarThe United Arab Emirates said their air defense systems were actively intercepting missiles on the morning of Eid-al-Fitr.
The Dubai Media Office later on X said all air interception operations in the emirate had been successfully completed with no injuries reported.
Fire breaks out at Kuwait's Mina Al-Ahmadi refinery after drone attack
05:05 , Alisha Rahaman SarkarKuwait's state oil firm KPC said its Mina Al-Ahmadi refinery was hit by multiple drone attacks early this morning, causing a fire in some units, with no initial casualties reported, the state news agency said.
Firefighters responded immediately, with several units shut down as a precaution to ensure workers' safety.
The Iranian attack came as Kuwait marked Eid al-Fitr, the celebration marking the end of the holy Muslim fasting month of Ramadan.
The attack comes as Iran increasingly targets energy sites in Gulf Arab states after Israel on Wednesday bombed Iran's massive South Pars offshore natural gas field in the Persian Gulf.
US approves $7bn more in weapons for UAE - report
05:00 , Alisha Rahaman SarkarThe Donald Trump administration has approved about $7bn in weapons for the United Arab Emirates that the state department is not required to announce to the public under rules governing U.S. arms exports, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday.
That is in addition to arms sales to three Middle East countries worth more than $16.5bn announced earlier on Thursday, the Journal said.
The unannounced deals include the sale of Patriot PAC-3 missiles worth about $5.6bn and CH-47 Chinook helicopters costing about $1.32bn to the UAE, the Journal said, citing US officials, adding that those sales were not announced publicly because they expanded previously agreed arms deals.
Oil prices ease at $105 a barrel
04:45 , Alisha Rahaman SarkarOil prices eased on Friday while bonds were nursing losses, after global central bankers sounded the alarm on inflation risks stemming from the ongoing war in the Middle East that has sent markets into a tailspin.
Brent crude futures were down 3 per cent at $105.43 a barrel this morning, while US crude fell 2.2 per cent to $94 per barrel, after leading European nations and Japan offered to join efforts to secure safe passage for ships through the Strait of Hormuz and the US outlined moves to boost oil supply.
Still, both remained well above levels prior to the US-Israeli war on Iran, having risen more than 40 per cent this month.
Natural gas prices have also soared, with those in Europe surging as much as 35 per cent on Thursday, as Iranian and Israeli strikes targeted some of the Middle East's most important gas infrastructure.
That prompted US president Donald Trump to tell Israel not to repeat its attacks on Iranian natural gas infrastructure.
Debris from a house is seen at the site of an Israeli airstrike in Lebanon
04:44 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar Iran warns of 'zero restraint' if energy infra attacked again
04:27 , Alisha Rahaman SarkarIranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran will not exercise any restraint if energy facilities were attacked in the war with United States and Israel again.
"Our response to Israel's attack on our infrastructure employed FRACTION of our power. The ONLY reason for restraint was respect for requested de-escalation," said Mr Araghchi in a post on X.
"ZERO restraint if our infrastructures are struck again."
Father of dead serviceman says he never told Hegseth to ‘finish the job’ in Iran
04:00 , Alisha Rahaman SarkarThe father of a dead U.S. serviceman has denied claims by Pete Hegseth that he told the Defense Secretary to “not stop until the job is done” – referring to the war in Iran.
“No, I didn’t say anything along those lines,” Charles Simmons told NBC News in an interview Thursday, recalling his encounter with Hegseth at the Dover Air Force Base in Delaware. “I can’t speak for the other families. When he spoke to me, that was not something we talked about.”
Simmons is the father of 28-year-old Master Sergeant Tyler Simmons, who was among the six crew members killed last week when their refueling plane crashed in Iraq.
More here.
Father of dead airman says he never told Hegseth to ‘finish the job’ in Iran: report
Netanyahu says Israel 'acted alone' in Iran gas field attack
03:45 , Alisha Rahaman SarkarBenjamin Netanyahu said Israel had acted alone in the bombing of the South Pars gas field and confirmed that US president Trump had asked Israel to hold off on such attacks.
Israel targeted South Pars, prompting Tehran to retaliate with strikes on an energy complex in Qatar and other sites across the Gulf.
Iran is being "decimated" and no longer has the capacity to enrich uranium or make ballistic missiles, but a revolution in the country would require a "ground component," he said, without elaborating.
US governor says service members and average Americans will 'suffer' from Iran war
03:30 , Rachel DobkinIllinois Governor JB Pritzker has said US service members and average Americans will “suffer” from the war in Iran.
“I’m very fearful that there will be more troops sent there, that they’ll go into combat”, the Democrat told CNN’s Erin Burnett Thursday night local time. “We’ve got Illinois National Guardspeople, men and women, on the front lines out there. We’ve got members of the military from Illinois also in harm’s way”.
“We don’t need to be in this war. This should end. Now everybody’s gonna suffer, not just the people who are on the front lines, but also people all across the United States who are paying higher prices for gas”, Pritzker added.
Israel launches new wave of attack on Iran
03:20 , Alisha Rahaman SarkarIsrael launched a fresh wave of attacks on Iran this morning, a day after president Donald Trump told it not to repeat its strikes on Iranian natural gas infrastructure, which sharply escalated the US-Israeli war on Iran.
The conflict has killed thousands of people, spread to neighbouring nations and hit the global economy since the US and Israel launched strikes on 28 February, after talks about Tehran's nuclear program failed to yield a deal.
"The IDF has just begun a wave of strikes against the infrastructure of the Iranian terror regime in the heart of Tehran," a spokesperson for the Israeli Defense Forces said, without providing details.
Bahrain, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates said they were dealing with missile attacks in the early hours of Friday, following days of Iranian strikes on regional energy infrastructure that has roiled global markets.
Full story: Japanese Prime Minister says she and Trump are ‘best buddies’ in remarks following his Pearl Harbor joke
03:15 , Mike BediganJapanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi insisted that she and Donald Trump were “best buddies”, hours after the president made a poor taste joke about the historic attack on Pearl Harbor.
“A stronger Japan and a stronger America, a more prosperous Japan and a more prosperous America. I am very confident that Donald and I are the best buddies to realize this shared goal”, Takaichi said Thursday evening, speaking via a translator before a dinner event at the White House.
The prime minister went on to praise Trump further and even wish his youngest son, Barron Trump, a preemptive “happy birthday” ahead of his 20th birthday on Friday.
It appeared that the awkwardness of the earlier exchange had disappeared.
While answering questions from reporters in the Oval Office, the president was asked by a Japanese reporter why he had not warned U.S. allies, including Japan, about the Iran airstrike campaign, which began on February 28.
Trump replied that he had wanted the strikes to be a “surprise”, before adding, “Who knows better about surprise than Japan?” — in reference to the devastating attack on December 7, 1941, in which Japanese troops bombed the US military base on Oahu in Hawaii.
Read on...
Japanese PM says she and Trump are ‘best buddies’ in remarks after Pearl Harbor joke
US oil prices fall as treasury secretary floats lifting sanctions on Iranian oil
03:00 , Rachel DobkinUS oil prices fell after Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent floated the idea of lifting sanctions on Iranian oil already at sea.
“In the coming days, we may unsanction the Iranian oil that's on the water. It's about 140 million barrels”, Bessent said on Fox Business Thursday morning local time.
US oil prices then dropped 1.56 percent to $94.64 a barrel, CNBC reported.
Oil prices have surged amid the growing conflict in the Middle East as Iran effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, a waterway that carries about a fifth of the world’s oil supply.
CENTCOM shares photos of US military in action
02:30 , Rachel DobkinUS Central Command has shared photos of American forces in action amid the Iran war.
No adversary is too determined, and no mission is too difficult for American troops who make up the world's most powerful military force. pic.twitter.com/nSmRl1oFgV
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) March 20, 2026
Qatar shares guidelines for worshippers going to Eid al-Fitr prayer
02:00 , Rachel DobkinQatar has shared guidelines for worshippers going to Eid al-Fitr prayer services amid the Iran war:
- Arrive at services early to avoid traffic
- If a mosque is full, go to another mosque. Don’t pray outside
- If a national warning is issued, those inside a mosque should remain in place. Those outside a mosque should go to the nearest building.
- At the end of prayer services, leave the mosque in an orderly fashion, avoiding crowding and pushing.
Eid al-Fitr marks the end of Ramadan, the most sacred time of the year for Muslims.
UAE says it disrupted 'terrorist network' backed by Hezbollah and Iran
01:34 , Rachel DobkinThe United Arab Emirates has said it disrupted ”a terrorist network funded and operated by” Iran and Lebanon’s Iranian-backed militant group, Hezbollah, the Associated Press reported.
The UAE said the arrested terrorist network operatives were “operating within the country under a fictitious commercial cover and sought to infiltrate the national economy and carry out external schemes threatening the country’s financial stability.”
In pictures: Day 20 of Iran war
01:00 , Rachel Dobkin Iran's women's soccer team greeted by fans in Tehran
00:31 , Rachel DobkinMembers of Iran’s national women’s soccer team were greeted by fans in Tehran as they returned home.
“First of all we are so happy to be in Iran, because Iran is our homeland,” midfielder Fatemeh Shaban said, per the Associated Press.
A couple of players decided to remain in Australia amid the war.
Father of US service member killed in Iran war denies telling Pete Hegseth to 'finish' the job
00:00 , Dan HaygarthThe father of US service member killed in Iran war said he did not tell Pete Hegseth to “finish” the job, NBC reports.
Defence secretary Mr Hegseth met privately on Wednesday with the families of six American service members who have died in the Iran war.
About that, he said: “What I heard through tears, through hugs, through strength and through unbreakable resolve was the same from family after family. They said, ‘Finish this. Honour their sacrifice. Do not waver. Do not stop until the job is done.’”
Charles Simmons’s 28-year-old son Tech. Sgt. Tyler H. Simmons was among the six crew members killed when their refueling plane crashed last week.
Mr Simmons said: “I can’t speak for the other families. When he (Mr Hesgeth) spoke to me, that was not something we talked about.”
Why Israel’s attack on the South Pars gas field in Iran is such a major escalation
Thursday 19 March 2026 23:45 , Dan HaygarthPresident Donald Trump has threatened to “massively blow up the entirety” of Iran’s South Pars gas field if Tehran launches further attacks on energy facilities across the Gulf.
Israel struck the vital gas field in a move that drew condemnation from both Iran and Qatar, a close ally of the US, who share the facility.
In retaliation, Tehran struck multiple energy facilities across the Gulf, including Qatar’s Ras Laffan Industrial City, where an estimated 115,000 people work.
Read more below:
Why Israel’s attack on the South Pars gas field in Iran is such a major escalation
Netanyahu said Israel acted alone in attack on gas field
Thursday 19 March 2026 23:32 , Dan HaygarthSpeaking about the attack on Iran’s South Pars gas field, a major escalation of Israel’s war on the country, Benjamin Netanyahu this evening told a press conference: “Israel acted alone against the gas compound.
“President Trump asked us to hold off on future attacks and we’re holding out.”
Mr Trump was earlier asked whether he spoke with Mr Netanyahu after Israel attacked Iran’s South Pars gas field.
“I did, I did, I told him: ‘don’t do that’,” the US president said.
“We’re independent, we get along great, it’s coordinated. But on occasion, he’ll do something, and if I don’t like it... so we’re not doing that anymore.”
EU leaders to ask Brussels to help on energy price surge linked to Iran war
Thursday 19 March 2026 23:30 , Dan HaygarthEU leaders will ask the European Commission to help their countries take temporary nd targeted measures to curb the surge in energy prices triggered by the Iran war, according to draft joint conclusions seen by Reuters.
The draft document also said any measures should maintain long-term investment incentives, support faster deployment of renewables and safeguard fair competition in the EU’s internal market.
Iran oil attacks trigger 35% gas price spike – and warning of interest rate rises
Thursday 19 March 2026 23:00 , Dan HaygarthBritain is to “step up” defensive support for Gulf states after Iran attacked energy sites across the region in a “serious escalation” of the war that could push up inflation and interest rates.
The price of Brent crude climbed as high as $119 a barrel and European gas prices briefly surged by 35 per cent after Iran pounded Qatar’s Ras Laffan energy hub and other Middle Eastern oil and gas infrastructure with missiles.
Interest rates were held at 3.75 per cent instead of the previously expected cut, as the Bank of England warned that the war could push inflation as high as 3.5 per cent by July on the back of rising energy bills, and that rates could rise – creating misery for homeowners.
Read more below
Iran oil attacks trigger 35% gas price spike – and fears of interest rate rises
US fighter jet forced to make emergency landing and is first plane hit by Iranian fire since start of war
Thursday 19 March 2026 22:45 , Daniel HaygarthA US fighter jet was forced to make an emergency landing in the Middle East after it was reportedly struck by Iranian fire.
"We are aware of reports that a U.S. F-35 aircraft conducted an emergency landing at a regional U.S airbase after flying a combat mission over Iran,” Capt. Tim Hawkins, a spokesperson for U.S. Central Command, told The Independent.
“The aircraft landed safely, and the pilot is in stable condition,” Hawkins added. “This incident is under investigation."
Read more below:
US fighter jet makes emergency landing after being hit by Iranian fire
How Iran’s Qatar attacks could trigger a global energy shock
Thursday 19 March 2026 22:30 , Daniel HaygarthNatural gas prices soar as Iran and Israel strike Middle East energy infrastructure
Thursday 19 March 2026 22:15 , Dan HaygarthNatural gas prices in Europe surged as much as 35% on Thursday as Iranian and Israeli strikes targeted some of the Middle East's most important gas infrastructure, doing damage that will likely take years to repair.
The strikes on energy facilities since the onset of the U.S. and Israeli war on Iran have brought to life some of the energy industry's worst fears - that a conflict in the region will leave long-term damage and shortages in global energy supplies.
"We are now well on the road to the doomsday gas-crisis scenario," said Saul Kavonic, an energy analyst at MST Financial.
"Even once the war ends, the disruption to LNG (liquefied natural gas) supply could last for months or even years."
Iran on Thursday struck the Ras Laffan liquefied natural gas facility in Qatar, the world’s largest LNG complex, a day after Israel attacked Iran's huge South Pars gas facilities.
The hit on Ras Laffan destroyed two LNG trains that could cause a reduction of around 17 per cent of Qatar's liquefied natural gas exports for between three and five years.
"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," QatarEnergy chief executive Saad al-Kaabi told Reuters.
He said the state-owned gas company may have to declare force majeure on long-term contracts to Belgium, China, Italy and South Korea.
Gas prices in Europe rose by as much as 35% on Thursday and oil jumped as much as 10%, before paring gains.
Trump’s White House can’t manufacture support for Iran war but is busy ‘grinding away on banger memes’
Thursday 19 March 2026 22:00 , Dan HaygarthWith public support collapsing for his administration’s war in Iran, Donald Trump’s White House has resorted to counting social media impressions as a sign of victory after gleefully posting images of destruction, threaded with clips from Marvel movies and Call of Duty.
Real-world footage of multi-million dollar airstrikes that have killed hundreds of Iranians has been spliced together with clips from video games and pop culture references in montages that appeal to accounts on Elon Musk’s X, all while trolling their antiwar critics.
Read more:
Inside the White House plan for ‘banger memes’ to sell his Iran war
Recap: Netanyahu's press conference
Thursday 19 March 2026 21:45 , Daniel HaygarthIran no longer has the capacity to enrich uranium or make ballistic missiles after 20 days of US-Israeli air attacks, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told a news conference this evening.
"We are winning, and Iran is being decimated," Netanyahu said, adding that he believes Iran's missile and drone arsenal is being massively degraded and will be destroyed.
"What we're destroying now are the factories that produce the components to make these missiles and to make the nuclear weapons that they're trying to produce," Netanyahu said.
Netanyahu did not provide evidence for his claim that Iran no longer had the capacity to enrich uranium.
Despite the nearly three week war, it was still too soon to tell whether Iranians will take to the streets to try to overthrow their government, Netanyahu said.
"It's up to the Iranian people to show that, to choose the moment and to rise to the moment," he said.
While the war so far has been conducted through air attacks, Netanyahu said there could be a ground component as well and "there are many possibilities for this ground component." He did not elaborate.
Netanyahu also denied he dragged the United States into the conflict.
"Does anyone eally think that someone can tell President Trump what to do?" he said.
Netanyahu wants oil and gas to flow through Israel post war
Thursday 19 March 2026 21:30 , Dan HaygarthBenjamin Netanyahu said he believes pipelines should be built to transport Middle East oil and gas across the Arabian Peninsula and up to Israeli ports to avoid threats by Iran in the Hormuz Strait and other Gulf waters.
A day after Israel attacked Iran's main gas field in a sharp escalation of the war, Netanyahu told a press conference that Tehran no longer has the capacity to enrich uranium, a claim that has been contested by the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog.
Netanyahu sought during the 45-minute event to defend his country's military operations even as its attacks on Iran's South Pars field inspired tit-for-tat strikes on energy plants across the Gulf, sending energy prices spiralling.
France's foreign minister to arrive in Israel tomorrow
Thursday 19 March 2026 21:15 , Dan HaygarthFrance's foreign minister Jean-Noel Barrot will arrive in Israel on Friday, in an unscheduled visit, after visiting Beirut as part of efforts to secure a ceasefire in Lebanon.
As it announced Barrot's visit, the French foreign ministry added that Barrot would discuss with Israeli authorities regional security and humanitarian aid issues, and attempts to de-escalate the conflicts in the Middle East
Netanyahu is copying Putin’s tactics by bombing Iran’s energy system – it will backfire badly
Thursday 19 March 2026 21:00 , Dan HaygarthThe Israeli bombing of the South Pars gas field has chilling parallels to Russia’s bombing of Ukrainian infrastructure, which has been condemned as a possible war crime.
World affairs editor Sam Kiley writes that such a strategy will cause needless pain and do nothing to bring the regime to its knees.
Read more:
Netanyahu is copying Putin’s dreadful tactics in Iran –and it will backfire badly
Missile explodes yards from British journalist during news report from Lebanon
Thursday 19 March 2026 20:45 , Dan HaygarthRecap: Iran intensified attacks on fuel facilities
Thursday 19 March 2026 20:30 , Dan HaygarthIran intensified its attacks on oil and natural gas facilities around the Gulf on Thursday, raising the stakes in a war that is sending shock waves through the global economy.
The strikes, in retaliation for an Israeli attack on a key Iranian gas field, sent fuel prices soaring and risked drawing Iran's Arab neighbours directly into the conflict.
Iran's targeting of energy production further stressed global supplies already under pressure because of its stranglehold on the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic waterway through which a fifth of the world's oil is transported.
Since the US and Israel launched the war on 28 February, Iran's top leaders have been killed in air strikes and the country's military capabilities have been severely degraded.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said late Thursday that Iran no longer has the ability to enrich uranium or make ballistic missiles.
Still, Iran - now led by the son of the supreme leader killed in the war's opening salvo - remains capable of missile and drone attacks rattling its Gulf Arab neighbours and a global economy dependent on the energy they produce.
Donald Trump is now trapped in a war even he can’t chicken out of
Thursday 19 March 2026 20:15 , Dan HaygarthThe president is supposed to be a good enough businessman to know when to cut his losses and call it quits – he should go back to making America great again while he has the chance, writes Sean O’Grady.
Read below:
Donald Trump is now trapped in a war even he can’t chicken out of
Netanyahu: Iran's 'navy is lying at the bottom of the sea'
Thursday 19 March 2026 20:00 , Dan HaygarthBenjamin Netanyahu said "Iran's air defences have been rendered useless, their navy is lying at the bottom of the sea... their air force is nearly destroyed".
In a press conference this evening, the Israeli leader said he hopes the Iranian people will rise up against the Islamic Republic that has ruled for nearly half a century, but he conceded "it's too early" to say whether that will happen.
There has been no sign of such an uprising since the war began, after Iranian authorities quelled mass protests in January.
Iranian strikes on energy sites serious escalation of conflict, says John Healey
Thursday 19 March 2026 19:45 , Dan HaygarthBritain will “step up” defensive support for Gulf states after Iran attacked energy sites across the region in a “serious escalation” of the war, the defence secretary has said.
John Healey told the Press Association that Tehran’s attacks overnight threatened to further destabilise the region as he reiterated the Government’s call for de-escalation.
Following an Israeli strike on its main natural gas field, Iran hit multiple energy sites across the Gulf last night, including a Saudi oil refinery, Qatari gas facilities and two more oil refineries in Kuwait.
Speaking to PA on a visit to Dreghorn Barracks in Edinburgh, Mr Healey said the UK shared concerns about Iranian attacks.
He said: “They’re a serious escalation. They further destabilise the region and we will step up the defensive support that we can offer to those Gulf states.”
British forces are already deployed to the Middle East, with RAF jets flying defensive sorties against Iranian drones across the Gulf and British air defence systems protecting critical infrastructure in Saudi Arabia.
UK military planners have also joined the US Central Command to help formulate proposals for opening the Strait of Hormuz, a critical trade route for the world’s oil and gas.
Mr Healey told PA: “We can see the impact here on the cost of living, the price of fuel, so it’s important that we do everything we can with a lot of other countries that need to be involved in trying to reopen those straits.”
He added that the best way of taking the pressure off world oil prices was “to see a de-escalation and an end to the conflict”.
‘It takes money to kill the bad guys’: Senate skeptical of Trump and Hegseth’s $200B Iran war funding request
Thursday 19 March 2026 19:30 , Dan HaygarthRepublican Senate leader John Thune didn’t appear particularly confident on Thursday as he was asked about the Senate’s ability to pass Donald Trump’s reported $200bn supplemental funding request for the war in Iran.
Thune told CNN that the reported amount, which Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth said Thursday morning was not a final number, would be reviewed by Congress but gave no prediction whether it could pass the Senate, where Republicans have a 53-vote majority.
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Senate skeptical of Trump and Hegseth’s $200B Iran war funding request
