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TEHRAN, Mar. 18 (MNA) – Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Khamenei has offered condolences over the martyrdom of the SNSC secretary Ali Larijani.

US intelligence concluded Wednesday that Iran was not rebuilding nuclear enrichment capacities destroyed last year by the United States and Israel, contradicting a key justification by President Donald Trump for his ongoing war. Tulsi Gabbard, a Trump ally who is director of national intelligence, offered mixed signals on the backdrop and outcomes of three weeks of war as she and other officials appeared before Congress She also assessed that Iran's leadership remained intact.

US-Israeli war on Iran 'unjustified and unlawful', French ambassador tells MEE David Hearst on Wed, 03/18/2026 - 15:22 French ambassador to Oman says military operation bypassed UN Security Council, sparking 'disappointment and clear dismay' in Muscat Off France believes the US-Israeli war on Iran is unjustified and unlawful, the French ambassador to Oman has told Middle East Eye in an exclusive interview.  Nabil Hajlaoui was speaking during an episode of The David Hearst Podcast published on Tuesday. “This military operation is outside of international law and we cannot endorse it in any way,” Hajlaoui said. “We don't see any justification, any Security Council resolution, or any situation where it is required to move that quickly to this military operation.” The ambassador said that US-Israeli attacks, launched on 28 February, came at a critical moment when Oman-led talks between Washington and Tehran showed signs of progress. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); “We were briefed by our partners about these discussions, and we did have the impression that several elements were moving in the right direction,” he said.  Badr bin Hamad Al Busaidi, Oman’s foreign minister, said three weeks ago that Iran had agreed during indirect talks with the United States to never stockpile enriched uranium. Busaidi said Iran would degrade its existing stockpiles of nuclear material to “the lowest level possible” converting them into fuel - a process that would be “irreversible”. The US and Israel launched their war a day after his comments. Hajlaoui said he could understand Iran’s anger at being attacked days after talks. “When you discuss and then you are attacked, you are not very happy,” he said. He noted that while Iran had likely made concessions, it was still “very far from the expectations of the Americans”.  The diplomat said that beyond the nuclear file, there were still disagreements about Tehran’s ballistic missile arsenal and its “destabilising role” in the region that remained unresolved. War 'pushed by Israel' Hajlaoui said that Israel “probably pushed” for a military confrontation instead of lengthy negotiations. “I'm really not informed of the way the Israelis and the Americans discussed this preparation and decision to launch military operations, but we can just see that the momentum was pushed by the Israelis,” he stated.  He said that the mood in Muscat was one of “disappointment and clear dismay” when the war began.  'We can just see that the momentum was pushed by the Israelis' - Nabil Hajlaoui, French ambassador to Oman “It was a clear collective failure to prevent a war and to reach a peaceful agreement,” the ambassador noted.  He said Gulf states were being dragged into a conflict they did not seek.  Hajlaoui added that Iran had played a long-standing role in destabilising the region through its allies, but that Gulf states had made efforts to rebuild relations with Tehran in recent years.  Iran's retaliatory attacks on Gulf states, he said, undermined such rapprochement.  “We were collectively mistaken, and we saw how Iran started by striking its neighbours to retaliate.”  US ground invasion 'incredibly risk' Hajlaoui warned that the war was being expanded geographically, with no clear limits to its escalation.  He said that a “huge international economic crisis” was looming if the Strait of Hormuz continued to be closed by Iran.  (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); The Strait of Hormuz is a narrow maritime channel, around 33km at its narrowest point, between the Musandam Peninsula in Oman and Iran. By wresting control of the Strait of Hormuz, Iran has turned the tables on US Read More » It is described as the most significant oil chokepoint in the world, with around a fifth of global oil output passing through it, and a third of global liquified natural gas (LNG). Hajlaoui said that while France had sent an aircraft carrier to the region as “reassurance” to partners in the region, it did not have any intentions of being involved “in any way in this war”.  Hajlaoui said France was working with allies to come up with a plan to monitor the situation in the strait, but would not actively intervene while military operations were ongoing.   “This administration, from the beginning, said that they won't go to these kinds of lengthy wars, endless wars, that were waged by the previous administration, and they would just reach their goals by very specific interventions,” he said. “So that would be a total shift and in my personal opinion, an incredible political risk from the American administration.” He also said that “multilateralism” was being undermined internationally, driven by the US administration. “We saw it very recently by stopping their contribution to many agencies and organs of the UN, by launching alternative forums in competition with the Security Council and UN,” Hajlaoui said, likely referring to Trump’s so-called Board of Peace.  War on Iran News Post Date Override 0 Update Date Mon, 05/04/2020 - 21:19 Update Date Override 0

Iran threatens Gulf energy facilities after Israeli attack on its largest gasfield  The Guardian

TEHRAN, Mar. 18 (MNA) – President Masoud Pezehskian has confirmed the martyrdom of his intelligence minister Esmaeil Khatib by offering his condolences to the Iranian nation on his martyrdom.

Iran warns energy infrastructure of US and allies could be targeted “The fuel, energy and gas infrastructures” of those who attacked Iran’s energy and oil facilities “will be burned and turned to ashes at the earliest opportunity,” a spokesperson for IRGC’s Khatam al-Anbiya Headquarters said.  The statement, which was published on Iran’s Mehr news agency added: “This is a firm and clear warning to the criminals who attacked part of Iran’s fuel and energy infrastructures in the south of the country.”  “We declare to the cowardly and aggressive army of the criminal America and the barbaric and child-killing Zionist regime that you will have to throw your soldiers into the water and throw your dignity into the wind.”

TEHRAN, Mar. 18 (MNA) – Russian government has officially lodged a complaint to the the Israeli regime after the attack on Bushehr Power Plant in south of Iran.

Iran shares the world’s largest natural gas reserve with it’s neighbour Qatar

Turkey proposes Iraq oil pipeline extension as Hormuz crisis bites Ragip Soylu on Wed, 03/18/2026 - 15:45 Turkish energy minister says Iraq could transport half of its oil exports through Turkey if it extends Kirkuk pipeline to Basra A general view of the oil refinery at Zubair, southwest of Basra in southern Iraq, on 3 March 2016 (AFP) Off With Iran's chokehold on exports through the Strait of Hormuz triggering an international energy crisis, Turkish Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar has proposed extending the oil pipeline that links Turkey and Iraq all the way to the southern port city of Basra. Turkey and Iraq have been connected by a 970-kms pipeline since 1976, linking Iraq’s oil-rich northern city of Kirkuk to the Turkish port city of Ceyhan. While a branch line carrying oil from Iraq’s Kurdistan region to Turkey has operated for years, the main Kirkuk-Ceyhan pipeline has remained largely idle since an Islamic State attack on the infrastructure in 2014. Iraq announced this week that it expects to complete repair work on the pipeline within the next week or so. It also announced a deal with the Kurdistan Regional Government to use its infrastructure to resume oil exports to Turkey. Mehmet Alaca, an independent regional expert specialising in Iraqi affairs, told Middle East Eye that work on the idle pipeline would likely continue for several more weeks, as the Iraqi government is keen to bring it back online. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Arguing that extending the pipeline would diversify Baghdad's access to international oil markets, Bayraktar said Iraq could initially pump between 170,000 and 250,000 barrels of oil per day through Turkey, as Brent crude prices climbed to $108 on Wednesday. Turkey itself consumes more than one million barrels of oil per day. Iran has effectively shut down the Strait of Hormuz, imposing economic costs on Gulf energy trade in response to the US-Israeli war on the country. In 2025, around 20 million barrels of oil and oil products passed through the strait each day. Extending the Iraq-Turkey oil pipeline Bayraktar said the Iraq-Turkey pipeline has a capacity of 1.5 million barrels per day, adding that Ankara had been warning Baghdad for years that it would have no alternative if the strait were ever closed.  Iran tells Saudi Arabia, Qatar and UAE to evacuate energy facilities after Israel hits gas field Read More » “We also proposed this: let us extend this pipeline, which currently runs up to Kirkuk, all the way to Basra,” Bayraktar said in a live interview on Turkey’s NTV channel. “Today, Iraq exports approximately three million barrels of crude oil per day. About 1.5 million barrels of that, nearly 50 percent, could actually be transported through this pipeline, with the potential to reach new customers in the Mediterranean basin in particular.” Bayraktar said he hoped Iraqi officials now understood the importance of Turkey’s proposal, now that they are experiencing the consequences of lacking an alternative route. Alaca, the energy expert, said Iraq was considering such an extension to Basra as part of the Development Road project, which envisions a network of roads and railways linking Basra to Turkey and connecting Iraq onward to Europe. He added that progress on the project has been slow, as Iraqi domestic politics remain mired in disagreements and power-sharing disputes. Baghdad has yet to approve a prime minister, with consensus proving difficult among parties with differing political and sectarian leanings. Any effort to build such a pipeline extension, however, would likely take at least several years and cost several billion dollars, depending on the route and the supporting infrastructure required to ensure smooth operations. Turkey-Saudi Arabia plans Bayraktar also said that Turkey and Saudi Arabia were discussing plans to build an electricity interconnector that could eventually help transmit power onward to Europe. “We are working on an electricity transmission line from Saudi Arabia to Turkey, and the transfer of electricity to Europe via Turkey,” he said. 'The Saudis want the roads, cables and trains to go through Syria' - western official “Therefore, Turkey is now also a country where you can build this value chain.” Middle East Eye reported in February that Saudi Arabia is considering an electricity cable project with Greece that would bypass Israel in favour of Syria. The project would connect the Gulf state to Europe through a high-voltage direct current (HVDC) interconnection. “For Saudi Arabia, Damascus is at the heart of regional connectivity,” a western official familiar with Riyadh’s investment drive told MEE. “The Saudis want the roads, cables and trains to go through Syria.” Energy Ankara News Post Date Override 0 Update Date Mon, 05/04/2020 - 21:19 Update Date Override 0

An elderly couple was killed after a bomb flew into their apartment in central Israel and exploded.

Iraq’s gas imports from Iran halted after Israel strikes facilities Iraq’s gas supply from Iran has stopped following the strikes on Iranian gas sites earlier today, according to a report from the Iraqi electricity ministry. Iraq is heavily reliant on Iranian energy, importing over a third of its gas and power from Iran.  “As a result of the repercussions of developments in the region, Iranian gas flows to Iraq stopped completely,” electricity ministry spokesperson Ahmed Moussa told the Iraqi News Agency.

Nato allies are ‘working collectively’ to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, says Rutte Nato allies are discussing how they can get the Strait of Hormuz reopened, Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte told reporters during a visit to Norway. “We all agree, of course, that trade has to open up again. And what I know is that allies are working together, discussing how to do that. They’re working on that collectively, to find a way forward,” Rutte said. This comes after comments from French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday that France will never take part in operations to unblock the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran leadership: who is dead and alive after US-Israel strikes?  The New Arab

Tehran has warned it will target Gulf oil and gas facilities following Israel's strike on South Pars.

Iranian president confirms Israeli assassination of Iran's intelligence minister Iranian President Mazoud Pezeshkian has confirmed the death of the country’s intelligence minister, Esmail Khatib. Khatib was killed in an Israeli strike overnight, which the president called a “cowardly assassination” in a statement to X.  Iran’s top security official and defence minister have also been confirmed dead as a result of Israeli strikes.

Trump should have planned more before starting the war with Iran  Houston Chronicle

The Iran War is Causing Energy Chaos in Asia  Council on Foreign Relations

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