Updated on: Mar 12, 2026 7:25:11 AM IST
US Iran war news LIVE: Tankers sail in the Gulf, near the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from northern Ras al-Khaimah, near the border with Oman’s Musandam governance, amid the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran, in United Arab Emirates, March 11, 2026. REUTERS/Stringer/File Photo
US Iran war news LIVE: The US-Israeli conflict with Iran entered Day 13 on Thursday with mounting attacks on vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, which carries around a fifth of the world’s oil. Iranian explosive-laden boats allegedly attacked two fuel tankers in Iraqi waters setting them ablaze and killing one crew member on Wednesday, after projectiles struck three vessels in Gulf waters, said port, maritime security and risk firms, Reuters reported.
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump said he would tap the US Strategic Petroleum Reserve to help ease oil prices that have increased amid the war with Iran.
“We’ll do that — and then we’ll fit it up,” Trump said Wednesday in an interview with local television station WKRC during a visit to the Cincinnati area. “I filled it up once, and I’ll fill it up again. Right now we’ll reduce it a little bit, and that brings the prices down.”
He also said the massive release of emergency oil reserves approved by the International Energy Agency would ease pressure on energy prices as the United States seeks to “finish the job” in its campaign against Iran.
Speaking in Kentucky on Wednesday evening, Trump said the move would “substantially reduce the oil prices as we end this threat to America and this threat to the world.”
Iran’s response
Iran warned it could wage a prolonged war with the United States and Israel that would “destroy” the world economy, even as US President Donald Trump said late Wednesday that the Islamic republic was facing imminent defeat.
Tehran’s warning came as fighting around the strategic Strait of Hormuz — a waterway that carries about a fifth of the world’s oil — sent shockwaves through energy markets, triggering emergency releases from global reserves and a limited drawdown of US stockpiles.
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Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump said he would tap the US Strategic Petroleum Reserve to help ease oil prices that have increased amid the war with Iran.
“We’ll do that — and then we’ll fit it up,” Trump said Wednesday in an interview with local television station WKRC during a visit to the Cincinnati area. “I filled it up once, and I’ll fill it up again. Right now we’ll reduce it a little bit, and that brings the prices down.”
He also said the massive release of emergency oil reserves approved by the International Energy Agency would ease pressure on energy prices as the United States seeks to “finish the job” in its campaign against Iran.
Speaking in Kentucky on Wednesday evening, Trump said the move would “substantially reduce the oil prices as we end this threat to America and this threat to the world.”
Iran’s response
Iran warned it could wage a prolonged war with the United States and Israel that would “destroy” the world economy, even as US President Donald Trump said late Wednesday that the Islamic republic was facing imminent defeat.
Tehran’s warning came as fighting around the strategic Strait of Hormuz — a waterway that carries about a fifth of the world’s oil — sent shockwaves through energy markets, triggering emergency releases from global reserves and a limited drawdown of US stockpiles.
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Mar 12, 2026 7:25:09 AM IST
US Iran war news LIVE: Trump says US has ‘virtually destroyed’ Iran’s military capabilities
Mar 12, 2026 7:23:43 AM IST
US Iran war news LIVE: Air strike kills two fighters at Hashed base in northern Iraq
US Iran war news LIVE: An air strike killed at least two fighters in northern Iraq on Thursday.
Iraq, which has long been a proxy battleground between the United States and Iran, has been drawn into the wider Middle East war that began when the United States and Israel launched attacks on Iran last month, AFP reported.
The strike targeted a base in the city of Kirkuk used by the Hashed al-Shaabi, a former paramilitary coalition that has since been integrated into Iraq’s regular armed forces.
The Hashed also includes brigades from Iran-backed groups that have been targeted in a series of attacks blamed on the United States and Israel since the war began.
Mar 12, 2026 7:18:20 AM IST
US Iran war news LIVE: US, Iran signal no quick end to war as Tehran warns of $200 oil
US Iran war news LIVE: The United States and Iran signalled there was no immediate end in sight to their war, with US President Donald Trump saying it was necessary to “finish the job,” while Tehran warned the world should prepare for oil prices of $200 a barrel after attacks on tankers in Iraqi waters and other vessels near the strategic Strait of Hormuz.
Mar 12, 2026 7:10:15 AM IST
US Iran war news LIVE: CitiBank shuts UAE branches after Iran threat to target financial institutions
US Iran war news LIVE: CitiBank said it would close all but one of its branches in the United Arab Emirates on Thursday following an Iranian threat to target financial institutions in the region, AP reported.
The bank said it took the step “given the evolving situation within the country,” without providing further details.
Other financial institutions have also reportedly asked employees to work from home in response to the threat.
Mar 12, 2026 7:07:58 AM IST
US Iran war news LIVE: Five vessels hit in Gulf and Strait of Hormuz
US Iran war news LIVE: Explosive-laden boats believed to be Iranian attacked two fuel tankers in Iraqi waters on Wednesday, setting the vessels ablaze and killing one crew member, Reuters reported.
The attacks followed earlier incidents in which projectiles struck three ships in Gulf waters, marking a further escalation in the conflict between Iran and US-Israeli forces.
At least 16 vessels have now been hit in the region since fighting began.
Shipping across the Gulf and the narrow Strait of Hormuz, which carries about a fifth of the world’s oil, has slowed to a near standstill since the United States and Israel began strikes on Iran on February 28, pushing global oil prices to their highest levels since 2022.
The tankers targeted in late-night armed boat attacks near Iraq were the Marshall Islands-flagged Safesea Vishnu and the Zefyros, both of which had loaded fuel cargoes in Iraq, two Iraqi port officials said.
Mar 12, 2026 6:37:11 AM IST
US Iran war news LIVE: Israel strikes central Beirut seafront, Lebanon says at least seven killed
US Iran war news LIVE: “The Israeli enemy strike on Ramlet al-Bayda in Beirut led to an initial toll of seven dead and 21 wounded,” the health ministry said in a statement, referring to the beachside area where some displaced people have been sleeping outdoors since the latest conflict between Israel and Hezbollah erupted.