Iran Continues To Target Gulf Oil Sites With Eye On '$200 A Barrel'
Iran continued to attack Gulf oil fields and shipping, telling the world to prepare for petroleum at $200 a barrel, a price that, if it should occur, would be sure to roil the world economy.
Saudi Arabia early March 12 said it intercepted a drone heading toward the massive Shaybah oil field, often a target of Iranian projectiles since the US-Israeli air strikes that began on February 28.
"A drone heading towards the Shaybah oil field was intercepted and destroyed," a spokesman for the country's Defense Ministry posted on X.
Saudi officials a day earlier also said defense forces had intercepted several drones targeting the oil field, which is one of the most important in the kingdom, which has long been a geopolitical rival of Iran.
Separately, Bahrain on March 12 said Iran had hit fuel tanks in the Muharraq region of the small island nation and urged area residents to remain at home.
"The blatant Iranian aggression targets fuel tanks at a facility in Muharraq Governorate," Bahrain's Interior Ministry said.
The UN Security Council on March 11 condemned Tehran's attacks on Gulf states and other countries in the region, with Russia and China abstaining in the vote.
It also said it "condemns any actions or threats by the Islamic Republic of Iran aimed at closing, obstructing, or otherwise interfering with international navigation through the Strait of Hormuz."
Meanwhile, at least one crew member was killed in an attack on two oil tankers near Iraq, authorities in Baghdad said, calling the action "sabotage" but not directly blaming Iran. Risk analysts pointed to Iranian explosive-laden boats as the culprits.
Oil prices soared earlier in the week to nearly $120 a barrel before settling back to around $90. They rose 5 percent on March 11 amid renewed fears about supply disruption.
Iran vowed to keep up the economic pressure on the rest of the world.
"Get ready for oil to be $200 a barrel, because the oil price depends on regional security, which you have destabilized," Iranian military spokesman Ebrahim Zolfaqari said in comments directed at the United States.
Wit reporting by Reuters and AFP
US To Provide 172 Million Barrels To IEA Oil Reserve Release
The United States said it would release 172 million barrels of oil from its strategic reserve, part of a wider program by the 32 member nations of the International Energy Agency to put 400 million extra barrels on the market.
“Earlier today, 32 member nations of the International Energy Agency unanimously agreed to President [Donald] Trump’s request to lower energy prices with a coordinated release of 400 million barrels of oil and refined products from their respective reserves," a statement said.
The IEA said its members had agreed to release 400 million barrels into the market to help keep stem price rises.
The move comes as oil prices have surged amid fears of a major disruption to output and shipping in the Gulf region following the US-Israeli air strikes against Iran and subsequent retaliatory strikes by Tehran in the Gulf region.
“For 47 years, Iran and its terrorist proxies have been intent on killing Americans. They have manipulated and threatened the energy security of America and its allies. Under President Trump, those days are coming to an end," the statement said.
US Security Council Condemns Iran's Attacks; Russia, China Abstain
The UN Security Council on March 11 condemned Tehran's attacks on Gulf states and other countries in the region, with Russia and China abstaining in the vote.
The Security Council resolution called on Iran to immediately cease its attacks on Gulf states, saying the strikes are in violation of international law and pose a "serious threat to international peace and security."
The resolution demands "the immediate cessation of all attacks by the Islamic Republic of Iran against Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Jordan."
Thirteen of the 15 members of the Security Council voted in favor of the text submitted by nonpermanent member Bahrain.
Tehran continues to target Gulf Arab allies of the United States with missile and drone attacks in retaliation for the US-Israeli air strikes against Iran.
The resolution called for an immediate end to the Iranian attacks and also criticized Iran's use of proxy groups such as Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Iran condemned the resolution, saying it was a "misuse" of the Security Council.
Zelenskyy Says Ukrainian Anti-Drone Teams Working In Gulf Countries
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on March 11 that Ukrainian counter-drone experts had begun work in three Gulf countries that have been targeted by Iranian attacks.
Kyiv has offered to share its experience in shooting down Russian drones to help Gulf states that are being targeted by the same Iranian-designed drones that Russia is using against Ukraine.
"Three teams have been dispatched -- powerful teams of experts, military personnel, engineers, and various individuals. Today, [they] are communicating and cooperating and have begun their work," Zelenskyy told reporters.
The Ukrainian president's spokesman also separately confirmed that the three countries include Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia.
A senior official told AFP that another Ukrainian team was also in Jordan, but did not provide further details.
Ukraine uses a combination of cheap interceptor drones, electronic warfare devices to jam signals, and anti-aircraft guns to shoot down Russian drones.
Kyiv has proposed substituting its interceptor drones for expensive air defense missiles that Gulf states currently use to shoot down Iranian drones.
Russia Evacuates 150 Personnel From Iran's Bushehr Nuclear Plant, 450 Remain
Russia's state nuclear corporation evacuated about 150 personnel from the Russian-built Bushehr nuclear power plant in Iran overnight, the head of Rosatom said on March 11.
Aleksei Likhachev said it was the second round of evacuations since the US-Israeli strikes on Iran began on February 28, but that some 450 Rosatom personnel remain at the site.
Likhachev said the situation was tense, with some "strikes and explosions" occurring close to the plant on the Persian Gulf, but that so far "the participants in the conflict have refrained from direct attacks" on the site.
Bushehr, which has one reactor, is Iran's only operational nuclear power plant. Rosatom is building two more reactors there, but Likhachev said last week that construction work had halted.
With reporting by Interfax and Reuters
Fuel Tanks At Omani Port Struck By Drones
Omani state media reported March 11 that fuel tanks at the country's port of Salalah were targeted by a drone attack.
The official Oman News Agency, citing a security source, said several drones were shot down while others attacked fuel tanks in the port of Salalah. The agency said there were no casualties in the attack.
Private maritime security company Vanguard Tech announced the suspension of operations at the port after an attack on its southern part.
Images of flames spreading from fuel tanks at the Port of Salalah have been released.
Maersk International Shipping also announced that it had suspended all operations at the port of Salalah until further notice.
Following the attack, Oman's state news agency reported that Sultan Haitham bin Tariq Al Said had spoken to Iranian President Masud Pezeshkian over the phone, expressing his country's dissatisfaction and condemnation of the ongoing attacks on Omani soil.
Oman is considered a country close to the Islamic republic and played a mediating role in recent negotiations between Iran and the United States. However, since the start of the war, this country has also been the target of Iranian drone and missile attacks.
Images Show Military, Security Presence In Tehran
Images posted on social media, verified by RFE/RL, on March 11 show the movement of military vehicles with heavy weapons throughout Tehran.
These images also document the deployment of military forces with weapons throughout the Iranian capital.
Satellite Images Reveal Damage At Iranian Facilities After US-Israeli Air Strikes
Before-and-after satellite images show the scale of damage from US-Israeli strikes at multiple Iranian missile and aircraft facilities. The images showed significant damage to buildings and infrastructure in Khorgu and Kerman, as well as destroyed F-14 and F-7 aircraft at an Isfahan airbase.
Iranian Officials Knock Down Rumors Over Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei's Health
Iranian officials went on the offensive on March 11 to knock down rumors over newly appointed Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei's state of health, saying he was injured in the air strikes that killed his father and other family members but is "safe and sound."
Mojtaba Khamenei was announced as the country's new supreme leader on March 8 following the death of his father in a bombing raid on February 28.
The 56-year-old has not been seen since the United States and Israel launched air strikes on Iran, nor has he made any public statements, giving rise to speculation he too may have died or been seriously injured in the attacks.
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US Military Urges Iranian Civilians To Avoid Ports
US Central Command warned Iranian civilians on March 11 to avoid port facilities where Iranian naval forces are operating, saying the Islamic republic is using civilian ports along the Strait of Hormuz for military activity.
In a statement, CENTCOM urged civilians --including dockworkers, port staff, and commercial ship crews -- to stay away from areas where naval vessels and military equipment are present.
"US forces urge civilians in Iran to immediately avoid all port facilities where Iranian naval forces are operating," the command said.
It added that ports used for military purposes could lose protected civilian status under international law and become legitimate military targets.
"The US military takes every feasible precaution to minimize harm to civilians but cannot guarantee civilian safety near facilities used by the Iranian regime for military purposes," the statement said.