US-Iran war as it happened: Australia releases diesel, petrol amid fuel shortages; Trump calls Iran’s leaders ‘deranged scumbags’, warns them more to come

Thanks for joining us today. The Middle East conflict is approaching the two-week mark with heavy exchanges of drone and missile strikes continuing across the region.

The conflict has so far killed more than 2000 people. Here’s what happened across today:

• Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei released his first statement since being appointed, saying Iran would not refrain from “avenging the blood of its martyrs” and vowing to keep blocking the Strait of Hormuz.
• Energy Minister Chris Bowen announced a release of 400 million litres of diesel and 300 million litres of petrol from Australia’s onshore fuel stockpile to help address regional shortages, as service stations and wholesalers run dry amid widespread panic buying.
• The US has confirmed it is temporarily lifting sanctions on Russian oil to contain price surges caused by Iran’s effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
• On social media, US President Donald Trump derided Iran’s leaders as “deranged scumbags” and said it was his great honour to kill them.
• The Israel Defence Force said its air force struck more than 200 targets in western and central Iran over the past day, including ballistic missile launchers, air defence systems and weapons production sites, as part of its operation dubbed Operation Roar of the Lion.
• Israel also launched a new wave of strikes on Lebanon, targeting buildings in central Beirut.
• An American KC-135 refuelling aircraft went down in Iraq, the US military said. Central Command said it lost it in “friendly airspace” over Iraq, and that the incident was not the result of hostile fire or friendly fire.
• The UN refugee agency has reported that up to 4 million people have been displaced inside Iran and Lebanon since the conflict began on February 28.
• And a not-for-profit group has claimed the United Arab Emirates has arrested 21 people under its cybercrime laws after videos showing missile activity and explosions were circulated online.

We’ll continue our coverage tomorrow.

The IDF says it has just begun another “wide-scale wave of strikes” across Iran’s capital.

Earlier, there were reports multiple explosions and the sound of fighter jets were heard in Karaj, west of Tehran.

In Lebanon, Israel said its military struck a bridge over the Litani River in Lebanon because it was a key crossing used by Iran-backed Hezbollah militants.

It appeared to be the first time in the current campaign against Hezbollah that the Israeli military acknowledged it had targeted civilian infrastructure.

With Reuters

From Bangkok to Manila, officials in South-East Asia are rolling out work-from-home mandates and other fuel conservation measures to shield their economies from surging oil prices, underscoring how an energy shock triggered by the war in Iran is reshaping daily routines half a world away.

Thailand is requiring most government agencies to adopt full-time work-from-home arrangements as part of emergency efforts to reduce energy demand. The order covers all state employees whose roles aren’t directly tied to public services.

The Philippines has sought to cut fuel consumption by shifting government employees to a four-day work week as of March 9, although the shorter schedule is temporary and excludes emergency and frontline services. Some state entities have said they’ll extend fuel subsidies to fisherfolk, farmers and public transport drivers.

In Malaysia, meanwhile, the government will decide on Tuesday the feasibility of work-from-home arrangements for civil servants.

The steps illustrate how quickly rising crude prices can ripple through transport, electricity and food expenses in economies where fuel is a key input and subsidies are limited.

Bloomberg

Inside Iran, residents said security forces were increasing their presence to demonstrate continued control.

“Security forces are everywhere, more than before. People are afraid to come out, but supermarkets are open,” teacher Majan, 35, said by phone from Tehran.

Israel and the United States have called on Iranians to rise up and topple their clerical rulers.

Many Iranians want change and some openly celebrated the elder supreme leader’s death, after his forces had killed thousands of anti-government protesters in January. But there has been no sign of organised dissent while the country is under attack.

Reuters