Main Points
- Iran names Mojtaba Khamenei to replace his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as the country’s new supreme leader
- Ongoing conflict in the Middle East “deliberate assaults on international law,” President Connolly has said. She also said Ireland is “uniquely positioned” to name them as such
- US president Donald Trump said his war with Iran may only end with its military and rulers wiped out and that he is not interested in negotiating an end
Key Reads
- Raymond Barrett: The Dubai dream is over. Irish expats can no longer suspend their disbelief
- Nobody knows when the Iran war will end because nobody, including Trump, can say why it started
That’s about if from Katie and myself for this evening. Thanks for reading. You can find a round up of the day’s news related to the war in Iran here:
Son of late Iranian supreme leader confirmed as successor
Mojtaba Khamenei, the second son of the late Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has been chosen as his successor, according to Iranian state media.
Members of the clerical body responsible for selecting Iran’s highest authority announced the decision on Sunday.
The move could lead to a further escalation of the war, given Donald Trump had already acknowledged that Mojtaba Khamenei was the most likely successor and made clear he considered such an outcome unacceptable.
Mojtaba Khamenei’s elevation marks the first time since the 1979 Islamic revolution that Iran’s supreme leadership has passed from father to son. It is a development likely to ignite debate inside the Iran about the emergence of a dynastic system in a state founded explicitly to overthrow hereditary rule after the shah. - Guardian
Fox News avoids showing Trump attending return of dead armed services personnel while wearing golf hat
Fox News used old video of Donald Trump in multiple reports on Saturday and Sunday, concealing from viewers that the commander-in-chief wore a golf hat throughout a ceremony on Saturday in which he saluted six flag-draped transfer cases carrying the remains of the first US troops to die in his war on Iran.
The president had stirred outrage online by failing to remove his Trump-brand white hat during the ritual homecoming at Dover air force base in Delaware on Saturday for six army reserve soldiers killed in Kuwait.
On Saturday afternoon, Fox News did initially broadcast the correct video of Trump at the ceremony, showing that he wore a hat as he saluted alongside first lady Melania Trump, JD Vance, second lady Usha Vance, and other officials.
Less than an hour later, however, when a Fox News host described the president’s visit to the base for the “dignified transfer earlier today”, viewers were shown old video of Trump at a similar ceremony in December, when he had not worn a hat to salute troops who had died in Syria.
That same December video, of Trump saluting as his hair was blown about by the wind, was used again in at least two Fox broadcasts on Sunday morning. - Guardian
US officials confirm death of seventh member of armed forces in conflict
A seventh member of the US armed forces has died of injuries sustained in the conflict with Iran, it has been confirmed.
US Central Command confirmed the news on Sunday evening although it did not name the service member involved, saying relatives still have to be informed.
The service member had been injured a week ago in an Iranian attack on a Saudi military base where US forces were stationed.
They died from their injuries on Saturday.
Mass funeral in Nabi Sheet for those killed in Israeli operation
Those killed in a gun battle that continued over the course of Friday night included Hizbullah fighters and three members of the Lebanese army.
Explosive device thrown during protests outside Zohran Mamdani’s official residence
New York police have confirmed that an improvised explosive device was thrown outside Zohran Mamdani’s official residence on Saturday when anti-Islam demonstrators clashed with counter-protesters.
New York police commissioner Jessica Tisch confirmed that a preliminary bomb squad analysis of the device that was ignited and thrown during the protest had “determined that it is not a hoax device or a smoke bomb”.
“It is, in fact, an improvised explosive device that could have caused serious injury or death. Further analysis will be conducted, including on a second device,” Tisch said in a social media post.
The commissioner added that two men, Emir Balat and Ibrahim Kayumi, who were arrested on the scene, are in custody in connection with the incident and that New York police are working with federal prosecutors and the FBI through a terrorism task force.
Mamdani said in a statement that Jake Lang, a rightwing influencer, had organized a protest “rooted in bigotry and racism. Such hate has no place in New York City. It is an affront to our city’s values and the unity that defines who we are.”
The mayor, who had been marking his first 100 days in office, thanked the NYPD for acting quickly to keep New Yorkers safe.
Six people were arrested on Saturday during the clash between far-right protesters who had gathered for a “Stop the Islamic Takeover of New York City” demonstration near Gracie Mansion, the Upper East Side home of Mamdani, the city’s first Muslim mayor, and counter-protesters.
One counter-protester at the event lit and threw a device containing nuts, bolts and screws at the anti-Muslim protesters after someone from that group used pepper spray on the counterprotest, police said. Fistfights broke out among the crowd, said the New York Times, and raw eggs flew through the air. - Guardian
Protest outside Iranian embassy in London in support of war
Around 200 demonstrators gathered outside the Iranian embassy in central London to show their support for the US and Israeli strikes on Iran.
The demonstrators stood behind barriers across the road from the embassy next to Hyde Park on Sunday afternoon, shouting “shame on you, shame on you”.
Many waved old Iranian flags, which were replaced after the Iranian revolution, featuring a lion and a sun representing ancient Iranian history and royalty.
Others held US and Israeli flags, and portraits of US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu which read “We Trust You”.
Several protesters, however, were holding pictures of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in the war’s opening air strikes last Saturday.
Macron tells Iran it should reopen the Strait of Hormuz
French president Emmanuel Macron has spoken with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, calling on Iran to halt strikes against other countries in the region and to end the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, Macron said on Sunday.
In a post on X, Macron also reiterated France’s position that a diplomatic solution was necessary to end the conflict. - Reuters
Trump has been golfing on Sunday
Hugo Lowell is a Guardian Washington correspondent.
Norwegian police investigating explosion at US Embassy in Oslo
The Norwegian police said they were investigating an explosion that damaged the US Embassy in Oslo in the early hours of Sunday in what Norwegian officials called a “targeted attack”.
There were no injuries, but “there is significant damage to the entrance area of the embassy,” inspector Frode Larsen, the head of the Oslo Police Department’s investigation and intelligence unit, said at a news conference Sunday.
The police were searching for at least one individual but had not identified any specific suspects, he said. The police were using dogs, drones and helicopters in their search, he added.
The police received reports of an explosion from residents in the area around 1am local time, they said. The blast happened at one of the embassy’s entrances, the police said in a statement Sunday.
While the police had no information about the cause of the explosion, Larsen said at the news conference that it would be “natural” to assume that it was linked to the attacks on Iran by the United States because the explosion seemed to be “a targeted attack.”
But, he added, “We have not locked ourselves into that one explanation.” - New York Times
Iranian army says at least 104 died in warship sinking
The Iranian army has said that at least 104 people were killed and 32 were wounded in an attack by the US on an Iranian warship off Sri Lanka’s coast last week.
A US submarine sank the frigate Dena in the Indian Ocean about 19 nautical miles off Sri Lanka’s southern port city of Galle on Wednesday. - Reuters
Waltz defends 30-day easing of sanctions on Russian oil
US Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz has defended a decision to temporarily lift some sanctions on Russian oil.
“It’s a 30-day pause to allow – which is just kind of common sense – the millions and millions of barrels of oil that are sitting out on ships to go to Indian refineries,” Waltz said on NBC’s Meet the Press.
Energy secretary Chris Wright told CNN’s State of the Union that the waiver can help “tamp this fear of shortage of oil, tamp the price spikes and the concerns we see in the marketplace”.
US energy secretary says oil-price spike will be shortlived
The US Department of Energy secretary, Chris Wright, has said the spike in energy prices would last weeks, at the worst, not months, and that the US would not target Iran’s energy industry.
His comments come amid rising anxiety that Iran’s response to the US-Israel strikes, which caused a reduction in shipping through the strait of Hormuz and production slowdowns in some oil and gas producing states in the Middle East, may cause broad economic turbulence and higher inflation.
Asked about rising energy prices on CNN’s State of the Union, Wright said “in the worst case, this is a weeks, this is not a months thing”, adding that the US has “no plans to target Iran’s oil industry, their natural gas industry, or anything about their energy industry”.
Overnight on Sunday, plumes of thick black smoke and oil raining down could be seen over Tehran. Wright said the attacks were Israeli strikes on local fuel depots. “The US is targeting zero energy infrastructure,” he said.
The price of crude oil is reported to have increased by about 35 per cent in the past week with petrol up 14 per cent at pumps in the US as the market reacted to uncertainty of supply. There have been significant increases in other countries too, including in Ireland.
Two people killed in Saudi Arabia
Two people were killed and 12 injured after a projectile fell on a residential location in the Saudi Arabian city of Al-Kharj on Sunday, the Saudi civil defence said.
The two people killed were of Indian and Bangladeshi nationalities, it added in a post on X.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said earlier on Sunday that they targeted radar systems in locations including Saudi’s Al-Kharj. - Reuters
British prime minister Keir Starmer spoke with US president Donald Trump on Sunday
In a statement, Starmer’s office confirmed the two leaders had spoke. It said Starmer and Trump “began by discussing the latest situation in the Middle East and the military cooperation between the UK and US through the use of Royal Air Force bases in support of the collective self-defence of partners in the region.”
“The prime minister also shared his heartfelt condolences with president Trump and the American people following the deaths of six US soldiers.
“They looked forward to speaking again soon,” a spokeswoman from Starmer’s office said in a statement.
Israel launches ‘extensive strikes’ in Iran and on Palestinian refugee camp
The IDF (Israel Defense Forces) has said in the past hour that it has begun “extensive strikes” against the “infrastructure” of the Iranian regime in Tehran and across other areas in Iran.
Israel has also attacked a Palestinian refugee camp in southern Lebanon, Lebanese state media reported.
Lebanon’s National News Agency said “enemy warplanes launched two raids on the Ain al-Hilweh camp in Sidon”.
It is not immediately clear whether anybody was killed in the strikes on the camp. - Guardian
Minister for foreign affairs renewed Kuwait’s ‘condemnation’ of ‘heinous Iranian aggression’
Kuwait’s foreign ministry said the country has detected 234 missiles and 422 drones since the start of the war on February 28th.
In a post on X, the foreign ministry added: “This aggression has resulted in a number of victims among citizens and residents, including a young girl, and led to the martyrdom of two members of the Kuwaiti armed forces and two members of the general department of land borders security affiliated with the ministry of interior while performing their duties, as well as injuries to a number of civilians and military personnel.
At least two Palestinians killed by an Israeli air strike
An Israeli air strike killed at least two Palestinians in Gaza City on Sunday, local health officials said, the deadliest incident in Gaza since Israel and the United States launched their war against Iran a week ago.
Medics said the two people were travelling in a car near Al-Azhar University in western Gaza City. Their identities were not immediately clear. Several other people in the area were wounded in the strike, the health officials added.
Such attacks have declined since the start of the US-Israeli campaign against Iran, although Israeli forces have killed several Palestinians over the past week.
The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment about Sunday’s strike.
Israel and Hamas agreed to a US-brokered Gaza ceasefire deal that started last October, but violence has continued on a near-daily basis. Both sides have blamed the other for the violation of the truce agreement. - Reuters
Photographs of a number of Iranian refugees at a check point while crossing the border from Iran to Armenia amid the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
Iraqi oil production falls sharply
Iraqi oil production from its main southern oilfields has fallen by 70 per cent to just 1.3 million barrels per day as the country is unable to export oil via the Strait of Hormuz due to the Iran war, three industry sources said on Sunday. - Reuters
US urges Iranian civilians to ‘stay at home’
In a statement on X, US central command (Centcom) has issued a “safety warning” to civilians in Iran, urging them to remain at home as it claims the regime is using densely populated civilian areas to conduct military operations.
Centcom said: The Iranian regime is using heavily populated civilian areas to conduct military operations, including launching one-way attack drones and ballistic missiles. This dangerous decision risks the lives of all civilians in Iran since locations used for military purposes lose protected status and could become legitimate military targets under international law. Iranian forces are using crowded areas surrounded by civilians in cities such as Dezful, Esfahan and Shiraz to launch attack drones and ballistic missiles. US forces strongly urge civilians in Iran to stay at home. - Guardian
US-Israeli strikes on Iranian energy infrastructure marks ‘dangerous new phase’ of war, spokesperson says
Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said the US-Israeli aerial bombardment of Iranian energy infrastructure sites marked a “dangerous new phase” of the conflict and amounted to a war crime.
“By targeting fuel depots, the aggressors are releasing hazardous materials and toxic substances into the air, poisoning civilians, devastating the environment, and endangering lives on a massive scale,” he wrote on X.
Baghaei added: The consequences of this environmental and humanitarian catastrophe will not be confined within Iran’s borders. These strikes constitute war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide-all at once.
Israeli military spokesperson Lt Col Nadav Shoshani told reporters the depots were used to fuel Iran’s war effort, including producing or storing propellant for ballistic missiles. “They are a legal military target,” he said. - Guardian
Oman’s port proceeding normally
Oman’s commercial port of Duqm said on Sunday that the port and maritime operations were proceeding normally, days after a fuel tank at the port was hit when the facility came under attack from several unmanned aircraft.
“All operational and logistical services continue to function efficiently, ensuring the smooth movement of vessels and cargo to and from the port,” the port said in a post on X. - Reuters
Irish Government ‘open’ to cost-of-living supports
The Government is “open” to cost-of-living supports against the backdrop of “unprecedented” global turmoil which may lead to dramatic price rises beyond the energy sector, a Government Minister has said.
Minister of State for European Affairs Thomas Byrne told RTÉ’s The Week in Politics Programme that “it may well be that the government will take action”, saying it would “look carefully at this,” reports Political Correspondent Jack Horgan-Jones.
“Clearly prices have gone up. They may well go up dramatically again, and it won’t just be fuel and electricity, it could be food supplies etc.”
He added: “This is an extremely serious and probably unprecedented situation that we’re facing. When you look at the impact of the closure of the Straits of Hormuz across all walks of life, across all the world”.
Explosions in UAE heard during The Council of the Arab League meeting
The Arab League’s secretary-general accused Iran of being “reckless” over attacking member states and urged Tehran to end what he called a “massive strategic mistake” during The Council of the Arab League meeting to discuss the escalating crisis as Iran has attacked countries in the Gulf.
Speaking to other Arab foreign ministers, Ahmed Aboul Gheit said the strikes “cannot be justified under any pretext or excuse”, and repaid peace efforts by Gulf countries with “treacherous rockets and drone strikes”.
It was reported that explosions were heard in the United Arab Emirates during this meeting.
Iran’s president apologised on Saturday to neighbouring states for its attacks on US facilities in those countries, in an attempt to cool anger across the Gulf. He added that Iran may continue to respond to attacks when they originate from countries in the region. - Guardian
Two Israeli soldiers killed in Lebanon
The Israeli military said on Sunday that two of its soldiers were killed in southern Lebanon, marking the first fatalities among its troops since Israel-Hizbullah hostilities resumed last week as Israeli intensified air strikes on Lebanon.
The military did not immediately provide further details on the circumstances of the incident. - Reuters
Australia considering requests to help protect countries attacked by Iran in Middle East conflict
Australia’s government said on Sunday it was considering requests to help protect countries attacked by Iran in the widening Middle East conflict, but reiterated it would not take part in any military operations in Iran.
“We’ve had many countries, which are non participants, (that) have been attacked by Iran through this. You would anticipate as a consequence that we have been asked for assistance, and we will work through that carefully,” foreign minister Penny Wong said in televised remarks.
Support for President Connolly’s statement
Labour leader Ivana Bacik said she strongly agreed with the statement issued by Connolly.
“As I have said this week, the failure of the Government to call out and condemn illegal strikes across the Middle East has been shameful,” she said.
“Just this week, a girls’ school was bombed as part of the war being conducted by the US and Israel on Iran with hundreds of children killed as a result. Our Government must stand up and, as President Connolly has said, unequivocally condemn the violations of international law.”
Bacik said it is “entirely possible to condemn the tyrannical and repressive Iranian regime” while also insisting that international law must be upheld and multilateralism defended.
“I would urge the Taoiseach to heed the calls of President Connolly, and revisit the appropriateness of handing a bowl of shamrock to President Donald Trump in a little over a week.”
People Before Profit TD Paul Murphy also commended the President’s intervention.
“It’s vital that we have a President who stands clearly against war and imperialism. It’s shameful that we have a Government that refuses to do so,” he said on Sunday.
Social Democrats leader Holly Cairns said she was “pleased that someone in a position of authority in the State has finally named the horrific attacks on Iran by the United States and Israel as a clear breach of international law”.
“It is well known that in any conflict, women and children suffer disproportionately. A UN report last year found civilian casualties among women and children had quadrupled, and conflict-related sexual violence increased by 87 per cent, in the previous two years,” she said.
“The United States and Israel indiscriminate bombing campaign, in Iran and Lebanon, is causing death, injury, displacement and devastation to hundreds and thousands of people. More than 160 school girls were massacred on the first day alone. It needs to end,” she said.
The Irish Government is not currently planning a second repatriation flight from the Middle East
A flight carrying 180 people from Oman landed in Dublin early on Sunday, but in a statement a spokeswoman for Minister for Foreign Affairs Helen McEntee said repatriation flights are being kept “under review” while Irish people were being urged to use commercial options, reports Political Correspondent Jack Horgan-Jones.
She said there has been a “welcome increase” in commercial flights in recent days, with 1,500 people having returned to Ireland via this route.
“Citizens still in the UAE who want to leave are encouraged to avail of commercial options where those are available. The department is engaging with airlines in the region and EU partners to assist Irish citizens who wish to leave the region.
“Other options, including repatriation, will be kept under review. Citizens are encouraged to register with the Crisis Consular team in Dublin or their local Irish embassy.”
It’s understood that McEntee has asked her officials to assess the need for another repatriation flight out of the region.
The Oman route taken by the first flight proved to be “operationally complex”, with internal assessments understood to indicate that if there is a need for another charter flight, a direct route from the UAE would be preferred if security conditions allow for it.
Iranian Red Crescent Society warns public to avoid toxic acid rain after Israel struck oil storage depots
Plumes of black smoke are filling the skies in Tehran after Israel targeted oil storage facilities in the capital city of Tehran.
In a post on social media, the group warned the public about the dangers from the fires at the oil facilities and encouraged the public to stay indoors where possible to avoid toxic pollutants.
It said that locals shouldn’t go outside after rainfall over concerns about toxic acid rain and offered advice on gargling salty water if anyone had inhaled the oily soot particles emerging from the black smoke. - Guardian
Here’s some analysis from Political Correspondent Jack Horgan-Jones on Connolly’s statement on Iran
Catherine Connolly has made her first real political intervention since being inaugurated.
Her comments on Sunday are a none-too-subtle challenge to a Government that has refused to call the Israeli-US attacks on Iran a violation of international law.
For Taoiseach Micheál Martin, the timing could not be worse. As well as priming media coverage in the coming days, it is almost certain that some mischevious political correspondent will lob these comments his way - or in the direction of president Trump - on St Patrick’s Day.
Connolly has kept a relatively low profile since taking office late last year - a surprise to those who expected her to use the presidency as a platform to criticise the Government or promote her personal politics. But in reality, this was never on the cards: she indicated clearly during the campaign that she understood and respected the formal constraints of the role.
However, she was equally clear that when she felt her role and political values aligned, she would not be shy about articulating an opinion. She has called the attacks in the Middle East “deliberate assaults on international law” and plainly stated: “We must name them as such, without euphemism and without equivocation.” Certainly, she is practicing what she preaches here.
For more analysis, read here.
Nearly 400 people killed in Israeli airstrikes on Lebanon, health ministry says
Lebanon’s health ministry claims the amount of people killed from Israeli airstrikes in the past week has increased to 394.
Among those killed in Israeli attacks were 83 children and 42 women, the country’s health minister said earlier today, according to the AFP news agency.
Rakan Nassereddine also told reporters that nine rescue workers were among the dead.
Ongoing conflict in the Middle East ‘deliberate assaults on international law,’ says President Connolly
In a statement, President Catherine Connolly said that the catastrophic consequences of violating the UN Charter cannot be ignored.
“The violations of international law we are witnessing are shocking and numbing, but we cannot afford inaction.
“What we have witnessed in recent days in the Middle East, and beyond, are not political disputes.
“They are deliberate assaults on international law, the international laws that have underpinned global peace for eighty years. We must name them as such, without euphemism and without equivocation.
She said Ireland is “uniquely positioned to do precisely that.”
“Our unbroken record of international peacekeeping since 1958 and our decades of commitment to disarmament and non-proliferation, stand as testament to the disproportionate influence a small, neutral state can wield when it acts with integrity and purpose.
”Our history of colonisation, famine, and the hard-won, peaceful resolution of conflict in the North oblige us to speak plainly.
“The horror of war can never be normalised or accepted,” she added.
“On International Women’s Day, let us reflect on these solemn commitments which we have made in our nation’s Constitution and take every action we can to support the United Nations and all those working to build peace in a time when so many distort language to justify and normalise war,” said Connolly.
Pope Leo urged an end to violence and renewed efforts to open space for dialogue
Speaking at the Angelus prayer in St Peter’s Square, the pope said the conflict was fuelling fear and hatred and raised concerns that it could spread further, dragging other countries, including “dear Lebanon”.
“Let us raise our humble prayer to the Lord that the roar of bombs may cease, that weapons may fall silent, and that space may be opened for dialogue in which the voices of peoples can be heard”, Pope Leo said.
Iran’s new supreme leader has been selected, says deciding body
The body in charge of selecting a new supreme leader for Iran says it has reached a decision, although the name was not immediately announced.
“The most suitable candidate, approved by the majority of the assembly of experts, has been determined,” Mohsen Heydari, a member of the selection body, said on Sunday, according to Iran’s ISNA news agency.
Nearly 2,000 people injured or evacuated to hospitals since start of war in Israel
Israel’s ministry of health claims that 1,929 people had been injured and evacuated to hospitals since the start of the war.
Of these, 122 remain hospitalised or in emergency departments, it said.
The health ministry said 157 people were treated over the past day. - Guardian
Iran launched 17 ballistic missiles and 117 drones, according to UAE
The United Arab Emirates’ defence ministry said it had intercepted 16 missiles on Sunday, while a 17th fell into the sea.
It added that it intercepted most of the drones but four fell in UAE territory. The ministry said it is ready to “firmly confront” the threats.
The statement did not specify the locations of Sunday’s attacks.
The statement also said since the start of the Iranian attacks, 238 ballistic missiles have been detected.
Of these, 221 were destroyed, 15 fell into the sea and 2 landed within the country.
A total of 1,422 Iranian UAVs have also been detected, of which 1,342 were intercepted, while 80 fell within the country’s territory.
Eight cruise missiles were also detected and destroyed. These attacks resulted in four deaths among Pakistani, Nepalese and Bangladeshi nationals, and 112 people sustained moderate to minor injuries. - Guardian
US-Israeli airstrikes on Iran have killed 200 children, health ministry claims
US and Israeli airstrikes on Iran have killed 200 children (under the age of 12) since the war started on February 28th, according to Hossein Kermanpour, the spokesperson for Iran’s health ministry, in a post on X.
He said they were among more than 1,200 people killed in the war. He said more than 10,000 civilians had been injured, including 1,400 women.
Kermanpour said health infrastructure had been targeted in the US-Israeli attacks, with nine hospitals now out of service and 14 ambulances “destroyed”.
The Iranian Red Crescent Society said US-Israeli airstrikes in Iran have damaged about 10,000 civilian structures across the country, including 7,943 residential units and 1,617 commercial units along with several medical and educational facilities. - Guardian
French president to visit Cyprus
The French president, Emmanuel Macron, will visit Cyprus on Monday to meet the president Nikos Christodoulides.
France sent defence systems and a frigate to the Mediterranean island last week after it was hit by a drone strike on the British RAF base Akrotiri.
Macron will also meet the Greek prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on the trip.
The Elysee said the visit was aimed at showing France’s “solidarity” with Cyprus, an EU member, in order to “reinforce security around Cyprus and the eastern Mediterranean” with our European partners, and to contribute to “de-escalation in the region.”
Macron said last week that France’s presence in the area would be “strictly defensive” in support of its regional allies. - Guardian
Death toll rises in UAE
In a statement, the United Arab Emirates defence ministry says the death toll from Iranian attacks on the Gulf has risen to four people.
Iran attacks breach international law, says Swiss defence minister
The United States and Israel have broken international law with their attacks on Iran, Swiss defence minister Martin Pfister said in an interview published on Sunday..
“The federal council is of the opinion that the attack on Iran constitutes a violation of international law,” Pfister told SonntagsZeitung, referring to the Swiss cabinet.
“In our view it constitutes a violation on the prohibition of violence,” he added, calling on all parties involved to halt the fighting to protect the civilian population.
Pfister said he was referring to all the countries not complying with the prohibition on violence, including the United States and Israel.
“The Americans and Israel have attacked Iran from the air. In doing so, they, like Iran, violated international law,” Pfister said. - Reuters
Trump not interested in negotiating an end to conflict
US president Donald Trump said his war with Iran may only end with its military and rulers wiped out.
Shortly after Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One he was not interested in negotiating an end to the conflict that has roiled oil markets, hurt business and snarled global travel, US ally Israel announced fresh strikes across Iran that it said had hit critical fuel storage sites.
“At some point, I don’t think there will be anybody left maybe to say, ‘we surrender,’” Trump said. - Reuters
Israel issues new evacuation warning to Lebanon
The Israeli military has issued an evacuation warning for residents south of the Litani river in southern Lebanon.
Explosion at US embassy in Norway
Minor damage was caused at an explosion at the US embassy in Oslo early Sunday, with signs pointing to an attack, Norwegian police said.
No casualties were reported.
The blast at the embassy compound reportedly occurred at about 1am local time. Police said they were searching for one or more potential perpetrators,
Michael Dellemyr, a police official, told local media that the explosion was at the entrance of the consular section, and authorities have an idea of the cause. He declined to provide further details.
Dellemyr told TV2 it’s “far too early” to link the explosion to the conflict surrounding the US-Israeli war on Iran, and there is no indication as yet of any connection.
Norway’s Justice and Public Security Minister Astri Aas-Hansen said the incident was “unacceptable” and that police are investigating the matter with extensive resources, she told Norwegian newswire NTB.
“There is no indication that the situation is dangerous for outsiders,” she added. - Bloomberg
Iran’s president says his country will ‘not bow easily to bullying’
Iran’s president, Masoud Pezeshkian, has said his country will “not bow easily” to “bullying” and vowed to continue to respond against attacks.
“When we are attacked, we have no choice but to respond. The more pressure they impose on us, the stronger our response will naturally be,” Pezeshkian said in video comments this morning.
“Our Iran, our country, will not bow easily in the face of bullying, oppression or aggression – and it never has.”
Earlier, the Iranian president apologised to neighbouring Gulf countries hosting US military bases for attacks on their territory.
However, after the statement provoked a backlash inside the country and the military appeared to contradict him, Pezeshkian said his remarks were “misinterpreted by the enemy that seeks to sow division with neighbours”. - Guardian
‘This is a war that should not have happened,’ China’s foreign minister
China’s foreign minister has called for an immediate ceasefire in the Iran war to prevent further escalation and warned against any attempt at regime change, reports Denis Staunton.
Although Iran and China enjoy a strategic partnership, Wang Yi struck a neutral tone as he called on all sides to return to the negotiating table.
“This is a war that should not have happened. It is a war that does no one any good. The history of the Middle East tells the world time and again that force provides no solution, and armed conflict will only increase hatred and breed new crises,” he said.
“China calls for an immediate stop to military operations to avoid the spiralling escalation of the situation and prevent the conflict from spilling over and spreading.”
For more, read here.
Oman Air has cancelled flights to and from Amman, Dubai, Bahrain, Doha, Dammam, Kuwait, Copenhagen, Baghdad and Khasab “due to ongoing regional airspace closures”.
Huge fire engulfs tower in Kuwait after drone strikes
A huge fire engulfed a tower in Kuwait city following drone strikes in the early hours of Sunday morning.
It is reported to have broken out at a government site operated by the Public Institution for Social Security in Kuwait.
In a social media post, the department said: The main building of the organization was targeted, resulting in material damage to the building. The fire appears to be under control now.
Drones launched at British military bases in Cyprus
Cyprus’ foreign minister Constantinos Kombos has told the Guardian that explosive-packed drones directed at British military bases on the island were launched from Lebanon.
“Right now it’s a fact that we have to be looking towards the Lebanese front,” said the minister, confirming the drones’ provenance for the first time.
“We cannot exclude anything from the broader direction of the north-east. We have to be very careful…we have to make sure that the systems in place are covering all possibilities of threat.”
Cypriot officials are adamant it is the British bases, not the republic, that have been singled out for attack since the onset of the US-led offensive against Iran. - Guardian
Irish chartered flight lands in Dublin
The chartered flight from Muscat in Oman landed just before 5am, several hours after its scheduled midnight arrival.
It was delayed on Saturday due to the “highly challenging operational context for aviation in the region”.
It made a stop in Cairo and was carrying around 194 people.
The flight was chartered to bring stranded, vulnerable Irish citizens home amid escalating scenes of hostilities between Israel, the United States and Iran.
Irish Foreign Affairs Minister Helen McEntee said it had been a challenging journey.
“I am pleased to confirm the arrival into Dublin of a chartered repatriation flight from Oman. I want to welcome home all those who travelled on the flight we have chartered to assist those stranded in the Gulf region,” she said.
“I know their return will be an enormous relief for themselves and for their families and friends.
“It was a challenging journey, in particular for those who travelled over land to Muscat, but I am glad that we have been able to directly facilitate the return of nearly 200 people, including a number of children and infants.”
Hundreds of Irish citizens returned recently from the region via commercial Emirates flights from Dublin. Another is due to land at 6.55pm on Sunday.
US and Israel strikes damage five oil sites around Tehran
The United States and Israel hit five oil facilities in overnight strikes in and near the Iranian capital, an official told state TV.
“Last night, four oil depots and a petroleum products transport centre in Tehran and the Alborz were attacked by enemy aircraft,” the CEO of the National Iranian Oil Products Distribution Company Keramat Veyskarami told state TV.
He added that the five facilities “were damaged” but the “fire was brought under control”.
On Saturday, an Israeli attack hit an oil storage facility in Tehran.
Majority consensus reached on Iran’s next supreme leader
A majority consensus over a successor to Iran’s slain supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has more or less been reached, assembly of experts member Ayatollah Mohammadmehdi Mirbaqeri said on Sunday, according to Mehr news agency.
He said, though, that “some obstacles” need to be resolved regarding the process, according to the report.
Iranian media said the body tasked with appointing Iran’s supreme leader had a minor disagreement over whether their final decision must follow an in-person meeting or instead be issued without adhering to this formality.
The Israeli military warned it would continue pursuing every successor of Iran’s next supreme leader.
In a post on X, the Israeli military also warned it would pursue every person who seeks to appoint a successor for Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, referring to the clerical body charged with choosing the Islamic Republic’s supreme leader.
12 more people killed in Lebanon
Israel struck southern Lebanon and Beirut again early on Sunday and killed 12 more people, the Lebanese health ministry said.
The deaths come on top of at least 47 others killed on Saturday in Israeli strikes.
The fighting has killed more than 290 in Lebanon, so far.
Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian apologised on Saturday for attacks on “neighbouring countries”, even as his country’s missiles and drones flew toward Gulf Arab states and hardliners asserted that Tehran’s war strategy would not change. - Press Association
Two Kuwaiti officers killed
Kuwait authorities said two officers were killed when a swarm of missiles and drones hit the Gulf country.
The interior ministry said only that the officers were killed “while performing their national duty”. - Press Association
Kuwait’s military said it was still intercepting “hostile missile and drone attacks” on Sunday.
Kuwait’s national oil company announced a “precautionary” cut to its crude production, as the country’s military said Sunday it had responded “to a wave of hostile drones that penetrated the country’s airspace”.
Fuel tanks at Kuwait’s international airport were targeted in a drone attack, the military added. - Guardian
Israel initiated ‘wave of strikes’
Israel renewed its assault on southern Lebanon early on Sunday, targeting commanders of the Lebanese branch of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards’ Quds Force, after Israeli prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu promised “many surprises” for the next phase of the conflict.
The Israeli military said it would “not allow Iranian terrorist elements to establish themselves in Lebanese territory”.
The latest strikes in Lebanon followed an Israeli attack on Saturday on an oil storage facility in Tehran.
It appeared to be the first time a civil industrial facility has been targeted in the war. State media blamed “an attack from the US and the Zionist regime” at the site that supplies the capital and neighbouring provinces in the north.
Israel also launched fresh strikes across Iran.
The Israeli military said it launched a wave of strikes “across Iran” on Sunday, targeting military sites.
A military statement said it had “initiated a wave of strikes targeting the Iranian terror regime military infrastructure across Iran”.
Iran launched fresh strikes launched across the Gulf.
The United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia said its air defence systems were intercepting missiles and drones launched from Iran on Sunday.
In Bahrain, missile and drone attacks injured three people and damaged a desalination plant on Sunday, the interior ministry said - Press Association
