US-Israel-Iran War Live News Updates: Iran Targets US Bases In Iraq; Leavitt Holds Briefing On Military Ops

A US airstrike at Iran's Mashhad airport damaged a Mahan Air aircraft, potentially disrupting a mission to India to collect humanitarian aid, Iranian officials claimed. The plane was reportedly scheduled to fly to New Delhi this week to pick up essential medical supplies and aid for Iranian people, they said.

US officials have not yet corroborated the claim.

The Iranian officials said the aircraft was damaged following the US attack on Mashhad airport. According to reports, the plane was expected to arrive in New Delhi on April 1.

India sent the first consignment of medical supplies to Iran through the Iranian Red Crescent Society on March 18. The Iranian embassy in New Delhi thanked the people of India for the aid.

Mahan Air is a privately-owned Iranian airline that operates flights in several countries in West Asia, Central Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia and East Asia.

(Source: AP)

Iran's Foreign Ministry official Seyed Abbas Araghchi is reiterating that Iran's actions are not targeted at Saudi Arabia but rather at US forces they perceive as aggressors.

Asian nations are increasingly competing for Russian crude oil as an energy crisis mounts amid the month-old war by the US and Israel against Iran, which has choked off roughly a fifth of the world's oil supply. Much of the oil from the mostly shut Strait of Hormuz was headed for Asia, hit hardest by recent energy shocks. Over the weekend, Iran-backed Houthi rebels entered the conflict, further threatening shipping.

Demand is rising in Asia while Russia is raking in billions of dollars. But experts say there is a limit to how much Moscow can boost its exports of crude oil, which is unrefined petroleum needed to make fuels like gasoline and diesel, and it is already exporting at a level close to its previous peak.

Gulf allies of the United States are arguing that Tehran hasn't been weakened enough by the monthlong US-led bombing campaign, according to US, Gulf and Israeli officials.

Officials from Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Bahrain have conveyed in private conversations that they do not want the military operation to end until there are significant changes in the Iranian leadership or there's a dramatic shift in Iranian behaviour, according to the officials, who were not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity.

While regional leaders are broadly supportive now of the US efforts, one Gulf diplomat described some division, with Saudi Arabia and the UAE leading the calls for increasing military pressure on Tehran.

The UAE has emerged as perhaps the most hawkish of the Gulf countries and is pushing hard for Trump to order a ground invasion, the diplomat said.

(Source: AP)

Emergency teams responded early Tuesday to a fire in an abandoned house in Al Badaa, a residential area in Dubai, after debris fell following an air defense interception, injuring four people, the Dubai Media Office said. In Bahrain, authorities said warning sirens were sounded.

The Israeli army said early on Tuesday it is aware of reports regarding two instances in which United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon peacekeepers were killed. The army said and is reviewing them to determine whether the deaths resulted from Hezbollah activity or Israeli fire, noting that “these incidents occurred in an active combat area.”

The statement comes after UNIFIL said three peacekeepers have been killed in southern Lebanon within 24 hours in two separate instances.

An explosion of “unknown origin” on Monday destroyed a vehicle near the village of Bani Hayyan, killing two peacekeepers and wounding two others, including one with severe injuries. Earlier, an Indonesian peacekeeper was killed after a base was hit by a projectile.

Authorities are working to control the fire, the Dubai Media Office said. All 24 crew members are safe, and no injuries have been reported, the office said. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations centre, run by the British military, reported the strike, saying the vessel was 31 nautical miles (57 kilometers) northwest of Dubai. It said an unknown projectile struck their tanker on the starboard side, causing a fire on the vessel. No environmental impact has been reported, the centre said.

Iran is ramping up attacks on US bases in Iraq, with recent drone and missile strikes targeting the US consulate and bases in Irbil, causing material damage but no casualties.