Dubai: Authorities in Dubai said Tuesday morning they “contained” a Kuwaiti oil tanker after it came under attack from Iran. Officials said there was “no oil leakage and no injuries reported.” The Dubai Media Office earlier said a drone hit the Kuwaiti tanker in Dubai waters.
Meanwhile, US gas prices jumped past an average of USD 4 a gallon for the first time since 2022 as fuel prices continue to soar worldwide. The last time US drivers were collectively paying this much at the pump was nearly four years ago, following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Trump Tuesday said nations upset by high fuel prices should “go get your own oil” as Iran maintains its chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz.
Also, Israel and the US launched a new wave of strikes on Iran, hitting Tehran in the early morning hours.
Trump says the US isn’t pulling assets from around the Strait of Hormuz just yet
“At some point, I will, not quite yet, but countries have to come in and take care of it,” he told CBS News in a telephone interview Tuesday. “Iran has been decimated, but they’re going to have to come in and do their own work.”
The conversation followed Trump’s social media post in which he lashed out at allies over their unwillingness to help the US reopen the critical passageway. He said Iran has been “decimated” and no longer poses a “real threat.”
“Let them come up and take it. They didn’t want to give a hand to anybody. NATO is terrible, and they’re all terrible,” Trump said. “So if they want oil, come up and grab it.”
Hegseth says Britain and other allies should step up to open the Strait of Hormuz
“There are countries around the world who ought to be prepared to step up on this critical waterway as well,” Hegseth said Tuesday, speaking at a news conference from the Pentagon. “It’s not just the United States Navy. Last time I checked, there was supposed to be a big, bad Royal Navy that could be prepared to do things like that as well.”
In a social media post on Tuesday, President Trump said nations upset by high fuel prices should “go get your own oil” as average US gas prices shot past USD 4 a gallon.
If countries don’t stand with you, it’s not much of an alliance, Hegseth says
Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said Tuesday the US undertook the war in Iran for the “free world” and questioned the value of the NATO alliance if those countries don’t stand with America.
Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine have wrapped up a news conference at the Pentagon. Hegseth pointed to a social media post from President Donald Trump about allies and said Iranian missiles don’t reach the US but could hit allies and others.
“The president’s pointing out you don’t have much of an alliance if you have countries that are not willing to stand with you when you need them,” Hegseth said.
Hegseth won’t say if the US will put boots on the ground in Iran
Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth declined to tell reporters Tuesday whether or not the US military will deploy ground troops against Iran.
“You can’t fight and win a war if you tell your adversary what you are willing to do or what you are not willing to do, to include boots on the ground,” he said.
Hegseth added, “Our adversary right now thinks there are 15 different ways we could come at them with boots on the ground. And guess what? There are. ”
Hegseth also said talks with Iran to end the conflict are ongoing.
“We don’t want to have to do more militarily than we have to,” he said. “But I didn’t mean it flippantly when I said, in the meantime, we’ll negotiate with bombs.”
Gen. Caine says US strikes are focused on Iranian naval targets and defence industrial sites
Speaking at a news conference from the Pentagon Tuesday, Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said US military action in Iran remains focused on “targeting their minelaying capability, their naval assets.”
“We’ve taken out more than 150 ships,” Caine said, adding that attack helicopters are now joining in the effort, targeting Iranian naval targets.
Another key objective of the war is disabling Iran’s defence industrial base, including nuclear research sites, Caine said.
“This includes factories, warehouses, nuclear weapons research and development labs, and the associated infrastructure required for Iran to reconstitute its combat capability,” Caine said.
UN’s refugee agency says more than 200,000 people crossed from Lebanon into Syria in March
The agency says the tally follows renewed fighting between Israel and Hezbollah in the war and covers the period from March 2 to March 27.
The vast majority – nearly 180,000 – were Syrians returning to their war-battered country, in addition to more than 28,000 Lebanese.
“Most are people fleeing the intense Israeli bombardments. They arrive exhausted, traumatised, and with very, very few belongings,” UNHCR’s representative in Syria, Aseer Al-Madaien, told a U.N. briefing in Geneva by video from Damascus.
The agency has already helped more than 3 million people displaced both within Syria and abroad who’ve returned home following the fall of President Bashar Assad in December 2024.
Unlike the 2024 Israel-Hezbollah war, when Lebanese could flee across the border without visas, the current Syrian government has restricted the entry of Lebanese unless they have residency in Syria, a Syrian spouse or parent, or other exceptional circumstances.
Hegseth says he visited US troops fighting in the Iran War
Speaking at a news conference from the Pentagon Tuesday, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said he visited American service members in the Middle East. He said he wouldn’t disclose the base names or locations for operational security.
Hegseth said he visited areas under the responsibility of US Central Command Saturday for about half a day.
“Suffice it to say, the trip was in honour,” Hegseth told reporters. “I had a chance to bear witness, and I witnessed the best of America.”
Israel begins a new wave of airstrikes on Hezbollah in Beirut
Israel’s military says it has begun a new wave of airstrikes on Hezbollah infrastructure in Beirut.
Italy says its relationship with the US is solid after reports that it denied the use of a base to the US
The Italian government says its relationship with the US is “solid and based on full and loyal cooperation,” following reports it denied the use of a Sicilian base to US aircraft headed to the Middle East.
The government of Premier Giorgia Meloni said in a statement that Italy is acting “in full compliance with existing international agreements and the government’s guidelines expressed in parliament.”
It said each request for military use of Italian bases is examined on a case-by-case basis, which is its longstanding procedure.
“No critical issues or frictions with international partners have been registered,” it added.
New airstrikes target Tehran
Airstrikes hit Iran’s capital, Tehran, Tuesday afternoon as air defences could be heard firing.
Gasoline and diesel prices jump in the UAE
The United Arab Emirates set sharply high gasoline and diesel fuel prices on Tuesday for the coming month, with gasoline going up by over 30 per cent and diesel jumping up more than 70 per cent.
The UAE government sets the price monthly in line with international pricing, which has spiked over the Iran war and Tehran maintaining its chokehold over the Strait of Hormuz.
In the UAE, diesel fuel will jump to 4.69 dirhams (USD 1.28) a litre, up from 2.72 dirhams (74 cents). The new price is USD 4.38 a gallon for diesel, lower than the average gallon of diesel in the US, which sits at USD 5.45 a gallon.
Premium gasoline in the UAE will be 3.39 dirhams (92 cents) a litre. That’s USD 3.49 a gallon, where the premium on average in the US is USD 4.90 a gallon.
The Egyptian president briefs the Russian leader in a call
Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi briefed Russian leader Vladimir Putin about Egypt’s efforts to de-escalate in the region during a phone call Tuesday, according to el-Sissi’s office.
He said Russia is able to help put an end to the war, a statement from the office said.
Italy refuses US permission to use air base
Italy has refused permission for US military assets to use the Sigonella air base in Sicily for an operation linked to the Middle East offensive, an official said.
The refusal was issued a few days ago and concerned US aircraft, including bombers, which were intended to land at the base before continuing toward the Middle East, the official said on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak publicly.
