US-Iran war live updates: Iran’s longest-range attack yet targets US-UK base as nuclear site hit again; Israel warns of a ‘significant’ surge in attacks

Welcome to our continuing coverage of the conflict in the Middle East. Here is a summary of today’s developments.

• Israel’s defence minister warned of a surge in attacks against Iran, despite US President Donald Trump telling reporters hours earlier he was considering “winding down” military operations in the region.
• The mixed messages came after another climb in oil prices and fears escalated of a fuel shortage.
• Anthony Albanese will meet with the global energy watchdog after it urged countries to urgently conserve fuel, but moved to calm nerves about a domestic fuel shortage.
• Data shows Australia holds a 38-day supply of petrol, 30 days of diesel and 30 days of jet fuel. Petrol and diesel stocks are up slightly since March 3.
• Meanwhile, strikes continued in Lebanon, as falling missile debris struck Jerusalem’s Old City again, and missile and drone attacks were reported in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
• Britain condemned Iran’s “reckless attacks” after its ballistic missiles were fired towards the joint US-UK Diego Garcia military base in the Indian Ocean.
• Iran said its Natanz nuclear facility was hit in an airstrike today, but there had been no radiation leakage.

The US military says it has now struck more than 8,000 targets since the start of the war four weeks ago.

Despite Iran’s weaponry being badly damaged and destroyed, it is showing no sign of backing down

US Central Command claimed on Saturday claimed that 130 vessels had been hit, marking “the largest elimination of a navy over a three-week period since World War II.”

“Just two days ago, the US Army launched the longest field artillery strike in Army combat history using precision strike missiles. The strike took out Iranian military infrastructure, demonstrating the US military’s unmatched reach and lethality,” Admiral Brad Cooper, commander of US CENTCOM, said in a video posted on the US social media company X.

He also claimed that Iran has suffered a major decline in its combat capabilities over the previous three weeks.

The foreign ministers of the Group of Seven countries said on Saturday they stood ready to take necessary measures to support global energy supplies and reaffirmed the importance of safeguarding maritime routes, including in the Strait of Hormuz.

“We ... express support to our partners in the region in the face of the unjustifiable attacks by the Islamic Republic of Iran and its proxies,” the ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States, as well as the top EU diplomat, said in a statement.

“We condemn in the strongest terms the regime’s reckless attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure, including energy infrastructure,” they said.

Reuters

Iran said that its nuclear facility near Natanz was struck on Saturday morning.

An official Iranian news agency reported the site was damaged in the airstrike, but there was no radiation leakage.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has called for “restraint” following the incident.

Russia condemned the attack on the Natanz nuclear enrichment facility.

In a statement reported by Reuters, Russia’s foreign ministry’s spokesperson Maria Zakharova said: “This is a blatant violation of international law.”

With AP

Iran has launched what analysts describe as its longest-range strike yet, targeting the joint US-UK base on Diego Garcia in a move that could underscore a significant expansion in Tehran’s missile capabilities.

Two intermediate-range ballistic missiles were fired at the base on the island of Diego Garcia, a US official told CNN. Neither of them struck the base, the official said.

Analysts said the reported strike – about 4000km from Iran – was a significant concern as its missile range was previously thought to be 2000km.

But The Wall Street Journal said some reports suggest Iran may have used modified or reduced-payload missiles to extend range, which would indicate technical adaptability rather than entirely new systems.

Britain condemned “Iran’s reckless attacks”.

Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz said in a video statement that “the intensity of the attacks” by Israel and the United States in the coming week against Iran will “increase significantly.”

Hours earlier, Donald Trump said he was considering “winding down” US military efforts in the Middle East.

Katz spoke shortly after fragments from an Iranian missile slammed into an empty kindergarten near Tel Aviv. Israeli army spokesman Nadav Shoshani posted a video on X of the school building, which was empty at the time – no casualties were reported.

Overnight and into the morning, Iran’s capital saw heavy airstrikes, residents said. The attacks – and threats of more to come – indicate the Iran war shows no sign of abating.

With AP

Welcome to our continuing coverage of the conflict in the Middle East. Here is a summary of today’s developments.

• Israel’s defence minister warned of a surge in attacks against Iran, despite US President Donald Trump telling reporters hours earlier he was considering “winding down” military operations in the region.
• The mixed messages came after another climb in oil prices and fears escalated of a fuel shortage.
• Anthony Albanese will meet with the global energy watchdog after it urged countries to urgently conserve fuel, but moved to calm nerves about a domestic fuel shortage.
• Data shows Australia holds a 38-day supply of petrol, 30 days of diesel and 30 days of jet fuel. Petrol and diesel stocks are up slightly since March 3.
• Meanwhile, strikes continued in Lebanon, as falling missile debris struck Jerusalem’s Old City again, and missile and drone attacks were reported in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
• Britain condemned Iran’s “reckless attacks” after its ballistic missiles were fired towards the joint US-UK Diego Garcia military base in the Indian Ocean.
• Iran said its Natanz nuclear facility was hit in an airstrike today, but there had been no radiation leakage.