Supreme Leader vows retaliation as Iran orders Gulf oilfields to evacuate

The war in West Asia lurched into dangerous new territory on Wednesday, March 18, as Iran threatened to strike oil and gas facilities across the Gulf in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Qatar after Israel bombed its South Pars gasfield. 

As is the case with all wars, people bore the brunt. More than 1,300 have been killed in Iran since the war began on February 28. On Wednesday alone, at least eight more died when an airstrike hit a courthouse complex in southern Iran. 

And with vows of retribution from Iran’s Supreme Leader promising that the killers of security chief Ali Larijani would “soon pay,” the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) threatening to reduce American and Israeli energy infrastructure to ashes and Israel and the US continuing its strike on the Islamic Republic, there is little sign the worst is over.

‘Criminal murderers’ must pay for Larijani’s killing: Iran’s Supreme Leader

Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei on Wednesday vowed retribution for the killing of security chief Ali Larijani, saying “every blood has a price that the criminal murderers of the martyrs must soon pay.”

In a statement carried by semiofficial Tasnim news agency, Khamenei said he received news of Larijani’s death with “great regret,” describing him as an “intelligent, committed individual” and a distinguished figure in Iran’s political establishment.

“The assassination of such a figure undoubtedly shows the extent of his importance and the hatred of the enemies of Islam towards him,” he said, adding that such acts would only strengthen the Islamic system.

Iran issues evacuation orders for gasfields in Gulf after South Pars attack

Iran on Wednesday threatened to target oil and gas facilities across the Gulf region in retaliation for an Israeli strike on its South Pars gasfield, marking a sharp escalation in the ongoing US-Israeli war on the country.

In a statement shared by semiofficial Tasnim news agency, Iranian authorities said five facilities in Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Qatar “will be targeted in the coming hours.” It issued an order to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE to evacuate their petrochemical facilities.

The list includes Saudi Arabia’s SAMREF refinery and Jubail petrochemical complex, the UAE’s Al Hosn gasfield, and Qatar’s Ras Laffan refinery and Mesaieed petrochemical complex. 

The threat followed reports by Iranian state media that natural gas facilities linked to the South Pars field – the world’s largest gasfield, located off the coast of Bushehr province – had been attacked. Iran’s Ministry of Petroleum said several facilities were damaged but reported no casualties. A fire at the gasfield was said to be under control.

Israeli media, citing unnamed sources, reported that the country’s air force carried out the strike.

Saudi Arabia issues danger warnings for Riyadh, al-Kharj

Saudi Arabia’s National Early Warning Platform for Emergency Cases on Wednesday issued danger alerts for the governorates of Riyadh and al-Kharj. Meanwhile, the country’s Ministry of Defence said it had intercepted and destroyed two ballistic missiles launched towards the country’s eastern region, as well as two drones — one in the eastern region and one near Riyadh.

IRGC vows to burn enemy energy infrastructure after Iran attack

Iran’s IRGC on Wednesday issued a stark warning to the United States and Israel, threatening to destroy their fuel and energy infrastructure in retaliation for strikes on Iranian oil and gas facilities.

A spokesperson for the IRGC’s Khatam al-Anbiya Headquarters said the “fuel, energy and gas infrastructures” of those responsible for the attack “will be burned and turned to ashes at the earliest opportunity,” according to Iran’s Mehr news agency.

“This is a firm and clear warning to the criminals who attacked part of Iran’s fuel and energy infrastructures in the south of the country,” the statement read. The IRGC also warned US and Israeli forces they would be forced to abandon their positions, in what it called a message to the “cowardly and aggressive” American military and the “criminal Zionist regime.”

UAE warns Israel’s strike on Iran gasfield a ‘dangerous escalation’

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Wednesday condemned Israel’s attack on Iran’s South Pars gasfield, calling it a “dangerous escalation” that threatens global energy security.

The UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in a rare rebuke amid the ongoing US-Israeli war on Iran, said targeting energy facilities posed “a direct threat to global energy security, as well as to the security and stability of the region and its people.”

The ministry stressed that vital facilities must not be targeted “under any circumstances” and called for strict adherence to international law.

Gas network ‘stable’ after South Pars attack: Iran

The National Iranian Gas Company said on Wednesday that Iran’s gas network remained stable following an attack on facilities in the country’s south, though it acknowledged damage to “part of the refining units.”

In a statement carried by Tasnim news agency, the company said its personnel were “fully present in the region” and working to restore normal operations. “Gas production is currently under way with full safety precautions in mind,” it said.

The company added that the fire at the South Pars facility had been extinguished and cooling operations were underway.

Renewed strikes in Iran

The Iranian judiciary’s Mizan news agency said an airstrike hit a courthouse complex in Larestan, a county in southern Fars province, and that at least eight people were killed. More than 1,300 people have been killed in Iran since the conflict started, according to the Iranian Red Crescent.

Mizan also reported that Iran executed a man on charges of spying for Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency. Wednesday’s report identified him as Kourosh Keyvani and alleged he “provided images and information on sensitive locations” to Israel.

Sweden’s Foreign Ministry condemned what it said was the execution of a Swedish citizen on Wednesday in Iran. The citizen, whose name was not made public, was arrested last year but additional details were not available.

Iran’s Bushehr nuclear power plant complex was hit by a projectile the night before, but there were no injuries and the plant suffered no damage, the International Atomic Energy Agency said after receiving a report from Tehran. IAEA chief Rafael Grossi reiterated his call “for maximum restraint during the conflict to prevent risk of a nuclear accident.”

1,000 Indians still in Iran: MEA 

Nearly 1,000 Indians are still in Iran amidst the ongoing conflict in West Asia, while 23,000 school students based in Gulf region could not appear in the CBSE final examinations due to the turmoil.

This was conveyed by the Ministry of External Affairs to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs at a meeting held on Wednesday.

“Well, there are about 1,000 still in Iran, but not all of them necessarily wish to leave,” chairman of the panel Shashi Tharoor told reporters after the meeting.

Israel pressures Hezbollah in Lebanon

In Lebanon, Israel kept up intense pressure, with strikes it said targeted Iran-backed Hezbollah militants, hitting multiple apartment buildings in Beirut and killing at least a dozen people.

Israel flattened an apartment building in central Beirut about an hour after issuing an evacuation notice — the fourth time the building was targeted. Israel’s military claimed it was being used by Hezbollah to store “millions of dollars intended to finance its activities,” without providing evidence.

Overall, 10 people were killed in Israeli airstrikes in central Beirut, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry. Another two people were killed in an airstrike in Lebanon’s western Bekaa Valley, it said.

Among those killed in Beirut was a journalist with Hezbollah’s AL-Manar TV, the broadcaster said. Al-Manar said the head of its political program Mohammed Sherri was killed along with his wife, and that his children and grandchildren were wounded.

Israeli strikes have displaced more than 1 million Lebanese — roughly 20 per cent of the population — according to the Lebanese government, which says 912 people have been killed and 2,221 wounded.

In Israel, 14 people have been killed by Iranian missile fire. At least 13 US military members have been killed.

(With inputs from Associated Press)