Iran defiant amid Israeli strikes on Tehran and drones fired at Israel from Yemen

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DUBAI/TEL AVIV/WASHINGTON – Iran fired multiple waves of missiles at Israel on March 30 and vowed to “punish the aggressor” as Israeli forces pounded Tehran and oil prices rose after Yemen’s Houthis entered the war in the Middle East.

Israel’s military said two drones from Yemen had been intercepted on March 30, two days after the Iran-aligned Houthis fired missiles at Israel for the first time since the start of the US-Israeli war on Iran that has spread across the region.

The Israeli military said its forces were targeting what it described as military infrastructure in Tehran and had launched an attack on infrastructure in the Lebanese capital Beirut used by Hezbollah.

The Iran-backed Lebanese group also fired more rockets at Israel on March 30, Israeli authorities said.

US President Donald Trump said on March 29 the United States and Iran had been meeting “directly and indirectly” and that Iran’s new leaders – following the killing of Iran’s supreme leader on Feb 28 – have been “very reasonable”.

But he has also been sending more US troops to the region, leading to Iran’s Parliament speaker accusing Washington of sending messages about possible negotiations while planning a ground invasion and prompting more defiance from Tehran.

Iran defiant

Iran’s acting defence minister, Mr Majid Ebn-e Reza, was quoted by the Iranian news agency IRNA on March 30 as telling his Turkish counterpart that Tehran would continue to “punish aggressors, create deterrence and ensure war won’t repeat itself”.

The month-long war has spread across the region, killing thousands, causing the biggest disruption ever to energy supplies and hitting the global economy.

Oil prices extended gains on March 30, with Brent crude futures up 2.8 per cent to nearly US$116 a barrel at 9.33am GMT (5.33pm Singapore time).

The effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz by Iran has severely disrupted energy markets as it is a conduit for about a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas supplies.

The Houthi attacks on Israel raise the prospect that they could target and block a second important shipping route, the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.

The Financial Times quoted Mr Trump on March 29 as saying the US could seize Kharg Island, from where Iran exports much of its oil, but also that a ceasefire could come quickly. Taking control of Kharg would require ground troops.

‘Meaningful talks’

Pakistan, which is acting as an intermediary between Tehran and Washington, said it was preparing to host “meaningful talks” in the coming days aimed at ending the war. It was not clear whether the US and Iran agreed to attend.

“I think we’ll make a deal with them; I’m pretty sure, but it’s possible we won’t,” Mr Trump told reporters in the evening as he travelled aboard Air Force One to Washington.

Mr Trump said he thought the US had already accomplished regime change in Tehran after strikes killed the country’s supreme leader and other top officials, but said twice that their replacements seemed “reasonable”.

The late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was replaced by his son, Mr Mojtaba Khamenei.

Mr Trump also has the option of launching a ground offensive, with the US Department of Defence dispatching thousands of troops to the Middle East, but he has not approved any of those plans, according to multiple news outlets.

Israeli strikes

Four weeks of intense US-Israeli bombardment has failed to silence Iran’s missile and drone batteries, and Iran has replaced leaders killed in the attacks. Iran confirmed on ​March 30 the death of Revolutionary Guards Navy ​Commander Alireza ​Tangsiri, several days after Israel said he had been killed.

Kuwait said the same day that it had intercepted five drones in areas under its protection. Iraq’s Defence Ministry said the Mohamad Alaa airbase, beside Baghdad International Airport, was hit by rockets early that day, destroying an aircraft but causing no casualties.

Global airlines have begun to increase fares and cut capacity to cope with the surge in the oil price, but economic analysts say the industry’s ability to remain profitable may depend on whether consumers pull back on flying as energy costs threaten household budgets.

A majority of Americans are opposed to the war and a military escalation, which would risk a protracted crisis, would likely weigh further on Mr Trump’s already low approval ratings ahead of November midterm elections for Congress.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on March 29 he ordered the military to further expand its operations in southern Lebanon, citing continued ​rocket fire by Hezbollah.

Israel has said it will seize a chunk of southern Lebanon to create a “buffer zone” against Hezbollah, stoking fears among Lebanese of Israeli military occupation that could deepen instability and stoke further displacement.

US-based rights group HRANA says nearly 3,500 people have been killed in Iran, including 1,550 civilians, while the authorities in Lebanon say nearly 1,240 people have been killed there.

Over 400 Hezbollah fighters have been killed since it fired on Israel on March 2, sources told Reuters, but it is unclear if the official death toll includes those fighters.

At least 100 people have been killed in Iraq and 13 US service members have been killed. REUTERS