Katy Watson
BBC correspondent in Doha

With talk from Donald Trump of wanting to ‘take the oil in Iran’, Gulf states will today be thinking through the repercussions of such an operation.

There’s a clear tit-for-tat going on – when Iran’s energy infrastructure gets hit, the Gulf can expect missiles and drones on infrastructure here too.

Earlier this month, Qatar’s Ras Laffan liquefied natural gas facility was attacked after Israel targeted Iran’s South Pars gas field.

Overnight, an Iranian electricity facility was hit and then Kuwait reported an attack on one of its power and desalination plants, resulting in one Indian worker being killed and significant damage to the facility.

Leaders from across the Gulf have condemned the attack.

Escalation is a massive worry - this part of the world is hugely vulnerable to hits on its energy infrastructure.

The Gulf is an arid desert where natural freshwater is scarce and so hundreds of desalination plants, which convert sea water into drinking water, make this part of the world liveable.

With 90% of drinking water in the Gulf coming from desalination plants, it’s clear that if those facilities are inoperable, the Gulf is vulnerable – and the implications for its people are massive.

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

Israel's military says six of its soldiers have been injured in Lebanon in separate incidents.

Two soldiers were severely injured after an anti-tank missile was fired towards them in southern Lebanon yesterday afternoon, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) says.

Three IDF soldiers were injured, one severely, after a drone fell near to them, the military says. One more soldier was injured after an "operational accident", it adds. The troops have all been taken to hospital.

Israel's renewed offensive in Lebanon began after Iranian-backed Hezbollah fired rockets into northern Israel in retaliation for the killing of Iran's supreme leader and near-daily strikes on Hezbollah. Since then, Israeli attacks have killed more than 1,000 people in Lebanon, according to the Lebanese health ministry.

Israel has also said it intends to take control of a large part of southern Lebanon as part of its ground campaign against Hezbollah.

Image source, Getty Images

Long before he was the US President, Donald Trump had Iran's Kharg Island in his sights. As he tells the Financial Times he is considering taking the crucial island, here's a snapshot of what he previously said:

• 1988: Trump said "I’d do a number on Kharg Island" in an interview with The Guardian. "I’d go in and take it. Iran can’t even beat Iraq, yet they push the United States around. It’d be good for the world to take them on"
• 13 March, 2026: In an interview with Fox News radio, Trump was asked about his 1988 comments. He said taking the island was "not high on the list". He went on to say he could change his mind "in seconds". "Let's say I was gonna do it, or let's say I wasn't gonna do it. What would I say to you?"
• On the same day: Trump said on Truth Social he had directed bombing raids that had "totally obliterated" military targets "Iran's crown jewel, Kharg Island". He said he had "chosen NOT to wipe out Oil infrastructure on the island" but said he would reconsider this if Iran interfered with the Strait of Hormuz

• 30 March, 2026: In the interview with the Financial Times published today, Trump said the US "had a lot of options" in relation to the island. “Maybe we take Kharg Island, maybe we don’t," he said. “It would also mean we had to be there [in Kharg Island] for a while"

As we've been reporting, Keir Starmer will gather business leaders in Downing Street today to discuss the economic impact of the Iran war.

Ahead of this, we've had a reminder that it's not just oil prices that have risen since Iran blockaded the Strait of Hormuz, with a shipping analyst saying we should also be watching fertiliser costs.

Lars Jenssen, the founder and chief executive of shipping consultancy Vespucci Maritime, says 20 to 30% of the world's seaborne fertiliser originates in the Gulf.

"This will mean rapidly escalating food prices, especially in poorer countries," he tells BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.

Image source, EPA

The Kuwait National Guard says it intercepted five drones, the country's state news agency reports this morning.

It follows the death of a worker from India in an Iranian attack on a power and desalination plant in Kuwait, Kuwait’s Ministry of Electricity and Water said in a statement overnight.

Yesterday, Kuwait's armed forces said 10 of its members were injured in Iranian attacks on military camps, and a warehouse belonging to a private logistics company was also targeted, in missile and drone attacks during the previous 24 hours.

Image source, Getty Images

Nick Marsh
Business reporter, Singapore

Markets in Asia have fallen sharply after the price of oil jumped in morning trade - reaching $116 (£88) for a barrel of Brent crude.

At the same time, Donald Trump says he wants to "take the oil in Iran" - as the United States did when it removed Venezuela's president Nicolas Maduro in January.

Trump told the Financial Times the US could do this by seizing Kharg Island in the Persian Gulf, the hub on which 90 per cent of Iran's oil exports are loaded.

Taking Kharg Island may be possible, but it would not be the relatively straightforward operation the US enjoyed in Venezuela. It would involve considerable manpower - and would not change who controls the Strait of Hormuz.

Any tankers leaving a US-controlled Kharg Island would still be at the mercy of Iranian attacks, as they are now.

Image source, Get

Image source, Getty Images

In a short post on his social platform, President Trump says the US has already destroyed "many targets" in Iran.

He posts on Truth Social: "Big day in Iran. Many long sought after targets have been taken out and destroyed by our GREAT MILITARY, the finest and most lethal in the World."

Last week, US Central Command said the military had struck more than 9,000 targets across the country.

The Iranian government says the country's electricity network is stable after attacks on the country's energy infrastructure caused power cuts in parts of Tehran and Albroz provinces.

In a message carried by state news outlets on Telegram, an official said the issues had been resolved.

Mostafa Rajabi Mashhadi, deputy minister of energy, said last night on state TV that "shrapnel struck one of the electricity pylons at the entrance to the city of Karaj [a city near Tehran]".

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Reuters

Keir Starmer will meet senior bosses from energy, shipping and financial services later in Downing Street about the impact of the Iran war on the UK economy.

Talks are expected to centre around Iran's effective blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world's busiest channels for oil and other products, including fertiliser.

The PM's office said the aim of the meeting was to hear directly from businesses and discuss how the government and private sector can work together.

The leaders will also hear an update on the situation in the region from UK maritime operations commander Major General Richard Cantrill.

Trump talks up deal – while troops prepare for possible ground operationspublished at 06:00 BST

06:00 BST

Tom Bateman
US State Department correspondent

Image source, EPA

President Trump’s claim that Iran was close to conceding to his demands came alongside a series of anonymous briefings from US officials about the apparent readiness of troops to carry out ground operations.

Thousands of US marines are now in the region, with special forces and paratroopers on the way. The administration is making it known the president is considering anything from a raid on Iran’s oil export terminal Kharg Island to an audacious, but likely implausible, operation to seize its stockpile of highly enriched uranium, which Trump calls Iran’s "nuclear dust".

Speaking on Air Force One last night, he said Iran was ready to hand it over - and if not, it wouldn’t have a country anymore.

Iran’s parliamentary speaker Mohamed Bagher Ghalibaf suggested Trump was using talk of negotiations as cover for planning a ground attack, saying Iran would not accept surrender and its men were waiting for the American soldiers – and would set them on fire.

Image source, Reuters

We reported earlier that a member of the UN force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) had been killed after a projectile hit one of their positions late on Sunday.

Indonesia has now confirmed that one of its peacekeepers was killed and three others injured while serving with the UN force.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs says the group was hit by "indirect artillery fire in the vicinity" of their position.

"We are profoundly saddened by this loss. We pay our highest respect to the fallen peacekeeper for his dedication and service to international peace and security," it writes on social media.

"Indonesia strongly condemns the incident and calls for a thorough and transparent investigation."

The US president is considering a military operation with the goal of extracting 1,000 pounds of uranium from Iran, the Wall Street Journal reports.

The operation "would likely put American forces inside the country for days or longer", according to the Journal, which cites unnamed security officials.

Trump has yet to make a decision, but "remains generally open to the idea, according to the officials, because it could help accomplish his central goal of preventing Iran from ever making a nuclear weapon."

The BBC has reached out to the White House and the Pentagon for comment.

The New York Times reports that troops deployed to the region "could be used in a mission aimed at Iran’s highly enriched uranium at the Isfahan nuclear site" but that they could also be used to seize Kharg Island or protect the Strait of Hormuz.

The New York Times reported earlier this month that Trump was "clearly considering" an operation to "seize and destroy near-bomb-grade nuclear material believed to be largely stored deep under a mountain in Isfahan".

Both outlets point out that the operation would be complicated and high-risk.

Shortly after announcing fresh strikes on Tehran, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) says it has identified missiles launched from Iran and defensive systems are working to intercept the threat.

It has also issued a precautionary directive to the public, urging them to "act responsibly" and "enter a protected space" until further notice, according to the IDF's Telegram channel.

We're just hearing that Israel is carrying out fresh strikes inside Iran.

"The IDF is currently striking Iranian terror regime military infrastructure across Tehran," the Israel Defense Forces says on Telegram.

We'll bring more details as they come in.

Australia will halve its fuel excise until the end of June to help ease costs for households.

The excise, a sales tax levied by the Australian government on fuel at the pump, will be lowered by 26.3 cents per litre for petrol.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said in a post on X on Monday: "We're halving the fuel tax for three months to save you money when you fill up."

"Conflict overseas is pushing up prices at home. And we know Australians are feeling the pressure."

Two Australian states - Victoria and Tasmania - are temporarily making public transport free to discourage people from driving due to high fuel costs.

Image source, Getty Images

As we just reported, Trump has told the Financial Times that the US could attempt to seize Kharg Island, a small island off the coast of Iran.

The US has its sights on the island because it is home to a major oil terminal - Iran's economic lifeline.

Seizing it would not only choke off Iran's oil exports but could also provide a platform from which to carry out attacks against the mainland.

Taking the island would effectively cut off a chief source of revenue for Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), affecting its ability to conduct war, security analyst Mikey Kay, from the BBC's Security Brief, says.

Any US operation to seize the island would be relatively small in size, but challenging, Aaron Maclean, host of the School of War podcast and a CBS national security analyst told the BBC.

Read more about Kharg Island's significance here.

Osmond Chia
Business reporter

Asian stocks slid in early Monday trade as oil prices are headed for a record monthly surge.

Japan's Nikkei 225 index was down by more than 4.5% while the Kospi exchange in South Korea fell by 4.3%. Both stock exchanges have been hit hard by rising oil prices as their countries are highly reliant on energy from the Middle East.

Australia's ASX 200 index also fell by 1.4%.

Oil prices have risen since the Iran war intensified over the weekend, with the Iran-backed Houthis militant group from Yemen joining in the fighting and more US troops arriving in the Middle East.

The price of Brent crude has risen by 3%, passing $115 a barrel in early trade in Asia.

US-traded oil also jumped close to 3% at $102.50.

Read more here.

Image source, Reuters

Donald Trump has been speaking recently on Air Force One, where he says the US believes it has achieved regime change in Iran, echoing comments made last week on Fox news, where he said, "You could really say we have regime change because they have been killed."

Speaking to reporters on board the plane, he says: "But we've had regime change if you look already because the one regime was decimated, destroyed, they're all dead. The next regime is mostly dead, and the third regime we're dealing with different people than anybody's dealt with before, it's a whole different group of people, so I would consider that regime change, and frankly they've been very reasonable.

"So I think we've had regime change, I mean you can't do much better than that.

"The regime that was really bad, really evil ... the second was appointed, and they're all gone, they're all dead, other than one who may have a little life in him," Trump says, citing the number of Iranian leaders killed in the month-long war.

He also says he believes Iran is likely to make a deal with the US.

"I think we'll make a deal with them, pretty sure, but it's possible we won't," he says.

"You never know with Iran, because we negotiate with them and then we have to blow them up," he adds.

Saudi Arabia's ministry of defence says it detected and intercepted five ballistic missiles heading towards its eastern region.

No further details were provided on whether there was damage or casualties.

It comes after an Iranian attack on Prince Sultan air base on Friday. Pictures verified by the BBC show a US command and control aircraft were destroyed in that attack.

Image source, Vatican Media via Vatican Pool/Getty Images

As conflict in the Middle East continues, Pope Leo XIV has been addressing people at the Vatican who are celebrating Palm Sunday today.

The Pope says God rejects the prayers of leaders who start wars and have "hands full of blood", in what has been interpreted as a criticism of those involved in the US-Israeli war with Iran.

"This is our God: Jesus, king of peace, who rejects war, whom no one can use to justify war,” says the Pope.

“He does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war, but rejects them.”

Quoting a passage from the Bible, he says: “‘Even though you make many prayers, I will not listen: your hands are full of blood'."