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U.S. President Donald Trump said he had "obliterated" Iran's main nuclear sites in strikes overnight, in a major new escalation of conflict in the Middle East as Tehran vowed to reserve all options to defend itself. In Israel, which triggered the crisis by attacking Iran's nuclear and military sites on June 13, retaliatory Iranian missile fire appeared heavier overnight than in previous days and the health ministry said 86 people were injured. Iranians voiced fear at the prospect of the [Read more]

Iran's Supreme National Security Council must make the final decision on whether to close the Strait of Hormuz following U.S. bombing raids, Iran's Press TV said on Sunday, after parliament was reported to have backed the measure. Iran has long used the threat of closing the Strait, through which around 20% of global oil and gas demand flows, as a way to ward off Western pressure which is now at its peak after the overnight U.S. strikes on its nuclear facilities. The decision to close the [Read more]

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu lauded what he called a "bold decision" by U.S. President Donald Trump to bomb Iran's nuclear sites, saying it would "change history." "History will record that President Trump acted to deny the world's most dangerous regime, the world's most dangerous weapons," Netanyahu said in a speech. (Reporting by Alexander Cornwell; Editing by Jamie Freed) [Read more]

Gulf states, home to multiple U.S. military bases, were on high alert on Sunday after U.S. strikes on Iran raised the possibility of a widening conflict in the region. U.S. forces "obliterated" Iran's main nuclear sites with massive bunker-busting bombs in the early hours of Sunday in the region, President Donald Trump said, warning Tehran it would face more devastating attacks if it does not agree to peace. Saudi Arabia, the world's largest oil exporter, was on a high security alert after [Read more]

Oil is likely to rise by $3-5 per barrel when trading resumes on Sunday evening after the U.S. attacked Iran at the weekend, market analysts said, with gains expected to accelerate only if Iran retaliates hard and causes a major oil supply disruption. U.S. President Donald Trump said he had "obliterated" Iran's main nuclear sites in strikes overnight, joining an Israeli assault in an escalation of conflict in the Middle East as Tehran vowed to defend itself. Iran is OPEC's third-largest crude [Read more]

The United Arab Emirates urged on Sunday an immediate halt to escalation to "avoid serious repercussions" in the region following strikes by the U.S. on Iran's nuclear facilities. It warned that such actions could lead the region to "new levels of instability," according to a statement from the foreign ministry. (Reporting by Menna Alaa El-Din and Ahmed Tolba; Editing by Hugh Lawson) [Read more]

Maryam Rajavi, head of the Paris-based opposition National Council of Resistance of Iran said on Sunday that Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was responsible for the nuclear programme that had now "gone up in smoke" and needed to go. "Now Khamenei must go. The Iranian people welcome the end of the war and seek peace and freedom," she said in a statement, following unprecedented U.S. strikes that President Donald Trump said had "obliterated" its key nuclear facilities. "Khamenei is [Read more]

A senior Russian official said on Sunday that U.S. President Donald Trump had started a new war by attacking Iran that would only strengthen Tehran's leaders by consolidating society around Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. The Kremlin, which has a strategic partnership with Iran and also maintains close links to Israel, had repeatedly cautioned Washington that U.S. strikes on Iran would plunge the entire region into the "abyss". "Trump, who came in as a peacemaker president, has started a new [Read more]

Marathon Petroleum continued assessing damage on Friday to the shut residual hydrotreating unit (RHU) at its 631,000-barrel-per-day Galveston Bay Refinery in Texas City, Texas, from a June 14 fire, said people familiar with plant operations. The assessment began after the fire on the 64,000-bpd RHU was extinguished on the night of June 14, the sources said. How long the unit may remain shut was unknown. Marathon spokesperson Jamal Kheiry declined to comment on the downed unit on [Read more]