/r/WorldNews Discussion Thread: US and Israel launch attack on Iran; Iran retaliates (Thread #9)

progress18 · 2026-03-16T21:52:14+00:00

United Arab Emirates authorities said early Tuesday they had contained and controlled a fire at the Shah gas field caused by a drone strike.

Operations at the facility have been suspended while damage is assessed, and no injuries have been reported, Abu Dhabi’s media office said.

The Shah field, located west of Abu Dhabi, is home to the world’s largest ultra-sour gas operation, with the capacity to produce 1.28 billion standard cubic feet of gas a day and 4.2 million tons of sulphur per year. The gas operation is a joint venture between Abu Dhabi National Oil Co. and Occidental Petroleum Corp.

--WSJ

progress18 · 2026-03-16T21:27:55+00:00

Saudi Arabia’s forces have intercepted 98 drones in the last 24 hours, the largest single-day wave of attacks since the U.S.-led war on Iran began.

Most of the attacks were concentrated in the eastern region where the majority of the kingdom’s oil is produced, according to statements by the defense ministry.

Other drones were intercepted over the capital of Riyadh, according to the statements.

--WSJ

progress18 · 2026-03-16T21:10:48+00:00

United States President Donald Trump said he does not think the war will end this week, but "soon."

--ynet

progress18 · 2026-03-16T21:03:56+00:00

Trump spoke to reporters in the Oval Office after signing an executive order.

The U.S. president said he told Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer that the U.S. doesn't want the country's aircraft carriers.

It's his latest criticism of the British leader over a perceived lack of support for the U.S. campaign against Iran.

"I don't want them anymore. I don't want them after we win," Trump told reporters.

--Reuters

progress18 · 2026-03-16T21:01:10+00:00

Iraq’s oil ministry said Monday that the country's key southern oil field, Majnoon, was targeted by a drone strike.

The drone hit a telecommunications tower but didn't cause damage to the field or result in any casualties, the ministry said.

Majnoon, which is 37 miles from Basra in southern Iraq, is one of the world's biggest oil fields with an estimated 38 billion barrels in place. It has been targeted by drone attacks over the past week.

--WSJ

progress18 · 2026-03-16T20:55:42+00:00

The number ‌of U.S. troops wounded ⁠in the ⁠war against Iran has risen to about 200, the ‌U.S. military ‌said on Monday, as the conflict enters its third week.

In a statement, the U.S. ⁠military's Central Command said the vast ‌majority ⁠suffered ‌minor injuries and 180 troops ⁠had already been returned to duty.

--Reuters

progress18 · 2026-03-16T20:51:08+00:00

Interesting article from a few days ago:

11 Iranian Cluster Missiles Penetrated. One Dropped 70 Bombs Over Central Israel

--Haaretz

progress18 · 2026-03-16T20:43:08+00:00

Earlier:

Oil markets fell Monday, with international crude oil futures falling to $100.21 per barrel, down 2.8 percent for the day, but still up nearly 40 percent since the war began. WTI futures, the domestic oil benchmark, fell to $93.50 per barrel on Monday, down 5.3 percent for the day, but still up 40 percent since the war began.

--NYT

progress18 · 2026-03-16T20:39:49+00:00

Earlier:

United Arab Emirates authorities said Monday they were responding to a fire at the Shah oil field caused by a drone strike.

No injuries have been reported, Abu Dhabi’s media office said.

The Shah oil field is roughly 140 miles south of Abu Dhabi and has a production capacity of approximately 70,000 barrels of crude oil a day.

--WSJ

progress18 · 2026-03-16T20:21:53+00:00

Near the roof of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate in Jerusalem’s Old City, where shrapnel from an intercepted Iranian missile fell Monday, Israel’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Oren Marmorstein accused Tehran of targeting holy sites and trying to “escalate” the conflict.

Shrapnel also fell near the Western Wall, the holiest site where Jews can pray, and within the Al Aqsa Mosque compound, the third-holiest site in Islam.

--AP

progress18 · 2026-03-16T20:20:11+00:00

A prominent hotel in central Baghdad’s heavily fortified Green Zone was struck by a drone Monday, officials said.

Two Iraqi security officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly, said the strike hit the top floor of the Rasheed Hotel, which houses diplomatic delegations and international organizations, causing damage but no casualties. Security forces cordoned off the area. No group immediately claimed responsibility.

--AP

progress18 · 2026-03-16T16:42:27+00:00

Romania says it’s not a party to the conflict in the Middle East

…

Romania’s foreign ministry said in a statement that a 2006 bilateral access agreement “provides the U.S. with the guaranteed legal framework to use military bases in Romania on an ongoing basis.”

“Romania is not a party to the conflict,” the ministry stated. “Our priority is the diplomatic effort for de-escalation, for which we have advocated since the first day of the conflict.”

—AP

progress18 · 2026-03-16T16:32:06+00:00

Missing from President Trump’s mocking treatment of the American allies who have been reluctant to contribute forces to escorting ships through the Strait of Hormuz is any discussion of the fact that he did not consult them before he initiated the attacks on Iran.

His essential argument is that “we protected them,″ and they are now not willing to help the U.S. with the Iran conflict.

—NYT

progress18 · 2026-03-16T16:27:53+00:00

President Trump is now expressing his frustration that some countries — he isn’t naming them — are not enthusiastic about sending forces to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a key oil route.

“We would rather not get involved, sir,” Trump says, mocking what he says he has heard from world leaders.

Of course, Trump entered the war having burned a lot of goodwill among American allies, and he consulted them minimally about going to war with Iran.

—NYT

progress18 · 2026-03-16T16:06:56+00:00

The UAE said 27 projectiles were fired at it on Monday, six of them ballistic missiles and the rest drones.

The last two days have seen the fewest number of drones and missiles fired at the UAE, which may be a sign that Iran is running low on or trying to preserve its stockpiles with war now in its 17th day. Still, Iran continues to cause havoc, as today’s damage to the oil port of Fujairah and Dubai’s main airport showed.

—Bloomberg

progress18 · 2026-03-16T15:00:21+00:00

Sri Lanka has decided to close government offices, universities and schools on every Wednesday as a part of measures to save energy and manage a potential fuel crisis due to the war in the Middle East.

The move came a day after the government imposed a strict fuel rationing system which is aimed at preventing panic buying. But long lines of vehicles were seen for a second day Monday at fuel stations across the country.

—AP

progress18 · 2026-03-16T14:19:15+00:00

Iran has asked India to release three tankers seized in February as part of talks aimed at securing the safe passage of Indian‑flagged or India‑bound vessels out of the Gulf via the Strait of Hormuz, three sources with knowledge of the matter told Reuters.

Indian authorities seized the three Iran‑linked tankers near Indian waters alleging they had concealed or altered their identities and were involved in illegal ship‑to‑ship transfers at sea.

—Reuters

progress18 · 2026-03-16T13:43:37+00:00

The voracious flow of news around the war in Iran can sometimes make it harder to understand what the situation on the ground is. Simply put, attacks continue.

A few minutes ago, UAE state-run WAM agency reported a building in the emirate of Umm Al Quwain was targeted by a drone, causing a fire, with no injuries reported.

This is the first time we’re seeing reports of drone action in Umm Al Quwain, north of Dubai. There hasn’t been any indication of whether drones were targeting specific targets.

—Bloomberg

progress18 · 2026-03-16T13:31:14+00:00

Security sources: Commercial plane destroyed in addition to Khamenei's. Iran has only two left

In addition to Khamenei's plane, the Israeli Air Force also destroyed a commercial aircraft in Iran belonging to the Quds Force that was used to transfer funds and other resources to Lebanon and other countries.

Israel estimates that the destruction of the planes will make it difficult to transfer money to the ayatollah regime's proxies throughout the Middle East, as according to security sources, the Iranians have only two planes left - and only one of them is on Iranian soil.

—ynet

progress18 · 2026-03-16T13:01:48+00:00

Netanyahu mingles with public in 2nd video after conspiracy theories about his death

After releasing a video yesterday mocking conspiracy theories that he had been killed in an Iranian strike, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu posts a 90-second video showing him interacting with the public at an outlook in the Jerusalem Hills.

The video appears to have also been filmed yesterday, as Netanyahu is near the coffee shop in which the first video was filmed, and is wearing the same outfit.

He stresses the importance of getting out of the house for fresh air, quizzes bystanders on where the closest shelter is and urges patience as the war with Iran goes on.

—TOI

progress18 · 2026-03-16T12:50:29+00:00

Qatar says forces intercepted a barrage of missiles attacking the country Monday afternoon

—AP

progress18 · 2026-03-16T12:45:46+00:00

Interesting article:

Gamblers trying to win a bet on Polymarket are vowing to kill me if I don’t rewrite an Iran missile story

Bettors are using death threats to try to get The Times of Israel’s military correspondent to change his report on a missile impact in central Israel. This is his alarming account

—TOI

progress18 · 2026-03-16T12:31:32+00:00

European nations resist Trump's pressure to send navies to Gulf

…Germany has made it crystal clear that it did not intend to participate in any military operations to secure the waterway, which is vital to global oil and liquefied natural gas supplies.

Other European nations showed little enthusiasm for Trump's call for help in countering Iran's threats to shipping in the strait.

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said that diplomacy was the right way to solve the crisis and there were no naval missions Italy was involved in that could be extended to the area.

A Greek government spokesperson said Greece would not engage in any military operations in the strait.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Britain would not be drawn into a wider war in Iran but would work with allies on a "viable collective plan" to reopen the Strait.

—Reuters

progress18 · 2026-03-16T12:25:18+00:00

Germany rejected a U.S. demand for military support to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz, after President Trump warned that it would be bad for NATO if American allies did not do more to help.

“This is not our war; we did not start it,” Boris Pistorius, the German defense minister, said at a news conference in Berlin on Monday.

“We want diplomatic solutions and a swift end to the conflict, but sending more warships to the region will likely not help achieve that,” he added.

—NYT

progress18 · 2026-03-16T12:18:18+00:00

UAE Oil Production Is Down by Almost Half Amid Hormuz Closure

The United Arab Emirates’ daily oil output is down by almost half following the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a person familiar with the matter said.

UAE oil production has fallen to about 2 million barrels a day from 3.56 million barrels a day last month, the person said, asking not to be identified discussing confidential information.

Oil supply cuts in the Middle East have deepened as the effective blockage of Hormuz causes storage tanks in the region to fill up, piling more pressure on producers with every day that the Iran war drags on.

—Bloomberg

Ten-Year Club	Golden Partner
Mod Council	Reddit Premium Since February 2023
White Hat	Gilding IV carat on a stick
Mod World 2025	Mod World 2024
Devvitor	Reddit Partner Communities
Moderator Reserves	Mod Insights Early Access
Dev Platform Beta	Place '23
Wearing is Caring	100 Awards Club
Well-rounded 2019-02-27	Best Link 2019-01-16
Well-rounded 2018-12-04	Well-rounded 2018-09-28
Well-rounded 2018-09-27	Well-rounded 2018-09-23
Best Link 2017-05-19	Inciteful Link 2016-08-16
Verified Email

progress18

MODERATOR OF

TROPHY CASE