US Interior Secretary Doug Burgum stated in Tokyo that the United States can provide a reliable energy supply to the Asia-Pacific region, where oil and gas deliveries have been disrupted due to the ongoing Iran war. Speaking at an event attended by representatives from 17 Asia-Pacific countries, Burgum emphasized Washington’s readiness to ensure stable energy access for its allies.

He said President Donald Trump’s policy aims to secure the energy needed for America’s prosperity while maintaining the ability to sell energy to friends and partners. Burgum also stressed that reliable, affordable, and safe energy supplies in the region should not be threatened by what he described as a ‘terrorist regime.’

In addition to energy, Burgum highlighted the importance of ensuring secure supplies of critical rare minerals, underscoring their strategic value for the region’s stability and economic growth.

The prolonged Iran war has placed the United States in a difficult position as global economic instability deepens. Despite the joint U.S.-Israeli strike that killed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Iranian government remains intact. Iran has tightened control over the Strait of Hormuz, disrupted oil supplies, and expanded attacks across the Middle East, pushing up global fuel prices and triggering rationing in countries such as Bangladesh and Nigeria.

Analysts cited in the report note that Iran’s decentralized defense structure and new leadership have allowed it to sustain operations. The country is pursuing a three-tier strategy of survival, retaliation, and prolonging the war to end it on its own terms. Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump faces mounting domestic pressure as voters react to rising living costs and energy shortages. Gulf states that once sought closer ties with Tehran are now frustrated by the chaos.

Experts suggest Trump may redefine “victory” by emphasizing Khamenei’s death rather than regime change, though Iran is unlikely to let Washington exit easily. The conflict’s continuation threatens to further strain global trade and energy markets.

At least 31 people were killed in Israeli airstrikes across Lebanon on Friday, according to the state-run National News Agency (NNA). The attacks struck multiple regions, leaving many others injured. In the eastern outskirts of Sidon, an Israeli strike on a residential building killed eight people and injured nine. Rescue teams in Kleileh city of Tyre district recovered two bodies from a collapsed building early Saturday.

In other incidents, one person was killed in a drone strike between Kafartabnit and Arnoun in Batih district, and another in an airstrike on Yater city in Bint Jbeil district. Two more were killed in Bar Elias city in the Bekaa Valley, while a strike in Beirut’s Jannah area targeted a car, killing one person. Additional casualties were reported in Shebaa and Nabatieh al-Fawqa.

The widespread attacks caused significant civilian casualties, including children, as families in southern Lebanon buried their dead following the strikes.

U.S. President Donald Trump announced that all military targets on Iran’s Kharg Island, the country’s main oil export hub, have been completely destroyed. As nearly 90 percent of Iran’s crude exports depend on the island, the attack is being viewed as a major blow to Iran’s economy. A retired U.S. Army officer told CNN that the global oil market could spiral out of control following the strike.

In a statement issued Friday night, Trump warned that if Tehran continues to obstruct shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, the island’s oil infrastructure will also be directly targeted. Former U.S. Brigadier General Mark Kimmitt said the attack has significantly increased the risk of war, noting that the U.S. is now targeting Iran’s economic core rather than just its military or government.

CNN, citing Pentagon sources, reported that a U.S. Marine Expeditionary Unit is being deployed to the Middle East to address escalating tensions. Iran’s state media, however, claimed that no oil-related infrastructure on Kharg Island was damaged.

US President Donald Trump stated that the United States would escort ships passing through the Hormuz Strait if necessary. In an interview broadcast on Fox News on Friday, he also said that the US would launch a very strong attack on Iran next week. When asked about assisting oil tankers navigating the key waterway, Trump replied that the US would act if required, expressing hope that the situation would progress positively but offering no further details.

In a social media post, Trump warned that if Tehran continued to obstruct ship movements through the Hormuz Strait, the US would target Iran’s oil infrastructure on Kharg Island. The statements come amid heightened tensions over maritime security and energy transport routes in the region.

The remarks suggest a possible escalation in US-Iran tensions, though no specific timeline or operational details were disclosed in the source.

A drone attack struck the United States Embassy in Baghdad on Saturday, according to a report by AFP. An official confirmed that a drone hit the embassy compound, and another security source verified the authenticity of the attack on the diplomatic mission. The incident occurred in the Iraqi capital, though no details were provided about casualties or damage within the embassy premises.

Reports cited by AFP indicated that the attack took place shortly after two Iran-backed fighters were killed in Baghdad. The timing of the strike has drawn attention to the ongoing tensions in the region, where multiple armed groups operate with varying allegiances. The report did not specify who was responsible for the drone assault or whether any group had claimed responsibility.

Further information about the extent of the damage or the response from US or Iraqi authorities was not available at the time of reporting.

A reported US attack on Iran’s Kharg Island has intensified concerns over rising global oil prices. Energy economist and lecturer Ed Hirs of the University of Houston told Al Jazeera that the strike could disrupt Iran’s oil exports. He noted that although former US President Donald Trump claimed he did not target oil infrastructure, Kharg Island is small, making it unlikely that export facilities escaped damage.

Hirs warned that if the assault permanently damages Iran’s export capacity and if oil production or exports from Iraq and Kuwait also halt, prices could climb further, especially if the conflict continues for weeks or months. He added that such a scenario would severely impact Asian economies, which are major importers of crude and refined petroleum products.

Earlier, Trump said on social media that US forces carried out one of the most powerful bombing operations in Middle East history, claiming all military targets on Kharg Island were destroyed.

Iran’s Unified Combatant Command has warned that any attack on its oil and energy infrastructure will trigger immediate retaliation against energy facilities owned by US-linked oil companies in the region. The statement followed a recent assault on Kharg Island, a key terminal responsible for nearly 90 percent of Iran’s oil exports.

According to a declaration from Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, any strike on Iranian energy sites would lead to the destruction of US-affiliated oil and energy infrastructure. The warning came shortly after the US president announced that American forces had destroyed military targets on Kharg Island, though he stated that oil facilities were not targeted.

The US president also cautioned that if Iran or any other actor attempted to disrupt free and safe navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, the decision not to attack oil infrastructure could be reconsidered. Earlier, the US administration had shown reluctance to strike Iranian energy facilities, even indirectly condemning an Israeli attack on a major oil depot in Tehran.

US President Donald Trump claimed that American forces carried out one of the most powerful airstrikes in Middle Eastern history, completely destroying all military targets on Iran’s Kharg Island near the Strait of Hormuz. In a post on his social media platform Truth Social, Trump stated that the US Central Command executed the operation but deliberately avoided damaging the island’s oil infrastructure. He warned that this restraint could be reconsidered if Iran or others interfered with the free and safe passage of ships through the strait.

Iran’s Fars news agency reported that black smoke was seen rising from Kharg Island following the attack, but the Iranian military remained intact and continued operations from the site. The agency added that more than 15 explosions were heard during the assault, confirming that no oil facilities were damaged.

The situation underscores heightened tensions in the region, though both sides have provided differing accounts of the strike’s impact and aftermath.

Five US Air Force refueling aircraft were damaged in an Iranian missile attack on Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia, according to a Wall Street Journal report citing two US officials. The incident occurred while the aircraft were stationed at the base, and repair work is currently underway. No casualties were reported, and the planes were not completely destroyed.

The report noted that the strike was part of a recent Iranian missile assault targeting the Saudi facility. The damage was limited to the aircraft, and the situation remains under control. The publication did not provide further details on the timing or broader military context of the attack.

The absence of fatalities and the ongoing repair efforts suggest that operations at the base may resume once maintenance is completed, though no official timeline was mentioned in the report.

An Israeli airstrike on a health center in southern Lebanon has killed at least 12 people, including doctors, nurses, and paramedics, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Health. The attack targeted the Burj Kalawiyah Health Care Center in a village in southern Lebanon. Officials said the death toll is preliminary as several people remain missing under the debris.

The ministry reported that since the current wave of hostilities began, a total of 773 people have been killed across Lebanon, including 103 children, and more than 1,900 others have been injured. Authorities noted that recent airstrikes have become increasingly deadly, with attacks occurring not only in southern Lebanon but also in the capital, Beirut.

Rescue operations are ongoing at the site of the latest strike, while officials continue to assess the full extent of the damage and casualties.

Lebanon’s armed group Hezbollah has announced that it is prepared for a long-term conflict with Israel. In a televised address, the group’s leader Naim Qassem stated that Israel would face “unexpected surprises” on the battlefield. He added that the ongoing clashes could continue for an extended period and that Hezbollah is advancing with preparations accordingly.

The Iran-backed organization, based in Lebanon, has been engaged in regular exchanges of fire with Israel since March 2. The tensions escalated after Hezbollah launched airstrikes on Israel following the death of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. In response, Israel has carried out extensive attacks in Lebanon, claiming to target Hezbollah’s infrastructure and military sites.

Analysts cited in the report warned that the current hostilities could potentially expand into a wider regional war in the Middle East if the situation continues to deteriorate.

Qatar’s Interior Minister Sheikh Khalifa bin Hamad said on Friday that the country’s security situation remains stable despite ongoing Iranian drone and missile attacks across the Middle East. Speaking to Qatar Television, he confirmed that the government has contingency plans to address potential future strikes and emphasized readiness to take any necessary measures to preserve national stability. He noted that Qatar’s early warning system has been effective, with authorities responding to reports of missile fragments at over 600 sites nationwide. The minister also assured that Qatar has sufficient water and food reserves to sustain the population for extended periods.

The statement comes as Gulf nations face intensified Iranian attacks following the United States and Israel’s launch of a war against Iran on February 28. Although Iran claims to be targeting US and Israeli military assets, its strikes have damaged civilian infrastructure, including oil and gas facilities, slowing regional energy production. The closure of the Strait of Hormuz has further heightened global economic concerns.

Earlier this week, the UN Security Council condemned the Iranian attacks, while Qatar’s UN ambassador described them as violations of international law and damaging to regional relations.

A drone attack on Adikong market in western Sudan, near the border with Chad, killed 11 people and wounded dozens more, including children, on Thursday. The strike ignited fuel reserves, causing fires that tore through the busy market. Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said it treated more than 20 of the wounded at a hospital across the border in Adre, noting that seven of the injured were children. MSF described it as the second deadly drone attack on the same area in less than a month.

The United Nations warned that Sudan’s intensifying air war has killed more than 200 civilians in just over a week. UN Human Rights Chief Volker Turk condemned the growing use of drones by both the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which have been fighting since April 2023. Recent strikes in West Kordofan and White Nile states have hit markets, hospitals, and schools, killing hundreds of civilians.

The conflict has produced over 1,000 documented drone attacks since 2023, with Sudan now accounting for more than half of all drone strikes recorded across Africa. The UN says 33.7 million people in Sudan require humanitarian aid, and over 12 million have been displaced.

Thousands of Iranians gathered in Tehran on Friday for the annual al-Quds Day rally in support of Palestinians, even as explosions struck the capital during the event. Iranian state television reported that at least one person was killed after multiple blasts were heard near Ferdowsi Square. The cause of the explosions was not immediately clear, though they followed an Israeli warning for people to leave the area before a planned strike. State media said the victim, a woman, died from shrapnel caused by a US-Israeli air strike.

The rally took place a day after Iran’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, vowed to continue resisting the ongoing US-Israeli assault that has killed at least 1,444 people and wounded 18,551 since February 28, according to Iran’s Ministry of Health. President Masoud Pezeshkian and senior officials attended the demonstration, where participants expressed defiance and solidarity with Palestinians. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced that Iranian forces, in coordination with Hezbollah, had launched missiles and drones at Israel using Kheibar Shekan missiles.

The United States and Israel have shown no signs of halting their offensive despite international calls for de-escalation, while Iran has responded by targeting regional sites and closing the Strait of Hormuz.