Iran: Cargo ships hit in Hormuz as Dubai targeted by drones

Germany is preparing to release part of its national oil reserves as energy prices soaramid the war in Iran, German Energy Minister Katherina Reiche said in Berlin on Wednesday.

Germany is joining other G7 countries in releasing reserves as part of an internationally coordinated effort to stabilize energy prices.

The move comes after the International Energy Association (IEA) held a special meeting on Tuesday about the possibility of member states releasing national reserves.

Japan said Wednesday it would release oil reserves as early as Monday, adding it wouldn’t wait for other countries.

“Without waiting for a formal decision on coordinated international stock releases with the IEA, Japan has decided to take the lead in easing supply and demand in the international energy market by releasing strategic reserves as early as the 16th of this month,” Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi Takaichi told reporters Wednesday.

France’s Finance Minister Roland Lescure said on Wednesday that countries’ plans to release oil reserves are “undoubtedly part of a highly coordinated strategy.”

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has condemned a deadly missile strike on a school in Iran early in the Middle East war.

“I express my strong condemnation of the massacre of girls at the school in Minab, in southern Iran, my solidarity with the families of the young victims, and my request that those responsible for this tragedy be swiftly identified.”

Investigations suggest the most likely cause was a US airstrike.

Meloni, who has close ties with US President Donald Trump, also said Iran must not be allowed to develop nuclear weapons.

At least three vessels were hit by unknown projectiles in the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday, with a Thailand-flagged bulk carrier catching fire off the coast of Oman, according to maritime security agencies.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said most crew were evacuated, as the fire was extinguished.Essential crew remained on board.

The Thai Navy said in a statement the bulk carrier “Mayuree Naree” was attacked in the Strait of Hormuz. 

“Efforts are currently underway to rescue the remaining three crew members,” while 20 were rescued by the Omani navy, it said, adding that the cause of the attack was under investigation.

A Japan-flagged container ship also sustained minor damage from an unknown projectile off the coast of the United Arab Emirates. Security sources told Reuters news agency the crew was uninjured, and the vessels is heading towards a safe anchorage. Another Marshall-islands flagged bulk carrier was also hit by an unknown projectile, and slightly damaged.

There was no immediate information on who fired the projectiles.

The narrow Strait of Hormuz is a critical waterway for global trade, through which 20% of the world’s oil is shipped. As the Iran war continues, attacking civilian vessels and disrupting global energy supply remains a key point of leverage for the regime in Tehran.

On Tuesday, the US military said it had “eliminated” multiple Iranian naval vessels, including 16 Iranian mine-laying vessels ‌near the ‌Strait of Hormuz.

Two drones fell near Dubai International Airport on Wednesday, injuring four people, but air traffic continued to operate normally, authorities said.

“Authorities confirm that two drones fell in the vicinity of Dubai International Airport a short while ago,” the Dubai Media Office said in a statement.

The statement said the incident resulted in minor injuries to two Ghanaian nationals and one Bangladeshi national, while an Indian national was also slightly injuried.

Dubai International Airport, the world’s busiest hub for international travel and home to carrier Emirates, has remained operational despite tensions in the regions.

A Sri Lankan court has ordered that the bodies of 84 sailors killed in a US attack on an Iranian warship off the country’s coast last week be handed over to the Iranian embassy, local media report.

The sailors were aboard the warship IRIS Dena, which was struck by a torpedo fired from a US submarine in the Indian Ocean.

According to reports, the warship was returning from a naval exercise organized by India.

Several blasts have been heard in Doha, the capital of Qatar, news agency AFP reports.

Qatar’s interior ministry posted on X that the security threat level remains high. The ministry statement urged people to stay at home and avoid windows and open areas.

A cargo vessel is ablaze in the Strait of Hormuz after being struck by an unidentified projectile, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said on Wednesday.

“It has been reported that a cargo vessel has been hit by an unknown projectile in the Straits of Hormuz, which has resulted in a fire onboard,” UKMTO said.

The UKMTO said the incident forced the crew to evacuate and request assistance.

There were no details of any casualties available.

A media outlet affiliated with the Iranian military has quoted armed forces spokesperson Abolfazl Shekarchi as saying Iran will respond to recent US and Israeli strikes on residential areas.

The comments came after some of the heaviest strikes on Iran since the war began.

Shekarchi, accusing the US and Israel of using civilians as “human shields,” also urged regional countries and Muslims to identify what he called “US-Zionist hiding places” to improve the precision of Iranian strikes while minimizing harm to civilians.

An Israeli strike targeted an apartment in central Beirut on Wednesday, Lebanese state media reported.

Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency said that an apartment in the Aisha Bakkar area of Beirut was the target of the attack.

This is the second attack on the Lebanese capital since the latest war with Iran-backed Hezbollah began.

North Korea respects Iran’s choice of a new supreme leader, state media announced.

“We respect the rights and choice of the Iranian people to elect their supreme leader,” said a Foreign Ministry spokesperson, as quoted by the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

The official accused the United States and Israel of “destroying the regional peace and security foundations and escalating instability worldwide,” as well as of violating Iran’s “political system and territorial integrity” and attempting to “overthrow its social system.”

North Korea, a longstanding US adversary, has previously condemned the US-Israeli attack on Iran as an “illegal act of aggression.”

Defying the desire of US President Donald Trump to influence who runs Iran, the Islamic Republic named Mojtaba Khamenei supreme leader on Sunday to replace his father, longtime ruler Ali Khamenei, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike on February 28.

Australia has granted humanitarian visas to two more additional of the Iranian women’s football squad.

One is a player and the other a support staff member, Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said on Wednesday.

Both sought asylum in Australia before their teammates were transported to the airport late on Tuesday Australia time to fly back to Iran, Burke said. 

The two have been reunited with five other Iranian players who were granted humanitarian visas a day earlier, Burke told reporters in Australia’s capital, Canberra. 

The team’s return to Iran had seen hundreds protest the team’s hotel and at the airport, seeking to prevent the women from leaving Australia.

The protesters said they feared for the team’s safety in Iran after they didn’t sing the national anthem ahead of their Women’s Asia Cup match against South Korea last week.

Australia’s humanitarian visa is for those who need protecting conflict, persecution and human rights abuses. The permanent visa allows holders to work and study in Australia.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyysays that a team is on its way to the Gulf region where they can protect lives and help stabilize the situation.

He said Russia’s war with Ukraine meant his country had the most experience countering attack drones. 

“Without our experience it will be very difficult for the Gulf region, the entire Middle East, and partners in Europe and America to build strong protection,” he said in a post on X. 

“No one in the world can yet say how long all of this will last, but it is important that the protection of life starts working effectively as soon as possible. Stability is important for us as well,” Zelenskyy said.

Israeli strikes have hit several districts in Lebanon, including Nabaityeh, Tyre and Bint Jbeil, killing at least 7 people in the night of Tuesday to Wednesday. 

An Israeli strike killed five people and wounded five others in the town of Qana in the Nabatiyeh district of southern Lebanon, the Lebanese Health Ministry said early Wednesday.

Another strike in the Tyre district, about 80 kilometers (50 miles) of the capital Beirut, killed one and wounded eight. 

A separate strike in the Bint Jbeil district killed one and injured two, the ministry added.

The southern suburbs of Beirut are also under fierce attack, Lebanese media report, as Israeli attacks escalate. 

Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency said “the Israeli enemy launched a violent raid” on Beirut’s southern suburbs, a stronghold of the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group. 

Live footage from the AFP news agency shows plumes of smoke rising from places struck.

The Israeli army said in a Telegram post that it was again targeting Hezbollah infrastructure. 

Meanwhile, the Lebanese Red Cross condemned on Wednesday the targeting of its paramedics by Israel. 

Over the weekend and on Monday, several paramedics were injured in strikes.

The Lebanese Red Cross called “for every effort to be made to protect medical and ambulance crews and to adhere to the application of international humanitarian law,” in a post in Arabic on X. 

Shortly before 1 a.m. local time (2300 GMT/UST), Israel‘s military said that it detected missiles heading towards the country from Iran.

Israeli military had activated air defenses to intercept the threat, it said on its official Telegram account.

Meanwhule, the AFP news agency said its journalists heard air raid sirens sounding in Jerusalem and the sound of explosions in the distance.

A short time later, Israel’s military said it was permitted to leave shelters.

Iran’s police chief Ahmadreza Radan has warned possible protesters that they will be treated as “an enemy,” not as a protester. 

“All our forces also have their fingers on the trigger,” he said on state TV. 

Since the start of the war with Iran, both US President Donald Trump and Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu have encouraged Iranians to rise up against the Iranian regime. 

Most recently, Netanyahu called on the people of Iran to be ready to remove the “Ayatollah regime.”

“People of Iran, We are waging a historic war for liberty. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for you to remove the Ayatollah regime and gain your freedom,” he said in a series of posts on X. 

“When the time is right, and that time is fast approaching, we will pass the torch to you. Be ready to seize the moment!” he added.

Iran saw a wave of anti-government protests erupt in late December 2025 and continued into January. The regime responded with a deadly crackdown that resulted in the mass killings of thousands of protesters.