Tensions in the Middle East escalated further on Thursday as Iran's new Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei called for the immediate closure of all United States military bases in the region amid ongoing US-Israel strikes on Tehran.
In his first public statement, Khamenei also said Iran should use its leverage over the strategic Strait of Hormuz and warned that attacks on Gulf Arab neighbours would continue.
Iran's new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei vowed to avenge those killed in the war, including in a strike on a school.
He said Iran would "obtain compensation" from its enemy, referring to the United States. If it refuses, Iran will "take from its assets" or destroy them to the same extent, he said.
Meanwhile, Hakan Fidan, Foreign Minister of Turkey, said Ankara is in talks with both United States and Iran in an effort to end the ongoing war.
"We are at a time when we need negotiation and dialogue more than ever. We are talking to the Iranian side, and we are talking to the American side," Fidan said, adding that the war should end as soon as possible.
The Israel Defense Forces said on Thursday that it had struck Iran's Taleghan compound, which it claimed was used by the Iranian regime to advance nuclear weapons capabilities.
According to Israeli officials, the facility was involved in developing advanced explosives and conducting sensitive experiments as part of the covert AMAD nuclear weapons project in the early 2000s.
In response, Iran launched a series of strikes across the Gulf region.
A container ship was reportedly hit off the coast of Dubai, triggering a major blaze. Explosions were also reported near Bahrain International Airport, while a drone strike targeted a major oil field in Saudi Arabia.
In Iraq, authorities halted operations at all oil terminals after an Iranian strike targeted the port city of Basra on the Persian Gulf.
The attacks came despite a United Nations Security Council resolution passed a day earlier urging Tehran to halt strikes on its Gulf neighbours. New attacks were also reported in Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates.
In Israel, air raid sirens sounded before dawn in Jerusalem as the Israeli military intercepted incoming Iranian missiles. Later in the day, loud explosions were heard again as the city came under another round of attack.
The US-Israel conflict with Iran entered its 13th day on Thursday, with growing concerns over global oil supplies as attacks intensified around the Strait of Hormuz — a waterway that carries nearly one-fifth of the world's oil shipments.
Iranian explosive-laden boats reportedly attacked two fuel tankers in Iraqi waters on Wednesday, setting them ablaze and killing one crew member. Projectiles also struck three vessels in Gulf waters, according to port authorities and maritime security firms cited by Reuters.
US to release emergency oil reserves
Amid the disruption to global energy flows, the administration of US President Donald Trump announced plans to release 172 million barrels from the country's emergency oil reserves.
The move is part of a coordinated effort by member nations of the International Energy Agency to release a total of 400 million barrels from global reserves in order to stabilise surging crude and fuel prices.
The oil will be supplied from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve over a period of about 120 days, according to US Energy Secretary Chris Wright.
"This is to tide the world over while these flows are restricted by Iran," Wright said, expressing hope that ship traffic would resume through the Strait of Hormuz in the coming weeks.
Iran warns of prolonged war
Iran, however, warned that the conflict could escalate into a prolonged war with the United States and Israel that could "destroy" the global economy.
The warning came even as President Trump said the Islamic republic was facing imminent defeat.
The escalating fighting around the Strait of Hormuz has already sent shockwaves through global energy markets, forcing emergency releases of oil reserves and triggering volatility in crude prices.
Israeli strikes on Beirut
Late on Wednesday, Israeli air strikes also hit the southern suburbs of Beirut after the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah fired a volley of rockets into northern Israel.
Explosions lit up the skyline as several buildings were set ablaze in the densely populated area.
