The Middle East is edging closer to the brink.
Israel attacks on Iran’s petrochemical facilities mark one of the most significant escalations in the ongoing conflict.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz confirmed strikes on Asaluyeh — hitting plants responsible for roughly 85% of Iran’s petrochemical exports.
One facility alone accounts for half of the country’s total petrochemical output. No casualties were reported from the Asaluyeh strikes.
Explosions in Tehran — Targets Killed, Buildings Hit
The strikes extended beyond Asaluyeh. Explosions rang out across Tehran for hours. An airstrike hit the grounds of Sharif University of Technology, sending thick black smoke rising near Azadi Square.Among those killed was Maj. Gen. Majid Khademi, head of intelligence for Iran’s Revolutionary Guards.
Israel also confirmed the death of Asghar Bakeri, leader of the Guards’ elite Quds Force undercover unit — two of the most significant targeted killings of the conflict so far.
Iran Retaliates: Gulf Nations Put on High Alert
Iran responded with missile strikes on the northern Israeli city of Haifa, killing four people in a residential building. Kuwait, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia all activated air defenses to intercept Iranian missiles and drones as Tehran escalated pressure across the Gulf region.
Strait of Hormuz, Energy Prices and a Faltering Ceasefire
The attacks follow Israel’s strike on Iran’s South Pars gas field on 18 March. Iran’s continued threats to the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world’s oil passes in peacetime, have sent global energy prices soaring.
A US-Iran ceasefire proposal remains on the table, but Trump’s deadline for Tehran to reopen the strait is closing in. Mediators are scrambling.
The window for diplomacy is narrowing fast.