US-Iran war updates: Iran conflict surges as Supreme Leader issues rare warning, strike hits major gas field

Israel says it has killed another top Iranian official, the third in two days, as the war in the Middle East shows no signs of slowing.

Iranian Intelligence Minister Esmail Khatib was killed in an overnight strike, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said.

Mr Katz added that “significant surprises are expected throughout this day on all fronts,” without elaborating.

Iran did not immediately confirm Khatib’s death.

In a post on X, the IDF said: “Khatib played a significant role during the recent protests throughout Iran, including the arrest & killing of protestors and led terrorist activities against Israelis & Americans around the world.”

“Similarly, he operated against Iranian citizens during the Mahsa Amini protests (2022–2023).”

It went on to claim that the Iranian Ministry of intelligence “possesses advanced intelligence capabilities, overseeing surveillance, espionage, and the execution of covert operations worldwide, particularly against Israeli and Iranian citizens”.

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The Iranian women’s soccer team have crossed the Turkish border into Iran to complete a fraught return journey from Australia, after five members withdrew asylum claims they had lodged there.

Australia had granted humanitarian visas to six players and one support staff member after they sought asylum, saying they feared possible persecution if they returned to Iran.

The players emerged from Igdir Airport pulling their luggage and chatted in front of the terminal before boarding a bus to the border. One of them briefly smiled and waved at a TV camera before the bus departed. After a trip of around two hours to the frontier, they went through passport control at the Gurbulak border gate before crossing over into Iran.

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Iran’s new Supreme Leader has issued a rare and ominous statement, a day after Israel claimed it had killed one of the country’s top security figures. The message, published in Iranian media, signals a hardening tone from Tehran as the conflict intensifies.

“Undoubtedly, the assassination of such a person shows the extent of his importance and the hatred of the enemies of Islam towards him,” he writes.

“All blood has its price that the criminal murderers of the martyrs must pay soon.”

It is only the second statement issued in his name since taking power after his father’s death at the start of the war, with US and Israeli officials previously suggesting he may have been wounded in those initial strikes.

Iran’s huge Pars gas field has been hit in the first reported strikes on Iranian energy infrastructure in the Gulf during the US-Israeli war, a major escalation that prompted Tehran to warn its neighbours to evacuate their energy installations.

Pars is the Iranian sector of the world’s largest natural gas deposit, which Iran shares with Qatar across the Gulf.

Iran’s Fars news agency reported that gas tanks and parts of a refinery had been hit on Wednesday, workers had been evacuated to a safe location and emergency crews were trying to put out a fire.

The attack was widely reported in Israeli media to have been carried out by Israel with the consent of the United States. The Israeli military did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Qatar, a close US ally that hosts the largest US airbase in the region, called it an Israeli attack without mentioning any US role. The Qatari foreign ministry spokesperson called it a “dangerous and irresponsible” escalation that put global energy security at risk.

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