US and Israeli strikes against Iran - 28 February 2026, Media, Maps & Timelines *NO DISCUSSION*

[CrimeDawg123]

The Oil Tankers Trump Seized Are Costing the U.S. Millions of Dollars

Maintaining the seized tankers has already cost the United States tens of millions of dollars — in one case, $47 million in only three months — and complicates Mr. Trump’s claims of swift financial victories from his military operations targeting Venezuela and Iran.

The Oil Tankers Trump Seized Are Costing the U.S. Millions of Dollars

Although President Trump said seizing tankers would be a financial boon, the cost of maintaining just one aging ship has already reached $47 million.

www.nytimes.com

 

[SouthAussie]

"Israel is planning to launch a “massive” ground invasion of southern Lebanon, according to US and Israeli officials. Follow our live coverage.

“We are going to do what we did in Gaza,” an Israeli official said.

The report indicated that Israeli forces plan to seize the entire area south of the Litani River that divides Lebanon from east to west."

https://www.news.com.au/world/middle-east/usiran-live-updates-trump-sends-chilling-message-to-deranged-scumbags-in-iran/live-coverage/f764acfa5698b133dae4e6eaaa63760b

 

[SouthAussie]

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent was mid-interview with Sky News reporter Wilfred Frost on Friday morning (local time) when he was approached by a woman who told him, “the president wants you right away.”

After welcoming Mr Bessent back, Mr Frost noted the interruption was a “first” and asked about Trump’s state of mind amid the ongoing situation in Iran.

How’s the president? Is he stressed?” said Mr Frost.
“No, the president is in great spirits,” replied Mr Bessent.

Mr Bessent then began to stammer profusely as he revealed he has “a teenager who’s considering military service.”

Mr Bessent also appeared to become emotional as he said he “would trust my child’s life in their hands.”

https://www.news.com.au/world/middle-east/usiran-live-updates-trump-sends-chilling-message-to-deranged-scumbags-in-iran/live-coverage/f764acfa5698b133dae4e6eaaa63760b

 

[imstilla.grandma]

We declare to the leaders of the UAE that Iran considers it a legitimate right to defend its national sovereignty and territory by targeting the origin of American enemy missile launches in the shipping ports, docks, and military shelters of the U.S. hidden in some cities of the UAE," a spokesperson for Iran's Revolutionary ⁠Guards said.

In a statement, the IRGC urged residents in the UAE to evacuate ports, docks, and U.S. military shelters to avoid civilian casualties.

Nine ballistic missiles and 33 drones were launched from Iran towards the UAE on Saturday, the Ministry of Defence said, making a total of 294 ballistic missiles, 15 cruise missiles and 1,600 drones launched from Iran since the war started.

Behind the scenes, resentment had already been mounting in Gulf Arab capitals at being drawn into a war they neither initiated nor endorsed but are now paying for economically and militarily, regional sources have told Reuters.

Iran also vowed to increase its usage of upgraded weapons, particularly ballistic missiles and other missiles with greater destructive power, a defence ministry spokesperson was quoted as saying in state media.

Oil exports from Kharg Island were continuing normally despite the U.S. attack, a senior provincial governor was quoted by the IRNA news agency as saying.

Trump told reporters on Friday the U.S. Navy will "soon" start escorting tankers through the Strait of Hormuz, a conduit for 20% of the world's fossil energy supplies.

Trump calls for allied warships after Iran threat to retaliate for US attack

Tehran's ability to stop shipping through the strait, a major channel for oil and gas shipping, could give it enormous leverage over the U.S. and its allies.

www.reuters.com

 

[Dotta]

https://twitter.com/x/status/2032791051333709987

 

[Dotta]

https://twitter.com/x/status/2032836363855204785

 

[Dotta]

"Worse than Afghanistan"

https://twitter.com/x/status/2032834620669010325

 

[imstilla.grandma]

Israel says the attack delivered a "severe blow" to the regime as its defence minister warns the conflict with Iran is now entering a "decisive phase".

Meanwhile, thick plumes of black smoke have been rising from one of the largest oil facilities in the Middle East at the port of Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates.

The port is a key location for fuelling ships as it sits just past the Strait of Hormuz - meaning vessels do not need to navigate through it as it remains practically cut off.

Earlier, the US embassy in Baghdad, the capital of Iraq, was attacked while Israel continues to trade strikes with Iran and militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Trump urges UK and others to send ships to help secure Strait of Hormuz after Iranian attacks - live updates

Meanwhile, sirens are triggered in Jerusalem, with the Israeli military saying it has detected new attacks from Iran.

www.bbc.com

 

[Rikissa]

Article from 12 March 2026:

Airstrikes near historic districts in Tehran and Isfahan have damaged monuments that have survived for centuries. The losses highlight how war can endanger not only lives but also the historical memory embedded in cities and landscapes. As an Iranian art historian, watching these events unfold in my country is deeply and doubly painful.

Iran’s cultural heritage in the crossfire – expert explains what has been damaged and what could be lost

When war damages historic monuments, more than architecture is lost.

theconversation.com

Article from 13 March 2026:

UNESCO World Heritage Sites are at risk, with several monuments, including palaces and a historic mosque, already damaged by US and Israeli strikes, which began on February 28.

US-Israeli strikes damage Iran's cultural heritage sites

UNESCO World Heritage Sites are at risk, with several monuments, including palaces and a historic mosque, already damaged by US and Israeli strikes, which began on February 28.

www.dw.com

 

[imstilla.grandma]

An eerie quiet hangs over Ras Al Khaimah’s industrial port. Usually a thriving maritime hub of the United Arab Emirates, now ships stand docked and silent. Not far out along the hazy horizon, a backlog of hundreds of tankers have lined up in recent days, halted along a waterway flooded with danger.

Any vessel heading past Ras Al Khaimah out to the Arabian Sea must traverse the world’s most treacherous strip of water for shipping today: the strait of Hormuz. Just over 20 nautical miles from Ras Al Khaimah, two oil tankers heading for the strait were attacked by Iranian missiles this week, one catching fire.

Aviation in the region remains highly restricted, with airlines losing billions of dollars. Bahrain is facing an economic crisis, while the UAE’s reputation as a haven for tourism and western investment has taken a significant hit.

While the Gulf expected to be caught in the backlash, the scale of Iran’s campaign of revenge has left many shocked. Gulf states had assured Tehran that none of their bases would be used for attacks but that has not stopped Iran launching thousands of drones and missiles targeting airports, military bases, oil refineries, ports, hotels and office buildings.

For all the geopolitical ramifications, the economic effects have also trickled down to ordinary life. Sumon, 27, who works for a boat and jetski rental firm in the marina next to Ras Al Khaimah port, says business has been throttled because none of their boats are allowed out to sea by the coastguard.

“No boats are moving any more,” he says. “No one knows when it will end.”

Middle East crisis live: Trump calls on China, France, UK and others to send ships to keep strait of Hormuz open

US president earlier warned strikes on Kharg Island oil facilities would follow hit on military targets if Tehran did not allow maritime traffic through key channel

www.theguardian.com

 

[Dotta]

https://twitter.com/x/status/2032891767582777844

 

[Dotta]

"Any country except for US and Israel
can pass through Strait of Hormuz,
Iranian Foreign Minister says."

https://twitter.com/x/status/2032883839178023094

 

[otto]

"The US has attacked the island of Kharg in the Persian Gulf.

Kharg, 8 kilometers long and 5 kilometers wide, lies just 24 kilometers from the Iranian coast. The rocky islet is of vital importance to the regime in Tehran due to its crucial role in Iranian oil exports: about 90 percent of the oil the country exports passes through Kharg. This amounts to approximately 950 million barrels per year.
...

According to experts, it is possible to cripple the Iranian economy with an attack on the island's oil installations. Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid has therefore specifically called for such a large-scale attack on Kharg, which, according to him, could bring down the regime in Tehran.

... an attack on Iran's oil infrastructure has further consequences: even more instability in the oil market and, consequently, potentially even higher oil prices. Moreover, destroyed oil infrastructure cannot simply be rebuilt, so if the regime falls, the new rulers will face a massive economic downturn."

Rotseilandje Kharg ineens brandpunt in Iran-oorlog

Het koraaleiland is maar 8 kilometer lang, maar is van cruciaal belang voor Iran.

nos.nl

 

[otto]

"Easing the economic pain in the world oil markets was on the minds of both Prime Minister Mark Carney and his Norwegian counterpart Jonas Gahr Støre as they met in Oslo on Saturday.

The meeting came after the International Energy Agency earlier this week called on its 32 members to release 400 million barrels of oil to prevent global shortages and calm jittery markets, which have been rattled by the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran.
...

The United States went its own way in temporarily easing sanctions on Russia's shadow fleet of tankers, much to the dismay and opposition of other G7 leaders, including Carney.
...

Going into dinner at Støre's official residence, the Norwegian prime minister said the war in the Middle East should end, but instead it is escalating. "There is no real script on how it's going to evolve and end." "It is escalating with dramatic consequences for people in the region, but also beyond. And I don't think we have the blueprint for that. I mean, those who are engaged in that war have to take the responsibility for helping it end."

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/carney-norway-canada-oil-iran-war-9.7129012

 

[SouthAussie]

"Astonishingly, Trump and his aides were caught unprepared when Iran, under air assault from the United States and Israel, retaliated by targeting shipping in the Persian Gulf region and specifically through the Strait of Hormuz.

Military planners have pointed out for decades that the waterway—through which one-fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas passes—is highly vulnerable to Iranian assault.

But the Trump administration acknowledged in classified briefings, CNN reported last night, that it did not make provisions for a closure because officials assumed that such a move would hurt Iran more than the United States."

Why Trump Didn’t Plan for the Strait of Hormuz

In wartime, the enemy always gets a vote.

www.theatlantic.com

 

[SouthAussie]

"Since the conflict in the Middle East began two weeks ago, at least 17 vessels have been attacked in and around the Persian Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf of Oman, according to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO)."

https://www.cnn.com/world/live-news/iran-war-us-israel-trump-03-14-26?post-id=cmmqjm6q7000d3b6s6h5mdc3d

 

[Dotta]

https://twitter.com/x/status/2032918850245689544

 

[Rikissa]

Article from 14 March 2026:

For Batoul Hamdan and her two children, seven-month-old Fatima and Jihad, three, Monday’s iftar, the evening meal that breaks the daily fast during Ramadan, was special.

They had just finished their meal when the bomb fell. The Israeli airstrike collapsed the two-storey building instantly, killing all eight members of the Hamdan family: grandparents Ahmad and Najib, their children, including Batoul, and grandchildren Fatima and Jihad – three generations wiped out in a moment.

Entire families wiped out and towns emptied as Israel’s war on Lebanon intensifies

Communities displaced and destroyed while death toll rises faster than during any previous war in Lebanon

www.theguardian.com

 

[SouthAussie]

"Federal Communications Commission (FCC) chair Brendan Carr posted on social media that broadcasters running “fake news – have a chance now to correct course before their license renewals come up. The law is clear. Broadcasters must operate in the public interest, and they will lose their licenses if they do not.”

Carr’s warning comes amid sustained complaints from Trump and members of the administration over its treatment by what it derisively terms “the mainstream media” and what it considers unflattering or unpatriotic coverage of the conflict in Iran."

FCC chair threatens to throttle news broadcasts over ‘hoaxes’ about Iran war

Brendan Carr posts that he may cancel spectrum permits of ‘mainstream news’ outlets for ‘misleading’ coverage

www.theguardian.com

 

[Dotta]

https://twitter.com/x/status/2032952920333857151