Iran-US war latest: Initial inquiry into Iran school missile strike ‘blames US mistake’ for deadly attack

Several ships were attacked in the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday as Iran threatened to send the global price of oil soaring with its aggressively enforced blockade of the vital waterway.

Tehran’s feared Revolutionary Guards claimed responsibility for an attack on a Thai-flagged vessel, after unknown projectiles hit a Japan-flagged container ship and a Marshall Islands-flagged bulk carrier in the narrow channel early this morning.

The crew was evacuated from the Thai-flagged Mayuree Naree, while the other two sustained damage. No injuries were reported.

Iran’s military command later warned that the world should be prepared for oil to hit $200 a barrel, demonstrating its willingness to carry on the war with renewed strikes against Israel and targets across the Middle East through Wednesday.

“Get ready for oil to be $200 a barrel, because the oil price depends on regional security which you have destabilised,” spokesperson Ebrahim Zolfaqari said, as the country upheld its tight blockade of a fifth of the world’s oil.

Prices reached $120 per barrel on Monday, but have settled around $90, suggesting investors are betting Trump will soon be able to end the war. The US military said it had “eliminated” 16 Iranian mine-laying ships in the strait overnight, reassuring markets.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) announced this afternoon the death of a volunteer worker killed while working in Lebanon.

“We mourn the killing of Youssef Assaf, Lebanese Red Cross volunteer, who lost his life while carrying out his humanitarian duty in Tyre. Our heartfelt condolences go out to Youssef’s family, friends and loved ones,” a statement read.

“It is deeply alarming that first responders in Lebanon continue to risk their lives while carrying out a humanitarian mission,” the statement added.

An ongoing investigation has found that a US targeting mistake caused the strike on an Iranian elementary school that killed scores of children, the New York Times reports, citing US officials and others familiar with preliminary findings.

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The Israeli military has issued an evacuation order to residents of Beirut’s southern suburbs, asking them not to return until further notice.

Amid the contradictions and denials surrounding the Iran conflict, one admission from the US secretary of state Marco Rubio may offer the clearest insight yet into how the war began, says Donald Macintyre – and why it may prove difficult to end:

Following a conversation with president Donald Trump, Axios reporter Barak Ravid says the president insisted the war with Iran would end “soon” because “there’s hardly anything left” to attack.

“Little this and that… Any time I want it to end, it will end,” the president was quoted as saying.

“The war is going great. We are way ahead of the timetable. We have done more damage than we thought possible, even in the original six-week period.”

Two Israeli officials told Reuters earlier today that the assessment in Israel is that Trump is not close to ordering an end to the war.

The International Energy Agency (IEA) proposed to release 400 million barrels of oil on Wednesday, in the largest release of oil reserves in its history, to bring down crude prices.

The proposed release more than doubles the 182 million barrels of oil that IEA member countries put onto the market in two steps in 2022, when Russia invaded Ukraine.

The IEA recommendation comes ahead of a 1400 GMT meeting of G7 leaders chaired by France.

The agency said its 32 member countries – including the UK and the US – unanimously agreed to the measures, as the Iran war continues to impact the price of global oil, with knock-on effects for businesses and consumers.

The IEA was founded in 1974 to ensure global energy security.

Iran’s new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei fractured his foot on the first day of the war, a source told CNN.

The unnamed source said Khamenei also bruised his eye and had minor cuts on his face.

Speculation has swirled since an Israeli source said Khamenei was injured in an assassination attempt last week.

Earlier on Wednesday, Iran confirmed he was “safe and sound” after sustaining injuries in the conflict.

Iranian officials told Reuters he had been “lightly injured”.

As the US war with Iran continues, attention is turning to a tiny island off the coast of the Middle Eastern country.

Kharg Island, whose total area is just 7.7 square miles, is situated northwest of the strategically important shipping route, the Strait of Hormuz.

Despite its small size, the island holds around 94 per cent of the country’s crude oil for export, mostly bound for China, and its main oil export terminal.

Get in touch: james.reynolds@independent.co.uk