Bahrain air defences have destroyed 75 missiles and 123 drones since the start of the conflict, the Bahrain Defence Force said on Thursday.

The general command urged residents to stay home and not go out unless absolutely necessary.

EU’s Kallas says Iran “sowing chaos”

Jennifer Rankin

The EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas has said Iran is exporting the war to as many countries as possible to cause chaos, ahead of talks with Gulf countries.

Kallas is hosting a virtual meeting with EU foreign ministers and Gulf counterparts to discuss the ongoing turmoil in the Middle East. She said she expected a common statement from the EU and Gulf Cooperation Council: “We want stability in the region, we want that this war does not go any further and we want the respect of international law.”

“Iran is exporting the war, trying to expand it to as many countries as they can to sow chaos. And we are calling for stability and seeing what we can do together.”

Without being drawn on specifics she said EU countries would discuss support for the Gulf. She stressed Ukraine could also help Gulf countries develop drone interceptors.

“In the Middle East, we see actually the same drones that are attacking Kyiv every day, now attacking also the Middle East,” she said in a reference to Iran’s Shahed drones that have been supplied to Russia to attack Ukraine.

The EU is concerned that the Middle East conflict will deplete Ukraine’s efforts to defend itself against Russia, as a result of rising oil prices that help Moscow fund its war effort and tighter supplies of drone interceptor technology.

“When it comes to drones and drone interceptor drones then Ukraine has really been able to produce a lot and can also share this knowledge with the Gulf countries to boost this production,” Kallas said. “So of course we are looking into this but I am worried that just the capabilities are limited and that’s why it will have an impact also on different wars.”

Six people were injured by falling debris in Abu Dhabi after air defences intercepted a drone, according to the Abu Dhabi media office.

The individuals injured were Pakistani and Nepalese nationals, the media office said. Their injuries were considered minor to moderate.

The conflict in the Middle East has continued to escalate, with Israel announcing it had launched more strikes against Tehran and in Lebanon.

Iran has continued to fire retaliatory strikes against Israel and US targets in the region, prompting major airlines to cancel flights that has left thousands of people stranded.

If you’re living or working in the region and have been impacted by the US-Israel conflict with Iran, we would like to hear from you.

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Air defences were working to intercept a missile attack targeting Qatar on Thursday, according to the state-run Qatar News Agency.

The ministry of interior called on residents to stay indoors and away from windows and open areas, stating that the security threat level was high.

Analysis: Globalisation is under threat from Iran war – and Britain is uniquely vulnerable

James Meadway

In retaliation for the US-Israeli missile attacks, Iran has launched what amounts to all-out economic warfare. Should the conflict continue even for another week, its impacts will start to be felt around the world as the third price surge since the pandemic washes through global markets.

For Britain, a further turn of the screw on living standards arrives just as political instability mounts at home, with the Labour and Conservative parties facing existential challenges to their left and right.

Keir Starmer’s half-cocked response to war reflects a deeper, strategic problem for the UK: an economy built over decades for a globalised world cannot fit into a world where globalisation is falling apart.

You can read James Meadway’s analysis here:

• An Iranian drone struck an Azerbaijani airport near the two countries’ shared border, according to officials, marking the first time a state in the Caucasus has been targeted by Iran since the start of the US-Israel war against Tehran. Two people were reported injured after a drone hit the terminal building at an airport in Nakhchivan, an Azerbaijani exclave bordering Iran.

• Nechirvan Barzani, president of the Kurdistan region of Iraq, said the Kurdish region “must not become part of any conflict”, after the Iranian military claimed it targeted the headquarters of Iranian Kurdish forces in northern Iraq. There are reports that Kurdish Iranian dissident groups based in Iraq are preparing for a cross-border military operation in Iran, creating a potential new front in an already expanding conflict.

• The first repatriation flight from Oman to bring home stranded citizens had been rescheduled due to “operational issues”, including delays in getting passengers on board, a minister said.

• Iran claimed it had hit a US oil tanker in the northern Persian Gulf and that the vessel was on fire. There was no immediate confirmation of the incident or comment from the US. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it maintains full control of the Strait of Hormuz and has effectively closed it to oil and gas exports.

• UK defence secretary John Healey flew into Cyprus on Wednesday night to calm the diplomatic fallout over a drone that evaded detection and hit an RAF base, prompting fury from local ministers. UK officials believe a drone that hit an RAF base in Cyprus evaded detection by flying low and slow when it was launched by pro-Iranian militia in Lebanon or western Iraq.

• Sri Lanka said it is trying to “safeguard lives” on another Iranian ship off its coast. An official said the ship was in the economic zone beyond Sri Lanka’s territorial waters, a day after a US submarine destroyed an Iranian frigate, killing at least 87 people.

• Iran continued to launch a wave of missiles at Israel, sending millions of residents into bomb shelters, just hours after moves to halt the US air assault were blocked in Washington.

• The Israeli military said it was beginning a new widespread wave of attacks in Tehran. Israel also said it carried out strikes on Beirut targeting Hezbollah while Lebanese state media reported an Israeli drone strike killed a Hamas official.

Azerbaijan says drones launched from Iran land in its territory

Pjotr Sauer

An Iranian drone struck an Azerbaijani airport near the two countries’ shared border, marking the first time a state in the Caucasus has been targeted by Iran since the start of the US-Israel war against Tehran.

Azerbaijan’s foreign ministry said the drone hit the terminal building at an airport in Nakhchivan, an Azerbaijani exclave bordering Iran, damaging part of the complex and injuring two civilians.

A second drone fell near a school in a nearby village. Baku said it reserved the right to take retaliatory measures.

Azerbaijan, an oil-rich authoritarian state that has adopted a neutral stance in the Middle East conflict, has recently developed closer ties with Israel and the Trump administration while gradually moving away from Moscow, the traditional power broker in the Caucasus.

The country hosts no US military bases, suggesting Iran may be expanding its strikes beyond targets directly linked to American forces.

Baku’s growing military cooperation with Israel has caused friction with Tehran, though the two neighbours have largely maintained pragmatic relations. Both countries are majority Shia Muslim, and Iran is home to millions of ethnic Azeris – estimates range from about 15 to more than 20 million – many living in the north-western provinces bordering Azerbaijan.

The first repatriation flight from Oman to bring home stranded citizens had been rescheduled due to “operational issues”, including delays in getting passengers on board, a minister said.

The UK government had chartered a flight last night from Muscat to London for British nationals and their spouses or partners and children, but the Foreign Office said this morning that the flight was not able to depart due to technical issues.

The flight was now expected to depart later today.

When asked why the flight did not leave as planned, Home Office minister Alex Norris told BBC Breakfast: “Well, there are operational reasons that can happen in circumstances where these things are being stood up quickly. I know that’s stressful for those people – that’s why there’s support on the ground.

“We made sure we got them hotel rooms for the night as well and we are facilitating and rebooking today’s flight.

“We hope that they do, and there’s multiple flights after it as well.”

During his media round this morning he told Sky News that there were also delays in getting passengers on board as part of the operational challenges.

British Airways, which is currently unable to fly from Dubai, Doha, Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Amman and Tel Aviv, said it would run flights from Muscat on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, and that they were fully booked.