United News of Bangladesh

Sri Lanka’s navy and air force have launched rescue operations after an Iranian naval vessel began sinking near the island’s southern coast, authorities said Wednesday. Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath told parliament that a distress signal was received at dawn from the vessel identified as IRIS Dena. According to initial reports, around 180 people were on board at the time of the incident. Herath said 30 injured sailors have been transported to a hospital in the port city of Galle for treatment. Rescue efforts are ongoing to account for the remaining crew members. The cause of the sinking remains unclear. During the parliamentary session, an opposition lawmaker questioned whether the vessel may have been bombed as part of the ongoing US-Israeli attacks against Iran. Authorities have not provided any official confirmation regarding the circumstances surrounding the incident. Further details are expected as rescue operations continue. Source: BBC

Israel’s military announced a new wave of strikes on government infrastructure in Tehran Wednesday, following reports of a heavy explosion in the eastern part of the city. Meanwhile, France has deployed Rafale fighter jets to the United Arab Emirates to intercept Iranian drones targeting French forces stationed there, Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said, reports Al Jazeera. The jets, based at Dhafra Air Base near Abu Dhabi, were tasked with protecting hundreds of French navy, air force, and army personnel from Iranian attacks. President Emmanuel Macron also announced that France is sending its flagship aircraft carrier to the Mediterranean in response to the widening conflict in the Middle East. Barrot emphasized that the deployments aim to safeguard French personnel and facilities in the UAE while maintaining regional stability amid escalating hostilities following Israeli and US strikes on Iranian targets.

The ongoing war involving Iran has not only brought oil tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz to a near standstill, but is also straining broader global supply chains, disrupting the movement of goods ranging from Indian pharmaceuticals and Asian semiconductors to fertilizers and petrochemical products from the Middle East. Cargo vessels are either stranded inside the Gulf or rerouting around Africa’s Cape of Good Hope, adding time and cost to deliveries. Meanwhile, air cargo operations across parts of the Middle East have been curtailed, raising concerns about shortages and rising prices if the conflict persists. Patrick Penfield, a supply chain expert at Syracuse University, warned that prolonged instability would likely trigger supply shortfalls and significant price hikes worldwide. Shipping bottlenecks spreadAccording to Clarksons Research, roughly 3,200 vessels — about 4% of global shipping tonnage — are currently idle inside the Persian Gulf, though many operate only regionally. Another 500 ships are reportedly waiting outside the Gulf near ports in the United Arab Emirates and Oman. While the share may appear limited, industry experts caution that disruptions at key chokepoints can ripple through the global logistics network. Michael Goldman of CARU Containers compared the supply chain to a train, where a derailment in one segment can affect multiple links along the route. In response to the crisis, U.S. President Donald Trump announced measures aimed at restoring tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz. He said the U.S. International Development Finance Corp. would offer political risk insurance for ships transiting the Gulf and indicated the U.S. Navy could escort tankers if needed. The Navy maintains multiple destroyers and littoral combat ships in the region. Key goods face delaysBeyond oil — roughly 20% of which transits the region — the Middle East is a major exporter of natural gas–based products such as petrochemical feedstock and nitrogen fertilizer. In addition, pharmaceuticals from India and electronics, batteries and semiconductors from Asia often pass through the region, leaving them vulnerable to delays. Instability has also affected the Red Sea and the Suez Canal, routes already strained by previous Houthi attacks. Shipping giant Maersk said it is diverting vessels around southern Africa to avoid risk, a decision that can extend voyages by up to two weeks and add around $1 million in fuel costs per trip. Higher fuel prices, longer transit times and war-risk surcharges are driving up shipping expenses, which are expected to filter down to consumers. Air freight capacity squeezedAir cargo networks have also been hit. Airspace closures and airport shutdowns in countries including the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Iraq and Iran have grounded flights, affecting both passengers and freight. Middle Eastern carriers such as Emirates, Qatar Airways and Etihad Airways operate significant cargo fleets and also transport goods in passenger aircraft holds. Although air freight accounts for less than 1% of global shipping volume, it represents about 35% of global trade value, according to Boeing, due to the high-value or time-sensitive nature of the goods transported — including medicines, electronics and fresh produce. Industry analysts say extended airport closures could have serious economic consequences, particularly for countries like India, a major exporter of pharmaceuticals. Rerouted flights, longer travel times and additional fuel stops are likely to increase costs. Maersk said it expects air freight rates to climb due to reduced capacity and added surcharges, including possible war-risk fees and higher jet fuel costs. Industry adapts to repeated shocksDespite the turmoil, logistics companies say they are accustomed to navigating disruption after years of shocks, including the COVID-19 pandemic and previous Middle East conflicts. While the current crisis is considered highly unusual in scope, industry leaders say supply chains have grown more flexible in recent years — though the longer the conflict endures, the greater the risk of lasting economic fallout.  

Iran has ruled out negotiations with the United States and warned citizens against any cooperation with Washington or Israel as the conflict intensifies. Mohammad Mokhber, a senior aide to the late supreme leader, said Iran has no intention of engaging in talks with the US and maintains no form of contact with Washington, report Al Jazeera. “We have no trust in the Americans, and we have no basis for any negotiations with them,” Mokhber said on Iranian state television. He added that Tehran is prepared to continue the war “as long as we want.” Mokhber previously served as Iran’s acting president and first vice president. Separately, Iran’s judiciary chief Gholam Hosseini Mohseni Ejehe warned the public against expressing support for the United States or Israel during the ongoing war. “We have announced that those who cooperate with the enemy in any way will be considered an enemy,” Ejehe said in remarks broadcast on state television. He stressed that individuals who “say or do anything in line with the will of America and the Zionist regime” would be treated as siding with the enemy and dealt with under what he described as “revolutionary, Islamic principles” appropriate to wartime conditions. The warnings come after both the US and Israel publicly called on Iranians to rise up against their government. Former US President Donald Trump said the conflict could represent the Iranian people’s “only chance for generations” to overthrow the leadership. Earlier this year, nationwide protests in Iran resulted in thousands of deaths, according to UN officials and international human rights organizations, which documented widespread use of deadly force against demonstrators. The latest statements signal Tehran’s firm stance against external pressure and suggest continued domestic crackdowns as hostilities with the US and Israel persist.

The United States and Israel launched fresh airstrikes on Tehran and other Iranian cities Wednesday, marking the fifth consecutive day of fighting, as Iran retaliated with waves of missiles and drones targeting Israel and sites across the region. Residents of the Iranian capital awoke to explosions at dawn, with state television airing images of heavily damaged buildings in central Tehran. The holy city of Qom and several other urban centers were also struck. Israeli warplanes were reported overhead as anxious residents watched the skies. A shopkeeper, speaking anonymously out of fear of repercussions, said he was torn between fleeing and staying to earn a living. He also voiced concern that broader regional involvement could worsen the conflict. Israel’s military said one of its F-35 fighter jets downed an Iranian Air Force YAK-130 aircraft over Tehran. Air defenses were also activated across Israel to intercept incoming Iranian missiles, with blasts heard near Jerusalem. Oil markets and US facilities under threatWith Iran controlling access to the Strait of Hormuz — a key route for roughly 20% of global oil shipments — Brent crude surged above $84 a barrel, rising more than 15% since the conflict began and reaching its highest level since July 2024. Markets worldwide have reacted sharply amid fears that soaring energy costs could hurt economic growth. Drone attacks targeted the U.S. Embassy in Saudi Arabia and the U.S. Consulate in the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday. The State Department on Wednesday authorized the departure of non-essential personnel from Saudi Arabia. U.S. Central Command chief Adm. Brad Cooper said Iran has launched more than 500 ballistic missiles and 2,000 drones since hostilities began. He described the initial U.S. strikes as nearly twice the scale of the opening phase of the 2003 Iraq invasion. According to Cooper, nearly 2,000 targets have been hit so far, significantly weakening Iran’s air defenses and missile infrastructure. Nearly 800 people have reportedly been killed in Iran since the fighting began. U.S. President Donald Trump has suggested the conflict could last weeks and said some of those killed had once been seen as potential future leaders of Iran. Conflict spreads across the regionAir raid sirens sounded in Bahrain, home to the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet, while Qatar said two Iranian ballistic missiles were fired toward its territory, with one striking Al-Udeid Air Base without causing casualties. In Lebanon, Israeli strikes killed at least five people in Baalbek, according to state media, as Israel said it was responding to rocket fire from Hezbollah. Lebanese health officials report more than 50 dead and over 300 wounded. Iran-linked militias in Iraq have also stepped up attacks. Saraya Awliya al-Dam claimed responsibility for a drone strike on Jordan and for previous attacks on U.S. targets in Baghdad and Irbil. Iran has continued to launch missile and drone salvos at Israel, though Israeli defenses have intercepted most incoming projectiles. Eleven people have been killed in Israel since the war began. Leadership succession in focusEarly joint U.S.-Israeli strikes killed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, prompting speculation over succession. Although President Trump initially urged Iranians to rise up, senior U.S. officials later clarified that regime change was not the stated objective. Israel’s defense minister warned that whoever is chosen as Iran’s next supreme leader could face assassination threats. Israeli forces also said they struck facilities in Tehran linked to the Basij militia, part of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, which led a deadly crackdown on protesters earlier this year. Iran’s judiciary chief warned that anyone aligning with the U.S.-Israeli campaign would be treated as an enemy under wartime conditions. Iran’s leadership is now working to appoint a successor — only the second such transition since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Among the figures reportedly under consideration is Mojtaba Khamenei, son of the late supreme leader. Israeli officials said they targeted a building in Qom believed to be associated with clerics discussing the selection process. Iranian media denied that a meeting was underway at the time, saying members of the Assembly of Experts were convening remotely. Mounting casualtiesIran’s Red Crescent Society said at least 787 people have been killed in U.S.-Israeli strikes. Casualties have also been reported elsewhere in the Gulf: Kuwait confirmed the death of an 11-year-old girl from falling debris during an interception, while three people were killed in the United Arab Emirates and one in Bahrain. Six U.S. Army Reserve soldiers were killed Sunday in a drone attack on a command center in Kuwait’s Port Shuaiba. With neither side signaling a pause, questions remain over how and when the expanding conflict will end.  

Mojtaba Khamenei, son of Iran’s late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, has long been viewed as a potential successor to his father — even before an Israeli airstrike at the outset of last week’s war killed the 86-year-old cleric. Despite never holding elected office or a formal government post, his name has frequently surfaced in succession discussions. A reclusive and influential figure within Iran’s Islamic system, Mojtaba has not appeared in public since Saturday, when the strike targeted the supreme leader’s offices. Among those killed was his wife, Zahra Haddad Adel, whose family has longstanding ties to Iran’s ruling religious establishment. Iranian state media have not disclosed Mojtaba’s whereabouts, though he is widely believed to be alive and possibly in hiding as U.S. and Israeli airstrikes continue. Standing strengthened after airstrikeCritics have previously warned that Mojtaba’s rise could resemble a dynastic transfer of power akin to Iran’s pre-revolution monarchy. However, with hard-liners portraying his father and wife as martyrs in the conflict with the United States and Israel, his position may have strengthened among senior clerics in the 88-member Assembly of Experts, the body tasked with appointing the next supreme leader. The next leader will assume authority over a country at war and a stockpile of highly enriched uranium that could potentially be used for nuclear weapons, should such a decision be made. Observers have likened Mojtaba’s behind-the-scenes role to that of Ahmad Khomeini, son of Iran’s first supreme leader Ruhollah Khomeini — acting as confidant, gatekeeper and power broker. Early life shaped by revolutionBorn in 1969 in Mashhad, a decade before the 1979 Islamic Revolution, Mojtaba grew up during his father’s opposition to Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. Family accounts describe a raid by the shah’s secret police, SAVAK, during which the elder Khamenei was beaten. After the revolution, the family moved to Tehran. Mojtaba later fought in the Iran-Iraq war as a member of a battalion within Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, a force whose senior ranks have since included figures believed to be close to the Khamenei family. When Ali Khamenei became supreme leader in 1989, Mojtaba gained proximity to significant financial and institutional networks, including religious foundations known as bonyads, which control vast economic assets. Expanding influence behind the scenesOver the years, Mojtaba’s influence reportedly grew within his father’s office. U.S. diplomatic cables published by WikiLeaks described him as “the power behind the robes,” alleging he acted as a key gatekeeper and cultivated his own power base. Though some observers questioned his theological credentials and relative youth, insiders have viewed him as an assertive and capable political operator with strong alliances. He has reportedly maintained close ties with Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, including its elite Quds Force and the Basij militia, which has suppressed domestic protests. The United States imposed sanctions on Mojtaba in 2019 during the administration of Donald Trump, accusing him of helping advance his father’s regional policies and domestic crackdown. Allegations have also linked him to backing the 2005 election of hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his disputed 2009 re-election, which triggered mass protests known as the Green Movement. Reformist politician Mehdi Karroubi accused Mojtaba of interfering in those elections, calling him “a master’s son,” a charge dismissed at the time by his father. High stakes in successionIran has witnessed only one previous transition in the supreme leadership — following the death of Ruhollah Khomeini in 1989. The next supreme leader will take office amid heightened regional tensions following a 12-day conflict with Israel and broader U.S.-Israeli efforts aimed at curbing Iran’s nuclear and military capabilities. As the highest authority in Iran’s Shiite theocratic system, the supreme leader holds ultimate decision-making power, serves as commander-in-chief of the armed forces and oversees the Revolutionary Guard. The Guard, which leads the so-called “Axis of Resistance” across the Middle East and controls Iran’s ballistic missile program, remains central to the country’s military and political structure. With the country at a critical juncture, the question of succession has taken on renewed urgency.

Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz warned Wednesday that whoever is chosen as Iran’s next supreme leader will be “a target for elimination.” In a post on X, Katz said, “Every leader appointed by the Iranian terror regime to continue and lead the plan to destroy Israel, to threaten the United States and the free world and the countries of the region, and to suppress the Iranian people — will be a target for elimination.” The warning comes as Israel struck a building linked to Iran’s Assembly of Experts on Tuesday. The assembly is responsible for selecting the country’s next supreme leader following the death of 86-year-old Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in an Israeli strike on Saturday, which marked the beginning of the current conflict.

The escalating Middle East conflict is affecting nearly every country in the region, causing casualties, property damage, and major disruptions to airspace, shipping routes, and diplomatic operations. Governments are urging citizens to leave as commercial flights are canceled, Gulf airspace closes, and ports such as the Strait of Hormuz are disrupted. The U.S. has evacuated personnel from six nations, including the UAE, and advised citizens from 14 countries to leave. Iran: The country has suffered the highest casualties, with at least 787 killed, including over 160 in a strike on an elementary school in Minab. U.S.-Israeli operations have targeted nuclear facilities, missile launchers, government buildings in Tehran, and leadership compounds, reportedly killing Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and senior military officials. Airspace is closed. Israel and Palestinian Territories: Iranian missile attacks have killed 11 people. The extent of damage to military installations remains undisclosed. Commercial airspace is closed. Lebanon: Israeli airstrikes targeted Hezbollah sites in Beirut following missile and drone attacks. At least 52 people were killed and 154 wounded. The U.S. Embassy has closed temporarily, though flights are partially operational. Saudi Arabia: Iranian drones targeted the U.S. Embassy in Riyadh and Ras Tanura oil refinery, causing minor damage. Airspace is partially closed. Kuwait: U.S. Embassy attacks and Iranian strikes killed several personnel, including six U.S. soldiers. Civilian casualties include one dead and 32 injured migrant workers. Airspace is closed. United Arab Emirates: Three foreign workers were killed in strikes. Dubai’s airport and hotels along the coast sustained damage, and Iranian drones hit two Amazon data centers. Airspace is closed. Egypt: Shipping disruptions through the Suez Canal are impacting the economy. Commercial flights operate with some cancellations. Jordan: Intercepted Iranian projectiles injured five people. Airspace is restricted at night. Qatar: Iranian attacks targeted energy facilities. Airspace is closed. Senators to vote on limiting Trump’s military authority after Iran strikes Iraq: U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iranian proxy sites killed militia members. Drone and missile attacks targeted U.S. bases in Irbil. Oil production at Rumaila fields halted due to shipping disruptions. Airspace is closed. Bahrain: A strike killed one Asian worker and injured two others; drone debris impacted an Amazon data center. Airspace is closed. Syria: Iranian missile debris caused minor injuries in southern provinces. Airspace is closed. Oman: Drone attacks struck major ports at Salalah and Duqm, and at least one vessel was hit offshore. Airspace remains open, though many flights are canceled. The conflict continues to escalate, with civilian casualties mounting and regional economies and travel networks under severe strain.

A suspected Iranian drone struck the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) station located at the US Embassy in Saudi Arabia, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters on Tuesday. The source added that there was no indication the CIA station was the intended target. The Washington Post reported that a State Department alert said the building sustained structural damage. The attack comes amid escalating strikes across the Middle East following US and Israeli airstrikes on Iran on Saturday. The US Embassy in Riyadh, the Saudi capital, is among several American facilities affected. Saudi Arabia’s Defence Ministry said two drones hit the embassy, causing a small fire and some material damage. Following the incident, the US mission in Saudi Arabia warned American citizens to avoid the embassy until further notice due to the threat of attacks. Routine and emergency consular services were also cancelled on Tuesday. In a separate alert, the mission cautioned that “there is a threat of imminent missile and UAV attacks over Dhahran” and advised people not to visit the US Consulate.   #With inputs from TRT World

The US military has destroyed 17 Iranian naval vessels, including its most operational submarine, as part of the ongoing Operation Epic Fury, a senior US commander said Tuesday. Admiral Brad Cooper, head of US Central Command, said in a video posted on X that the campaign, now in its fourth day, has targeted nearly 2,000 sites using over 2,000 munitions. More than 50,000 US troops and over 200 fighter aircraft, including B-1 and B-2 bombers, are involved, reports CNN. “Today, there is not a single Iranian ship underway in the Arabian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz, or Gulf of Oman, and we will not stop,” Cooper said. He added that Iran has retaliated with over 500 ballistic missiles and more than 2,000 drones, though its ability to strike US forces is “declining.” Cooper described the strikes as “uncontested surgical” operations aimed at neutralizing threats to US forces and international shipping. The operation comes amid the broader US-Israel campaign against Iran, which has drawn international scrutiny over its scale and potential consequences for regional stability.