US deploys amphibious warship, thousands of Marines to West Asia amid Iran war

Tel Aviv | Dubai | Washington: The US military is deploying a large amphibious assault ship with thousands of additional Marines and sailors to the West Asia, three US officials told Reuters on Friday, as Iran's new supreme leader hailed Iran's "unity" and "resistance".

Reuters had reported that Washington, desperate to reopen the Gulf oil bottleneck of the Strait of Hormuz, shut by Iran since the US and Israel attacked almost three weeks ago, was considering deployments up to and including landings.

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Oil prices have risen around 50% since the start of the war.

Even if the conflict does stop soon, there will be no rapid recovery from the upheaval caused by airstrikes and Iran's virtual closure of the Strait of Hormuz, the conduit for 20% of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas.

Israel promised to avoid further attacks on Iran's South Pars gasfield the day after an Iranian retaliatory strike on Qatar caused damage that will leave the world short of natural gas for years to come.

Iran attacked an oil refinery in Kuwait on Friday and Israel killed a spokesman of Iran's Revolutionary Guards as the US-Israeli war on Iran showed no sign of ending.

Khamenei issues statement, praises Iranians’ steadfastness

Mujtaba Khamenei, Iran's new supreme leader, who has not been seen in public since the Israeli attack that killed his father and predecessor on the war's first day, posted a Nowruz message on his Telegram channel.

"The enemy believed that by targeting the leader (Ayatollah Ali Khamenei) and influential figures, it could instil fear and force the people to withdraw," it said.

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He commended Iranians for "building a nationwide defensive front and strongholds across cities, neighbourhoods, and mosques, delivering such a bewildering blow that the enemy fell into contradictions and irrational statements."

Israel attacks targets in Tehran, kills key officials

Israel's military said it had attacked government facilities in Tehran, and that it had this week killed a key commander in Iran's intelligence ministry, Mahdi Rostami Shamastan.

The semi-official Iranian news agency Tasnim said intelligence minister Esmail Ahmadi had also been killed, the latest of dozens of leading government, military and scientific figures assassinated by Israel.

Iranian state TV said Ali Mohammad Naini, deputy head of public relations for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps was the latest of dozens of leading government and military officials to be assassinated by Israel.

"We have nobody to talk to," Trump said. "And you know what? We like it that way."

‘Iran continues to build missiles’

Iran's Revolutionary Guards said production of missiles was continuing, and that they were not running out.

They said that they had attacked Haifa and Tel Aviv with multi-warhead missiles and used drones to attack stocks of drones and cruise missiles in US bases, including Sheikh Isa air base in Bahrain. No comment was immediately available from US forces.

The war has already killed thousands and displaced millions, mostly in Iran and in Lebanon, where Israel has attacked the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militia in the south and in Beirut.