08:05, Thu, Mar 19, 2026 Updated: 08:05, Thu, Mar 19, 2026
An explosion occurred in Riyadh on Wednesday evening. (Image: Xinhua/Shutterstock)
Iran is now waving "full-scale economic war", as the regime has declared oil and gas facilities "direct and legitimate targets". More than two weeks into Operation Epic Fury, launched by the US and Israel against Tehran, the Middle East continues to be battered by explosions.
Iran has been launching dozens of retaliatory attacks against its neighbours, targeting sensitive facilities including US military bases in the Gulf. Following Iran's latest threat on Wednesday, energy sites in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar were evacuated. The threats of imminent attacks on oil facilities, alongside the ongoing blockade in the Strait of Hormuz, saw the Brent crude oil price to skyrocket to $109 on March 18. On March 19, it reached $114 per barrel.
Iran's attack on Saudi Arabia's SAMREF oil refinery has reportedly caused "minimal impact", an industry source told Reuters.
The refinery, in the Red Sea port of Yanbu, was targeted in an aerial attack after the IRGC issued evacuation warnings for several oil facilities across the country.
SAMREF is a joint venture between Saudi oil giant Aramco and Exxon Mobil.
The refinery is located in the port of Yanbu. (Image: 2026 Planet Labs PBC/AFP via Getty Images)
The Israeli Air Force has reportedly destroyed six Iranian naval vessels, including five missile ships, in a military port in the Caspian Sea overnight.
Vessels involved in shipping drones and advanced electronic equipment from Russia to Iran through the Caspian Sea were targeted, per Israeli outlet Maariv.
Iran has executed three men for allegedly killing two police officers during the anti-government protests earlier this year, per Reuters, citing Iranian agency Mizan.
The judiciary said they were found guilty of murder, "waging war against God", and acting in the interests of the US and Israel.
Mizan said: "Three individuals convicted in the Dey (January) unrest, on charges of murder and operational actions in favour of the Zionist regime and the United States, were hanged this morning."
Protests erupted in December. (Image: Getty)
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Israel to launch 'powerful and extraordinary' attacks
A senior Israeli official said the Iranian regime is in "complete chaos" and "the government vacuum is deepening", Israeli outlet Mako reports.
He said Israel's next step includes carrying out "powerful and extraordinary actions" against Tehran, designed to directly strike at the regime's ability to govern.
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