Overview
- U.S. Central Command said it used heavy bunker-busting bombs to hit Iranian missile and anti-ship positions near the Strait of Hormuz.
- Israeli airstrikes in central Beirut killed 12 people and destroyed key links in the south, while an Iranian aerial attack near Tel Aviv left two dead in Ramat Gan.
- Maritime tracking shows Iran is enforcing a selective passage through Hormuz, prompting an emergency International Maritime Organization session as thousands of mariners remain stuck on idle ships.
- Oil prices, wildly volatile since the fighting began, eased on Wednesday after Iraq resumed about 250,000 barrels per day via a pipeline to Turkey and as the IEA’s 400 million–barrel stock release began with Japan opening reserves.
- Attacks on Gulf energy facilities continued to unsettle supply, including drone strikes at Fujairah that led Adnoc to suspend loadings, while consumers in France face a 19% jump in diesel prices since late February.