Iran war briefing: Azerbaijan responds strongly to alleged Iranian drone strike

05 Mar, 16:32. UK edition

Part of missile sticking out of field while two people look on, one with a motorbike — People stand next to an Iranian missile after it fell near Qamishli international airport, Syria, amid the US-Israel war with Iran. Photograph: Orhan Qereman/Reuters

Azerbaijani president orders armed forces to be at ‘the highest level of readiness’; Iran claims to have hit US oil tanker in Persian Gulf. What we know on day six

Azerbaijan has responded strongly to an alleged drone strike in the Nakhchivan region near the border of Iran. Although Iran has denied any involvement, Ilham Aliyev, the president of Azerbaijan, has ordered the country’s armed forces to be at “the highest level of readiness” for any retaliatory action and summoned Iran’s ambassador to the foreign ministry in Baku.
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 said it maintains full control of the Strait of Hormuz and has effectively closed it to oil and gas exports.
The UK defence secretary, John Healey, flew into Cyprus to calm the diplomatic fallout over a drone that hit an RAF base, prompting fury from local ministers. UK officials believe the drone evaded detection by flying low and slow when it was launched by pro-Iranian militia in Lebanon or western Iraq.
Iran continued to launch a wave of missiles at Israel, sending millions of residents into bomb shelters, just hours after moves to limit Donald Trump’s ability to prolong the war were blocked in Washington. Other countries in the Gulf region continued to deal with the fallout: six people were injured in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates from falling debris after air defences intercepted a drone, and Qatar officials urged residents to stay inside as air defences worked to halt an attack. The ministry of defence in Bahrain said on Thursday that their air defences had destroyed 75 missiles and 123 drones since the start of the conflict.
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.
The World Health Organization said it had verified more than a dozen attacks on health infrastructure in Iran amid the US-Israeli campaign. Four healthcare workers have been killed and 25 others injured, according to the organisation.