Evacuation flights ramp up as Iran war spreads beyond Middle East
Thousands are leaving the region as the US vows to strike deeper into Iran and Tehran lashes out at US allies.
Here's the latest
• On the ground: There has been no letup in strikes with the war in its sixth day. Israel says it hit Iranian missile sites while Iran carried out fresh retaliatory strikes across the region, with several injured in Abu Dhabi. A CNN team has entered Iran, the first US network to cross into the country since the war began.
• Widening conflict: There are further signs of the war spilling beyond the Middle East. Iran denied its drones struck an airport in Azerbaijan. Meanwhile, Tehran called the US torpedoing of a warship near Sri Lanka an “atrocity.”
• Evacuations ramp up: Stranded passengers are starting to leave the Middle East as airlines schedule new services and governments rally charter flights. But many remain stuck with travel options limited.
• Kurds targeted: Iran said it targeted “separatist terrorist groups (that) intended to enter the country’s western borders.” The statement follows reports that the CIA was working to arm Kurdish forces, with the aim of fomenting a popular uprising in Iran.
US gas prices are now at their highest level in 11 months
Gas prices shot higher by another 5 cents a gallon in the latest reading from AAA, taking the average price in the US to $3.25 a gallon, the highest average price in 11 months.
This 26-cent-a-gallon increase since Friday is a reaction to the war in Iran and the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial channel through which 20% of the world’s oil passes. Gas prices have also risen after Iran launched retaliatory attacks on the oil facilities of its oil-rich neighbors, such as the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, the world’s largest oil exporter.
Most of the increase has come in the last three days, although today’s 5-cent jump in prices is less than the 9-cent increase in Wednesday’s reading and the 11-cent spike in prices on Tuesday, which had been the biggest one-day increase since the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
Still, the 25-cent gain in gas prices in the last few days is the largest three-day rise since March 2022, shortly after sanctions were imposed on Russia for its invasion of Ukraine.
Diesel prices are rising even faster. The average price of diesel rose 12.8 cents to $4.17 a gallon in Thursday’s reading, taking it up 40 cents in just that last three days. While few American drivers have cars powered by diesel, the spike may be felt by the average consumer in coming weeks. Most heavy trucks use diesel, and most trucking companies have a fuel surcharge they add onto their rates. Fuel surcharges are also being put in place on ocean shipments. So, moving goods is becoming more expensive and could be passed onto consumers in higher prices.
High diesel prices could also hurt farmers, who use diesel in their farm equipment, just as they prepare for the spring planting season. And homeowners in the Northeast who use heating oil will be hurt since that is the same product as diesel.
And more prices hikes could be on the way. Wholesale gas prices, along with West Texas Intermediate oil and Brent Crude, the two benchmark readings for oil prices, were all slightly higher in early trading today.
European powers move to defend Cyprus after drone attack on island
European nations are working together to shore up defenses in Cyprus after a British airbase on the Mediterranean island was hit by a drone attack on Monday.
France cut short the deployment of its aircraft carrier strike group to the Baltic to respond to the Iranian bombing campaign, and on Thursday a source close to French President Emmanuel Macron told CNN that the country will coordinate with Italy and Greece in shoring up defenses in Cyprus.
Italy’s defense minister Guido Crosetto confirmed his country’s involvement, saying “we must reassess our assets in the region and respond to the requests of friendly countries in difficulty.”
Spain is sending its Cristóbal Colón frigate to Cyprus as part of a joint deployment with the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle and vessels from the Greek Navy, the country’s defense ministry said in a statement Thursday.
The Cristóbal Colón is Spain’s “most technologically advanced frigate,” said the ministry, which added that the deployment shows the country’s “commitment to defending the European Union and its eastern border.”
Monday’s drone attack targeted RAF Akrotiri, a key hub for UK air operations in the Middle East, and is believed to be the first attack on the British base since 1986.
Comments