Projectile hits bulk carrier off Dubai, crew reported safe

Exiled Prince Reza Pahlavi urged Iranians on Wednesday to stay in their homes and continue strike action, while waiting for his final call.

“We have now reached a very sensitive stage of the final struggle. I ask you to secure the necessary supplies as soon as possible and, for your safety, leave the streets and remain in your homes,” he said in an address to Iranians as US-Israeli airstrikes continue.

He also called for nightly rooftop chants to continue as a sign of unity.

Addressing Iran’s police and military forces, he said this was their last chance to separate themselves from the forces carrying out the crackdown and join the people.

Britain banned the annual Quds Day march planned for Sunday in London after authorities cited concerns of serious public disorder, with the event drawing criticism over support voiced by its organizers for Iran’s late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood approved the Metropolitan Police request for a ban, saying the scale of the planned march and multiple counter-protests, against the backdrop of the Middle East conflict, made the move necessary, British media reported.

The annual Quds Day event has long been controversial in Britain because of accusations of pro-Islamic Republic messaging and support for extremist groups.
The term Quds Day was first coined in Iran immediately after the 1979 Revolution.

It gained significance after Ruhollah Khomeini, the founder of Iran’s Islamic Republic, called on Muslims everywhere to mark the day by holding rallies against Israel.

A cargo vessel was hit by an unidentified projectile in the Strait of Hormuz, causing a fire on board and prompting the crew to evacuate, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations agency said on Wednesday.

The vessel requested assistance after the strike, UKMTO said.

The agency said earlier in the day that it had received a report of an incident 25 nautical miles northwest of Ras Al Khaimah in the United Arab Emirates. The master of a container vessel said the ship had sustained damage from a suspected but unidentified projectile.

UKMTO said the extent of the damage was under investigation and that all crew members were safe.

The International Energy Agency has proposed the largest release of oil reserves in its history to curb surging crude prices amid the Iran war, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing officials familiar with the matter.

The proposed release would exceed the 182 million barrels that IEA member countries put on the market in two rounds in 2022 after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

The IEA called an extraordinary meeting of member countries on Tuesday and they are expected to decide on the proposal the following day.

Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates said they intercepted missiles and drones fired from Iran on Tuesday night and early Wednesday.

In separate statements, the four countries said their forces tracked and brought down the incoming projectiles.

Kuwait said its forces shot down eight drones after Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said at least two missiles targeted the Camp Arifjan base south of Kuwait City.