Iran power grid less vulnerable than regional countries, minister says

Amazon said on Tuesday that its Amazon Web Services region in Bahrain had been disrupted by drone activity amid the conflict in the Middle East, Reuters reported.

Amazon said it was helping customers migrate to alternate AWS regions while it worked to recover service, according to the report.

“As this situation evolves and, as we have advised before, we request those with workloads in the affected regions continue to migrate to other locations,” the company said.

Governments across the Persian Gulf are moving closer to supporting the US-Israeli military campaign against Iran, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal.

The report says countries including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have taken steps that could expand their involvement in the conflict following Iranian attacks on regional energy infrastructure and shipping routes.

Saudi Arabia has allowed US forces to use a key air base that could support operations linked to the war, while the UAE has begun targeting Iranian-linked financial and commercial networks inside the country.

While these measures stop short of direct military participation, they suggest Washington’s regional partners may be gradually positioning themselves for a more active role as the conflict continues.

South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun said he spoke with his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi on Monday evening and expressed “deep concern” over the war and its impact on the global economy.

In a post on X, Cho said he urged Iran to de-escalate tensions in the Strait of Hormuz, which Tehran has closed to most maritime traffic during the conflict.

He called on Iran to take “proactive measures to ensure safe navigation” through the waterway.

At least 36 civilians were killed and 138 injured across Iran on March 23, according to figures compiled by the rights group HRANA.

The group said the casualties were recorded from the first minutes of the day until the end of March 23, Tehran time.

Aggregated data collected by HRANA since the start of the conflict on February 28 indicates that at least 1,443 civilians have been killed, including 217 children.

The figures are based on incidents recorded by the group and use minimum values for cases where casualties were reported as “more than” a specific number.

At least 36 civilians were killed and 138 injured across Iran on March 23, according to figures compiled by the rights group HRANA.

The group said the casualties were recorded from the first minutes of the day until the end of March 23, Tehran time.

Aggregated data collected by HRANA since the start of the conflict on February 28 indicates that at least 1,443 civilians have been killed, including 217 children.

The figures are based on incidents recorded by the group and use minimum values for cases where casualties were reported as “more than” a specific number.