Concerns mounted on Sunday about the economic fallout from the war with Iran — in its third week with no end in sight — as Israel launched a new wave of airstrikes on Iran while Iranian forces and their proxy militias fired at Israel and U.S. targets in the Middle East.
Five missiles struck the Baghdad International Airport and injured four people, among them airport staff and security personnel, according to the authorities in Iraq late Sunday. The powerful Iran-backed Iraqi militia Kataib Hezbollah said that it had launched the attack and that its rockets had struck Camp Victory, a former U.S. base within the airport complex that still hosts a diplomatic logistics hub.
The U.S. energy secretary, Chris Wright, said in a televised interview Sunday that there were “no guarantees” that oil prices would fall in the coming weeks, a day after President Trump had called on other countries to send warships to the Middle East to end the de facto Iranian blockade of the economically vital Strait of Hormuz. Foreign governments responded with caution, if at all, to Mr. Trump. On Sunday, a senior U.S. military official said there would be an international effort to ensure the flow of oil and goods through the strait.
Iran: The Israeli military said it had hit bases of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps and the Basij militia in the western part of the country on Sunday. Abbas Araghchi, the foreign minister of Iran, told CBS News on Sunday that the country was not ready to negotiate with the United States, despite Mr. Trump’s saying the previous day that Iran wanted to make a deal. “We are ready to defend ourselves as long as it takes,” Mr. Araghchi told “Face the Nation.” At least 1,348 civilians in Iran have been killed since the start of the war, Iran’s U.N. representative told the Security Council on Wednesday, the latest figure the country has provided.
Lebanon: Israel’s aerial campaign in Beirut and its suburbs, and ground operations in southern Lebanon, have displaced more than 800,000 people and killed 850, including 24 on Sunday, according to Lebanese authorities. Israel had carried out more than 1,100 strikes on the country since its fight with Hezbollah, the Iran-backed armed group, was reignited on March 2, according to the Israeli authorities.
Oil prices: The price of oil has risen steeply since the United States and Israel attacked Iran on Feb. 28, even as governments around the world — including the United States, which eased sanctions on some Russian oil — have sought to calm the volatility and increase supplies. The average price for a gallon of gas in the United States rose to $3.70, up from $3.45 a week ago and $2.93 a month ago, according to the AAA motor club.
Iraq: The attack on Baghdad’s airport complex on Sunday followed a warning from the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad to American citizens on Saturday that they should leave Iraq immediately. The warning said “Iran and its aligned militias” were posing a “major threat to public safety in Iraq,” and came one day after the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad had been attacked for the second time in two weeks, with Kataib Hezbollah claiming responsibility. The attacks have contributed to mounting instability in the region.
Persian Gulf: The United Arab Emirates reported a sharp drop in Iranian attacks on Sunday, saying that its forces had “engaged” four ballistic missiles and six drones, according to a defense ministry statement. The Emirates, which has borne the brunt of Iran’s retaliation in the Persian Gulf region, had recently been targeted in dozens of strikes each day, amounting to more than 1,900 attacks since the start of the war. In contrast, Saudi Arabia has reported an increase in attacks in recent days.
Palestinians: Israeli forces killed at least 12 Palestinians in two separate locations, according to Palestinian officials. Four were members of the same family, including two young children, shot dead in the occupied West Bank — Israeli officials said their vehicle had accelerated toward troops, who feared for their safety and opened fire. In Gaza, eight police officers affiliated with the Hamas-controlled government, which is backed by Iran, were killed in an airstrike, the Gazan interior ministry said.
Israel: Iranian missiles repeatedly set off air raid sirens in Israel on Sunday. In northern Israel, amid escalating hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah, residents living near the border with Lebanon have been staying underground amid missile and drone launches.
The Israeli military has no goal of “overthrowing” the government in Iran, Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin, a spokesman for the Israeli military, said in a news briefing on Sunday. His statement echoed comments from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who said on Thursday that the collapse of Iran’s autocratic government ultimately depended on the Iranian people.
Ephrat Livni is a Times reporter covering breaking news around the world. She is based in Washington.
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