US-Iran war updates: Two oil tankers struck, furious fire rages in Iraqi waters as crews evacuated

Reports online suggest that Grand Creek Harbour Tower 2 is the building hit by a drone in Dubai Creek Harbour.

Footage of the situation shows fire coming from an apartment that was hit, but it is unclear if the drone detonated.

Grand Creek Harbour Tower 2 is a residential building with 66 floors. Individual apartments are also available for bookings through accommodation websites.

The UAE has confirmed that a drone has struck a building in the lucrative Dubai Creek Harbour area, with a major evacuation now underway.

The area is home to large apartment buildings and luxury hotels.

“Authorities in Dubai are responding to an incident involving a drone that fell on a building in the vicinity of Dubai Creek Harbour,” A government statement said.

“Authorities are currently carrying out evacuation operations to ensure the safety of everyone in the building.”

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Iran’s aspiration to conduct a surprise drone strike on the United States has been revealed, with the FBI urgently warning local law enforcement over the threat.

The shocking intelligence was reportedly obtained by officials in the hours before US President Donald Trump directed the commencement of Operation Epic Fury in late February, something that may have played a part in his decision to strike first.

Mr Trump has said he “believed” Iran was about to conduct strikes on the US before he approved the US-Israeli military action on Iran, with the FBI’s move marking the first proof of his claim.

US outlet ABC News said: “We recently acquired information that as of early February 2026, Iran allegedly aspired to conduct a surprise attack using unmanned aerial vehicles from an unidentified vessel off the coast of the United State Homeland, specifically against unspecified targets in California, in the event that the US conducted strikes against Iran.”

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Two oil tankers have been struck in an “unidentified attack” in Iraqi waters.

The latest strikes follow three separate incidents yesterday where oil tankers were targeted.

The Iraqi port authority says the two ships were fully loaded with oil.

Reuters reported that authorities managed to evacuate 23 crew members from two vessels, which currently remain on fire.

Wild footage of the blaze quickly circulated online, showing fiery blasts coming from the ships as the inferno raged.

US President Donald Trump says he needs to “finish the job” in Iran, destroying the regime’s ability to be a threat to the US, the Middle East or allies.

“For 47 years, they have been killing our people,” he told a rally in Kentucky.

“I can only say this: they were prepared. They were going to try to take over the Middle East, they were going to knock out Israel.

“They don’t know what the hell hit them.”

“We don’t want to leave early. We’ve got to finish the job.

Resource Minister Madeline King has said she cannot guarantee that Australia won’t run out of fuel, even after a record amount of oil reserves was approved for release.

“I don’t want to predict that it won’t get harder if this conflict goes along and I really hope it ends very, very soon. Without peace, we have no prosperity,” the Brand MP told Radio National on Thursday.

“There’s no doubt there are disruptions. We’re witnessing a conflict we haven’t seen for some time, and it’s closer to home than the conflict we saw in 2022 (Russia-Ukraine).”

Ms King welcomed the IEA’s announcement to release 400 million barrels of oil in an attempt to tackle oil prices, however said Energy Minister Chris Bowen was best positioned to speak on the release.

“It’s a really important announcement from the IEA, which seeks to have members coordinate the release of the reserves of fuel into their respective systems. And we are looking at this,” she said.

“My understanding is the IEA has published that decision, and then each member looks at it. But I would have to leave that further detail to Minister Bowen. As you can imagine, it doesn’t come directly to me, it would go to the Minister for Energy of this country.”

Dennis Richardson says he felt “surplus to requirements” and that what he was being paid “wasn’t consistent” with the work he was doing after his examination of intelligence agency failings ahead of the Bondi shooting was rolled into the royal commission.

The former ASIO and Defence boss quit the royal commission on Wednesday, with commissioner Virginia Bell thanking him for the work done to date and promising a report on intelligence and security agencies would still be released by the end of April.

Mr Richardson said on Thursday morning that “a royal commission works in a particular way” and that he would have had more flexibility had his line of inquiry been kept separate from the legal process.

“(As) soon as it became folded into the royal commission, particular legal frameworks were put around it. So the interim report that will now be done by the royal commission will be a very different document to the one that I would have done when I was doing the review prior to the royal commission being announced,” he told Radio National.

“That is simply one of those things. It will still be a valuable document. The royal commission will go on to have hearings, and I’m sure the royal commission will, at the end of the day, do a highly professional job.”

Welcome to our coverage of the rapidly escalating conflict across the Middle East.

Here are the key developments so far:

• The US air campaign in Iran has entered its 12th day, with more than 5500 targets struck and no sign of the conflict ending.

• Iran has expanded its retaliation, attacking commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, including a Thai cargo ship that was set ablaze.

• Drones targeting Dubai International Airport have further raised fears that the conflict is spreading across the region.

• Global energy markets are under pressure as tensions threaten major oil supply routes through the Gulf.

• In response, the International Energy Agency (IEA) has agreed to release the largest emergency oil reserves in its history to stabilise global fuel prices.

We’ll continue bringing you the latest developments as they unfold.

Four people have been injured after two drones fell near Dubai International Airport overnight, authorities said.

Passengers inside the terminal were reportedly told to stay away from the aircraft’s glass windows following the strike.

According to the Government of Dubai Media Office, one Indian national suffered “moderate injuries”, while two Ghanaian nationals and one Bangladeshi national sustained minor injuries.

Despite the incident, air traffic at Dubai International Airport continued to operate as normal.

The International Energy Agency has agreed to release 400 million barrels of oil, the largest such move in its history, to try to rein in crude prices, which have soared due to supply shocks from the US-Israeli war with Iran.

The IEA said the release had been backed unanimously by 32 member countries, including Australia, in the sixth such move it has made since its creation in the 1970s.

It is aimed at preventing a further rise in oil prices on fears that Iranian attacks will continue to block Middle East oil exports from reaching markets.

“The oil market challenges we are facing are unprecedented in scale, therefore I am very glad that IEA member countries have responded with an emergency collective action of unprecedented size,” IEA executive director Fatih Birol said.