THE NEW YORK TIMES: Two oil tankers were burning off the Iraqi coast on Thursday as the conflict in the Middle East deepened disruptions to the global energy supply. Israeli airstrikes also shook Beirut, the Lebanese capital.
Iraq and Oman closed oil terminals on Thursday after two tankers were attacked and left burning off Iraq’s coast, as the war in the Middle East continued to disrupt energy markets.
Oil prices surged despite a coordinated effort by the United States and other major economies to calm markets by pledging on Wednesday to release 400 million barrels of oil from their emergency reserves.
Iran has said that it would not allow oil shipments that benefit the United States and its allies to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, the waterway through which one-fifth of the world’s oil passes. Several merchant vessels have been attacked in and around the strait since U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran began last month.
Iraqi officials said that they believed that Iran was responsible for the attack on the tankers off Iraq’s coast, which killed one person. The two oil tankers were used by Iraq for its own oil transport and were attacked while in a ship-to-ship transfer area, according to the country’s oil export authority. Iran had no responded publicly to the claim.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations, a British maritime agency, said that a third ship was struck by an unknown projectile near Dubai. Security concerns on Thursday also forced the closure of an oil export terminal in Oman. It was unclear who was responsible for the attacks.
Iran’s military said it had launched attacks on Thursday morning targeting Israeli military bases and security services, according to Iranian state media. Waves of airstrikes also shook Beirut and Tehran on Wednesday and into Thursday morning. Iran War Live Updates » | Rebecca Elliott, John Yoon, Aurelien Breeden and Erika Solomon | Thursday, March 12, 2026
