Images show smoke and fire at Iran heavy water nuclear facilitypublished at 18:26 GMT 27 March

18:26 GMT 27 March

Image source, X/Mamlekate

By Shayan Sardarizadeh

Newly published photos show the moment of an Israeli strike targeting Iran’s Khondab heavy water nuclear complex near the city of Arak.

The images, authenticated by BBC Verify, show a ball of fire and smoke rising near the reactor within the facility.

While it’s difficult to pinpoint the precise target of the strike, it appears buildings were struck adjacent to the reactor, seen in the image above as a white-domed structure.

Israel had issued an evacuation order for the entire facility earlier.

Iran's Atomic Energy Organisation has confirmed that the Arak nuclear facility was targeted twice today, adding that no casualties or contamination has been reported.

Israel targeted the same complex last year during the 12-day war. Images released in the aftermath of that attack showed a visible hole in the roof of the reactor.

Image source, Reuters

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has accused the US and Israel of "continued illegal attacks" on "civilian targets and centers", including schools, hospitals, historical and cultural buildings and residential areas, according to Iranian state media.

He adds that the country will continue resolutely "defending the Iranian nation".

In a post on Telegram, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps-affiliated news agency IRNA also says Araghchi had discussed the war during a phone conversation with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

According to the IRNA, Araghchi says the insecurity of the Strait of Hormuz is the result of the US and Israel's military action and that Iran has a legal right to prevent the passage of ships through the strait.

Image source, EPA

A spokesperson from the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) says it has "significant plans" to continue its operation in southern Lebanon.

"We are at a historic crossroads," says Chief of General Staff Eyal Zamir in a post on Telegram. He adds that the plan is to "fundamentally change the security reality - from Tehran to Beirut".

"The communities of the north rely on you," Zamir says.

It follows previous comments from Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz, who has spoken about creating a "defensive buffer" in the region, with Israeli troops controlling a large swathe of southern Lebanon.

Israeli officials say the aim is to protect communities in northern Israel from Hezbollah attacks.

Previous IDF operations in the region have included blowing up bridges on the Litani River, about 30km (19 miles) from the Lebanon-Israel border.

Nada Tawfik
Reporting from New York

The UN Secretary General’s spokesperson Stephane Dujarric just gave an update on their efforts to help with the disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz, which he says risks creating ripple effects on humanitarian needs and agriculture production in the coming months.

Antonio Guterres has established a dedicated Task Force, aiming for example to facilitate fertiliser trade and the movement of raw materials, though not crude oil.

Dujarric says the UN has a lot of experience developing these types of mechanisms in conflict zones – including from Ukraine and the Black Sea Grain Initiative – but they don’t know what it will look like yet.

The secretary general has consulted on this over the last couple of days with leaders such as the Foreign Ministers of Iran, Egypt and Pakistan and the American and Bahraini Ambassadors to the UN.

If successful, the UN feels this could help towards a wider political settlement.

Bernd Debusmann Jr
Reporting from the White House

Image source, Getty Images

Donald Trump is currently on the balcony of the White House, addressing hundreds of US farmers - many wearing cowboy hats - on the South Lawn of the property.

Trump's remarks, as expected, have been heavy on domestic policy.

This event, after all, is aimed at promoting the various steps that Trump administration has taken to help farmers, a key voting block in the US.

The war in Iran, however, garnered a brief mention, when Trump interjected to briefly mention that "we're doing really well in Iran".

"How good is our military?" he asked the crowd, to applause.

We're continuing to listen across to Trump's comments, and will bring you any key developments.

In response to another question, Rubio says: "we're not asking for anybody's help with this war".

He says Iran may decide to set up a tolling system for the Strait of Hormuz

He calls it "unacceptable" and says the whole world should be "outraged", but adds that countries most impacted by a possible tolling system in the key shipping route "should do something".

About 20% of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) usually passes through the Strait of Hormuz and the war has sent global fuel prices soaring.

Image source, Getty Images

Rubio is now asked whether he is expecting Iran to respond to the US's 15-point plan today.

The BBC's US partner CBS News reported earlier, citing sources, that the Iranian response is expected on Friday.

"We haven't gotten it yet," he says.

Pushed on the expected timing, he adds that it "could happen at any moment" and refuses to make a prediction.

"In the meantime, we continue with our operation," he says.

Elsewhere, US President Donald Trump is speaking at an event at the White House - we're listening across in case he makes mention of the conflict in the Middle East.

Rubio continues, telling reporters this is "not going to be a prolonged conflict".

When asked again about deploying ground troops in Iran, he says the US can achieve its goals "without any ground troops".

Image source, Getty Images

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is speaking to reporters following his meeting with other foreign ministers at a G7 meeting in France earlier today.

Asked about whether the US is considering deploying troops to the Middle East as part of its efforts to neutralise Iran, Rubio says he won't discuss military tactics.

He does, however, say that the US has clear objectives and "we are very confident we are on the verge of achieving them very soon".

On how long the US operation is expected to last in Iran, Rubio says "we are talking weeks, not months".

Two nuclear-related facilities have been attacked in Iran, but there has been no release of radioactive material, Iranian state media says.

The Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) say in a statement on Telegram that the Khondab heavy water complex in north west Iran had been attacked by US-Israeli forces. The IRNA quote an official from Markazi Province as saying there were no casualties.

A second strike hit the Yellowcake production facility in Ardakan, Yazd, with authorities reporting no release of radioactive material beyond the site, according to IRGC-affiliated news agency Fars News.

Image source, Getty Images

The BBC's US partner CBS News reports Iran will be responding, external to the US 15-point peace deal today, citing sources.

US President Donald Trump and top White House officials have been informed that an Iranian counter-proposal would likely arrive today, they say.

It comes after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said yesterday that "intermediary countries" are passing messages, claiming that "some concrete progress has been made".

Details of a proposed US 15-point plan, published by Israel's Channel 12 network, include an end to Iran's nuclear programme, an end to its ballistic missile programme, and an end to Iran's support for "proxy militias" like the Houthis in Yemen and Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Initially, Iran flatly rejected the US 15-point plan, calling it "excessive". Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi later told state TV that "some ideas" had been proposed to the country's senior leaders - and "if a position needs to be taken, it will certainly be determined".

Iran's state media listed five conditions for ending the war, which include the payment of war reparations, international recognition of Iran's "sovereign right to exercise authority over the Strait of Hormuz", and a guarantee that Iran will not be attacked again.

• Read more from our security correspondent Frank Gardner: Are the US and Iran holding peace talks, and what do both sides want?

Image source, Reuters

Israel says it has begun launching strikes on southern Beirut, targeting "Hezbollah terrorist infrastructure", according to IDF spokesperson Avichay Adraee.

In a statement on X, Adraee urges residents of several neighbours to "evacuate immediately", they include: Haret Hreik, Ghobeiri, Laylaki, Hadath, Burj al-Barajneh, Tahwita al-Ghadir and Chiyah.

Separately, the IDF posts on its Persian language Telegram account that it has simultaneously begun attacking infrastructure in three different regions in Iran.

Image source, EPA/Shutterstock

UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper, who was involved in a meeting of G7 foreign ministers today, has called for a "swift resolution" to the conflict in the Middle East.

She adds that Iran "cannot be able to just hold the global economy hostage" by blocking the Strait of Hormuz.

"More than 30 countries" came together to discuss how to open the strait and protect international shipping, Cooper says.

Iran has effectively blocked the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world's busiest oil shipping channels, since the US and Israel attacked the country on 28 February.

About 20% of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) usually passes through the strait and the war has sent global fuel prices soaring.

Image source, Reuters

France's minister of foreign affairs says the G7 remains "exceptionally committed" to minimise the impact of the war in Iran.

The group, an organisation of the world's seven largest so-called "advanced" economies, calls for an "immediate cessation of attacks on civilian infrastructure and civilians", Jean-Noël Barrot says.

Following a meeting with his counterparts in Vaux-de-Cernay, northern France, he adds "nothing permits" the attacks, and civilians need to be "clearly protected".

In his comments, he also renews the G7's efforts to ensure "free and safe movement of ships" in the Strait of Hormuz.

Barrot says US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has agreed to brief the EU's Council of Foreign Affairs and to work together to find a solution to resolve the impasse in the Strait.

Bernd Debusmann Jr
Reporting from the White House

It's a rainy and unpleasant day at the White House, where President Trump has a busy day ahead of him.

At 12:30 local time (16:30 GMT), Trump will be delivering remarks to farmers at the White House, which will mark the first time we see him on-camera today.

That event is domestic in focus, and will centre on the Trump administration laying out its plan to help farmers hit hard bit both by tariffs, and by the war in Iran.

The outbreak of hostilities in the Middle East and disrupted shipping traffic in the Strait of Hormuz has spiked the price of nitrogen fertiliser, adding to uncertainty felt more broadly by Americans paying more for petrol at the pumps.

Later on, the president will leave the White House en route to Miami, where he will deliver remarks at Saudi Arabia's Future Investment Initiative, the second consecutive year he has attended the event.

It's very likely he addresses, at least briefly, the war in Iran at this event. Saudi Arabia, like other countries in the region, has faced economic uncertainty as a result of the war in nearby Iran.

Iran's major steel company has been attacked and teams assessing the damage, according to Iranian state media.

The Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) says Mobarakeh Steel had been attacked in Isfahan, as well as Khuzestan Steel in the south-west.

The IRNA quoted the spokesperson for the Ministry of Industry, Mine and Trade in a post on Telegram as saying that some of the facilities at these sites have been damaged.

The spokesperson reportedly said "there is "a possibility of casualties and injuries", but none had been reported so far.

Gulf nations report strikes are continuing across the region, here's what we've heard from some of them this morning:

Saudi Arabia's defence ministry says six ballistic missiles were launched towards the capital Riyadh. They add two were intercepted and four fell in the Gulf and uninhabited areas.

Kuwait reports attacks this morning on its main commercial port, Shuwaikh. The country's ports authority says there was "material damage but no human casualties".

The UAE's defence ministry says its air defences engaged six ballistic missiles and nine drones launched from Iran today.

Bahrain's defence force says it has intercepted 362 drones and 154 missiles since the start of the conflict, an increase of 12 drones since the same announcement yesterday.

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) earlier warned people across the Middle East to leave areas where US forces are stationed, but it did not specify exact locations.

Mitchell Labiak
BBC Business reporter

The short answer is that the market does. By "the market", we mean countries and companies who produce oil, as well as oil traders.

The first group is heavily influenced by Opec+, a cartel of 23 oil-producing countries who try to control the price of oil by deciding together how much they should produce.

If they want the price to go up, they agree to drill less. If they want the price to go down, they agree to drill more.

Opec+ produced about 59% the world’s oil in 2022, according to official US figures. So, what it does matters, but it does not control the price completely.

Giant oil firms such as Shell and BP make their own choices as do other oil-producing nations outside of Opec+, such as the US.

The second group, the oil traders, is made up of individual people and investment companies or funds who buy and sell oil on markets. These traders tend to purchase what are known as futures, which are contracts to buy a certain amount of oil at an agreed price at an agreed point in the future. In other words, a bet on what the oil price will be.

The picture is much the same with gas prices, with the gas-producing countries and companies controlling production and traders in gas futures buying and selling contracts.

The BBC, as well as several other media outlets and economists, tend to refer to the one month futures as the benchmark for oil and gas prices as they are seen less volatile than other measures.

Image source, EPA/Shutterstock

The BBC has been speaking to workers about the impact the war is having on their daily lives, amid the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz and its impact on oil prices.

In Thailand, taxi bike rider Ball says the cost of fares remain the same. The company he works for regulates a saver fare for passengers, but Ball says: "For us riders, there's no measure to help us for saving money" as oil price rises.

In Delhi, one restaurant owner says he had to keep the shop closed for two days due to rising costs, the first time since the coronavirus pandemic. "Our entire daily routine has been disturbed", he adds.

In Nigeria, one woman who works as a creative entrepreneur, says what she spends on fuel "has almost doubled if not tripled. It's becoming very difficult for me to keep up", she says.

In South Korea, Woo Jeongsuk, a 32-year-old journalist living in Seoul says "it feels like trying to put out a forest fire with a water pistol". He says the South Korean government has issued energy conservation guidelines, by Woo says "voluntarily cut back is a tough sell".

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has issued an urgent warning to people in parts of Arak, the capital of the Markazi province in central Iran.

It says it will conduct operations in several areas in the region "in the coming hours".

The Israeli military says their operation will focus on "attacking the Iranian regime's military infrastructure".

"For the sake of your safety and well-being, we kindly request that you immediately evacuate," it says on its Farsi account on X, adding: "Your presence in these areas endangers your life."