The price of crude oil has topped $86/barrel and is continuing to rise amid the U.S./Iran war in the Middle East that has seen traffic in the Strait of Hormuz drop from 125+ vessels/day to less than 5 amid attacks on ships by Iran. The price per barrel on February 27th was $64.

The Israeli Air Force has begun yet another wave of strikes against Isfahan and Tehran.

U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) has published more footage of strikes over the last week against ballistic missile launchers and launch sites in areas of Southern Iran.

No fighter jets or other military aircraft with the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) have been detected in or around Taiwan’s Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) for the seventh day in a row, which according to @TaiwanMonitor represents the longest gap period since at least 2023. Coincidentally, the ongoing conflict in the Middle East is approaching seven days, with U.S. and Israeli strikes against Iran beginning last Saturday.

U.S. President Donald J. Trump has said on his Truth Social app that the only deal with Iran must involve their unconditional surrender, adding that after, “the selection of great and acceptable leader(s)” will allow for the U.S. and its allies and partners to build Iran back up “from the brink of destruction.”

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Center has issued an advisory of an attack in the Strait of Hormuz, 6nm north of Oman on a tug with unknown projectiles.

In addition to intelligence support and targeting data provided to Iran by Russia, the United States has also received intelligence suggesting that China may be preparing to join the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, providing Iran with financial assistance, spare parts and missile components, three people familiar with the matter told CNN. China relies heavily on Iranian oil and has reportedly been pressuring Tehran ⁠to allow safe passage for vessels through the Strait of Hormuz.

Video footage purported to show an Iranian ballistic missile strike on Prince Sultan Air Base in Al-Kharj, Saudi Arabia, with the missile impacting very close to several U.S. servicemembers, thankfully said to have resulted in only minor injuries to personnel at Prince Sultan.

Bahrain’s Ministry of the Interior said that the Department of Combating Electronic Crimes monitored and arrested four people for filming and broadcasting clips of Iranian strikes and showing Pro-Iranian sympathies for strikes that they filmed on, amongst others, military and government sites.

President Donald J Trump has told CNN that “Cuba is going to fall,” adding that he’s going to put Secretary of State Marco Rubio “over there,” but that right now the administration is focused on operations against the regime in Iran.

The U.S. Army has abruptly canceled a major training exercise for the Headquarters Element of the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg in North Carolina, fueling speculation within the Defense Department that soldiers specializing in ground combat and a range of other missions may be sent to the Middle East to join the war against Iran, sources tell the Washington Post.

The 82nd Airborne operates a Brigade Combat Team, consisting of several thousand soldiers, which alongside elements of the U.S. Air Force are kept on high alert allowing them to undertake an airborne deployment on 18 hours notice with no prior warning, for missions as varied as seizing airfields and other critical infrastructure to evacuations, known more commonly as the Immediate Response Force (IRF).

The U.S. Department of State again urged U.S. citizens in Bahrain to leave using all available means of travel, saying that commercial flights are still not available out of the small Gulf nation, but that ground lines of transportation, specifically the King Fahd Causeway to Saudi Arabia, remains open. Moderate congestion can be seen on the on-ramp to the causeway on Google Maps.

The Israel Defense Force released cockpit footage of an Israeli F-16I Sufa during ongoing operations over Tehran, Iran.

In a statement from U.S. Cntral Command (CENTCOM), CENTCOM Commander Admiral Brad Cooper said that in addition to the targeting of a total of twelve nations throughout the Middle East, Iran fired seven one-way attack drones at civilian and residential neighborhoods last night in Bahrain.

A U.S. Air Force B-1B “Lancer” Long-Range Heavy Bomber seen arriving at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire, England earlier today, as preparations are now fully underway for the deployment of additional bombers to bases in Diego Garcia and the United Kingdom.

Video credit: @window_planes

At least 7 KC-135R Stratotankers with the U.S. Air Force are returning to air bases in Israel, after supporting fighter operations today, possibly by F-22 Raptors, over the Persian Gulf.

According to Israeli news reports, Israel assesses that Azerbaijan will strike Iran and/or join in the wider coalition against Iran as retaliation for Iranian strikes inside Azerbaijan yesterday. To date, Azerbaijan’s relationship with Turkey and more importantly Israel has strained their relationship with their neighbor Iran, as Iran has close ties to Russia and Armenia, nations that Azerbaijan increasingly finds itself at odds with.

According to N12, a U.S. official has said that the second phase of ongoing joint U.S.-Israeli operations against Iran is now in its second phase and is expected to last 12-14 days.

Azerbaijan’s State Security Service (SSS) said it arrested a number of people linked to a criminal organization and Iran who were involved in planning a terror attack in the capital city of Baku. This comes following Azerbaijan’s vow to retaliate for an Iranian drone strike inside its borders the other day.

According to the U.S. Navy, the USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) transited from the Mediterranean Sea through the Suez Canal into the Red Sea.

Fire burning following an Iranian attack tonight against Camp Victory near Baghdad, Iraq.