US-Iran war updates: Dubai International Airport flights halted after drone strike

US President Donald Trump says his administration has been liaising with “about seven” countries, including China, to form a coalition to escort ships through the Strait of Hormuz, the BBC is reporting.

The President says countries who depend on the Strait for their oil transportation should “defend their own territory” — “where they get their energy”, he went on to explain.

Earlier today, Trump claimed it would be “very bad for the future of NATO” if the organisation’s members did not contribute to securing the Strait, which has been under attack from Iranian bombardment and naval mines since the war began.

UAE air defense systems are fighting a “missile threat”, the country’s National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority are reporting.

This come just hours after Dubai International Airport was hit by a drone strike earlier on Monday, sparking a fire at one of the airport’s fuel tanks.

Emirates airlines have cancelled several flights from Dubai since the strike, and will be operating on an “limited schedule” until further notice.

At least 60 drones have been intercepted over eastern Saudi Arabia overnight, the country’s defense ministry is reporting.

It is believed the drones were headed toward “major” oil infrastructure in the region.

No damage or casualties have been reported.

Flights at Dubai International Airport have been temporarily suspended after a drone strike sparked a large fire at one of the airfield’s fuel tanks.

Dubai’s Media Office confirmed on Monday that several flights were diverted to Al Maktoum International Airport while emergency crews worked to contain the blaze.

“A drone incident in the vicinity of Dubai International Airport (DXB) affected one of the fuel tanks … Dubai Civil Aviation Authority announces the temporary suspension of flights at Dubai International Airport as a precautionary measure to ensure the safety of all passengers and staff,” the media office posted on X.

“Dubai Airports announces the diversion of some flights from Dubai International Airport (DXB) to Al Maktoum International Airport (DWC).”

Emirates airline also confirmed flights in and out of Dubai’s major international hub had been temporarily halted following the incident.

The local sharemarket is down marginally as the US-Israeli war with Iran enters its third week and a number of central banks, including Australia’s, prepare their decisions on interest rates.

Near noon on Monday, the benchmark S&P/ASX200 index was down 4.4 points, or 0.05 per cent, to 8,612.7.

The broader All Ordinaries had dropped 12.1 points, or 0.14 per cent, to 8,827.0.

Capital.com analyst Kyle Rodda said there was little sign that the war in the Middle East was de-escalating.

“If anything, strikes intensified over the weekend and all sides are making overtures that the war could be more protracted.”

The Reserve Bank of Australia, meanwhile, is expected to become the only central bank amongst the eight global banks making monetary policy decisions this week to raise rates.

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Macho and cocky, the Trump administration has been cock-a-hoop since its snatch-and-grab raid of Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro in January.

The US President himself has been punch drunk ever since, proposing to invade Greenland, administered by NATO ally Denmark and then disparaging the contribution of allied troops who fought the US’s war in Afghanistan.

The Trump administration has spent most of its time berating allies for being freeloaders and urged them to take on more “burden sharing”.

For all his distasteful methods, there is much Mr Trump diagnoses correctly. This column has regularly agreed that allies, especially the Australian Government, should not wait for an Oval Office roasting to raise their defence spending and take on their fair share.

But approaching 14 months of the Trump administration, it must be acknowledged that the burden-sharing has been going both ways.

As it is now allies who are expected to prop up President Trump’s decision to start a war with Iran, even though his objectives and reasons are hazy and contradictory at best.

“You never like to say too ⁠early you won. We won,” Mr Trump told supporters at a rally in Hebron, Kentucky, last Wednesday. “In the first hour, it was over.”

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A drone strike hit near Dubai International Airport early Monday, igniting a fire in the area, according to the Dubai Media Office.

Footage shared on social media showed thick smoke rising from the airport precinct shortly after the reported strike. Authorities have not yet confirmed whether anyone was injured or how much damage was caused.

In neighbouring Saudi Arabia, the defence ministry said its air defences intercepted 25 drones within the space of an hour in the kingdom’s eastern region, a sparsely populated area near Iran that also hosts major oil infrastructure. Officials said there have been no immediate reports of casualties or damage from the attempted attacks.

If you’re just joining us, welcome to our rolling coverage of the escalating conflict in the Middle East.

Here’s a quick snapshot of the key developments:

• Australia has ruled out sending a warship to the region after US President Donald Trump urged allied nations to help form a multinational naval force to protect oil tankers travelling through the Strait of Hormuz.
• Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has also pushed back against rumours circulating online that he had died, posting a video of himself buying coffee and joking he was “dead crazy” for “coffee”.
• Meanwhile, five members of Iran’s women’s national football team have now withdrawn their asylum bids in Australia, reversing earlier decisions to remain in the country.

The US military’s Central Command has released a new video showing drones hitting a series of Iranian targets, including missile bunkers, air-defence systems and other military infrastructure.

The command said the strikes are part of an ongoing campaign aimed at weakening Iran’s military capabilities and claimed US forces are gaining the upper hand, saying they now hold dominance over “vast swaths of Iran”.

Is he dead or alive?

The fate of Iran’s newly promoted supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, is the subject of intense speculation as he remains conspicuously absent as the war in Iran rolls into its third week.

The 56-year-old’s only public offering since his elevation to the top job, following the assassination of his father Ali Khamenei, has been a statement read on state television on Thursday, where he vowed to “avenge the blood of Iranians”.

Mojtaba Khamenei was injured during the first day of military strikes by Israel and the US on February 28 and much of his family, including his father, wife and children, were killed.

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