Iran War Days 11–12: Iran fires on ships as IEA agrees on oil reserve release

GULF COUNTRIES - In Brief 11 Mar 2026 by Justin Alexander

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Highlights Iran struck two oil tankers near Iraq and three cargo ships near Hormuz, and concerns grew about mines in the Strait. ADNOC shut the 922k b/d Ruwais refinery after a drone strike, and drones hit fuel tanks at Oman’s Salalah port. Aramco said it will soon ramp up the East-West Pipeline to 7m barrels/day. The IEA agreed to a record 400m-barrel reserve release, but Brent still rebounded to $100. The UN Security Council adopted a GCC-backed resolution condemning Iran’s attacks on Gulf states (Russia and China abstained). Ukrainian anti-drone teams began operating in Qatar, the UAE and Saudi Arabia. US/Israel and Iran Trump on Wednesday told a Kentucky rally, “we won,” and told Axios there is “practically nothing left” to bomb, while saying the war would end “soon.” However, Hegseth said only Trump decides the end-state, declining to say whether the war is in its beginning, middle, or end. Israel’s Defense Minister Katz said operations will continue “without any time limit.” (AJE, CNBC)Hegseth said Tuesday would be the most intense day of strikes inside Iran — “the most fighters, the most bombers, the most strikes.” Gen. Caine said the US has struck more than 5,000 targets. (CNBC, CBS)Evidence continued to grow that a US Tomahawk struck the Minab girls’ school on the first day of the war. UN human rights experts characterized the strike as a potential war crime. (CNBC)The IRGC launched what state media called its most intense operation of the war, including a joint attack with Hezbollah that involved five hours of sustained fire, claiming strikes on more than 50 targets across Israel. The IRGC rejected US claims of degraded missile capability, saying it is deploy...