IEA recommends huge release of oil stockpiles; Drone strikes at Dubai airport

Thank you for reading tonight. We’re wrapping up Wednesday’s blog here but will be back after midnight with more live coverage on Thursday’s blog.

Here’s what we know so far:

• The International Energy Association has recommended huge releases of oil stockpiles as the war in Iran causes wild price swings on international markets.
• Three ships have been hit by unknown projectiles in the Strait of Hormuz, the key global shipping route.
• However the US has destroyed 16 mine-laying boats near the Strait of Hormuz, which will put a substantial dent in Iran’s sea power.
• US authorities believe that Iran’s new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, has been lightly injured in attacks, which is why he has not been seen in person since the start of the war.
• Flights out of Dubai have been disrupted after drones struck near the airport, injuring four people.
• People in Tehran have reported some of the war’s heaviest airstrikes, with electricity cut in many neighbourhoods.
• Members of the Iranian women’s soccer team have landed in Malaysia after seven players defected in dramatic circumstances to seek asylum in Australia. One player has since changed her mind and sought to return to Iran.
• A drone has struck a US diplomatic facility in Iraq. Pro-Tehran militias are suspected of being behind the strike.