What we know on the 13th day of the US and Israel’s war with Iran

Jessie Yeung, CNNThu, March 12, 2026 at 4:04 AM UTC

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A resident walks in front of a building damaged by an Israeli strike in central Beirut, Lebanon, on March 11, 2026. - Adri Salido/Getty Images

The US and Israel’s war with Iran is spreading to the seas, with oil tankers hit by Iranian attacks, an Omani port set ablaze, and three vessels hit by projectiles near the Strait of Hormuz – a critical waterway normally used to transport much of the world’s oil.

Meanwhile, a global body of countries has agreed to release emergency oil reserves to help absorb the shock of the oil disruption, as the growing Middle East conflict nears the end of a second week and deepens fears about the impact to the global economy.

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And, US President Donald Trump continues to give conflicting comments about when the war might end.

Here’s what to know on Day 13.

What’s happening in the region?

The Thai vessel Mayuree Naree, which Iran attacked in the Strait of Hormuz. - Royal Thai Navy

Three of 23 crew members of the Mayuree Naree remain unaccounted for, according to Thai authorities. - Royal Thai Navy -

Strikes target oil: Two foreign oil tankers in Iraqi waters were set ablaze by an Iranian attack, killing at least one person, with 38 other crew members rescued. Separately, emergency crews in Oman are battling a fire at fuel storage tanks, after a social media video geolocated by CNN appeared to show an Iranian drone hitting a tank at the port. And, Bahrain said that Iranian attacks targeted fuel tanks in the country’s north early Thursday local time.

Attacks near strait: Three vessels were hit by projectiles near the Strait of Hormuz, according to the UK’s maritime agency. The waterway carries roughly one-fifth of global crude oil shipments. Representatives of G7 nations met on Wednesday to discuss possibly escorting ships “when security conditions allow.”

Iran, Hezbollah and Israel: Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it carried out a joint attack with the militant group Hezbollah on Israel, striking more than 50 targets across five hours of sustained fire on Wednesday. Israel later carried out a “wide-scale” wave of strikes targeting Hezbollah infrastructure across Lebanon, including in the capital Beirut, its military said.

Gulf nations: Iran’s neighboring Gulf states intercepted new waves of Iranian drones and missiles early Thursday morning, including in the global business hub of Dubai, where a drone fell on a building near the luxury neighborhood of Creek Harbour.

What are the other main headlines?

A fuel pump at a gas station in Cairo, Egypt, on March 11, 2026. - Islam Safwat/Bloomberg/Getty Images -

Emergency oil reserves: Member countries of the International Energy Agency (IEA) agreed Wednesday to release 400 million barrels of oil into the global market – the largest release of emergency oil stocks in history. Soon after, US President Trump authorized the US to release 172 million barrels of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve beginning next week.

Trump’s speech: Speaking in Kentucky on Wednesday, Trump claimed that “we won” in Iran, without providing evidence. It also contradicts his earlier comment that “we’re not finished yet” with the war. Later that night, he told reporters: “It’s just a question of when, when do we stop?”

Scrutiny back home: The Pentagon told US lawmakers in a private briefing Tuesday that preliminary estimates suggest the war cost at least $11 billion in the first six days. And in a rare show of GOP criticism, Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski slammed Trump’s handling of the war, demanding public hearings and saying that mixed messaging from the administration is leading to confusion.

The school strike: The US military accidentally struck an Iranian elementary school likely due to outdated information about a nearby naval base, according to sources who were briefed on the preliminary findings of an ongoing military investigation. The attack killed at least 168 children and 14 teachers, Iran’s state media reported.

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Source: “AOL Breaking”