War widens as Iran fires at Turkey, China moves to mediate

As the US, Israel, Iran and Hezbollah in Lebanon continue to exchange fire, diplomatic efforts also continue. Speaking to high-level officials in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates on Wednesday, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said that he will head to the region to mediate between the warring countries.

Meanwhile, the US Embassy in Iraq reiterated a previous warning for all its citizens to flee the country. 

“US​​​ citizens in Iraq are strongly encouraged to depart as soon as they are safely able to do so, and shelter in place until such time as conditions are safe to depart," the mission said in a statement.

US assets in the country have been targeted and the Iraqi Ministry of Electricity said on Wednesday that there is currently a complete power outage across all provinces.

Earlier in the day, a ballistic munition fired from Iran was detected heading toward Turkish airspace and intercepted by NATO defense systems.

Israel said on Wednesday that it had launched a wave of attacks targeting key infrastructure in Tehran, including the headquarters of Iran’s cyber operations, intelligence directorate and Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. An Iranian frigate was also sunk by the US Navy off the coast of Sri Lanka, a US official confirmed to Al-Monitor.

Iranian attacks continue to roil energy and shipping markets. QatarEnergy declared a force majeure today, allowing it to suspend LNG and related shipments, while global shipping giant Maersk paused most cargo bookings to and from the UAE, Oman, Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.