Washington, March 11: The White House said that President Donald Trump personally approved a temporary waiver allowing India to purchase Russian oil as part of a broader effort to stabilise global energy markets amid disruptions caused by the ongoing US military campaign against Iran.

The decision was taken after consultations between the President, the Treasury Department, and members of the national security team, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said.

“The President and the Secretary of the Treasury and the whole national security team came to this decision because our allies in India have been good actors and have previously stopped buying sanctioned Russian oil,” Leavitt told reporters in response to a question.

She said the temporary measure was meant to address disruptions in global oil supply triggered by the crisis surrounding Iran.

“So as we work to appease this temporary gap of oil supply around the world because of the Iranians, we have temporarily permitted them to accept that Russian oil,” she said.

Leavitt noted that the shipments involved had already been dispatched before the waiver was granted.

“This Russian oil was already at sea, it was already out on the water,” she said.

According to the White House, the administration does not expect the arrangement to significantly benefit Moscow financially.

“So this short-term measure, we don’t believe it will provide significant financial benefit to the Russian government at this time,” Leavitt said.

The remarks came as the White House provided updates on Operation Epic Fury, the US military campaign targeting Iran’s missile infrastructure and naval capabilities.

Leavitt said the operation had achieved rapid progress since it began ten days ago. “More than 5000 enemy targets have been struck so far,” she said.

She added that Iran’s ability to retaliate had sharply declined.

“Iran’s ballistic missile attacks are down more than 90 per cent, and their drone attacks are down by approximately 35 per cent since the start of Operation Epic Fury,” Leavitt said.

US forces have also targeted Iran’s naval assets.

“We have destroyed more than 50 Iranian naval vessels, including a major drone carrier ship,” she said, adding that the Iranian navy has been assessed as “combat ineffective.”

The administration said the operation’s goals remain unchanged.

“The stated objectives for Operation Epic Fury remain the same: destroy the terrorist regime’s ballistic missiles, raise their Iranian missile industry to the ground, ensure their terrorist proxies can no longer destabilize the region, and ensure that Iran never obtains a nuclear weapon,” Leavitt said.

The White House also stressed that the United States would ensure the continued flow of energy through the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most critical oil shipping routes.

Leavitt said President Trump had reiterated his commitment to protecting energy supply routes.

“President Trump reiterated his commitment toward keeping oil flowing through the Strait of Hormuz so the United States and all of our allies can receive their energy needs,” she said.

She added that the administration had already taken steps to stabilise energy markets.

“Thus far, the Trump administration has offered political risk insurance to tankers operating in the Gulf,” she said.

Officials also said the US Navy could escort tankers if necessary to keep the vital waterway open.

Riyadh, March 9: Riyadh on Monday condemned the Iranian attacks against Saudi Arabia and Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) members – including a number of Arab, Islamic, and friendly countries – affirming its right to take all measures to protect its security, sovereignty and safety of people. Saudi Foreign Ministry stated that continued Iranian attacks showcase further escalation, with significant impact for bilateral ties.

The targetting of civilian objects, airports, and oil facilities, stated Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Ministry, demonstrates “a determination to threaten security and stability and to persist in blatantly violating international charters and international law.”

“With regard to the statement made by the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, in which he indicated that there are no plans to attack neighbouring countries and the decision had been taken by the Leadership Council, the Kingdom affirms that the Iranian side has not reflected that statement in practice, whether during the Iranian President’s speech or afterwards, and has continued its attacks based on baseless claims that are not grounded in fact, including allegations that the Kingdom had previously clarified were false, namely the claim that fighter jets and refueling aircraft had departed from the Kingdom to participate in the war, while it was clarified that these aircrafts mission is to conduct air patrols to monitor and protect the airspace of the Kingdom and the GCC states from Iranian missiles and drones,” read a statement posted by Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Ministry on X.

“The Kingdom affirms that the continued Iranian attacks represent further escalation, with significant implications for bilateral relations both now and in the future. The Kingdom also stresses that Iran’s current actions toward our countries do not reflect wisdom or serve the interest of avoiding a widening of escalation, in which Iran would be the greatest loser,” it added.

Saudi statement comes after two people were killed and 12 others injured following a military projectile striking a residential area in Al-Kharj Governorate on Sunday.

Saudi Arabia’s Civil Defence spokesperson said that civil defence responded to a military projectile that hit a residential compound belonging to a maintenance and cleaning company in Al-Kharj Governorate, causing death of two people of Indian and Bangladeshi nationalities. It also caused injuries to 12 Bangladeshi residents and material damage.

In a statement shared on X, the spokesperson termed targetting of the civilian infrastructure as a “blatant violation of international humanitarian law” and emphasised that the standard procedures for such incidents were implemented.

Tehran, March 9: Iran on Monday named Mojtaba Khamenei as the new Supreme Leader, succeeding his father Ali Khamenei, in a move that signals the continued dominance of hardliners in Tehran even as the country remains locked in an escalating conflict with the United States and Israel.

Mojtaba Khamenei, a mid-ranking cleric believed to wield significant influence within Iran’s security establishment and the vast economic networks built under his father’s leadership, had long been viewed as a leading contender for the position.

The decision was made by the Assembly of Experts, an 88-member body of clerics responsible for selecting the Supreme Leader after the death of Ali Khamenei.

Confirming the decision, the assembly issued a statement shortly after midnight Tehran time.

“By a decisive vote, the Assembly of Experts appointed Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Hosseini Khamenei as the third Leader of the sacred system of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” the statement said.

The post of Supreme Leader gives Mojtaba Khamenei ultimate authority over all matters of state in the Islamic Republic, including control over the military, judiciary and key political institutions.

His appointment is expected to heighten tensions with Washington. US President Donald Trump said on Sunday that the United States should have a say in the leadership transition in Iran.

“If he doesn’t get approval from us, he’s not going to last long,” Trump told ABC News. Israel had also issued warnings ahead of the announcement, indicating that whoever assumed the role could be targeted.

Ali Khamenei, Iran’s longtime Supreme Leader, was killed in one of the first strikes launched against Iran on February 28 as hostilities erupted between Iran and the US-Israel alliance.

The conflict has already taken a heavy toll. The US military reported on Sunday that a seventh American service member had died from injuries sustained during Iran’s initial counter-attack a week earlier.

The announcement came a day after Trump oversaw the return to the United States of the remains of six other American personnel who had been killed.

According to Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations, the US-Israeli military campaign has resulted in the deaths of at least 1,332 Iranian civilians and left thousands more wounded.

Despite calls from Washington for Tehran to capitulate, Iranian leaders signalled that the country had no intention of backing down. As Trump pressed for what he described as an “unconditional surrender,” Iran’s parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf said Tehran was not seeking a ceasefire and would continue to punish those responsible for the attacks.

Meanwhile, Israel continued to target senior Iranian officials as part of its military campaign. Israeli authorities said Abolqasem Babaian, who had recently been appointed head of the military office of the Supreme Leader, was killed in an airstrike carried out on Saturday.

As the fighting entered its ninth day, residents in Tehran reported seeing thick black smoke hanging over parts of the city after airstrikes targeted oil storage facilities.

The attacks lit up the night sky with large plumes of orange flames, indicating significant damage to energy infrastructure.

Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei described the large-scale assault as a dangerous escalation in the conflict and accused the attackers of committing a war crime.

“By targeting fuel depots, the aggressors are releasing hazardous materials and toxic substances into the air,” Baghaei wrote in a post on X.

Israel defended the strikes, saying the facilities were linked to Iran’s military capabilities.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the offensive against Iran would continue and warned that the country’s leadership would face sustained attacks.