[00:00] Thatcher Collins: It is Wednesday, March 18th, 2026.
[00:04] Thatcher Collins: This is a developing story.
[00:06] Thatcher Collins: From Neural Newscast, I'm Thatcher Collins.
[00:08] Announcer: And I'm Thomas Keene.
[00:10] Thatcher Collins: Israel has targeted the South Pars gas field,
[00:14] Thatcher Collins: home to the world's largest natural gas reserves.
[00:18] Thatcher Collins: This is the first strike on Iranian fossil fuel production
[00:22] Thatcher Collins: since the conflict began on February 28th.
[00:28] Thatcher Collins: Reports from state media indicate that missiles struck several facilities at the site, marking
[00:34] Thatcher Collins: a significant escalation in the scope of military targets.
[00:39] Thatcher Collins: In immediate retaliation, the Revolutionary Guard launched a series of missiles at Qatar's
[00:46] Thatcher Collins: Ras Lafayne LNG complex and the Maaside petrochemical site.
[00:50] Thatcher Collins: This marks the first direct Iranian attack on energy infrastructure in the Gulf.
[00:56] Announcer: Tehran is also threatening strikes against the Samraf refinery in Saudi Arabia and the Al-Hasan gas field in the United Arab Emirates in the coming hours.
[01:06] Thatcher Collins: Global markets have reacted sharply to these developments.
[01:10] Thatcher Collins: Brent crude rose 5%, trading at over $108 a barrel, while European gas benchmarks jumped more than 7%.
[01:20] Thatcher Collins: Regional oil exports are already down 60% from pre-war levels
[01:25] Thatcher Collins: due to the ongoing blockade of the Strait of Hormuz and previous infrastructure damage.
[01:30] Announcer: The political leadership in Tehran is also under direct pressure.
[01:35] Announcer: Israel has confirmed it killed intelligence minister Esmail Khatib in Tehran today.
[01:41] Announcer: He is the third senior Iranian official assassinated in the last 24 hours.
[01:46] Announcer: following the deaths of Ali Lerajani and Ghulam Risa Solovani yesterday.
[01:52] Thatcher Collins: Iran responded to those earlier killings with a cluster munition strike on the Tel Aviv area.
[01:58] Thatcher Collins: Authorities in the suburb of Ramat Gan report that an elderly couple was killed in their apartment.
[02:03] Thatcher Collins: This brings the confirmed death toll in Israel to 16 since the war started,
[02:09] Thatcher Collins: while Iranian authorities report 1,300 deaths within their borders.
[02:13] Announcer: In Lebanon, the IDF destroyed a building in central Beirut for the first time in this war, resulting in six deaths.
[02:22] Announcer: Additional strikes on crossings along the Latani River killed 20 people as the military attempts to block Hezbollah supply lines.
[02:32] Announcer: These operations coincide with continued rocket fire from Hezbollah into northern Israel.
[02:39] Thomas Keane: The United Nations Nuclear Watchdog Chief, Rafael Grossi, stated today that while military conflict can degrade physical facilities,
[02:48] Thomas Keane: it is unlikely to entirely eliminate Iran's nuclear program or its enrichment capabilities.
[02:54] Thomas Keane: We will continue to monitor the situation in the Gulf.
[02:58] Thomas Keane: I'm Thatcher Collins.
[02:59] Announcer: And I'm Thomas Keene.
[03:01] Announcer: Neural Newscast is AI-assisted, human-reviewed.
[03:05] Announcer: Viewer AI Transparency Policy at neuralnewscast.com.