Explosions were heard around midnight Monday in multiple locations in Tehran, capital of Iran, as the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran entered its 38th day. Also on Monday, Iran's Fars news agency reported that a residential house in the central city of Qom had been attacked by the U.S. and Israeli forces, resulting in five deaths. The death toll may rise further as cleanup is still underway.
In a statement, the Israel Defense Forces said that they had detected missiles launched from Iran on Monday morning and they were intercepting, while air raid sirens were triggered in several parts of central Israel.
Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) said in a statement on Sunday that it had carried out the 97th wave of attacks against U.S. and Israeli targets under its "True Promise 4" operation.
According to the statement, the IRGC launched large-scale missile and drone strikes targeting Israel and U.S. bases and assets in the Middle East, including a secret assembly point of U.S. officers near the Mohammed Al-Ahmad Naval Base in Kuwait, causing heavy casualties.
The statement also said that an Iranian cruise missile had struck an Israeli-linked vessel near the Jebel Ali Port in Dubai.
It added that an attack on a U.S. military personnel assembly point in the United Arab Emirates had resulted in 25 casualties.
Explosions heard in Iranian capital; residential house in Qom attacked
Explosions heard in Iranian capital; residential house in Qom attacked
Explosions heard in Iranian capital; residential house in Qom attacked
The African Union (AU) and its partners have warned that the ongoing Middle East conflict poses a "serious risk" to African economies.
In a recent joint policy brief, the AU, the United Nations (UN) Economic Commission for Africa, the African Development Bank, and the UN Development Program warned that the longer the conflict lasts and the more severe the disruption of shipping routes, energy, and fertilizer supplies, the greater the risk of a significant growth slowdown across Africa.
With most African countries still growing at rates below pre-COVID levels, the brief projected a 0.2 percentage-point decline in Africa's gross domestic product growth in 2026 if the conflict lasts more than six months.
The organizations stressed that the conflict, which has already triggered a trade shock, could quickly become a "cost-of-living crisis" due to higher fuel and food prices. Rising shipping costs, insurance premiums, exchange rate pressures, and tighter fiscal conditions could further compound the crisis, with vulnerable households bearing the heaviest burden.
The Middle East accounts for 15.8 percent of Africa's imports and 10.9 percent of its exports, underscoring the critical implications of the current situation for African economies, according to the brief.
Highlighting that the fertilizer channel may prove more consequential than oil shocks for some countries, the brief noted that disruptions to Gulf liquid natural gas supply would affect ammonia and urea production, raising fertilizer costs during the crucial March-to-May planting season.
It warned that the phenomenon will put further upward pressure on food prices and hit vulnerable households hardest, with significant negative impacts on food security in Africa.
Expressing concern over potential geopolitical spillover effects that could reshape Africa's security, it also warned that a wider conflict could intensify competition for influence in Africa, with regional conflicts in Sudan, Somalia, and Libya already reflecting external sponsorship.
The brief emphasized the importance of strengthening energy security, safeguarding and restoring fiscal space, accelerating the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area, and establishing financial safety nets across Africa as essential strategies for building resilience.
African leading organizations warn Middle East conflict poses "serious risk" to African economies
