- Explosions in Iraqi Kurdistan -

Explosions sounded near Erbil airport in Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region and an attack forced a US-run oil field to shut production.

AFP journalists reported explosions and grey smoke rising from near the airport area, which hosts US-led coalition troops. Iraqi Kurdish authorities said earlier that oil production at a field operated by US firm HKN Energy had been halted following an attack.

Four drones also struck Basra airport in southern Iraq and two nearby oil facilities, a security official told AFP.

- Iran targets Kuwait -

Iran's army said it had attacked US bases in Kuwait and vowed that it would stage further strikes. Explosions were heard in the Kuwaiti capital, an AFP journalist said, as authorities said they were confronting missile and drone strikes.

"These attacks will continue in the coming hours," the Iranian army said, according to Iranian state TV.

Earlier, Kuwait's defence ministry said 67 Kuwaiti army personnel have been injured in the conflict -- the highest number by far of any Gulf military.

- NYT says US likely behind school attack -

The United States is most likely responsible for a strike that reportedly killed scores of people at an Iranian elementary school, according to a New York Times investigation.

The February 28 strike hit a school in the southern city of Minab and killed at least 150 people, according to Iranian officials. Neither Israel nor the United States has claimed responsibility for the attack, which was close to sites controlled by the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC).

- Europe's mounting war fears -

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said the Middle East war must not lead to the collapse of the Iranian state, warning of the potential impact on migration to Europe.

"An endless war is not in our interest. The same applies to a collapse of Iranian statehood or proxy conflicts fought on Iranian soil," he said. "Such scenarios could have far-reaching consequences for Europe, including for security, energy supply and migration."

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said that "loyal cooperation" should prevail over "confrontation" in relations with the United States after tensions over Madrid's opposition to Washington's use of its bases against Iran. Relations should take place "with respect, in a spirit of loyal cooperation and on an equal footing", added Sanchez, a major opponent of the war.

- Ukraine sending drone experts -

Ukrainian military personnel are expected to arrive in the Gulf "in the near future" to help countries there fend off Iranian drone attacks, a senior Ukrainian official told AFP.

Kyiv has developed cheap and effective drone interceptors since Russia invaded Ukraine four years ago. President Volodymyr Zelensky has said the United States had sought to counter Iranian drones that have been pummelling Israel and the Gulf over recent days.

- 'Plenty of oil' -

"There is plenty of oil, we have no oil shortage," International Energy Agency (IEA) chief Fatih Birol said. "There is a huge surplus in the market."

Crude prices have soared since the start of the war on Saturday, fanning fears of a fresh spike in inflation.

- Israel strikes Sidon -

Israel struck a building in the southern Lebanese city of Sidon without prior warning, state media said.

The strike targeted an office building near two shelters for displaced people, an AFP photographer said. Rescuers removed at least one body and were gathering human remains.

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam has warned that "a humanitarian disaster is looming" as a result of Israeli evacuation orders that are causing a massive population displacement, mainly in the southern suburbs of Beirut and of the south of the country, both Hezbollah strongholds.

- Maersk halts further shipping -

Danish shipping giant Maersk said it was suspending two intercontinental transit routes because of the war, its service connecting the Far East to the Middle East, and the route connecting the Middle East to Europe.

US Energy Secretary Chris Wright said the US navy was preparing to escort ships through the Strait of Hormuz "as soon as it's reasonable to do it".

- Israel targets 'regime infrastructure' -

Israel said it had launched strikes on Tehran targeting "regime infrastructure" in a "new phase" of the war.

AFP journalists in Tehran heard loud blasts in the city and Iranian media reported heavy strikes. An Iranian official said at least 20 people had died in US and Israeli strikes in the southern city of Shiraz. AFP could not independently verify the toll.

Meanwhile, several blasts were heard over Israel's commercial hub of Tel Aviv, AFP journalists reported, after the military said it had detected new missiles launched from Iran.

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