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Reuters
21-06-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
Fact Check: Clip shows 2015 China explosions, not 2025 Iranian attacks on Israel
Footage of two nighttime explosions in the northeastern Chinese city of Tianjin in 2015 has been falsely described by social media users as showing an Iranian strike on the port of Haifa, Israel, during aerial battles between the two regional rivals. Israel began attacking Iran on June 13, saying it aimed to prevent the country from developing nuclear weapons. Iran has since retaliated with missile and drone strikes on Israel, and says its nuclear programme is peaceful. "BREAKING: The blast at Haifa Port is set to be remembered in history as one of Iran's most lethal and strategically devastating strikes," a June 14 X post, opens new tab with 1.6 million views captioned the 48-second clip, which shows a large fireball followed by two explosions. On the night of June 15 an Iranian missile barrage struck a residential street in Haifa, which the national emergency services said injured nine people. On June 16, Israel's Haifa-based Bazan Group said it closed its power station in Haifa Bay after it was significantly damaged by an Iranian attack on June 15, opens new tab, resulting in the death of three employees. Some Facebook posts, opens new tab falsely described the video as showing Tel Aviv, which has also been hit by Iranian strikes since June 13. However, the video was filmed in 2015 and shows explosions in Tianjin's industrial zone. The BBC posted the same video to YouTube, opens new tab and its website, opens new tab on August 14, 2015. Reuters reported that two enormous explosions on August 12, 2015, ripped through an industrial area in the port city where toxic gas and chemicals were stored, killing 173 people, opens new tab. Miscaptioned. The clip shows explosions in an industrial area of China's northeastern city of Tianjin in 2015. This article was produced by the Reuters Fact Check team. Read more about our fact-checking work.
Reuters
17-06-2025
- Business
- Reuters
War insurance costs to Israel soar after Iranian attacks, sources say
LONDON, June 17 (Reuters) - War risk insurance premiums for shipments to Israel are as much as three times higher than a week ago as the war between Israel and Iran entered its fifth day, industry sources said on Tuesday. The cost of a seven-day voyage to Israeli ports was quoted between 0.7% and 1.0% of the value of a ship, versus around 0.2% a week ago, they said. War risk premiums to Israel are still below a peak of over 2% in November 2023 that were quoted after a Hamas attack on Israel killed 1,200 people and triggered the Israeli invasion of Gaza. Individual underwriters will price risk and rates differently, but this will add tens of thousands of dollars of extra daily costs for every voyage. "Calls specifically to Israel are very much on a case-by-case basis with rates increased to anywhere up to 1% for a 7-day call, dependent on what cargo, ownership and port," David Smith, head of marine with insurance broker McGill and Partners, told Reuters. Israel relies on sea lanes for much of its imports which are shipped to gateways that include the Mediterranean ports of Ashdod, which is close to Gaza in the south, and Haifa in the north, as well as the Red Sea port of Eilat. Israel's Bazan Group shut down its Haifa oil refinery, the country's largest, on June 16 after its power station was damaged in an Iranian attack. Nearly 30 vessels, many general cargo ships, were currently anchored around Haifa's bay, according to MarineTraffic ship tracking data on Tuesday. All port terminals in Haifa were operating normally and remained fully operational, an Israeli source involved in Haifa's port industry said. Many shipping companies are already wary of sailing to Israel due to the higher risk profile. Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis have said they will attack any Israel-linked vessels despite reaching a ceasefire over U.S. and UK-linked ships in the Red Sea. The militia announced in March a "maritime blockade" on Haifa port in response to Israel's ongoing conflict in Gaza.
Yahoo
17-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
War insurance costs to Israel soar after Iranian attacks, sources say
By Jonathan Saul LONDON (Reuters) -War risk insurance premiums for shipments to Israel are as much as three times higher than a week ago as the war between Israel and Iran entered its fifth day, industry sources said on Tuesday. The cost of a seven-day voyage to Israeli ports was quoted between 0.7% and 1.0% of the value of a ship, versus around 0.2% a week ago, they said. War risk premiums to Israel are still below a peak of over 2% in November 2023 that were quoted after a Hamas attack on Israel killed 1,200 people and triggered the Israeli invasion of Gaza. Individual underwriters will price risk and rates differently, but this will add tens of thousands of dollars of extra daily costs for every voyage. "Calls specifically to Israel are very much on a case-by-case basis with rates increased to anywhere up to 1% for a 7-day call, dependent on what cargo, ownership and port," David Smith, head of marine with insurance broker McGill and Partners, told Reuters. Israel relies on sea lanes for much of its imports which are shipped to gateways that include the Mediterranean ports of Ashdod, which is close to Gaza in the south, and Haifa in the north, as well as the Red Sea port of Eilat. Israel's Bazan Group shut down its Haifa oil refinery, the country's largest, on June 16 after its power station was damaged in an Iranian attack. Nearly 30 vessels, many general cargo ships, were currently anchored around Haifa's bay, according to MarineTraffic ship tracking data on Tuesday. All port terminals in Haifa were operating normally and remained fully operational, an Israeli source involved in Haifa's port industry said. Many shipping companies are already wary of sailing to Israel due to the higher risk profile. Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis have said they will attack any Israel-linked vessels despite reaching a ceasefire over U.S. and UK-linked ships in the Red Sea. The militia announced in March a "maritime blockade" on Haifa port in response to Israel's ongoing conflict in Gaza.
Reuters
17-06-2025
- Business
- Reuters
Iranian and Israeli energy sites impacted by conflict
June 17 (Reuters) - Military strikes between Iran and Israel have prompted concern about potential damage and disruption to the region's important oil and gas fields and infrastructure. Below are details about these sites and about how they have been affected so far: Israel struck an installation at the South Pars offshore gas field on June 14 where Iran has partially suspended production. South Pars is part the world's largest natural gas reserve which Iran shares with Qatar. The attack struck four units of Phase 14 of South Pars, around 200 kilometres from Qatar's installations, many of which are joint ventures with international firms, including U.S. giants ExxonMobil and ConocoPhilips. Israel struck a Tehran fuel depot and an oil refinery near the capital on June 14, Iran said, but authorities said the situation was under control. Israel's Bazan Group shut down its Haifa oil refinery, the country's largest, on June 16 after its power station was damaged in an Iranian attack. The refinery has a crude processing capacity of 197,000 barrels per day (bpd). South Pars makes up around a third of the world's largest reservoir of natural gas. Iran shares the reservoir with major gas exporter Qatar, which calls its field the North Dome. Sanctions and technical constraints have meant most gas Tehran produces there is used domestically but it also exports some. Iran exported about 15.8 billion cubic metres of gas in 2023, according to data by the Gas Exporting Countries Forum, a grouping of gas exporter nations. The entire reservoir contains an estimated 1,800 trillion cubic feet of usable gas - enough to supply the world's needs for 13 years, or to generate enough electricity to supply the U.S. for more than 35 years. IRAN'S OIL Iran is OPEC's third largest oil producer and extracts about 3.3 million bpd of crude oil, and another 1.3 million bpd of condensate and other liquids, totalling about 4.5% of global supplies. Its exports in recent months have reached 1.8 million bpd, their highest level since 2018, data from Kpler showed, driven by strong Chinese demand. Iran's production facilities are primarily in the southwest, in Khuzestan province, and in Bushehr province for gas and condensate from South Pars. It exports 90% of its crude via Kharg Island. The U.S. tightened sanctions on Tehran in 2018 after U.S. President Donald Trump exited a nuclear accord. Iran's oil exports fell to nearly zero but rebounded under U.S. President Joe Biden, with analysts saying sanctions were less rigorously enforced and Iran succeeded in evading them. Iran is exempt from OPEC+ output restrictions and China does not recognise the sanctions imposed on Tehran, meaning some Chinese private refiners have been placed on the U.S. Treasury's sanctions list. Analysts say Saudi Arabia and other OPEC members could compensate for any drop of Iranian supply by using their spare capacity to pump more.
Shafaq News
16-06-2025
- Business
- Shafaq News
Iran strike shuts down Haifa refinery
Shafaq News/ Israel's Bazan Group shut down all operations at its Haifa oil refinery after an Iranian missile strike severely damaged its power plant, the company announced on Monday. Bazan Group, which operates Israel's largest refining facility, confirmed in a filing to the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange that the power plant supplying steam and electricity had sustained 'significant damage,' forcing all refinery and subsidiary operations offline. The attack formed part of Iran's Operation True Promise 3, a retaliatory strike following Israeli air raids on nuclear and military facilities in Natanz, Fordow, and Tehran. The Haifa refinery is a critical hub in Israel's energy infrastructure, providing a substantial portion of the country's fuel and petrochemical output. Its suspension raised concerns over supply resilience as tensions escalate. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed responsibility for the strike, calling it a 'strategic warning.' In response, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Tehran would 'pay a very heavy price.' The incident rattled global energy markets. Brent crude surged more than 5% amid fears of regional supply disruptions and a spillover across the Middle East. Western governments have urged both sides to exercise restraint, warning that continued escalation could ignite a wider regional conflict involving proxy forces across Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, and Yemen.
