Top updates: Oil prices above $100 a barrel, Bahrain energy firm Bapco declares force majeure

A fire erupted at an oil complex in Bahrain’s Al Ma’ameer on Monday after it was allegedly struck in an Iranian attack amid the conflict in West Asia, the country’s state-run Bahrain News Agency reported.

The fire was contained. While there were no casualties, the incident led to material damage, the agency reported.

The conflict in West Asia began on February 28 after Israel and the United States launched a joint operation to “degrade the capabilities” of the Iranian government.

Tehran retaliated by striking Israel and US military bases in the region, and targeting major cities in other Gulf countries and some ships.

Here are more top updates from the conflict in West Asia:

• Global oil prices crossed the $100 per barrel-mark on Monday, the highest since July 2022. The oil prices have risen by about 20% since the conflict broke out as the escalating tensions raised fears of disruption to shipments through the Strait of Hormuz. The narrow waterbody connects the Gulf to the Arabian Sea. About 20% of global petroleum liquids consumption traverses the maritime chokepoint.
• More than 1,250 persons have been killed and 12,000 injured in Iran since the conflict started, the country's Deputy Health Minister Ali Jafarian told Al Jazeera on Monday.
• Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei on Monday alleged that it was “quite obvious” that the US intends to partition the country and “take illegal...

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