Weekly insights and analysis on the latest developments in military technology, strategy, and foreign policy.
The war is now in its 10th day, and Israel and the United States continue to trade blows with Iran, with further missile and drone strikes across the Middle East. Meanwhile, the U.S. military’s ability to execute more rapid heavy airstrikes against Iranian targets was stepped up further today, with the arrival at RAF Fairford in England of three U.S. Air Force B-52H Stratofortress bombers. The aircraft are from the 5th Bomb Wing at Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota.
The bombers arrived at Fairford after U.K. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer approved so-called defensive U.S. actions against Iranian targets from British bases. This includes striking Iranian missile sites prior to them launching attacks.
NEW: At least three U.S. B-52 bombers have landed at RAF Fairford in the U.K., signaling preparations for potential sustained heavy bomber strikes against Iran.
11:56 HOOKY 21 flt x3 USAF B-52/H Stratofortress’s Inbound to RAF Fairford from Minot AFB(?) #HOOKY21 is proceeding inbound to RAF Fairford, #HOOKY22 will follow 10 mins behind and #HOOKY23 is unconfirmed but holding with 22. wkg Swanwick 278.600 / FOXTROT ops / A2A 323.750 pic.twitter.com/m4giROHiCV
The B-52s are part of a growing fleet of U.S. bombers at Fairford. The base received a single B-1B Lancer on Friday, and another two of the swing-wing bombers arrived on Saturday.
RAF Fairford about to get real Noisy
Barons are back in town, the first USAF B-52’s from Minot AFB 23rd BS are on the Ground at RAF Fairford.
Plenty of support flights from Ellsworth, Dyess, and Minot still to come into this fog ridden base in Gloucestershire over the next 24… pic.twitter.com/g5CEBK9DeR
As well as making use of RAF Fairford to strike Iran, the change in U.K. government policy covers Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean. Satellite imagery from today that TWZ has reviewed via Planet Labs shows no sign of bombers on the island, but heavy transport aircraft continue to show up there, along with the handful of tankers and five F-16s currently operating from the Indian Ocean outpost.
B-52s have already flown missions against Iran from bases in the United States, delivering AGM-158 JASSM stealthy cruise missiles. These missiles would have launched from outside Iranian airspace, likely over Iraq or another friendly Arab country. You can read more about the implications of standoff strikes such as these in our previous analysis of the enduring Iranian air defense threat here.
Remains of an American AGM-158 JASSM cruise missile, reportedly downed by Iranian air defenses over Markazi Province.
USAF B-52s have been carrying out cruise missile strikes with JASSMs over the past few days. pic.twitter.com/r3Uu9WTltW
As we have discussed repeatedly in recent weeks, having the bombers forward deployed to England and/or Diego Garcia will drastically increase sortie rates and decrease wear-and-tear on the precious bomber fleet compared to flying from the U.S. and back. This will become even more relevant if the B-1 and B-52 force move from making standoff strikes to direct attacks on Iranian targets, even if just over limited parts of the country where air supremacy is more guaranteed.
LATEST UPDATES
We have concluded our rolling coverage in this piece.
UPDATE: 7:30 PM EST –
Trump held a Monday evening press conference to address the situation in the Middle East. Among other things, Trump hinted, without offering specifics, that lasers are now being used for air and missile defense. CENTCOM pushed us to the White House for more details and we are awaiting their response.
Trump also said that Iran has Tomahawk missiles, which it doesn’t.
Here are some of the key takeaways from the briefing—
On when the war will be over:
Very soon. Look, everything they have is gone, including their leadership. In fact, they have two levels of leadership. And even actually, as it turns out, more than that. But two levels of leadership are gone. Most people have never even heard about the leaders that they’re talking about….We’re achieving major strides toward completing our military objective. And some people could say they’re pretty well complete.
On the use of lasers for air and missile defense:
So as you probably saw, they had a tremendous number of missiles, most of which have now been used or destroyed and very unsuccessfully used, because we have been able, for the most part, to shoot them all down. What incredible technology. The Patriots have been unbelievable. And other things. And the laser technology that we have now is incredible. It’s coming out pretty soon. Where literally lasers will do the work of, at a lot less cost, do the work of what the Patriots are doing or what other things are doing.
On whether U.S. Tomahawk missiles destroyed an Iranian girls’ school and whether the U.S. will take responsibility for that.
I will say that the Tomahawk, which is one of the most powerful weapons around, is used by, you know, sold and used by other countries. You know that, and whether it’s Iran who also has some Tomahawks, I wish they had more. But whether it’s Iran or somebody else, the fact that a Tomahawk – a Tomahawk is very generic. It’s sold to other countries, but that’s being investigated right now.
Responding to a reporter about why he is the only one in the administration suggesting that “Iran somehow got its hands on a Tomahawk and bombed its own elementary school on the first day of the war.”
Because I just don’t know enough about it. I think it’s something that I was told is under investigation, but Tomahawks are used by others. As you know, numerous other nations have Tomahawks. They buy them from us. But I will certainly – whatever the report shows – I’m willing to live with that report.
On whether the new Supreme Leader “has a target on his back.”
I don’t want to say whether or not he does, because that would be inappropriate.
On how many U.S. troop deaths he is willing to accept in this war.
Well, as I said before, when you have conflicts like this, you always have death. And I was in Dover yesterday, I met the parents, and they were unbelievable people. They were unbelievable people, but they all had one thing in common. They said to me, one thing every single one, finish the job. Sir, please finish the job. And I’ll leave you at that.
UPDATE: 5:40 PM EST –
“We’re crushing the enemy in an overwhelming display of technical skill and military force,” Trump told the Republican House leaders.
“We’re crushing the enemy in an overwhelming display of technical skill and military force,” says @POTUS on Operation Epic Fury.
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) March 9, 2026
He also extolled the virtues of the B-2 Spirit stealth bombers, saying “Israel would have been wiped out” without them.
NOW – Trump on going to war with Iran: “You know, if we didn’t do that B-2 attack, Israel would have been wiped out. They would have had a nuclear weapon within two weeks after that… I think they were looking to take over the Middle East.” pic.twitter.com/fkV99M9Zvm
Australia will deploy a surveillance aircraft and supporting ADF personnel to the Middle East for at least a month, as well as provide air-to-air missiles to the United Arab Emirates, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said.
Albanese said an E-7 Wedgetail radar jet would help provide long range reconnaissance capability to help “secure the airspace above the Gulf.”
“The Wedgetail and supporting Australian Defence Force personnel will be deployed for an initial four weeks in support of the collective self defence of Gulf nations. Additionally, in response to a request, my government intends to provide advanced, medium range air to air missiles to the United Arab Emirates,” he explained.
#BREAKING: One of Australia’s most sophisticated military surveillance planes will be deployed to the Middle East after a request from the United Arab Emirates. Follow live. https://t.co/pONDEt2JBj
CENTCOM released its latest operational update. So far, more than 5,000 targets have been hit, including 50 Iranian vessels damaged or destroyed, the command stated.
CENTCOM
UPDATE: 4:58 PM EST –
Speaking to Republican leaders today, Trump called Epic Fury “a short-term excursion.”
“We’re making America great again,” the president proclaimed. “We’re doing it much faster than we thought, and it’s better, stronger. Our country is doing really well, at a level that nobody thought. We took a little excursion because we felt we had to do that to get rid of some people. And I think you’ll see it’s going to be a short term excursion. How good is our military? In my first term, we rebuilt our military, and I didn’t know I’d be using it so much in the second term. But we have a military like no other as not even close.”
PRESIDENT TRUMP ON IRAN:
“We took a little excursion because we felt we had to do that to get rid of some evil. I think you’ll see it’s going to be a short-term excursion. Short term!” pic.twitter.com/IiMlaANEH8
— The Kobeissi Letter (@KobeissiLetter) March 9, 2026
With Trump hinting that the war could soon be over, Israeli officials are racing to hit as many targets as possible, I24 News Diplomatic Correspondent Guy Azriel stated on X.
As President Trump says today he thinks “the war is very complete, pretty much. They have no navy, no communications, they’ve got no Air Force.” A a senior Israeli official tells me: “nothing is complete. We initially estimated we will have two weeks. I’m bally.” And of course,…
The Lebanese government “proposed direct negotiations with Israel — through the Trump administration — aimed at ending the war and reaching a peace agreement,” Axios reported, citing five sources with knowledge of the matter.
If the war ended today, it would take two weeks to restore Persian Gulf shipping, and another two months to get oil production back to normal levels, The Wall Street Journal reported.
If the war ended today with Iran’s complete and total surrender, Strait of Hormuz shipping traffic would take two weeks to return to normal and Gulf oil production two months to get back to pre-war levels. And that’s optimistic. https://t.co/o3CKt61EZn
Iran says it is prepared to form a joint team with Turkey to investigate “allegations” of Iranian missile attacks on Turkey.
IRAN’S PRESIDENT SAYS DURING PHONE CALL WITH TURKEY’S ERDOGAN THAT IRAN IS PREPARED TO FORM JOINT TEAM TO INVESTIGATE “ALLEGATIONS” OF IRANIAN MISSILE ATTACKS ON TURKEY – IRANIAN STATE MEDIA
The White House posted a video on X showing what appears to be targets hit by F-22 Raptor stealth fighters. The video opens up with the aircraft flying, followed by several targets hit. The White House titled the post “If you don’t know, now you know.”
UPDATE: 4:17 PM EST –
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump discussed the Iran war and Ukraine conflict during a “frank and constructive” telephone call today, the Kremlin said.
The one-hour call, the first since December, was sought by Washington, Putin’s diplomatic advisor Yuri Ushakov claimed, according to Russian media.
“The accent was placed on the situation surrounding the conflict with Iran and the bilateral negotiations underway with the representatives of the United States on settling the Ukrainian question,” Ushakov proclaimed.
טראמפ שוחח עם פוטין על המלחמה באיראן, כך נמסר מהקרמלין
The Israeli Air Force (IAF) bombed six Iranian military air bases during a wave of strikes in Iran last night, according to the IDF.
The Israeli Air Force bombed six Iranian military airbases during a wave of strikes in Iran last night, the IDF says.
Some of the airports were previously targeted by the IAF amid the war.
As part of the strikes, the military says it destroyed numerous aircraft, including… pic.twitter.com/oKHD5P9KrA
— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) March 9, 2026
IRGC Gen. Ebrahim Jabbari said Iran is ready for 10 years of war with America and that its “weapons stockpiles are full and the production of missiles and drones continues.”
⚡️BREAKING
IRGC GENERAL JABBARI:
We are ready for 10 years of war with the Americans
Our weapons stockpiles are full, and the production of missiles and drones continues pic.twitter.com/MnNozB6mDq
In a phone interview with CBS News senior White House correspondent Weijia Jiang, Trump said the war could be over soon.
“I think the war is very complete, pretty much,” Trump told the network, according to a post on X. “They have no navy, no communications, they’ve got no Air Force.”
The U.S. is “very far” ahead of his initial 4-5 week estimated time frame, the president added.
NEW—In a phone interview, President Trump told me the war could be over soon: “I think the war is very complete, pretty much. They have no navy, no communications, they’ve got no Air Force.” He added that the U.S. is “very far” ahead of his initial 4-5 week estimated time frame.
Still, the Department of War stated on X that “We Have Only Just Begun To Fight.”
During a broadcast, Fox News caught Israeli interceptors firing at missiles launched toward Tel Aviv.
Fox cameras capture Israeli interceptor missiles neutralizing incoming threats in the sky over Tel Aviv, followed by a wave of additional launches, as Israel’s air defense system responds to enemy fire. @TreyYingstpic.twitter.com/jJi2ZxtUFt
Hezbollah has initiated “preliminary feelers to start negotiations for a ceasefire,” Israel’s N12 News reported on X. “Discussions are underway in Israel on the matter, with the key question being whether to launch a broad operation to eliminate the organization or to achieve a strategic gain in the form of severing the connection between Iran and the Lebanese terror group, which Iran has financed at a rate of one billion dollars per year.”
Exclusive report: Hezbollah has initiated preliminary feelers to start negotiations for a ceasefire. Discussions are underway in Israel on the matter, with the key question being whether to launch a broad operation to eliminate the organization or to achieve a strategic gain in…
Pilots participating in long missions over Iran as part of Operation Roaring Lion “have admitted to using stimulant pills to maintain concentration,” The Jerusalem Post reported. This is leading doctors “to warn against the phenomenon spreading from the tightly controlled system in the IDF to the general public, where it could end in cardiac arrhythmias and seizures.”
Doctors warn against civilians using stimulant pills after IDF pilots admit to taking them during long missions over Iran. https://t.co/drQILizjnk
— The Jerusalem Post (@Jerusalem_Post) March 8, 2026
More video is emerging of the remnants of Tomahawk Land Attack Cruise Missiles (TLAMs) found in Iran.
The French Embassy shared video of President Emmanuel Macron aboard the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle in the Mediterranean.
From 🇫🇷 President Emmanuel Macron, on board the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier in the Mediterranean. pic.twitter.com/E5vWSOoH0c
— Embassy of France in the U.S. (@franceintheus) March 9, 2026
The U.K. MoD provided its latest assessment of operations in the Middle East.
The U.K. stated that its military aircraft “operated over the UAE alongside our Emirati hosts.”
UPDATE: 2:59 PM EST –
Trump has told aides “he would back the killing of new Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei if he proves unwilling to cede to U.S. demands, such as ending Iran’s nuclear development,” The Wall Street Journal reported, citing current and former U.S. officials.
Mojtaba Khamenei was wounded in an airstrike, according to Iranian TV.
“The anchors read reports describing him as ‘janbaz,’ or wounded by the enemy, in the ‘Ramadan War,’ which is how media in Iran refer to the current conflict,” according to the Times of Israel.
The reports do not elaborate on Khamenei’s condition or say how or when he was wounded.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio laid out the goals of Epic Fury.
SECRETARY RUBIO: The goals of the mission against the Iranian regime are clear: – Destroy their ability to launch missiles – Destroy factories making these missiles – Destroy their navy pic.twitter.com/KPUpMGNtDf
Israeli strikes on Iran have killed more than 1,900 Iranian commanders and troops, IDF spokesman Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin told the media.
More than 1,900 Iranian soldiers and commanders have been killed in Israeli strikes in Iran, IDF Spokesman Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin says in a press statement.
He says thousands more have been wounded.
— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) March 9, 2026
German Chancellor Fredrich Merz continues to back the strikes against Iran.
German Chancellor Merz on Iran:
Iran is the center of international terrorism, and this center must be shut down.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump announced a 5:30 p.m. address to the nation. The topic is not immediately known.
Beachgoers in the UAE witnessed a wild scene of an Iranian Shahed-136 drone being chased down at a low level by an Emirate Air Force F-16E, which fired at least one munition at the drone.
1:44 PM EST –
The U.S. Embassy in Kurait is being evacuated as the result of Iranian attacks on that country.
The American Embassy is being evacuated in Riyadh because of sustained attacks by Iran against the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
It is my understanding the Kingdom refuses to use their capable military as a part of an effort to end the barbaric and terrorist Iranian regime who has…
CENTCOM highlighted the use of the Army High Mobility Rocket Systems (HIMARS) attacks on Iran. The post, on X, includes an image of a HIMARS firing an Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) warhead.
U.S. Army High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) provide unrivaled deep-strike capability in combat against the Iranian regime. pic.twitter.com/Onsp1FUrz4
CBS News posted video of the remnants of an Iranian ballistic missile with a cluster munition warhead that landed in Tel Aviv.
IRANIAN MISSILE UP CLOSE: Standing beside the fuel tank of an Iranian missile that landed in Tel Aviv, Israel, CBS News’ @CBSMATTGUTMAN shows us the sophistication and sheer size of the missiles Iran has been firing at Israel and the Gulf states. Gutman explains how these sorts… pic.twitter.com/88v7zV1cJA
High-ranking Iranian official Ali Larijani said on X that “It is unlikely that any security will be achieved in the Strait of Hormuz amid the fires of the war ignited by the United States and Israel in the region, especially if that is by the design of parties that were not far removed from supporting this war and contributing to its fanning.”
من المستبعد أن يتحقق أيُّ أمنٍ في مضيق هرمز في ظلِّ نيران الحرب التي أشعلتها الولايات المتحدة وإسرائيل في المنطقة، ولا سيّما إذا كان ذلك بتصميم أطرافٍ لم تكن بعيدةً عن دعم هذه الحرب والإسهام في تأجيجها. https://t.co/Fn2tcbLhDT
— Ali Larijani | علی لاریجانی (@alilarijani_ir) March 9, 2026
Watching oil prices spike during Epic Fury, Russian President Vladimir Putin is reportedly considering trying to export oil to Europe. Crude oil prices hovering near $100 a barrel could be very beneficial for the Russian economy, which relies heavily on energy exports.
Putin says Russia should take advantage of the sky-high oil prices after US-Israeli attacks on Iran.
Russia should redirect supplies to Europe elsewhere, he adds. “If we shift our focus right now to the markets that need more supplies, we might get a foothold there.” pic.twitter.com/FZAHksP2p6
The planes that entered Iran at the beginning of Operation Roaring Lion “did so at great risk and with partially reestablished air defenses, a senior Israel Air Force officer told Israeli media on Monday.
“The planes that entered Iran first were at very high risk,” the officer explained. “I was there. I led the people from the air, the pilots took this risk out of a deep understanding that we would be able to attack a surface-to-surface missile squadron that could hit Israel and its citizens.”
The planes that entered Iran at the beginning of Operation Roaring Lion did so at great risk and with partially reestablished air defenses, a senior Israel Air Force officer said.https://t.co/QwoQSm2gNS
— The Jerusalem Post (@Jerusalem_Post) March 9, 2026
Hezbollah reportedly launched a new wave of missiles deep into Israel and hit a satellite communications site.
The Lebanese group “claims to have targeted the IDF Home Front Command headquarters in Ramle, known as Rehavam Base, as well as a ‘satellite communications station’ in Haela Valley near Beit Shemesh, in its missile attack on central Israel this afternoon,” the Times of Israel reported. “The missile fire marks the deepest attack in Israel carried out by Hezbollah since hostilities intensified last week.”
The IDF only acknowledged that missiles were fired from Lebanon.
“Following the sirens that sounded in several areas in Israel, several projectiles that crossed from Lebanon into Israeli territory were identified,” the IDF stated. “The Israeli Air Force intercepted several launches and several additional launches fell in an open area. Additionally, a report was received regarding an impact in central Israel.”
💢 NEW: Hezbollah missiles strike deep inside Israel, hit satellite communications site
Hezbollah launched a barrage of long-range missiles that struck multiple locations in Israel, including a direct hit on military SATCOM dishes at the SES Satellite Station in the Ha’Ela… pic.twitter.com/H4MhdydFGU
A few senior officials in Israel “are starting to voice concern about the escalating, open-ended attack on Iran — and suggesting possible exit ramps that might halt the war before it further damages the region and the global economy,” David Ignatius opined in The Washington Post.
“Talk of an endgame is early, and a decision about whether to stop the attacks rests largely with President Donald Trump, who continues to seek all-out victory,” he wrote. “But in a telephone conversation Sunday, a senior Israeli official familiar with the planning and strategy for the Iran war discussed alternatives to Trump’s call for “unconditional surrender.” The official requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the Iran situation.”
NEW: Israeli officials “growing concerned” about escalating war with Iran and now seeking possible exit ramps according to the Washington Post.
— Dominic Michael Tripi (@DMichaelTripi) March 9, 2026
Reports are emerging that despite Iranian claims that it has closed the Strait of Hormuz, at least one ship has passed through by turning off its transponders. There are questions about whether Iran still has the sensor capability to track ships given constant U.S. and Israeli attacks.
Ships are reportedly crossing the strait of Hormuz. They are reportedly turning off their transponders before passing through, and switch them back on afterward.
The U.S. has intercepted encrypted communications believed to have originated in Iran that may serve as “an operational trigger” for “sleeper assets” outside the country, ABC News reported, citing a federal government alert sent to law enforcement agencies.
The alert cites “preliminary signals analysis” of a transmission “likely of Iranian origin” that was relayed across multiple countries shortly after the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Khamenei, the supreme leader of Iran, was killed in a U.S.-Israeli attack on Feb. 28.
NEW: The U.S. has intercepted encrypted communications believed to have originated in Iran that may serve as “an operational trigger” for “sleeper assets” outside the country, according to a federal government alert sent to law enforcement agencies. https://t.co/3LK66mTlJG
CBS News broke down targets hit across the Middle East since Epic Fury was launched.
Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi posted a list of oil prices that have spiked since the launch of what he calls “Operation Epic Mistake.”
“…oil prices have doubled while all commodities are skyrocketing,” Araghchi stated on X. “We know the U.S. is plotting against our oil and nuclear sites in hopes of containing huge inflationary shock. Iran is fully prepared.”
It should be noted that prices are volatile and subject to frequent change.
9 days into Operation Epic Mistake, oil prices have doubled while all commodities are skyrocketing. We know the U.S. is plotting against our oil and nuclear sites in hopes of containing huge inflationary shock. Iran is fully prepared.
“I don’t see any room for diplomacy anymore,” Kamal Kharazi, Foreign Policy Advisor to the office of the Supreme Leader, told CNN in an exclusive interview in Tehran. He also said he believes the regime can continue with the war for a long time.
“I don’t see any room for diplomacy anymore,” Kamal Kharazi, Foreign Policy Advisor to the office of the Supreme Leader, tells @fpleitgenCNN in an exclusive interview in Tehran.
He also said he believes the regime can continue with the war for a long time. pic.twitter.com/tQetUT8lkW
The IDF posted images it said were from the aftermath of an Iranian cluster munition attack on the city of Rishon Lezion.
Pictured is the Iranian terror regime’s strategy: targeting civilians.
Last night, the Iranian regime fired a cluster bomb at the Israeli city of Rishon Lezion—damaging multiple areas including a children’s playground. This is what we’re operating against. pic.twitter.com/YQZHCeHBTd
The Trump administration has discussed seizing Kharg Island, a strategic terminal responsible for roughly 90% of Iran’s crude oil exports, according to Axios.
Axios reports that the Trump administration is discussing seizing Kharg Island, a key Iranian oil terminal in the Persian Gulf. pic.twitter.com/4JBtB14RLY
Trump took to his Truth Social platform to say that short-term oil price hikes are worth the long-term removal of the Iranian nuclear threat.
U.S. officials were reportedly surprised by Iran’s sustained response to Epic Fury.
NEW: US officials surprised by Iranian military response, did not expect retaliatory strikes to be extensive or sustained, planned for operations in Iran to go similarly to Venezuela according to NYT.
— Dominic Michael Tripi (@DMichaelTripi) March 9, 2026
Gulf states have been surprised that Iran has carried out widespread attacks across the region.
“We surely didn’t think Iran would actually go after the entire Gulf and throw our ties with it out of the window,” a senior Saudi official says – WSJ
Iran’s Isfahan Optics plants was reportedly leveled by U.S.-Israeli airstrikes this morning.
American allies “are watching in disbelief as the Pentagon reroutes weapon shipments to aid the Iran war, angry and scared that arms the U.S. demanded they buy will never reach them,” Politico reported.
European nations that have struggled to rebuild arsenals after sending weapons to Ukraine “fear they won’t be able to ward off a Russian attack,” the outlet added. “Asian allies, startled by America’s rate of fire, question whether it could embolden China and North Korea. And even in the Middle East, countries aren’t clear if they will get air defenses from the U.S. for future priorities.”
NEW: U.S. allies are watching in disbelief as DOD reroutes weapons to aid the Iran war, worried long-promised American arms will never come.
“The munitions that have been and will be fired are the ones that everybody needs,” said one European official.https://t.co/7EGts4hHMk
U.S. military transport planes have flown out of South Korea in recent days, after Seoul confirmed it was discussing the possible redeployment of American military assets as the Iran conflict escalates, Bloomberg News reported, citing flight tracking data.
“Data from the Flightradar24 website indicated that US military transport planes, including C-17 and C-5, flew out of South Korea’s Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, one as recently as Saturday,” the news outlet stated. “It wasn’t immediately clear what the aircraft were carrying.”
US military transport planes have flown out of South Korea, after Seoul confirmed it was discussing the possible redeployment of American military assets https://t.co/6nTQCsXpw8
France will deploy an aircraft carrier, two helicopter carriers and three other warships for an international defensive naval mission to reopen the Strait of Hormuz after the most intense part of Epic Fury subsides, French President Emmanuel Macron announced.
French president Macron announced plans with international partners for a defensive naval mission to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and escort vessels once the most intense stage of the Middle East conflict subsides. France to deploy 8 warships, an aircraft carrier and 2 helicopter… pic.twitter.com/7VN9Hmmb7D
The UAE MoD said Iran launched 15 ballistic missiles and 18 drones overnight, adding that all but one were intercepted, Fox News reported on X. That represents a sharp decline of drone attacks on the Gulf nation, which had been averaging 124 a day over the past week.
UAE says Iran launched 15 ballistic missiles and 18 drones overnight: MoD. All but one drone successfully intercepted.
Sharp decline in Iranian drone attacks on UAE, which had been averaging 124 per day over the past week.
U.S. Central Command has previously released a video confirming the employment of ground-launched Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) short-range ballistic missiles as part of the strikes on Iran. Now, there appears to be evidence that at least some of the missiles are being fired from Kuwait. We have seen another video showing a HIMARS launcher fire from a beach in Bahrain, as well.
Empty ATACMS missile container found in the deserts of Kuwait, suggesting the U.S. may be launching HIMARS strikes on Iran from Kuwaiti territory.
ATACMS is a U.S. short-range tactical ballistic missile launched from HIMARS, capable of striking targets up to ~300 km. pic.twitter.com/aVJvdAv1w6
Among the targets of recent U.S. strikes are what is left of the Islamic Republic of Iran Navy. There have been more attacks against Iranian vessels in coastal waters, one of them being struck while anchored off the coast of Bandar Lengeh earlier today. The warship in question has been widely identified as a Shahid Soleimani class missile corvette. One of these unusual catamaran vessels had been sunk in an earlier U.S. strike, as you can read about here.
Iran has named its new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, who is succeeding his father, Ali Khamenei, after he was killed on February 28, as part of a series of Israeli airstrikes around Tehran aimed at high-ranking Iranian officials. While the Iranian regime remains under the highest level of pressure from continued U.S. and Israeli attacks, the appointment of Mojtaba Khamenei represents continuity for the regime and signals that hardliners remain in charge — for now.
Security forces deploy to guard a rally in support of the new Iranian supreme leader at Enghelab Square in central Tehran on March 9, 2026. Photo by Atta KENARE / AFP ATTA KENARE
Iran’s new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei • More hardline than father • He’s the IRGC candidate • Relatively young: 56 • Avoids public • Trusted by father, clerics • Was in military during Iraq-Iran war • His wife, Zahra, killed in Israeli airstrike w his father
The Israeli military said today that it had begun a new wave of attacks against targets in Tehran, Isfahan, and elsewhere in central and southern Iran.
The Israeli Air Force has launched a new wave of “extensive” airstrikes in Tehran, Isfahan, and in southern Iran, the IDF announces.
The IDF says the strikes are targeting Iranian regime infrastructure.
— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) March 9, 2026
The IDF says it struck several military bases of Iran’s Basij paramilitary force and internal security forces in the city of Isfahan, along with missile sites in other areas of the country.
During the wave of strikes in Isfahan, the IDF says it hit the headquarters of Iran’s… pic.twitter.com/q3PmMWFlvx
— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) March 9, 2026
✈️ The IAF completed a wave of strikes, in which numerous munitions were dropped on 400+ military infrastructure targets including ballistic missile launchers & additional weapons production sites.
Since the beginning of Operation Roaring Lion, the IAF carried out ~190 strike… pic.twitter.com/3c85CUrDJg
It also said that it struck targets associated with the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group in Beirut.
Five top commanders in Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps were killed in an Israeli Navy strike targeting a hotel room in Beirut overnight, the IDF announces.
According to the military, the commanders who were killed “while hiding in a civilian hotel” served in the IRGC… https://t.co/O8jOM0t453
— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) March 8, 2026
According to Hezbollah, its fighters are meanwhile engaged with Israeli forces who entered eastern Lebanon via helicopter. Hezbollah said it detected “the infiltration of approximately 15 Israeli enemy helicopters” from the Syrian side of the border into Lebanon. The Iran-backed militant group said in a statement that its fighters “engaged the helicopters and the infiltrating force with appropriate weapons” and that the confrontation was ongoing.
Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency described “fierce clashes … towards the outskirts of the town of Nabi Sheet to repel Israeli forces that carried out a landing by helicopters” in the area. Two Hezbollah officials told AFP that an Israeli helicopter was downed, but this has not been independently verified.
⭕️IDF troops began a targeted and limited raid in an area in southern Lebanon to locate and eliminate terrorists and dismantle Hezbollah infrastructure.
Prior to the entry of ground forces, numerous terror targets were struck from the air and ground.
A previous Israeli commando raid was launched into Lebanon overnight on Friday. Among its aims was the recovery of the remains of Ron Arad, an Israeli airman missing since 1986. The fighting left three Lebanese soldiers and 41 residents of the Bekaa Valley dead, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Health.
The Israeli military confirmed that two of its soldiers were killed in southern Lebanon.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) today issued a new warning in Lebanon, calling for residents of the southern suburbs of Beirut to evacuate the area. An IDF spokesman said that the Israeli military will act “forcefully” against terrorist infrastructure in “the coming hours.”
The IDF says it intercepted dozens of Hezbollah drones and struck dozens of the terror group’s rocket and missile launchers in southern Lebanon in recent days.
It publishes footage showing the interceptions of Hezbollah drones by a fighter jet, a helicopter, and a ground-based… pic.twitter.com/K1uuVQxbBT
— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) March 9, 2026
The IDF also said it conducted targeted strikes against the Iranian Lebanon Corps in Beirut over the weekend.
Human Rights Watch (HRW) has accused Israel of unlawfully using white phosphorus munitions in the town of Yohmor in southern Lebanon. HRW verified and geolocated various images that confirmed the airburst use of white phosphorus munitions over a residential part of the town last week.
“The Israeli military’s unlawful use of white phosphorus over residential areas is extremely alarming and will have dire consequences for civilians,” Ramzi Kaiss, Lebanon researcher at Human Rights Watch, said in a statement.
White phosphorus is not a chemical weapon, as sometimes described, since it is primarily an incendiary weapon, although it’s also regularly used for making smokescreens and for target marking. Burning at around 1,500 degrees Fahrenheit, white phosphorus can obviously inflict terrible injuries, and its use in densely populated areas violates international law.
As we discussed last week, Israel may be using a version of the Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) that includes white phosphorus in its warhead. However, this particular weapon was designed to attack chemical and biological weapon stockpiles.
Iran and its proxies launched more attacks across the region over the weekend and into Monday.
Gulf nations reported missile and drone attacks Sunday, while Iran vowed to press on with strikes against neighbouring countries as the regional war enters its second weekhttps://t.co/S0cZrTC5I0
There are reports that strikes targeted a U.S. diplomatic facility near Baghdad’s international airport but were apparently intercepted.
Another successful drone interception reportedly occurred east of Saudi Arabia’s northern Al-Jawf region. The Saudi Ministry of Defense has released footage showing Iranian drones being taken out by Royal Saudi Air Force (RSAF) F-15 and Typhoon fighters. The RSAF has plenty of practice in this, having targeted drones launched by the Houthis in Yemen for many years.
However, Iran was more successful in its targeting of the Bapco (Bahrain Petroleum Company) oil refinery — the only one in Bahrain.
Videos show smoke rising from the refinery, where operators declared a state of emergency.
Footage shows massive fires raging at Bahrain’s only oil refinery after it was struck by an Iranian Shahed-136 one-way-attack (OWA) drones.
Following the strike, Bapco Energies, Bahrain’s state-owned oil company, declared force majeure on its deliveries later in the day, citing… pic.twitter.com/cVUKY3AbVy
A statement from the company said it “hereby serves notice of force majeure on its group operations which have been affected by the ongoing regional conflict in the Middle East and the recent attack on its refinery complex.”
The Bahrain Ministry of Interior earlier today said that the fire at the refinery had been brought under control, with no casualties reported.
Civil Defence: The fire that broke out in a facility in the Ma’ameer area, as a result of Iranian aggression, has been brought under control. No injuries or loss of life were reported. pic.twitter.com/9T6hh7Qny9
Earlier today, Bahrain said an overnight Iranian drone attack on the island of Sitra injured 32 people.
At least 32 Bahrainis were injured in an Iranian drone attack on the island of Sitra including four who were in critical condition, Bahrain’s state news agency said.
Other countries in the region have also reported being targeted by more retaliatory Iranian strikes.
In central Israel, a man was killed, and several more were injured in an airstrike, according to local emergency services. It is unclear who launched the attack, but several people were reportedly injured as they made their way to a shelter.
Further to the scene at a construction site in central Israel, MDA EMTs and paramedics pronounced the death of a man, approximately 40 years old, and evacuated to Sheba Tel Hashomer Hospital a man, approximately 40 years old, in serious and unstable condition. pic.twitter.com/cmKg8rkk4u
Iran on Monday fired its first barrage of missiles toward Israel after the appointment of Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei as the Islamic Republic’s new supreme leader – State media pic.twitter.com/KSUWCDMFRY
The recent Iranian missile strikes on Israel reportedly also involved the use of warheads carrying cluster munitions.
From the scenes of some of the cluster munition impacts in central Israel following Iran’s latest ballistic missile attack. pic.twitter.com/Pqp9HQCJgs
— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) March 9, 2026
Footage shows two of the Iranian cluster bomb munitions’ impacts in central Israel during the ballistic missile attack this morning.
A total of six cluster munition impact sites were reported across central Israel, killing one and seriously injuring two others. pic.twitter.com/8QEXYcuQXT
— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) March 9, 2026
In the United Arab Emirates, authorities reported two people injured in two separate locations in Abu Dhabi. Both are said to have been hit by debris from intercepted airstrikes.
تعاملت الجهات المختصة في إمارة أبوظبي مع حادثين نتيجة سقوط شظايا على موقعين، عقب الاعتراض الناجح من قبل الدفاعات الجوية. أسفر الحادث الأول عن تعرض شخص من الجنسية الأردنية لإصابة بسيطة، وأسفر الحادث الثاني عن تعرض شخص من الجنسية المصرية لإصابة متوسطة.
ونهيب بالجمهور استقاء…
— مكتب أبوظبي الإعلامي (@ADMediaOffice) March 9, 2026
Meanwhile, the fallout from an attack last week on the Fujairah Oil Industry Zone in the UAE is threatening to further disrupt the flow of oil out of the region.
This is significant to shipping as Fujairiah is not just a loading port but a MAJOR bunkering port for ships.
Without it, this will force refueling around the world where stocks are limited and more expensive. https://t.co/s9t68n7MPU
— Sal Mercogliano (WGOW Shipping) 🚢⚓🐪🚒🏴☠️ (@mercoglianos) March 9, 2026
The United Arab Emirates is now using AH-64 Apache attack helicopters in a counter-drone role. The footage below shows Apaches from the UAE Joint Aviation Command — reportedly the latest AH-64E versions, rather than the earlier AH-64Ds — using their 30mm guns to bring down Iranian UAVs. While the U.S. Army and other operators using AH-64s to swat down lower-end long-endurance drones might be relatively new, it’s worth noting that Israel has been using the Apache in an air defense role for this purpose for many years.
The UAE military is using Apache attack helicopters to shoot down Shahed drones over water. This will save a significant number of expensive interceptors as these are practically free kills – just using a few 30mm rounds. A wise evolution of the country’s defensive strategy. https://t.co/7GMkLcssVS
AFP reports several explosions heard today in the Qatari capital of Doha.
Qatar’s defense ministry said that its forces had intercepted and destroyed two drones heading toward the Shaybah oil field in the southeast of the country. These were just a fraction of a much larger barrage of ballistic missiles and drones sent toward Qatar, according to the defense ministry.
UAE air defences intercept 12 ballistic missiles, 17 UAVs.
UAE air defences on Monday detected 15 ballistic missiles, of which 12 were destroyed, while 3 missiles fell into the sea. A total of 18 UAVs were also detected, with 17 intercepted, while 1 fell within the country’s… pic.twitter.com/7l2tjyclK5
Cyprus, which has also been on the receiving end of drone strikes, received six Turkish Air Force F-16 fighters today. The jets were deployed to the breakaway Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus to bolster local defenses for the Turkish Cypriot state.
6 x Turkish F-16 fighter jets deployed to Northern Cyprus, conducting a show-of-force flight after arriving in the region.
Turkey has also reportedly come under attack from at least one Iranian ballistic missile, which the local defense ministry said was brought down by “NATO air and missile defense assets” based in the eastern Mediterranean.
Turkish MoD warns Iran:
Türkiye places great importance on good neighborly relations and regional stability.
However, we reiterate that any threat directed at our territory or airspace will be met with all necessary measures, taken decisively and without hesitation.
In a statement provided to TWZ, a NATO spokesperson added:
“In less than 10 minutes, NATO service members identified a threat to Allies, a ballistic missile, confirmed its trajectory, alerted land- and sea-based missile defence systems, and launched an interceptor to defeat the threat and protect our territory and its people.”
The U.S. military has confirmed the death of a seventh American soldier due to injuries sustained during Iran’s initial counterattack. The Department of War said that Sgt. Benjamin N. Pennington, 26, of Glendale, Kentucky, died of his wounds yesterday. He had come under enemy attack on March 1, 2026, at Prince Sultan Air Base, Saudi Arabia, where he served with the 1st Space Battalion, 1st Space Brigade.
CENTCOM Update
TAMPA, Fla. – Last night, a U.S. service member passed away from injuries received during the Iranian regime’s initial attacks across the Middle East. The service member was seriously wounded at the scene of an attack on U.S. troops in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia…
However, unverified reports of the death of an eighth U.S. service member during the current campaign have proven to be erroneous.
This is not accurate. The Marine who is referenced here died before the U.S. and Israeli bombing of Iran started and from non combat injuries, an official told me. His remains were not flown into Dover until March 4. https://t.co/WWM1jiFOl3
According to a report from Axios, U.S. President Donald Trump, together with envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, plans to travel to Israel tomorrow for talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
However, reports from Israel suggest that the visit has been postponed.
Regardless, Trump has said that the end of the war will be a “mutual” decision to be made with Netanyahu, the Times of Israel reported.
“I think it’s mutual…a little bit. We’ve been talking. I’ll make a decision at the right time, but everything’s going to be taken into account,” Trump said.
In a telephone interview with the Times of Israel on Sunday, Trump said that Iran would have destroyed Israel if it weren’t for his and Netanyahu’s actions.
“Iran was going to destroy Israel and everything else around it…We’ve worked together. We’ve destroyed a country that wanted to destroy Israel,” the U.S. president said.
Iran’s new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has never held a formal position in government, but his appointment as his late father’s successor amid the US-Israeli war on his country was not unexpected.
Iran’s Assembly of Experts appointed the 56-year-old mid-ranking religious scholar to the position on Sunday, just over a week after his late father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was killed in United States-Israeli strikes.
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Khamenei, who has strong ties with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and his late father’s still-influential office, is seen as a hardliner who will provide continuity in the country.
His appointment, which came after he lost both his father and his wife in strikes, was interpreted as a defiant choice signalling continuity as the Islamic Republic faces the biggest crisis in its 47-year history.
Khamenei received immediate backing from figures in Iran’s political and security establishment, including IRGC leaders, President Masoud Pezeshkian and Ali Larijani, secretary of the Supreme National Security Council.
Outside the country, reactions were mixed:
Oman
Oman was a mediator in recent talks between Iran and the United States, which collapsed when the US and Israel unleashed their war on Iran last month.
Oman’s Sultan Haitham bin Tariq Al Said on Monday sent a “cable of congratulations” to Khamenei on his appointment as Iran’s new supreme leader, according to the official Oman News Agency.
Iraq
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani also congratulated Khamenei on his appointment on Monday.
“We express our confidence in the ability of the new leadership in the Islamic Republic of Iran to manage this sensitive stage, and continue to strengthen the unity of the Iranian people in facing the current challenges,” al-Sudani said in a statement.
He reaffirmed Iraq’s solidarity and support for Iran and “all steps aimed at ending the conflict and rejecting military operations against its sovereignty, in order to preserve the stability of other countries in the region”.
United States
US President Donald Trump had previously dismissed Mojtaba Khamenei as a “lightweight”, and insisted he should have a say in appointing a new Iranian leader, which Tehran rejected.
On Monday, Trump told NBC News, “I think they made a big mistake. I don’t know if it’s going to last. I think they made a mistake.”
Later on Monday, he told CBS News: “I have no message for him.”
Trump said he has someone in mind to lead Iran, but did not elaborate.
Israel
The Israeli military has already threatened to kill any replacement for the late Ali Khamenei.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry said Monday that Mojtaba Khamenei was a “tyrant” like his slain father, and would continue what it described as the Iranian “regime’s brutality”.
In a post on X featuring a picture of Mojtaba Khamenei and his father Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, holding guns, the ministry wrote: “Mojtaba Khamenei. Like Father Like Son”.
“Mojtaba Khamenei’s hands are already stained with the bloodshed that defined his father’s rule. Another tyrant to continue the Iranian regime’s brutality,” said the ministry.
Russia
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday pledged “unwavering support” to Iran.
“I would like to reaffirm our unwavering support for Tehran and solidarity with our Iranian friends,” Putin said in a message to Khamenei, adding that “Russia has been and will remain a reliable partner” to Iran.
“At a time when Iran is confronting armed aggression, your tenure in this high position will undoubtedly require great courage and dedication,” the Russian leader said.
China
China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun told reporters on Monday that Iran’s decision to appoint the younger Khamenei was “based on its constitution”.
“China opposes interference in other countries’ internal affairs under any pretext, and Iran’s sovereignty, security, and territorial integrity should be respected,” he said when asked about the threats against the new leader.
Beijing is a close partner of Tehran and condemned the killing of the former supreme leader, but it has also criticised the Iranian counterstrikes against Gulf states.
Yemen’s Houthis
Yemen’s Houthi rebels on Monday welcomed the appointment of the new supreme leader.
“We congratulate the Islamic Republic of Iran, its leadership and people, on the selection of Sayyid Mojtaba Khamenei as Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution at this important and pivotal juncture,” the group said in a statement on Telegram.
It called his selection “a new victory for the Islamic Revolution and a resounding blow to the enemies of the Islamic Republic and the enemies of the nation”.
Dozens of civilians, including children, wounded by an Iranian drone strike in Bahrain. France deploying warships to secure shipping commerce in the Strait of Hormuz. Australia taking heat from President Trump over its handling of the Iranian women’s soccer team. Markets across Asia plunging as the price of oil surged.
Lebanon reporting half a million people displaced by fighting between Israel and Hezbollah. The U.S. State Department telling nonessential staff to get out of Saudi Arabia after attacks there killed workers from India and Bangladesh. Ukrainian anti-drone experts turning their attention from their war with Russia to help intercept Iranian attacks. The defense minister of ever-neutral Switzerland saying his country believes the U.S.-Israeli war violates international law.
In less than two weeks, the Trump administration has instigated a truly global conflict — and with no quick and clear path to resolution, despite Trump insisting to congressional Republicans gathered at his Miami resort Monday that it would be a “short term excursion.”
“Short term! Short term!” Trump said in a bullish speech about the conflict, in which he said “the world respects us right now more than they have ever respected us before.”
“We’re counting down the minutes until they will be gone,” he said of Iran’s remaining leadership, while adding that the U.S. “will not relent” until Iran is “totally and decisively defeated.”
The war is not isolated to Iran, though it has certainly caused devastation there — with more than 1,300 deaths reported and toxic clouds from strikes on fuel depots hovering over Tehran, a city of some 10 million people.
The war’s effects also are not limited to the Middle East, though they are widespread there — as Israel has pushed into Lebanon and Iran has launched a wave of retaliatory strikes on U.S. allies across the Persian Gulf. The fighting has grounded regional air traffic, threatened desalination facilities that provide drinking water to millions and undermined the safe reputation of modern metropolises such as Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
Unlike the recent U.S. incursion into Venezuela to capture and oust President Nicolás Maduro, the U.S. war on Iran has been met with stiff resistance militarily, drawn in a slew of allies, reignited proxy battles, drastically destabilized the oil trade and shifted dynamics between the U.S. and other major powers such as China and Russia.
China, which gets upward of 50% of its crude oil imports through the Strait of Hormuz, has largely stayed out of the conflict, though China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Sunday that the war “should never have happened” and “benefited no one.”
Trump said Monday that the U.S. is less harmed by strait disruptions, and was “really helping China” by securing the strait.
Russia, meanwhile, has emerged the lone winner of energy disruptions in the region, said Robert David English, a UCLA international policy analyst — as the Trump administration considers reducing oil sanctions on Russia to take pressure off of Mideast sources.
Trump said he had a “good talk” with Russian President Vladimir Putin about Iran on Monday. He also said the U.S. was going to suspend sanctions against other countries in order to alleviate strain on oil markets while the Iran conflict persists, but did not provide specifics.
The scope of the war has been dictated in part by Iran, which has historically limited its responses to U.S. strikes but warned after the U.S. bombed its nuclear sites last summer that it would treat any new attacks — large or small — as an act of war, and respond in kind.
Its strikes on U.S. facilities and allies throughout the region reflect that strategy, and are aimed in part at making the war more politically costly for the U.S. by straining global markets and its regional allies, experts said.
However, “you can’t attribute the increasingly global characteristics of the conflict solely to an Iranian strategy, because wars in this region tend to spill over the longer they last, with unintended consequences” including “bringing in all kinds of actors that don’t want to be involved,” said Kevan Harris, an associate professor of sociology who teaches courses on Iran and Middle East politics at the UCLA International Institute.
That can serve as a deterrent to starting wars in the region, he said, but “also makes them more difficult to wind down.”
The surge in oil prices to nearly $120 a barrel Monday — before a remarkable reversal to below $90 by the time U.S. stocks closed — is one of the furthest-reaching effects of the war, and one that clearly had Trump’s attention.
“Short term oil prices, which will drop rapidly when the destruction of the Iran nuclear threat is over, is a very small price to pay for U.S.A., and World, Safety and Peace. ONLY FOOLS WOULD THINK DIFFERENTLY!” Trump wrote on social media Sunday.
How long prices will remain elevated or volatile is a matter of debate, but Trump’s “short term” projections have been undercut by increasing strikes on oil and gas facilities in the region.
“If you can tolerate oil at more than $200 per barrel, continue this game,” Ebrahim Zolfaghari, a spokesperson for Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, said Sunday.
Prices at the pump have surged for average Americans, some of whom were attracted to Trump’s candidacy because of his promises to avoid foreign wars and focus on driving down the cost of living for U.S. citizens.
Now, Trump and other administration officials are facing questions about their own role in putting the world at war, and offering various different justifications. They’ve asserted without proof that the U.S. faced an imminent threat of attack from Iran. Trump has repeatedly hinted that his goal was removing the government.
President Trump speaks at the Republican Members Issues Conference on Monday at Trump National Doral Miami in Doral, Fla.
(Mark Schiefelbein / Associated Press)
In the meantime, Iran has shown no signs of bowing to Trump, rejecting his calls for “surrender” and for him to have a say in naming their next leader. Iran installed Mojtaba Khamenei after Trump said the hard-liner son of the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei would be “unacceptable.”
The choice was hailed by the president of Azerbaijan and the leader of Yemen’s Houthi rebels, among other allies.
To date, seven U.S. service members have been killed in the conflict, according to U.S. officials. Every day, U.S. taxpayers are on the hook for nearly $1 billion in war costs, according to one estimate. Democrats have slammed Trump for both.
“This war is coming from the same President that is building a $400 million ballroom in the White House. The same President that says $100 for a barrel for oil is worth it. The same President that doubled healthcare premiums for millions of Americans. But we have money for another endless war?” Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) wrote Monday on X.
Other world leaders focused on the global economic impact.
Traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, which transports about 20% of the world’s oil, has nearly halted, while producers in Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates ceased oil operations without open routes for export.
In response, French President Emmanuel Macron suggested French and other allied naval assets could escort oil tankers in the strait, shifting the security burden there from Washington onto Europe, leaving European vessels vulnerable to hostilities and potentially drawing the European Union deeper into the conflict.
Already, they’ve agreed to allow the U.S. to use bases in their territories, though the U.S. and Spain got into a spat after Spain rejected U.S. use of its bases and Trump threatened U.S. trade with the country.
Macron on Monday also threw additional military support behind Cyprus, following a meeting with Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis at a Cyprus air base.
France will dispatch an additional 11 warships to operate across the eastern Mediterranean, the Red Sea and the Strait of Hormuz, Macron said, after an Iranian drone struck a British military base on Cyprus on Monday.
“When Cyprus is attacked, it is Europe that is attacked,” Macron said.
Located just 150 miles from Israel in the eastern Mediterranean, the island of Cyprus has emerged as a strategic — and exposed — nerve center in the U.S. offensive against Iran. It hosts vital British military bases and acts as an intelligence, surveillance, and logistics hub in countering Iranian influence and proxy attacks.
Britain’s Defense Secretary John Healey said Monday that the United Kingdom was conducting air defense to support the UAE, and that Typhoon jets had taken out two drones — one over Jordan and the other headed to Bahrain.
Trump suggested Monday that the U.S. was on the path toward victory, but acknowledged it had not accomplished all of its goals.
“We’ve already won in many ways, but we haven’t won enough,” he said — adding the conflict will end “pretty quickly.”
He said Iran had been “very foolish, very stupid” when it attacked its neighbors, hurting its own chances of success in resisting the U.S.
“Their neighbors were largely neutral, or at least weren’t gonna be involved, and they got attacked,” Trump said. “And it had the reverse effect. The neighbors came onto our side, and started attacking them.”
Iran may still attempt to widen the conflict’s economic and geopolitical impact to keep up pressure and push for a ceasefire in its favor, but that could also backfire, said Benjamin Radd, a political scientist and senior fellow at the UCLA Burkle Center for International Relations.
“Iran’s becoming increasingly like North Korea in this sense,” he said, “isolating itself further.”
Russian president spoke as oil prices surged past $100 per barrel, reaching levels unseen since start of Ukraine war.
Published On 9 Mar 20269 Mar 2026
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Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that Russia is ready to conditionally supply oil and gas to Europe as the US-Israeli war on Iran brings shipments through the Strait of Hormuz to a halt.
The Russian president said in televised comments on Monday that Moscow was ready to work again with European customers, which largely stopped buying from his country in a bid to stop funding its war on Ukraine, if they wanted to return to long-term cooperation.
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European countries, however, have spent the past four years sharply reducing their reliance on Russian oil and gas in response to Moscow’s war in Ukraine and subsequent European Union and Group of Seven (G7) sanctions.
The EU banned maritime imports of Russian crude in 2022, while Russia’s pipeline exports to Hungary and Slovakia have been effectively halted since January due to damage to the Druzhba oil pipeline via Ukraine.
“If European companies and European buyers suddenly decide to reorient themselves and provide us with long-term, sustainable cooperation, free from political pressures, free from political pressures, then yes, we’ve never refused it. We’re ready to work with Europeans too,” said Putin at a meeting with government officials and heads of Russia’s top oil and gas producers.
He said that Russian companies should take advantage of conflict in the Middle East, which has seen Iran effectively halt shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s key oil transit chokepoints that carries roughly a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas.
The Russian president spoke as oil prices exceeded $100 per barrel on Monday, reaching peaks unseen since he launched his country’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Brent crude, the international benchmark, rose by more than 30 percent on Sunday, at one point topping $119 a barrel, as fears grew of prolonged disruption to global energy supplies.
G7 nations said on Monday that they were prepared to implement “necessary measures” in response to surging global oil prices, but stopped short of committing to release emergency reserves.
Putin’s comments came hours after Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban urged the European Union to suspend sanctions on Russian oil and gas to counter prices sent soaring by the war in the Middle East.
Last week, Putin had instructed the government to consider switching remaining Russian oil and gas flows away from Europe, before the European Union starts enforcing its decision to completely ban Russian fossil fuels.
Before the Ukraine war, Europe was buying more than 40 percent of its gas from Russia. By 2025, combined sales of pipeline gas and LNG from Russia accounted for only 13 percent of total EU imports.
The loss of the European market during the Ukraine war forced Russia to sell oil and gas at steep discounts to Asia.
Mojtaba Khamenei replaces his assassinated father Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
A new supreme leader in Iran – Mojtaba Khamenei – has replaced his assassinated father.
His selection sends a defiant message to the United States and Israel as they attack the country.
So, who is Iran’s new leader – and what does his appointment mean?
Presenter: Tom McRae
Guests:
Hassan Ahmadian – Associate professor at the University of Tehran
Mehran Kamrava – Professor at Georgetown University in Qatar and director of the Iranian Studies Unit at the Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies
Alex Vatanka – Senior fellow at the Middle East Institute in Washington, DC
Tom Brady‘s return to the football field will take place on U.S. soil.
Right here in Los Angeles, to be specific.
The Fanatics Flag Football Classic, featuring Brady and a slew of other NFL stars and athletes, will take place March 21 at BMO Stadium, the venue that is also slated to host flag football during the 2028 Summer Olympics.
The event was originally scheduled to take place on the same date, but at a location more than 8,000 miles away at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudia Arabia.
No official reason for the relocation has been given, although the move was made amid increased tensions in the Middle East after the United States and Israel began military strikes against Iran this month. Last week, Iran used two drones to strike the U.S. Embassy in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia’s capital city.
The event will feature three 12-player teams. Brady, the retired seven-time Super Bowl champion and minority owner of the Las Vegas Raiders, and Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts will co-captain the Founders FFC team, which will be coached by Denver Broncos’ Sean Payton.
A second team, Wildcats FFC, will be co-captained by Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow and Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels, with San Francisco 49ers’ Kyle Shanahan coaching. During a March 18 draft, the two teams will be built from a pool of athletes that include Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley, Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett, former Rams receiver Odell Beckham Jr., four-time Super Bowl-winning tight end Rob Gronkowski and WWE star Logan Paul.
The third team in the event is the U.S. national flag football team, the reigning IFAF flag football world champion coached by Jorge Cascudo and captained by Aamir Brown and Darrell “Housh” Doucette.
A seventh U.S. soldier has been killed in action during combat in Iran, less than 24 hours after the remains of six service members returned to the United States. The six died in a March 1 Iranian drone attack against a command center they were stationed at in Kuwait. The seventh was killed in Saudi Arabia. Photo by Leigh Vogel/UPI | License Photo
March 9 (UPI) — The U.S. military identified the seventh soldier killed in the fighting against Iran as Army Sgt. Benjamin N. Pennington, 26, of Glendale, Ky.
Pennington was injured during an attack on U.S. troops in Saudi Arabia on March 1 at Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia and later died. He was assigned to 1st Space Battalion, 1st Space Brigade, a unit within Army Space and Missile Defense Command.
“Last night, a U.S. service member passed away from injuries received during the Iranian regime’s initial attacks across the Middle East,” U.S. Central Command said in a post on X.
The seven service members have been killed during the first week of Operation Epic Fury, which the United States and Israel launched on Feb. 28.
Since the beginning of the onslaught, Iran has launched retaliatory strikes at its neighbors, some of which host U.S. bases and assets that are being used in the war.
A March 1 retaliatory strike on an Army sustainment unit based in Kuwait killed six service members and injured 18 others, whose remains returned to the United States on Saturday.
Overall, Iran’s retaliatory strikes have killed at least 20 people across the region, The New York Times reported, while between 800 and 1,300 hundred people in Iran have died during the widening conflict.
Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., speaks to the press outside the U.S. Capitol on Thursday. Earlier today, President Donald Trump announced Mullin would replace Kristi Noem as Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security. Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus says children, the elderly at particular risk after damage to Iranian petroleum facilities.
Published On 9 Mar 20269 Mar 2026
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The head of the World Health Organization has warned that recent Israeli attacks on oil facilities in Iran could have negative effects on public health, with Iranian children and the elderly among the most vulnerable.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a statement on Monday that damage to Iranian petroleum facilities “risks contaminating food, water and air”.
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Those hazards “can have severe health impacts especially on children, older people, and people with pre existing medical conditions”, Tedros warned in a post on X. “Rain laden with oil has been reported falling in parts of the country.”
The Iranian authorities said oil facilities in the capital, Tehran, and the nearby province of Alborz were targeted on Saturday in the United States-Israeli war against the country, the Fars news agency reported.
Israel said it struck “a number of fuel storage facilities in Tehran” that were used “to operate military infrastructure”.
The strikes sent massive flames and clouds of thick, black smoke into the sky above Tehran, with Al Jazeera’s Tohid Asadi reporting that black raindrops fell early on Sunday morning.
The attacks on Iran’s energy infrastructure came as the US and Israeli governments had vowed to continue to bombard the country despite mounting international concern over the widening conflict.
Iran has retaliated to the US-Israeli strikes by launching missiles and drones at targets across the Middle East, including energy infrastructure in nearby Arab Gulf states.
Human rights groups have condemned both Iran and the US and Israel for targeting civilian infrastructure.
Agnes Callamard, the head of Amnesty International, said on Monday that “Israel should have taken all feasible precautions to avoid or minimize the risks to civilians when targeting oil refineries” in Iran.
“The incidental harm to civilians, including the release of toxic substance, appears to indicate that too little precautions were taken and that the incidental harm to civilians is disproportionate,” she wrote on X.
“The scenes of catastrophe described by Iranians after Tehran’s oil depots were bombed are yet another demonstration that ultimately, whatever they may say, the US and Israel’s attacks on Iran are harming first and foremost civilians, including children.”
Thick clouds of smoke rise over Tehran after the attacks on Iranian oil infrastructure, on March 8, 2026 [Majid Asgaripour/WANA via Reuters]
EU economy and finance ministers are gathering in Brussels on Monday and Tuesday to discuss how to respond to surging energy prices and anticipated inflation amid the ongoing strikes and counter-strikes in the Middle East.
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“We are ready to take necessary and coordinated steps in order to stabilise markets, such as strategic stockpiling,” French Economy Minister Roland Lescure told journalists on Monday after chairing a meeting of G7 finance ministers.
Asked whether G7 finance ministers had agreed on releasing the system’s strategic stockpile, Lescure said: “We are not there yet.”
“What we’ve agreed upon is to use any necessary tools to stabilise the market, including the potential release of necessary stockpiles. The work is going to keep being done in the next couple of days”, the French minister said.
German Vice-Chancellor Lars Klingbeil said on Monday that his country is open to unlocking the oil reserve, but that “this is not the right time”.
The International Energy Agency’s member countries currently hold over 1.2 billion barrels of public emergency oil stocks, with a further 600 million barrels of industry stocks held under government obligation.
Oil prices have rocketed since the Israeli and US attacks on Iran on 28 February, which killed some 40 Iranian leaders, including the country’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The conflict has now expanded into other countries in the region, including Lebanon and Gulf countries, with retaliatory attacks by Iran hitting civilian energy facilities and US bases.
Mojtaba Khamenei, the former Ayatollah’s son, was elected as successor on Monday, providing continuity in leadership for the current regime.
The price for a barrel of Brent crude, the international benchmark, surged to $119.50 early on Monday, but later traded around $107.80 after the Financial Times indicated that the use of reserve oil to respond to the crisis was on the table.
Leading European stock market indexes started the week with a big sell-off, following a major drop across Asian markets and surging oil prices.
The war is showing no sign of de-escalation. On 4 March, Qatar announced the suspension of its LNG production; then, over the weekend, Israel struck Iranian energy infrastructure while passage through the critical Strait of Hormuz remained suspended.
Energy prices in Europe will be affected, and inflation is likely to rise in the coming months. However, some EU diplomats and the European Commission indicates that the current situation presents significant differences from the energy crisis Europe experienced when the war in Ukraine started in February 2022.
“Thanks to the decisive actions we have taken over the past years, Europe’s energy system is better prepared and way more resilient today. Our energy sources are more diverse and cleaner. Our coordination is stronger,” European Commissioner for Energy Dan Jorgensen wrote on X on 6 March.
He called on the bloc to double down on the energy transition and continue to expand clean and homegrown renewable energy and energy efficiency efficients, all while modernising Europe’s energy infrastructure.
Spanish Economy Minister Carlos Cuerpo told journalists on Monday that the EU should take inspiration from the response to the 2022 crisis as it formulates its response to the war.
A different crisis?
This crisis is also structurally different from the one that exploded in 2022, an EU government official told Euronews.
When Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began, Europe needed an “infrastructure reset” with a new portfolio of suppliers, the official said – whereas in the current case, “the release of reserves and re-opening of routes could see prices going down faster”.
However, the situation remains extremely volatile, as it is highly dependent on when the Strait of Hormuz will reopen and when production will resume in top LNG-exporting countries.
Discussions on Monday and Tuesday among EU ministers are expected to touch upon energy prices with the European Commission, while euro-area ministers are set to discuss with the European Central Bank how the war could impact inflation and the overall macroeconomic outlook.
While EU ministers are not expecting to put forward a common strategy on the table by the end of the meetings, the EU institutions will present an update of the situation. Most of the member states will likely present their remarks based on their national assessment of the war’s impact, an EU diplomat told Euronews.
Tehran, Iran – Commanders, politicians and religious authorities in Iran are rallying around the flag and hinting at a prolonged war after Mojtaba Khamenei was selected as supreme leader as the country is under fire from the United States and Israel.
The 88-member Assembly of Experts, made up of religious leaders, approved the second son of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as his successor after he was killed on February 28, the first day of the war. The younger Khamenei was tasked with steering the “holy establishment of the Islamic Republic”, state television said overnight into Monday.
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The 56-year-old Mojtaba Khamenei has hardly made any public appearances or remarks but is believed to have acted as a powerbroker with deep connections to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). His ascension signals continuity for the theocratic establishment that came to power after the 1979 Islamic revolution.
The IRGC, which was originally created to operate in parallel to the country’s regular army to safeguard the establishment but has since turned into a major military and economic force, was among the first to pledge allegiance to the new leader.
It said its forces are prepared to “fully obey and sacrifice for the divine commands” of Khamenei to “maintain the values of the Islamic revolution and safeguard the legacies” of the first two supreme leaders, Ali Khamenei and Ruhollah Khomeini.
The aerospace, ground, naval and other major forces of the IRGC issued separate statements of support.
The Iranian army, the high command of police and the Defence Council also said they were prepared to take orders from Mojtaba Khamenei, and Intelligence Minister Esmaeil Khatib said his selection shows that “Islamic Iran knows no dead ends and always has a bright outlook of victory.”
The powerful 12-member constitutional watchdog known as the Guardian Council called the selection of Mojtaba Khamenei a “balm for the pain” of losing his father while influential seminaries across the country and the heads of government, the judiciary and parliament issued similar statements.
Ali Larijani, the secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, appeared relatively less enthusiastic but emphasised that the process was done legally so he backs it.
“During the recent period, many negative narratives and campaigns were carried out, but the transparent and lawful process undertaken by the Assembly of Experts provided a clear response to those narratives,” he told state media in an apparent reference to media reports that he and some others were opposed to the choice.
Larijani stressed that the office of the supreme leader must be assisted by all as a “symbol of national unity” and expressed hope that during Mojtaba Khamenei’s time, “Iran is aligned with the path of development, economic conditions are improved, and more calm and welfare is provided for the people”.
All who praised the new leader referred to him as “ayatollah”, indicating that his religious standing has been upgraded from the lower rank of hojatoleslam as part of his ascension to the highest political and religious office in the country.
Hardline state-affiliated media and supporters went as far as calling him “imam”, a title used to describe significant religious figures and regularly used by state media to describe his father and Khomeini, the first supreme leader.
State television broadcast images of the news of Khamenei’s selection being announced at important mosques in Tehran, Mashhad, Isfahan and other cities across the country.
Mass text messages sent by the state to Iranians invited people to gather at Enghelab (Revolution) Square in downtown Tehran and spots in other cities on Monday afternoon to “renew the covenant with the martyred imam of the Muslim nation and pledge allegiance to the supreme leader selected by the Assembly of Experts”.
Israeli and US warplanes bombed Tehran and Isfahan in the afternoon, two days after sweeping attacks on the capital’s oil reserves and refineries left thick black smoke hanging over the city.
Rocky road ahead
The younger Khamenei faces myriad challenges, most prominently the threat of assassination in the foreseeable future as the US and Israel have promised to keep taking out Iranian leaders.
Some local and Israeli media have claimed he may have been wounded in a strike, but details were unclear. There was no clarity from officials on whether Khamenei is expected to make an appearance anytime soon.
US President Donald Trump has repeatedly said he is unhappy with the selection and will aim to kill the new leader because he wants the US to play a role in deciding Iran’s future leadership.
The younger Khamenei’s ascension suggests more hardline factions in Iran’s establishment retain power and could indicate that the government has little desire to agree to new negotiations with the US in the short term.
The commanders of the IRGC and the army have continued shooting projectiles since his selection with one IRGC commander telling state television that the country is capable of keeping up considerable attacks for at least six months.
US officials have also expressed eagerness to continue the war in pursuit of their objectives, including dismantling Iran’s nuclear and missile programmes and cutting off support to regional allies in the “axis of resistance”.
Its members – including Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen and armed groups in Iraq – released statements backing Khamenei’s selection.
Khamenei is also leading Iran at a time when the US is trying to curb its oil exports, a key revenue stream, while tightening sanctions that have heavily damaged the Iranian economy.
The Strait of Hormuz is expected to remain a flashpoint area as shipping is disrupted. Iran is also experiencing one of its highest inflation rates in decades at about 70 percent with annual food inflation rates shooting above 100 percent, according to the Statistical Centre of Iran.
The national currency is among the least valuable and most isolated in the world. The government continues to promise that Iran’s population of about 92 million people does not need to worry about shortages of essential goods like food and fuel because contingency plans are in motion.
French President Emmanuel Macron has said France and its allies are preparing a “purely defensive” mission to escort vessels through the Strait of Hormuz once the “most intense phase” of the US-Israeli war on Iran ends.
Speaking in Cyprus on Monday, Macron said the “purely escort mission” must be prepared by both European and non-European countries.
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Its purpose “is to enable, as soon as possible after the most intense phase of the conflict has ended, the escort of container ships and tankers to gradually reopen the Strait of Hormuz”, the French president said, without providing further details.
Macron’s comments come as global oil prices have surged amid continued attacks by the United States and Israel against Iran, as well as retaliatory Iranian missile and drone strikes across the wider region.
The war has effectively shut down the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic Gulf waterway through which about 20 percent of the world’s oil supplies pass, while Iranian attacks on energy infrastructure in the Middle East also have raised concerns.
Responding to Macron’s comments, top Iranian security official Ali Larijani said, “It is unlikely that any security will be achieved in the Strait of Hormuz amid the fires of the war ignited by the United States and Israel in the region.”
Larijani added in a social media post that security is also unlikely to be restored as a result of plans designed by “parties that were not far removed from supporting this war and contributing to its fanning”.
While European countries have been largely sidelined as the war escalates, several – including France, the United Kingdom and Greece – have sent military assets to Cyprus following an Iranian-made drone attack on a British base on the island.
Greece has dispatched four F-16 fighter planes to the Paphos airbase and its two state-of-the-art frigates Kimon and Psara are patrolling offshore Cyprus, tasked with intercepting any missiles or drones.
Last week, Macron ordered the French frigate Languedoc to waters off Cyprus to bolster the country’s anti-drone and anti-missile defences.
“When Cyprus is attacked, then Europe is attacked,” Macron said after meeting with Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis in Paphos on Monday.
The French president said he would also deploy a total of eight warships, two helicopter carriers and the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle to the Eastern Mediterranean and the wider Middle East region, calling the move “unprecedented”.
France’s objective “is to maintain a strictly defensive stance, standing alongside all countries attacked by Iran in its retaliation, to ensure our credibility, and to contribute to regional de-escalation”, Macron said.
“Ultimately, we aim to guarantee freedom of navigation and maritime security.”
With the closure of the Strait of Hormuz sending oil prices soaring, finance ministers from the Group of Seven (G7) countries met in Brussels on Monday to discuss how to respond.
Crude oil prices have increased by about 50 percent since the US and Israel launched the war last month, with international benchmark Brent crude prices surpassing $100 a barrel on Monday.
French Finance Minister Roland Lescure told reporters that the G7 ministers did not make a decision on the potential release of emergency oil stocks amid the war. “What we’ve agreed upon is to use any necessary tools if need be to stabilise the market, including the potential release of necessary stockpiles,” Lescure said.
Paul Hickin, editor-in-chief and chief economist at Petroleum Economist, said getting the Strait of Hormuz reopened is the main priority. “That’s not going to happen in any shape or form until there’s a resolution to the conflict,” Hickin told Al Jazeera.
He explained that several countries in the Middle East, such as Kuwait and Iraq, are dependent on the strait to get their energy supplies to market.
“Kuwait and Iraq and those producers, they are really having a shut-in, and it will take a little bit of time to get back up and running,” said Hickin.
“That is the big risk, the knock-on effect … Getting those ships back, getting that infrastructure back up and running, it’s a slow process. So prices won’t come back down as quickly as many may think.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that Kyiv could provide defensive systems as well as assistance to civilians and American soldiers “deployed in certain countries” in the Middle East as the war in Iran continues.
He has reportedly proposed an exchange of Ukrainian defensive technology to combat Iranian drones in return for advanced US defensive systems to use in the war against Russia.
The US-Israel-Iran conflict, which started 10 days ago when the United States and Israel launched strikes on Iran and killed Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has continued to escalate. Iran has responded with strikes on Israel and US military assets and other infrastructure in Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
As Gulf and other Middle Eastern states continue to attempt to intercept incoming drones and missiles with US-supplied air defences, the US has asked Ukraine to contribute some of its own air-defence systems.
Here is what we know.
What has the US requested from Ukraine and why?
The US has asked for Ukraine’s help in defending Washington’s allies in the Middle East against Iranian missile attacks on infrastructure and US military assets, Ukraine’s president confirmed last week.
At the moment, the US is using air defence systems such as the Patriot, Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) batteries and Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) aircraft, to intercept Iranian drones and missiles targeting its military assets in the region. The Patriot Advanced Capability-2 (PAC-2) and PAC-3 are advanced surface-to-air missile defence systems.
However, these types of systems are extremely expensive, costing millions of dollars for each interceptor missile fired, and there are concerns that supplies of US interceptor missiles could run low.
“We received a request from the United States for specific support in protection against ‘shaheds’ in the Middle East region,” Zelenskyy wrote in an X post on March 5.
Shahed drones, particularly the Shahed-136, are Iranian-designed “kamikaze” or loitering munitions which are very low cost compared to the interceptors being used by the US. Costing roughly $20,000-$35,000 each, these GPS-guided drones are about 3.5m (11.5 feet) long and fly autonomously to pre-programmed coordinates to strike fixed targets with explosive payloads. They blow up as they hit their targets.
Over the course of the Iran war, Shahed-136 drones have targeted Middle Eastern countries including Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar and the UAE where US military assets and troops are hosted. Experts estimate that Iran has thousands of these drones.
Iran has also been supplying Moscow with many thousands of Shahed drones during Russia’s war on Ukraine.
During the course of Russia’s four-year war on Ukraine, Ukraine’s domestic arms industry has been forced to innovate, building low-cost interceptor drones priced at roughly $1,000 to $2,000 to counter Russian attacks with imported Iranian Shahed-136s.
Kyiv is now mass-producing these low-cost interceptor drones.
“The role of Shahed-type drones in long-range attacks has become more prominent in Ukraine after Russia took Iranian technology, improved it, and built it in previously unimaginable numbers,” Keir Giles, a Eurasia expert for the UK-based think tank Chatham House, told Al Jazeera.
A man rides a motorcycle past a Shahed drone in Tehran’s Baharestan Square on September 27, 2025, as part of an exhibit to mark the ‘Sacred Defence Week’ commemorating the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq War [Atta Kenare/AFP]
What has Zelenskyy said?
Zelenskyy has posted several statements on social media confirming that he is ready to help Middle Eastern countries defend their territories by providing technical expertise.
“Ukrainians have been fighting against ‘shahed’ drones for years now, and everyone recognises that no other country in the world has this kind of experience. We are ready to help,” he wrote on X on March 5.
“I gave instructions to provide the necessary means and ensure the presence of Ukrainian specialists who can guarantee the required security.
“Ukraine helps partners who help ensure our security and protect the lives of our people.”
It is understood that Ukraine is in talks with several Middle Eastern countries about this.
On Monday, Zelenskyy said Ukraine has deployed interceptor drones and a team of specialists to help protect US military bases in Jordan.
Zelenskyy wrote on X that he has also spoken directly to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) about “countering threats from the Iranian regime”.
He also said he had spoken with the leaders of Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar and the UAE.
Zelenskyy has repeatedly stressed that Ukraine must not weaken its own air defences. However, it is mass-producing this equipment now, and may well be able to afford to share.
“The fact that there are surplus capabilities ready to be sent to the US and the Middle East is unsurprising because Ukraine has led this innovation,” Giles said.
Zelenskyy has therefore proposed an exchange of air defence systems with the US ones being used in the Middle East.
“We ourselves are at war. And I said, completely frankly, that we have a shortage of what they have. They have missiles for the Patriots, but hundreds or thousands of ‘shaheds’ cannot be intercepted with Patriot missiles – it is too costly,” Zelenskyy said.
“Meanwhile, we have a shortage of PAC-2 and PAC-3 missiles. So, when it comes to technology or weapons exchange, I believe our country will be open to it.”
Zelenskyy may also have good political reasons for extending help, analysts say.
“The US has declined support for Ukraine on the ground that it had insufficient supply of air defence munitions, and now more of those Patriots have been fired in the Middle East in a few days, than have been supplied to Ukraine in four years,” Giles said.
“Zelenskyy will be aware that in providing this assistance, he is not only shaming the US, but also directly supporting potential friends and partners in the Middle East, who before now have been ambivalent to the situation in Ukraine,” Giles said.
Who else has sent defensive backup to the Gulf?
European countries including the United Kingdom, France, Spain, Portugal, Greece and Italy have pledged to provide defensive backup to Gulf nations over the past week. Additionally, Australia said it was deploying military assets to the region.
Wary of becoming directly involved in the US-Israeli war on Iran, European countries have nevertheless been drawn into the conflict by attacks on a British base on Cyprus in the Mediterranean and Iranian strikes on Western allies in Gulf countries that host US troops in military bases.
What will happen next?
Just as Ukraine is getting involved in the war, Russia might too, say experts.
“We should not be surprised if before long, as well as Russian technology in Iranian drones, we see Iran launching Shaheds manufactured in Russia,” Giles said.
He described Russia as a “primary beneficiary of current US actions,” pointing to how the surge in oil prices, the relaxation in US curbs on Russian energy exports to keep crude and gas prices under control, and the diversion of air defence munitions from Europe to the Middle East all helped Moscow. These, he said, “are all lifelines for Russia”.
Ministry of National Defence says no casualties or damage after missile shot down over southern city of Gaziantep.
Published On 9 Mar 20269 Mar 2026
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The Turkish Ministry of National Defence says NATO air defences have intercepted a ballistic missile launched from Iran towards Turkiye as concerns grow that the United States-Israel war against Iran will escalate.
The missile was intercepted on Monday over the Sahinbey district of Gaziantep in southern Turkiye, the ministry said in a statement. No casualties or damage were reported.
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“Ankara emphasized its capability and determination to protect national airspace and border security, while warning that further escalation in the region must be avoided,” the statement said.
The ministry also urged all sides, especially Tehran, “to refrain from actions that could endanger civilians or undermine regional stability”.
Monday’s incident was the second time an Iranian ballistic missile was fired towards Turkiye since the US and Israel launched a war against Iran on February 28, according to local authorities.
The US-Israeli attacks have prompted a wave of Iranian missile and drone strikes across the wider region, including on targets in Arab Gulf countries.
Iran did not immediately comment on the Turkish ministry’s statement.
NATO spokesperson Allison Hart confirmed that the military alliance had intercepted “a missile heading to Turkiye”. “NATO stands firm in its readiness to defend all Allies against any threat,” Hart said in a post on X.
Iran denied firing a ballistic missile towards Turkiye on Wednesday after Turkish authorities said NATO air defences shot down a projectile over the Eastern Mediterranean.
NATO condemned that launch, expressing its “full solidarity” with Turkiye.
“This is a tangible demonstration of the Alliance’s ability to defend our populations against all threats, including those posed by ballistic missiles,” NATO said of the interception.
Article 5 of the alliance’s North Atlantic Treaty says an attack on one NATO country will be considered an attack on all. It also commits each NATO member state to taking action deemed necessary “to restore and maintain” security.
In an interview with the Reuters news agency last week after the first ballistic missile heading towards Turkiye was shot down, NATO chief Mark Rutte said there was no talk of invoking Article 5.
Iranian authorities have said they are firing at US military bases and other US- and Israel-linked targets across the region in self-defence, but civilian infrastructure has also been attacked.
“Iran’s targets are not just US bases; they are, in fact, primarily large-scale infrastructure and civilian targets as well,” said Rob Geist Pinfold, a lecturer in defence studies at King’s College London.
“This is not a mistake. This is by design,” Pinfold told Al Jazeera, explaining that Tehran is seeking to “unleash as much chaos as possible to destabilise the region and global markets” in an effort to force Washington to abandon the war.
“We’ve seen that Iran is targeting every single [Gulf Cooperation Council] state. It’s prepared to burn its bridges with all of them to pursue this very uncertain and high-risk strategy,” he said.
“It really shows you how Iran feels like it’s facing an existential threat. For them, this is a real do-or-die moment.”
G7 finance ministers discussed a coordinated release of emergency oil reserves on Monday but failed to reach agreement, with France’s Roland Lescure saying the group was “not there yet” on a deal.
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The G7 was exploring a coordinated release of emergency oil reserves to tamp down fears of an impending shortage but stopped short of a deal.
Japan’s finance minister, Satsuki Katayama, said the International Energy Agency (IEA) explicitly requested the coordinated release during the G7 meeting, according to Bloomberg.
Brent crude briefly hit $119.50 a barrel on Monday morning, its highest level since 2022, having jumped roughly 25% since Friday as the Iran war intensified, raising fears over global production and shipping.
At the time of writing, oil prices pared gains and are trading slightly below $100 a barrel, as markets remain highly volatile.
Stock markets fell worldwide on concerns the global economy would not be able to absorb a sustained oil price shock.
Equity markets drop over uncertainty
At the open on Monday, the S&P 500 fell 1.3%, coming off its worst week since October. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 1.5% and the Nasdaq composite 1.2% lower.
The most immediate pain on Wall Street is hitting companies with large fuel bills. Carnival lost 7.3%, United Airlines sank 6.9% and Old Dominion Freight fell 3.8%.
Retailers dependent on long-haul shipping, whose customers are also facing higher petrol costs, also struggled. Best Buy fell 4.4% and Williams-Sonoma dropped 4%.
The moves followed steeper losses in European and Asian markets, where economies are more exposed to imported oil and gas. South Korea’s Kospi sank 6%, Japan’s Nikkei 225 dropped 5.2% and Europe’s Euro Stoxx 50 tumbled 1%.
Potential stagflation scenario
Since the war with Iran began, the central worry for financial markets has been how high oil prices will go and how long they will stay there.
If prices stay very high for very long, household budgets already stretched by high inflation could break under the pressure.
Meanwhile, companies would see their own bills jump for key items such as fuel and stock items, as well as for powering their data centres.
It all raises the possibility of a worst-case scenario for the global economy: stagflation, or a period when economic growth stagnates and inflation remains persistently high.
Late on Sunday, President Donald Trump countered this narrative by assuring that high oil prices at the moment are both worth the cost and only temporary.
“Short term oil prices, which will drop rapidly when the destruction of the Iran nuclear threat is over, is a very small price to pay for U.S.A., and world, safety and peace,” he said in a post on Truth Social.
In the bond market, the yield on the 10-year Treasury held at 4.15%, where it ended Friday.
Worries about high inflation and oil prices are applying upward pressure on Treasury yields, while risks of a slowing economy are pulling in the opposite direction.
Concerns about stagflation deepened on Friday following a surprisingly weak US jobs report showing that employers cut more jobs last month than they added.
Israeli strikes on fuel depots and petroleum logistic sites in Tehran on Sunday saw apocalyptic images coming out of the Iranian capital, as the spilled oil ignited a river of fire, and thick black smoke blanketed the city of 10 million, leaving streets and vehicles covered with soot.
Israel and the United States claimed they were targeting Iranian military and government sites, but government officials and people say civilian structures such as schools, hospitals and major landmarks are increasingly coming under attack. At least 1,255 people have been killed in the strikes since February 28.
What Israeli and US military planners frame as a calculated degradation of state infrastructure is being described by local officials and environmental experts as an act of total warfare, and collective punishment.
Shina Ansari, head of Iran’s Department of Environment, described the systematic destruction of the oil depots as a blatant act of ecocide.
The attacks systematically targeted four major storage facilities and a distribution centre, including the Tehran refinery in the south and depots in Aghdasieh, Shahran, and Karaj. In the Shahran district, witnesses reported unrefined oil leaking directly into the streets as temperatures hovered around 13C (55F).
Ansari from Iran’s Department of Environment stated that the environment remains the silent victim of the war, noting that the incineration of vast fuel reserves has trapped the capital under a suffocating shroud of pollutants.
The medical and environmental fallout is immediate and severe. The Iranian Red Crescent Society warned that the smoke contains high concentrations of toxic hydrocarbons, sulphur, and nitrogen oxides. The organisation noted that any rainfall passing through these plumes becomes highly acidic, posing risks of skin burns and severe lung damage upon contact or inhalation.
Ali Jafarian, Iran’s deputy health minister, told Al Jazeera that this acid rain is already contaminating the soil and water supply. Jafarian added that the toxic air poses a life-threatening risk to the elderly, children, and those with pre-existing respiratory conditions, prompting authorities to advise residents to remain indoors.
The destruction has also forced the Iranian Ministry of Petroleum to slash daily fuel rations for civilians from 30 litres [8 gallons] to 20 litres [5 gallons]. At least four employees, including two tanker drivers, were killed in the depot strikes.
The strategic bombing myth
Major General Mamoun Abu Nowar, a retired Jordanian military analyst, told Al Jazeera that the primary objective of the strikes is to break the resilience of the Iranian people and paralyse the country’s logistics and economy.
“They are preparing the Iranian environment for an uprising against the regime,” Abu Nowar said, adding that the broader goal is to halt state operations and curb Tehran’s regional influence.
However, Abu Nowar raised urgent concerns about the specific munitions deployed, urging Iranian authorities to investigate the bomb fragments given the unusual density of the smoke and the resulting acid rain.
Some military strategists argue that striking an adversary’s vital infrastructure can paralyse the state from the inside out, bypassing the need to fight its military forces directly.
Modern warfare has increasingly relied on this strategic bombing via precision drones and missiles to destroy morale and incapacitate an adversary’s ability to wage war. For Israel, which is engaged in a genocidal war in Gaza and wider regional conflicts, targeting oil depots is viewed as a way to send a coercive message while avoiding a ground war.
However, Adel Shadid, a researcher in Israeli affairs, told Al Jazeera Arabic that the strategy is designed to make life hell for ordinary Iranians in hopes of sparking an uprising. Shadid noted a glaring contradiction in the rhetoric of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who claims to support the Iranian people while overseeing the destruction of their basic means of survival.
Raphael S Cohen, director of the Strategy and Doctrine Program at the RAND Corporation, notes that such bombing campaigns consistently fail to achieve their primary goal of breaking a population’s will. Instead, Cohen argues, strategic bombing typically produces a rally-around-the-flag effect, unifying societies against a common foe rather than causing them to capitulate.
Historical echoes and retaliation
The reality of targeting oil infrastructure rarely aligns with sterile military theory, as history shows that such tactics reliably produce devastating, long-term environmental consequences.
During the 1991 Gulf War, the torching of Kuwaiti oil wells created a regional environmental catastrophe. Similarly, during the battle against ISIL (ISIS) in Iraq, the burning of the Qayyarah oil fields created a “Daesh Winter” that blocked out the sun for months.
The fires released vast quantities of toxic residues, including sulphur dioxide and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, causing severe respiratory illnesses, soil acidification, and long-term carcinogenic risks for the local population.
Meanwhile, Mokhtar Haddad, director of the Al-Wefaq newspaper, told Al Jazeera Arabic that the targeting of energy hubs could trigger a global energy war.
According to Al Jazeera’s Sohaib al-Assa, reporting from Tehran, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has already retaliated by striking the Haifa oil refinery and targeting a US base in Kuwait, signalling that the conflict is no longer confined to military targets.
On Monday, Bahrain’s state-run oil company Bapco declared force majeure after waves of Iranian strikes targeted its energy installations. Iran has also been accused of also targeting energy facilities in other Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries.
Travel in the region continues to be severely disrupted
15:18, 09 Mar 2026Updated 16:20, 09 Mar 2026
Thousands of tourists have been stranded across the Middle East following the US-Israeli air attacks against Iran
Travel expert Simon Calder has shared his thoughts on the prospect of ‘normality’ returning to airports in the Middle East. Flights to and from the region continue to be severely disrupted in the wake of the US-Israeli attacks on Iran.
A multitude of flights to and from Dubai, Qatar, and Abu Dhabi – all three being vital transport hubs for individuals travelling to and from the Gulf and Asia – have been cancelled. Approximately half a million passengers typically utilise these airports daily.
More than 37,000 Brits have made their way back to the UK from the Middle East since the crisis response commenced, with it believed that tens of thousands more remain stranded.
Mr Calder has been regularly updating on the crisis, which began on February 28. He stated that whilst he anticipates an increase in the number of flights departing from the region, there’s no definitive end to the disruption in sight.
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“There are tickets now being sold by Etihad out of Abu Dhabi,” he revealed. “Which is an interesting development. On top of that, I expect there to be a ramp-up in flights out of Doha and out of Dubai, but at the moment we are still a long way away from anything that could be described as normality, whatever that looks like.
“You know, the idea that you have half a million people flying to, through, and from the three big hubs of Dubai, Doha, and Abu Dhabi every day. And it’s an interesting question as to what on earth happens when, of course, the war is finally over, which cannot come soon enough. But anyway, so I hope that people will be able to get out.”
On Monday, 16 out of the 18 scheduled flights from the UK to Qatar were cancelled due to ongoing airspace closures, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium.
Eleven out of 33 flights from the UK to the United Arab Emirates – encompassing Dubai and Abu Dhabi – were also scrapped. It’s anticipated that clearing the backlog of stranded passengers caused by the conflict will take weeks.
“British Airways has taken the view that we’re not going into Dubai or Abu Dhabi or Doha,” Mr Calder explained. “If you want to fly out, we’re happy to do that, but we’re going to be arranging flights from Muscat and looking at Friday night’s Virgin Atlantic flight to Dubai, that was arguably a good call because the effect was that the flight got to within maybe a couple of hundred miles of Dubai over Saudi Arabia and then turned around because of the attack on Dubai airport.
“It flew back, couldn’t get all the way back, went to Budapest to refuel and then continued to Heathrow. So it was roughly, I think, something like an 18-hour flight to nowhere.”
The ongoing U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran has sent oil prices soaring, rattling global financial markets and prompting governments to implement urgent measures to protect their economies and citizens from energy shortages and rising costs. As the war disrupts critical supply routes through the Strait of Hormuz, countries heavily reliant on oil imports are scrambling to stabilize domestic fuel supplies and mitigate inflationary pressures.
South Korea Caps Fuel Prices
In a historic move, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung announced that the government would cap domestic fuel prices for the first time in nearly 30 years. Authorities are also seeking alternative energy sources beyond shipments through the Strait of Hormuz. To support the measure, a 100 trillion won ($67 billion) market-stabilization program may be expanded if necessary, reflecting the severity of the supply shock.
Japan Prepares Strategic Oil Reserves
Japan has instructed a national oil reserve storage facility to prepare for a possible release of crude oil, according to opposition party lawmaker Akira Nagatsuma. While precise details and timing remain unclear, this measure underscores Japan’s reliance on strategic reserves to manage sudden spikes in global energy prices.
Vietnam Removes Fuel Import Tariffs
Vietnam is temporarily eliminating import tariffs on fuels to ensure continued domestic supply amidst global disruptions. The government expects this measure to remain in effect until the end of April, aiming to reduce cost pressures on both businesses and consumers.
Indonesia Boosts Fuel Subsidies and Biodiesel Plans
Indonesia is increasing budget allocations for fuel subsidies, currently totaling 381.3 trillion rupiah ($22.5 billion), to offset rising energy costs and maintain affordable electricity and fuel prices. The government may also revive plans to expand the B50 biodiesel program, blending 50% palm oil-based biodiesel with conventional diesel, as a longer-term strategy to reduce dependency on imported oil.
China Halts Fuel Exports
China has directed refiners to suspend new fuel export contracts and attempt to cancel previously committed shipments. This policy excludes jet fuel for international flights, bonded bunkering, and supplies to Hong Kong or Macau. The move is designed to secure domestic fuel availability amid soaring global prices.
Bangladesh Closes Universities and Rations Fuel
Bangladesh, which depends on imports for 95% of its energy, has implemented emergency measures including university closures and rationing fuel sales to conserve electricity and fuel. Daily fuel sale limits were imposed after panic buying and stockpiling, highlighting the country’s vulnerability to regional energy disruptions.
Analysis: A Coordinated Global Response
These measures illustrate the unprecedented economic ripple effects of the Middle East conflict. Countries with high import dependency are balancing immediate crisis management such as subsidies, price caps, and rationing with longer-term energy strategies, including strategic reserve releases and alternative fuel initiatives.
The rapid policy responses also underscore the fragility of global energy markets in the face of geopolitical conflicts. Central banks and governments must navigate a complex trade-off: containing inflation while ensuring sufficient energy supply to prevent industrial slowdowns and social unrest.
As the conflict persists, global energy markets remain highly volatile, and governments may need to continue adjusting policy tools to stabilize domestic economies, with potential implications for trade, inflation, and energy security worldwide.
Iran on Monday named Mojtaba Khamenei as its new supreme leader following the killing of his father, Ali Khamenei, in strikes on the first day of the current war. The move signals that Iran’s ruling establishment intends to maintain its hardline course despite the dramatic loss of the country’s most powerful figure.
Mojtaba Khamenei, a 56-year-old Shi’ite cleric with strong connections to Iran’s security apparatus, was quickly endorsed by political leaders, military bodies and religious institutions. Public ceremonies and declarations of loyalty were organised across the country, reflecting a rapid effort by the political system to demonstrate continuity and stability at a moment of intense external pressure.
The appointment is widely seen as closing off any near-term possibility of a negotiated end to the conflict that has engulfed the region. With a figure closely aligned with Iran’s powerful security institutions now leading the state, analysts expect Tehran to maintain a confrontational stance rather than seek quick concessions.
Consolidation of power within the system
Iran’s political and military leadership rallied quickly behind the new leader. Statements from the defence establishment pledged unwavering loyalty to Mojtaba Khamenei, describing him as commander-in-chief and promising to follow him “until the last drop of our blood.”
The swift consolidation of authority highlights the enduring strength of the Islamic Republic’s institutional framework. The supreme leader sits at the top of Iran’s political hierarchy, exercising ultimate control over the military, judiciary and key elements of the state.
Supporters of the government described the succession as a demonstration that the system could withstand even the killing of its long-serving leader. Some Iranians interviewed by media outlets expressed pride and relief that the leadership transition had occurred quickly during wartime, viewing it as a sign of national resilience.
Others, however, reacted with disappointment or anxiety. Many critics of the government had hoped that the death of the elder Khamenei might open the door to political change. Instead, the elevation of his son long considered close to the security establishment suggests continuity rather than reform.
Divided reactions inside Iran
Public reactions within Iran have reflected the country’s deep political divisions. Supporters of the authorities praised Mojtaba Khamenei’s appointment as a defiant response to foreign pressure and an affirmation that the Islamic Republic remains intact.
Critics, however, say the change offers little hope for political liberalisation. Many opposition figures and activists have remained quiet, in part because of fears of repression during wartime. The government recently suppressed widespread protests, and security forces maintain a strong presence across major cities.
Observers note that Iran’s powerful security institutions including the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps retain extensive resources and influence. The Guard and associated networks also control major sectors of the economy, reinforcing the system’s ability to maintain power even during crises.
International pressure and escalating conflict
The leadership change comes amid escalating hostilities involving Israel and the United States. U.S. President Donald Trump has demanded Iran’s unconditional surrender and has suggested Washington should have influence over the selection of Iran’s supreme leader.
Trump has previously warned that any successor to Ali Khamenei could face the same fate if Iran continued what he described as hostile policies. Israeli officials have also indicated that senior Iranian leaders could remain targets unless Tehran abandons its military programmes and regional alliances.
Israel’s stated war aims include dismantling Iran’s missile and nuclear capabilities, and some officials have also spoken of ending the country’s clerical system of rule. Washington’s position initially focused on military capabilities but has hardened during the conflict.
Meanwhile, Israeli operations have expanded across the region, including strikes in Beirut and other areas linked to Iranian-backed groups such as Hezbollah. Fighting and airstrikes have resulted in significant casualties in Iran, Lebanon and Israel.
Energy shock and global economic impact
The war has triggered one of the most severe energy disruptions in decades. Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow waterway near Iran’s coast through which roughly a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas supplies pass, has been effectively halted.
With tankers unable to move for more than a week, producers have faced storage shortages and in some cases have been forced to halt pumping. The supply shock sent Brent crude prices surging sharply, briefly approaching $120 per barrel before settling above $100.
The surge has rattled financial markets worldwide, pushing stock indexes in Asia and Europe sharply lower and raising fears of inflationary pressure in major economies. Rising fuel costs also carry political implications in the United States, where gasoline prices are closely watched by voters ahead of upcoming elections.
Regional fighting intensifies
Military operations have continued across multiple fronts. Israeli forces have struck targets in central Iran and carried out attacks on infrastructure, including an oil refinery that sent thick black smoke rising over the capital, Tehran.
At the same time, Iranian-aligned forces have launched attacks elsewhere in the region. A refinery in Bahrain was damaged in a strike that forced the national oil company to declare force majeure, further highlighting the widening scope of the conflict.
Casualties have mounted rapidly. Iranian officials say more than 1,300 civilians have been killed in U.S.-Israeli strikes, while deaths have also been reported in Lebanon and Israel. Israeli authorities confirmed fatalities from Iranian missile attacks, and several soldiers have been killed in fighting along the Lebanese border.
Iran’s system of rule
The role of supreme leader was created following the Iranian Revolution of 1979, which established the Islamic Republic under clerical leadership. The position combines religious authority with ultimate political power.
Ali Khamenei held the office for more than three decades, shaping Iran’s foreign policy and domestic governance during periods of sanctions, regional conflict and diplomatic negotiations with world powers. His death in wartime marked one of the most dramatic moments in the country’s modern political history.
Mojtaba Khamenei has long been viewed as an influential figure behind the scenes, particularly within security institutions. Though less publicly prominent than other clerics, he has been widely considered close to the Revolutionary Guard and to key power brokers within the political establishment.
Analysis: Hardline continuity and a longer war
The rapid elevation of Mojtaba Khamenei suggests that Iran’s ruling system is prioritising continuity and cohesion over reform or compromise. By choosing a figure closely aligned with the security establishment, the leadership appears determined to project strength during wartime.
This choice reduces the likelihood of immediate diplomatic concessions that might have opened a path to de-escalation. A leader closely tied to Iran’s military institutions is more likely to emphasise resistance and national defence rather than negotiation under pressure.
At the same time, the succession demonstrates the resilience of Iran’s political structure. Despite the loss of its long-time leader and ongoing military attacks, the state apparatus has moved quickly to stabilise authority and present a unified front.
For the wider region and the global economy, the implications are significant. If Iran continues to pursue a confrontational strategy under its new leader, the conflict could become prolonged, keeping energy markets volatile and increasing the risk of further escalation across the Middle East.
This photo, taken Monday, shows the trading room of Hana Bank in central Seoul as the South Korean won fell to a 17-year low against the U.S. dollar. The won was quoted at 1,495.5 won per dollar at the close of trading hours at the Korean Stock Exchange. Photo by Yonhap
The South Korean won fell to a 17-year low against the U.S. dollar Monday amid heightened market volatility as oil prices spiked following the expanding conflict in the Middle East.
The won was quoted at 1,495.5 won per dollar at 3:30 p.m., down 19.1 won from the previous session, marking the weakest level since March 12, 2009, when the won-dollar rate hit 1,496.5 won during the global financial crisis.
After opening at 1,493 won, the won-dollar rate touched 1,499.2 won at 10:22 a.m., the lowest intraday level since that day, when the rate reached 1,500 won.
Investor sentiment was dampened by instability in global energy prices. The U.S. benchmark West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude surpassed US$100 per barrel for the first time since July 2022 on Sunday (U.S. time).
The recent decline in the won has also been driven by a broad dollar rally amid concerns that the U.S.-Israeli operation could escalate into a prolonged regional war.
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HOLIDAYS to Dubai have been left in chaos following the Iran conflict, with thousands of flights cancelled after a number of drone attacks on the city in recent weeks.
So here is everything you need to know right now about travelling to the UAE city.
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Here’s everything you need to know about travelling to Dubai right nowCredit: Getty
Is it safe to travel to Dubai right now?
Dubai remains on the no travel list, unless it is essential.
The UK Foreign Office states: “FCDO advises against all but essential travel to United Arab Emirates.
“Your travel insurance could be invalidated if you travel against advice from the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO).”
While this isn’t outright ban against all travel, essential travel doesn’t usually mean holidays, but is instead things like work or essential family travel.
Emirates said: “Following the partial re‑opening of regional airspace, Emirates is operating a reduced flight schedule.
“Customers transiting in Dubai will only be accepted for travel if their connecting flight is operating.
“Please do not go to the airport unless you hold a confirmed booking for these flights.”
Virgin Atlantic briefly restarted flights from both Dubai to the UK.
However, a recent 16-hour ‘flight to nowhere’ which was forced to return to London Heathrow has led to the airline scrapping flights until the end of the season (March 28).
British Airways is also unable to operate flights to Dubai, and only has limited flights from Oman to London Heathrow.
Anyone flying with British Airways to Dubai up to March 15 can request a full refund, or change the flight date for free up to March 29.
Other areas in the Middle East such as Doha and Abu Dhabi are still being affected.
Qatar Airways is operating one flight a day to and from London Heathrow to Doha but warns that “scheduled flight operations remain temporarily suspended due to the closure of Qatari airspace”.
Etihad is operating limited flights to London Heathrow and Manchester from Abu Dhabi, but also warns that “all other scheduled commercial services to and from Abu Dhabi remain suspended.”
All non-essential travel to Dubai is still advised againstCredit: Alamy
What if I have a holiday to Dubai booked?
Most tour operators will allow Brits to cancel their holidays to Dubai for a full refund, or offer an alternative option, due to it being on the ‘only essential travel” list.
While this is not mandatory, many are cancelling holidays nonetheless.
Loveholidays is cancelling all holidays up to March 15 either to Dubai or ones that are travelling via Dubai.
They explained:”We’ve made the decision to cancel all holidays departing up to and including 15 March 2026 to countries currently on the FCDO ‘all but essential travel’ list
“This includes holidays with a connecting flight via one of these countries.
“Our team has begun processing full refunds for affected bookings in departure date order and will contact you directly with further information.”
Refunds will be processed in 3-5 working days.
They are also allowing anyone with Emirates flights up to March 31 to cancel their holidays for a full refund, while anyone flying to Dubai with Virgin Atlantic up until March 31 will have their holidays cancelled.
They are not selling any holidays to Dubai up until May, although June holidays remain unaffected.
TUI‘s latest Dubai update was on Friday, saying: “If you are due to travel to the UAE, or are scheduled to transit through, within the next seven days, our pre-travel team will contact you ahead of your departure date to discuss your options.”
On the Beach has cancelled all holidays to the UAE until tomorrow with full refunds although this is likely to be extended.
A UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter takes off from Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek on Monday as the United States and South Korea kick off their Freedom Shield joint military exercise. Photo by Yonhap
SEOUL, March 9 (UPI) — The United States and South Korea began their annual Freedom Shield joint military exercise on Monday, as speculation swirled that Washington may be shifting some military assets from the Korean Peninsula to the Middle East amid its widening conflict with Iran.
About 18,000 South Korean troops will participate in the exercise, which runs through March 19 and includes command-post simulations and field training drills. U.S. Forces Korea has not disclosed the number of American personnel involved.
The drills come as local media reports have raised questions about whether U.S. military equipment stationed in South Korea could be redeployed to support operations in the Middle East.
South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency reported Sunday that U.S. C-5 and C-17 transport aircraft landed at Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, south of Seoul, late last month before departing between Wednesday and Saturday.
The aircraft movements followed reports that U.S. Forces Korea relocated some Patriot missile defense systems to Osan from other American bases in the country.
Two Patriot batteries deployed with USFK were temporarily rotated to the Middle East in June last year during strikes targeting Iranian nuclear facilities, before returning to South Korea in October.
The Patriot system detects, tracks and intercepts drones, cruise missiles and short-range or tactical ballistic missiles at low- to mid-range altitudes. It forms a key component of South Korea’s layered missile defense network designed to counter threats from North Korea.
U.S. Forces Korea said last week it could not comment on the relocation or movement of its assets due to operational security.
South Korea’s Defense Ministry also declined to address the reports directly during a briefing Monday.
“There is constant communication between the U.S. military and our side,” ministry spokeswoman Jeong Bit-na told reporters. “We are always communicating closely to ensure that there are no security concerns or gaps.”
She added that the Freedom Shield exercise was proceeding as planned.
“The South Korea-U.S. joint exercise is being implemented normally regardless of the situation in the Middle East, and we are thoroughly implementing it as agreed and planned,” Jeong said.
The drills come as the administration of South Korean President Lee Jae Myung seeks to stabilize relations with Pyongyang, which routinely condemns the allies’ joint exercises as rehearsals for invasion.
The number of field training exercises during this year’s Freedom Shield has been reduced to 22, down from 51 conducted during the previous iteration of the drills under the conservative government of impeached former President Yoon Suk Yeol.
North Korea recently concluded a major congress of the ruling Workers’ Party, where leader Kim Jong Unpledged to expand the country’s nuclear arsenal and improve its delivery systems and operational capabilities.
At the same time, Kim appeared to leave the door open to future negotiations with the United States, saying there was “no reason” the two sides could not improve relations if Washington abandons what he described as its hostile policy.
Kim has previously said he has “fond memories” of U.S. President Donald Trump, whom he met three times during Trump’s first term. South Korean officials have pointed to Trump’s planned visit to China later this month as a possible opportunity to revive diplomacy with Pyongyang.
Kim has continued to take a hostile tone toward Seoul, however, recently describing South Korea as “the most hostile entity.”
