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U.S. Says Four Killed in Refueling Plane Crash in Iraq  WSJ

By John Irish PARIS, March 13 (Reuters) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy will seek reassurances of support from one of Kyiv’s key Western allies on Friday, arriving in Paris at a time when the war in the Middle East is diverting attention from Ukraine’s fight against Russia. The widening conflict has raised questions about the supply of weapons – notably air defences – from Western partners to Ukraine, as Gulf Arab states draw down their own air defence stocks to repel daily attacks by Iran.

Germany’s Merz says Berlin is not part of the Iran war German ⁠chancellor Friedrich ⁠Merz has said there is no reason for Berlin to consider providing military protection for the sea route through the Strait of Hormuz. "Germany is not part of this (Iran) war, and we do not want to become part of it," he said.

If the current war ends with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps emboldened, many worry that Iran’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, will increase efforts to pursue a nuclear weapon to deter future attacks, similar to North Korea.

Why would Trump launch a foreign war when he is so domestically weak? Precisely because he is weak In the lead-up to the 2003 invasion of Iraq, members of the George W Bush administration presented the case for war exhaustively, repeatedly, and in public. The then national security adviser Condoleezza Rice, who played a major role in green-lighting waterboarding of detainees at Guantanamo Bay, wrote an editorial in the New York Times claiming that Iraq was lying about its so-called “weapons of mass destruction”. Meanwhile, Colin Powell, then the secretary of state, went to a meeting of the United Nations security council in New York. There, before America and the world, he held up a tiny vial of substance meant to represent anthrax, a chemical weapon that had terrorized the US in a series of mail attacks just over a year before; Powell claimed that Iraq had the weapon and was willing to use it. Bush himself routinely addressed the American people, making the case for war. They were all lying, it turned out, but the lie served a purpose: it was a concession to the idea that the American people would have a say in whether or not their country went to war. Continue reading...

The war is not over even if the stock market wants it to be  Axios

The podcast host and author of The Persian reflects on why Israel’s precision in Iran caught him off guard As the author of a novel depicting the Mossad’s snatch-and-assassination squads inside Iran, David McCloskey was less shocked than most by the stunning killing of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the theocratic regime’s most powerful figure, in a strike carried out by Israel. What caught him more off guard were reports that the up-to-the-minute, pinpoint accurate intelligence essential for its success was provided by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). Continue reading...

Iran says no one can exclude it from the World Cup later this year, in response to President Donald Trump's warning that their "life and safety" would be at risk in the US. The Iranian team also said in the social media post on Thursday that the United States should not be allowed to co-host the tournament if it could not guarantee the safety of the teams taking part. Trump's comments came just two days after he told FIFA chief Gianni Infantino the Iranian players would be welcome despite the Middle East war.

Two killed by drone debris in Oman Two expat workers have been killed in Oman after the downing of a drone in Sohar province, according to Oman’s state news agency, citing a security source. The report said the drone came down in the al-Awahi industrial area, causing injuries in addition to the two deaths.

Dubai financial hub hit by intercepted drone after Iran threatens banks MEE staff on Fri, 03/13/2026 - 09:55 Thick smoke seen at Dubai’s International Finance Centre, two days after staff in banks were told to work from home A damaged building in DIFC Dubai, after debris from a successful interception caused damage to the facade, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates on 13 March 2026 (Reuters) Off Dubai's International Finance Centre has been damaged after debris from an intercepted Iranian drone attack caused a fire in the area.  Footage shared on social media on Friday morning showed a thick plume of smoke rising from the building in the financial centre of Dubai in the United Arab Emirates.  “Authorities confirm that debris from a successful interception caused a minor incident on the facade of a building in central Dubai,” the city’s media office said. “No injuries have been reported.” Several banks and financial institutions in the area have told their staff not to go into the office, after Iran threatened to respond to US and Israeli strikes by targeting “banks and economic centres” in the Gulf.  "Last night, the American and Zionist terrorist army, after failing in their military objectives, targeted one of the country's banks," a spokesperson for the Iranian military's central operational command, Khatam al-Anbiya, said on Wednesday. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); "People in the region should not be within a one kilometre radius of the banks." Hours earlier, air strikes had hit an administrative building linked to ⁠Bank Sepah, one of ​Iran's largest public banks, in the capital Tehran, killing an unspecified number of employees, according to the ​semi-official Mehr news agency. Citi, the US financial services group, asked its Dubai employees to evacuate their offices on Wednesday "due to heightened security concerns".  An Iranian strike on Dubai’s International Financial Centre, UAE https://t.co/3nW23k9EyM pic.twitter.com/EMA6UeABk1 March 13, 2026 Employees were asked to evacuate Citi offices in Dubai's International Finance Centre (DIFC) and in the Oud Metha neighbourhood, a source with knowledge of the evacuations told AFP. PwC, a major British consulting group, also closed offices in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the UAE and Kuwait for the remainder of the week as a “precaution”, another source told AFP. Deloitte, another British consultancy, told its staff to vacate their DIFC offices. Employees at two other companies in the DIFC told AFP their offices had been evacuated as a precaution. Iran's new supreme leader says US bases in Gulf must close or will be attacked Read More » In Qatar, all HSBC branches were closed until further notice to ensure the safety of staff and customers, a text message to customers read. After Israel and the US began the war two weeks ago with major air strikes across Iran, Tehran responded by striking Israel and all the countries in the Gulf. The UAE has been hit particularly hard by attacks, with more than 1,800 drones and missiles launched at it. Several buildings have been damaged since the war began, including the Fairmont The Palm hotel in the Palm Jumeirah area, as well as the Burj Al Arab hotel. Drones have also landed near Dubai International Airport.  Six people have been killed in the UAE since the war began, including nationals from Pakistan, Nepal and Bangladesh.  Iran has also closed the Strait of Hormuz, a key energy choke point through which around a fifth of global oil output passes through, and a third of global liquefied natural gas (LNG).  War on Iran News Post Date Override 0 Update Date Mon, 05/04/2020 - 21:19 Update Date Override 0

By Mikhail Flores and Nestor Corrales MANILA, March 13 (Reuters) - ASEAN foreign and economic ministers on Friday called for an immediate halt to the war in the Middle East, and said the effects of surging oil prices and disrupted trade are already hitting Southeast Asia's economies. Several members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations have begun rolling out measures to counter the economic impact, with governments moving quickly to conserve energy, stabilise domestic markets and protect vulnerable sectors such as tourism.

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Turkey's defence ministry on Friday said a ballistic missile from Iran had been shot down in Turkish airspace by NATO forces in the third such incident of the Middle East war. "A ballistic munition launched from Iran and entering Turkish airspace was neutralised by NATO air and missile defence assets deployed in the eastern Mediterranean," a ministry statement said. Hours earlier, sirens wailed at Turkey's southern Incirlik airbase, a key NATO facility where US troops are stationed, state news agency Anadolu reported.

Four American crew dead after refuelling aircraft crashes in Iraq, US military says Four US crew members were killed when an American KC-135 aerial refuelling aircraft crashed in western Iraq, the US military said on Friday, adding that the incident was not caused by "hostile fire or friendly fire". "Four of six crew members on board the aircraft have been confirmed deceased as rescue efforts continue," US Central Command, which is responsible for American forces in the Middle East, said in a statement on X. An investigation was under way into Thursday's crash, it added. "However, the loss of the aircraft was not due to hostile fire or friendly fire," it said. Four Confirmed Deceased in Loss of U.S. KC-135 Over Iraq March 13, 2026

Turkey says NATO defences intercepted third missile from Iran, asks Tehran to clarify Turkey's defence ministry said on Friday that NATO air defences stationed in the eastern Mediterranean had intercepted a third ballistic missile fired from Iran toward Turkey, adding that it was asking Iran for an explanation.

Casualties from downing of U.S. KC-135 refueling aircraft take total number of American fatalities in Operation Epic Fury so far to 11

Gulf countries press for end to Iran war with push for diplomacy  The Hill

The Iran conflict underscores how quickly a problem in a single region can paralyse travel worldwide

4 U.S. crew members killed, 2 missing after refueling plane crashes in Iraq  NBC News

Iran’s top national security official attends Quds Day march in Tehran SNN TV reports that Ali Larijani, secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, attended the Quds Day march among large crowds in Tehran, Iran today, despite US-Israeli strikes. In this photo shared by Iran's SNN TV, Ali Larijani is seen attending the Al-Quds Day march in Tehran on Friday, 13 March 2026. (SNN TV/Telegram)