News

Trump's Iran war may end Vance's presidential dreams | Opinion  USA Today

Pope Leo XIV Urges Ceasefire, Denounces Civilian Casualties in Iran War  voi.id

Iranian activist Farhad Sheikhi fights back tears as he recalls the crack of gunfire and his fellow protesters falling under a hail of bullets. Now, having fled to Iraq, he watches from afar as American and Israeli strikes pound his country. "I literally saw hell," said the 34-year-old Iranian Kurd in Sulaimaniyah, Iraqi Kurdistan's second city, as he showed AFP photos he took during recent anti-government protests of bodies lying on the bloodied ground. But his biggest worry today is for the safety of his family back home.

Iran has sought to justify its attacks on Gulf countries, hitting civilian infrastructure as well as US assets.

Dubai Stocks Fall Into Bear Market as Iran War Enters Third Week  Bloomberg.com

Citibank to keep most UAE branches closed indefinitely due to Iran war  Reuters

US is quickly exhausting tools to absorb Iran war oil shock  Reuters

US-Israeli air strike hits school in Iran, local media reports A US-Israeli air strike hit the Shahid Khomeini Boys’ School in the city of Khomein early Monday, Fars news reported, publishing photos showing heavy damage to part of the building. Mehr news agency quoted a deputy governor of Markazi province as saying the school was attacked without causing casualties, though several nearby houses were damaged. The Iranian Red Crescent also shared the images, describing them as an “airstrike on a school in Khomein.”

Report: US fighter jets strike military targets near Chabahar American fighter jets struck military targets on a mountain near the Chabahar Free Trade Zone in southeastern Iran, according to a report by Voice of America’s Persian-language service. The report said intense explosions were heard in the area behind the zone following the strikes. The Chabahar Free Trade Zone is located in Iran’s Sistan and Baluchestan province near the border with Pakistan.

US president appears unable to explain why he launched conflict or how he plans to end it, to an American public that feels it's paying the price The post Two weeks into Iran war, Trump knocked back on his political heels as midterms loom appeared first on The Times of Israel.

Saudi Arabia reports drone interceptions over Riyadh, 55 shot down overnight Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Defense said its air defences intercepted and destroyed 55 drones in the Eastern Province overnight. The ministry also said three drones were shot down over Riyadh and the Eastern regions. In a statement, the ministry’s official spokesperson said the drones were intercepted by Saudi air defences, adding that “all hostile targets were destroyed,” without providing further details. المتحدث الرسمي لـ #وزارة_الدفاع: اعتراض وتدمير 12 مسيّرة في المنطقة الشرقية. pic.twitter.com/hXs1YMRATD March 16, 2026

Israel army says begun 'limited targeted ground operations' in southern Lebanon The Israeli military said on Monday it had begun what it described as "limited ground operations" in southern Lebanon. The military claimed the operations were against "key Hezbollah strongholds" in the area. Israeli strikes have killed 826 people in Lebanon since the war began, according to official Lebanese figures.

'Netanyahu wanted Tehran in smoke': Iran oil strikes highlight US-Israel disagreements on war  ynetnews

Morning update Good morning, Middle East Eye readers,  Here are some of the latest key updates from the Iran war: Japan has started to release strategic oil reserves to combat surging fuel prices amid the ongoing US-Israeli attack on Iran. The UAE’s defence ministry says its air defence systems are currently responding to incoming missile and drone threats from Iran. US President Donald Trump is working to assemble a coalition of countries to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and is planning the seizure of Iran's Kharg Island oil hub, Axios reported. All flights to and from Dubai were suspended following a fire near Dubai International Airport, according to Emirati authorities, who urged passengers not to travel to the airport. Saudi Arabia has intercepted more than 60 drones over its territory since Monday at midnight, according to figures released by its defence ministry. Israeli raids on several towns in the south of the country killed 10 people and wounded 13 others, Lebanon’s ministry of health said. The UK sait it will provide over 5 million pounds ($6.62 million) of emergency funding to support humanitarian work of the Lebanese government. Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, accused Israel of committing a crime against the environment after strikes hit fuel tanks in Tehran. A boy stands near a house that was damaged by a strike, amid the US-Israeli war with Iran, in Tehran, Iran, 15 March, 2026. (Majid Asgaripour/West Asia News Agency via REUTERS)

Iran war an 'abject lesson' on fossil fuel dependence, UN climate chief says The disruption to energy markets caused by the Iran war is an "abject lesson" in the risks of relying on fossil fuels, and underscores the case for governments to wean their economies off oil and gas, the UN climate secretary will tell EU policymakers on Monday. While geographically far from the crisis in the Middle East, the European Union has felt its disruption through surging global energy prices. European gas prices have jumped by 50 percent during the two-week war. "Fossil fuel dependency is ripping away national security and sovereignty, and replacing it with subservience and rising costs," Simon Stiell, Executive Secretary of the UN climate change arm, will tell EU officials and government ministers at an event in Brussels. "Europe is more reliant on fossil fuel imports than almost any other major economy," Stiell will say, in prepared remarks that warned reliance on fossil fuels was leaving consumers "at the mercy of geopolitical shocks and price volatility". The EU imports more than 90% of its oil and 80% of its gas.

The BBC's International News correspondent, Barbara Plett Usher, visits Doha's Souq Waqif market as strikes in the region continue.

Iran Red Crescent clinic damaged in Tehran after Israeli air strikes The Iranian Red Crescent Society said one of its clinics and an aid relief post in Tehran were damaged during the latest wave of air strikes on the city. Footage released by the group showed broken glass and damaged equipment scattered inside the facility. The damage followed reports of several explosions in Tehran after Israel said it had launched a new round of attacks on the capital. آسیب به یکی از پایگاه های امدادی و درمانگاه هلال احمر در استان تهران به دنبال حملات هوایی pic.twitter.com/E0sKavhXwH March 15, 2026

Iran security chief warns of alleged 9/11-style plot to blame Tehran Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, Ali Larijani, said on Sunday that he had received information about an alleged plot to stage a 9/11-style attack and falsely blame it on Iran. "I’ve heard that the remaining members of Epstein’s network have devised a conspiracy to create an incident similar to 9/11 and blame Iran for it," he said on X.  “Iran fundamentally opposes such terrorist schemes and has no war with the American people,” Larijani said. He also said Tehran is acting in self-defence against what he described as attacks by the US and Israel, adding that Iran would respond “strongly and firmly” to punish those responsible.  I’ve heard that the remaining members of Epstein’s network have devised a conspiracy to create an incident similar to 9/11 and blame Iran for it. Iran fundamentally opposes such terrorist schemes and has no war with the American people. March 15, 2026

Thousands of demonstrators took to the streets of London to oppose US-Israeli aggression against Iran, Lebanon and Gaza.

Actors and filmmakers spoke out at the Oscars 2026 in Los Angeles against the US-Israeli war on Iran and the genocide.