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US counterterrorism chief Joe Kent has resigned over Washington’s war on Iran, saying he cannot support the conflict.

After Morocco were awarded 2025 AFCON title, Senegal will appeal CAF's decision - but how did we get here and what next?

Israel repeatedly struck central Beirut on Wednesday, with Lebanese authorities reporting a death toll of at least 12 including a director for Hezbollah's Al Manar TV channel, and said it would strike river crossings in south Lebanon. Lebanon was drawn into the Middle East war on March 2 when militant group Hezbollah launched rockets into Israel to avenge the killing of Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Israel responded with intense strikes on multiple regions around the country and by launching ground operations in the south.

'Act of domination': Top Tory MP criticised for attack on Muslims praying in Trafalgar Square Imran Mulla on Wed, 03/18/2026 - 11:22 The shadow justice secretary suggested Muslims praying at the interfaith Open Iftar event was 'straight from the Islamist playbook' The Open Iftar in Trafalgar Square last weekend was organised by the Ramadan Tent Project (Screengrab/X) Off Conservative shadow justice secretary Nick Timothy has been widely condemned by fellow parliamentarians for criticising Muslims praying in Trafalgar Square at an "Open Iftar" event and accusing them of an "act of domination". The event over the weekend in London's iconic landmark reportedly attracted people of many different faiths and was attended by London Mayor Sadiq Khan, who hailed it as the "biggest iftar in the western world". Khan said in an address to the crowd that he had met Christians, Jews, Hindus, Sikhs and atheists attending the event. But not everyone approved. For Tory MP Timothy, who was the Downing Street chief of staff during Theresa May's premiership, the event was deeply worrying. Timothy took to X on Monday and posted a video of Muslims - including Khan - praying in congregation at the event. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); "Too many are polite to say this," Timothy said, before declaring that "mass ritual prayer in public places is an act of domination". "The adhan - which declares there is no God but Allah and Muhammad is his messenger - is, when called in a public place, a declaration of domination," he argued. That is not extremism, that is not domination, and that is the very expression of the plural democratic society we claim to defend." Timothy clarified that "I am not suggesting everybody at Trafalgar Square last night is an Islamist." However, he added, "the domination of public places is straight from the Islamist playbook." (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); He called the event "an act of domination and therefore division" and asserted that it "shouldn't happen again". Independent MP Adnan Hussain responded by posting photos of Hindu, Jewish and Sikh religious events which have been held in Trafalgar Square. Nick, this is disgraceful. Do you object when Sikhs, Hindus or Jews gather in Trafalgar Square? Or is it only Muslims you smear with talk of “domination”? They were invited, like all faiths. Your rhetoric is inflammatory, divisive, and beneath any serious public office. https://t.co/LiWscr2hMl pic.twitter.com/utf6WQ4RTZ March 17, 2026 Hussain raised a point of order in parliament on Monday and said that "public spaces in this country, including Trafalgar Square, have long been places where people of all faiths and none come together". Hussain added: "That is not extremism, that is not domination, and that is the very expression of the plural democratic society we claim to defend." 'A very odd post' Dominic Grieve, a former Tory MP and attorney general, remarked: "This is a very odd post from a Conservative who says he believes in freedom of expression under law." Grieve noted that "the use of Trafalgar Square (with permission) for religious events - Christian and other - goes back a long way. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); "There have been prayers and hymns, chants and religious events performed there in the past." British Muslims are more loyal to UK than general public, new poll reveals Read More » Grieve added: "If such an event 'shouldn't happen again' it raises the question of whether this is to apply to all religious events or just to Muslim ones. "If to all, then we are moving like France to imposing secularism as a norm and it is contrary to our national tradition and does not seem to have helped develop social cohesion there. "If just to Muslims then it is an act of discrimination against them without any lawful basis." Senior politicians weighed in too. Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy accused Timothy of "fanning the flames of division". The deputy leader of the Labour Party, Lucy Powell, commented: "What an extreme reaction from a member of the Shadow Cabinet. "Across the country today Muslims, Christians, those of faith & of none, have worked, learned, shared & broken fast together.  "That is real Britain, not the desperate hatred being whipped up here by a leading Tory." Reform MPs wade in But Reform UK MPs entered the fray to back Timothy. "This is unacceptable, imposing such a dominating presence in a public place," complained Reform's deputy leader Richard Tice. "Surely worship should be in churches or other places such as mosques or synagogues," he said. "Also where is the gender inclusivity?" he questioned. In the video that Timothy posted, women can be seen praying separately to the men, as is custom amongst Muslims. Tice has no record of commenting on gender separated religious rituals in Orthodox Judaism, Sikhism and other traditions. Many women were seen in other photos of the event, which was not segregated. But Reform MP Sarah Pochin went further than her colleagues, travelling to Trafalgar Square to film a video of herself condemning what she called a "domineering show of religious authority" that "should not be tolerated". .@SadiqKhan taking part in a mass public act of Islamic prayer in the heart of the British capital is deeply divisive. pic.twitter.com/xWiVaiC8Eb March 17, 2026 At the iftar event, Khan had told the assembled crowd: "We see the forces of division and darkness pitting communities against each other, trying to cower us and scare us to be less Muslim, to be less Islamic, to make us scared to put our head above the parapet. "We've shown during this month of Ramadan the power of being a Muslim. The joy of being British." The event was organised by Ramadan Tent Project, a charity which says it "brings communities together and spreads the spirit of Ramadan". The project organises iftars at landmarks and cultural institutions around the country. Ramadan Tent Project says its events are open to the "vulnerable, the homeless, those in need of a community, and anyone else who wished to share food and faith". UK Politics News Post Date Override 0 Update Date Mon, 05/04/2020 - 21:19 Update Date Override 0

Not just energy: How the Iran war could trigger a global food crisis  Al Jazeera

TEHRAN, Mar. 18 (MNA) – The Iranian Army announced that its missiles have forced the US navy’s aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln to retreat from the region.

By Jana Choukeir DUBAI, March 18 (Reuters) - Since February 28, U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran have killed several senior political and military figures, hitting the core of the Islamic Republic's leadership in a war that has spread across the Middle East, disrupting energy markets and shipping routes. The attacks, launched in the midst of nuclear talks between Washington and Tehran mediated by Oman, are the most significant assault on Iran in decades, following a long-running shadow conflict and a 12-day war in June 2025.

Instead of regime change, all the bombing has produced so far is regime reinforcement and no end in sight With the US-Israeli bombing of Iran now in its third week, its costs are mounting, its purpose is increasingly muddled and potential off-ramps have become frustratingly elusive. Yet rather than succumb to despair, we should urgently press for this destructive war to end. Iran never engaged in an actual or imminent attack that would justify a war of self-defense. The best that Donald Trump could muster was an argument of prevention – that Iran’s missile program and capacity to disrupt the Middle East must be curtailed, along with its ability to build a nuclear weapon. But the UN charter does not permit armed attacks for mere preventive purposes; that would open the door to endless armed conflicts. And even by the standard of Trump’s inadequate justification for war, his bombing has been a fiasco. Continue reading...

US spending on first week of Iran war raises stark questions about priorities  The Guardian

The sea channel has become perilous for oil tankers since Iran claimed control of it during the war. But experts tell Bryony Gooch that Tehran may be willing to grant safe passage to countries willing to engage in diplomacy

TEHRAN, Mar. 18 (MNA) – Iran’s Army Navy fired missiles towards the world’s largest US warship, USS Abraham Lincoln, and forced it to leave the region.

Israel claims it killed Iran's intelligence minister MEE staff on Wed, 03/18/2026 - 10:35 Defence Minister Israel Katz says army now authorised to kill any Iranian official without prior approval Iran's Minister of Intelligence Esmail Khatib (third from left) sits with Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian in Tehran on 17 August 2024 (AFP) Off Israel said it had killed Iran's inteligence minister, Esmail Khatib, warning that Israeli attacks would escalate. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz announced the killing in a statement on Wednesday during a meeting with senior military officials. "Today we expect significant surprises in all arenas, which will escalate the war we are waging against Iran and Hezbollah in Lebanon," Katz said at the meeting. "The intensity of the attacks in Iran is increasing. Iranian Intelligence Minister Khatib was also eliminated tonight." He added that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and he had authorised the Israeli army "to assassinate any senior Iranian official ... without the need for additional approval". (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Khatib is just the latest in a series of senior Iranian officials killed since the US and Israel launched their war on Iran on 28 February, the day they killed Ali Khamenei, the supreme leader. Earlier this week, Israel also killed Iran's security chief Ali Larijani and Gholamreza Soleimani, the commander of the Basij paramilitary force. Larijani was one of the most influential figures in the Islamic Republic, and had been viewed as a de facto leader for the past two weeks since the killing of Khamenei. On Friday, he was seen on the streets of Tehran taking part in a mass rally for Al-Quds Day. A day later, the US offered a reward of up to $10m for information on senior Iranian officials, including Larijani, in a list of 10 figures it linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. War on Iran News Post Date Override 0 Update Date Mon, 05/04/2020 - 21:19 Update Date Override 0

TEHRAN, Mar. 18 (MNA) – The Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman has said that the US officials are repeating a “big lie” to justify an illegal war waged against the Iranian people.

Funeral held in Tehran for Larijani and Iranian commanders killed in Israeli strikes Large crowds gathered in Tehran on Wednesday for the funeral of senior Iranian officials and sailors killed during the Israel-US war on Iran. The ceremony included the Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Ali Larijani, Basij commander Major General Gholam Reza Soleimani and dozens of navy personnel. Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Ali Larijani was assassinated along with his son in an Israeli airstrike in Tehran on 17 March. The event also included the funeral of sailors from the Dena destroyer, which was struck by a US Navy torpedo off Sri Lanka earlier this month.

Farmers are bracing for effects of the Iran war on fertilizer prices and availability

UAE says air defences intercepted Iranian missiles and drones The United Arab Emirates Ministry of Defence says its air defences intercepted 13 Iranian ballistic missiles and 27 drones on Wednesday. Since the start of the Israeli-US war and the retalitory Iranian attacks, the ministry says it has engaged 327 ballistic missiles, 15 cruise missiles and 1,699 drones.

How Iran defied Trump threats to emerge as Strait of Hormuz gatekeeper  Al Jazeera

Clarence Page: Trump’s Iran war not likely the jaunt he’s trying to sell  mauinews.com

The moment an Israeli airstrike hit a central Beirut building on Wednesday, 18 March, was captured on eyewitness video.

Saudi Aramco restarts Ras Tanura refinery after drone attack shutdown Saudi oil giant Aramco restarted its Ras Tanura refinery on March 13 after shutting the facility on March 2 following a drone strike, industry monitor IIR said. The restart restores operations at one of the kingdom’s key refining hubs after the disruption. The Ras Tanura complex, located on the kingdom's eastern coast, houses one of the Middle East’s largest refineries, with a capacity of 550,000 barrels per day. It also serves as one of the world’s biggest oil ports.