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New supreme leader receives support from Oman, Iraq, Yemen's Houthis, while the US and Israel make threats.

Iran war fuel crisis forces Pakistan to close schools, take austerity measures MEE staff on Mon, 03/09/2026 - 19:21 The steep austerity measures come as the US-Israeli war on the Islamic Republic shows no signs of slowing Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif at the Congress Centre in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, on 12 December 2025 (Alexander Kazakov/Sputnik via Reuters) Off Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced on Monday the closure of all schools through the end of the month, and remote work for all university students and half the workforce, as his country implements steep austerity measures amid soaring global fuel prices. The US-Israel war on Iran is now into its second week, with few signs that US President Donald Trump plans to scale back the operation. Iran has been retaliating against US assets in the Gulf - a region that produces a quarter of the world's entire oil supply - and choking off the Strait of Hormuz.  “These attacks have posed a great threat to the whole region,” Sharif said in televised remarks.  With Pakistan highly dependent on energy exports from the Gulf, "the government took difficult decisions for the country’s economy", he added.  The four largest exporters of fuel to Pakistan are the UAE, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait, all countries that have either stopped production due to the war on Iran, or cannot export due to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Around 20 percent of all global petroleum consumption passes through the Strait of Hormuz. Together, Qatar and the UAE account for around 99 percent of Pakistan's Liquefied Natural Gas imports. Fifty percent of the staff in both the public and private sectors in Pakistan will work from home, Sharif said, excluding those in essential services such as agriculture and banking. Institutes of higher learning will also move their classes online.  Will the Iran war trigger a Saudi Arabia-Pakistan mutual defence pact? Read More » Government expenses will be scaled back by 20 percent, and large purchases such as furniture and air conditioners are prohibited. Government officials who earn more than 300,000 Pakistani rupees ($1,074) a month will have two paydays deducted, and the use of government vehicles will be reduced by 60 percent for the next two months. Fuel allowances for those vehicles will be cut in half.  The federal cabinet will not be paid a salary for the next two months, and members of parliament will see a 25 percent reduction in their wages.  All lawmakers are banned from foreign trips. Official iftars for Ramadan and other dinners and parties have also been banned.  Global shock It is not just Pakistan that is suffering from the shock to global energy markets, but it may be one of the first to implement austerity measures. Global commodity markets were jolted when they reopened on Monday, as the war on Iran continued to escalate over the weekend. Israel struck over 30 oil depots in Iran on Saturday, including in Tehran and Karaj. The strikes on depots went far beyond what the US expected when Israel notified it in advance, according to a report in Axios.  (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Iran threatened to attack oil facilities in neighbouring countries in response.  It launched a fresh wave of attacks on the Gulf on Sunday, with attacks reported in the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, and Kuwait.  Oil prices jumped to the highest levels since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, before falling back slightly. Brent crude prices soared as high as $119 per barrel, while the US's ⁠West Texas Intermediate rose to $119.48 a barrel. Pakistan had already been suffering from high inflation, soaring debt and low foreign exchange reserves. It was also embroiled in a war of its own. Before the war on Iran began, Pakistan had been carrying out air strikes along its border with Afghanistan because of what it described as militias being harboured by the Taliban, intending to carry out attacks in Pakistan.  (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Nearly a year earlier, it was exchanging fire with India, in what was a brief but tumultuous period, given that the two countries are nuclear powers.  Sharif has condemned the US-Israeli attacks on Iran as well as the Islamic Republic's attacks on the Gulf, and offered to be a mediator to bring an end to a rapidly escalating conflict.  "We tried to take the middle road so that the burden on you is less," he told his compatriots on Monday.  "I will try [to ensure] that the burden does not fall on you. For this, efforts are ongoing day and night," he added.  War on Iran News Post Date Override 0 Update Date Mon, 05/04/2020 - 21:19 Update Date Override 0

Trump Iran US Military Deaths Casualty Return  Times Argus

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Israel orders evacuation of village in southern Lebanon The Israeli military issued a forced evacuation order for residents of the village of al-Ansariya in southern Lebanon. In a statement, the army said it plans to carry out strikes targeting what it described as Hezbollah activity in the area and urged residents to move at least 1,000 metres away from the village.

Stocks Rebound After Trump Says Iran War Is ‘Very Complete’  The New York Times

Iran War Live Updates: NATO air defenses intercept ballistic missile in Turkish airspace in second week of conflict  WSJ

Lindsey Graham threatens Saudi Arabia if they do not join war on Iran Sean Mathews on Mon, 03/09/2026 - 18:53 US senator and close Trump ally said there should be 'consequences' for Gulf states that do not join a war they opposed Republican Senator Lindsey Graham speaks to the press at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on 3 March 2026 (Jim Watson/AFP) Off US Senator Lindsey Graham lambasted Saudi Arabia on Monday for not attacking Iran and threatened “consequences” against other Gulf countries if they do not join the US-Israeli war on Iran, which the kingdom has opposed from the outset.  “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 terrorized the region and killed 7 Americans,” Graham wrote on X.  “Should America do a defense agreement with a country like the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia that is unwilling to join a fight of mutual interest?” he added.  Graham’s post effectively confirms what a US official told Middle East Eye previously: that Riyadh has prevented the US from accessing its bases for offensive operations.  US Central Command said on Monday that a seventh American soldier died from wounds he sustained on 1 March in an Iranian strike on a US military base in Saudi Arabia.  (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Iran attacked the US's Prince Sultan Air Base in the kingdom and also hit the CIA's section of the US embassy in Riyadh.  Graham lobbied forcefully for the war on Iran, which began on 28 February. MEE revealed that his trip to Saudi Arabia last month was an attempt to bring Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on board with the attack. Graham confirmed the purpose of his visit to The Wall Street Journal over the weekend.  Graham’s statement was widely viewed by analysts as adding fuel to a fire. The Gulf states have complained they are not receiving interceptors from the US, and officials in the region are angry over what they see as their security concerns being ignored by the Trump administration.  The UAE’s ambassador to the United Nations told journalists on Monday that the Gulf state would not participate in offensive operations against Iran despite being one of the hardest hit countries and a relatively close partner to Israel.  (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); "We were one of the countries that constantly called for the need for a negotiation, the need for diplomacy, the need for de-escalation," Jamal al-Musharakh said in Geneva.  "And we have constantly informed that our territories would not be used for any attacks against Iran. Yet we are being targeted, frankly, in a very unwarranted manner.” Widening rift Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states lobbied US President Donald Trump not to launch a war on Iran because they feared the very attacks now unfolding on their energy-rich kingdoms. Lindsey Graham met Saudi leader to 'bring him on board' a week before Iran attack Read More » However, the Gulf states’ diplomacy did not afford them protection. The UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Qatar have been the hardest hit by Iranian drones and missiles, but Saudi Arabia has also come under attack. “Hopefully Gulf Cooperation Council countries will get more involved as this fight is in their backyard. If you are not willing to use your military now, when are you willing to use it?” Graham said.  “Hopefully this changes soon. If not, consequences will follow,” he added. The Gulf region is wary of inviting further attacks, including on critical assets such as water desalination plants and energy infrastructure. Iran has demonstrated its ability to conduct sophisticated strikes.  While Gulf states are angry over the Iranian assaults, experts say they will be unwilling to enter a war they do not think the US can win. As the conflict enters its second week, the Islamic Republic and its institutions remain intact, with no signs of internal strife or an uprising as the US had predicted. On Sunday, Iran’s Assembly of Experts announced Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as the country's new supreme leader, in a direct rebuke to Trump’s call for Iran’s total surrender.  The war is already straining ties between the US and Arab Gulf states. Trump said last week that the devastating strikes on the US’s richest partners had been his “biggest surprise”.  “Unbelievable,” a former US intelligence official told MEE previously, in response to Trump’s comment. “It’s as if the US was operating and planning in a bubble for the last year. This is what Trump was warned of in conversations with Gulf rulers, and presumably his own intelligence briefings,” the person added. War on Iran News Post Date Override 0 Update Date Mon, 05/04/2020 - 21:19 Update Date Override 0

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Why the U.S. is at war with Iran — and what it could mean for oil prices  Austin American-Statesman

Three Iranian children killed in strikes on Lorestan province Three students were killed during US and Israeli strikes on Iran’s Lorestan province, according to the Tasnim news agency. The report said the victims included a fourth-grade student, a seventh-grade student and a second-grade student. One of the children was killed alongside her mother.

'Sharp spike' in anti-Muslim posts on X since US-Israel war on Iran, study shows MEE staff on Mon, 03/09/2026 - 17:02 Only a third of the posts reported to X support were actually removed Two people use social media on their mobile phones in Arinaga, on the island of Gran Canaria, Spain, on 3 February 2026 (Borja Suarez/Reuters) Off There has been a "sharp spike" in anti-Muslim posts on Elon Musk's X platform since the US and Israel began their joint war on Iran on 28 February, a social media monitor revealed on Monday. The Washington, DC-based Center for the Study of Organized Hate (CSOH) said it tracked posts that explicitly dehumanised, excluded, and incited violence against Muslims from 1 January to 5 March. On the day the war began, the volume of such posts surged from just under 2,000 per day to more than 6,000, the report said.  The group only looked at posts originating in the US that targeted US Muslims, CSOH told Middle East Eye.  The reach of the posts was the most concerning, the report said. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); "Reposts dramatically amplify the visibility of harmful content, allowing it to spread far beyond the original accounts that generated it." With reposts included, "the total mention volume of Islamophobic content rises to 279,417, representing an 11-fold amplification of the harmful original posts".  By 5 March, the report noted a definitive decline in such posts, but added that "the underlying conditions that fueled this surge remain firmly in place".  The content examined by CSOH encompassed a wide swath that included everything from personal hate-fuelled opinions to calls for lawmakers to institute strict anti-Muslim policy, including a "Muslim Exclusion Act" and the deportation of all Muslims.  Since the Trump administration swept to power in January 2025, hardline Republicans such as Congressman Randy Fine and Senator Tommy Tuberville, as well as conservative pundits like Laura Loomer, have at various levels all engaged in calls to target, isolate and remove Muslims in the US.  (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); 'Genocidal rhetoric' A "significant indicator of escalation risk" is the scale of posts that refer to Muslims as "rats", "pests", "vermin", and "parasites", CSOH said.  "Such language has historically preceded and enabled the most extreme forms of violence against targeted communities," the report noted.  Trump's 'fine' with another religious leader ruling Iran Read More » Other posts framed Muslims as an "infestation", portraying them as a spreading contagion threatening American cities and institutions, thereby needing to be eradicated, CSOH said.  The report further highlighted what it deemed clear calls to use violence against Muslims, describing such posts as within the frame of "self-defense or civilizational survival, lending a veneer of patriotic duty to the genocidal rhetoric".  As part of its study, CSOH said it reported 30 posts to X support in the categories of "Violent Speech" and "Hate, Abuse or Harassment". Only 11 were removed, with the other 19 remaining on the platform as of 9 March, the report showed.  Muslims especially face an enforcement gap on X because of "a critical disconnect between platform policies and their application", CSOH said.  Given the volume of anti-Muslim posts, the report recommended that social media platforms across the board establish "Trusted Flagger status" for Muslim civil rights organisations, along with a dedicated reporting channel for flagging mass incitement and threats. Civil society groups, law enforcement agencies, and community leaders must also step up their own monitoring mechanisms to help them better engage with political leaders and "support more informed responses to online narratives and incidents that have the potential to translate into violence targeting Muslims".  CSOH also strongly urged elected officials to take responsibility for their rhetoric. "Language that conflates a military confrontation with a religious or civilizational struggle, or draws on Christian nationalist narratives, risks inflaming domestic hostility toward minority communities," the report said. That's despite most lawmakers who engage in such language doubling down on their stance, given that the Trump administration and the Republican-controlled Congress have thus far shown no interest in standing up for Muslim communities, or even for non-Judeo-Christian religious freedoms. War on Iran News Post Date Override 0 Update Date Mon, 05/04/2020 - 21:19 Update Date Override 0

WHO warns Iran war poses growing public health risks The head of the World Health Organization has warned that the US-Israeli war on Iran is creating serious public health risks across the region. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said damage to petroleum facilities in Iran could contaminate food, water and air, posing particular dangers to children, older people and those with existing health conditions. “Rain laden with oil has been reported falling in parts of the country,” Tedros said in a post. He also said the violence is affecting healthcare services in Lebanon, where nine health workers have been killed since 28 February.

What is the US endgame in Iran, as the war escalates?  Al Jazeera

The son of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei will now leader Iran through the biggest crisis in the country's modern history.

The war reveals Britain’s exposure to volatile fossil fuel prices. More North Sea drilling will not shield households, building domestic green energy will What should Britain do when war in the Middle East sends energy prices soaring? If the strait of Hormuz were blocked for the month of fighting that Donald Trump predicts, British households could face another brutal cost of living shock. Goldman Sachs warns of prices at the pump rising to 2022 levels. That would put more than 50p on each litre in the tank. Prolonged disruption to global gas supplies could see energy bills in the UK rise by £900 to £2,500 a year. Such uncertainty strengthens the case for going big on clean energy. Ed Miliband, the energy secretary, has grasped this reality. By contrast, the Conservatives and Reform UK are doubling down on domestic fossil fuel extraction. The debate is framed around a simple claim of energy security: drill more at home. But the argument is rhetorical. Britain might export a bit more crude and have a smidgen more gas. But it would still need to import refined fuels and liquefied natural gas (LNG). Households would remain exposed to global energy shocks. Clean electricity, by contrast, cuts gas demand and reduces exposure to volatile markets. The political pressures are jobs, tax revenues and the economies of Scotland and north-east England tied to a declining asset. Continue reading...

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Putin urges Russian firms to capitalise on energy market turmoil Russian President Vladimir Putin said Russian companies should “take advantage” of the current situation as the war disrupts global oil and energy markets. Speaking at a meeting in the Kremlin, Putin said the US-Israeli has triggered a worldwide energy crisis and warned that oil production relying on transport through the Strait of Hormuz could soon come to a halt. He added that Russia would be ready to supply European buyers if they were willing to engage in “long-term work without politics”. Putin also said Moscow would continue providing energy resources to what he called “reliable partners”.

Four years after world sport rushed to ban Russia for invading Ukraine, the leading governing bodies are reacting guardedly to the US-led attack on Iran, raising accusations of double standards. Both wars broke out immediately after the end of a Winter Olympics -- and before the start of the subsequent Paralympics and ahead of a summer World Cup. Russian tanks rolled into Ukraine four days after the closing ceremony of the 2022 Beijing Winter Games. US and Israeli bombs started falling on Iran six days after the flags came down on the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics.

Iran says Americans should blame Israel for economic impact In a post on X, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said: “Iran does not want to harm ordinary Americans who overwhelmingly voted to end involvement in costly foreign wars.” He added that rising fuel prices and other economic pressures in the US should be blamed on Israel and its allies in Washington.