News

Qatar launches emergency aid for displaced families in Lebanon Qatar has launched an urgent humanitarian response to support more than 40,500 families displaced by escalating military violence in Lebanon, the Embassy of Qatar in Lebanon said. “In light of the sharp military escalation in the sisterly Republic of Lebanon and the resulting massive displacement, the State of Qatar has announced an urgent humanitarian response to support affected families,” the embassy said in a statement. The aid, provided through the Qatar Fund for Development with Qatar Charity and the Qatar Red Crescent Society, includes more than 12,000 food baskets as well as blankets, mattresses and hygiene kits. A family break their fast at iftar during Ramadan, as they sit on the street where they have been living following an escalation between Hezbollah and Israel amid the US-Israeli war with Iran, in Beirut, Lebanon, 10 March, 2026. (Reuters/Claudia Greco)

The impacts of the conflict have been compared to Russia’s war on Ukraine, which pushed prices up for British households

President Macron has criticised the onslaught and questioned the war's legality but ultimately blamed Iran.

TEHRAN, Mar. 12 (MNA) – The Quds Force of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) has said that its force will open the gates of fire on Israel and US, denouncing the aggressors for their ongoing unprovoked aggression against Iran.

‘Boom Boom’ US propaganda vs. the emerging Iran war reality  CNN

TEHRAN, Mar. 12 (MNA) – International figures and scholars have condemned the Israeli-American war of aggression against the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Iran War Live Updates: Oil Tops $100 a Barrel as Attacks Spread Across Middle East  The New York Times

Live updates: Oil price spikes again as Iran ship attacks surge  NBC News

‘This is not a war about whose military is better, bigger or more powerful.’

Spotlight - US war on Iran: 'An American war in desperate search of a strategy'  France 24

Italy joins IEA oil reserve release with 9 million barrels Italy will contribute with 9 million barrels to a coordinated release of strategic oil reserves, joining other International Energy Agency members, a government source said on Thursday. Asked about the timing, the source said "availability was immediate." The IEA recommended on Wednesday the release of 400 million barrels of oil, the largest such move in its history, to try to restrain soaring crude prices amid the US-Israeli war on Iran.

TEHRAN, Mar. 12 (MNA) – Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has said that the country will take revenge for the US-Israeli attack on the national vital infrastructures.

TEHRAN, Mar. 12 (MNA) – Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf has said that the powerful Armed Forces of the country will retaliate if enemy attacks its infrastructures.

The Middle East conflict has seen oil prices surge as the flow of oil tankers has effectively stopped

TEHRAN, Mar. 12 (MNA) – The head of Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran, Mehdi Taj, said Iran’s women’s national team faced police intervention in Sydney after a match.

Lawmakers express concerns as Trump officials project $50bn more may be needed for Iran war funding.

TEHRAN, Mar. 12 (MNA) – Iran's Government spokeswoman has said that 216 women and 198 children, aged below 18 years, have been martyred following the recent US-Israeli aggression against Iran.

The attack appears to be another Israeli attempted assassination, outside areas traditionally targeted.

In today’s newsletter: Robert Malley, who led talks for the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, helps make sense of the war Good morning, and apologies for the interruption to your usual programming. Stepping out from behind the editing desk to write today’s newsletter feels somewhat like a player-manager throwing himself on to the pitch, but I’ll try not to destabilise your morning routine too much. Lord knows, the world doesn’t need any more chaos. Since the US and Israel first attacked Iran two weeks ago, it’s been a scramble to keep up with events. The death of a supreme leader, speculation about his successor, global implications ranging from oil price spikes to drones raining down on once-safe cities like Doha and Dubai – the world has rarely felt so unstable. Iran | Iran dramatically escalated its strategy of striking civilian infrastructure and transport networks across the Gulf on Wednesday, attacking commercial ships and targeting Dubai’s international airport as US and Israeli warplanes launched new waves of strikes on the Islamic Republic. UK news | Keir Starmer overruled officials who warned of a “reputational risk” in making Peter Mandelson US ambassador, despite being handed a dossier of evidence about the peer’s relationship with the sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, documents reveal. Artificial intelligence | Popular AI chatbots helped researchers plot violent attacks, including bombing synagogues and assassinating politicians, with one telling a user posing as a would-be school shooter: “Happy (and safe) shooting!” Oil | The International Energy Agency is poised to call for the largest release of government oil reserves in its history to help calm the oil price shock triggered by the US-Israeli attacks on Iran. UK politics | Keir Starmer warned his cabinet against an “overly deferential” approach to the Welsh, Scottish and Northern Irish governments, telling ministers they should be prepared to make spending decisions “even when devolved governments may oppose this”, according to a leaked memo. Continue reading...