News

US spent $5.6 billion on munitions in first two days of Iran war, Trump administration says US President Donald Trump's administration said it used $5.6 billion in munitions during the first two days of strikes against Iran in a report provided to US congressional committees, a source familiar with the information said on Tuesday. Members of Congress have expressed concern that the conflict will deplete US military stocks at a time when the defence industry is already struggling to keep up with demand.

Hezbollah's strategy banks on Iranian clerics surviving war  The Jerusalem Post

Calif. gas surges past $5 as Iran war jolts oil markets. When will relief come?  SFGATE

Iran live updates: Russia told Trump it isn't sharing US military asset intelligence with Iran, Witkoff says  abcnews.com

U.S., Israel launch heaviest strikes on Iran as markets bet war will end soon  Honolulu Star-Advertiser

Q&A: What does the Iran war mean for the energy transition and climate action?  Carbon Brief

‘Our hearts were shaking’: Tehran endures night of heavy Israel, US bombing  Al Jazeera

What Trump’s War With Iran Has Already Cost Taxpayers  Forbes

The war has sent oil prices surging, upending global travel and pushing airline ticket costs on some routes sky-high.

How the Iran war has put the small island of Cyprus abruptly on Europe's security radar  CBS News

submitted by /u/Playful_Leg7143 to r/worldnews [link] [comments]

The latest attacks come a day after bombing of fuel reserves created thick plumes of smoke that turned day into night.

1,270 killed in Iran, 486 in Lebanon as war deaths mount across Middle East  Telegraph India

‘It’s so impossible to live with’: Former Goldman Sachs CEO Blankfein says the Iran war won’t last long  Fortune

U.S.-Israel war with Iran intensifying on Day 11: What to know  CBS News

Trump reportedly wants to seize Iran's Kharg Island. He floated the idea 40 years ago MEE staff on Tue, 03/10/2026 - 15:51 Trump called for the US to take over the key Iranian oil export hub as early as 1988 This handout image, captured by the Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellite, shows a view of Iran's Kharg Island, on 2 March 2026 (European Space Agency/AFP) Off US President Donald Trump mulled over taking over Iran’s oil-export hub Kharg Island as a way to assert US power in the Gulf and punish the Islamic Republic. The idea came to him nearly 40 years ago. “I’d be harsh on Iran. They’ve been beating us psychologically, making us look [like] a bunch of fools,” Trump told the Guardian in 1988. “One bullet shot at one of our men or ships, and I’d do a number on Kharg Island. I’d go in and take it,” he added. The interview is notable now as several news sites have reported US and Israeli discussions about seizing the island, where Iran exports around 90 percent of its crude. Axios reported that the US and Israel held discussions about seizing Kharg Island last week. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); The 1988 Guardian interview demonstrates that this idea is not new. In the interview, he also said that "It’d be good for the world to take them (Iran) on".  Trump’s comments then came against the backdrop of the Iran-Iraq War, a brutal conflict against Saddam Hussein’s Iraq and the Islamic Republic, which saw around 500,000 people killed. In the late 1980s, the US Navy escorted vessels through the Strait of Hormuz and attacked Iranian oil installations and mines. Trump’s hostility to Iran can be traced back to the Guardian interview. “Iran can’t even beat Iraq, yet they push the United States around. It’d be good for the world to take them on,” he said. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); A complex history  Like many Americans of his generation, Trump’s view on Iran was shaped by the 1979 overthrow of the US-backed shah, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. The popular uprising led to the establishment of the Islamic Republic of Iran. In November 1979, 66 Americans were taken hostage from the US embassy in Tehran. Fourteen were released early, and the remaining 52 were held for over 400 days. Tensions soar as Hegseth and Rubio feud over US troops in Iran Read More » The US’s history with Iran, however, is much more complicated. The US and Israel, in fact, sold Iran weapons during its war with Iraq, viewing Hussein’s secular Arab government as a bigger foe than the Islamic Republic. Some sales were part of the Iran-Contra affair, where proceeds were illegally used to support anti-Marxist rebels in Nicaragua. The Trump administration has long noted the US president’s statements from the 1980s, for example, in support of tariffs, as proof that he is deeply committed to his positions. The US-Israel war on Iran has led to the worst energy crisis since the 1970s Arab oil embargo, which Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries said was done in response to US support for Israel during the 1973 Arab-Israeli War. Roughly 20 percent of the world’s oil and natural gas supplies pass through the Strait of Hormuz, which is effectively closed to all but the most intrepid vessel owners. Bloomberg reported that Iran was still loading oil at Kharg Island as late as Saturday, one week after the beginning of the US-Israeli attack, but that it was not clear if it was still operating. War on Iran News Post Date Override 0 Update Date Mon, 05/04/2020 - 21:19 Update Date Override 0

LONDON, March 10 (Reuters) - British warship HMS Dragon departed for the Eastern Mediterranean on Tuesday, more than a week after Britain's air base in Cyprus was attacked by a drone in the aftermath of the United States and Israel launching attacks against Iran. Britain's government has been criticised for not being able to send a warship to the region sooner, with military vessels from allies Greece and France arriving within days of Iran launching retaliatory attacks across the Gulf.

Iran's MEK plots a US-backed path to power from exile in Albania Elis Gjevori on Tue, 03/10/2026 - 15:30 Long marginal in Iranian politics, the exiled MEK seeks relevance as US and Israel strike Iran Maryam Rajavi, leader of the People's Mujahedin of Iran (MEK), speaks during a demonstration against the Iranian government, in Berlin on 7 February 2026 (John Macdougall/AFP) Off The war on Iran has given an opposition group that has long struggled for relevance in exile a chance to grab the mantle of history and present itself as a ready-made alternative to the Islamic Republic. As Israel and the US began to strike Iran on 28 February, the Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK) swung into action. Maryam Rajavi, the group's 72-year-old leader, announced the formation of what she described as a provisional government tasked with overseeing the fall of the Iranian regime and its replacement with a democratic republic with her at the helm. For more than a decade, 3,000 members of the MEK have lived in a small village outside Albania's capital Tirana, turning the Balkan country into an unlikely outpost of a distant conflict. The group, founded as an Islamist-Marxist student militia in the 1960s, relocated to the village of Manze in 2013 when Albania agreed, at Washington’s request, to accept fighters previously based in Iraq. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Now, there is an opportunity that has long eluded the MEK, one that could lead it out of Albania and back into some kind of relevance. The problem, analysts say, is that the group is far further away from power than it was during the 1979 revolution it played a significant role in.  “The MEK is not a serious alternative to the Islamic Republic. It is a thuggish and corrupt cult that is unpopular inside Iran,” said Thomas Juneau, a professor of Middle East studies at the University of Ottawa. “As long as the Islamic Republic was firmly in power, it was mostly irrelevant for former US (and other western) politicians to support the MEK by attending its events,” he told Middle East Eye. Maryam Rajavi, leader of the MEK, speaks during a demonstration against the Iranian government, in Berlin on 7 February 2026  (John Macdougall/AFP) The US designated the MEK a terrorist organisation in 1997 before removing it from the list in 2012.  (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Despite the controversy surrounding the group, which was cracked down on by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini after the revolution and went on to fight for Saddam Hussein's Iraq, the MEK gained international attention in 2002 when it revealed the existence of a previously undisclosed Iranian uranium-enrichment programme. A role in the current conflict?  Iran has experienced repeated waves of protests in recent decades. Yet the opposition has remained fragmented, both inside and outside the country, with numerous ideological and political factions competing for influence. The MEK, which began its life as a vehemently anti-American, anti-imperialist group, now stands out in part because of its willingness to cooperate with the US and Israel. This alignment, analysts say, helps explain why it continues to attract attention despite its limited domestic popularity. “This is not happening because people think the MEK will bring democracy or that they have any future,” said Sajjad Safaei, an expert on Iran and the Middle East. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); “In some ways, because the MEK has no future, they are perfect for serving the interests of for instance the United States or Israel,” he told MEE. The organisation remains highly structured and maintains networks among Persian-speaking activists. Its Albanian compound reportedly houses media rooms and communication centres used to monitor Iranian developments and distribute content online. Supporters of Maryam Rajavi take part in a demonstration against the Iranian government, in Berlin on 7 February 2026 (John Macdougall/AFP) “There is this running joke amongst Farsi speakers,” Safaei said. “That whenever you want to dismiss a Twitter or social media account, you always say, just remember that you're talking to an MEK account in Tirana.” Beyond propaganda, analysts believe the group may play a role in shaping narratives supportive of western policy toward Iran. Such activity can create what Safaei describes as a permissive climate that reinforces arguments for military action. But its potential utility may extend further. “So sabotage, espionage, inciting violence, sabotage of nuclear installations, assassinations, they're probably very much involved there, I could imagine,” he said. The MEK has also built a lobbying network in Washington. Last year, supporters in Congress passed a resolution backing Rajavi’s “10-point plan” for Iran, which calls for the country to become a “democratic, secular and non-nuclear state”. Maryam Rajavi (R), former US Vice President Mike Pence (C) and his wife Karen Pence (L) pose for a photograph in the Albanian town of Manza, on 23 June 2022 (Gent Shkullaku/AFP) For Juneau, though, there is a critical distinction to make. While the group may be useful to outside powers, he argues, that does not mean it has a realistic political future inside Iran. “It is crucial to distinguish that role from the delusion that it could play a constructive political role in a post-Islamic Republic Iran,” he said. Gambit for power For years the MEK has cultivated support among western politicians who see it as a useful instrument against Tehran. Among those who have appeared at the group’s events are former British Prime Minister Liz Truss, former US Vice President Mike Pence, Joe Lieberman, a former senator, former national security adviser John Bolton, former House speaker Newt Gingrich and former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani. Financial disclosures in the US show that some figures were paid substantial speaking fees. Bolton received $40,000 for a speech at a 2017 rally in Paris, while Pence was paid $190,000 for a speech delivered in Albania in 2022. Iran's Jews feeling fear and heartbreak as US-Israeli strikes rain down Read More » “Now that the fall of the Islamic Republic is conceivable, it becomes essential for western governments to take the issue of a post-Islamic Republic Iran seriously,” said Juneau. The renewed speculation about so-called "regime change" has also intensified rivalries among exiled Iranian opposition figures, and the knives are out. Giuliani, a close ally of the MEK, attacked Reza Pahlavi on X on 1 March. “Reza Pahlavi is the heir to a regime of corruption and brutality imposed by outsiders on the Iranian people,” Giuliani wrote, adding that the son of the shah had lived “a life of a self proclaimed 'prince' supported by the money stolen from the people”. Mike Pompeo, a former US secretary of state, also weighed in, writing that “Iran's democratic opposition is ready to step up and lead”, while quoting Rajavi. Even so, Washington has not officially endorsed the group. “The past shows ample precedents of US support for groups with little or no legitimacy in countries it invades can have negative consequences,” Juneau said. War on Iran News Post Date Override 0 Update Date Mon, 05/04/2020 - 21:19 Update Date Override 0

Oil prices sank and equities pushed higher Tuesday following a wild day of swings that came after President Donald Trump signalled that the US-Israeli war on Iran could end sooner than thought. International oil benchmark, Brent North Sea crude, plunged 9.6 percent to $89.44 a barrel, a day after it neared $120. The drop in oil prices gathered pace as member states of the International Energy Agency met for crisis talks to assess "the current security of supply" and the potential release of emergency stocks.

While tourists and non-essential diplomats scramble to leave the Gulf as Iran retaliates across the region for US and Israeli airstrikes, many expatriates in the glittering hubs of Dubai and other Gulf cities are sitting tight. Several told AFP that, although work and leisure routines were disrupted by the frequent launches of Iranian missiles and drones, they felt it was safe enough to stay -- and hope for a speedy end to the war. - 'Unsettling' but 'calm' reigns -