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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)

In the Middle East, the occupation is the original sin. And those who banked on this US-backed ‘stability’ now find it giving way beneath them A war spiralling in the Middle East. A death toll now in the thousands across Iran and Lebanon. Energy prices soaring. The Gulf seized up with Iranian strikes. It’s one of those eras that feels bewildering, incomprehensible, out of control. But there is, at the heart of it, a simple logic: everything that is unfolding is a result of Israel’s occupation of the Palestinians. As the conflagration spreads, the connection to Palestine becomes obscured. But it is clear how much of the stability of the Middle East was secured at the expense of the Palestinians. Look at the region before 7 October 2023. US policy on the Middle East focused on “integration’’: containment of Iran, signing up more Arab countries to normalise relations with Israel and the creation, therefore, of a bloc of economic and security interests under the US military umbrella. Continue reading...

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Renewable energy projects in Africa that depend on Middle Eastern sovereign wealth funds and state-backed companies will likely press ahead despite the Iran conflict, analysts say, thanks to the continent's surging appetite for power and fuel

The Iran War — The Most Obvious Question Liberal Media Refuses to Ask  Counterpunch

Live Updates: Iran's foreign minister rejects talk of dialogue with U.S. as strikes continue  CBS News

Air India Gets Temporary Pilot Duty Relaxation Amid Mideast War Disruptions  NDTV

Iran launches Sejjil missile for first time in war against US, Israel: 5 key things to know | World News  Hindustan Times

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.

UAE says air defence systems intercepting Iranian missiles and drones The United Arab Emirates' air defence systems were intercepting Iranian missiles and drones on Monday, the Gulf nation's defence ministry said. "UAE air defences are currently responding to incoming missile and drone threats from Iran," the UAE ministry of defence posted on X. Earlier, Dubai authorities said a "drone-related incident" had sparked a fire near the airport and flights had been temporarily suspended.  تتعامل حالياً الدفاعات الجوية الإماراتية مع اعتداءات صاروخية وطائرات مسيرة قادمة من إيران وتؤكد وزارة الدفاع أن الأصوات المسموعة في مناطق متفرقة من الدولة هي نتيجة اعتراض كل من منظومات الدفاع الجوي للصواريخ البالستية، والمقاتلات للطائرات المسيرة والجوالة. pic.twitter.com/o6vej8IqrZ March 16, 2026

Is Israel running low on missile interceptors? How long can it withstand Iran’s retaliatory attacks?  The Conversation

Brent crude oil is trading near the $105 per barrel level as Gulf countries report more attacks by Iran with the war entering its third week

Regional Escalation Deepens as US Casualties Mount in Iraq  streamlinefeed.co.ke

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

The Iran war could trigger deeper economic fallout than markets expect  Euronews.com

Iran's army leader vows 'decisive' retaliation for death of security chief in Israeli strikes  BBC

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

EU scrambles to curb energy costs as Iran war hits markets  Reuters

Iran war should trigger faster exit from fossil fuel dependence, UN climate chief says  Reuters

Iran war reawakens global inflation fears  Financial Times