Israel-Iran war updates - March 10: U.S. destroys 16 Iranian mine-laying vessels 'near Strait of Hormuz'

Saudi Arabia said on Wednesday (March 11, 2026) that it had intercepted seven ballistic missiles in separate attacks targeting an air base and its eastern region.

“Six ballistic missiles launched towards Prince Sultan Air Base intercepted and destroyed,” the Saudi defence ministry posted on X, adding in a separate post that it had intercepted another ballistic missile launched “towards the eastern region”.

AFP

Iran has arrested dozens including a foreign national for allegedly spyingfor the country’s “enemies”, the Intelligence Ministry ‌said, amid a continued war with the U.S. and ⁠Israel.

Without identifying the arrested person’s nationality, Iran’s Intelligence Ministry said the foreign national “was conducting espionage on ‌behalf of the United States and Israel, and acting as a proxy for two Gulf countries,” according to state ‌media.

In the past years, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps have arrested dozens of dual nationals and foreigners, ⁠mostly on espionage and security-related charges.

Reuters

The drop in oil prices gathered pace as member states of the International Energy Agency (IEA) met for crisis talks to assess “the current security of supply” and the potential release of emergency stocks.

In a statement following a Paris meeting of G7 energy ministers, IEA executive director Fatih Birol said he was “in close contact” with energy ministers from key energy producers and consumers regarding the situation.

Oil prices plunge to $87.8 per barrel as IEA eyes emergency release with Strait of Hormuz in focus

Oil prices drop to $87.80 amid International Energy Agency's emergency talks and focus on the critical Strait of Hormuz amidst the ongoing Iran-Israel conflict.

The UAE issued an alert early Wednesday (March 11, 2026) stating that their air defence systems are currently dealing with “incoming missile and drone threats” from Iran. 

They urged the public to adhere to safety and security instructions.

French ‌President Emmanuel Macron will host ⁠a video call ‌with other ‌G7 ‌country ⁠leaders on Wednesday (March 11, 2026) ⁠to discuss the impact ‌of the conflict in the ‌Middle East on energy and measures ⁠to address the ‌situation, the Elysee said.

The ‌call will take place at ⁠7.30 p.m. Indian time (1400 GMT).

Reuters

North Korea said on Wednesday (March 11, 2026) ⁠it strongly ‌denounces ‌acts ‌of ⁠aggression ⁠by the U.S. and Israel ‌of “illegal” attacks against Iran, ‌which are destroying peace ⁠and escalating ‌instability worldwide, KCNA state news ‌agency said.

Reuters

Israel has rejected diplomatic overtures by ‌Lebanon to halt its ⁠escalating offensive against the Hezbollah militant group, ‌demanding negotiations only take place “under ‌fire,” the ‌ Financial ⁠ Times reported ⁠on Tuesday (March 10, 2026), citing three people with knowledge of ‌the matter.

The talks have not materialised because of ‌disagreements over sequencing, with Beirut demanding there ⁠be a “cessation of fire” before any ‌meeting takes place and the Israeli government wanting only to discuss ‌the possibility of a cessation, the newspaper said.

Reuters

U.S. ‌President Donald Trump has said the ‌U.S. had ‌hit ‌and “completely destroyed” ⁠10 ⁠inactive mine-laying vessels, warning that ‌more would follow after he ‌earlier told Iran to remove ⁠any mines ‌it may have placed in the ‌Strait of Hormuz.

“I am pleased to report that within the last few hours, we have hit, and completely destroyed, 10 inactive mine laying boats and/or ships, with more to follow! President DONALD J. TRUMP,” he wrote in a post on Truth Social.

U.S. military destroys at least 16 Iranian mine-laying vessels ‘near Strait of Hormuz’

U.S. military destroys 16 Iranian mine-laying vessels near the Strait of Hormuz amid rising tensions and warning from President Trump.

Iran’s U.N. ‌Ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani has said that U.S. ‌and Israeli airstrikes ‌on Iran ‌have ⁠destroyed ⁠nearly 10,000 civilian sites, including 65 ‌schools and educational institutions and almost 8,000 ‌homes since the war began ⁠on February 28.

He ‌also repeated a previous death toll that ‌the strikes had killed more than ⁠1,300 civilians.

Reuters

The White House has said that President Donald Trump would not be “happy” if Russia is sharing intelligence with Iran during the war, but it held back any strong criticism for Moscow.

The Washington Post reported on Friday (March 6, 2026) that Moscow had passed sensitive intelligence to Tehran, including the locations of U.S. warships and aircraft in the region.

“The president and his special envoy (Steve) Witkoff have both said that, of course, they’ve sent a message to Russia that if that was taking place, it’s not something they would be happy with and they hope that it is not taking place,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told a briefing.

Iran has accused Israel of killing four of its diplomats in a strike on March 8 on a seafront hotel in Beirut, according to a letter addressed to the United Nations chief.

“In the early hours of Sunday, 8 March 2026, the Israeli regime carried out a deliberate terrorist attack against the Ramada Hotel in Beirut, which resulted in the assassination and martyrdom of four diplomats of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” Tehran’s permanent mission to the UN said.

The Israeli military had previously claimed responsibility for the attack.

AFP

President Donald ‌Trump has told Iran ⁠to remove any mines ‌it may have ‌placed ‌in the ⁠Strait of ⁠Hormuz, warning that if Tehran did ‌not it would face military consequences ‌at a level not seen ⁠before.

He added that the ‌United States had no reports of Iran placing ‌any mines in the stretch of ⁠water.

Reuters

The American public will see oil and gas ‌prices drop rapidly, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said, once the objectives of the joint Israeli-U.S. air war against Iran ‌are fully achieved.

“Rest assured, to the American people, the recent ‌increase in oil and gas prices ‌is ⁠temporary, and this operation ⁠will result in lower gas prices in the long term,” she said.

Reuters

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday (March 10, 2026) called for a swift de-escalation in West Asia in a call with his Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian, the Kremlin said.

The call came as the U.S. and Israel, and Iran maintain a cycle of retaliatory strikes, including on neighbouring Gulf nations.

“The Russian President reaffirmed his principled position in favour of a swift de-escalation of the conflict and its resolution through political means. Pezeshkian thanked Russia for its support, particularly for providing humanitarian aid to Iran,” the Kremlin said without giving further details. 

PTI

Three explosions were heard in Tehran on Tuesday evening (March 10, 2026), with no immediate information available about the intended targets.

AFP

Israel will allocate a special ‌budget of tens of ⁠billions of shekels for extra ‌defence spending to finance the ‌air war ‌with ⁠Iran, Prime ⁠Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich ‌said in a joint statement on Tuesday (March 10, 2026).

Mr. Smotrich said ‌the cabinet was meeting on Tuesday ⁠night to approve the special ‌war budget. “This is not an expense, it’s an investment,” he said.

Mr. Netanyahu ‌said that data show Israel’s economy was ⁠very strong despite more ⁠than two years ‌of wars.

Reuters

The Pentagon says that about 140 U.S. service members have been wounded in the 10 days of conflict with Iran.

“The vast majority of these injuries have been minor, and 108 service members have already returned to duty,” Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said in an emailed statement. Eight U.S. service members are currently “severely injured,” he added.

The new figure is the first insight into the broader toll of injuries that have been sustained by U.S. troops.

About 140 U.S. service members wounded since start of Israel-Iran war: Pentagon

Pentagon reports around 140 U.S. service members wounded in Israel-Iran conflict, with most injuries being minor.

The United States has not ‌yet escorted any oil ⁠tankers or vessels through the ‌Strait of Hormuz, White House ‌Press ‌Secretary ⁠Karoline Leavitt ⁠told reporters on Tuesday (March 10, 2026).

Ms. Leavitt was responding to a ‌question about why U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris ‌Wright deleted a post on X ⁠earlier in the day in ‌which he said the U.S. Navy had successfully escorted an ‌oil tanker through the strait “to ensure oil ⁠remains flowing to global ⁠markets.

U.S. Navy has not yet escorted ships through Strait of Hormuz: White House on Energy Secretary’s now-deleted post

The White House clarifies the U.S. has not escorted ships through the Strait of Hormuz, contradicting a deleted Energy Secretary post.

The United States ⁠has asked ‌Israel ‌to ‌halt ⁠strikes ⁠on Iran’s energy ‌infrastructure, Axios reported on ‌Tuesday (March 10, 2026), citing three ⁠sources ‌familiar with the ‌matter.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt on Tuesday (March 10, 2026) said the U.S. military is moving to dismantle Iran’s missile production infrastructure.

The Iranian Navy have been as “combat ineffective” amid the escalating West Asia conflict, she said in a press briefing.

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Tuesday evening (March 10, 2026) held a “detailed” conversation with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on the developments in the West Asia conflict.

“We agreed to remain in touch,” he said in a post on X.

Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Iran, Esmaeil Baqaei, honoured the fallen sailors of the Denafrigate, who died on 4 March.

Nearly 1,000 Indian nationals stranded in Qatar were flown to New Delhi, Mumbai and Kochi today amid the ongoing conflict in West Asia, the Indian mission in Doha said.

The Indian Embassy in Doha coordinated with Qatar Airways to facilitate the travel of stranded Indian nationals and emergency cases, it said in an update on X.

“About 1,000 Indian passengers travelled to New Delhi, Mumbai and Kochi on Qatar Airways flights on March 10,” the mission said, thanking the airline for “giving priority to cases on humanitarian grounds”.

It added that one flight of Qatar Airways is scheduled for New Delhi tomorrow.

-PTI

The three B-1 bombers took off just hours after the U.S. defence secretary said today would bring the most intense strikes yet on Iran.

Britain initially refused U.S. requests to use bases there for the war, angering Donald Trump. U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer later said the bases could be used for attacks on Iran’s missile program but not other targets.

The British destroyer HMS Dragon also sailed today from Portsmouth toward the eastern Mediterranean to help defend Cyprus after an Iranian-made drone struck the U.K.’s air base there.

-AP

The Iranian army said today it had targeted a military and an intelligence site in Israel, as the warring sides pressed attacks for an 11th day.

“The army, using attack drones, struck a military centre in Haifa and the reception centre for spy satellites,” it said in a statement.

The military centre “plays a key role in arms production and is of major strategic importance for strengthening the enemy’s combat capabilities”, added the statement carried by Tasnim news agency.

-AFP

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar today spoke to his German and South Korean counterparts as New Delhi ramps up diplomatic efforts to navigate the fallout of the West Asia crisis, especially on the energy supplies.

Global oil and gas prices have surged after Iran virtually blocked the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow shipping lane between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, that handles roughly 20 per cent of global oil and LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas).

Following his conversation with German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul, Jaishankar said the ongoing conflict in West Asia was discussed.

“Exchanged views with FM @JoWadephul of Germany on the ongoing conflict in West Asia,” he said on social media.

Jaishankar said he and South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun discussed the situation in West Asia, including its implications on the energy sector.

“Discussed advancing our bilateral agenda. As also the situation in West Asia, including its energy implications,” the external affairs minister said.

In a post on X, Cho hoped that this year’s high-level exchanges would elevate Korea-India relations to a new level.

-PTI

Lebanon’s government said that nearly 760,000 people had been registered as displaced since the outbreak of the new war between Israel and Hezbollah.

In an updated figure, the government’s disaster management unit said the total number of people who registered their names on a website affiliated with the social affairs ministry reached 759,300, including 122,600 people staying in government shelters.

-AFP

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy ‌said ⁠that Kyiv had sent air ‌defence experts to Qatar, ‌Saudi ‌Arabia ⁠and the ⁠UAE amid Iran’s aerial attacks on those ‌countries.

During a question and answer session ‌with the President on WhatsApp, his ⁠communications advisor also told ‌reporters that Ukrainian specialists had been deployed to ‌a U.S. military base in Jordan, without ⁠giving details.

-Reuters

Iran launched a new salvo of missiles today at Israeli cities, including Tel Aviv and U.S. targets in the region, the Revolutionary Guards said, as fighting between the foes showed no signs of letting up.

The latest salvo utilised “strategic” missiles, including some of the most powerful in Iran’s arsenal, such as the Fattah, Emad and Khaibar missiles, the Guards said in their statement.

-AFP

Russian President Vladimir Putin called for de-escalation in the Iran conflict during a phone call on Tuesday with his Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian, the Kremlin said.

“The President of Russia reaffirmed his principled position in favour of a speedy de-escalation of the conflict and for it to be resolved through political means,” the Kremlin said in its readout of the call.

“Pezeshkian thanked Russia for its support, particularly for providing humanitarian aid to Iran,” the Kremlin added, confirming Moscow has sent assistance to its ally Tehran.

-AFP

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has sent a letter to the new Iranian Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, conveying condolences on the death of his father, while also congratulating him on assuming the new responsibilities.

According to a statement, the Prime Minister reiterated the “deepest condolences and prayers of the people of Pakistan at this solemn moment for the brotherly people of Iran and the wider Muslim Ummah”.

He noted that the “martyrdom of Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei had deeply saddened the people of Pakistan, who stand in solidarity with the leadership and people of Iran during this difficult time”.

- PTI

Russian President Vladimir Putin called for de-escalation in the Iran conflict during a phone call on Tuesday (March 10, 2026) with his Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian, the Kremlin said.

“The President of Russia reaffirmed his principled position in favour of a speedy de-escalation of the conflict and for it to be resolved through political means,” the Kremlin said in its readout of the call.

“Pezeshkian thanked Russia for its support, particularly for providing humanitarian aid to Iran,” the Kremlin added, confirming Moscow has sent assistance to its ally Tehran.

- AFP

Iran launched a new salvo of missiles on Tuesday (March 10, 2026) at Israeli cities including Tel Aviv and US targets in the region, the Revolutionary Guards said, as fighting between the foes showed no signs of letting up.

The latest salvo utilised “strategic” missiles, including some of the most powerful in Iran’s arsenal, such as the Fattah, Emad and Khaibar missiles, the Guards said in their statement.

- AFP

The Lebanese and Syrian Presidents agreed on Tuesday (March 10, 2026) on the need to step up control over their shared frontier following a pair of incidents involving cross-border fire.

Lebanon’s Joseph Aoun and Syria’s Ahmad al-Sharaa agreed during a phone call that “the current sensitive situation requires enhancing coordination and consultation... especially with regard to the necessity of controlling the border”, a Lebanese presidency statement said.

Mr. Sharaa also “expressed his support for the Lebanese president’s efforts to disarm Hezbollah and spare the region the repercussions of the current conflict”, according to a statement from the Syrian presidency.

- AFP

U.S. 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 U.S. congressional committees, a source familiar with the information said on ‌Tuesday (March 10, 2026).

Members of Congress, who may soon have to ‌approve additional funding for the ‌war, ⁠have expressed concern that the ⁠conflict will deplete U.S. military stocks at a time when the defence industry was already struggling ‌to keep up with demand. Trump met executives from seven defence contractors on Friday as the Pentagon ‌worked to replenish supplies.

The administration has not provided a public assessment of the cost ⁠of the conflict it launched on Feb. 28, along with ‌ally Israel.

- Reuters

.S. ‌special envoy Steve Witkoff, ⁠a top ‌adviser to ‌President ‌Donald ⁠Trump, ⁠said in a CNBC interview ‌on Tuesday (March 10, 2026) that he ‌probably will travel ⁠to Israel next week ‌to coordinate on ‌Iran war plans.

- Reuters

Ukrainian military experts are due this week in Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, President Volodymyr Zelensky told journalists on Tuesday (March 10, 2026), where they will share expertise on downing Iranian drones.

“The first three countries to which we sent them, according to our agreements, are Qatar, the Emirates, and Saudi Arabia,” Mr. Zelenskyy said in an audio message sent to reporters.

- AFP

Iran’s parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf warned on Tuesday (March 10, 2026) that any attack on the Islamic republic’s infrastructure would result in a tit-for-tat response.

“The enemy should know that whatever they do, undoubtedly it will have a proportionate and immediate response,” Mr. Ghalibaf wrote on X, more than a week into the West Asian war that began with U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran.

“We today go with the rule of ‘an eye for an eye’, without compromise, without exception,” he said. “If they start a war on infrastructure, we will undoubtedly target infrastructure.”

- AFP

Israel is not seeking an endless war with Iran and will coordinate with the United States on ⁠when to end the fighting, Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said on Tuesday (March 10, 2026), declining to publicly state a timeline for when the conflict could end.

“We will continue until the ⁠minute that we and our partners think that is appropriate to stop,” Mr. Saar told journalists in Jerusalem alongside his German counterpart.

“We are not looking for an endless war,” he said.

- Reuters

Denmark and the Netherlands announced Tuesday that they are relocating their respective embassy staff in Tehran to Azerbaijan.

The move follows Spain, Austria and Italy, which are among the countries to have temporarily closed and relocate their embassies to Baku in recent days as the US-Israel war on Iran continues.

“Due to the growing security risks for our employees, it has been decided to temporarily transfer the activities of the Dutch embassy in Iran to Baku, Azerbaijan,” Dutch Foreign Minister Tom Berendsen said on X.

“If the security situation allows, we will decide when and in what form our embassy in Iran can resume its activities in Tehran,” he added.

-AFP

Fresh Israeli strikes hit Beirut’s southern suburbs and south Lebanon today after the Israeli army warned people to evacuate and the United Nations said 100,000 people had been displaced in a single day.

Lebanon was drawn into the Middle East war last week when Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah attacked Israel in response to the killing of Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in U.S.-Israeli strikes.

Israel, which kept up strikes targeting Hezbollah despite a 2024 ceasefire, has since launched waves of attacks across Lebanon and sent ground troops into border areas.

“Israeli warplanes launched a raid... on the southern suburbs” of Beirut, Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency said.

AFPTV footage showed smoke rising from the area, where Hezbollah holds sway, while the Israeli military said it began “striking Hezbollah infrastructure” there.

-AFP

Iran’s Intelligence ‌Ministry has arrested a foreign ⁠national it said was conducting ‌espionage on behalf ‌of the ‌United ⁠States ⁠and Israel, and acting as a ‌proxy for two Gulf countries, state media ‌cited the Ministry as saying.

The Ministry also said ‌it had arrested 30 spies, internal mercenaries, and ‌operational agents of Israel and the ⁠U.S. over the ⁠past few days.

- Reuters

Fresh Israeli strikes hit Beirut’s southern suburbs and south Lebanon after the Israeli army warned people to evacuate and the United Nations said 100,000 people had been displaced in a single day.

“Israeli warplanes launched a raid... on the southern suburbs” of Beirut, Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency said.

AFPTV footage showed smoke rising from the area, where Hezbollah holds sway, while the Israeli military said it began “striking Hezbollah infrastructure” there.

- AFP

Denmark has ‌temporarily closed its Teheran Embassy ⁠due to safety concerns ‌over the U.S.-Israeli ‌war ‌on ⁠Iran, Danish ⁠Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said .

“The security situation is too ‌tense for us to ⁠keep the embassy open,” Mr. Rasmussen ‌told reporters.

He added that Denmark’s move ‌was in line with that of several ⁠other European ⁠countries.

- Reuters

Iran’s Security Council Secretary Ali Larijani responded to Trump’s threat of hitting Iran “20 times harder” if the flow of oil through the Strait of Hormuz is stopped, saying the chokepoint could be a “Strait of defeat” for the U.S. 

“Strait of Hormuz will either be a Strait of peace and prosperity for all or will be a Strait of defeat and suffering for warmongers.” Mr. Larijani posted in social media in English, Arabic, Persian, Mandarin, Russian and French. 

He had earlier reposted Mr. Trump’s post, saying “the Iranian people do not fear your hollow threats; for those greater than you have failed to erase it… So beware lest you be the ones to vanish.” 

The World Health Organization warned that the “black rain” and toxic compounds in the ⁠air in Iran after strikes on oil facilities could cause respiratory problems, and it backed Iran’s advisory urging people to remain indoors. The U.N. health agency, which has an office ‌in Iran and works with authorities on health emergencies, said it has received multiple reports of oil-laden rain this week. Tehran was ‌choked in black smoke on Monday after an oil refinery was hit, ‌in ⁠an escalation in strikes on Iran’s domestic energy supplies as part of ⁠the U.S.-Israeli campaign.

“The black rain and the acidic rain coming with it is indeed a danger for the population, respiratory mainly,” WHO spokesperson Christian Lindmeier told a press briefing in Geneva, adding that Iran had advised people ‌to stay indoors.

- Reuters

Fatih Birol, the executive director of the International Energy Agency, said IEA member government representatives would meet today to assess “the current security of supply and market conditions” amid the U.S.-Israel war on Iran.

“I have convened an extraordinary meeting of IEA member governments, which will take place later today to assess the current security of supply and market conditions to inform a subsequent decision on whether to make emergency stocks of IEA countries available to the market,” Mr. Birol said following a meeting of G7 energy ministers.

Journalists covering the war in the Middle East are facing increasing restrictions and censorship imposed by governments and armed groups, with reporters being stopped and questioned or even detained, a survey of AFP bureau chiefs from the region showed.

Some of the tightest restrictions are in Iran and Israel, although Gulf monarchies, targets of unprecedented drone and missile attacks from Iran, have also imposed tighter controls.

Governments seem particularly concerned about images that disclose the location of missile and drone strikes, or that show projectiles being intercepted.

Obtaining independent information outside of official channels is particularly difficult in Iran, where media access to areas outside the capital Tehran is limited or non-existent.

AFP, one of the few international news outlets with a Tehran bureau, has been unable to visit the scene of the strike on a school in the southern town of Minab, where Iranian authorities say more than 150 people, many of them children, were killed.

-AFP

Iran vowed that not one litre of oil would be exported from the Gulf while the United States and Israel continue their bombardment, as the United Arab Emirates closed its biggest oil refinery after a drone attack.

Oil prices have surged since Iranian attacks on shipping closed the Strait of Hormuz in the wake of a US-Israeli strike that killed Tehran’s supreme leader, but fell back somewhat on Monday when U.S. President Donald Trump suggested the war would soon end.

The price began to rise again today amid more threats and violence, following a week of attacks on oil infrastructure in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the UAE and around the Gulf.

The region’s biggest single-site oil refinery, at Ruwais in the UAE, was closed on Tuesday as a precaution after a drone attack on the industrial complex, which houses it, caused a fire, a source familiar with the situation told AFP.

“The Strait of Hormuz will either be a strait of peace and prosperity for all or will be a strait of defeat and suffering for warmongers,” Iran’s security chief Ali Larijani declared.

-AFP

Israeli strikes and mass evacuation orders have seen nearly 7,00,000 people flee their homes in Lebanon in just over a week, with more than 1,00,000 leaving in 24 hours, the UN said today.

“Lives have been upended on a massive scale,” said Karolina Lindholm Billing, the representative in Lebanon of UNHCR, the United Nations refugee agency.

In just over a week since the new escalation in Lebanon, Israeli air strikes and evacuation warnings to residents of dozens of villages “forced families across Lebanon to flee within minutes”, she told reporters in Geneva, speaking from Beirut.

She said, “more than 667,000 people in Lebanon have now registered on the (Lebanese) government’s online platform as displaced”.

-AFP

A UAE refinery that is one of the world’s largest has halted operations as a “precaution” following a drone attack on the industrial complex housing the facility, a source familiar with the matter told AFP today.

“The Ruwais refinery has halted operations out of precaution,” the source said, requesting anonymity to discuss sensitive matters, after the attack caused a fire in the Ruwais Industrial City where it is based. The source did not say whether the refinery had been hit.

State-owned oil company Adnoc describes its Ruwais facility as “the world’s fourth-largest single-site refinery”.

-AFP

Airspace restrictions in the Middle East amid the Iran war have dealt another blow to Indian airlines, which count the region as ‌a crucial corridor for flights to Europe and the U.S. since Pakistan banned Indian carriers from its airspace last year.

As the war in the Middle East forces flight rescheduling and re-routing, Indian airlines have ⁠limited options because they can’t fly over Pakistan either.

The country’s biggest international carriers, Air India and IndiGo, did not operate 64% of their 1,230 scheduled flights to the Middle East, Europe and North America in the last 10 days, Cirium data shows.

“It is a ‌double whammy for Indian airlines which fly international routes,” said Amit Mittal, an independent aviation expert.

Pakistan has banned Indian carriers from its airspace since last April, following military tensions between the two neighbours.

-Reuters

The last residents of a Christian village on Lebanon’s border with Israel fled the area today, a UN source and an AFP correspondent said, after locals had for days defied an Israeli order to leave.

Fighting flared last week between Israel and Lebanese militant group Hezbollah as part of a wider regional war, prompting the Israeli military to warn people across swathes of southern Lebanon to flee.

But some residents in Christian towns and villages refused to join a mass exodus, with dozens in the Alma al-Shaab area staying put despite the violence.

Fears spiked however after an Israeli strike at the weekend killed one resident.

-AFP

Iraqi authorities are exploring alternative routes to export the country’s oil after transit through the Strait of Hormuz was disrupted by the Middle East war, an Oil Ministry spokesperson said.

Saheb Bazoun said that “much like other countries in the region, oil production and marketing have been severely impacted, leaving the government no choice but to seek alternative” export routes.

Iraq has several oil shipments stuck at sea, he said.

-AFP

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz voiced concern today that the United States and Israel appear to have “no common plan” for bringing the war against Iran “to a swift and convincing end”.

“The United States and Israel have been waging war against Iran for over a week. We share many of these goals, but with each day of the war, more questions arise,” Merz said. “We are particularly concerned that there is apparently no common plan for how this war can be brought to a swift and convincing end.”

-AFP

U.S. and Israeli strikes have hit an airport in southern Iran, damaging part of the site as well as aircraft, local media reported today.

“Following an American-Zionist attack on Kerman Airport, part of it was damaged and two old, out-of-service aircraft were hit,” Iran’s Tasnim news agency said, quoting a statement from the governor’s office in the southern province of Kerman.

It is not clear whether there are any military facilities at or near the site.

-AFP

U.S. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said today attacks on Iran will ramp up with the heaviest strikes since Washington launched the war 10 days ago.

“Today will be yet again our most intense day of strikes inside Iran,” Mr. Hegseth told a news conference at the Pentagon.

-AFP

Read more:

https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/pentagon-chief-says-us-intensifying-strikes-on-iran/article70726969.ece

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A drone attack caused a fire in an industrial zone in the emirate of Abu Dhabi today, UAE authorities said, in an area that houses oil and energy infrastructure.

“Authorities in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi are responding to a fire at a facility within the Ruwais Industrial City, caused by a drone attack. No injuries have been reported so far,” the Abu Dhabi media office said in a statement on X.

Authorities did not say whether any energy infrastructure had been hit.

-AFP

Several loud explosions were heard in the Qatari capital Doha, AFP journalists reported, with the Defence Ministry saying the military had intercepted a missile attack.

The Qatari interior ministry warned people that “the security threat level is high” and called on them to stay indoors.

- AFP

Iran Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in a phone call with his counterpart in Turkiye on March 10, says Iran never launched projectiles to Turkiye and stresses need for vigilance over ‘plots to destroy bilateral ties’ by Israel.- Reuters

Iran’s security chief Ali Larijani dismissed on Tuesday (March 10) threats by U.S. President Donald Trump to hit the country harder if the flow of oil stops through the strategic Strait of Hormuz.

“Iran is not afraid of your empty threats. Even those greater than you could not eliminate the Iranian nation. Take care of yourself not to be eliminated!” said Mr. Larijani in a post on X.- AFP

The Israeli military said on Tuesday (March 10) it had begun a new wave of strikes on Tehran, on the 11th day of the Iran war.

“The IDF has begun a wave of strikes against Iranian terror regime targets in Tehran,” the military said in a brief statement.- AFP

Iran has pressed its attacks against Qatar’s infrastructure, the Gulf state’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Tuesday (March 10), over a week after Iranian drone strikes forced a halt to Qatari gas production.

“The targeting of civilian infrastructure continues... and we rebuke any justification that the Iranians are offering for these attacks,” Qatar’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed al-Ansari said without specifying which civilian facilities had been targeted in Qatar.- AFP

Russia is so far the only winner of the Iran war, EU chief Antonio Costa said on Tuesday (March 10), lamenting that Moscow profited from soaring energy prices sparked by U.S.-Israeli strikes and Tehran’s retaliation.

The diversion of military capabilities -- and attention -- from Ukraine to the West Asia, also benefited Russia, Costa, who presides over the European Council representing the bloc’s member states, said.

“So far, there is only one winner in this war -- Russia,” he told European Union ambassadors in Brussels. “It steadily undermines Ukraine’s position by flouting international law. It gains new resources to finance its war against Ukraine as energy prices rise.”- AFP

A ‌senior Gulf energy industry official ⁠said on Tuesday ‌(March 10, 2026) stopping the Iran ‌war ‌was ⁠the only ⁠option when asked if there ‌were ways of getting oil ‌and gas moving again through ⁠the Strait of ‌Hormuz.

The official spoke on condition of ‌anonymity, given the sensitivity of the ⁠matter. - Reuters.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has ‌offered different options to ⁠mediate and ways to reduce tensions in ‌the Iran conflict and ‌these proposals ‌are still ⁠on the ⁠table, the Kremlin said on Tuesday (March 10, 2026).

Moscow is ‌ready to provide any assistance it can ‌to reduce the tensions in the West Asia, ⁠Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told ‌reporters.

He declined to provide additional details on the specifics of the “considerations” ‌on Iran that Mr. Putin raised on a ⁠call with U.S. President ⁠Donald Trump.- Reuters

Azerbaijan on Tuesday (March 10, 2026) sent humanitarian aid to Iran, appearing to offer an olive branch days after an Iranian drone attack sparked fears of the West Asia war spilling into the Caucasus.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev ordered the armed forces to prepare retaliatory measures, placing them on the highest level of mobilisation, and its diplomats were pulled out of the country.

Iran’s military denied launching the drones and accused Azerbaijan’s ally Israel of staging a provocation.

But in an apparent sign of detente, Azerbaijan’s Emergency Situations Ministry said on Tuesday it had shipped tonnes of food and medicines to Iran “following the telephone conversation on March 8 between the Presidents of Azerbaijan and Iran”.- AFP

Turkey said on Tuesday (March 10, 2026) a Patriot missile defence system was being deployed in the centre of the country, a day after NATO intercepted a second ballistic missile fired from Iran in Turkish airspace.

The move was announced after a phone call between Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Iran’s Masoud Pezeshkian, with the Iranian President denying the missile had been fired from Iran.

“Necessary measures are being taken for the security of our borders and airspace, and consultations are being held with NATO and our allies.

“In addition to the measures we have taken at the national level, NATO has strengthened its air and missile defence measures,” a Turkish Defence Ministry statement said.- AFP

Sirens sounded in Jerusalem on Tuesday (March 10, 2026) after Israel’s military warned of incoming missiles from Iran, AFP journalists reported.

The warning came as the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran entered its 11th day.- AFP

Iraq’s Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani told U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Tuesday (March 10, 2026) that Iraq should not be used as a launch pad for attacks in the West Asia war.

Within hours of the start of the war, fighter jets and missiles coming from every direction filled Iraq’s airspace.

Mr. Sudani stressed in a phone call with Rubio “the importance of ensuring that Iraqi airspace, territory, and waters are not used for any military action targeting neighbouring countries or the region,” the Prime Minister’s media office said.

Mr. Sudani rejected “any attempt to drag the country into ongoing conflicts,” as well as “violations of its airspace by any party.”- AFP

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that Israel’s military offensive against Iran was “not done yet”, saying the operation was degrading Iran’s clerical leadership.

“Our aspiration is to bring the Iranian people to cast off the yoke of tyranny; ultimately, it depends on them. But there is no doubt that with the actions taken so far, we are breaking their bones -- and we are not done yet,” Mr. Netanyahu said during a visit to the National Health Command Centre on Monday (March 9, 2026) night, according to a statement published on Tuesday (March 10, 2026).- AFP

Egypt raised domestic fuel prices by up to 30% on Tuesday (March 10, 2026), blaming “exceptional” global energy pressures caused by the West Asia war, which has disrupted oil supplies and shipping routes.

The increases, announced by the Petroleum Ministry, apply to gasoline, diesel and natural gas used in vehicles.

In a statement, the Ministry said the adjustments were driven by “disruptions in supply chains, rising risk levels and higher maritime shipping and insurance costs”, which have pushed petroleum product prices to “levels not seen in years”.- AFP

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said on Tuesday they targeted a U.S. base in Iraq’s Kurdistan region as the war with the United States and Israel continues.

“The headquarters of the invading U.S. army in Al-Harir Air Base in the Kurdistan region was targeted with five missiles,” the Guards said in a statement on their Telegram channel. 

-AFP

Iranian forces will not allow the export of oil from the region to allies of the United States and Israel as long as the war continues, a Revolutionary Guards spokesman said on Tuesday (March 10, 2026).

“The Iranian armed forces... will not allow the export of a single litre of oil from the region to the hostile side and its partners until further notice,” said Ali Mohammad Naini, according to a report from Iran’s Tasnim news agency.

He said any change would take place based on the conditions of the conflict.- AFP

Germany has temporarily pulled staff from its embassy in ‌Baghdad out of Iraq because of heightened security ⁠risks amid the conflict in the Middle East, a ‌Foreign Ministry spokesperson said late on Monday.

“The ‌personnel of the ‌German ⁠embassy in Baghdad ⁠has now been temporarily relocated from Iraq because of the threat situation,” the ‌spokesperson said, adding that the safety of staff was being continuously assessed.

The ‌embassy remains reachable, though its legal and consular services had already ⁠been severely limited for some time due to the ‌security situation, the spokesperson said.

Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul, speaking in Nicosia, Cyprus, late on Monday, said he ‌had discussed the regional situation with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio. 

-Reuters

Saudi Arabia’s oil giant Aramco reported 2025 profits of $104 billion, down from the year before as the Iran war has seen its fields and facilities targeted.

Aramco released its annual results on Tuesday. It planned to brief investors later in the day as the war that began Feb. 28 has seen Iranian drones and missiles target its facilities.

Aramco, formally known as the Saudi Arabian Oil Co., reported profits of $110 billion in 2024.

Aramco said its 2025 revenues were $445 billion, down from $480 billion in 2024. 

-AFP

Four fighters from the Tehran-backed Kataeb Imam Ali group were killed on Tuesday in air strikes blamed on the U.S. in northern Iraq, the armed faction announced.

The group said its fighters were killed in an “American aggression” on their position in the Debs district in Kirkuk province. 

-AFP

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday that he will waive some sanctions on oil to boost supply and bring down prices, due to market turmoil over war in the Middle East.

The U.S.-Israel strikes on Iran and Tehran’s retaliatory attacks across the Gulf region have upended the world’s energy and transport sectors, virtually halting activity in the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz.

“We’re also waiving certain oil-related sanctions to reduce prices,” Mr. Trump told reporters after talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

He also mentioned Chinese President Xi Jinping.

“We have sanctions on some countries. We’re going to take those sanctions off till this straightens out,” Mr. Trump added.

Mr. Trump did not specify any country or provide details on which sanctions would be lifted.

-AFP

Iran’s Foreign Minister said on Tuesday his country was prepared to continue attacks for as long as necessary and ruled out talks after President Donald Trump said the war with Iran would be over “very soon”.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told U.S. broadcaster PBS News that his country was prepared to continue missile attacks and that negotiations with the United States were no longer on the agenda. 

-AFP

Iran launched new attacks on Tuesday at Gulf Arab countries as it keeps up pressure on the region, while five pro-Iranian militants were killed in an airstrike northern Iraq.

Incoming missile sirens sounded early in the morning in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, while Saudi Arabia said it had destroyed two drones over its oil-rich eastern region and Kuwait’s National Guard said it had show down six drones.

In addition to firing missiles and drones at Israel and American bases in the region, Iran has also been targeting energy infrastructure which, combined with its stranglehold on the Strait of Hormuz, has sent oil prices soaring. 

-AP

​

Watch: Trump warns Iran over Strait of Hormuz, eases sanctions to stabilise supply

U.S. President Donald Trump warned Iran that Washington would respond with stronger strikes if Tehran disrupts oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most critical energy shipping routes. Commercial traffic through the strait has sharply declined amid rising tensions in West Asia. Trump also said the U.S. is easing certain oil-related sanctions to keep global oil supplies stable.

The United Arab Emirates said it was intercepting a drone and missile attack from Iran on Tuesday.

“UAE air defences are currently responding to incoming missile and drone threats from Iran,” the Defence Ministry posted on X.

-AFP

The Oil Ministry has constituted a committee to examine supply issues after a sudden shortage of commercial LPG cylinders alarmed the hospitality sector, with restaurant associations warning that eateries could shut down within days if supplies are not restored.

As the widening conflict in the Middle East disrupted fuel lifelines, including India’s LPG supplies, the government has prioritised domestic cooking gas supplies to households. This has led to supply crunch for hotels and restaurants which use market priced commercial LPG.

“For LPG supply to other non-domestic sectors, a committee of three Executive Directors (EDs) of Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) have been constituted to review the representations for LPG supply to restaurants/hotels/other industries,” the Ministry said in a post on X. 

Oil Ministry sets up panel as commercial LPG shortage hits hospitality sector

Oil Ministry forms panel to address commercial LPG shortages impacting hotels and restaurants amid escalating geopolitical tensions.

French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday pledged to defend Cyprus and dispatch additional warships to the Eastern Mediterranean to strengthen allies’ security in the region unsettled by the Iran war.

Mr. Macron said he was visiting Cyprus primarily to show solidarity with the country, where a Shahed drone struck a British air base on the southern coast last week. It was the first drone attack of the war on European territory. 

“When Cyprus is attacked, it is Europe that is attacked,” Mr. Macron said after talks with his Cypriot counterpart Nikos Christodoulides and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis at Cyprus’ main air base near the southwestern town of Paphos. “We are bound to one another by strategic partnerships.” 

Mr. Macron had ordered the French frigate Languedoc to waters off Cyprus, a fellow European Union member, to bolster its anti-drone and anti-missile defenses. Last week, France also sent ground-based anti-drone and anti-missile defenses. 

-AP

Iranian fired drones towards Saudi Arabia and Kuwait early on Tuesday as the war in the Middle East shows no sign of abating.

The Saudi Defence Ministry said it has destroyed two drones over the kingdom’s oil-rich eastern region, while in Kuwait, the National Guard said it shot down six drones attacking the county’s northern and southern areas. 

Iran’s latest attacks on neighboring Gulf States come as U.S. President Donald Trump sends contradictory signals about how long the war could last, fueling uncertainty that’s causing markets to swing. 

-AFP

​

Crude plunges, stocks rally as Trump says war ‘pretty much’ complete

Oil prices plummet while stocks soar as Trump declares the U.S.-Israel war on Iran is nearing completion.

U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance on Monday attended the dignified transfer ceremony for the seventh soldier killed in the Middle East war.

U.S. Army Sgt. Benjamin Pennington, 26, died March 8 from injuries sustained in a March 1 strike on Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia.

Pennington’s hometown was Glendale, Kentucky, and he was assigned to the 1st Space Battalion, 1st Space Brigade out of Fort Carson, CO.

Mr. Vance, who declined to answer questions from the press, was joined by Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth and General Dan Caine, chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, at Dover Air Force Base in the eastern state of Delaware. 

-AFP

Five players from Iran’s visiting women’s football team claimed asylum in Australia on Tuesday, seeking protection after they were branded “traitors” at home for refusing to sing the national anthem. 

Iranian players fell silent as the anthem played ahead of a tournament match in Australia last week, an act seen as a symbol of defiance against the Islamic republic.

U.S. President Donald Trump was among those urging Australia to offer the players asylum, citing grave fears for their safety if they were forced to board a plane home. 

-AFP

The United States has not approached Taiwan about transfers of weapons to the Middle East, Defence Minister ‌Wellington Koo said on Tuesday, after South Korea said it was ⁠in talks about the possible redeployment of some U.S. Patriot missile systems. 

South Korean Foreign ‌Minister Cho Hyun said on Friday the U.S. and South Korean ‌militaries are discussing the possible redeployment ‌of ⁠some U.S. Patriot missile defence ⁠systems based in South Korea to be used in the war against Iran. 

-Reuters

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said on Tuesday they would “determine the end of the war” in the Middle East after U.S. President Donald Trump said the conflict would end “soon”.

“It is we who will determine the end of the war,” the Guards said in a statement.

“The equations and future status of the region are now in the hands of our armed forces; American forces will not end the war,” the statement added. 

-AFP

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday that the war against Iran could be short-lived, but he left open the possibility of an escalation in fighting if global oil supplies are disrupted by the Islamic Republic, which chose a new hard-line supreme leader. 

“We took a little excursion” to the Middle East “to get rid of some evil. And, I think you will see it is going to be a short-term excursion”, Mr. Trump told Republican lawmakers at his golf club near Miami.

Hours later, Mr. Trump posted on social media: “If Iran does anything that stops the flow of Oil within the Strait of Hormuz, they will be hit by the United States of America TWENTY TIMES HARDER than they have been hit thus far.” The war has choked off major supplies of oil and gas to world markets and sent fuel prices rising across the U.S. The fighting has also led foreigners to flee from business hubs and prompted millions to seek shelter as bombs hit military bases, government buildings, oil and water installations, hotels and at least one school. 

-AP