Trump says Iran war will be ‘short-term excursion’ but won’t end until enemy ‘decisively defeated’

There was no immediate word on casualties or damage, but a statement from the Kuwaiti army said the sound of explosions late on Monday night were from interception efforts.

Hours earlier, Kuwait’s ruling emir gave a speech saying the country has been attacked by a “neighbouring Muslim country,” without naming it.

The emir insisted that Kuwait’s territory, airspace and coasts have not been used in any military operations against that neighbouring country, and “this was repeatedly conveyed through our diplomatic channels.”

The Israeli military said late on Monday night it had launched a wave of « broad strikes » on Tehran, the second of the day.

« For the second time today: the IDF has begun a broad wave of strikes in Tehran…against terror targets, » the military said in a statement.

A powerful explosion and jets were heard overhead in Tehran at midnight local time on Tuesday, reporters in the Iranian capital said.

Several journalists dispersed across the city reported the blast, which was felt from many kilometres away. It was not immediately clear what had been hit.

More details to follow.

Putin’s foreign affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov described the conversation as “frank and businesslike” and said it lasted about one hour.

He said the Russian president “voiced a few ideas aimed at a quick political and diplomatic settlement” of the conflict following his conversations with Gulf leaders and Iran’s president.

Trump offered his assessment of the developing situation, Ushakov said, “in the context of the ongoing US-Israeli operation.”

The two leaders had a “specific and useful” exchange of views and they touched on Venezuela “in the context of the situation in the global oil market,” he said.

Australia has granted asylum to five players in Iran’s visiting women’s football team over fears they faced persecution if they returned home, Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said on Tuesday.

« They are welcome to stay in Australia and they are safe here and should feel at home here, » Burke told reporters.

You can read the full report below.

Pope Leo XIV has expressed « deep sorrow » for victims of the Middle East war, including « many innocent people » and a Lebanese Maronite priest, the Vatican press office told the AFP news agency on Monday.

The pontiff “is following events with concern and praying for a swift end to hostilities,” Vatican spokesperson Matteo Bruni said in a statement.

US President Trump told CBS News on Monday that he believes the war with Iran is « very far ahead of schedule. »

« I think the war is very complete, pretty much, » he said.

« They have no navy, no communications, they’ve got no air force. Their missiles are down to a scatter. Their drones are being blown up all over the place, including their manufacturing of drones. If you look, they have nothing left. There’s nothing left in a military sense. »

Trump is expected to give a press conference in Florida later on Monday, the first time he will take questions from reporters since the war started 10 days ago.

A foreign policy adviser to the office of the supreme leader told CNN on Monday that Iran is prepared for a long war with the United States, ruling out that diplomacy could end the conflict that started 10 days ago.

“I don’t see any room for diplomacy anymore,” said Kamal Kharazi in an interview from Tehran.

“There’s no room unless the economic pressure would be built up to the extent that other countries would intervene to guarantee (the) termination of aggression of Americans and Israelis against Iran.”

The leader of Yemen’s Houthi rebels congratulated Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei on being selected as the new supreme leader in Iran, calling it a “significant achievement in these exceptional circumstances.”

In a statement, Abdul-Malik al-Houthi says the group is supporting Iran “against aggression and tyranny” without saying whether the group would join the war.

Iran has long backed the Houthis, considered the strongest group within Iran’s self-described “Axis of Resistance” that includes Lebanon’s Hezbollah group and Hamas in Gaza.

The Houthis follow a branch of Shia Islam that is almost exclusively found in Yemen.

John Healey said Typhoon jets successfully took out two drones, one over Jordan and the second heading to Bahrain but gave no further details.

He also confirmed that the first US bomber aircraft landed at an airbase in England on Friday, after the UK gave the US permission to use British bases for specific defensive operations.

Healey added on Monday that the destroyer HMS Dragon would set sail for the eastern Mediterranean “in the next couple of days,” where it would join US air defence vessels.

Pakistan has closed all schools for two weeks to save fuel, a move expected to affect about 40 million students in a country of roughly 250 million.

In response to soaring global oil prices, Pakistan is also telling half its state employees to work from home and switching colleges and universities to remote classes.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also announced a 50% cut in free fuel allocation for government vehicles for the next two months.

Government offices, excluding banks, will operate four days a week.

The head of the UN International Maritime Organisation has said at least seven mariners were killed in “recent” attacks on merchant vessels around the Strait of Hormuz.

Arsenio Dominguez spoke on Monday and said several other mariners had been injured, “some of them gravely.”

He did not say who was behind the attacks and urged shipping companies to use “maximum caution” in the region. He said all parties must respect the freedom of navigation.

The head of Hezbollah’s parliamentary bloc Mohamed Raad vowed to continue fighting Israel « whatever the cost » on Monday, in remarks broadcast by Hezbollah’s Al-Manar TV.

Defending his party and blasting the Lebanese government, Raad said the group’s goal is to « to drive the enemy out of our occupied land…And quite plainly, we have no other option to preserve honour, pride and dignity than the option of resistance. »

His address came hours after Lebanese president Joseph Aoun lashed out at the political party and militant group, saying it « wanted to bring about the collapse of the Lebanese state. »

Global shipping company MSC announced on Monday it was formally halting certain export shipments from the Gulf due to the Middle East war and that « all affected cargo will be discharged. »

« In light of the ongoing and exceptional security situation in the Middle East…it is necessary to declare an ‘End of Voyage’ for certain export shipments » from Gulf ports, « whether located ashore or already onboard, » the company said in a customer advisory.

It follows similar announcements from shipping giants like Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd.

Oman’s Sultan Haitham bin Tariq on Monday congratulated Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei on his appointment as Iran’s new supreme leader, the official Oman News Agency reported.

« His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tariq – may God protect and preserve him – sent a cable of congratulations to His Eminence Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei on the occasion of his selection as Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, » the agency said.

Oman was a mediator in recent talks between Iran and the United States, which collapsed during the war triggered by joint US-Israel strikes on Iran.

Hezbollah said on Monday that it had targeted the Israeli Home Front Command base in Ramla, near Tel Aviv, with « advanced missiles » as the war between the pro-Iranian group and Israel hit the one-week mark.

In a statement, the group said it had targeted the base with a « salvo of advanced missiles » in response to « the criminal Israeli aggression that has struck dozens of Lebanese cities and towns and the southern suburbs of Beirut. »

However, any damage to the Isfahan site appears to be minor, said Rafael Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency.

He didn’t say when the site was struck or by which countries’ forces. Satellite images of Iran’s Natanz nuclear facility have also shown damage to buildings and additional damage across the facility’s complex.

“Since the beginning of this campaign, we’ve seen some impacts in Natanz — a couple — and one in Isfahan. Not a very major one, I should say,” Grossi said, speaking to reporters in Paris.

“What we saw was an impact close to one axis, to one of the tunnels there and this is all we saw,” he said.

Iranian state television reported on Monday that the country’s new supreme leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, has been wounded in the war.

It gave no further details about the extent of his injuries or how and where he sustained them.

Mojtaba Khamenei was announced as Iran’s new supreme leader overnight, replacing his father Ali Khamenei who was killed in US-Israeli strikes in the opening salvos of the war on 28 February.

However, he has not been seen in public since the fighting started 10 days ago.

France’s President Emmanuel Macron said on Monday that « profound » changes to Iranian leadership could not occur « through American-Israeli bombings alone », adding that war in the Middle East could continue for « several weeks. »

« I don’t think you can achieve profound regime change or changes in the political system through bombings alone, » Macron said aboard France’s Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier currently stationed in the Mediterranean.

The war triggered by US-Israeli strikes on Iran, « in this intense phase », could last « several days, perhaps several weeks », he said.

France and four other European members of the UN Security Council requested the urgent meeting on Monday as Israeli strikes continued to pound Lebanon since Hezbollah struck Israel in retaliation for the US-Israeli war on Iran.

The United States, which holds the council presidency this month, has not yet scheduled a session on Lebanon.

Israel’s UN ambassador, Danny Danon, said another council meeting would not change the situation on the ground.

“Discussions will not disarm Hezbollah,” he said.

“The Lebanese government must disarm Hezbollah and take full control of southern Lebanon,” Danon said. “If Lebanon does not do so, Israel will disarm Hezbollah to protect its citizens.”

Joseph Aoun told a group of European officials in a video meeting that armed groups in his country had provoked Israel into pummelling Lebanon, saying the militants sprang an “ambush for Lebanon, the Lebanese state, and the Lebanese people.”

Without naming Hezbollah directly, Aoun sharply criticised the Iran-allied militant group, saying it “does not give any weight to the interest of Lebanon or the lives of its people.”

Israel began striking Lebanon after Hezbollah fired missiles at Israel in retaliation for the US-Israeli war on Iran and the killing of Iran’s supreme leader.

Israel’s foreign ministry said on Monday that Iran’s new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei is a « tyrant » like his slain father and would continue what it described as the Iranian « regime’s brutality. »

In a post on X featuring a picture of Mojtaba Khamenei and his father Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, holding guns, the ministry wrote: « Mojtaba Khamenei. Like Father Like Son. »

« Mojtaba Khamenei’s hands are already stained with the bloodshed that defined his father’s rule. Another tyrant to continue the Iranian regime’s brutality, » the ministry said, in Israel’s first reaction to Mojtaba Khamenei’s selection as supreme leader following the killing of his father on 28 February in Israeli strikes.

US President Donald Trump said he would hold a press conference later on Monday, his first since the US began air strikes on Iran 10 days ago.

Trump said on his Truth Social network that the news conference would take place at around 5:30 pm in the ballroom of his Doral golf club near Miami, where he spent the weekend, before returning to Washington.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has called on the European Union to suspend sanctions on Russian energy imports, citing rising energy prices across Europe.

Oil prices have surpassed $100 (€87) per barrel for the first time since August 2022, threatening to push consumer prices higher. Natural gas prices also rose sharply.

The EU imposed sanctions on Russian oil imports in 2022 following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Sandor Zsiros has a full report below.

The EU’s foreign policy chief called on Monday for a 2024 ceasefire to be upheld to prevent Lebanon from « sliding into chaos, » saying Israel’s « heavy-handed » response to Hezbollah attacks was further destabilising the region.

« Israel should cease its operations in Lebanon, » Kaja Kallas said in a statement after crisis talks with a dozen Middle East leaders including Lebanese President Joseph Aoun.

She likewise called for Hezbollah to « disarm and cease all actions against Israel, » saying: « Diplomacy and a return to the ceasefire offer the best chance of averting Lebanon from sliding into chaos. »

Russia would supply oil and gas to European buyers, provided such co-operation was « long-term » and did not put political pressure on Moscow, President Vladimir Putin said on Monday.

« If European companies and European buyers suddenly decide to reorient themselves and provide us with long-term, sustainable cooperation, free from political pressures, free from political pressures, then go ahead. We’ve never refused, » Putin said in a televised meeting.

« We’re ready to work with Europeans, but we need some signals from them that they’re ready and willing to work with us and will ensure this sustainability and stability.”

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said on Monday the country will implement fuel price caps at midnight local time to counter soaring oil prices triggered by the war in the Middle East.

« We are introducing a protected price for both gasoline and diesel, above which retail prices cannot go » the nationalist leader said in a Facebook video, also citing an escalating row with Ukraine over stalled Russian oil supplies as another reason for the measure.

Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Monday again warned Tehran against taking « provocative steps » after NATO defence systems intercepted a second Turkey-bound ballistic missile launched from Iran.

« Despite our sincere warnings, extremely wrong and provocative steps continue to be taken that will jeopardise Turkey’s friendship. One should not engage in such behaviour, » he said.

« Persistence and stubbornness in wrongdoing should be avoided. »

Israel announced on Monday that its military had killed the head of Hezbollah’s Nasr unit operating in part of southern Lebanon during renewed fighting with the Iran-backed armed group.

Defence minister Israel Katz « was briefed on the elimination of the commander of Hezbollah’s Nasr Unit », Abu Hussein Ragheb, during an overnight strike, a statement from the defence ministry said.

The Nasr unit operates in an eastern sector south of Lebanon’s Litani River and opened Hezbollah’s cross-border attacks on Israel following Hamas’s attack in October 2023.

Colonel Jonathan Raz of Israel’s Home Front Command said on Monday that the area of Yehud in the country’s centre was hit by a cluster bomb, killing at least one person and leaving others in critical condition.

Cluster bombs travel through the air then burst open before landing, breaking up into dozens or hundreds of smaller bomblets to maximise the likelihood of hitting targets.

Israel’s military said Iran has been using cluster bombs on a “nearly daily basis,” noting that Iran fired similar projectiles during the previous 12-day conflict last June.

President Masoud Pezeshkian, a relative moderate in Iran’s Shiite theocracy, wrote on X that “solving the country’s problems can be achieved through his wise leadership and by creating an atmosphere built on people’s trust and participation.”

The supreme leader, chosen by the 88-strong clerical body known as the Assembly of Experts, has the final say on all major policies, including war, peace and the country’s disputed nuclear programme.

Mojtaba Khamenei is the son of former long-time leader Ali Khamenei who was killed in joint US-Israeli air strikes on Iran in the opening salvos of the war. 

Eleven countries have requested Kyiv’s help in countering Shahed-type drones amid the Iran war and Tehran’s ongoing attacks against the Gulf states, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Monday.

“There is clear interest in Ukraine’s experience in protecting lives, relevant interceptors, electronic warfare systems, and training,” he added.

You can read Sasha Vakulina’s full report on what Zelenskyy said and what Ukraine can offer below.

US President Donald Trump on Monday told the New York Post he was « not happy » with the appointment of Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei to replace his slain father as Iran’s supreme leader.

« Not going to tell you. I’m not happy with him, » Trump told the Post from his Doral golf club near Miami, when asked about his plans for the younger Khamenei.

The United Arab Emirates decried Monday that it was being targeted « in a very unwarranted manner » in the Middle East war, stressing it would « not partake in any attacks against Iran. »

« We’ve been very clear before and leading up to the current events we are witnessing in the region that as the UAE we will not partake in any attacks against Iran from our territory, and that we will not be involved in such a conflict, » the UAE ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva Jamal Al Musharakh told reporters.

Checkpoints on the border between Iran and Turkmenistan have begun operating 24 hours a day to facilitate the transit of those seeking to leave Iran amid the war with the US and Israel, Turkmenistan officials said on Monday.

So far, some 250 people from 16 countries have crossed into the Central Asian nation from Iran, officials said.

Those crossing into Turkmenistan are being offered food and assistance in contacting their families or embassies.

Turkmenistan, a former Soviet country that has remained largely isolated under autocratic rule since it gained independence, shares a 1,148-kilometre border with Iran.

During the Israel-Iran conflict in 2025, Turkmenistan, despite its harsh visa policies, provided an evacuation corridor for more than 4,000 people from 52 countries who sought to leave Iran.

The UN children’s agency says deaths and injuries to children since Israel retaliated against Hezbollah in Lebanon are “staggering.”

UNICEF’s Middle East director Edouard Beigbeder said that according to the latest reports at least 83 children have been killed and 254 wounded since 2 March.

That’s more than 10 children killed, and approximately 36 injured, every day, he said in a statement.

Beigbeder said the figures “are a stark testament to the toll that conflict is taking on children.”

“As military strikes continue across the country, children are being killed and injured at a horrifying rate, families are fleeing their homes in fear, and thousands of children are now sleeping in cold and overcrowded shelters,” he said.

At least 10 vessels have been attacked in the Strait of Hormuz since hostilities in the Gulf began on 28 February, with seafarers feared dead in the latest Iranian attack on a UAE-flagged tug sent to assist a containership.

Even as the US offers navy escorts and a $20 billion (€17 billion) insurance programme for oil tankers, maritime data trackers show hundreds of vessels remaining idle on either side of the waterway.

Laila Humairah has more on what this could mean for global food chain.

Iran’s security chief Ali Larijani said on Monday that security in the strategic Strait of Hormuz cannot be restored as long as the war with the United States and Israel continues.

« It is unlikely that any security can be achieved in the Strait of Hormuz amid the fires ignited by the United States and Israel in the region, » said Larijani in a post on X, after France said it and its allies were preparing a « defensive » mission to reopen the waterway.

For several days, Iran has effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz to oil and gas exports with a mixture of drone strikes and fear that has prompted major companies like Maersk and Hapag-Llloyd to suspend operations in the Middle East.

A fifth of the world’s crude oil and LNG supplies passes through the waterway. Kpler said on 4 March that traffic through the strait was down 90%.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun on Monday accused Hezbollah of working towards the « collapse » of the state on behalf of Iran, a week after the militant group launched an attack on Israel, starting a new war in Lebanon.

« Whoever launched those missiles wanted to bring about the collapse of the Lebanese state, plunging it into aggression and chaos…all for the sake of the Iranian regime’s calculations, » Aoun told top European officials in an online meeting.

Aoun described Hezbollah as « an armed group outside the state, which places no value on the interests of Lebanon or the lives of its people, » calling for « direct negotiations under international auspices » with Israel to stop the war.

As high costs continue to affect industries and economic competitiveness, the European Commission plans to protect its heavy industry from rising electricity prices by considering changes to national taxes, network charges and carbon costs, a document discussed by EU leaders and seen by L’Observatoire de l’Europe reveals.

Marta Pacheco has this report.

French Finance Minister Roland Lescure said on Monday the G7 was « not there yet » in terms of any release of strategic oil reserves, after talks with his counterparts of the world’s leading industrialised nations.

Asked if they had agreed on releasing stockpiles, Lescure said: « We’re not there yet. What we’ve agreed upon is to use any necessary tools, if need be, to stabilise the market, including the potential release of necessary stockpiles. »

EU chiefs said on Monday that the bloc was ready to bolster its maritime operations in the Middle East to protect shipping routes after holding talks with regional leaders.

The EU has been discussing reinforcing its naval mission in the Red Sea after US-Israeli attacks on Iran triggered a broader regional war, causing maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz to all but halt.

European Council President Antonio Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen « expressed their openness to further tailor and enhance these operations in order to better respond to the situation, » a statement read.

Two servicemen with the United Arab Emirates’ military were killed on Monday after their helicopter crashed because of a « technical malfunction, » the defence ministry said, as Iran keeps up its campaign in the Gulf.

« The Ministry of Defence announces the martyrdom of two members of the armed forces following the crash of a helicopter due to a technical malfunction while performing their national duty in the country on Monday, » it said in a statement on X.

Qatar’s Defence Ministry said on Monday it intercepted all 17 missiles and six drones launched from Iran toward the Gulf nation on Monday, as Iran continues to attack neighbouring Arab states.

There was no damage or casualties, the ministry said.

The Trump administration has designated the Sudan branch of the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist organisation, accusing it of getting training and other support from Iran.

The State Department said on Monday that the Sudan branch would be classified as a “specially designated global terrorist” (SDGT) group with immediate effect and would be labelled a “foreign terrorist organisation” (FTO) once a congressional review of the move is complete on 16 March.

It said the group was responsible for “mass executions of civilians” among other things.

The SDGT designation imposes sanctions but the FTO designation ramps up those penalties to include making it a crime to provide material support for the group or its members.

The administration has previously designated the Lebanese branch of the group an FTO and the chapters in Egypt and Jordan as SDGTs.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio accused Iran of taking the world « hostage » through its retaliatory strikes and insisted that the United States was on track with its war objectives.

« I think we are all seeing right now the threat this clerical regime poses to the region and to the world. They are trying to hold the world hostage, » Rubio said at an event at the State Department.

Rubio said the US is “well on our way” to destroying Iran’s ability to threaten its neighbours and the world with missiles, adding that the goal of the continuing air strikes is to eliminate Iran’s ballistic missile stockpile, its ability to produce them and its ability to launch them.

“We are well on our way to achieving that objective” he said, adding that it is being done “with overwhelming force, with overwhelming precision.”

Iran has continued to launch air strikes on Israel and countries across the Gulf which host US military bases on the 10th day of the war.

Croatia’s prime minister Andrej Plenković said on Monday his country would cap petrol and diesel prices as the war in the Middle East squeezes the global oil supply.

Plenković said his government would cap prices from Tuesday, one of the first European Union countries to restrict rises in pump prices.

« Today, we will take steps to ease the rise in energy prices and protect the living standards of Croatian citizens, » he told an extraordinary government meeting.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Monday he was « concerned » about rising energy prices as the Middle East war sent the benchmark price for a barrel of crude soaring over $100 (€86).

« We know that this could have an impact on the German economy, » Merz said, adding that the government of the biggest EU economy was already seeking to diversify its energy sources to build up its independence.

Merz said that “it is up to this regime and the so-called Revolutionary Guard alone to stop the fighting.”

He added that “so long as this not the case, I assume that Israel and America will continue their defence against this regime.”

The Lebanon-based militant group Hezbollah on Monday welcomed the selection of Mojtaba Khamenei as Iran’s new supreme leader, pledging allegiance after his predecessor and father Ali Khamenei was killed in US-Israeli attacks.

« We in Hezbollah extend our warmest congratulations and blessings on this occasion. We renew our pledge of loyalty to this blessed approach and our steadfastness on the path of allegiance, » the Iran-backed group said in a statement.

Hezbollah entered the Middle East war a week ago by attacking Israel in response to Ali Khamenei’s killing.

French President Emmanuel Macron said that an attack on Cyprus was an attack on all of Europe as he spoke during a visit to the island nation after it was targeted by Iranian-made drones.

« When Cyprus is attacked, it is Europe that is attacked, » Macron said in Paphos alongside the leaders of Cyprus and Greece.

« The defence of Cyprus is obviously a key issue for your country, for your neighbour, partner and friend, Greece, but also for France and, with it, the European Union, » he added.

Macron arrived in Cyprus earlier on Monday to discuss regional security, while Paris deployed warships to the Mediterranean and the US-Israeli war on Iran stretched into a second week.

Mojtaba Khamenei lacks the authority to replace his father as Iran’s supreme leader, and a circle of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commanders now holds effective power in the country, a former founder of the IRGC told L’Observatoire de l’Europe.

Mojtaba Khamenei was announced Sunday evening as the new leader of the Islamic Republic, just a week after his father Ali Khamenei was killed in a US-Israeli strike.

You can read Babak Kamiar’s full report below.

Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said he condemned Iran’s attacks on civilians in Gulf nations and other actions that threaten freedom of navigation and safety in the Strait of Hormuz during a phone call with his Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araghchi.

Motegi said he repeated Japan’s position that Iran must never possess nuclear weapons.

He also insisted that Iran promptly release two Japanese nationals. Motegi said Araghchi provided Iran’s position and promised his country’s full cooperation in ensuring the safety of Japanese nationals.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Monday the government was monitoring the economic fallout of the US and Israel’s war in Iran, as energy prices soared due to supply disruptions.

« The longer this goes on, the more likely the potential for an impact on our economy, impact into the lives and households of everybody and every business, » Starmer said, speaking at a community centre in London.

« Our job is to get ahead of that, to look around the corner, assess the risk, monitor the risks, and work with others in relation to that. »

The prime minister tried to reassure the public amid deep concerns over prolonged cost-of-living pressures and high energy bills since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Starmer insisted the government was prepared to handle the economic fallout, with most households protected until summer by a price cap on gas and electricity.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Monday that 11 countries had tapped Kyiv for help in how to counter Iranian drones being launched by Tehran across the Middle East as retaliation for US-Israeli strikes.

« As of now, there are 11 requests from countries neighbouring Iran, European states, and the US. There is clear interest in Ukraine’s experience in protecting lives, relevant interceptors, electronic warfare systems, and training, » Zelenskyy said.

Ukraine touts itself as having world-class drone defence capabilities, built up through fending off nightly barrages of Iran-style attack drones launched by Russia.

The all-clear has been sounded in Doha after a fresh wave of explosions, believed to be from interceptions by air defence systems, were heard across the city.

That’s according to L’Observatoire de l’Europe journalists in the Qatari capital.

The United Arab Emirates says 15 ballistic missiles and 18 drones were fired on the Gulf country on Monday.

That has brought the total projectiles fired at the UAE since the start of the US and Israel war against Iran to 253 missiles and 1,440 drones, the Emirati Defence Ministry said.

Four foreign nationals have been killed and 117 people wounded in the attacks, it said.

A second missile from Iran was shot down in Turkish airspace on Monday, the defence ministry said in a statement.

« A ballistic munition launched from Iran and entering Turkish airspace was neutralised by NATO air and missile defence assets in the eastern Mediterranean, » it said.

Some fragments from the weaponry fell in open territory in the southern Gaziantep area, causing no injuries, the ministry added.

On Wednesday, NATO troops intercepted a Turkey-bound ballistic missile launched from Iran that prompted a sharp warning from Ankara.

NATO has since said it strengthened its « ballistic missile defence posture » as Iran steps up its strikes across the region.

Washington has advised non-essential staff to leave its consulate near the southern Turkish city of Adana near a key NATO base and ordered US citizens to leave « southeast Turkey », the US embassy to Ankara said Monday.

Since the US-Israeli attacks began on February 28, Iran has retaliated with missile and drone strikes across the Middle East in a bid to hit US assets.

So far, Turkey appears to have been spared, despite the fact that US troops are stationed at several of its bases.

One is Incirlik air base, an important NATO facility that has been used by US troops for decades which is located just 10 kilometres outside the city of Adana.

« On March 9, 2026, the Department of State ordered non-emergency US government employees and US government employee family members to leave Consulate General Adana due to the safety risks, » the embassy said on X.

It referenced a State Department travel advisory saying: « Americans in southeast Turkey are strongly encouraged to depart now. »

On Wednesday, NATO troops intercepted a Turkey-bound ballistic missile launched from Iran that prompted a sharp warning from Ankara.

NATO has since said it strengthened its « ballistic missile defence posture » as Iran steps up its strikes across the region.

French President Emmanuel Macron arrived in Cyprus on Monday to discuss regional security, while Paris deployed warships to the Mediterranean and the US-Israeli war on Iran stretched into a second week.

Macron, who landed in Paphos earlier on Monday, met Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis for talks.

European Union member Cyprus was targeted last week by Iranian-made drones, leading Macron to order France’s Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier to the Mediterranean, as well as a frigate and air defence units to the island nation.

Macron was scheduled to visit the Charles de Gaulle on Monday afternoon. France’s flagship is currently stationed off the coast of Crete, according to the Elysee.

The Élysée has said the visit aims to show « solidarity » and detail moves to « strengthen security around Cyprus and in the eastern Mediterranean. »

Thousands of people flocked to a central square in the Iranian capital on Monday to pledge allegiance to the Islamic republic’s new leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei.

The crowds which gathered in Tehran’s Enghelab square saw many carrying the Iranian flags and portraits of Mojtaba Khamenei, son of late supreme leader Ali Khamenei who was killed in US and Israeli strikes on 28 February.

Malek Fouda explains all about Iran’s new supreme leader in the article below.

The EU insisted on Monday there was « no imminent oil supply » shortage in Europe as the Middle East war sent energy prices soaring.

The benchmark price for a barrel of crude has soared beyond $100 (€86) for the first time since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine four years ago.

« There is no imminent oil supply shortage in Europe. Per our rules, all member states must have the 90 days emergency stocks, » European Commission spokesperson Anna-Kaisa Itkonen said.

Lebanon’s state news agency said legislators voted 76-41 with four abstentions in favour of extending the parliamentary term by two years in response to the war in the Middle East.

Hezbollah’s 13-member bloc in parliament voted in favour of the extension.

The latest conflict with Israel that began last week has displaced over half a million people and made it difficult to organise a vote in large parts of the country.

The next parliamentary elections had been scheduled for May.

In the early days of the war there were barrages with dozens of missiles, but that has dropped to less than 10 or 20 missiles launched at a time, Israeli military spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani said on Monday.

Iran is still firing missiles frequently toward Israel, sending people running for shelter multiple times per day, especially in central areas.

Shoshani noted that Iran still has “a significant amount” of missiles, as Israel has concentrated on attacking Iran’s missile launchers rather than its weapons arsenals.

Israel claimed previously it has destroyed around 60% of Iran’s launchers and has also targeted missile production facilities.

The European Commission said on Monday it has safely repatriated 356 European citizens stranded in the Middle East from Oman to Romania.

The EU executive chartered two flights directly, in the first ever use of its own ‘rescEU’ transport and logistics capacities. The move came after a request filed by Romanian authorities.

RescEU capacities were deployed by the bloc’s Emergency Response Coordination Centre (ERCC), and can be utilised when no EU member states, or participating states of the EU Civil Protection Mechanism (UCPM), can offer transport capacities following a request for assistance.

Beyond these two flights, Brussels has also supported 42 other flights, safely returning over 4,100 European citizens to Belgium, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Italy, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Austria, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, and Sweden.

More flights are being planned for execution in the coming days after the bloc received requests for assistance from 23 member states.

“When crisis strikes, Europe is there for its people. When national capacities reach their limits, the EU steps in with strong support,” said Hadja Lahbib, EU Commissioner for Equality, Preparedness and Crisis Management.

“For the first time, rescEU planes are in the skies to repatriate European citizens stranded in the Middle East. Our Civil Protection Mechanism is working day and night to bring European citizens home. Europe, standing together in times of crisis.”

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot says Paris has called for an emergency UN Security Council session as concerns mount over the rapidly deteriorating humanitarian situation in Lebanon, following days of Israeli attacks targeting Iran-backed Hezbollah positions.

“To come to the aid of the Lebanese people, we have released emergency aid of €6 million for humanitarian organisations already present on the ground,” said Barrot in a post on X.

“We are preparing the shipment of 20 tons of humanitarian aid, which will arrive on site as early as tomorrow. We have opened the Quai d’Orsay Crisis Centre’s matching fund to contributions from companies and local authorities that wish to participate,” he added.

France’s top diplomat says Paris is continuing to engage with authorities in Lebanon and Israel in efforts to prevent Beirut – already facing a dire economic crisis and reeling from the 2024 war between Israel and Hezbollah – from “sinking into chaos.

Barrot noted that France is also looking to secure a ceasefire and pursue the “indispensable process of disarming Hezbollah.” 

Russian President Vladimir Putin sent a telegram to Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei to congratulate him on becoming Iran’s new supreme leader.

The message, published on the Kremlin’s website on Monday, reaffirmed the Kremlin’s “unwavering support for Tehran,” adding that it “has been and will remain a reliable partner of the Islamic Republic.”

“At a time when Iran is opposing armed aggression, your tenure in this high post will undoubtedly require great courage and dedication. I am sure that you will honourably continue your father’s work and unite the Iranian people,” read Putin’s message.

Israel’s first responders said shrapnel killed a man in central Israel as several blasts rocked the area on Monday, shortly after the military detected new missile launches from Iran.

« After performing resuscitation efforts, we had to pronounce the death of a man, approximately 40 years old, » Magen David Adom said in a statement, adding that the death occurred at a construction site in central Israel.

Another man was seriously injured and evacuated for treatment, the rescuers added, after both people had sustained « several shrapnel injuries to their bodies ».

First responders say at least 11 people have been killed and dozens injured in Israel since Tehran began firing missiles at the country following joint US-Israeli strikes last Saturday.

Iran’s Assembly of Experts and state-run media have referred to Mojtaba Khamenei, son of late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, as ayatollah after he was announced late on Sunday as the country’s new chief ruler.

The title is one of the highest given to clerics within Shiite Islam.

His father, who ruled for almost 37 years from 1989 until his death on 28 February, similarly became an ayatollah with his appointment as supreme leader. 

French President Emmanuel Macron says Group of Seven nations – or G7 – could dip into their emergency crude reserve stockpiles in response to soaring energy prices.

Speaking to reporters en route to Cyprus, the French leader said “he use of strategic reserves is an envisaged option.”

He added that G7 leaders could meet this week to coordinate a response to climbing energy prices. France currently holds the rotating presidency of the G7 group.

Finance ministers from the G7 nations are also holding separate virtual meetings on Monday via video link, to discuss repercussions of the Iran war and further expected economic disruptions.

Turkey’s defence ministry on Monday said it had deployed six F-16 fighter jets and air defence systems to northern Cyprus as a security measure, days after the Mediterranean island was hit by a drone attack.

The move comes as French President Emmanuel Macron was due to visit the Mediterranean island. The Republic of Cyprus currently holds the rotating presidency of the EU Council.

Cyprus has been directly affected by retaliatory attacks following the outbreak of the Iran war, with an Iranian-made drone hitting a British RAF base on the island on Monday last week.

Nicosia said the drone was probably fired by the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon, and not by Tehran itself.

Following the incident, several European countries pledged to send air defences and other military assets to Cyprus, with Macron ordering France’s Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier to the Mediterranean and a frigate and air defence units to the island.

The investigative group Bellingcat says its analysis of a newly released video “appears to contradict” US President Donald Trump’s claim that Iran was responsible for an explosion at an Iranian school, which Iran’s state media says killed 165 people on 28 February in the war’s opening salvo.

The video shared by Bellingcat was a three-second clip released on Sunday by an Iranian semi-official news agency.

It shows a munition hitting a building, sending a dark plume of smoke into the air.

Experts have deduced from satellite image analysis that the school was likely struck during a quick succession of bombs dropped on an adjacent Revolutionary Guard Corps base.

US President Donald Trump, along with Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, denied that Washington was behind the attack on the civilian site.

Citing evidence he’s seen, the US president said it was likely an Iranian launched projectile that struck the school.

Hegseth agreed with Trump, asserting that the only party “targeting civilians” in the war is Tehran. 

China’s government said it has “noted” the reports of Iran naming Mojtaba Khamenei as new supreme leader and called on all parties involved to go back to negotiations and avoid further escalations.

“This is a decision made by the Iranian side in accordance with the country’s constitution,” said Guo Jiakun, China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson on Monday.

He added that Beijing “opposes interference in other countries’ internal affairs under any pretext”, stressing that the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Iran “should be respected.”

Israel says it has carried out airstrikes in Beirut on Monday.

The Israeli army earlier said it would operate against targets associated with the Hezbollah-linked financial institution al-Qard Al-Hasan. It repeated the warning to residents of Beirut’s southern Dahiyeh suburb to flee.

Israel says Hezbollah uses al-Qard al-Hasan to finance its military activities.

Smoke billowed over Beirut after the attacks. The first strike destroyed a building housing an office of al-Qard al-Hasan in the southern neighbourhood of Chiyah.

It’s the latest in a series of branches of the institution to be targeted by Israel’s military. Last week, several branches of al-Qard al-Hasan were targeted and destroyed in the south and east of the country.

During the last Israel-Hezbollah war in 2024, Israel’s military carried out airstrikes that destroyed more than a dozen branches of financial organisation across Lebanon.

Oil prices rocketed higher after both Iran and the US-Israel struck new targets over the weekend, including civilian ones.

Bahrain accused Iran of hitting one of the desalination plants that are crucial for drinking water in Gulf countries. Israel struck oil depots in Tehran, sending up thick smoke and causing environmental alerts.

The price for a barrel of Brent crude was $103.54 (€89.84). US benchmark crude rose to $107.35 (€93.18). Both were about 15% above their closing prices on Friday.

Crude prices have spiked to their highest levels in at least 14 years as the war, now in its second week, ensnared countries and places critical to the production and movement of oil and gas from the Persian Gulf.

They last rose above $100 (€86.8) shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.

The capital of the United Arab Emirates came under Iranian attack on Monday, with two people sustaining wounds by shrapnel from interceptions in Abu Dhabi, authorities reported.

South Korea says it will cap oil prices for the first time since 1997 to stabilise soaring fuel costs driven by the Iran War.

Kim Yong-beom, the presidential policy chief of staff, said in a briefing on Monday that Seoul plans to introduce the caps sometime this week.

The government did not immediately provide details on how the caps would be structured and operated.

The move will help make fuel prices more predictable and prevent refineries and gas stations from raising prices “abnormally,” said Kim.

The Korea National Oil Corporation says it is holding several months’ worth of strategic oil reserves at nine storage facilities across South Korea, a stockpile that exceeds the International Energy Agency’s recommendation of 90 days.

South Korea last released its strategic reserves, which are used to address serious supply disruptions, in 2022 when Russia’s invasion of Ukraine shocked global energy markets.

Iran’s judiciary reiterated that it can order the assets of “enemies” abroad to be seized in the country.

It made the announcement on Monday on the judiciary’s Mizan news agency.

Reporters for Farsi-language media outlets abroad have seen their assets seized over the years, in what they described as politically-motivated attacks aiming to limit dissent.

The report also said “any intelligence or espionage activity conducted” abroad for the Israeli or US governments “could lead to the confiscation of all assets and even the death penalty.”

A barrage of drones was fired toward Saudi Arabia early on Monday, just hours after an attack killed two Bangladeshi nationals in the Gulf nation.

The Saudi Defence Ministry said it intercepted drones in the northern Jawf region, as well as the vast Shaybah oil field.

An attack late on Sunday evening killed the two Bangladeshi citizens and wounded 12 others in the central city of Kharj. All but one of the victims was from Bangladesh.

Israel’s military warned on Monday that it has detected a new incoming missile barrage fired from Iran.

Residents reported sirens sounding in several parts of northern Israel, as authorities urged people to seek shelter and exercise caution.

Bahrain’s state oil company declared force majeure on Monday for its shipments after an Iranian attack set its refinery ablaze.

The state-run Bahrain News Agency carried the announcement of the force majeure, a legal manoeuvre that releases a company of its contractual obligations because of extraordinary circumstances.

It said the company’s operations “have been affected by the ongoing regional conflict in the Middle East and the recent attack on its refinery complex.”

The United Arab Emirates said on Monday its air defences were working to intercept drones and missiles incoming from Iran, the second time in the day it faced an attack.

An Iranian attack on Monday on Bahrain sparked a fire apparently at the island kingdom’s sole oil refinery, sending thick plumes of smoke into the air.

Online videos show fires raging at the Sitra refinery.

The state-run Bahrain News Agency later published a report saying “a fire broke out due to the Iranian aggression targeting a facility in Maameer, with material damage but no loss of life.”

Maameer is a Bahraini village adjacent to the refinery.

Bahrain’s government did not immediately identify the refinery itself as being hit, though it has been a target of repeated Iranian attacks since the war began.

The Israeli military claimed strikes on Monday on targets in Iran’s city of Isfahan targeting security forces there.

The Israelis described hitting command centres for Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard and its all-volunteer Basij force there.

The military also said it hit a rocket engine production facility and missile launch sites.

Iran did not immediately acknowledge the strikes. Iran has not provided any details on its materiel losses since the war started on 28 February.

A Chinese envoy to the Middle East has called on all sides to stop their military actions and said attacks on non-military targets and civilians should be condemned.

Special Envoy Zhai Jun, meeting in Saudi Arabia with Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan, said Sunday that the sovereignty, security and territorial integrity of all Gulf countries must not be violated, a Chinese Foreign Ministry statement said.

China is a major importer of oil and natural gas from the region.

Zhai also met Jassim Mohammed al-Budaiwi, the secretary-general of the Gulf Cooperation Council, the Foreign Ministry said.

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung on Monday warned that a steep rise in fuel prices could rattle the country’s economy and called on officials to accelerate efforts to diversify fuel routes away from the Strait of Hormuz.

Lee spoke at a Cabinet meeting after the country’s stock market opened with an 8% plunge, as concerns grew about how the spiralling war in the Middle East could affect an economy heavily dependent on trade and imported fuel.

Lee called on officials to aggressively use a 100 trillion won (€58 billion) market stabilization fund activated last week to reduce volatility in stock markets and strengthen monitoring of disruptive market activities, such as fuel price collusion or hoarding.

Foreign Minister Cho Hyun said Seoul was also negotiating with Gulf states to find alternative trade routes to reduce reliance on the Strait of Hormuz, including the possible use of alternative ports in the UAE.