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As the U.S. escalates airstrikes against Iran and threatens to target Kharg Island oil infrastructure, Israel threatens to seize Lebanese territories. Despite promises that these moves would lead to a dramatic power shift, Iran and Hezbollah might still stay standing once the war is over

Each escalation in the Iran conflict has been larger than the last, but each bitcoin drawdown has been getting smaller.

• Pete Hegseth calls reporting ‘patently ridiculous’ • Thompson says network will keep reporting ‘the truth’ WASHINGTON: The Pentagon and White House slammed CNN over its Iran war coverage on Friday — with Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth saying he looked forward to an ally of President Donald Trump taking over the news network. Hegseth spent part of a news conference on US military operations against Tehran criticising the media and CNN in particular, urging for what he called an “actual patriotic press”. The former Fox News host was particularly incensed by a story the channel ran suggesting Washington had underestimated Iran’s ability to disrupt global oil traffic in the Strait of Hormuz. “Patently ridiculous,” Hegseth told reporters, before adding: “The sooner David Ellison takes over that network, the better.” David Ellison is the head of Paramount Skydance, which is set to complete a landmark takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery, the current owner of CNN, after beating Netflix in a bidding war. Earlier this...

• US bombs Kharg Island, key to 90pc of oil exports • Tehran warns it will target any facility in region linked to US • Trump says warships from several countries to guard Hormuz • US embassy in Baghdad urges Americans to leave Iraq • Iran Guards say targeted US forces at Saudi base with missiles • Iranian military claims US aircraft carrier ‘neutralised’ DUBAI: After the United States on Saturday bombed Iran’s main energy hub and President Donald Trump predicted “many countries” would send warships, Tehran threatened to escalate the war raging in the Middle East by targeting any facility in the region with US ties. As the conflict entered its third week, Iran projected defiance after US forces hit military sites at Kharg Island, which handles 90 per cent of Iranian oil exports. A drone attack had already disrupted a United Arab Emirates energy hub and the US embassy in Baghdad warned US citizens to leave Iraq. Since Israel and the United States began attacking Iran on Feb 28, the war has killed more than 2,0...

ISLAMABAD: The PTI has expressed deep alarm over the rapidly deteriorating regional security environment and called upon the government to immediately convene an emergency meeting of the OIC to forge a united response and foil any attempt to once again drag the region and the Ummah into a foreign-imposed and catastrophic conflict. In a statement issued on Saturday, PTI Central Inf­ormation Secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram said urgent diplomatic action was imperative to prevent the Muslim world from being dragged into another devastating war. He warned that rapidly escalating tensions could destabilise the entire Middle East and have grave consequences for global peace, economic stability and the security of the Ummah. He said the unprovoked American and Israeli attacks on Iran constituted a blatant violation of international law and the sovereignty of a neighbouring Muslim state, warning that such reckless military actions risk igniting a wider regional conflict with catastrophic consequences for the Middle East ...

David Sacks, a prominent right-wing figure, made waves as the first senior administration figure to publicly criticize the war in Iran. Speaking on his popular podcast 'All-In,' Trump's AI czar took shots at GOP war hawks and warned against Israel's potential usage of nuclear weapons

Speaking to Haaretz, a regional source said that Turkey, Oman and Egypt are pushing for an end to the Iran war which they deem unbeneficial. Iran and Egypt's presidents reportedly discussed 'possible ways to end the escalation' on Friday

U.S. officials warned Iran could block the key oil route, but Trump believed Tehran would back down first

Iran launched a drone attack targeting oil storage facilities in the United Arab Emirates, forcing a temporary suspension of oil loading operations at a major regional energy hub.

On the 15th day of the US-Israel war against Iran, strategic signalling between the warring sides intensified after American forces struck Kharg Island, Iran’s principal oil export hub, while Tehran and its regional allies increased pressure across multiple theatres stretching from the Gulf to Iraq and Lebanon. US aircraft conducted strikes on Kharg Island on the night of March 13, targeting what Washington described as military facilities associated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy. The attacks reportedly hit a short airstrip, air defence positions, docks linked to the Joushan naval base, a control tower and helicopter hangars. Iranian state media acknowledged damage but said air defences were restored shortly afterwards and confirmed that oil export infrastructure was deliberately spared. Reports on Saturday afternoon suggested that oil exports from Kharg Island remained unaffected and at least two ships had docked for loading. US President Donald Trump described the raid as one of the most “...

Just over two weeks before President Donald Trump is due to meet his counterpart Xi Jinping in Beijing, Chinese uncertainty over the US leader’s goals and the impact of the Iran war hangs over the highly anticipated state visit. Trump’s trip, his first to China in his second term, is aimed at sealing a trade war truce the two leaders shook hands on when they met in South Korea in October. But for Beijing, which likes to carefully choreograph such events to avoid any possibility of embarrassment, Trump’s free-wheeling style is proving a challenge. A source familiar with negotiations told AFP that Chinese officials were expecting more ambitious preparations for such a summit between the leaders of the rival superpowers. The White House insisted, however, that preparations were going well for the visit from March 31 to April 2, with regular contacts and interactions with Beijing. “Unlike the autopen Biden administration that prized performance over outcomes, the Trump administration is very comfortable with trip...

If the Iran war turns into a failure, Israel may turn from America's ally to its alibi. That would keep the MAGA coalition intact, bridging the gap between hawks and Tucker Carlson-type conspiracists – but the consequences for U.S. Jews could be severe

Democratic Sens. Chris Van Hollen and Elizabeth Warren emphasized in particular the apparent U.S. strike on an elementary school. 'He has no idea what he's doing in this war in Iran, and now an American missile hit an Iranian school, killing about 150 innocent school kids,' said Van Hollen

President says US military deliberately avoided striking Iran’s oil infrastructure on the island

Three sites in central Israel were hit during the latest attack involving ballistic missiles launched from Iran.

The U.S. president said that the Russian leader may be assisting Iran.

Deadly explosions rocked Tehran close to a pro-government rally attended by top officials on Friday, as Israel and Iran unleashed fresh strikes in a war that has ignited the Middle East and threatens to torpedo the world economy. Since erupting on February 28 with US-Israeli attacks on Iran, the war has cascaded throughout the region, drawn in global powers, and sparked a major oil shock. AFP journalists in Tehran reported loud blasts over the city skies, as Israel’s military said it had hit more than 200 targets in western and central Iran in the past day. Black smoke rises following an airstrike, as Iranians take part in the Al-Quds Day rally, a commemoration in support of the Palestinian people on the last Friday of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, in Tehran on March 13, 2026. — AFP Iran’s state media said at least one woman was killed when blasts hit an area near a demonstration, where large crowds had gathered waving flags and brandishing banners reading “Death to America” and “Death to Israel”. “These...

On March 10, as the US-Israel war with Iran entered its second week, the Bahrain government announced the arrest of six persons hailing from Asian countries — five of them Pakistanis — on charges of filming, publishing and reposting “videos related to the effects of the treacherous Iranian aggression”. The Iran conflict — which broke out on February 28 after the United States and Israel launched joint strikes on the Islamic Republic and assassinated then-supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, along with other top security officials and hundreds of civilians — has now spiralled into a Middle East war. Today, the entire region is on fire as Tehran continues to retaliate with attacks on Israel and at least seven Gulf states, including Bahrain, which has reported intercepting 114 missiles and 190 drones since the beginning of the war. In an X post on March 8, Bahrain had issued a warning against the photographing of “vital sites and facilities” and publishing them on social media. Two days later, a statement issu...

Bitcoin has outperformed gold, silver, and major US equity indexes since the US-Israeli attack on Iran began, recovering to over $72,000 even as oil surged above $100 a barrel and traders cut expectations for near-term Federal Reserve easing. According to CryptoSlate data, Bitcoin is up 7.3% since the conflict began and even rallied to a […] The post Bitcoin surges over $72k to outperform gold and stocks since Iran strikes, but one brutal sell wall is looming appeared first on CryptoSlate.

“I am worried,” a sailor stuck in the Gulf told AFP on Friday, his vessel unable to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, blocked for nearly two weeks after US-Israeli strikes on Iran. “Every day on the ship, I can see missile launches and hear explosions, making me feel like I was in danger,” said Wang Shang, 32. Wang, a Chinese national from the landlocked central province of Henan, works on a foreign ship used to transport liquefied petroleum gas sourced from the energy-rich region. Since navigation in and out of the Gulf essentially came to a halt, Wang has shared his experiences by posting videos on Douyin, the Chinese domestic version of TikTok. “We cannot leave at present,” he said. “If we wanted to depart now, it would be impossible.” In one video from February 28 — the day that the United States and Israel launched the war — the ship’s receiver is shown as the strait is declared shut by Iranian authorities. “Attention all ships, this is Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy. For your information...