Losing Russian gas supplies amid the escalating conflict in the Middle East has raised concerns over the blocs energy security EU politicians are stepping up calls to roll back Russia sanctions after President Vladimir Putin warned that Moscow could halt gas supplies ahead of a planned 2027 ban.
Israel is gripped by messianic fervour for a biblical war Submitted by Lubna Masarwa on Thu, 03/05/2026 - 17:03 It claims the fanatics are Hamas and Iran - but increasingly, Israel itself is embarking on a religious crusade Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly invoked the biblical story of Amalek to justify regional violence (Jim Watson/AFP) Off I woke up at 2am, confused about whether the noises I was hearing were air-raid sirens or crowds in nearby synagogues, singing and dancing into the late hours in celebration of the Purim holiday. Thousands of Israeli Jews came out into the streets of Jerusalem on Wednesday in defiance of instructions from the police and Home Front Command. On the other side of the city, Al-Aqsa Mosque was closed for the fifth day in the middle of Ramadan, under the pretext that there is a war on and it’s too dangerous to allow prayer in public.
After the joint US-Israeli attack on Iran, Tehran has responded with retaliatory attacks across the Middle East. The Guardian's defence editor, Dan Sabbagh, explains what military capabilities Iran has and how long it might be able to sustain the war Iran’s Shahed drones have brought terror to Ukrainian skies – now they are being deployed in the Middle East Continue reading...
Global health body is following up reports that four medics have been killed among the 1,230 or more deaths in Iran since start of war Middle East crisis – live updates At least 13 hospitals and other health facilities have been hit during the US-Israel attacks on Iran, global health chiefs have said. The World Health Organization said it was checking reports that four medics were killed and 25 others injured. Continue reading...
Durante décadas, los presidentes estadounidenses han eludido al Congreso para lanzar ataques militares limitados. La decisión de Trump de atacar Irán es una escalada agresiva.
If you’ve been listening to the Trump administration this week, you would be forgiven for being confused about who started the war, why America got involved and what the end game is. This week, the foreign policy expert Ali Vaez tells Rachel Leingang what it was like to take part in war game exercises for the Pentagon and how they compare with what he has seen play out this week. Then the Guardian’s Andrew Roth talks us through the inner chaos in the Trump administration and Congress over Trump’s decision to go to war with Iran Archive: ABC10, NBC News, ABC News, CBS News, CNN, Bloomberg, The Independent, PBS Newshour, The Tim Dillon Show, Newsweek Continue reading...
UNRWA opens shelters as Israeli bombing displaces thousands in Lebanon The head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees has warned that escalating Israeli attacks and threats in Lebanon are forcing more people to flee their homes. UNRWA Commissioner General Philippe Lazzarini said the agency has opened emergency shelters as part of wider efforts with Lebanese authorities and civil society groups to support displaced people, including Palestinian refugees as well as Lebanese and Syrians. “Yet again, spiraling violence across the region is forcing thousands to flee their homes in southern Lebanon,” Lazzarini said.
Iranian authorities say the attack, which took place on Saturday, killed 168 people.
Intense waves of airstrikes have hit dozens of military positions, frontier posts and police stations along northern parts of Iran’s border with Iraq in what appears to be preparation by the US and Israel for a new front in their war. Iran has warned ‘separatist groups’ in this region against joining the widening conflict and launched strikes against Iraq-based Kurdish groups it described as ‘opposed to the revolution’. Could the involvement of these militant groups increase the risk of a civil war in Iran if the regime collapses?
Lebanon’s president urges Macron to stop Israel’s threatened bombing of Beirut suburbs Lebanese President Joseph Aoun has asked his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron to intervene to prevent Israel from carrying out a threatened large-scale bombing of Dahiyeh, in the southern suburbs of Beirut. Earlier, Israel issued forced displacement orders covering the entire area, which is home to hundreds of thousands of residents. On Wednesday, Macron said he had spoken with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Aoun, and Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam about the Israel-Hezbollah hostilities, urging restraint.
TEHRAN (Tasnim) - An Iraqi source said the American deployment in Iraq is to search for a pilot of a downed US aircraft.
PM defends decision not to join initial strikes by US and Israel and says UK is doing ‘everything we can’ to de-escalate situation Middle East crisis – live updates Keir Starmer has said the Iran conflict engulfing the Middle East could continue “for some time” as he urged Donald Trump that the “best way forward” longer term was a negotiated settlement with Tehran. The prime minister said the UK was doing “everything we can” to de-escalate the situation, a clear contrast to the US president who is focused on regime change and has said it was “too late” for the Iranian regime to negotiate. Continue reading...
Iran thanks Saudi Arabia for keeping airspace closed to attacks Iranian ambassador to Saudi Arabia Alireza Enayati says his country welcomes Riyadh’s pledge not to allow its territory or airspace to be used in the ongoing Israeli-US war on Iran. “We appreciate what we have repeatedly heard from Saudi Arabia – that it does not allow its airspace, waters, or territory to be used against the Islamic Republic of Iran,” Enayati told AFP. Before the war began, Saudi Arabia had backed diplomatic efforts to ease tensions between Tehran and Washington and said its airspace would not be used for attacks on Iran.
TEHRAN (Tasnim) - Iran has warned hosts of satellite ground stations transmitting anti-Iranian terrorist networks, an informed source said Thursday.
Israel planned this war on Iran for 40 years. Everything else is a smoke screen Submitted by Jonathan Cook on Thu, 03/05/2026 - 07:22 The embers of resistance – in Gaza, Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen - have not been snuffed out. With the attack on Iran, they are being fanned into a fire Protesters burn pictures of Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu during a rally following US and Israeli strikes on Iran, in Quezon City, Philippines, on 2 March 2026 (Noel Celis/Reuters) Off It is near impossible to make sense – at least from the justifications on offer – of what US President Donald Trump really hopes to achieve with his and Israel 's blatantly illegal war of aggression on Iran .
ABU DHABI, 5th March, 2026 (WAM) - UAE President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan today held a phone call with His Excellency Ilham Aliyev, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, to discuss recent developments in the region and the implications of the escalating military actions that threaten regional and international security and stability.
ABU DHABI, 5th March, 2026 (WAM) - UAE President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan received a call today from His Excellency Rob Jetten, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, to discuss the serious military and security developments in the region and their implications for regional and international peace and security.
Iran war: 15,000 cruise ship passengers trapped in Gulf waters Submitted by Peter McNamara on Thu, 03/05/2026 - 16:19 The near-total shutdown of the Strait of Hormuz has left tourists and seafarers stranded as war continues to rage Cruise ships are seen anchored at the old port of Doha on 4 March 2026 (Karim Jaafar/AFP) Off Thousands of cruise ship passengers remain stranded in the Gulf as a result of the war on Iran . The International Maritime Organization (IMO), a UN -run agency, told AFP on Thursday that around 20,000 seafarers and 15,000 cruise ship passengers were trapped as the conflict has frozen travel. "Beyond the economic impact of these alarming attacks, it is a humanitarian issue.
Trump demands to choose next Iran supreme leader Submitted by MEE staff on Thu, 03/05/2026 - 16:54 US president says Mojtaba Khamenei, son of leader killed in US-Israeli strike and frontrunner for office, is a 'lightweight' Off US President Donald Trump has said he must be directly involved in choosing the new ruler of Iran. Speaking to the Axios news outlet, he referenced his involvement in kidnapping of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his negotiations in the aftermath as precedent. He also dismissed the idea of Mojtaba Khamenei, son of the slain Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, taking over in Iran.
Nearly 25,000 flights cancelled across Middle East since start of war on Iran Nearly 25,000 of the roughly 44,000 flights scheduled to operate in and out of the Middle East between Saturday and Thursday were cancelled, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium. Dubai International Airport, one of the region’s main hubs, saw the highest number of disruptions. As some airspace began reopening, the UAE said on Thursday it was resuming a limited number of flights to and from Dubai.