UK Defence Secretary says Iran fired missiles on Diego Garcia UK Defence Secretary John Healey claimed on Monday that Iran fired two missiles at the joint UK-US Diego Garcia military base in the Indian Ocean on Friday. Speaking to British parliamentarians, Healey said: "In the early hours of Friday morning, two Iranian missiles were launched in the direction of Diego Garcia. "One fell short of its target, the other was brought down short of its target.
Gaza: Up to 10 Palestinians die daily due to Israeli restrictions on medical evacuations Submitted by Mera Aladam on Mon, 03/23/2026 - 13:12 Around 1,400 Palestinians have died whilst awaiting medical transfers abroad since May 2024, Gaza's health ministry has said A Palestinian child receives treatment at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza, 2 February 2026 (Reuters/Mahmoud Issa) Off Up to 10 Palestinians are dying every day in Gaza due to severe Israeli restrictions that prevent them from accessing urgent medical care abroad, the Palestinian health ministry has said. Zaher al-Wahidi, the director of the ministry's information department, said on Monday that "every day, between six and 10 patients who are waiting to travel abroad for treatment die". He said there were at least 195 cases classified as life-threatening and warned that if they were not evacuated within the next few hours, their lives could be at risk.
Pakistan acting as mediator between Iran and US: FT Two sources are telling the Financial Times that Pakistan is acting as a negotiator between the United States and Iran. The sources, who were briefed on the call, said Pakistan Army Chief Asim Munir, had spoken with Trump to discuss a possible de-escalation. While Pakistani Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif spoke with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Monday.
Iranian parliament speaker says 'no negotiations' between US and Iran The Iranian Parliament's Speaker Mohamed Bagher Galibaf repeated Tehran's denial that talks took place between Iran and the US. "No negotiations have been held with the US, and fake news is used to manipulate the financial and oil markets and escape the quagmire in which the US and Israel are trapped," Galibaf wrote on X. "Galibaf's comments come after Iranian officials said it demanded the "complete and remoseful punishment of the aggressors" and that it stood "firmly behind their supreme leader and people until this goal is achieved.
Doctors criticise medical regulators over campaign against British-Palestinian surgeon Submitted by Areeb Ullah on Mon, 03/23/2026 - 13:24 Hundreds of doctors sign petition calling on leaders of General Medical Council to resign for launching appeal against Ghassan Abu Sittah The GMC is pursuing its High Court appeal after a separate medical tribunal found that Ghassan Abu-Sittah did not support terrorism and a proscribed terror group Off Hundreds of doctors in the UK have signed a petition accusing the country's medical regulator of fostering an “environment of fear” by pursuing what they say is a politically motivated campaign against the prominent British- Palestinian surgeon Ghassan Abu Sittah. The petition, organised by Health Workers 4 Palestine, calls on the leadership of the General Medical Council (GMC) to resign after the regulator said it would challenge the outcome of an independent tribunal which cleared Abu Sittah of wrongdoing following a complaint brought by a pro-Israel advocacy group over an article he had written for a Lebanese newspaper. The petition also raised concerns about financial governance at the regulator, after noting that legal costs in the Abu Sittah case reportedly exceed £200,000 - an amount that requires approval from the GMC’s most senior leadership.
Israeli strike kills one person in Beirut's Hamzieh: Lebanon health ministry Lebanon's health ministry said an Israeli strike on Hamzieh, east of Beirut, killed at least one person. The Israeli military claimed around the same time that it had "struck an IRGC Quds Force terrorist in Beirut", referring to the foreign operations arm of Iran's Revolutionary Guards. Hazmieh, which is near Lebanon's presidential palace, hosts several foreign embassies.
Trump suggests price of oil will 'drop like a rock' if a deal with Iran is made US President Donald Trump claimed to reporters that the price of oil will "drop like a rock" if the United States makes a deal with Iran to end the war. Since the conflict began, oil prices have increased significantly, after Iran threatened to strike vessels crossing the Strait of Hormuz. Trump claimed the two countries are discussing 15 points to end the war, including plans for Iran to give up nuclear weapons.
Israel's Mossad promised it could ignite regime change in Iran, says report Submitted by MEE staff on Mon, 03/23/2026 - 14:39 Mossad promises helped Netanyahu convince Trump Islamic Republic could be toppled, reports New York Times US President Donald Trump (R) greets Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (L) upon arrival at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence in Palm Beach, Florida, on 29 December 2025 (Jim Watson/AFP) Off Israel ’s intelligence agency Mossad had a plan to ignite public protests that would lead to the collapse of Iran ’s government, the New York Times has reported . David Barnea, Mossad’s chief, met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu days before the US and Israel began their war on Iran and told him that the agency would be able to galvanise Iranian opposition in order to bring about regime change. Barnea, according to the report, which cites interviews with US and Israeli officials, also presented this proposal to senior US officials during a visit to Washington in mid-January.
US-Israeli strikes killed 157 in Iran's Lorestan Province, says deputy governor The deputy governor of Lorestan province in Iran said US-Israeli strikes have killed at least 157 people and injured 2,667 there since the start of the war.
Trump claims again that Iran wants to 'make a deal' despite Iranian denials US President Donald Trump has repeated claims that the US and Iran are in discussions over ending the war. Speaking to reporters in Florida, Trump said his Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jarehd Kushner are involved in talks. Iran's foreign ministry, however, denied any talks were taking place and told CBS News it rejected "any type of negotiations before achieving Iran's goal from the war".
Nato 'cannot confirm' Iran behind attack on UK-US base after Iranian denial Submitted by Imran Mulla on Mon, 03/23/2026 - 11:38 Britain and Israel both claimed Iran attacked the base on Diego Garcia last week Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte outside the Hotel Bayerischer Hof, venue of the 62nd Munich Security Conference (MSC), on February 14, 2026 in Munich, southern Germany. (AFP) Off Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte has said the military alliance "cannot confirm" Israel's claim that missiles allegedly targeting the UK - US base on Diego Garcia last week were fired by Iran . His comments raise further questions about the strike against the military base in the Indian Ocean, which was first reported in US media.
Turkey seeks off-ramp to war through US-Iran negotiations Submitted by Ragip Soylu on Mon, 03/23/2026 - 13:00 Ankara is trying to engage a set of European and Arab actors to counterbalance Israeli influence over Trump about ending the war A plume of smoke rises from the site of a strike on the Iranian capital Tehran on 16 March 2026 (Atta Kenare/AFP) Off Turkey is seeking an off-ramp to the war on Iran , engaging both the US and the Islamic Republic in an effort to initiate negotiations on a potential deal, sources familiar with the matter told Middle East Eye. On Sunday, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan held a series of phone calls with his Iranian, Egyptian and European counterparts to discuss steps toward ending the conflict, according to sources in the Turkish Foreign Ministry. The same day, Fidan also spoke with senior US officials, possibly including envoys Steven Witkoff and Jared Kushner.
Israel kills four in Gaza attack on police car during Eid holidays Submitted by Mera Aladam on Mon, 03/23/2026 - 09:25 Nine people have been killed and 30 others left wounded in Israeli assaults since the start of the Islamic holiday Palestinians gather around a destroyed police jeep that was targeted by an Israeli air strike in Nuseirat refugee camp, central Gaza Strip, on 22 March 2026 (AFP/Eyad Baba) Off The Israeli army bombed a police vehicle in the Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip on Sunday, killing at least four people and wounding several others. The Ministry of Interior in Gaza said in a statement that the strike occurred while police officers were “carrying out their duties in Nuseirat camp”. Elsewhere in the besieged enclave, a Palestinian was killed in an Israeli strike targeting a gathering north of Gaza City on the third day of Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan.
Israel destroys key bridge in southern Lebanon, stoking fears of 'ground invasion' Submitted by MEE staff on Mon, 03/23/2026 - 11:19 Qasmiyeh Bridge near Tyre rendered unusable after strike, as Israeli military says offensive 'has only begun' The damaged Qasmiyeh Bridge, located on a main highway linking villages in the Tyre district with others further north, following an Israeli air strike in southern Lebanon on 22 March 2026 (AFP/Kawnat Haju) Off Israeli forces destroyed a key bridge linking southern Lebanon to the rest of the country on Sunday, and attacked homes near the southern border, an escalation Lebanese President Joseph Aoun warned was a "prelude to ground invasion". The Israeli army appeared to destroy the Qasmiyeh Bridge near the city of Tyre, hours after the country's defence minister, Israel Katz, ordered all crossings over the Litani River and several homes close to the Israeli border to be destroyed. Lebanon's National News Agency (NNA) reported that three Israeli strikes "caused extensive damage" to the bridge and that it had been rendered "unusable".
Pope Leo says aerial military strikes should be banned Pope Leo sharply criticised aerial bombardments on Monday, saying they are indiscriminate and should be banned, in his latest anti-war comments as the US-Israeli war on Iran enters its fourth week. Leo, the first US pope, did not specifically mention the expanding conflict in a meeting with executives and staff from Italy's ITA Airways, but he strongly decried the use of airpower in warfare. "No one should have to fear that threats of death and destruction might come from the sky," said the pope.
Germany backs its envoy to Israel after Israeli foreign minister's criticism Germany's foreign ministry stands behind its outgoing ambassador to Israel, Steffen Seibert, said a ministry spokesperson on Monday, after Israeli foreign minister Gideon Saar criticised an X post by Seibert for mentioning Israeli settler violence. German foreign minister Johann Wadephul spoke directly to Saar by phone on Sunday night to discuss the exchange between the two, said the spokesperson, and "that concludes the matter". "The foreign minister has a very, very close relationship with his Israeli counterpart, they are in frequent contact," added the spokesperson.
US lobby firm secures $2m contract to whitewash image of Libya’s Haftar Submitted by MEE staff on Mon, 03/23/2026 - 10:03 Ballard Partners has close ties to the Trump administration, which is is reportedly working on a power-sharing deal in Libya bypassing elections Libyan military commander Khalifa Haftar attends a conference for the country's development and reconstruction, in Libya's southern city of Sebha, on 5 September 2024 (AFP) Off A US lobbying firm closely connected to the Trump administration has been handed a $2m contract to represent Libyan warlord Khalifa Haftar, who faces multiple allegations of human rights abuses. Lobbying disclosure agreements reported by the Washington Post revealed that Ballard Partners, which is staffed by former Trump administration officials, has agreed to advance the interests of Libyan military commanders, including Haftar and his son Sadddam, deputy commander of his self-styled Libyan Arab Armed Forces (LAAF). Haftar and his security forces face allegations of human rights abuses, which are reportedly perpetrated in the detention centres they run.
Israeli military says it is conducting strikes in Tehran The Israeli military said on Monday it is conducting strikes in Tehran, after US president Donald Trump said the United States and Iran had held talks and that he would postpone any strikes on power plants and energy infrastructure.
Trump halts US strikes on power plants after 'very good conversations' with Iran Submitted by MEE staff on Mon, 03/23/2026 - 11:25 US president says talks have taken place 'regarding a complete and total resolution of our hostilities in the Middle East' US President Donald Trump looks at a model of a B‑2 bomber at the White House in Washington, D. C. , 16 March 2026 (Jonathan Ernst/Reuters Off US President Donald Trump has backed down from threats to bomb Iranian power plants following what he described on Monday as "very good and productive conversations" with Iran .
Trump retreated after Iran threat to target West Asia power plants, report says US President Donald Trump reportedly retreated after being told Iran would target all power plants in West Asia, Iran’s Fars News Agency said on Monday, citing a source. There were no direct communications with the United States, either directly or through intermediaries, it said. The Tasnim news agency, citing an Iranian source, said the Strait of Hormuz would not return to pre-war conditions as long as "psychological warfare continues", and that "Iran will continue to respond and broadly defend" its territory.
