Iran says Americans should blame Israel for economic impact In a post on X, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said: “Iran does not want to harm ordinary Americans who overwhelmingly voted to end involvement in costly foreign wars. ” He added that rising fuel prices and other economic pressures in the US should be blamed on Israel and its allies in Washington.
Israel says it struck multiple Iranian government-linked sites The Israeli military said its air force carried out another wave of strikes across Iran. In a statement posted on X, the military said dozens of sites linked to the Iranian government were hit, including what it described as a headquarters used by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps for drone operations. The military said drones had previously been launched from the site towards Israel and that additional drones stored there were preparing for launch.
Hezbollah claims attacks on Israeli military site and troops Hezbollah said it targeted a satellite communications station used by the Israeli army in the Ellah Valley, about 160km from the Lebanese border. The group said the facility was struck with a barrage of what it described as sophisticated missiles. In a separate statement, Hezbollah also said it launched rockets at Israeli soldiers near the border, targeting a gathering of troops near the Lebanese town of Mays al-Jabal at 17:00 local time.
Trump says Iran ‘made a big mistake’ choosing Mojtaba Khamenei US President Donald Trump said Iran “made a big mistake” by selecting Mojtaba Khamenei as the country’s new supreme leader after his father was killed in a US-Israeli attack. Speaking to NBC News, reiterating earlier remarks in which he described the son of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as a “lightweight”. Trump also said it was “too soon to talk about” seizing Iran’s oil, but added that he does not rule out the possibility.
How Iran war will shape the future of Hezbollah and Israeli expansionism Submitted by Hicham Safieddine on Mon, 03/09/2026 - 16:02 Lebanon's armed resistance has reached a critical juncture, amid ongoing Israeli occupation and ceasefire violations Smoke billows from the site of an Israeli air strike in the southern suburbs of the Lebanese capital Beirut on 9 March 2026 (Ibrahim Amro/AFP) Off The US - Israeli war on Iran has led to a regional conflagration, with Lebanon becoming one of its hot spots. Two days after the attack on Iran, Hezbollah launched rockets across the border towards Haifa. Israel swiftly responded with large-scale bombings, targeted assassination attempts and ground incursions .
Lebanon says 486 killed since Israeli attacks began Lebanon’s health ministry said at least 486 people have been killed and 1,313 wounded since Israeli attacks began on 2 March. Al Jazeera reported that an Israeli drone targeted a car in the southern town of Burj Rahal, while another strike hit the town of Srifa. Israeli air attacks also struck several other areas in southern Lebanon, including Arab Salim, Barghaz and Majdal Selm, according to Al Jazeera Arabic.
Pentagon identifies seventh US service member killed in Iran war The Pentagon has identified the seventh US service member killed in combat during the US-Israeli war on Iran as Army Staff Sgt. Benjamin N. Pennington, 26, of Glendale, Kentucky.
Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu in shouting match with judge as trial begins Submitted by Güldenay Sonumut on Mon, 03/09/2026 - 15:36 Detainees must review tens of thousands of pages of documents with just two hours of weekly computer access Ozgur Ozel, leader of the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) and Dilek Imamoglu, wife of Ekrem Imamoglu, the jailed mayor of Istanbul and main rival of President Tayyip Erdogan, address the media, 9 March 2026 (Umit Bektas/Reuters) Off Temperatures rose quickly on the opening day of the mass corruption trial involving Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu and more than 400 co-defendants, with the mayor challenging the judge and seeking permission to address supporters at the outset of the hearing. The judges did not allow Imamoglu to proceed, arguing that such a request was not part of regular court procedure, as the mayor’s supporters chanted slogans in his favour. Imamoglu walked towards the bench, asking to speak.
Erdogan warns Iran after missile enters Turkish airspace Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Ankara has issued the necessary warnings to Tehran after NATO air defences shot down a second Iranian ballistic missile that entered Turkish airspace earlier on Friday. Speaking after a cabinet meeting in Ankara, Erdogan said Tehran continues to take “wrong and provocative steps” during the US-Israeli war on Iran. He said no action should damage Turkey’s “thousand-year neighbourly, brotherly ties” with Iran.
Israel arrests journalists reporting on missile impacts The Israeli military has imposed strict limits on reporting about where missiles and rockets are landing and how many have been fired by Iran or Hezbollah. Al Jazeera reported that Israeli authorities have arrested journalists deemed to have revealed too much information on air. Two people were killed on Friday in an area near Ben Gurion Airport close to Tel Aviv.
Hezbollah fires rocket attacks on Nahariya and Israeli forces near border Hezbollah said it launched rockets at targets in northern Israel and at Israeli troops close to the Lebanese border. The group said it fired a rocket barrage towards the Israeli town of Nahariya at around 14:55 local time, calling it a response to Israeli strikes on towns and cities in Lebanon. In another statement, Hezbollah said it also attacked Israeli soldiers near the border area around Markaba at about 15:30 local time.
Afternoon recap Good afternoon Middle East Eye readers, As Iran’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, assumes power, the Middle East remains under bombardment from multiple sides as the conflict enters its tenth day.
Erdogan warns Iran against 'provocative steps' after second missile intercepted Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan 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, adding: "Persistence and stubbornness in wrongdoing should be avoided".
Huge crude oil spike and Asia plummet: How the Iran war hit the markets Submitted by Rayhan Uddin on Mon, 03/09/2026 - 15:27 Oil prices jumped to the highest levels since 2022, as South Korean and Japanese indices slump following Iranian closure of Strait of Hormuz A crude oil tanker is guided to a berth at the oil terminal at the port in Qingdao, in China’s eastern Shandong province on 7 March 2026 (CN-STR/AFP) Off The global commodity market was jolted as markets reopened on Monday, as the war on Iran continued to escalate over the weekend. Israel struck over 30 oil depots in Iran on Saturday, including in Tehran and Karaj. The strikes on depots went far beyond what the US expected when Israel notified it in advance, according to a report in Axios.
Iran's Jews feeling fear and heartbreak as US-Israeli strikes rain down Submitted by MEE correspondent on Mon, 03/09/2026 - 14:27 'I cannot see the country where I was born and raised as my enemy,' one Jewish Iranian businesswoman tells MEE Iranian Jews hold a pro-Palestinian gathering in Tehran on 30 October 2023 (Atta Kenare/AFP) Off Yosef, an Iranian Jew who studied history at university, is talking to Middle East Eye about the distinction between Judaism and Zionism. Part of a small community that now numbers less than 10,000 in a country of 90 million, Yosef – like other Iranian Jews – is trying to stay safe from air and missile strikes that often originate in Israel , a country he is supposed to feel some affinity with. “It is Zionism that has damaged Israel’s reputation around the world,” he says.
Israeli shelling kills priest in south Lebanon Israeli tank fire killed a priest in the border village of al-Qlayya, in south Lebanon’s Marjayoun district. Lebanese state media reported that Israeli artillery struck a house in the Christian town twice in succession. The first strike wounded the homeowner and his wife, according to the National News Agency (NNA).
Iran security chief says Strait of Hormuz unsafe as long as war goes on Iran's security chief Ali Larijani said security in the strategic Strait of Hormuz cannot be restored as long as the war with the US 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.
Renowned Palestinian historian Walid Khalidi dies aged 100 Submitted by MEE staff on Mon, 03/09/2026 - 14:13 Scholar and co-founder of the Institute for Palestine Studies devoted his life to documenting Palestinian history and the Nakba Palestinian historian Walid Khalidi holds his degree after receiving an honorary doctorate of humane letters at the American University of Beirut 26 June 2010 (Reuters/Mohamed Azakir) Off Renowned Palestinian historian Walid Khalidi has died aged 100 after a decades-long scholarship focused on the history and displacement of the Palestinian people. The Institute for Palestine Studies (IPS) - a research and publication centre focused on the Palestinian plight that Khalidi co-founded in Beirut in 1963 - said he died in Cambridge, Massachusetts in the US on Sunday. Khalidi was a leading figure in documenting Palestinian society before the Nakba - the “catastrophe” of 1948, when Zionist militias ethnically cleansed Palestinians from their homeland to pave the way for the creation of Israel.
IEA called for joint release of emergency oil stocks at G7 online meeting The International Energy Agency (IAE) called for a coordinated release of emergency oil reserves during online meeting with the finance ministers from the Group of Seven states, Japanese Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama told a briefing. "IEA called for each country to do coordinated release of oil reserves," Katayama said, as the ministers gathered online to discuss the impact of war in Iran on the markets which saw oil prices surging to more than $119 a barrel on Monday.
UAE tycoon rules out Abu Dhabi joining Iran war in scathing attack on US Submitted by MEE staff on Mon, 03/09/2026 - 14:25 Khalaf al-Habtoor says that while Donald Trump and Lindsey Graham may 'risk their country for Israel's interests', the Emiratis would not do the same Khalaf Ahmed al-Habtoor, chairman of the United Arab Emirates' al-Habtoor Group, gestures during a press conference at Beirut airport on 20 March 2007 (AFP/Haitham Mussawi) Off In a scathing statement on X, Khalaf al-Habtoor, a prominent Emirati billionaire, has ruled out the UAE getting involved in the war on Iran , and accused the US of putting Israel ’s interests over its own. Habtoor noted that US Republican Senator Lindsey Graham had in recent days called on Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries to join the US and Israel in its war on Iran. “I say to him clearly: We know full well why we are under attack, and we also know who dragged the entire region into this dangerous escalation without consulting those he calls his ‘allies’ in the region,” he wrote.
