Pretoria cannot be drawn into the sphere-of-influence politics that the great powers want to pull it into, Foreign Ministry Director-General Zane Dangor has said South Africa has no reason to cut ties with Iran and will not allow itself to be drawn into the rivalry of major powers, including the US, Foreign Ministry Director-General Zane Dangor has said, according to Reuters.
Pretoria cannot be drawn into the sphere-of-influence politics that the great powers want to pull it into, Foreign Ministry Director-General Zane Dangor has said South Africa has no reason to cut ties with Iran and will not allow itself to be drawn into the rivalry of major powers, including the US,
Venice Biennale artists demand Israel's exclusion from renowned festival Submitted by Oscar Rickett on Tue, 03/17/2026 - 12:01 A letter from the Art Not Genocide Alliance to the Biennale's directors has been signed by 178 participants in this year's exhibition An Italian soldier stands guard in front of Israel's pavilion during the pre-opening of the Venice Biennale art show, on 16 April 2024 (AFP) Off A group of artists, curators and art workers participating in the 2026 Venice Biennale have written to the festival’s organisers demanding Israel ’s exclusion from the international exhibition. In a letter to the directors of the Venice Biennale seen by Middle East Eye, the Art Not Genocide Alliance (ANGA) says it is standing “in a collective refusal to allow you to platform the Israeli state as it commits genocide ”. Signed by 178 participants from around 25 countries represented in this year’s festival, the letter says that the “Venice Biennale’s complicity with the attempted destruction of Palestinian life must end”.
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The central train station in Holon, east of Tel Aviv, has been temporarily closed following recent Iranian missile strikes.
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Five major power plants of the Zionist regime that generate more than half of Israel’s electricity are considered as potential targets in a possible strike by Iran.
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iran's Minister of Education Ali-Reza Kazemi proposed converting the Minab elementary school that was devastated during the current US-Israel aggression into a museum honoring the student martyrs.
Israeli strikes hit Beirut southern suburbs near airport Israeli warplanes launched several strikes on Beirut’s southern suburbs on Tuesday, Lebanon’s official news agency ANI reported. The bombardment targeted multiple locations, including areas close to the airport. "A third Israeli strike on the southern suburbs targeted the old airport road (...
Drone and rocket attacks reportedly targeted the US embassy in Baghdad early on Tuesday and a separate strike killed four people at a house reportedly hosting Iranian advisers in the Iraqi capital, security officials said, pulling the country deeper into the war in the Middle East. The strikes came hours after air defences thwarted a rocket attack at the embassy and a drone caused a fire at a luxury hotel frequented by foreign diplomats in Baghdad’s fortified green zone, Agence France-Presse reported Middle East crisis – live updates Continue reading...
Tehran, March 17 (Xinhua) -- More than 61,000 civilian facilities in Iran have been damaged in the Iranian capital Tehran, since the start of the conflict, including over 18,000 residential and commercial units, according to Fatemeh Mohajerani, a government spokesperson. Mohajerani said that 226 women and 204 children were killed in the strikes.
Gas prices in the region will surge 100% more than previously projected, Kirill Dmitriev has said Gas prices across the EU are set to rise by at least 100% more than previously forecast, Kremlin envoy Kirill Dmitriev has said, as bloc officials continue to push member states to shun Russian energy.
US seeks fertilizer from Venezuela and Morocco amid Iran war The Trump administration is exploring alternative fertilizer supplies as the war with Iran disrupts global markets. White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett told CNBC on Tuesday that Washington is looking to Venezuela and potentially Morocco to ease shortages and stabilise supply for American farmers. Hassett said the move is designed to cushion the impact of the conflict on agricultural production and food prices.
Tunisia detains seven Gaza flotilla activists Submitted by MEE staff on Tue, 03/17/2026 - 10:24 Global Sumud condemned ‘a troubling break with Tunisia's long history of solidarity with the Palestinian people’ after arrests Swedish activist Greta Thunberg from the Global Sumud Flotilla in Genoa, Italy, on 28 November 2025 (Piero Cruciatti/AFP) Off A Tunisian judge on Monday ordered the pre-trial detention of seven members of the new pro- Palestinian flotilla, Global Sumud , based on suspicions of money laundering under the country's anti-terrorism law. On 6 March, local media reported that several members of the Tunisian Coordination of the Sumud Flotilla were arrested, including Wael Naouar, his wife Jawaher Channa, Nabil Chennoufi, Mohamed Amine Bennour, and Sana M’hidli. After their hearing and ten days in police custody, an arrest warrant was issued against the activists for "forming a money laundering conspiracy", lawyer Sami Ben Ghazi told AFP.
New Delhi [India], March 17 (ANI): A meeting of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs will be held tomorrow in which the representatives of the Ministry of External Affairs will brief the members on safety, security and repatriation of diaspora during the ongoing conflict in West Asia.
Tehran [Iran], March 17 (ANI): Iranian state media, Press TV on Tuesday shared a first-person view (FPV) of a drone flying over the US embassy compound in Baghdad. This followed reports that the US Embassy and a hotel in Baghdad were targeted by drones early today with video appearing to show air defences engaging a projectile near the embassy, CNN reported.
MANAMA, 17th March, 2026 (WAM) -- The Kingdom of Bahrain announced that the air defence systems of the Bahrain Defence Force (BDF) intercepted and destroyed 129 ballistic missiles and 233 drones that targeted the Kingdom since the onset of the Iranian aggression.
Spain to release 11. 5 million barrels from oil reserves Spain’s energy minister says the country will release up to 11. 5 million barrels from strategic oil reserves over 90 days as a result of the ongoing Israel-US war on Iran which has upened energy markets around the world.
Kabul says hundreds killed in Pakistani air strike on hospital Submitted by MEE staff on Tue, 03/17/2026 - 10:37 Islamabad rejects Afghan government's claim that 400 people were killed in attack on drug rehabilitation facility A Taliban security officer patrols the site of a Pakistani attack on Kabul on 17 March (AFP/Wakil Kohsar) Off A Taliban official has accused Pakistan of killing at least 400 people at a drug rehabilitation facility in Afghanistan's capital, Kabul. Hamdullah Fitrat, the deputy spokesman for the Taliban government of Afghanistan, said the 2,000-bed Omid Addiction Treatment Hospital was attacked late on Monday evening. Images taken by the AFP news agency showed Afghan members of the Red Crescent removing bodies from the rubble, and surviving patients gathered in a holding area near the ruins of the targeted building.
Qatar says it intercepted second wave of missiles Qatar’s Ministry of Defence says its armed forces intercepted a second wave of missiles aimed at the country. In a brief statement, the ministry said Qatari air defences successfully engaged the incoming projectiles. تعلن وزارة الدفاع القطرية عن تصدي القوات المسلحة لموجة صاروخية ثانية استهدفت دولة قطر.
The crisis in the Middle East continues to intensify, with strikes and counter-strikes reported across the region and the humanitarian toll rising. UN agencies warn that health systems are under growing strain, children are increasingly affected by violence and displacement, and hundreds of thousands of people have been forced from their homes. Despite mounting logistical and security challenges, UN agencies are scaling up emergency aid as the conflict’s impact spreads across the region and beyond.
The Middle East war could cause the worst disruption to lifesaving humanitarian work since COVID, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) warned on Tuesday.
