Oil climbs past $119 a barrel as Iran crisis squeezes global supply - Monday 9 March
Global oil prices surpassed $119 a barrel on Monday (9 March, 2026), an almost four year high, as the Middle East conflict rumbled on.
Global oil prices surpassed $119 a barrel on Monday (9 March, 2026), an almost four year high, as the Middle East conflict rumbled on.
Bahrain’s state-owned oil company Bapco has declared force majeure after an attack set the country’s only refinery ablaze. The firm says domestic supplies remain secure, but operations are disrupted by the ongoing Middle East conflict, underscoring regional energy risks.
Mojtaba Khamenei, son of the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, is a hardline cleric with strong backing from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. His rise signals continuity in Tehran's anti-Western policies.
The Israeli military says it has destroyed an underground bunker beneath Iran’s leadership complex in Tehran that it claims was built for former supreme leader Ali Khamenei.
Global financial markets remained on edge on Friday as the escalating war involving the United States, Israel and Iran continued to rattle investors, fuelling volatility in stocks and sending energy prices sharply higher.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says the United States is making gains in its conflict with Iran after a key Iranian naval target was destroyed, confirming that the strike was carried out by a U.S. submarine off the coast of Sri Lanka. Rescue efforts are now under way for the ship’s crew.
Air fares between Asia and Europe have surged after major Gulf hubs, including Dubai, partially reopened following closures linked to the conflict between Israel, the U.S. and Iran. Airlines are still rerouting flights around restricted airspace, cutting economy seat supply and pushing up prices.
Global air travel remained in turmoil on Monday after U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran and retaliatory strikes in the Gulf region prompted widespread airspace closures across the Middle East, disrupting one of the world’s most important aviation corridors.
Saudi Arabia’s state oil giant Saudi Aramco closed its Ras Tanura refinery on Monday following an Iranian drone strike, an industry source told Reuters as Tehran retaliated across the Gulf after a U.S.-Israeli attack on Iranian targets over the weekend.
Iran’s Islamic Republic is backed by decades of institutional strength and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has proved to be resilient. Middle East expert Kevan Gafaïti from Sciences Po Paris explains why Iran's institutions are, therefore, unlikely to crumble under renewed strikes.
Speaking during a closed-door deposition in New York on Thursday (February), former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said she did not “recall” ever meeting the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and had “no knowledge of his crimes”.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top news stories for the 27th of February, covering the latest developments you need to know.
As Iran and the United States continue with nuclear talks in Geneva on Thursday, Tehran’s extensive ballistic missile programme remains a central point of contention.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.