Recent operations by the U.S. military have led some to believe that a decapitating strike is a silver bullet capable of fixing any foreign policy problem swiftly. However, this logic is flawed, and the risks of relying on swift, targeted actions are too great to ignore.
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.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top news stories for the 9th of March, covering the latest developments you need to know.
Iran named Mojtaba Khamenei to succeed his father Ali Khamenei as supreme leader on Monday (9 March), signaling that hardliners remain firmly in charge, as the week-old U.S.-Israeli war with Iran pushed oil above $100 a barrel.
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.
U.S. President Donald Trump warned Iran to expect further strikes on Saturday (7 March). In a post on social media, he said Iran would be 'hit very hard'. His comments came a week into the conflict with Iran, which has spread across the Middle East.
U.S. President Donald Trump threatened further attacks on Iran on Saturday (7 March), while the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia continued to shoot down missiles in their airspace. Meanwhile, Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian said Tehran would stop attacking its neighbours.
Tehran’s Mehrabad Airport came under attack in heavy airstrikes on early Saturday morning (7 March), Iranian news agencies reported.
Baku has completed its evacuation of staff from the Azerbaijan Consulate General in Tabriz, while most employees from the Azerbaijan Embassy in Tehran have also returned.
The Azerbaijani State Security Service has said it has stopped Iran committing terror attacks against four targets in the country: Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline, the Israeli Embassy in Azerbaijan, a leader of the Mountain Jews religious community and the "Ashkenazi" synagogue.
Officials in Azerbaijan have said they have stopped terror attacks in Azerbaijan including on an Israeli Embassy, the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline and a Synagogue. Tensions between regional and global powers escalate. Military activity, security alerts and travel disruptions continue.
U.S. President Donald Trump has demanded Iran’s “unconditional surrender,” almost a week into the conflict with Tehran. Trump made the comments on social media on Friday (6 March), hours after the Iranian president said unspecified countries had begun mediation efforts.
Türkiye has said it is “closely monitoring” the movements of the so-called Kurdistan Free Life Party (PJAK) following U.S. calls for local Kurdish militias to join the ongoing regional conflict against Iran.
In the Middle East, wars rarely remain confined to battlefields. Their most profound and enduring consequences are often measured not in military victories but in human displacement.
Key humanitarian air, sea and land routes are being constricted by disruption from the war in the Middle East, delaying life-saving shipments to some of the world's worst crises, 10 aid officials have told Reuters.
Iran's Provisional Leadership Council has been given new constitutional powers by the State Expediency Council to assign or remove military commanders and to declare war or peace, local media reported quoting the Expediency Council's spokesman.
Lebanon's Hezbollah warned Israeli residents to evacuate towns within 5 km (3.11 miles) of the border between the countries in a message posted on its Telegram channel in Hebrew early on Friday.
Israel has launched wide-ranging attacks on Tehran’s infrastructure as the week‑long Middle East conflict widens, as U.S. President Donald Trump encourages Iranian Kurdish forces in Iraq to attack Iran.
Emirates and Etihad Airways were resuming limited flight schedules to key global cities from their United Arab Emirates hubs on Friday (6 March), though the ongoing threat of missile fire piled pressure on airlines.
On Thursday (5 March) four drones were directed towards Azerbaijan's Nakhchivan region, according to the Ministry of Defence. Here is what we know so far.
Tensions in the Middle East are continuing to escalate as Iran and U.S.-backed Israeli forces exchange strikes for a sixth consecutive day, with Tehran reporting mounting civilian casualties and warning it is prepared for a prolonged war.
In an exclusive interview with AnewZ, Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said the Islamic Republic is "not targeting neighbouring countries," amid reports of drone strikes on Nakhchivan International Airport on Thursday (5 March).
Trump tells Axios he wants direct involvement in who takes over as Iran's next leader, rejecting Khamenei's son as "unacceptable" and citing the need for a figure who can bring "peace and harmony".
Escalating tensions between Iran and the U.S. are raising economic concerns across Central Asia. Although the region lies far from the conflict, its economies remain closely tied to global energy markets and trade routes linked to the Persian Gulf.
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