Oil prices hit four year high: Latest news on the Middle East conflict on 9 March
Global oil prices reached a four year high on Monday (9 March), surpassing $...
Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Istanbul on Saturday amid growing regional cooperation and the removal of Western sanctions on Syria.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan welcomed Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa in Istanbul on Saturday for high-level discussions, as both the United States and European Union officially ended years-long sanctions on Syria.
According to a statement from the Turkish Presidency on social media platform X, Erdogan expressed his approval of the policy shift, telling Sharaa that Ankara welcomed the decisions made by the US and EU.
The two leaders held a meeting at the Dolmabahce Palace after Sharaa's surprise visit, which marks a significant moment in the normalization of diplomatic ties between Ankara and Damascus. In recent months, Turkiye has become one of the main regional partners of the Syrian government following the ousting of former President Bashar al-Assad.
The meeting was also attended by Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Defense Minister Yasar Guler, and MIT intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin. Their Syrian counterparts participated in the discussions as well.
In parallel developments, US ambassador Tom Barrack has been appointed as Washington’s special envoy to Syria. The move is seen as a signal of American recognition of Turkiye’s growing influence over Syria’s future.
Earlier this week, Turkish and Syrian intelligence officials held talks on the future of the Kurdish YPG militia. Turkish sources indicated discussions focused on the disarmament of YPG fighters and their potential integration into Syrian security forces. Turkiye continues to regard the YPG as a terrorist group due to its links to the PKK, which recently announced its decision to disband.
With sanctions lifted and diplomatic meetings underway, Ankara is positioning itself as a key player in shaping post-conflict Syria and restoring regional stability.
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.
Global oil prices surpassed $119 a barrel on Monday (9 March, 2026), an almost four year high, as the Middle East conflict rumbled on.
Trump says the United States "don’t need people that join wars after we’ve already won," targeting his criticism at UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Israel continues to fire missles at strategic sites in Iran and Gulf regions report more strikes from Iran.
China has urged Afghanistan and Pakistan to resolve their dispute through dialogue after Chinese envoy Yue Xiaoyong met Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, as fighting between the two neighbours entered its eleventh day.
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.
U.S. President Donald Trump and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer spoke by phone on Sunday as tensions between Washington and Westminster deepened over the conflict involving Iran. The call came less than a day after Trump criticised Britain’s response to U.S. strikes on Iranian targets.
Norwegian police are searching for a suspect after an explosion at the U.S. embassy in Oslo on 8 March caused minor damage but no injuries, in what authorities say may have been a deliberate attack linked to the Middle East crisis.
An explosion damaged a synagogue in the Belgian city of Liège early on Monday (9 March) in what authorities said was an antisemitic attack that caused damage but no injuries.
The Group of Seven (G7) finance ministers will meet on Monday to discuss a global rise in oil prices and a joint release of oil from emergency reserves coordinated by the International Energy Agency, the Financial Times reports.
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.
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