Damaged Russian tanker carrying natural gas floats into Libyan waters Fears of ecological disaster as vessel continues to drift after being struck by suspected drone attack The Guardian - UK · Mar 18
US and Israel’s strategy to kill Iran’s top figures may prove counterproductive Attempt to ‘decapitate’ state may harden resistance instead of destabilising regime The Guardian - UK · Mar 18
US-Iran war Day 19 highlights: Mojtaba Khamenei releases rare revenge message, strikes hit airports and energy sites Iran vows revenge after top security officials were killed in Israeli strikes, escalating the 19-day conflict. Energy infrastructure is hit, oil prices surge, and the war expands regionally with attacks in Saudi Arabia and the UAE. US intelligence notes Iran's government remains intact despite leadership losses, while global powers discuss… The Times of India · Mar 18
Trump’s biggest warship USS Gerald R Ford limps to Crete for repairs after huge fire The $13bn warship is in dire need of repairs following a fire onboard that left sailors injured and destroyed hundreds of sleeping quarters, while the toilet system is said to have broken down The Independent UK · Mar 18
We can’t stand by while children are killed in war Letters: Readers respond to Gordon Brown’s article about the effects of war on children following the bombing of the Shajareh Tayyebeh school in Minab, Iran The Guardian - UK · Mar 18
British military experts working with US on options to reopen Strait of Hormuz Defence sources played down the prospect of countries being willing to risk their warships under the current threat of attack from Iran. Evening Standard · Mar 18
Israel Kills Iran's Intelligence Minister Khatib, Third Senior Official Dead in 48 Hours Israel says it killed Iran's intelligence minister Esmaeil Khatib in a Tehran airstrike, the third senior Iranian official assassinated in 48 hours. International Business Times UK · Mar 18
Iran threatens Gulf energy facilities after Israeli attack on its largest gasfield Revolutionary Guards say they will strike infrastructure in Saudi Arabia, UAE and Qatar after South Pars field hit The Guardian - UK · Mar 18
Israel killed Iran’s second most powerful official, but Tehran says it still won’t be enough to break the country The regime refuses to bend. We Got This Covered · Mar 18
U.S. Major General left classified war maps on European train, but that’s not even the most embarrassing thing in the Inspector General’s report This is criminally stupid. We Got This Covered · Mar 18
At least 30 warships needed to open Strait of Hormuz amid Iran blockade, sources say The ships would be needed to escort commercial vessels through the key waterway amid the Iran war Evening Standard · Mar 18
Israel Says Iran Intelligence Chief Esmail Khatib Killed—Retaliation Threat Raises Stakes Israel confirms airstrike killed Iran intelligence chief Esmail Khatib, raising fears of wider conflict and escalating the Israel-Iran war. International Business Times UK · Mar 18
The EU’s Hungary problem won’t be solved even if Viktor Orbán is ousted The bloc’s foremost troublemaker could lose April’s election, but the headaches he’s caused will not necessarily disappear with him The Guardian - UK · Mar 18
Khamenei Rejects Ceasefire—'Not Right Time For Peace' After Larijani Killing, Warns US Must 'Pay' Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, Iran's new supreme leader, rejects peace talks with the US following the killing of a key Iranian insider, escalating tensions. International Business Times UK · Mar 18
The Times of India · Mar 18 Iran leadership decimated: Which top figures were killed in US-Israeli strikes? A series of US-Israeli strikes since February 28 has killed Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and several other top political and military figures. These unprecedented attacks have created a leadership vacuum, intensified regional conflict, and disrupted ongoing nuclear talks, pushing the Middle East into a new phase of instability.
The Guardian - UK · Mar 18 ‘Put him on trial’: pro-Kremlin loyalist turns on Putin in rare outburst Ilya Remeslo sends Telegram post titled ‘Five reasons why I stopped supporting Vladimir Putin’ to his 90,000 followers
The Independent UK · Mar 18 Many in Egypt struggle as the costs of a distant war drive up prices in local markets Rising energy costs caused by the Iran war have forced Egypt to hike fuel and cooking gas prices, hitting the country's already struggling poor and middle classes hard
The Guardian - US · Mar 18 US contractors stranded in Iraq under threat of imminent attack: ‘We are sitting ducks’ More than 200 Americans at Balad site say they have no evacuation plan as fears grow of a post-Ramadan assault
The Independent UK · Mar 18 Mass funeral held in Kabul for victims of strike on hospital that Afghanistan blames on Pakistan Bulldozers have been digging pits in a cemetery in the Afghan capital ahead of a mass funeral for some of the victims of what officials have said was a Pakistani airstrike that hit a drug rehabilitation hospital in Kabul on Monday night
The Guardian - UK · Mar 18 Israel strikes Iran’s South Pars gasfield hours after forces kill intelligence minister Death confirmed of Esmail Khatib, the third senior Iranian figure killed in 24 hours, as Israel also launches intense airstrikes on Lebanon
Latin Times · Mar 18 Tanker Believed To Carry Russian Oil Resumes Navigation To Cuba Weeks After Diverting Course A tanker believed to be carrying Russian oil resumed navigation to Cuba weeks after diverting course as the country continues to endure critical fuel shortages.
The Guardian - US · Mar 18 US spending on first week of Iran war raises stark questions about priorities $11.3bn more than enough to fund EPA or National Cancer Institute, where administration sought to slash budgets
The Times of India · Mar 18 Iran’s minister of intelligence Esmaeil Khatib killed in Israeli strikes - all you need to know Israel’s defence minister Israel Katz on Wednesday claimed that the country’s forces had killed Iran’s intelligence minister Esmail Khatib, adding that the military now has authorisation to "eliminate" any senior Iranian official without seeking further approval.
The Independent UK · Mar 18 Ukraine faces missile shortage due to war in Iran, says Zelensky A long war in Iran would work in Putin’s favour as Kyiv will suffer a ‘depletion of resources’, the Ukrainian president said
Radio France Internationale · Mar 18 Ukraine accepts EU help to repair Druzhba pipeline Ukraine has accepted European Union support to repair the Druzhba pipeline, which carries Russian crude oil to Hungary and Slovakia – a move aimed at defusing a dispute that has delayed a vital EU loan to Ukraine and the implementation of further sanctions on Russia.