Skip to contentIran vows long war as strikes hit Hamadan and Dubai airport; Israel opens ground front in Lebanon displacing 800,000.
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Iran vows long war as US-Israeli strikes hit Hamadan; missile fragment strikes US consul building in Israel
US and Israeli aircraft struck the Iranian city of Hamadan on Sunday, sending large plumes of smoke across the city, while Iran's foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran never sought a ceasefire and is prepared for a prolonged conflict. An Iranian missile fragment struck a residential building housing the US consul in Israel, and the IRGC threatened to kill Prime Minister Netanyahu. Trump indicated he rejected a deal with Iran because terms were insufficient, and said he might strike Kharg Island 'for fun,' while US officials privately predicted the war could end within weeks.
Why it matters: The gap between Trump's public maximalism — threatening Kharg Island and rejecting negotiations — and US officials' private prediction of a quick end creates a signalling trap: Iran reads the public posture, calculates it must keep fighting, and prolongs the very conflict officials claim will be short.
How reporting varies:
Iranian state media (State-controlled, pro-regime): Inflates enemy casualties and uses digitally manipulated imagery to present the war as a series of Iranian triumphs, while denying any ceasefire overtures.
US and Israeli officials (Government sources with interest in projecting confidence): Predict a quick end to the conflict and deny interceptor shortages, framing the war as progressing toward its objectives.
Iranian Foreign Ministry (Official Iranian government position): Says Tehran initiated no ceasefire request and is ready for a long war, directly contradicting Trump's claims that Iran wants to negotiate.
Al Jazeera (center) [1, 2] · Daily Maverick (center-left) · NPR World (center-left) · Reuters (center) [1, 2, 3] · Straits Times (center) [1, 2, 3, 4] · SCMP World (center) · The Hindu (center) [1, 2, 3, 4]
Drone strike ignites fire near Dubai airport, flights suspended
A drone attack set a fuel tank ablaze near Dubai International Airport on Monday, one of the world's busiest hubs, forcing a temporary suspension of flights. The fire was later contained with no reported injuries, and flights gradually resumed. Iranian drones have repeatedly targeted the airport since the US-Israeli attack on Iran began on February 28, but Monday's strike was described as the largest yet.
Why it matters: Dubai's airport handles roughly 90 million passengers a year and acts as the main re-routing hub for flights avoiding Iranian and Gulf airspace; each successful strike raises insurance costs and forces further rerouting, compounding the air-travel disruption already radiating from the conflict.
Israel begins limited ground operations in Lebanon as over 800,000 are displaced
Israel's military said it had begun 'limited and targeted' ground operations against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, as the death toll from Israeli strikes since March 2 rose to 850. More than 800,000 people — roughly one in seven of Lebanon's population — have been displaced in ten days, with families camping in vehicles and makeshift shelters during heavy rain. The WHO released over $2 million in emergency funds for Lebanon, Iraq and Syria, and UN peacekeepers in Lebanon reported being fired upon.
Why it matters: Israel opening a ground front in Lebanon while simultaneously conducting strikes on Iran stretches its operational commitments and risks triggering a two-front escalation at the exact moment its foreign minister was publicly downplaying interceptor shortages — an admission gap that could embolden Hezbollah to intensify fire.
Trump threatens NATO's future over Hormuz; allies give muted response
President Trump demanded roughly seven countries join a coalition to escort commercial ships through the Strait of Hormuz, warning NATO faced a 'very bad' future if allies refused and linking the request to continued military aid to Ukraine. Japan said it had no plans for a Hormuz escort mission, Germany expressed scepticism about expanding the EU's Operation Aspides into the strait, and Trump's earlier suggestion that China help secure the waterway prompted him to threaten to delay a China visit. Iran's foreign minister warned against any wider involvement, saying Tehran had evidence US bases in neighbouring Arab states were being used to launch attacks.
Why it matters: Trump tying Hormuz coalition-building to Ukrainian aid creates a perverse incentive for European allies: refusing to patrol the strait risks losing US military support for Ukraine, meaning the cost of protecting Middle East oil flows is borne by the country most exposed to Russian aggression.
Oil rises further as IEA releases emergency stocks; Europe faces an energy shock it cannot absorb
Oil prices climbed again as markets focused on threats to Middle East export facilities, with Iran war disruptions hitting refined fuels harder than crude. The International Energy Agency said emergency stockpile releases were imminent, and Japan announced it would release oil stocks. US oil company CEOs warned the Trump administration the energy crisis was likely to worsen. Europe — carrying record government debt levels and surging borrowing costs — has limited capacity to cushion the blow for consumers and industry.
Why it matters: Because the Iran war has hit refined fuel products more severely than crude, emergency crude releases from strategic reserves will not quickly ease shortages of diesel and jet fuel, meaning the relief mechanism governments are reaching for will not address the most acute part of the crisis.
Europe caught flat-footed by Iran war, France calls for Hormuz navigation to be restored
The EU is absorbing the war's economic fallout while having little influence over its course, with European military contributions — including a potential expansion of Operation Aspides — diverting scarce resources from other commitments. French President Macron called on Iran to end regional attacks and restore navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, while the EU scheduled discussions on bolstering its naval mission. Germany remained sceptical about extending Aspides into the strait.
Why it matters: Europe deploying naval assets to the Strait of Hormuz would reduce the ships and capabilities available for Baltic Sea protection and for deterring Russian aggression — a direct trade-off that Russia could exploit.
Iran arrests 500, blocks internet and installs new checkpoints as it tries to prevent protests
Iran's police chief said 500 people had been arrested on charges of passing information to enemies, as residents in Tehran described new security checkpoints where people were stopped and searched. Iranians are using VPNs and other tools to circumvent government blocks on phone and internet connections to contact family abroad. Iranians in exile watch from abroad, some saying return is no longer possible.
Why it matters: The scale of the internal crackdown — 500 arrests and city-wide checkpoints — suggests the regime is more concerned about domestic stability than its public posture of defiant confidence implies, raising the possibility that internal pressure could shape Iranian negotiating behaviour more than military strikes alone.
BBC World (center) [1, 2, 3] · Deutsche Welle (center) · Reuters (center) · Straits Times (center) [1, 2, 3]
Gaza casualties mount as Rafah crossing set for partial reopening; sandstorm hits tent camps
Israeli strikes killed 12 people in Gaza, including two children and a pregnant woman, as the Rafah crossing remained closed, leaving more than 20,000 patients awaiting medical evacuation. Israel said the crossing would reopen partially on March 18 for limited movement in both directions. A sandstorm struck tent camps housing displaced families.
Why it matters: The partial reopening of Rafah is tied to Israeli military and political decisions rather than humanitarian need — meaning each closure and reopening functions as leverage in a broader negotiation, leaving patients' lives contingent on diplomatic timing.
Paul Thomas Anderson's 'One Battle After Another' wins six Oscars including best picture
Paul Thomas Anderson's political chase film 'One Battle After Another' won six Academy Awards on Sunday, including best picture, best director and best adapted screenplay, while 'Sinners' took four awards including best actor for Michael B. Jordan. Several winners and host Conan O'Brien used the ceremony to speak out against the US-Israeli war on Iran and the situation in Gaza. Filipino-American cinematographer Autumn Durald Arkapaw became the first woman of colour to win best cinematography for her work on 'Sinners'.
Why it matters: Hollywood's most-watched annual platform becoming a venue for sustained anti-war statements — with the best picture winner itself a political allegory — marks a shift from individual red-carpet gestures toward institutional dissent, applying reputational pressure on studios and broadcasters with government ties.
Hungary's Orban and rival Magyar hold parallel rallies ahead of April election
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and opposition leader Peter Magyar staged competing mass rallies in Budapest on Hungary's national day, with each presenting a sharply different vision for the country ahead of the April 12 election. Magyar, a former Orban ally, represents the first serious electoral challenge to the ruling Fidesz party in years.
Why it matters: An opposition candidate who was himself embedded in the Fidesz system leading the strongest challenge yet against Orban tests whether voter disillusionment with incumbents can overcome a decade of electoral rules rewritten to favour the ruling party.
Uganda's Bobi Wine says he has fled the country after months in hiding
Ugandan opposition leader Bobi Wine said from an undisclosed location that he had left Uganda after two months in hiding following January's disputed presidential election, which returned long-time President Yoweri Museveni to power. Wine said it was clear the regime wanted to 'eliminate' him.
Why it matters: A prominent opposition leader fleeing into exile rather than mounting a legal challenge signals that even the limited political space available to Ugandan dissent has effectively closed, removing the most visible check on Museveni's government ahead of a period with no scheduled national vote.
France's National Rally leads first round of municipal elections; LFI also gains
The first round of French municipal elections saw a strong performance by Marine Le Pen's far-right National Rally and the radical-left La France Insoumise, with both parties likely to increase their local presence ahead of next year's presidential race. In Toulon, RN candidate Laure Lavalette took 42% of the first-round vote, ahead of the incumbent centre-right mayor.
Why it matters: The simultaneous advance of the far right and radical left in French municipal elections, squeezing centrist parties from both flanks at a local level, is the electoral pattern most likely to fragment the centre ahead of a presidential contest where neither extreme can currently win a runoff outright.
Canada and Nordic countries form 'middle-power' bloc focused on defence procurement
Canada and the five Nordic countries — Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland and Iceland — concluded a summit agreeing to deepen cooperation on military procurement and related areas, presenting themselves as a middle-power coalition. Few specific details were announced. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has pushed the grouping as Canada navigates its relationship with a more assertive United States.
Why it matters: Framing defence procurement cooperation as a 'middle-power' project is a tacit acknowledgement that Canada and the Nordics no longer assume unconditional US security guarantees, making the grouping a structural hedge against American disengagement rather than a supplement to NATO.