Middle East war latest: Flights resume in Dubai, as EU mulls over Strait of Hormuz conundrum

Explosions heard across Doha: AFP journalists 

Several explosions were heard across Doha on Monday, according to AFP journalists, with the Gulf state’s defence ministry subsequently saying it had intercepted a missile attack.

“Qatar announces that its armed forces intercepted a missile attack which targeted the State of Qatar,” the ministry said in a statement, as Tehran presses a retaliatory campaign against Gulf states following attacks by the United States and Israel on Iran.

Displaced Lebanese ‘will not return’ until north Israel secure: Israeli defence minister

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz warned on Monday that Lebanese displaced by fighting with Hezbollah would not be allowed to return home until the north of Israel was secure.

“Hundreds of thousands of Shia residents of southern Lebanon who have evacuated and are evacuating their homes from southern Lebanon and Beirut will not return to their homes south of the Litani area until the safety of residents in the north is guaranteed,” Katz told military top brass according to a statement.

Qatar says diplomacy with Iran possible ‘if they stop the attacks’

Diplomatic talks with Iran are only possible if it ceases its attacks, Qatar’s foreign ministry spokesman said on Monday, as Tehran presses its missile and drone campaign against Gulf states.

“If they stop the attacks, then we can find a way out with diplomacy. But as long as our countries are being attacked, this is not the time to establish committees, it’s the time to take a very principled position (on) protecting our countries and for them to stop attacking us immediately,” Qatar’s foreign ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari said.

UK PM says any plan to reopen Strait of Hormuz ‘won’t be’ a Nato mission

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Monday that a plan the UK is working on with allies to reopen the Strait of Hormuz during the Middle East war would not involve NATO.

“Let me be clear, that won’t be and it’s never been envisioned to be a NATO mission,” Starmer told reporters.

His comments came after President Donald Trump said NATO faces a “very bad” future if US allies fail to help open the key oil transport route.

Iran FM says ready to take war with Israel, US ‘as far as’ necessary

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Monday that Tehran had shown it was ready to take the war with Israel and the United States as far as necessary.

“I think by now they have learned a good lesson and understood what kind of nation they are dealing with, one that does not hesitate to defend itself and is ready to continue the war wherever it may lead, and take it as far as necessary,” said Araghchi during a weekly foreign ministry briefing.

Oil rises, stocks fall

Oil prices rose further above $100 a barrel and Asian stocks mostly fell as the Iran war moved into a third week. A barrel of Brent was up almost three percent at nearly $106 in mid-morning trading in Europe.

Crude rose after US President Donald Trump said at the weekend that forces struck military targets on Kharg Island, a scrubby stretch of land in the Gulf that handles almost all of Iran’s oil exports.

Trump warned attacks could expand to energy infrastructure if the Islamic republic interferes with transit through the Strait of Hormuz, which has been effectively closed since the US-Israel operations began on February 28.

Japan starts releasing oil

Japan said Monday it was beginning the release of its strategic oil reserves after the International Energy Agency indicated earlier that the release would begin in Asia and Oceania before other regions.

IEA members agreed on March 11 to tap oil stockpiles to cushion the surge in prices caused by the war — by far the largest-ever response of its kind. The IEA said releases in Europe and North America would start before the end of March.

EU meets to talk energy

Energy ministers from the European Union’s 27 nations gathered for talks in Brussels Monday to lay the groundwork for a Thursday summit, where leaders are set to discuss how to help families and businesses deal with soaring energy prices.

Some countries have already announced domestic price caps or cut fuel taxes, while others are pushing for the EU to loosen its carbon-emissions trading scheme and to alter how electricity prices are set.

EU eyes Hormuz naval mission

EU foreign ministers Monday will discuss extending the bloc’s Red Sea naval mission to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz, the bloc’s top diplomat Kaja Kallas said.

A fifth of the world’s crude supplies and a substantial amount of gas normally run through the key waterway.

An option on the table would be to change the mandate of the EU’s naval mission in the Red Sea, Operation Aspides, Kallas said. That operation is to defend shipping from attacks by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi forces.

China maintains talks over Trump visit

Beijing said on Monday it is in talks with Washington over a visit by Trump expected this month, even after the US president suggested he would delay the planned summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping if Beijing does not assist in reopening the Strait of Hormuz.

Beijing’s foreign ministry said Beijing and Washington “are maintaining communication regarding President Trump’s visit to China”.Blasts in Tehran

Explosions hit the Iranian capital on Monday, an AFP journalist reported, hours after Israel said it conducted large-scale overnight strikes.

The blasts were heard in central Tehran as air defence systems were activated, the journalist said. It was not immediately clear what was targeted.

‘Limited’ operations

The Israeli military said on Monday it had begun what it described as “limited ground operations” against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon.

“In recent days, IDF troops from the 91st division have begun limited and targeted ground operations against key Hezbollah strongholds in southern Lebanon, aimed at enhancing the forward defence area,” the military said in a statement.

Dubai resumes flights

Authorities said flights were gradually resuming at Dubai airport Monday after a “drone-related incident” sparked a fuel tank fire nearby.

Following the incident, flights had been suspended at the airport, which is usually the world’s busiest for international travel but has seen major disruptions since the war erupted on February 28.

The Emirati defence ministry later said its air defence systems were intercepting a wave of Iranian drones and missiles, without specifying where in the Gulf nation.

EU weighs naval mission

EU foreign ministers will Monday discuss extending the bloc’s Red Sea naval mission to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz, said the bloc’s top diplomat Kaja Kallas.

US President Donald Trump is pressuring world powers to help reopen the vital oil transport conduit, which has effectively been shut by Iran.

Oil rises further

Oil prices rose further, with Brent North Sea Crude up three percent to $106.50 per barrel in Monday trading.

UAE oil zone attacked

A drone attack on oil infrastructure on the Fujairah oil industry zone on the UAE’s east coast sparked a large fire, authorities said.

Drones over Saudi

Saudi Arabia has intercepted 61 drones in the east of the country since midnight, according to a tally of defence ministry figures posted Monday on X.

Missile strikes car in Abu Dhabi

A Palestinian civilian was killed on the outskirts of the Emirati capital Abu Dhabi when a missile hit their car, authorities said.

Iran to play World Cup

The Iranian men’s football team is still planning to play in the upcoming World Cup in North America, an Asian football official said, despite Trump warning their “life and safety” could be at risk.

“As far as we know, Iran is playing,” Windsor Paul John, the Asian Football Confederation’s general secretary, told a press conference.Flights temporarily suspended at Dubai airport

Flights were temporarily suspended Monday at Dubai’s airport, previously one of the world’s busiest, after a “drone-related incident” sparked a fire nearby, city authorities said.

The incident impacted a fuel tank, the Gulf financial hub’s media office said, later adding authorities had extinguished the blaze that broke out and no injuries had been reported.

Iran calls strikes on Tehran fuel depots ‘ecocide’

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Monday that Israeli strikes on Tehran fuel depots constituted “ecocide” due to the long-term risks to residents’ health.

Trump says ‘talking’ to Iran

US President Donald Trump said Sunday that the United States was in discussions with Iran as the war entered its third week, but that Tehran was not ready for a deal to end it.

“But I don’t think they’re ready. But they are getting pretty close,” Trump said. Iran’s foreign minister had denied earlier that any talks with the United States were taking place.

Macron tells Iran attacks on French interests ‘unacceptable’

French President Emmanuel Macron said Sunday he had told Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian it was “unacceptable” to target French interests, after an Iranian-designed drone killed a French soldier in Iraq’s Kurdistan region last week.

“I called on him to put an immediate end to the unacceptable attacks that Iran is carrying out against countries in the region, whether directly or through proxies, as in Lebanon and Iraq,” Macron said on X after his call with Pezeshkian.

NATO, China pressured on Hormuz

President Donald Trump said Sunday that NATO faces a “very bad” future if US allies fail to help open the Strait of Hormuz, the critical oil transport conduit effectively shut by Iran in the Mideast war.

Trump also said an upcoming summit in Beijing with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping could be delayed as he presses for China’s help to open the strait.

“It’s only appropriate that people who are the beneficiaries of the Strait will help to make sure that nothing bad happens there,” Trump said.

Japan said it was not considering launching maritime security operations and Australia ruled out sending a navy ship to the Strait of Hormuz following Trump’s comments.

Israel strikes Beirut again

Israel launched a fresh strike on Beirut’s southern suburbs late Sunday as Israel’s military said it was striking Hezbollah infrastructure in the city following earlier raids mainly in the country’s south.

On Sunday morning, an AFP photographer in south Beirut saw empty streets covered with debris and buildings flattened, with smoke still rising from strikes in previous days.

Israel has ‘thousands’ more targets

“We still have thousands of targets in Iran, and we are identifying new targets every day,” Israeli military spokesman Brigadier General Effie Defrin told a televised briefing.

Trump-Starmer call

US President Donald Trump and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer spoke about the “importance” of reopening the Strait of Hormuz, currently blocked by Iran, the UK leader’s office said.

Iran hikes wages

Iran’s labour minister has announced a more than 60-percent hike in the minimum wage, local media reported, months after anti-government protests that began over discontent with dire economic conditions.

UN force shot at

The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon said its peacekeepers were fired upon three times, “likely by non-state armed groups”, in the country’s south, two days after another position was hit.

Baghdad airport hit

Five people were wounded in a rocket attack on the Baghdad airport complex, which houses a US diplomatic facility, Iraqi authorities said.

Rafah crossing to partially reopen

Israel said it would partially reopen Gaza’s Rafah crossing with Egypt on Wednesday, after it closed the key gateway when it launched strikes on Iran.

Oil reserves released

Strategic oil reserves will be released “immediately” in Asia and Oceania, and as early as the end of March in America and Europe, the International Energy Agency said, as governments try to contain the surge in prices caused by the war.

Iran says no talks

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Iran was not interested in talks with the United States, pushing back on Trump’s stance that Tehran wants a deal to end the war.

Israelis injured

At least eight people were injured in Israel following repeated missile launches from Iran, at least two of which contained cluster munitions, according to Israeli authorities.

Italy-US base hit

Italy’s military said there had been a drone attack on the Ali Al Salem airbase in Kuwait hosting Italian and US forces, but said all its personnel were safe.

Lebanon says 850 dead

Lebanon’s health ministry said Israeli attacks have killed 850 people in the country during two weeks of war between Israel and Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah, including 66 women, 107 children and 32 health workers, with 2,105 wounded.

Hezbollah missile

Hezbollah said its fighters targeted Israel’s Palmachim air base south of Tel Aviv with “an advanced missile”.

Hamas official killed

An Israeli strike in south Lebanon’s Sidon area killed Hamas official Wissam Taha, a source from the Palestinian militant group told AFP, after state media reported a strike on an apartment.

Overnight strikes in Sidon and nearby Al-Qatrani killed at least four people, Lebanese state media and the government said.