Dubai International Airport, the world’s busiest, gradually restarted operations after a drone struck a fuel tank and started a fire. Authorities said it was quickly contained and no injuries were reported.<\/p>\n
Tehran has accused the United States without evidence of using \u201cports, docks and hideouts\u201d in the United Arab Emirates to launch strikes on Kharg Island<\/a>, home to the main terminal handling Iran\u2019s oil exports evidence, as oil prices soared<\/a>. Brent crude oil was trading near $105 per barrel on Monday.<\/p>\n Trump said the U.S. is negotiating with countries heavily reliant on Middle East crude to join a coalition to police the waterway where about one-fifth the world\u2019s traded oil normally flows, but declined to name them.<\/p>\n Germany\u2019s Merz warns Israel that a ground offensive in Lebanon could spur an \u2018exodus of refugees\u2019<\/p>\n Speaking in Berlin, the German chancellor condemned Hezbollah for entering the conflict \u201con behalf of Iran\u201d and called on the Lebanese militant group to stop attacking Israel and to disarm.<\/p>\n At the same time, he urged Israel to avoid attacking civilians in Lebanon and said a wider ground war \u201cwould further exacerbate the already highly tense humanitarian situation.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe therefore urge our Israeli friends: Do not take this path,\u201d Merz said of a broader ground offensive. \u201cIt would be a mistake.\u201d<\/p>\n Germany\u2019s Merz says Iran war can only end with a political solution<\/p>\n \u201cBombing it into submission is, in all likelihood, not the right approach,\u201d to creating a democratic government in Iran, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said. \u201cThere will be no military solution here.\u201d<\/p>\n Responding to Trump\u2019s calls to send warships to police the Strait of Hormuz, Merz said \u201cNATO is a defensive alliance, not an interventionist one.\u201d Mertz spoke Monday after meeting with the Dutch prime minister.<\/p>\n NATO troops deployed for 18 years to Afghanistan and its 2011 air campaign helped topple Libya\u2019s late leader Moammar Gadhafi.<\/p>\n Jerusalem\u2019s Old City area is hit by shrapnel from an Iranian missile interception<\/p>\n There were no reports of injuries after chunks of twisted metal smashed into areas of Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem, including the Old City.<\/p>\n Shrapnel hit the rooftop of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate in Jerusalem, according to the Patriarchate, just meters from the Church of the Holy Sepulcher<\/a>, where many Christians believe Jesus was crucified and rose from the dead.<\/p>\n Israel\u2019s Fire and Rescue service said a large piece from an intercepted missile struck a home in east Jerusalem\u2019s Silwan neighborhood, which is adjacent to the Old City walls.<\/p>\n Another large fragment landed in the yard of a home in Sheikh Jarrah, just north of the Old City, according to the Jerusalem Governate. Both are predominantly Palestinian neighborhoods.<\/p>\n Although wartime damage to the Old City is relatively rare, it contains sites that are sacred to Jews, Muslims and Christians, meaning any hits or near-misses sharpen the conflict\u2019s stakes.<\/p>\n Trump says he\u2019s frustrated about a lack of \u2018enthusiasm\u2019 from other countries to join in policing the Strait of Hormuz<\/p>\n The president said at an event at the White House on Monday that \u201cnumerous countries\u201d have told him \u201cthey\u2019re on the way\u201d to help police the strait but he complained about their reluctance.<\/p>\n \u201cThe level of enthusiasm of enthusiasm matters to me,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n He seemed to suggest their hesitancy showed a lack of reciprocity by countries that have defense agreements with the U.S.<\/p>\n \u201cI know that we\u2019ll protect them and if ever needed, if we ever needed help, they won\u2019t be there for us,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Egypt\u2019s top diplomat is visiting regional allies<\/p>\n To reiterate Cairo\u2019s support for nations impacted by Iranian air attacks, Egypt\u2019s Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty on Monday concluded a round of visits to Oman, Qatar, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.<\/p>\n His talks in Riyadh are expected to discuss de-escalation efforts and \u201ccreating a coordinated Arab move to protect sovereignty and resources of Arab countries,\u201d according to a Foreign Ministry statement.<\/p>\n A new statement is issued in the name of Iran\u2019s new supreme leader amid reports he was wounded in an airstrike<\/p>\n Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei<\/a> said all those previously appointed to government positions by his father, the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, will remain in their posts.<\/p>\n Mojtaba Khamenei has not been seen in public<\/a> since he was chosen to replace his father, who was killed in the initial wave of U.S.-Israeli airstrikes on Iran. Mojtaba Khamenei\u2019s statement Monday was carried on several semiofficial news sites.<\/p>\n The death toll in Lebanon from Israeli strikes increases to 886<\/p>\n That\u2019s up from 850 killed as of Sunday, according to Lebanon\u2019s Health Ministry.<\/p>\n On Monday, the ministry said the death toll includes at least 111 children and 67 women. The number of wounded has climbed to 2,141 people, including 332 children and 362 women.<\/p>\n The latest round of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah began on March 2. Israel says it is striking Hezbollah militants and infrastructure.<\/p>\n The Israeli strikes have mostly been in southern and eastern Lebanon as well as parts of Beirut, and have targeted buildings, vehicles and even tents for internally displaced people.<\/p>\n More than 800,000 people \u2014 nearly one out of every seven residents of Lebanon \u2014 have been displaced after Israel ordered people to evacuate large swathes of the country.<\/p>\n Israeli ambassador doesn\u2019t rule out sending navy to police Strait of Hormuz but says it should be a global effort<\/p>\n A day after Trump demanded other countries to join a coalition to police the Strait of Hormuz, Israel\u2019s envoy to the U.N. tried to make the case that the burden shouldn\u2019t be just on America\u2019s closest ally in the region.<\/p>\n \u201cWe understand the need to support the effort of the U.S. and it should be a global effort,\u201d Danny Danon said. \u201cYou look at Israel, a tiny country and you know Iran is I think 80 times bigger than Israel and we take a lot of the burden for the world.\u201d<\/p>\n Israeli ambassador says \u2018a few players\u2019 are trying to mediate talks with Lebanon<\/p>\n Israel\u2019s U.N. ambassador Danny Danon told reporters Monday that a few countries are trying to mediate and host talks between Israel and Lebanon but that his country is determined to \u201cdegrade\u201d Hezbollah\u2019s capabilities before any negotiations can take place.<\/p>\n \u201cOur message to the Lebanese government is simple: step up. Step in,\u201d Danon said. \u201cSince the ceasefire in November 2024, the Lebanese government has not done what it needed to do to dismantle Hezbollah.\u201d<\/p>\n He added, \u201cLebanon must restrain Hezbollah now, or we will.\u201d<\/p>\n Romania says it\u2019s not a party to the conflict in the Middle East<\/p>\n That came Monday in response to comments from Iran\u2019s foreign ministry spokesperson who accused the NATO country of becoming involved after agreeing to allow the United States to use Romanian air bases.<\/p>\n Romania\u2019s foreign ministry said in a statement that a 2006 bilateral access agreement \u201cprovides the U.S. with the guaranteed legal framework to use military bases in Romania on an ongoing basis.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cRomania is not a party to the conflict,\u201d the ministry stated. \u201cOur priority is the diplomatic effort for de-escalation, for which we have advocated since the first day of the conflict.\u201d<\/p>\n The Romanian ministry\u2019s statement came after Iran\u2019s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Esmail Baghaei, said on Iranian television that if Romania allows the U.S. to use its air bases, it would \u201ccertainly amount to Romania\u2019s participation in the military aggression against Iran.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSuch an action is completely unacceptable under international law and would entail international responsibility for the Romanian government,\u201d Baghaei said, adding that Iran \u201cwill respond appropriately in legal and political terms.\u201d<\/p>\n Sri Lanka to close schools, universities and government offices every Wednesday to save energy<\/p>\n Sri Lanka has decided to close government offices, universities and schools on every Wednesday as a part of measures to save energy and manage a potential fuel crisis due to the war in the Middle East.<\/p>\n The move came a day after the government imposed a strict fuel rationing system which is aimed at preventing panic buying. But long lines of vehicles were seen for a second day Monday at fuel stations across the country.<\/p>\n On Monday, the government declared Wednesday as a government holiday, but said the holiday will not apply to health, port, water and customs employees.<\/p>\n Sri Lanka last week increased fuel prices by 8%.<\/p>\n IEA says emergency oil stocks could be tapped again if needed<\/p>\n The 32 member countries of the International Energy Agency could release more oil from emergency stockpiles if necessary, on top of 400 million barrels announced last week. That was the message Monday from IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol.<\/p>\n Birol said last week\u2019s release was a \u201cbuffer for now\u201d that had helped restrain the increase in oil prices. But he added there are \u201ca lot of stocks left despite this huge release.\u201d<\/p>\n That means \u201cwe can do more later, as and if needed.\u201d<\/p>\n Birol says members have a further 1.4 billion barrels in reserves or industry stocks that governments could access.<\/p>\n The IEA head says the single most important factor for a return to stable flows of oil and gas would be a resumption of tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.<\/p>\n Before the Iran war, the global economy consumed about 101 million barrels of oil a day. Brent crude is trading at over $100 a barrel.<\/p>\n Shrapnel from Iranian missile barrage falls near the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem<\/p>\n Shrapnel from an interception fell on the rooftop of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate in Jerusalem, according to the Patriarchate. That\u2019s just meters from the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, built on the spot where Christian tradition holds that Jesus was crucified, buried and resurrected.<\/p>\n There were no immediate reports of injuries from the impact.<\/p>\n Jerusalem\u2019s Old City, where there are holy sites sacred to Muslims, Christians, and Jews, has come under uncommon fire this war. In past missile exchanges with Iran \u2014 including the 12-day-war \u2014 the city had been spared the damage seen in nearby cities like Tel Aviv or Beersheba.<\/p>\n But since the start of the most recent war, shrapnel has struck multiple sites close to the Old City, including homes in east Jerusalem, a main highway into Jerusalem and a concert venue in West Jerusalem.<\/p>\n Falling oil prices send stocks higher<\/p>\n Oil prices are down, and stocks are up Monday, though such moves have been quick to change since the war in Iran<\/a> began.<\/p>\n