Iran names Ayatollah Khamenei’s son as new leader after father’s killing
NewsFeed Iranian state television has announced that the Assembly of Experts has chosen Mojtaba Khamenei as supreme leader after a “decisive vote”. He’s the son of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei who was killed by the United States on February 28. Published On 8 Mar 20268 Mar 2026 Click here to share on social media share2 Share plus2googleAdd Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Adblock test (Why?)
Iran war live: Mojtaba Khamenei named supreme leader; Israel bombs Tehran
blinking-dotLive updatesLive updates, Iran’s military and political leaders pledge allegiance to Mojtaba Khamenei as Saudi Arabia reports two deaths amid Iranian counterattacks. Published On 9 Mar 20269 Mar 2026 Click here to share on social media share2 Share plus2googleAdd Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Adblock test (Why?)
Oil soars past $100 a barrel as US-Israel war on Iran rages
Listen to this article Listen to this article | 2 mins info Oil prices have surged past $100 a barrel amid the fallout of the United States and Israel’s war on Iran. Brent crude, the international benchmark, rose more than 20 percent on Sunday, at one point topping $114 a barrel, as fears grew of prolonged disruption to global energy supplies. Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list After moderating slightly, the benchmark was hovering around $107.50 as of 02:30 GMT on Monday. The surge marked the first time oil rose above $100 per barrel since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine. US President Donald Trump, who campaigned heavily on cost-of-living concerns in the 2024 election, brushed off the spike in prices. “Short term oil prices, which will drop rapidly when the destruction of the Iran nuclear threat is over, is a very small price to pay for U.S.A., and World, Safety and Peace,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social. “ONLY FOOLS WOULD THINK DIFFERENTLY!” US Secretary of Energy Chris Wright also downplayed the prospect of rising energy prices earlier on Sunday, telling CBS News’ Face the Nation programme that any increase in prices at the petrol pump would be “temporary”. Crude oil prices have surged by about 50 percent since the US and Israel launched joint strikes on Iran on February 28. Iran has brought shipping in the Strait of Hormuz to an effective halt in retaliation, threatening about one-fifth of the global oil supply. Iraq, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait, three of the biggest producers in The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), have cut production amid an accumulating backlog of barrels with nowhere to go due to the effective closure of the waterway. Advertisement Attacks on energy production facilities in the region have further threatened supplies. Iran has been blamed for multiple attacks on energy facilities across the Gulf, including in Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. On Saturday, Israel carried out air strikes targeting Iran’s oil infrastructure for the first time since the start of the war. The strikes hit four oil storage facilities and an oil production transfer centre in Tehran and the province of Alborz, according to Iranian state media. Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on Sunday threatened to target energy facilities across the region in retaliation, warning that oil could soar to $200 a barrel if the US and Israel “continue this game”. A TV cameraman films the screens showing the KOSPI and the foreign exchange rate between the US dollar and the South Korean won at Hana Bank in Seoul, South Korea, on March 9, 2026 [Lee Jin-man/AP] Stocks in Asia fell sharply on Monday morning, as investors braced for the fallout of rising energy prices. Japan’s Nikkei 225 tumbled more than 7 percent in early trading, while South Korea’s KOSPI plunged more than 8 percent. In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng Index fell by nearly 3 percent. US stock futures, which are traded outside of regular market hours, also saw substantial losses. Futures tied to Wall Street’s benchmark S&P 500 fell by 1.7 percent, while those for the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite dropped by 1.90 percent. While Trump administration officials have insisted that the war will be over within weeks, the prospect of prolonged disruption to global energy supplies has stoked fears of higher inflation and slowing economic growth. The International Monetary Fund has estimated that every sustained 10 percent rise in oil prices results in a 0.4 percent rise in inflation and a 0.15 percent reduction in global economic growth. “If the shock proves short-lived, the global economy can quickly recover,” Mike O’Rourke, chief market strategist at JonesTrading, told Al Jazeera. “If oil remains at these levels for several weeks, it will be a major global headwind. Thus far, markets have underestimated the risks related to the conflict in Iran.” In an interview published by The Financial Times on Friday, Qatari Minister of Energy Saad al-Kaabi warned that all of the region’s producers could soon be forced to halt production and that prices could hit $150 a barrel. “Everybody that has not called for force majeure we expect will do so in the next few days that this continues,” Al-Kaabi told the newspaper. Advertisement “All exporters in the Gulf region will have to call force majeure.” Adblock test (Why?)
PM Modi congratulates Team India on winning T20 World Cup: ‘Every Indian heart filled with pride’
In a post on the social media platform X, PM Modi said that every Indian heart was filled with “pride and joy.” The Men in Blue defended a mammoth total of 255 runs by bowling out the Kiwis for 159 with an over to spare.
Uttar Pradesh: Land acquisition for Ganga-Jewar link expressway gains momentum, 39 villages to get benefit, check details
The Greenfield Link Expressway will provide a direct link between the Ganga Expressway and the upcoming Noida International Airport (Jewar Airport).
Before-and-after satellite imagery offers a rare look at damage inside Iran
Fresh satellite images give a rare aerial view of the damage across Iran after U.S.-Israeli strikes and what Tehran’s retaliation left behind across the region. Planet Labs satellite imagery captured burning ships and damaged facilities at the Konarak base in southern Iran, as well as significant destruction at Iran’s naval headquarters in Bandar Abbas on the Persian Gulf, reflecting the scale of the strikes on military infrastructure. WATCH SHIPPING THROUGH THE STRAIT OF HORMUZ GRIND TO A HALT AMID IRAN CONFLICT Imagery from Vantor shows damage to facilities and vessels located in Iran’s Bushehr port in the Persian Gulf. In addition to naval assets, satellite photos show a bunker at Bushehr air base hit by a strike, leaving a large crater and destroying several nearby small buildings. More strikes targeted the Choqa Balk drone facility in western Iran. Radar systems at the Zahedan air base in eastern Iran — near the country’s borders with Pakistan and Afghanistan — were also struck. The two facilities are about 800 to 900 miles apart, underscoring the broad reach of the coordinated strikes. Satellite imagery also reveals damage to aircraft on the tarmac at Shiraz air base, including scorch marks and debris around several parking areas. Satellite imagery from Planet Labs shows thick smoke plumes rising above Tehran, signaling explosions and fires inside the Iranian capital. The smoke underscores how the conflict has moved beyond isolated military sites and into the heart of Iran’s political center. THE UNLIKELY TOOL TRUMP IS EYEING TO TACKLE RISING OIL PRICES AMID THE IRAN CONFLICT Iran has since responded with missile and drone strikes of its own, expanding the conflict across the region. Satellite images reveal damage to the port city of Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates. Sharjah is the third most populous after Dubai and Abu Dhabi. The Jebel Ali Port, the region’s largest maritime hub, was also targeted, underscoring how the retaliation extended beyond military sites to key infrastructure. The new satellite imagery comes on the heels of U.S.-Israeli strikes that killed Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and several top members of the regime, triggering a succession crisis. President Donald Trump warned on Sunday that Iran’s new leader is “not going to last long” without U.S. approval as Operation Epic Fury marches into a third week.
Trump warns Iran’s new leader won’t ‘last long’ without his approval
President Donald Trump said Sunday that Iran’s new leader is “not going to last long” without U.S. approval as Operation Epic Fury continues into its second week. “He’s going to have to get approval from us,” Trump told ABC News in an interview. “If he doesn’t get approval from us he’s not going to last long. We want to make sure that we don’t have to go back every 10 years, when you don’t have a president like me that’s not going to do it.” “I don’t want people to have to go back in five years and have to do the same thing again or worse let them have a nuclear weapon,” the president continued. Trump’s comments come after Iranian state media reported that a majority consensus had been reached on a new supreme leader following the Feb. 28 assassination of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. IRAN’S SENIOR CLERICS ‘EXPOSED’ AFTER BUILDING STRIKE IN QOM, SUCCESSION CHOICE LOOMS Mohammadmehdi Mirbaqeri, who serves on Iran’s Assembly of Experts, the clerical body tasked with selecting the supreme leader, did not offer any names but acknowledged to the Mehr News Agency that there are still “some obstacles.” ABC News reported that Trump said it’s possible he would be in favor of someone with ties to the old regime. “I would, in order to choose a good leader I would, yeah, I would. There are numerous people that could qualify,” he said. ISRAEL HAMMERS IRANIAN INTERNAL SECURITY COMMAND CENTERS TO OPEN DOOR TO UPRISING The Associated Press reported that several figures are being viewed as potential successors to Iran’s supreme leadership. They include: IRAN POSTPONES TEHRAN FAREWELL CEREMONY FOR KHAMENEI WHERE LARGE CROWDS WERE EXPECTED TO GATHER Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz warned Iranian leadership in a post on X last week that any successor who tries to “destroy Israel, to threaten the United States and the free world and the countries of the region, and to suppress the Iranian people” will be an “unequivocal target for elimination.” “It does not matter what his name is or the place where he hides,” Katz said.
The unlikely tool Trump is eyeing to tackle rising oil prices amid the Iran conflict
The new battleground in the Gulf isn’t just on the water — it’s in the insurance market, where war-risk coverage can determine which oil tankers sail and which stay put. With the conflict driving gasoline prices higher, the White House is weighing steps to keep oil flowing through the Strait of Hormuz and to keep prices from climbing further. The Strait of Hormuz, a narrow passage between Iran and Oman, carries roughly 20 million barrels of oil a day and about one-fifth of global supply of liquefied natural gas. When conflict flares in the region, even the threat of disruption can rattle markets because so much of the world’s energy moves through that single corridor. WATCH SHIPPING THROUGH THE STRAIT OF HORMUZ GRIND TO A HALT AMID IRAN CONFLICT And with so much at stake, the White House is turning to an unlikely tool: insurance. President Donald Trump said the U.S. could use a government-backed insurance program to lower war-risk premiums for vessels in the region. Under a backstop, the government would absorb part of any major losses, easing pressure on private insurers and shipowners. Because when danger rises, the bill rises. Insurers charge more to cover ships and cargo, shippers add “war-risk” surcharges and some vessels slow down, detour or pause altogether. Those delays can tighten supply and push crude prices higher even if oil production hasn’t changed. Against that backdrop, the latest disruption, sparked by U.S.-Israeli strikes starting on Feb. 27 and retaliatory Iranian drone and missile attacks across the region, is forcing shippers and insurers to rethink whether it’s safe to transit the waterway. NEW SATELLITE IMAGES SHOW FIRES, NAVAL BASE DAMAGE ACROSS IRAN AFTER US-ISRAELI STRIKES Some global insurers are already tightening terms. Maritime insurance titans Gard, Skuld, NorthStandard, the London P&I Club and the American Club, have already canceled war-risk coverage, leaving voyages through Iranian and nearby waters without insurance. Not all coverage is disappearing though. Lloyd’s of London, an insurance marketplace that brings together multiple insurers to cover large, high-risk voyages, said its vessels operating in the Gulf region have a combined hull value exceeding $25 billion. It added that coverage is still in place. A Lloyd’s spokesperson told Reuters the market is in talks with U.S. officials about possible options. Separately, global insurance broker Marsh said it met with Trump administration representatives to discuss the idea. Matt Smith, an analyst at Kpler, said coverage is a baseline requirement for ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz, but it doesn’t eliminate the risk. “It’s essential for all of these tankers to have insurance. You simply cannot pass through the Strait of Hormuz if you don’t have the insurance, given the high possibility of getting struck by a missile,” Smith told Fox News Digital. “But even with that insurance in place, it’s little comfort for those on the ship if there’s a chance the vessel is going to be attacked,” he added. With that calculus in mind, Maersk, widely regarded as a bellwether for global ocean freight, said it will suspend all vessel crossings through the Strait of Hormuz until further notice and warned service to Arabian Gulf ports could be delayed. When big shippers hit the brakes, the ripple effects can be felt fast. If oil becomes more expensive or slower to reach buyers, those increases can move through the supply chain and show up for Americans at the pump. How much Americans feel at the pump will depend on how long the disruption lasts and whether shipping and insurance markets stabilize. Until then, the world’s most important energy chokepoint is likely to keep traders and drivers on edge.
Trump vows block on signing new laws until SAVE America Act passes Senate
President Donald Trump is vowing to reject signing any new bills into law until the SAVE America Act is passed by the Senate, a tall order with just 53 Republicans seated and the 60-vote filibuster threshold a high hurdle. “Great Job by hard working Scott Pressler on Fox & Friends talking about using the Filibuster, or Talking Filibuster, in order to pass THE SAVE AMERICA ACT, an 88% issue with ALL VOTERS,” Trump wrote Sunday morning on Truth Social. “It must be done immediately.” “It supersedes everything else,” Trump added. “MUST GO TO THE FRONT OF THE LINE.” The vow to halt all new law signings is a new one coming from the White House and notable because of the Senate hesitation to follow the urgings of Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, to force the Senate to bring the bill forward through the talking filibuster. DAVID MARCUS: PASSING THE SAVE AMERICA ACT TO SAVE CORNYN IS A FAIR DEAL “I, as President, will not sign other Bills until this is passed,” Trump’s post continued, “AND NOT THE WATERED DOWN VERSION – GO FOR THE GOLD: MUST SHOW VOTER I.D. & PROOF OF CITIZENSHIP: NO MAIL-IN BALLOTS EXCEPT FOR MILITARY – ILLNESS, DISABILITY, TRAVEL: NO MEN IN WOMEN’S SPORTS: NO TRANSGENDER MUTILIZATION FOR CHILDREN! DO NOT FAIL!!!” While Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., has publicly acknowledged a willingness to bring a vote on the SAVE America Act before the upper chamber, there is hesitation within the Republican Party about forcing the talking filibuster under the current Senate rules. The talking filibuster would force Democrats to speak on the Senate floor to argue against a voter identification position widely supported by Americans, as Trump noted, but it would also force Republicans to sit in attendance with a quorum. That has been rebuked by longtime Senate GOP veterans as something that would “waste time.” FETTERMAN EXPECTS DHS SHUTDOWN AMID PARTISAN FUNDING FEUD, BREAKS WITH DEMOCRATS ON VOTER ID Former Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., has been publicly opposed to forcing a talking filibuster because of the time constraints it would force on the Senate GOP, and he remains one of the few Senate Republicans not signing on to support the SAVE America Act. Another development that clouds the SAVE America Act filibuster is the recent appointment of Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., to serve as the next Department of Homeland Security secretary, perhaps resigning from the Senate by the end of March. Fox News Digital reached out to Mullin’s office for comment. McConnell’s office declined to comment on Trump’s Truth Social vow to block all new law signings amid the standoff on the DHS funding that has the government in a partial shutdown and the Senate sitting on the House-passed SAVE America Act. GOP REACHES KEY 50-VOTE THRESHOLD FOR TRUMP-BACKED VOTER ID BILL AS SENATE FIGHT LOOMS “We’re going to have a vote on this, but in terms of what the president is willing to sign, Maria, we need to get the Department of Homeland Security funded,” Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso, R-Wyo., told Maria Bartiromo on “Sunday Morning Futures.” “The Democrats have blocked that right now. And the greatest threat to the American people today is terrorism. So I want to make sure that the Democrats work with us to pass and fund the Department of Homeland Security, because I’m worried about the lone wolf, the sleeper cells and the cyber terrorism that’s coming our way because of what Iran is telling people around the world to do to continue this reign of terror,” Barrasso said. Getting to 60 votes in the Senate is unlikely with just Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., as the lone potential Democrat vote to side with the Senate GOP on the SAVE America Act. HOUSE REPUBLICANS PUSH JOHNSON TO GO TO WAR WITH SENATE OVER SAVE ACT “The Democrats are against so many of the things that I think help this country,” Barrasso added to Bartiromo. “They’d rather stand with illegal immigrant criminals than with the safety and security of the American people. I want to get the SAVE Act to the floor. I want to have a vote.” “That’s the next step on this need to get the Department of Homeland Security open and funded,” he continued. “The Democrats are bowing to the liberal left: The people that want to eliminate ICE, the people that want open borders again, and the people that really aren’t looking out for the best interest of the American people. “As the president said in the State of the Union, it is the first duty of the American government to protect American citizens, not illegal aliens. But that’s what not one single Democrat stood up for that when every Republican stood and cheered loudly.” Barrasso, the Senate GOP member whipping up support, considers the SAVE America Act “common sense.” “You want to make sure that only citizens can vote,” he concluded to Bartiromo. “You want to make sure that when people show up, they have a photo ID to prove they are who they say they are. You need a photo ID to buy a beer, to board a plane, all of those things. And it’s 90% popular with the American people. The only people against this are the Democrats because they want to make it easier to cheat.”
State Department defends ‘proactive’ evacuation efforts against Dems’ claims of diplomatic chaos
FIRST ON FOX: Nearly 28,000 Americans have returned from the Middle East, according to the State Department, which outlined a large-scale evacuation effort as Senate Democrats escalated criticism over the conflict in Iran. A top State Department official, in a letter to Senate Democrats first obtained by Fox News Digital, noted that since fighting in Iran escalated following Operation Epic Fury, the agency has “taken proactive, rapid action to support Americans in the region.” That has included chartered flights, ground transport from closed-airspace areas and round-the-clock crisis staffing. US EMBASSY URGES AMERICANS IN IRAQ TO SHELTER IN PLACE UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE Paul Guaglianone, the State Department’s senior bureau official of legislative affairs, wrote in a letter to several Senate Democrats on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that before the strikes, the agency “planned immediate measures to protect and evacuate U.S. citizens.” The letter comes as diplomats and officials have faced “multiple direct strikes from the Iranian regime.“ “The professionalism and competence of America’s diplomatic corps are inspiring,” Guaglianone wrote. “The Department has taken all necessary steps to protect its safety, both in the region and at posts worldwide.” AMERICAN STUCK IN MIDDLE EAST ESCAPES IN RACE TO REACH CRITICALLY ILL HUSBAND IN CALIFORNIA “Despite ongoing threats, our diplomats remain active and focused,” he continued. “They continue to communicate with our allies and partners and advance American diplomatic interests.” His letter responds directly to criticism from Senate Democrats, led by Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., who argued that Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the Trump administration have “not prioritized getting experienced ambassadors in place in the Middle East,” leading to a breakdown in evacuating diplomats and Americans since the strikes began. The lawmakers noted that three ambassadors were dismissed in Qatar, Kuwait and Egypt “without explanation,” and that the administration is behind in finding replacements and filling vacancies. AMERICANS STRANDED IN DUBAI FACE REPEATED FLIGHT CANCELLATIONS AMID IRAN ESCALATION “Of the 14 countries where the Department urged Americans to urgently leave last Monday, only six have confirmed ambassadors,” the lawmakers wrote. “There are currently no pending nominees before the Senate for ambassadorships in the Middle East. As a result, many key posts are without experienced senior leadership at a time of crisis.” “Simply put, abrupt decision-making and lack of planning by State Department leadership to ensure the safety and security of its own staff left our personnel and their families unnecessarily at risk,” they continued. “Days into the conflict, the Department still appears caught off-guard and lacks a clear, comprehensive plan to safeguard American personnel, their families or other Americans in the region.” Guaglianone noted that the agency is providing frequent updates to more than 106,000 Americans enrolled in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program, operating a 24/7 call center with no wait times and responding quickly to congressional inquiries while coordinating closely with lawmakers to assist constituents. He also wrote that the agency is chartering additional planes for Americans as more commercial flights become available in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan and Oman, and that ground transportation is being offered to expand relocation options for Americans in places with closed airspace. Americans in Oman, Kuwait, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Israel who complete the Crisis Intake form receive direct outreach about upcoming charter aviation and ground transportation options from the agency. “At this time, nearly one in three American citizens who requested help departing turn down U.S. government-provided transportation options when contacted,” Guaglianone wrote. “Some American citizens wish to remain in-country, while others prefer an alternative departure option.”