Oil prices swing wildly amid mixed messages over Iran war
Crude oil prices fall sharply as energy markets remain on tenterhooks over effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Listen to this article Listen to this article | 4 mins info Published On 11 Mar 202611 Mar 2026 Click here to share on social media share2 Share plus2googleAdd Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Oil prices are seeing dramatic swings as traders struggle to make sense of mixed messages about the impact of the United States and Israel’s war on Iran. Brent crude, the international benchmark, on Tuesday plunged 17 percent to fall below $80 a barrel, then rebounded to near $90 after US Secretary of Energy Chris Wright posted on the X platform – but then quickly deleted – a claim that the US Navy had escorted an oil tanker through the Strait of Hormuz. Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt later told reporters that there had been no armed escort through the strait, which has been effectively closed to shipping in the region due to Iranian threats. Oil prices fell sharply again early on Wednesday after The Wall Street Journal reported that the International Energy Agency was considering the largest release of oil reserves in its history to help keep global supplies stable. Brent crude futures were hovering below $85 a barrel as of 02:00 GMT following the news. After rising as much as 50 percent to nearly $120 a barrel before falling, oil prices still remain about 17 percent higher than they were before the US and Israel launched joint strikes on Iran on February 28. Global energy markets have been on tenterhooks amid the near halt of traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, through which about one-fifth of the global oil supply transits, as well as attacks on energy facilities across the Middle East. The effective closure of the waterway has forced Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Iraq to cut oil production amid a growing stock of barrels with nowhere to go and depleting storage capacity. A cargo ship sails off the coast of the city of Fujairah, the UAE, on February 25, 2026 [Giuseppe Cacace/AFP] Threat of Iranian sea mines A sustained rise in oil prices would have serious knock-on effects for the global economy, pushing up the cost of everyday goods and dragging down growth. Advertisement According to an analysis by the International Monetary Fund, every 10 percent rise in oil prices corresponds with a 0.4 percent rise in inflation and a 0.15 percent reduction in economic growth. US petroleum prices have risen about 17 percent since the start of the war, while authorities in South Korea, Thailand, Bangladesh and Pakistan have introduced measures such as price caps and rationing to keep costs down. US President Donald Trump has repeatedly stated that the US Navy could be deployed to keep the strait open “if necessary”. Some analysts have cast doubt on the feasibility of such plans due to the massive backlog of ships in the region and the threat of drone and missile attacks from nearby Iranian shores. The US military said on Tuesday that it had attacked 16 Iranian mine-laying vessels near the strait after Trump had earlier warned Tehran against placing mines in the waterway. Trump and administration officials have also given conflicting accounts of how long the war might last, exacerbating unease in energy markets. On Tuesday, Trump said he expected the war to be over “very soon”, but he also said that US attacks on Iran would not stop “until the enemy is totally and decisively defeated”, and US forces had still not “won enough”. “Analysts talk about geopolitical risk constantly, but most of the time, it remains hypothetical. What we saw this week was the market briefly treating that risk as real and repricing supply disruption in earnest,” Chad Norville, president of industry publication Rigzone, told Al Jazeera. “At the same time, escorting a single tanker does not materially change the supply equation when well over a hundred vessels typically move through the strait each day. What the market is really trying to determine is whether the overall flow of oil can revert to normal operations,” Norville said. Adblock test (Why?)
Can the Lebanese government deal with the displacement crisis?
NewsFeed Israeli attacks on Lebanon have continued to escalate as the war in Iran rages on. The UN estimates around 700,000 people have been displaced from their homes, fleeing relentless bombing and a looming invasion. Al Jazeera’s Mohammad Saleh breaks down the humanitarian and political crisis unfolding in Lebanon. Published On 11 Mar 202611 Mar 2026 Click here to share on social media share2 Share plus2googleAdd Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Adblock test (Why?)
Bam Adebayo scores 83 points, passes Kobe Bryant for second-most in NBA
Miami Heat player’s historic night is second behind the famous Wilt Chamberlain who scored 100 points back in 1962. Listen to this article Listen to this article | 3 mins info By Reuters Published On 11 Mar 202611 Mar 2026 Click here to share on social media share2 Share plus2googleAdd Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Bam Adebayo produced the second-highest single-game scoring total in NBA history, putting up 83 points as hosts Miami Heat beat the Washington Wizards 150-129 on Tuesday night. The 28-year-old centre scored 31 points in the first quarter en route to passing Kobe Bryant (81 points in 2006) for second place on the single-game list. Wilt Chamberlain’s 100-point outing has stood as the record since March 2, 1962. Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list Adebayo set Heat records for the highest-scoring game and the highest-scoring quarter. The old club mark for a game was 61 points, set in 2014 by LeBron James. Adebayo’s previous career best was 41 on January 23, 2021, against the Brooklyn Nets. In 42 minutes on Tuesday, Adebayo shot 20-for-43 from the floor, 7-for-22 from 3-point range and 36-for-43 at the free-throw line. He also grabbed nine rebounds. Abebayo set NBA single-game records for most free throws made and most free-throw attempts. Chamberlain and Adrian Dantley were the prior record-holders for made foul shots, with 28 each. Dwight Howard had the old mark for attempts of 39, which he reached twice. The Heat earned their sixth straight win, matching their longest streak of the season. They improved to 22-11 at home. Adebayo’s heroics were needed because Miami was without three of its top four scorers due to injuries: Tyler Herro (quadriceps), Norman Powell (groin) and Andrew Wiggins (toe). The Heat were also without Kel’el Ware (shoulder) and Nikola Jovic (back). Washington has lost nine straight games, five short of its longest skid of the season. Alex Sarr led the Wizards with 28 points. Advertisement Wizards star Trae Young sat out due to injury management related to his right knee. Adebayo shot 20-for-43 from the field in the history-making performance [Megan Briggs /Getty Images via AFP] Adebayo, in his blistering-hot first quarter, shot 10-for-16 on field-goal attempts, 5-for-8 on 3-point tries and 6-of-7 on free-throw attempts. Miami, which led 40-29 after the first quarter, stretched its advantage to 19 points in the second. However, the Wizards closed relatively well, going into halftime trailing 76-62. Adebayo had 43 points in the first half, another Heat record. His first half came on 13-of-24 shooting overall, 5-of-11 success from beyond the arc and 12-of-14 accuracy at the free-throw line. His shooting overshadowed Sarr, who had 23 points at halftime. Adebayo scored 19 points in the third, giving Miami a 113-97 lead by the end of the quarter. He dunked with 22.2 seconds left in the third, giving him 62 points and breaking James’s record. In the fourth quarter, with the victory assured, Miami kept Adebayo in the game, passing the ball to him on every possession as he hunted for records. His last two points came from the foul line with 1:16 to go as he surpassed Bryant. Adebayo, right, celebrates with his Miami Heat teammates at Kaseya Center after the game [Megan Briggs/Getty Images via AFP] Adblock test (Why?)
Protesters block Iran’s women’s football team bus en route to airport
NewsFeed Protesters blocked a bus carrying Iran’s women’s football team outside a hotel in Australia after five players slipped away to seek asylum duing the Women’s Asian Cup. They say the remaining players could face danger if forced to return to Iran after staying silent during the national anthem. Published On 10 Mar 202610 Mar 2026 Click here to share on social media share2 Share plus2googleAdd Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Adblock test (Why?)
Pete Hegseth vows ‘most intense day’ of US strikes against Iran
Pete Hegseth says Donald Trump controls the pace of the war, but acknowledges that Israel has its own objectives. Listen to this article Listen to this article | 4 mins info Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth has declared that the United States is “winning” in the fight against Iran, but he declined to provide a timeline as to when the war would end, stressing that decision lies with President Donald Trump. Hegseth told reporters on Tuesday that the US is focused on three main objectives: to neutralise Tehran’s missile capabilities, destroy its navy and “permanently deny Iran nuclear weapons forever”. Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list “We will not relent until the enemy is totally and decisively defeated,” Hegseth said. “We do so on our timeline and at our choosing. For example, today will be yet again, our most intense day of strikes inside Iran – the most fighters, the most bombers, the most strikes.” Despite Washington’s repeated assertions that Iran is being defeated, Iranian leaders have projected defiance, promising to continue to fight back. “Those mightier than you have not been able to eliminate our nation. Those who have tried have become eradicated themselves,” top official Ali Larijani said in a social media post on Tuesday. Iran has consistently denied seeking a nuclear weapon and says its programme is peaceful. Following US strikes on several key Iranian nuclear facilities in June 2025, Trump claimed that the US had “obliterated” the Iranian nuclear programme. Iran has responded to the US-Israeli strikes, which have killed the country’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and more than 1,250 other people, with missile and drone attacks against Israel and across the entire region. The Iranian military has also attacked oil facilities in Gulf countries and largely succeeded in closing the Strait of Hormuz, a major shipping lane for the energy trade, sending fuel prices soaring. Advertisement Late on Monday, Trump threatened Iran with “death, fire, and fury” if it does not allow oil shipments to pass through the strait. Larijani, who serves as the secretary of the Supreme National Security Council of Iran, hit back at the US president, saying that the Strait of Hormuz “will either be a Strait of peace and prosperity for all or will be a Strait of defeat and suffering for warmongers”. Top US General Dan Caine said that US forces are continuing to “hunt and strike mine-laying vessels” in the Gulf. Trump suggested last week that the US Navy may accompany oil vessels through the strait to ensure their safety. But Caine suggested on Tuesday that the decision to use the US military to reopen the waterway has not been taken. “If tasked to escort, we’ll look at the range of options to set the military conditions to be able to do that,” he said. Last week, Israel struck oil depots in Tehran, sparking fires and massive plumes of smoke across the city. The move has been criticised by some staunch supporters of the war. Hegseth acknowledged that Israel has its own goals for the conflict. He said the attack on Iranian energy infrastructure was not “necessarily” a US objective. “Israel has been a really strong partner in this effort. Where they have different objectives, they pursued them. Ultimately, we’ve stayed focused on ours,” the Pentagon chief said. Although Hegseth spelled out specific aims for the war, Trump has been shifting the goals – ranging from “freedom” for Iranians to installing an Iranian leader from within the governing system who is willing to answer US and Israeli demands. Asked how long the war would last, Hegseth said: “The president has set a very specific mission to accomplish, and our job is to unrelentingly deliver that. Now, he gets to control the throttle. He’s the one deciding.” Adblock test (Why?)
Israeli air strike targets building in south Lebanon
An Israeli air strike has heavily damaged a building in southern Lebanon’s Tyre district. An Israeli air strike has heavily damaged a building in southern Lebanon’s Tyre district as Israeli forces continue to attack across the area. The army says it is targeting Hezbollah military infrastructure and has warned residents south of the Litani river to leave. Published On 10 Mar 202610 Mar 2026 Click here to share on social media share2 Share plus2googleAdd Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Adblock test (Why?)
‘No middle ground’: Israelis back Iran war, despite taking mounting hits
Itamar Greenberg laughed when asked if he thought he should be afraid. The 19-year-old Israeli antiwar activist had just described being spat on in the street and is the target of an online hate campaign. “Yes!” he finally responded. “If I thought about it, I probably should be. I just don’t have time.” Voices like Greenberg’s are rare in Israel at a time when public clamour for war is growing, and genocidal language already familiar to millions of Palestinians is reemerging, but with a different target – Iran. Officially, 11 Israelis have been killed in Iranian strikes since the US and Israel launched their war on Iran on February 28. What the actual number might be, or how many of Iran’s ballistic missiles may have penetrated the country’s Iron Dome defence shield, is unknown. Speaking at the site of an Iranian missile strike in West Jerusalem, shortly after the start of the US-Israeli attacks on Iran, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu returned to the use of apocalyptic language that has characterised the genocide his country has conducted in Gaza. Comparing Iranians with the Jewish people’s biblical foe, Amalek, who the Jews had been divinely ordered to wipe from the face of the planet, Netanyahu told reporters: “In this week’s Torah portion, we read, “‘Remember what Amalek did to you.’ We remember, and we act.” So far, Iran claims to have launched strikes across Israel, saying its missiles and drones hit military sites, symbolic infrastructure, and even Netanyahu’s office. Tehran has described the attacks as precise and strategic, rather than indiscriminate and part of a broader regional response. Iran also claims to have targeted locations such as Tel Aviv, Ben Gurion airport and Haifa. Advertisement However, Israeli officials have denied many of the specific claims. Netanyahu’s office dismissed Iranian assertions about hitting his office, or affecting his condition, as “fake news”, with stringent reporting restrictions on Iranian strikes within Israel making confirmation either way difficult. What is clearer is that against the drumbeat of Iranian strikes, the fervour for war appears to be increasing among the public. A poll carried out last week by the Israel Democracy Institute (IDI) suggested overwhelming public support for the war, with 93 percent of Jewish-Israeli respondents expressing support for the strikes on Iran, and 74 percent expressing support for Netanyahu, the country’s historically divisive prime minister. “No one’s talking about opposition to the war,” Greenberg said, describing an environment in which figures from across Israel’s media and political landscape – with the exception of the left-wing Hadash party and antiwar organisations such as Greenberg’s Mesarvot – had lined up behind the war. “It’s also getting increasingly violent,” he said. “We held a protest on Tuesday, where the police were already waiting. They beat and arrested us. I was illegally strip-searched,” he said, describing it as efforts intended to humiliate him. Greenberg is no stranger to such tactics. Six months ago, after being arrested for protesting the genocide in Gaza, prison guards had threatened to carve a Star of David on his face, a permanent reminder of what they thought his priorities should be. It’s not just antiwar activists who have faced the brunt of the Israeli security establishment’s force. “The atmosphere is very violent,“ lawmaker Ofer Cassif of the Hadash party told Al Jazeera. “When I leave the house, I’m more worried by the danger posed by a physical attack by fascists than I am by any missile,” he said. Hadash and lawmakers like Cassif have been targeted by physical threats and attacks throughout the Gaza war. But criticism of the Netanyahu government’s handling of Israeli captives in Gaza meant that opposition to the Gaza war was – comparatively – more socially acceptable. When it comes to Iran, the current climate is toxic, Cassif said. “We’re often accused of supporting the regime in Tehran,” Cassif explained of the attempts to delegitimise their opposition to the war. “We’re unequivocally not. We want to see that regime go, but we’re not going to allow Netanyahu to say he’s doing this for the Iranian people. He isn’t. That’s not just rhetoric, that’s fact. The Israeli leadership was just as supportive of the shah as the US, and he was a murderous dictator no less than the current regime,” Cassif said, referring to Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the leader of Iran before the Islamic revolution. Advertisement For now, analysts and observers in Israel describe a society that believes it is almost engaged in a holy war. “They brought an antiwar activist onto one of the light news programmes,” political analyst Ori Goldberg said from near Tel Aviv, “and she was treated like you would a flat-earther. It’s as if it’s inconceivable that anyone would oppose this war. “Israel has become a society with no middle ground, no capacity for conversation. It’s as if our entire existence is dependent on our ability to do anything we want. And if the world tries to stop that, then the world’s anti-Semitic, and we all burn.” Adblock test (Why?)
Iran war may end ‘pretty quickly’: What Trump told Republicans
Listen to this article Listen to this article | 5 mins info US President Donald Trump has told congressional Republicans that the war with Iran could be over “pretty quickly”, as he defended the military campaign and outlined Washington’s objectives in the conflict. The United States and Israel launched the campaign against Iran on February 28, with large-scale air and missile strikes on Iranian military infrastructure, including air-defence systems, missile launchers and naval assets. The first day of the operation killed Iran’s then supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Recommended Stories list of 1 itemend of list The war has now entered its second week, and in his latest speech, Trump has highlighted what he described as the successes of Operation Epic Fury and suggested that it could end soon. Here are some key takeaways from his remarks. Trump calls Iran’s operation a ‘short-term excursion’ Trump framed the recent military action against Iran as a “little excursion” that was necessary to eliminate “some evil”. He said that due to the incredible capabilities of the US military, this engagement would be strictly a “short-term excursion”. While this action had caused a “little pause” in the economy, he said, it was not a big one, and the economy would quickly surge and “blow it away”. The war will end ‘pretty quickly’ Trump also declared that the war on Iran is “going to be finished pretty quickly”. He explained that such a rapid conclusion would be due to the highly effective and “brilliant work” of the US military, noting the following progress: The military has already wiped out roughly “80 percent” of Iran’s missile launchers, reducing its capabilities to a “trickle”, with the remaining launchers being eliminated very quickly. “The missiles have been largely knocked out… the drones have been knocked out, and we’re hitting where they make the drones,” he said. Advertisement He emphasised that as soon as this operation is finished, it will result in a “much safer world”. Trump also claimed that the US military sank “46 top-of-the-line” Iranian naval ships over three and a half days. Recounting a conversation with a military official, Trump said he had asked why the ships were sunk instead of captured. “’We could have used it. Why did we sink them?’” Trump had apparently asked the official. “He said, ‘It’s more fun to sink them’. “They like sinking them better. They say it’s safer to sink them. I guess it’s probably true.” A screengrab from a video released by US Central Command (CENTCOM), which accompanied a media release describing the US-Israeli operation against Iran, dubbed Epic Fury, shows an unmanned aerial vehicle on a runway at an unknown location [File: Reuters] The US prevented an imminent attack ‘within a week’ on US and allies Trump also asserted that the US had to strike Iran because Tehran had been preparing to attack the US, though neither the US president, nor anyone else in his administration, has presented any evidence to back the claim. “Within a week, they were going to attack us, 100 percent. They were ready,” Trump said. He also claimed that Iran had missiles aimed at neutral Middle Eastern nations, including Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, which ultimately sided with the US. “I think they were looking to take over the Middle East, because when you look, and we have pretty good proof, all of those missiles were… aimed at Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE,” he added. Trump celebrated the killing of leadership He celebrated the killing of several Iranian leaders, stating that they are “gone” and that “nobody has any idea who the people are that are going to lead that country”. He connected this speech to his first-term operation that assassinated Qassem Soleimani, whom he called the “father of the roadside bomb”. Soleimani was the longtime commander of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)’s Quds Force, and was widely seen as a key architect of Iran’s regional network of allied groups. ‘We haven’t won enough’ Trump said the US could now declare its military campaign against Iran a success, but the US is going to go further. “We’ve already won in many ways, but we haven’t won enough,” Trump said. “We go forward more determined than ever to achieve ultimate victory that will end this long-running danger once and for all. Forty-seven years, it should have been done a long time ago,” he added. Trump looks from the stage after delivering remarks to members of the Republican Party, at Trump National Doral Miami in Miami [Kevin Lamarque/Reuters] ‘Disappointed’ Mojtaba Khamenei is Iran’s new supreme leader Trump says he is “disappointed” that Iran named Mojtaba Khamenei to succeed his father, Ali Khamenei, as the supreme leader of the country. Advertisement “We think it’s going to lead to just more of the same problem for the country,” Trump said. When asked whether the new leader had a target on his back, Trump said it would be “inappropriate” to say. Israel has said it will attempt to assassinate any new Iranian leader chosen to replace Ali Khamenei. Trump had earlier declined to provide details about his plans for dealing with Mojtaba Khamenei. “Not going to tell you. I’m not happy with him,” he said. Adblock test (Why?)
Trump threatens to hit Iran harder if it blocks energy supplies
NewsFeed US President Donald Trump threatened to escalate attacks on Iran if it disrupted global oil supplies, saying “they’ll get hit at a much, much harder level.” Published On 10 Mar 202610 Mar 2026 Click here to share on social media share2 Share plus2googleAdd Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Adblock test (Why?)
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?)