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?)
How targeting of desalination plants could disrupt water supply in the Gulf
Bahrain has said an Iranian drone attack caused material damage to a water desalination plant in the country, marking the first time a Gulf nation has reported targeting any such facility during the eight days of the war between Iran and the US and Israel. The attack on Sunday comes a day after Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said a freshwater desalination plant on Qeshm Island in southern Iran was attacked by the United States. Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list “Water supply in 30 villages has been impacted. Attacking Iran’s infrastructure is a dangerous move with grave consequences. The US set this precedent, not Iran,” he said on X on Saturday. While Tehran has not yet commented on the Bahrain attack, it has raised questions about the vulnerability of the Gulf countries, which depend on desalination plants for the majority of their water supply. How important are water desalination plants to the Gulf region? Can water security in the Gulf be guaranteed amid a widening of military targets to include energy and other civilian sites? What are desalination plants? A desalination plant primarily converts seawater into water suitable for drinking purposes as well as for irrigation and industrial use. The process of desalination involves removing salt, algae and other pollutants from seawater using a thermal process or membrane-based technologies. According to the US Department of Energy, desalination systems “heat water so that it evaporates into steam, leaving behind impurities, and then condenses back into a liquid for human use”. Advertisement Meanwhile, membrane-based desalination involves “a class of technologies in which saline water passes through a semipermeable material that allows water through but holds back dissolved solids like salts”. Reverse osmosis is the most popular membrane technology. Most countries in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) use reverse osmosis since it is an energy-efficient technique. Why are desalination plants important to the Gulf? Water is scarce in the Gulf region due to the arid climate and irregular rainfall. Countries in the Gulf also have very limited natural freshwater resources. Groundwater, together with desalinated water, accounts for about 90 percent of the region’s main water resources, according to a 2020 report by the Gulf Research Center. But in recent years, as groundwater has also begun to deteriorate as a result of climate change, Gulf countries have begun relying heavily on energy-intensive seawater desalination to meet their water needs. More than 400 desalination plants are located on the Arabian Gulf shores stretching from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to Kuwait, providing water to one of the most water-scarce regions in the world. According to a 2023 research paper published by the Arab Center Washington DC, GCC member states account for about 60 percent of global water desalination capacity, producing almost 40 percent of the total desalinated water in the world. About 42 percent of the UAE’s drinking water comes from desalination plants, while that figure is 90 percent in Kuwait, 86 percent in Oman, and 70 percent in Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia also produces more desalinated water than any other country. Desalination has also played a crucial role in enabling economic development in the region, according to Naser Alsayed, an environmental researcher specialising in the Gulf states. He noted that after the discovery of oil in the late 1930s, Gulf states had very limited natural freshwater resources and could not meet the demands created by population growth and expanding economic activity. “Desalination plants were therefore introduced,” he told Al Jazeera, adding that the importance of desalinated water in supporting the Gulf’s development is often overlooked. “As a result, targeting or disrupting desalination facilities would place much of the region’s economic stability and growth at significant risk,” he said. “Secondly, desalination is the main source of freshwater for most GCC states, especially smaller and highly water-scarce countries such as Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar. Because this water is primarily used for human consumption, desalination carries a strong humanitarian dimension and is essential for sustaining daily life in the region, making any disruption to these facilities particularly significant for the population,” he added. Advertisement Iran also uses desalination plants, which have been installed in coastal areas such as Qeshm Island in the Gulf. But Iran also has many rivers and dams and is not as heavily reliant on desalination plants as other countries in the Gulf region. If a desalination plant is attacked, what is the impact? The Gulf’s heavy reliance on desalination plants has made it vulnerable during times of conflict. During the 1990-1991 Gulf War, Iraqi forces intentionally destroyed most of Kuwait’s desalination capacity, and the damage to its water supply was severe. Raha Hakimdavar, a hydrologist, told Al Jazeera that in the long-term, attacking these plants can also impact domestic food production, which mostly uses groundwater. “However, the pressures from competing needs can divert this water away from domestic production. This can be especially challenging because the region is also highly food import dependent and is facing potential food security challenges due to the compromising of the Strait of Hormuz,” said Hakimdavar, who is a Senior Advisor to the Deans at Georgetown University in Qatar and the Earth Commons. A 2010 CIA report (PDF) also warned that while “national dependence on desalinated water varies substantially among Persian Gulf countries, disruption of desalination facilities in most of the Arab countries could have more consequences than the loss of any industry or commodity.” According to Alsayed, the impact of a plant being attacked in the region, however, depends on the local scenario. “For Saudi Arabia, which is the least dependent on desalination and has significant geographic space, facilities on the Red Sea provide resilience. The UAE has 45 days of water storage aligned with its 2036 water security strategy, so contingency plans are in place to manage potential disruptions,” he said. “The effects are likely to be felt more acutely in smaller states that are highly dependent on desalination like Qatar, Bahrain, and Kuwait, which have minimal strategic reservoirs,” he noted. “The
Iran women’s football team sing anthem amid safety concerns during war
Listen to this article Listen to this article | 5 mins info Players on the Iranian women’s football team have sung and saluted during their national anthem before their final Women’s Asian Cup match at Gold Coast Stadium in Australia, six days after their decision to remain silent during the anthem saw them labelled “wartime traitors” on state TV back home. The Iranians, whose situation has become a cause celebre among human rights campaigners in Australia, will play no further part in the tournament after a 2-0 loss on Sunday to the Philippines in Queensland. Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list Their campaign in the continental showpiece started last weekend, just as the United States and Israel launched air strikes on Iran on February 28, killing at least 1,332 people since then, including Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Iran’s team and management, who have voiced fears and concerns for their families in Iran, wore a stoic look and chose not to sing their national anthem in the opening game against South Korea on Monday. Their decision drew criticism in Iran with Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting presenter Mohammad Reza Shahbazi saying in a video that the players showed a lack of patriotism and their actions amounted to the “pinnacle of dishonour”. The Iranian team sang along to Mehr-e Khavaran (Eastern Sun) before their second defeat against the host nation on Thursday, sparking fears among Australian human rights campaigners that they had been coerced by government minders. No public reason was given for the players’ original stance over the pregame national anthem. Iran’s coach Marziyeh Jafari also salutes during the anthem alongside the players [Dave Hunt/AAP Image via AP] ‘Credible fears for safety’ A petition launched on Friday on the Change.org website urging Australia to give refuge to the team had gathered more than 51,000 signatures by late on Sunday. The petition called on Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke to ensure the team did not depart Australia “while credible fears for their safety remain” but Burke’s office has not commented on the petition. Advertisement The petition asked local authorities to ensure any player seeking protection “can do so safely, privately, and without interference” and to “make clear that Australia will uphold its … humanitarian protection obligations in relation to any player at risk of persecution or serious harm”. “Where credible evidence exists that visiting athletes may face persecution, imprisonment, coercion, or worse upon return, silence is not a neutral position,” it said. “The current wartime environment has intensified repression, fear, and the risks faced by anyone publicly perceived by the Islamic Republic as disloyal.” Iranian Australian activist Tina Kordrostami, a member of local government in Sydney’s Ryde Council, told The Australian newspaper the Iranian players “need an opportunity, a safe space, a chance to actually speak up about what their needs are and what their requirements are”. “We can’t give them that space without the government helping us,” she said. Speaking to national broadcaster ABC before Sunday’s game, Foreign Minister Penny Wong was asked about the prospect of the team going home. “I want to say about the Iranian women’s team that it has been really moving for Australians to see them in Australia,” she said. Wong added that the sight of the Australian players swapping shirts with their Iranian opponents was “a very evocative moment”. “It spoke to solidarity and the way in which sport can bring us together,” she said. “We know this regime has brutally oppressed many Iranian women. Obviously, this is a regime that we know has brutally cracked down on its people.” The US and Israel continued their large-scale strikes on Iran for a ninth day as the conflict has widened to include the Gulf region as well as Lebanon and Iraq. The players union FIFPRO had previously called on the Asian Football Confederation and global football’s governing body, FIFA, to uphold their human rights obligations and undertake all necessary steps to ensure the safety of Iran’s squad in the wake of the broadcast. Iran’s team ended their campaign winless, also losing 3-0 to South Korea and 4-0 to Australia to finish bottom of Group A with nine goals conceded and none scored. Matildas snatch late draw with South Korea Australia’s Alanna Kennedy scored her second goal deep into stoppage time to achieve a 3-3 draw against South Korea, but it was not enough to prevent their opponents from topping Group A. The South Koreans, who sealed the top spot by virtue of their superior goal tally over the three group fixtures, will return to Stadium Australia in Sydney on Saturday for a quarterfinal against a third-placed team from one of the other opening-round groups. Advertisement The Matildas, meanwhile, will have to travel across Australia to play either North Korea or reigning champions China in the last eight at Perth Rectangular Stadium on Friday. Australia’s Alanna Kennedy, left, scored a stoppage-time equaliser as Australia drew 3-3 with South Korea to finish second in their group [Rick Rycroft/AP] Adblock test (Why?)
‘Gulf countries may question US capability to protect them’
Former US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Gordon Gray explains the short-term and long-term implications of US-Israeli war on Iran. Published On 8 Mar 20268 Mar 2026 Click here to share on social media share2 Share plus2googleAdd Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Adblock test (Why?)
Cuba says electricity plant successfully repaired after large blackout
An escalating US pressure campaign, including an oil blockade, has strained the Caribbean country’s ageing energy infrastructure. Listen to this article Listen to this article | 3 mins info Published On 7 Mar 20267 Mar 2026 Click here to share on social media share2 Share plus2googleAdd Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Cuban authorities say that repair teams have successfully fixed a large thermoelectric plant that shut down earlier this week, causing blackouts across an island that is straining under United States-imposed restrictions. Felix Estrada Rodriguez, a top engineer at Cuba’s Electric Union, told the state-owned media outlet Canal Caribe that the Antonio Guiteras plant is expected to resume operations by Saturday afternoon. Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list He also explained that the pace of repairs was the result of difficult working conditions and safety concerns. “It is a confined space with a high temperature,” Estrada Rodriguez said. A broken boiler had caused the plant to shut down on Wednesday, prompting power outages that left millions of people without power in the country’s western areas. Widespread outages have increased in recent months as the US takes measures to further isolate Cuba and push the country’s energy system to its breaking point. Following the abduction and imprisonment of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, Trump moved to cut the flow of oil and money between Cuba and the South American nation. Then, on January 29, he issued an executive order threatening economic action against any country that supplied Cuba with oil. The island’s ageing energy grid continues to rely largely on fossil fuels, though it has taken steps to increase its supply of alternative power sources. China, for instance, has been helping Cuba develop its solar energy supplies, with thousands of panels being exported to the island. Advertisement Still, the US oil blockade against Cuba has heightened an economic and humanitarian crisis on the island, which has also struggled under a decades-long US trade embargo. The pressure campaign has increased since US President Donald Trump returned to office in 2025. Trump has talked openly about toppling the Cuban government and has tightened economic restrictions in an effort to degrade conditions on the island. Trump said earlier this week that regime change in Havana was a “matter of time” as he embraces the threat of US military action to reshape Latin America. On Saturday, Trump reiterated his threats towards Cuba at a summit of right-wing Latin American leaders. He suggested the island’s communist government was “in its last moments”. “Cuba’s at the end of the line. They’re very much at the end of the line. They have no money, they have no oil. They have a bad philosophy. They have a bad regime that’s been bad for a long time,” Trump said. In the past, demonstrations have arisen in Cuba in response to chronic blackouts, supply shortages and frustration with Havana’s government, which has a record of repressing dissent. Cuba’s Electric Union did not offer details about how many people remained without power on Saturday, but it said about 1,000 megawatts of power was available. That is enough to meet less than half of Cuba’s current demand. The government has announced a series of austerity measures meant to conserve energy, and protests broke out following the most recent blackout. Adblock test (Why?)
Video: Satellite images reveal damage to several Iranian military bases
NewsFeed Satellite imagery reveals extensive damage at several Iranian military sites following a wave of airstrikes by the United States and Israel. Published On 7 Mar 20267 Mar 2026 Click here to share on social media share2 Share plus2googleAdd Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Adblock test (Why?)
Doctors try to save girl as father was killed in Gaza Israeli attack
NewsFeed Doctors in a hospital in Gaza try to save a girl who sustained severe injuries in an Israeli attack that hit her and killed her father. Published On 7 Mar 20267 Mar 2026 Click here to share on social media share2 Share plus2googleAdd Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Adblock test (Why?)
Massive explosions, fires from US-Israeli strikes on Tehran
[unable to retrieve full-text content] Massive explosions and fires were seen across Tehran as US-Israeli strikes pummelled targets in the Iranian capital.