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?)
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?)
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
‘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.
Anti-aircraft fire seen in eastern Lebanon amid Israeli incursion
NewsFeed Apparent anti-aircraft fire was seen in the Bekaa Valley of eastern Lebanon amid reports of an attempted landing by Israeli forces. Clashes have been reported between Israeli commandos and Hezbollah fighters in the town of Nabi Chit. Published On 7 Mar 20267 Mar 2026 Click here to share on social media share2 Share plus2googleAdd Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Adblock test (Why?)
Why Yemen’s Houthis are staying out of Israel-US fight with Iran – for now
Sanaa, Yemen – The Israel-US attacks on Iran have plunged the wider Middle East region into turmoil. From Tehran, tensions have spread, affecting multiple Arab cities, including Abu Dhabi, Doha, Kuwait City, Manama, and Beirut. Amid this wave of military escalation hitting several countries, Yemen has remained – perhaps surprisingly – quiet. The Houthi movement, the Iran-allied de facto authority in northwestern Yemen, has made repeated attacks on US and Israeli targets since the start of Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza in October 2023. Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list But in the week since the US-Israeli attacks on Iran began on February 28, the Houthis have limited their support for Tehran to rhetoric and a mass protest denouncing the strikes. Whether they will continue to remain detached from the conflict remains uncertain. Analysts say the rebel group’s involvement is still possible, and its current restraint appears part of a strategy of patience. “Houthi intervention remains a possibility, and it could take the form of a phased escalation,” Luca Nevola, senior analyst for Yemen and the Gulf at the ACLED conflict monitor, told Al Jazeera. “At the current stage, the main Houthi priority remains avoiding direct US and Israeli retaliation.” Last August, Israeli strikes killed at least 12 Houthi high-ranking government members, including Prime Minister Ahmed al-Rahawi and chief of staff Mohammed al-Ghumari, in air strikes in Sanaa. The losses were among the heaviest the group has endured during its confrontation with the US and Israel. Advertisement That incident, coupled with other attacks last year, has left the Houthi leadership more careful and wary of risking a heavy aerial campaign on areas under its control. “The group seems to fear Israeli intelligence and the possibility of leadership decapitation,” Nevola said. Despite the losses the Houthi group endured last year, it is not entirely incapacitated, and it could launch assaults on adversaries. Nevola explained, “The Houthis would likely resume attacks if they were directly drawn into the conflict, either through US or Israeli strikes or through a renewed domestic advance by anti-Houthi forces in Yemen.” Houthi chief Abdel-Malik al-Houthi said this week that “Yemen stands clearly with the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Muslim Iranian people.” He emphasised that “hands are on the trigger” regarding military escalation, adding that his group’s engagement in the war could occur at any moment depending on developments. Holding a card in reserve Sadam al-Huraibi, a Yemeni political commentator, said Yemen’s Houthis will enter the war if Iran requests it to. “Tehran does not want to use all its cards at once, and it aims to save the Houthi group for the coming phase,” Huraibi told Al Jazeera. “I believe that the Houthis’ entry into the war is only a matter of time,” he added. “If the Israeli-American attacks on Iran do not stop, the Yemeni group will not stand idly by endlessly. The Houthis are preparing for war in Sanaa and the provinces they control.” The Houthis are still capable of creating chaos in the Red Sea – where they have launched repeated attacks on shipping as part of a campaign they say was in support of Gaza – and can launch drones and missiles towards Israel, said Huraibi. “This move will likely materialise, and this depends on the timing set by the Houthis and Iran.” Nevola agreed with Huraibi, saying, “Now that all axis [of resistance, or pro-Iran regional groups] actors are under direct attack, ensuring long-term operational continuity from Yemen – and preserving the Houthi regime as a safe haven – may have become a strategic priority.” Adel Dashela, a Yemeni researcher and non-resident fellow at Mesa Global Academy, said that the Houthis do not want to officially declare war at the present time in order to portray themselves as an independent faction, not subject to Tehran’s directives. Dashela told Al Jazeera, “In practice, the group is part of the axis of resistance, and the war could reach it. The Houthi leadership is still waiting to see how the situation develops. It does not want to take rash decisions on the involvement in the US-Israel war on Iran.” Possible targets The Houthis are capable of striking multiple targets with missiles and drones. Advertisement “Should the conflict persist, and the Houthis feel threatened by direct attacks, they could expand their target set to include Israeli territory, US warships and military assets in the region, and Israel’s partners in the region, such as the UAE and Somaliland,” said Nevola. The continued barrage of Iranian missiles on Israel and the Gulf states may have compromised interception systems over the past week. Houthi attacks could therefore become more destructive. Nevola explained, “Houthi long-range drone and missile attacks against Gulf states and Israel could prove more effective at a later stage of the conflict, when air defence systems may face resupply constraints. The opening of an additional southern front could place further strain on Israel’s air defence.” From late 2023 to 2025, the Houthis carried out a military campaign of attacks on ships through the Red Sea corridor. The campaign killed at least nine mariners and sank four ships, disrupting shipping in the Red Sea, through which about $1 trillion of goods passed each year before the war. The US-Israel strikes have wiped out many of Iran’s political and military leaders within a few days. The killing of senior figures could weaken the Iranian regime, whose fall remains a priority for US and Israeli leadership. Whether weakened or ousted, the fallout would be “detrimental” to the Houthi group in Yemen, said al-Huraibi. He added, “The group will be militarily affected as the flow of smuggled Iranian weapons to Yemen will shrink or entirely cease. This is a formidable challenge for the group.” In 2022, the United Nations found thousands of weapons seized in the Arabian Sea likely came from a single port in Iran. A report by a UN Security Council panel of experts on Yemen indicated that boats and land transport were used