Former US President Donald Trump posted on social media, alleging that Iran's national football team's participation in the 2026 FIFA World Cup could pose security risks. He wrote, "I really don't think it's advisable for them to be there—for their own life and safety," while noting that the team could still take part in the tournament.
Israel's devastating assault on Lebanon continues unabated, with strikes on the capital Beirut and southern regions killing at least 16 people and marking a punishing front in the wider regional conflict. Attacks targeted the Jnah and Nabaa neighborhoods in Beirut for the first time in this war, with an apartment in Nabaa—home to a sizable Armenian community—left engulfed in flames. The Israeli military claimed these strikes aimed at a Hezbollah member, though independent verification of this assertion is lacking.
As of 07:00 on March 13, a total of 32,934 Uzbek citizens have been repatriated from Middle Eastern countries since the start of military actions by the US and Israeli regimes against Iran. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported this, emphasizing that the activities of diplomatic missions are ongoing.
The Israeli military has launched a new extensive wave of air attacks on Iran's capital, Tehran, leaving the city covered in thick smoke on Friday morning. The strikes follow the first statement by Iran's new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, who warned that attacks on Israel and US military assets would continue unless bases hosting US forces in the region are closed. Khamenei was appointed last week after the assassination of his father, heightening tensions in an already volatile situation.
Afghanistan's Taliban government has accused Pakistan of targeting civilian homes in overnight airstrikes in the capital Kabul and the southern province of Kandahar, with women and children among those killed, as fighting between the two neighbors entered its third week. Government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid stated on X on Friday that Pakistani aircraft also struck fuel depots belonging to the private airline Kam Air near Kandahar airport, escalating tensions amid the ongoing border conflict.
The war launched by the United States and Israel against Iran has entered its second week, triggering a global energy crisis. Iran's retaliatory measures threaten to draw the entire Middle East into the conflict. The Strait of Hormuz, through which approximately 20-30% of the world's crude oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) passes, has been effectively closed due to hostilities. This has sent crude prices soaring and disrupted oil and gas supplies worldwide.
Mojtaba Khamenei delivered his first address to the nation after being elected as Iran's Supreme Leader, outlining intentions to continue military actions against the United States and its allies, and promising to "avenge the blood of Iranians" killed in the conflict. Khamenei stated that Tehran prioritizes responding to the deaths of its citizens, emphasizing that every slain Iranian will be avenged, in a speech that signals a hardening stance amid ongoing regional tensions.
US President Donald Trump, in a post on his social media platform Truth Social, allegedly stated that rising global oil prices bring significant financial benefit to the United States. He purportedly claimed that as the world's largest oil producer, the US earns a lot of money when prices increase.
Oil prices have once again climbed above $100 per barrel, with energy markets finding little respite amid the most significant disruption to global energy supplies in a generation. Brent crude, the international benchmark, surged more than 9 percent on Thursday as traders assessed the prospect of weeks or even months of turmoil in energy markets due to the war waged by the United States and Israel against Iran. Brent futures, traded outside regular market hours, were priced at $101.13 as of 03:00 GMT.
As the US-Israeli war with Iran approached its two-week mark, leaders from Iran, Israel, and the United States struck defiant tones, despite the conflict claiming thousands of lives, rattling financial markets, and sending oil prices soaring.
The US Treasury Department has issued a temporary 30-day license easing sanctions on Russian crude oil and petroleum products, allowing the sale of oil already loaded onto vessels by 12:01 a.m. Washington time on March 12, with the permit valid until April 11. This move is framed as a narrowly tailored, short-term measure, but it comes amid soaring energy prices and geopolitical tensions, raising questions about its broader implications for the sanctions regime.
Cuba's Foreign Ministry announced on Thursday that it will release 51 prisoners in the coming days as a gesture of goodwill toward the Vatican. The ministry's statement indicated that this decision followed talks with the Holy See and reflects the "close and fluid relations" between the Cuban government and the Vatican on issues including the review and release of prisoners.