Category: World

European governments remain divided over the ongoing US-Israeli attacks against Iran, highlighting growing fractures within the Western alliance as Washington presses its European partners to support the military campaign.

The European Union, key member states, and the United Kingdom have all called for respect for international law and urged de-escalation. However, they have failed to present a unified strategy, appearing increasingly sidelined as the crisis in the Middle East deepens and threatens global repercussions.

On Wednesday, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said US President Donald Trump expects “all of our European allies” to back the US and Israel.

Trump has openly criticized the hesitation among European governments. He also took aim at British Prime Minister Keir Starmer after London declined to support the strikes.

“This is not Winston Churchill that we’re dealing with,” Trump said, referring to Starmer’s stance that the UK does not support “regime change from the skies.”

EU calls for diplomacy

The European Union has urged restraint and intensified diplomatic efforts to prevent further escalation in the Middle East, warning that a prolonged war could have serious global consequences.

EU foreign ministers held an emergency video conference following the outbreak of hostilities to assess the situation in Iran and the wider region. In a joint statement, the bloc expressed “utmost concern” over the unfolding events and called for maximum restraint from all parties.

Reiterating the bloc’s long-standing policy, the European Commission spokesperson said the EU will continue to support a diplomatic solution aimed at preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.

At the same time, the bloc stressed the importance of protecting civilians and respecting international law, including the UN Charter and international humanitarian law.

In one of her latest speeches, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas warned that the escalating crisis reflects a broader erosion of international law.

“Without restoring international law and accountability, we are doomed to see repeated violations of the law, disruption, and chaos,” she said.

UK pursues balanced stance

The UK has adopted a cautious approach, combining criticism of Iran with calls for diplomacy.

Starmer defended the decision not to participate in the strikes, saying the best solution is “a negotiated settlement with Iran, where they give up their nuclear ambitions.”

While Britain initially restricted the US from using the Diego Garcia military base in the Chagos Islands, London later confirmed that American forces could use British facilities to support regional defense and Israel’s security.

The UK has also increased its defensive military presence in the region, deploying additional Typhoon fighter jets to Qatar.

France stresses international law

France has taken a more legally focused position.

Macron warned that military action conducted outside international law could undermine global stability and called for emergency discussions at the UN Security Council.

At the same time, Paris has sought to avoid direct confrontation with Washington and has condemned Iran’s retaliatory attacks.

France has authorized a temporary presence of American aircraft at certain bases but secured guarantees that the planes would not be used to carry out strikes on Iran and would only support regional defense operations.

Paris has also deployed the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle and other military assets to the region to protect French interests, including its base in Abu Dhabi.

Similarly, Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten said that he recognizes the threat Tehran poses to regional security; however, he believes the US and Israeli strikes on Iran are not consistent with international law.

Germany more sympathetic to US goals

Germany’s stance has been more aligned with Washington’s broader objectives.

Chancellor Friedrich Merz described Iran as a major security threat and said decades of sanctions and diplomacy have failed to halt Tehran’s destabilizing activities.

During a visit to the White House this week, Trump praised Merz as “an excellent leader,” highlighting Berlin’s decision to allow US forces to use the Ramstein Air Base in Germany.

Merz said Western governments share an interest in preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, but also warned about the risks of a prolonged conflict.

“An endless war is not in our interest,” he said, adding that a collapse of the Iranian state could have far-reaching consequences for Europe, including risks to energy supply, security and migration.

Germany is working with European and regional partners to develop a framework for ending the conflict and establishing a broader Middle East peace order, he added.

Spain voices stronger criticism

Spain has taken one of the strongest positions in Europe against the US-Israel military campaign.

Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez described the attacks on Iran as “an extraordinary mistake” and warned that the conflict poses a serious threat to global stability.

Madrid has also refused to allow US forces to use Spanish air and naval bases to carry out attacks on Iran, a decision that has drawn sharp criticism from Trump, who threatened to cut off trade ties with Spain.

Sanchez defended the decision, saying alliances should allow partners to disagree.

“We are not going to take a position that goes against our values and principles out of fear of reprisals from others… We say no to war,” he said.

Italy raises legal concerns

Defense Minister Guido Crosetto told parliament that the military operation carried out by the United States and Israel was “outside the rules of international law,” warning that the situation in the region could further deteriorate.

Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani stressed that Rome is not at war and urged diplomatic efforts to prevent a broader regional conflict.

“Italy is not at war; diplomatic channels should be preferred,” Tajani said, warning of a “real risk” that the crisis could expand across the Middle East.

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has also warned that the conflict could have “totally unpredictable consequences.”

She said any potential request from Washington to use Italian military bases would be carefully assessed by the government in consultation with parliament.

Eastern Europe backs Washington

In contrast, several Eastern European countries have offered clearer political support for the US-led operation.

Polish President Karol Nawrocki has framed the conflict primarily through a security lens, arguing that Iran’s actions threaten international stability.

At the same time, Poland has emphasized that it is not directly involved in the military campaign. Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz said Warsaw has not received any request to participate in US operations against Iran.

Similar supportive voices have emerged from the Czech Republic.

Iran’s nuclear program seriously threatens international security, and a US strike on three Iranian nuclear facilities is thus an understandable effort to prevent the development of nuclear weapons, Prime Minister Petr Fiala said.

He expressed optimism that US attacks would prompt the Iranian government to engage in talks, leading to de‑escalation in the region.

China has reduced its annual economic growth target to between 4.5 per cent and five per cent, marking the country’s lowest expansion goal since 1991 as it grapples with growing economic challenges both domestically and internationally.

The revision represents the first reduction since the target was set at “around 5%” in 2023. No official growth target was announced in 2020 due to the global disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The updated figures were presented during the country’s major annual political gathering, commonly referred to as the “two sessions”, where officials also outlined preliminary details of the 15th Five-Year Plan for the world’s second-largest economy.

Beijing is attempting to restructure its economic model while confronting several difficulties, including subdued consumer spending, a declining population, a prolonged property market crisis, global trade tensions, and energy disruptions linked to the ongoing Iran war.

Economic analysts suggest that the reduced growth range offers policymakers greater room to manoeuvre.

The “two sessions” meeting, which began on Wednesday and usually lasts more than a week, brings together the country’s top leadership for extensive policy discussions.

In a 46-page report presented to delegates, Premier Li Qiang outlined priorities for the forthcoming five-year development plan, which will shape the country’s economic strategy until 2030. The full plan will be put to a vote before the sessions conclude and is expected to be released by state media shortly afterwards.

According to Li, the strategy will prioritise innovation, high-technology industries, scientific research and stronger household consumption, reflecting Beijing’s concern that the economy remains overly dependent on exports. The plan also proposes more than 100 large-scale projects aimed at expanding China’s industrial capacity in sectors including science and technology, transportation and energy.

Authorities have further highlighted their ambition to transform China into a global technology powerhouse, with plans to expand the application of artificial intelligence across key industries and accelerate the country’s transition towards green energy.

Alongside economic reforms, the government says it will promote the development of a “childbirth-friendly society” to tackle declining birth rates and the challenges associated with an ageing population.

Despite these initiatives, economists remain cautious about the outlook. Some analysts argue that China’s official growth statistics should be viewed “with a grain of salt”, citing weak consumer spending and the persistent crisis in the property sector as ongoing risks to the country’s economic stability.

JERUSALEM, March 5 (Reuters) – Damage to Israel’s economy from the ​air war with Iran could reach more than ‌9 billion shekels ($2.93 billion) a week, the Finance Ministry said on Wednesday.

Under current “red” restrictions by Israel’s Home Front Command ​that limit travelling to work, order school ​closings, and mobilisation of reserve forces, economic loss ⁠is estimated at 9.4 billion shekels a week, largely starting ​from next week, it said.

The ministry has asked the ​Home Front to move to “orange” – or limited activity that is less restrictive to workplaces than “red”. In this scenario, the loss ​to the economy would be 4.3 billion shekels ​a week.

Israel and the U.S. began bombing Iran on Saturday, ‌triggering ⁠a wave of retaliatory strikes across Israel and the Middle East and disrupting energy exports from the Gulf.

U.S. and Israeli officials said the campaign could last ​weeks.

Schools ​in Israel ⁠are closed this week. Gatherings are banned, while workforce activities are prohibited except ​for essential services – with most employees working ​from ⁠home.

Hurt somewhat by the Gaza war with Hamas, Israel’s economy grew 3.1% in 2025. In the wake ⁠of ​a ceasefire in October, growth ​was projected at more than 5% in 2026.

($1 = 3.0733 shekels)

The United Kingdom has imposed an emergency restriction on study visas for nationals of Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar and Sudan after a sharp rise in asylum claims from individuals who entered the country through legal routes.

The UK Home Office said the move, its first use of such an “emergency brake”, will end sponsored study visas for the four countries and suspend skilled worker visas for Afghan nationals.

The changes will be introduced via an Immigration Rules Amendment on March 5 and come into force on March 26, 2026.

Officials said the decision follows a sustained increase in asylum applications from visa holders.

In the past five years, about 133,760 people who entered the UK legally have gone on to claim asylum. Since 2021 alone, nearly 135,000 individuals arrived on student or other visas before applying for protection.

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said such cases now account for a significant share of total claims. In 2025, they made up 39 per cent of roughly 100,000 asylum applications.

Applications from the four affected countries have risen sharply. Claims by students from these countries increased by more than 470 percent between 2021 and 2025.

Applications from Myanmar rose sixteen-fold, while those from Cameroon and Sudan increased by over 330 percent. For Afghan nationals, asylum claims relative to study visas issued reached about 95 percent within the same period.

“In 2025, they accounted for 39 per cent of the 100,000 people who applied for asylum.

“Asylum applications by students from Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar and Sudan increased by more than 470 per cent between 2021 and 2025, making them among the most likely nationalities to claim.

“Applications by students from Myanmar rose sixteen-fold during that period, while claims from Cameroon and Sudan increased by more than 330 percent.

“Between 2021 and the year ending September 2025, the proportion of Afghan asylum claims relative to study visas issued reached 95 per cent.”

The government also noted a growing trend among Afghan work visa holders, where asylum claims now exceed the number of visas granted.

Despite a reported 20 percent drop in student-related asylum claims in 2025, those arriving on study visas still account for about 13 percent of all cases currently in the system.

Officials stated the financial strain on public resources, with asylum support costing more than £4 billion annually.

“Asylum support currently costs more than £4 billion annually.

“Nearly 16,000 nationals from the four affected countries are supported at public expense, including over 6,000 accommodated in hotels.

“The government says it has reduced the asylum support bill by £1 billion since coming to office.”

Nearly 16,000 nationals from the four countries are currently receiving state support, including over 6,000 housed in hotels.

Mahmood said the government would continue to offer refuge to those fleeing conflict but stressed that migration routes must not be exploited, adding that the new restrictions are intended to restore order and control to the system.

The measures form part of wider reforms to the UK’s asylum framework.

Under the new rules, refugee status will be reviewed every 30 months instead of the previous five-year period.

Individuals from countries deemed safe may be required to return, while unaccompanied minors will continue to receive longer-term protection.

The government said it has already reduced asylum-related costs by £1 billion and plans to expand controlled legal migration pathways once the system stabilises.

Infamous Mexican drug lord Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, also known as “El Mencho”, was buried in a golden casket by his family on Monday.

The cartel leader died after being wounded in a firefight between his bodyguards and Mexican special forces personnel deployed to capture him in late February.

The 59-year-old founder of the feared Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) was the country’s most-wanted man, while the US had offered a $15m (£11.2m) reward for information leading to his arrest.

His death triggered widespread retaliatory violence in which cartel members set fire to vehicles and blockaded roads across 20 Mexican states.

Members of the National Guard were out in force to prevent fresh violence from breaking out during the colourful funeral near Guadalajara in Jalisco state, a stronghold for the cartel.

Large floral tributes were seen being carried into the funeral home ahead of the ceremony, including one shaped like a rooster in a reference to his love of cockfighting.

According to AFP news agency, five lorries were needed to take all the tributes to the cemetery, most of which had been sent anonymously.

The funeral procession was accompanied by a band playing ranchero music and narcocorridos – songs praising drug lords.

The traditional song El Muchacho Alegre (The Cheerful Boy) was played as Oseguera’s gold-coloured coffin arrived at a chapel located inside the cemetery grounds, local media reported.

After an hour-long ceremony, the mourners – many of whom concealed their identities using face masks – followed the coffin as it was carried to the grave.

Mexican media noted that the plot was relatively plain compared with those of other drug lords, which are often topped by large mausoleums.

Under Oseguera’s leadership, the CJNG became a powerful transnational criminal organisation which spread from its stronghold in Jalisco into many other Mexican states, where it engages in drug production and trafficking.

Oseguera’s killing by Mexican special forces has been seen as a victory for President Claudia Sheinbaum’s government, which has come under increasing pressure by her US counterpart Donald Trump to do more to combat drug trafficking.

But there have been fears that the vacuum left behind by the powerful cartel leader could trigger a surge in violence in the short term, as different factions within the criminal group – which is estimated to have tens of thousands of members – fight for control.

(BBC)

China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi condemned the US and Israeli attacks on Iran on Sunday, calling the “blatant killing of a sovereign leader” and attempts to provoke regime change “unacceptable” and urging an immediate ceasefire and a return to talks to prevent a wider regional conflict.

China has long been a key Iranian ally, buying some 90% of its crude oil and providing economic and technological support. The recent US-Israeli strikes, which disrupted key installations and killed senior figures including Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, put Beijing in a delicate position: it refuses to get involved in the Middle East firestorm, yet its energy security is at stake.

Shipping routes through the Strait of Hormuz, used for half of the oil China imports from the Gulf, have been disrupted, highlighting the vulnerability of Beijing’s energy imports. Iran is a partner Beijing cannot easily replace, especially given the discounts it secures through sanctions-driven arrangements.

The offensive also exposes the limits of China’s influence in the region. While Beijing can offer economic support and diplomatic backing, it cannot guarantee military protection to its allies, forcing it to carefully calibrate its response to avoid conflict with Washington.

Theo Nencini, a research fellow at the ChinaMed Project a PhD candidate specialising in Iran-China relations and China’s Middle East foreign policy, explains the constraints and priorities driving Beijing’s strategic calculus amid the crisis.

How dependent is China on Iranian oil, and how is it used?

China’s dependence on Iranian oil is significant but not overwhelming. We’re talking about 12 to 15% of Chinese oil supplies coming from Iran. That’s fluctuating, but on average, since spring 2023 it’s been around 1.5 million barrels per day. To put that in context, before that, from 2019 onwards, Iran rarely supplied more than 700,000 barrels per day. The spike in April 2023 essentially doubled the imports.

The main driver was the Iran-Saudi rapprochement negotiated in Beijing in March 2023. Once the two sides normalised relations, Iranian exports to China increased sharply and have remained relatively stable, oscillating between 1.2 and 1.9 million barrels per day, depending on seasonal and market factors, like the dip right after the Chinese New Year.

Most of this crude is loaded at Kharg Island in the Persian Gulf, which handles over 90% of Iranian shipments. The tankers then transit through the Strait of Hormuz and head towards Southeast Asia. Often, they anchor off the coast of Malaysia or in the South China Sea, where the so-called “ship-to-ship transfers” occur. This is a key method to obscure the oil’s origin. After these transfers, the crude is typically rebranded as Malaysian, Omani or Emirati before finally being unloaded in China, particularly along the Shandong coast, where the independent refineries – known as “teapots” – are located.

These teapots are relatively immune to US sanctions, because they have no assets in the US and are specifically configured to process Iranian crude. It’s important to understand that Beijing doesn’t orchestrate this directly – the market largely self-regulates. Iran applies discounts ranging from 6 to 10%, sometimes more, to compensate for sanctions-related difficulties. Over several years, this likely cost Tehran about a third of what it could have earned at market prices.

At the moment, China is not in immediate danger of supply disruption. There are 40 to 45 million barrels in floating storage, so for the coming weeks, the country is covered. But the real vulnerability lies with the Strait of Hormuz: about 45% of China’s oil imports pass through this chokepoint, and that has been a long-standing strategic concern.

China also imports other petrochemical products from Iran, like methanol. While exact figures vary, reports suggest Iran supplies significant portions of Asian methanol markets. This is relevant because methanol feeds into plastics and industrial chemicals, which China relies on for manufacturing. However, the volumes are still smaller than crude oil imports and fluctuate with market dynamics and pricing.

Why does China condemn the attacks on Iran, and how does its doctrine shape its response?

China has always condemned attacks on Iran. This is not new. Even when Israel bombed the Iranian consulate annex in Damascus, Beijing issued statements of condemnation.

That said, China often acts with caution and delay. For instance, in June last year, it waited almost 48 hours before reacting to a major strike, seemingly assessing whether the Iranian regime could withstand the situation. That delay did not please Tehran.

China’s foreign policy is grounded in the idea of absolute national sovereignty. Any form of interference in another state, particularly military or regime-change operations, is fundamentally incompatible with their doctrine. This explains why China’s public statements are strong in principle but limited in actual engagement.

In the Middle East, China has two clear priorities. The first one is energy security – ensuring uninterrupted oil flows, especially through the Strait of Hormuz, which is crucial for Chinese consumption. The second is regional stability, a concern tied not only to energy but also to the potential resurgence of radical Islamism. Although jihadist activity has declined compared to the 2000-2020 period, unrest can quickly flare. China remains sensitive due to past issues in Xinjiang and potential spillovers into Central Asia or Pakistan, where Chinese nationals have been targeted by attacks.

If Iran were forced into an existential struggle, there could be an asymmetric response, including indirect or proxy actions, but these remain unpredictable. Chinese doctrine keeps it in a wait-and-see posture, avoiding direct involvement unless absolutely necessary.

Is the Sino-Iranian cooperation also strategic militarily?

On paper, there is a China-Iran Comprehensive Strategic Partnership signed in 2021. But in practice, this partnership has never been fully structured or systemic. It’s largely conjunctural, sectoral and ad hoc. While there have been announcements of $400 billion in Chinese investment, most of these projects have not materialised at scale.

There are targeted infrastructure projects: railway renovations, port upgrades and some work in the Chabahar/Makran region. Militarily, China supplied Iran with anti-ship missiles and industrial know-how between 1985 and 1997. But since 2010, verifiable cooperation is limited. Some Chinese components may enter Iranian missile production, and Iran participates in naval exercises with [mutual ally] Russia. Iranian use of China’s Beidou satellite navigation system is also plausible but hard to verify.

The relationship is therefore pragmatic and real, but constrained by US sanctions. Iran has significant geostrategic potential, an educated workforce and industrial capacity, but systematic collaboration with China remains fragmented.

Overall, China’s cooperation with Iran is tactical rather than strategic, focused on energy, selective infrastructure and limited military coordination – all while being careful not to violate sanctions or escalate tensions.

The killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei by Israel on Saturday relied on years of covert surveillance, a human source and precision missiles fired from beyond Iran’s air defense range, the Financial Times reported Monday, citing current and former intelligence officials.

According to the report, Israel concluded that Khamenei was at his compound based on its signal intelligence and confirmation from a human source from the US.

Israeli jets, which had been airborne for hours, fired approximately 30 precision munitions at Khamenei’s compound, according to the report.

The missiles used were reportedly Sparrows, which can strike even small targets from more than 1,000 kilometers (621 miles) away — beyond the effective range of Iran’s air defenses, according to the report.

The strike was carried out in daylight, a deliberate choice, the Israeli military said, that allowed to achieve tactical surprise.

On the morning of the strike, Israel reportedly disrupted around a dozen mobile phone towers near Khamenei’s compound, preventing his protection detail from receiving warnings.

According to the report, the lack of precautions on the part of the Iranians played a significant role in the success of the attack. A person speaking to a news site claimed that if Khamenei were in one of his two bunkers, Israel would be unable to reach him.

The operation that took place Saturday was also the result of intelligence work that had been ongoing for many years. According to the report, Israel had access to traffic cameras in Tehran, including those overlooking Khamenei’s compound, and was monitoring movements in the area.

Israel also used social network analysis, a method for mapping relationships within large datasets, to identify targets and decision-making structures within the Iranian government.

Joint US and Israeli operations on Iran were launched Saturday and resulted in the killing of several Iranian officials and triggered retaliatory strikes against Gulf countries. Six US service members have been killed since operations began.

The United States hit hundreds of targets across Iran, and Israel expanded its bombing to Lebanon on Monday as President Donald Trump vowed to avenge the first US deaths in the war he launched to topple Tehran’s ruling clerics.

Iranian forces fired missiles and drones across the Middle East, killing people in Israel and the United Arab Emirates, in retaliation for the conflict that began Saturday with the death of Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

The US military expanded targets across Iran on Sunday and said it destroyed the headquarters of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), the elite unit tasked with preserving the theocracy in place since 1979.

“The IRGC no longer has a headquarters,” US Central Command said in a statement.

The Israeli military said it was carrying out “large-scale strikes” in the heart of Tehran on Monday and also bombing across Lebanon against Hezbollah, the armed Shiite Muslim movement closely tied to Iran’s Islamic republic.

An AFP journalist heard explosions in Beirut. Hezbollah, which was weakened by an earlier Israeli offensive, said in a statement that it had fired rockets and drones at Israel “in retaliation for the pure blood” of Khamenei.

Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have urged the overthrow of the government in Iran, the sworn foe of Israel and the United States since the 1979 Islamic revolution toppled the pro-Western shah.

Trump, speaking to the New York Times, said the United States and Israel could keep up the level of attacks for four to five weeks.

“It won’t be difficult. We have tremendous amounts of ammunition,” he said, adding he had a shortlist of three unnamed people he favored to lead Iran after the war.

In a video address, Trump urged Iranian security forces “to lay down your arms and receive full immunity or face certain death.”

“It will be certain death,” he repeated. “It won’t be pretty.”

The Pentagon said that three US service members were killed in the operation and five seriously wounded in the operation it has called “Epic Fury.”

“Sadly, there will likely be more before it ends,” Trump said.

“But America will avenge their deaths and deliver the most punishing blow to the terrorists who have waged war against, basically, civilization.”

Trump, who campaigned denouncing foreign interventions, has done little to explain the case for war to the US public.

Hakeem Jeffries, the top Democrat in the House of Representatives, said the soldiers’ deaths were the result of a “reckless decision” and that there was no threat to “justify this type of preemptive military strikes.”

– Attacks across Middle East –

Iran’s surviving leaders have voiced defiance and said that counter-attacks were justified as self-defense.

In Israel, an Iranian missile attack killed at least nine people and injured dozens more in the central city of Beit Shemesh, after a death the previous day near Tel Aviv.

Three people were also injured on one of the main roads of Jerusalem.

President Masoud Pezeshkian, whose elected role is subordinate to that of the supreme leader, called Khamenei’s killing a “declaration of war against Muslims.”

“Iran considers it its legitimate duty and right to avenge the perpetrators,” Pezeshkian said.

Ali Larijani, the powerful head of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, warned: “Today we will hit them with a force that they have never experienced before.”

Israel and the United States attacked Iran weeks after authorities ruthlessly crushed mass protests, killing thousands.

The demonstrations, initially sparked by economic anxiety but also including calls for greater social freedoms, were considered one of the most serious threats to the religious state.

Trump called on Iranians to rise up and said, “America is with you.”

Reza Pahlavi, the son of the late shah, cautioned Iranians to stay vigilant in the face of air strikes and await the right moment to return to the streets.

But he also urged “nightly chants” against the Islamic republic.

Cheers were heard as some Iranians celebrated reports of the death of Khamenei, but after state media confirmed his killing, pro-government demonstrations also formed, chanting “Death to America!”

Iran named Ayatollah Alireza Arafi to join Pezeshkian on an interim leadership council to lead the country while a permanent successor is found for the supreme leader.

– Mixed support –

While many in the Iranian diaspora cheered Khamenei’s death, anger was seen on the streets of Iran’s neighbor Pakistan where officials said 17 people were killed and protesters tried to storm the US consulate in Karachi.

World leaders have given a mixed reaction to the attack, which came two days after Iran and the United States held talks on Tehran’s nuclear program.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Sunday that he would let the United States use UK bases for “defensive” strikes but that his country — a steadfast partner in the US-led wars in Iraq and Afghanistan — “will not join offensive action now.”

Iran’s first retaliatory strikes on Saturday hit all the Gulf states apart from mediator Oman.

On Sunday, Oman’s commercial port of Duqm was hit by two drones, injuring a foreign worker, the Oman News Agency said.

Three ships were also attacked in the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday after Iran had previously declared the strategic waterway was closed, sending global oil prices spiking.

The Revolutionary Guards claimed to strike the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, but the Pentagon said the “missiles launched didn’t even come close.”

Trump said that US military strikes had sunk nine Iranian naval vessels and partially destroyed its navy headquarters.

Iran’s retaliatory strikes in the Gulf have killed at least four people and wounded dozens of others.

Inside Iran, the Red Crescent in its last toll issued on Saturday evening said that strikes had killed 201 people and injured hundreds more.

Iran’s judiciary confirmed that Ali Shamkhani, a top adviser to Khamenei, and General Mohammad Pakpour, the head of Revolutionary Guards, were among those killed.

As crowds gathered in Tehran, explosions rang out and the Israeli military announced that it was again striking targets in the heart of the city — as more blasts were heard in Jerusalem, Riyadh, Dubai, Doha and Manama.

Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian declared Khamenei’s killing a “declaration of war against Muslims” and warned: “Iran considers it its legitimate duty and right to avenge the perpetrators and masterminds of this historic crime.”

Ali Larijani, the powerful head of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, declared: “The brave soldiers and the great nation of Iran will teach an unforgettable lesson to the international oppressors.”

In a social media post that adopted Trump’s style and rhetoric, he warned: “YESTERDAY IRAN FIRED MISSILES AT THE UNITED STATES AND ISRAEL, AND THEY DID HURT. TODAY WE WILL HIT THEM WITH A FORCE THAT THEY HAVE NEVER EXPERIENCED BEFORE.”

Meanwhile, blasts were heard in northern Tehran and smoke was seen emanating from a building, an AFP journalist reported. It was not immediately clear what the target was.

Unprecedented force threat

Earlier, cheers had been heard as some Iranians celebrated early reports of the death of their longtime leader, but — after state media confirmed his killing — pro-government demonstrations also formed, chanting “Death to America!”.

As crowds demanded revenge — and Iran’s army announced strikes targeting US bases in the Gulf and Iraqi Kurdistan — Trump threatened to unleash “force that has never been seen before” and urged Iran’s people to rise up and seize power.

Iran’s first retaliatory strikes on Saturday had hit all the Gulf states apart from Oman, which had sought to mediate US-Iran talks. But on Sunday the country’s commercial port of Duqm was hit by two drones, injuring a foreign worker, the Oman News Agency said, with a tanker off the sultanate’s coast also hit.

Outrage at Saturday’s wave of US and Israeli strikes against Iran, which killed 86-year-old Khamanei and some other senior figures, spilled over into neighbouring Iraq and Pakistan, where crowds attempted to storm US diplomatic missions.

In the Pakistani megacity of Karachi, at least eight people were killed during pro-Iran protests at the US consulate, according to Muhammad Amin, a spokesman for the Edhi Foundation rescue service, who added that most had bullet wounds.

In Iran, the Red Crescent said strikes had left 201 people dead and injured hundreds more.

Iran’s judiciary confirmed that Ali Shamkhani, a top adviser to Khamenei, and the head of Iran’s powerful Revolutionary Guards, General Mohammad Pakpour, were both killed.

Iran responded to the strikes with a flurry of missile and drone strikes across the Middle East, killing at least two people in Abu Dhabi and another in Tel Aviv, before following up with a new wave after state media confirmed Khamenei’s death.

Question on succession

Iran had already seen intense speculation on a successor to Khamenei, given his age. Upon his death, many observers expected greater power for the Revolutionary Guards, which are deeply entrenched in the Iranian economy.

Pezeshkian and two other top officials would lead Iran in the transitional period following Khamenei’s death, state television said Sunday.

Reza Pahlavi, the son of the late pro-Western shah deposed in the 1979 Islamic revolution, said any successor within the system would be illegitimate.

Hailing the demise of Khamenei, Pahlavi said: “With his death, the Islamic Republic has effectively come to an end and will soon be consigned to the dustbin of history.”

Pahlavi, who has spent most of his life in exile near Washington, has presented himself as a transitional figure to a secular democracy, but he does not enjoy support from across the opposition.

The Iranian judiciary said one strike that hit a school in the south on Saturday killed 108 people, although AFP was unable to access the site to verify the toll or the circumstances surrounding the incident.

WASHINGTON, Feb. 28 (Reuters) – The 36-year rule of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei built Iran into a powerful anti-U.S. force, spreading its military sway across the Middle East, while using an iron fist to crush repeated unrest at home.

He was killed on Saturday, aged 86, Iranian state media announced, in air strikes by Israel and the U.S. that pulverised his central Tehran compound, after decades of efforts to resolve the dispute over Iran’s nuclear program diplomatically failed.

At first dismissed as weak and indecisive, Khamenei seemed an unlikely choice for supreme leader after the death of the charismatic Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, who founded the Islamic Republic of Iran. But Khamenei’s rise to the pinnacle of the country’s power structure afforded him a tight grip over the nation’s affairs.

Khamenei was “an accident of history” who went from “a weak president to an initially weak supreme leader to one of the five most powerful Iranians of the last 100 years”, Karim Sadjadpour at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace told Reuters.

The ayatollah criticised Washington throughout his rule, continuing to deploy barbs after the start of Donald Trump’s second term as U.S. president in 2025.

As a new wave of protests spread through Iran, with slogans such as “Death to the dictator”, and as Trump threatened to intervene, Khamenei vowed in January that the country would not “yield to the enemy”.

The comment was typical of the ferociously anti-Western Khamenei, in office since 1989.

By maintaining the hardline stance of Khomeini, the Republic’s first supreme leader, Khamenei quashed the ambitions of a succession of independent-minded elected presidents who sought more open policies at home and abroad.

In the process, he ensured Iran’s isolation, critics say.

HIS WORD WAS LAW

Khamenei long denied that Iran’s nuclear programme was aimed at producing an atomic weapon, as the West contended. In 2015 he cautiously supported a nuclear deal between world powers and the government of pragmatist President Hassan Rouhani that curbed the country’s nuclear programme in return for sanctions relief. The hard-won accord resulted in a partial lifting of Iran’s economic and political isolation.

But Khamenei’s hostility toward the U.S. was undimmed, intensifying in 2018 when Trump’s first administration withdrew from the nuclear agreement and reimposed sanctions to choke Iran’s oil and shipping industries.

Following the U.S. withdrawal, Khamenei sided with hardline supporters who criticised Rouhani’s policy of appeasement towards the West.

As Trump pressed Iran to agree to a new nuclear deal in 2025, Khamenei condemned “the rude and arrogant leaders of America”. “Who are you to decide whether Iran should have enrichment?” he asked.

Khamenei often denounced “the Great Satan” in speeches, reassuring hardliners for whom anti-U.S. sentiment was at the heart of the 1979 revolution, which forced the last shah of Iran into exile.

Iran saw major student-led protests in 1999 and 2002. But Khamenei’s authority was put to the test more profoundly in 2009, when the contested results of a presidential election that he had validated ignited violent street unrest, stoking a crisis of legitimacy that lingered until his death.

In 2022, Khamenei cracked down on protesters enraged by the death of Iranian-Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini, 22, who died in the custody of morality police in September of that year.

Faced with some of the most intense turmoil since the revolution, Khamenei blamed Western enemies then resorted to the hanging of protesters and the display of their bodies, suspended from cranes, after months of unrest.

Iranians got the message.

As supreme leader, Khamenei’s word was law. He inherited enormous powers, including command of the armed forces and the authority to appoint many senior figures, among them the heads of the judiciary, security agencies and state radio and television.

He appointed allies as commanders of the elite Revolutionary Guards.

As the final authority in Iran’s complex system of clerical rule and limited democracy, Khamenei long sought to ensure that no group, even among his closest allies, mustered enough power to challenge him and his anti-U.S. stance.

Scholars outside Iran painted a picture of a secretive ideologue fearful of betrayal – an anxiety fuelled by an assassination attempt in 1981 that paralysed his right arm.

International organisations and activists repeatedly criticised violations of human rights in Iran. Tehran said it has the best human rights record in the Muslim world.

AN UNLIKELY RISE TO POWER

Ali Khamenei was born in Mashhad, northeast Iran, in April 1939. His religious commitment was clear when he became a cleric at the age of 11. He studied in Iraq and in Qom, Iran’s religious capital.

His father, a religious scholar of ethnic Azeri descent, was a traditionalist cleric opposed to mixing religion and politics. In contrast, his son embraced the Islamist revolutionary cause.

“He (Khamenei’s father) came across as a modernist or progressive cleric,” said Mahmoud Moradkhani, a nephew who opposes Khamenei’s rule and lives in exile. Unlike his son, “he was not a part of the fundamentalists”, Moradkhani said.

In 1963, Khamenei served the first of many terms in prison when at 24 he was detained for political activities. Later that year he was imprisoned for 10 days in Mashhad, where he underwent severe torture, according to his official biography.

After the shah’s fall, Khamenei took up several posts in the Islamic Republic. As deputy minister of defence, he became close to the military and was a key figure in the 1980-88 war with neighbouring Iraq, which claimed an estimated total of one million lives.

A skilled orator, he was appointed by Khomeini as a Friday prayer leader in Tehran.

There were questions about his rapid, unprecedented rise. He won the presidency with Khomeini’s support – the first cleric in the post – and was a surprise choice as Khomeini’s successor, given that he lacked both Khomeini’s popular appeal and superior clerical credentials.

EXPANDING IRAN’S INFLUENCE

His ties to the powerful Guards paid off in 2009. That year, the force crushed protests after President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad won re-election amid opposition accusations of vote fraud.

He also presided over a vast financial empire through Setad, an organisation founded by Khomeini but expanded hugely under Khamenei, with assets worth tens of billions of dollars.

Khamenei expanded Iranian influence in the region, empowering Shi’ite militias in Iraq and Lebanon, and propping up then-President Bashar al-Assad by deploying thousands of soldiers to Syria.

He spent billions over four decades on these allies – the “Axis of Resistance”, which also included Hamas, the Palestinian Islamist group, and Yemen’s Houthis – to oppose Israeli and U.S. power in the Middle East.

But in 2024 Khamenei saw these alliances unravel, and Iran’s regional influence shrivel, with the ousting of Assad and a series of defeats inflicted by Israel on Hezbollah in Lebanon and on Hamas in Gaza, including the killing of their leaders.

Under Khamenei’s rule, Iran and Israel fought a shadow war for years, with Israel assassinating Tehran’s nuclear scientists and Revolutionary Guard commanders.

It exploded into the open during Israel’s war on Hamas in Gaza from 2023. In April 2024, Iran fired hundreds of missiles and drones at Israel after it bombed Tehran’s embassy compound in Damascus. Israel struck Iranian soil in response.

But that was only a prelude to June 2025, when Israel’s military unleashed hundreds of fighter jets to strike Iranian nuclear and military targets as well as senior personnel. The surprise attack provoked a barrage of missiles in both directions, transforming simmering conflict into all-out war. The U.S. joined the air offensive on Iran, which lasted 12 days.

The U.S. and Israel had warned they would strike again if Iran pressed ahead with its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes and, on Saturday, they launched the most ambitious attack on Iranian targets in decades.

Negotiations between U.S. and Iranian officials took place as recently as Thursday, but senior U.S. officials said that Iran had not been willing to give up its ability to enrich uranium, which the Iranians argued they wanted for nuclear energy but U.S. officials said would enable the country to build a nuclear bomb.

On the diplomatic front, Khamenei rejected any normalisation of ties with the United States. He argued that Washington had backed hardline groups like Islamic State to inflame a sectarian war in the region.

Like all Iranian officials, Khamenei denied any intent to develop nuclear weapons and went so far as to issue an Islamic ruling, or fatwa, in the mid-1990s on “production and usage” of nuclear weapons, saying: “It is against our Islamic thoughts.”

He also supported a fatwa issued by Khomeini in 1989, which called on Muslims to kill the Indian-born author Salman Rushdie after the publication of his novel “The Satanic Verses”.

Khamenei’s official website confirmed the ongoing validity of the death edict as recently as 2017. Five years later, Rushdie was stabbed while giving a public lecture in New York. The writer was gravely wounded, but survived. The perpetrator, who was sentenced to 25 years in prison in 2025 for attempted murder, did not testify at the trial.

The late ayatollah leaves an Islamic Republic wrestling with uncertainty amid the attacks from Israel and the United States, as well as growing dissent at home, especially among younger generations.

“I just want to live a peaceful, normal life … Instead, they (the rulers) insist on a nuclear programme, supporting armed groups in the region, and maintaining hostility toward the United States,” Mina, 25, told Reuters by phone from Kuhdasht in the western Lorestan province at the start of 2026.

“Those policies may have made sense in 1979, but not today,” the jobless university graduate added. “The world has changed.”

A day after Dubai Police warned that “begging is a crime punishable by law” with penalties of up to three months’ imprisonment and a fine of AED 5,000, authorities said they arrested 26 beggars of various nationalities during the first week of Ramadan.

In a statement on Tuesday, Dubai Police said that the arrests were made by the Suspicious Persons and Criminal Phenomena Department in cooperation with police stations throughout the emirate.

The campaign, titled “An Aware Society Without Begging”, is run in partnership with the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs and the Islamic Affairs and Charitable Activities Department.

Brigadier Ali Salem Al Shamsi, the department’s director, said the initiative has contributed to a steady decline in begging cases over the past few years.

“Thanks to firm legal action against apprehended beggars, the campaign has led to a steady yearly decline in begging cases, with 26 beggars of various nationalities arrested in the first week of Ramadan,” Al Shamsi added.

He warned that some beggars exploit the spirit of Ramadan, using children, the sick, or people of determination to gain sympathy and financial support.

“Beggars often exploit the spirit of compassion during Ramadan for illegal gains, using tactics that include involving children, the sick, and people of determination to evoke sympathy,” he added.

Al Shamsi cautioned the public not to engage with such deceptive practices, noting that several cases involving these methods have already been apprehended.

Residents were also reminded by authorities that begging carries a fine of AED 5,000 and a maximum sentence of three months in jail.

Al Shamsi advised the public to donate only through recognised nonprofits to ensure assistance reaches those who are truly in need.

The public can report beggars by calling the toll-free number 901, using the “Police Eye” feature on the Dubai Police app, or submitting complaints via the “e-Crime” platform, police said.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to visit Israel on Wednesday with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Netanyahu claimed the trip would help forge a strategic regional “hexagon” of alliances.

The Israeli Prime Minister announced the visit on Sunday, confirming that Modi will address the Knesset as part of a mission to deepen economic, diplomatic, and security ties.

Netanyahu outlined a vision for a coalition of nations—including India, select Arab and African states, and Mediterranean partners—to counter “radical” forces in the Middle East.

He specifically targeted both Shiite and Sunni extremist axes, emphasising that the alliance would ensure regional resilience following recent direct conflicts with Iran and its regional proxies.

Prime Minister Modi expressed his enthusiasm for the trip on social media, noting that India deeply values its friendship with Israel.

This visit marks a significant return to the country for Modi, who first visited in 2017, and signals a tightening of the “Israel-India axis” amid ongoing regional volatility.