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Mar 18, 2026 - World

Death confirmed of Esmail Khatib, the third senior Iranian figure killed in 24 hours, as Israel also launches intense airstrikes on LebanonMiddle East crisis – live updatesExplainer: why attacks on gasfields are a major escalationIsrael struck Iran’s giant South Pars gasfield on Wednesday, marking a major escalation of the war, hours after Israeli forces killed the regime’s intelligence minister and launched some of the most intense airstrikes in Beirut for decades.The attack on the Pars site in the Persian Gulf, which Iran shares with Qatar and constitutes the world’s largest natural gasfield, prompted Tehran to warn neighbouring states that their energy infrastructure could be targeted “within hours”, and triggered furious rebukes from Qatar and other nations in the region. Continue reading...

Mar 18, 2026 - World

Officials say military planners liaising with US Central Command but situation remains too dangerous for anything to happen soonMiddle East crisis – live updatesBritain has said it remains involved in discussions with the US and European allies over escorting merchant shipping through the strait of Hormuz but the situation remains too dangerous for it to happen soon.Iran is still considered to pose a threat and to have a wide range of weapons available – from cruise missiles to sea drones – despite 19 days of US-led bombing of its navy and coastal sites. Continue reading...

Mar 18, 2026 - World

Foreign minister Anita Anand says she has drafted principles to reduce risk of regional spillover and wider shocksMiddle East crisis – live updatesCanada is pushing for a collective G7 and Middle East approach to de-escalating the Iran war, including off ramps that could bring an end to the conflict, the Canadian foreign minister, Anita Anand, has said.In London to meet the UK foreign secretary, Yvette Cooper, after talks with the her Turkish counterpart, Hakan Fidan, Anand told the Guardian she hoped a G7 meeting chaired by France, this year’s president of the group, might start to build a broader collective approach to the crisis. Continue reading...

Mar 18, 2026 - World

Five European nations have banded together on Wednesday, seeking an urgent solution for an unmanned Russian tanker currently drifting in the Mediterranean they say poses risk of an environmental catastrophe, the office of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro S...

Mar 18, 2026 - World

Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA) pushed National Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard to answer questions about President Donald Trump's knowledge of economic fallout prior to the Iran war during a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on Wednesday. Gabbard tried to dodge his questions over what prompted the military strikes in Iran, and she appeared to contradict Trump's justifications and objectives behind launching the joint U.S.-Israeli operation. "Was it the intelligence community's assessment that, nevertheless, despite this obliteration, there was a, quote, imminent nuclear threat posed by the Iranian regime? Yes or no?" Ossoff asked. "It is not the intelligence community's responsibility to determine what is and is not an imminent threat. That is up to the president based on a volume of information that he receives," Gabbard said. Ossoff pushed back on Gabbard's claims. "No, it is precisely your responsibility to determine what constitutes a threat to the United States," Ossoff said. "This is the worldwide threats hearing where, as you noted in your opening testimony quote, you represent the IC's assessment of threats. You are here to represent the IC's assessment of threats. That's a quote from your own opening statement. And so my question is, as you're here to present the IC's assessment of threats, was it the assessment of the intelligence community that, as the White House claimed on March 1st, there was a, quote, imminent nuclear threat posed by the Iranian regime, yes or no?""Once again, senator, the intelligence community has provided the inputs that make up this annual threat assessment," Gabbard said, not answering Ossoff's question. "You won't answer the question," Ossoff said. "It is the nature of the imminent threat that the president has to make that determination based on a collection and volume of information and intelligence that he is provided with," Gabbard said. Ossoff interjected with a sharp response. "You're here to be timely, objective and independent of political considerations," Ossoff said. "That's exactly what I'm doing," Gabbard responded. Ossoff then called Gabbard out, alleging that she was not answering questions honestly. "No, you're evading a question because to provide a candid response to the committee would contradict a statement from the White House," Ossoff said.