March 9, 2026 9:18 AM

Who is Mojtaba Khamenei, Iran’s new supreme leader?

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's son Mojtaba was chosen by Iran's Assembly of Experts to succeed his late father as supreme leader, in a sign that hardliners were still firmly in charge. The clerical body named the 56-year-old mid-ranking cleric, who has survived the U.S.-Israeli air war on Iran, as successor more than a week after Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in an air strike, Iranian media reported. A member of the council, Ayatollah Mohsen Heidari Alekasir, said in a video on Sunday that a can...

March 3, 2026 10:19 PM

Tehran and Beirut judder from US-Israeli attacks as oil soars, shares slide

Explosions tore through Tehran and Beirut on Tuesday and stock markets around the world tumbled while oil prices soared at the prospect of a prolonged disruption to global energy supplies from the U.S.-Israeli air war against Iran. Iranian drones struck the U.S. embassy in Saudi Arabia after previously hitting the mission in Kuwait. Washington responded by shutting both embassies and ordering non-emergency government personnel and their families to leave countries across the Middle East. A day...

March 3, 2026 10:02 PM

US lawmakers slam State Dept over lack of help for Americans stuck in Mideast amid Iran war

U.S. lawmakers slammed the State Department on Tuesday for urging U.S. citizens in the Middle East to evacuate three days after the U.S.-Israeli air war against Iran started and when air travel is severely disrupted, saying it was a sign of lack of proper planning. On Monday, the Department urged Americans across 16 countries in the Middle East to immediately depart the region using "available commercial transportation" without offering any U.S.-government-vouched means. The U.S. embassy in Jer...

March 3, 2026 8:07 PM

Iran war enters fourth day in ‘smoke and blood’ as markets slide

Explosions tore through Tehran and Beirut on Tuesday and financial markets around the world tumbled at the prospect of a prolonged disruption to global energy supplies from the U.S.-Israeli air war against Iran. Iranian drones slammed into the U.S. embassy in Saudi Arabia, causing minor damage and starting a fire, after previously hitting the mission in Kuwait. Washington responded by shutting those missions and ordering non-emergency government personnel and their families to leave countries a...