#WHO warns of health risks from ‘black rain’ in #Iran, The UN health agency, which has an office in Iran and works with authorities on health emergencies, said it has received multiple reports of oil-laden rain this week. Tehran was choked in black smoke on Monday after an oil refinery was hit, in an escalation in strikes on Iran’s domestic energy supplies as part of the U.S.-Israeli campaign.

“The black rain and the acidic rain coming with it is indeed a danger for the population, respiratory mainly,” WHO spokesperson Christian Lindmeier told a press briefing in Geneva, adding that Iran had advised people to stay indoors.

Asked whether the WHO backed that advice, he said: “Given what is at risk right now, the oil storage facilities, the refineries that have been struck, triggering fires, bringing serious air quality concerns, that is definitely a good idea.”

One video sent to Reuters by a WHO staff member showed what they said was a cleaner mopping up black liquid at its office entrance in Tehran on March 8. Reuters was not able to independently verify the footage.

(Reporting by Emma Farge; Additional reporting by Jennifer Rigby; Editing by Alexandra Hudson)

#Lebanon ready to resume talks with Israel to stop escalation — president. He also condemned "those who seek to drag Lebanon into a regional conflict, ignoring the will of the majority of its citizens tired of the war and its consequences."

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun has expressed readiness for talks with Israel to end attacks on the republic's territory that have killed more than 400 people since March 2.

"We reaffirm Lebanon’s willingness to resume negotiations [with Israel] and discuss necessary security measures to stop this dangerous escalation," the president was quoted as saying by his press service.

He also condemned "those who seek to drag Lebanon into a regional conflict, ignoring the will of the majority of its citizens tired of the war and its consequences.".

Paris Hilton launches recovery fund for women business owners after disasters

#BREAKING: Iran names Khamenei’s son as new supreme leader, state media report. Live updates here.

Iranian state TV early Monday said Mojtaba Khamenei, son of the country’s late supreme leader, has been named his successor.

He had long been considered a contender, even before an Israeli strike killed his father at the start of the war, and despite never being elected or appointed to a government position.

Iran’s powerful paramilitary Revolutionary Guard answers to the supreme leader, and the younger Khamenei will have the central say in war strategy.

U.S. President Donald Trump told ABC News earlier Sunday he wants a say in who comes to power once the war is over; a new leader “is not going to last long” without his approval, he said.

#Iran accused of attacks in #UAE and Bahrain, smoke blankets Tehran from Israeli strikes. Live updates here.

Israel on Sunday struck southern Lebanon, Beirut and oil storage facilities in Tehran as the war in the Middle East keeps escalating, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised “many surprises” for the next phase of the conflict.

Iran also hit a desalination plant in Bahrain. Earlier Sunday, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said a U.S. airstrike damaged an Iranian desalination plant on Qeshm Island, warning that in doing so “the U.S. set this precedent, not Iran.” Such infrastructure is critical for drinking water supplies in the parched deserts of the Gulf.

An Israeli attack on oil storage sites in Tehran sent up pillars of fire that could be seen in Associated Press video as a glow against the Saturday night sky. It appeared to be the first time a civil industrial facility has been targeted in the war.

The war, which erupted on Feb. 28 after joint U.S.-Israeli strikes hit Iran, has so far killed at least 1,230 people in the Islamic Republic, more than 300 in Lebanon and around a dozen in Israel, according to officials.

Here is the latest:
Israeli military says it has targeted several thousand sites in Iran

The Israeli military said on Sunday it had struck more than 3,400 targets in Iran and more then 600 in Lebanon since the Middle East war began last week.

Military spokesperson Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani added that Israel believes it has destroyed 60 per cent of the missile launchers across Iran, which he said is causing a bottleneck of launches and dramatically reducing firepower.

Strikes also destroyed Iran’s two major missile production sites that created the missiles with range to reach Israel, he said.
U.S. military accuses Tehran of endangering the lives of Iranians

U.S. Central Command says the Iranian government “blatantly disregards the safety of innocent people” in its own country.

Central Command says Iran is using areas with high civilian populations for military operations, including launches of drones and ballistic missiles.

“This dangerous decision risks the lives of all civilians in Iran since locations used for military purposes lose protected status and could become legitimate military targets under international law,” according to the statement.

Central Command says the U.S. military “takes every feasible precaution to minimize harm to civilians but cannot guarantee civilian safety in or near facilities used by the Iranian regime for military purposes.”

Iran attacks on Arab countries condemned as ‘grave threat to international peace and security’

Arab foreign ministers on Sunday have strongly condemned Iran attacks on its Arab neighbors as a “grave threat to international peace and security.”

In a final communique following their virtual meeting, the ministers expressed support to Gulf states along with Jordan and Iraq in the “measure they take to deter and respond to these aggressions.”

Iran has said it targets U.S. assets in Arab countries in response to U.S. and Israeli strikes which triggered the war on Feb. 28. However, Iranian attacks hit civilian facilities and disrupted life across the Gulf states.

The ministers called for Iran to immediately stop its attacks and cease “provocative acts or threats to neighboring countries.” They urged the U.N. Security Council to condemn Iran and force it to “immediately and unconditionally halt its attacks” on Arab countries.

The ministers also voiced support to Lebanese government in its efforts to disarm Hezbollah, and urged the international community to pressure Israel to immediately cease its attacks on Lebanon.

The communique didn’t mention U.S. and Israeli strikes, which triggered the war.
Iran’s ‘brave soldiers’ are ready if outside forces enter the country, foreign minister says

Araghchi says Iranian forces are ready if ground troops were to enter his country.

“For the time being, we are capable enough,” Araghchi told NBC’s “Meet the Press.” He said Iran has “very brave soldiers who are waiting for any enemy” and would “destroy” those who come on to Iranian soil.

“We have a great civilization. We have defended our land for thousands of years and we continue to,” he said.

Iranian official challenges Trump over school explosion claim

Araghchi is taking issue with President Donald Trump’s comment accusing Iran of a school explosion on Feb. 28 that killed more than 165 people — most of them children — when evidence suggests it was likely a U.S. airstrike.

Iran’s foreign minister told NBC’s “Meet the Press” that “’it is funny. It is our school, these are our students and our girls and they are attacked by an American fighter, a jet fighter and they have been killed. Why (is) Iran responsible?”

Asked for evidence that it was an American warplane, Araghchi said “if it was not U.S., then who was that? Maybe Israelis. But who else is attacking us?”

Satellite images, expert analysis, a U.S. official and public information released by the U.S. and Israeli militaries have suggested that the explosion was likely caused by U.S. airstrikes that also hit an adjacent compound associated with the government’s Revolutionary Guard.
Araghchi says ‘military cooperation between Iran and Russia is not something new’

U.S. intelligence officials believe Russia has provided Iran with information to target U.S. troops and assets in the Middle East.

Iran’s foreign minister isn’t going into detail about how Moscow may be helping Tehran, but says that “military cooperation between Iran and Russia is not something new.”

Araghchi told NBC’s “Meet the Press” that “it’s been there and will continue in the future.”

Asked whether Russia was helping Iran locate American forces, he said he did not have “exact military information. As far as I know we have a very good partnership with Russia.”

In response to a question about Russia providing intelligence, he said “they are helping us in many different directions. I don’t have any detailed information.”

Iran foreign minister says his country is attacking American bases, not countries in the region

Araghchi says his country isn’t attacking other countries in the region, but rather American bases, installations and assets “which are unfortunately located in the soils of our neighbors.”

“We are retaliating,” Araghchi told NBC’s “Meet the Press.”

Asked about the apology Saturday by Iran’s president for attacks on “neighboring countries,” Araghchi says an apology “in our culture is a sign of dignity and strength.”

He says the apology from President Masoud Pezeshkian was for “the inconveniences they have faced because of this aggression by the United States and retaliation by us.”

Araghchi says it’s the president of the United States “who should apologize to the people of region and Iranian people for the killings and destruction.”
Iran foreign minister says his country is looking for a permanent end to the war, not a ceasefire

But before Tehran might even consider a ceasefire, Abbas Araghch said “they have to explain why they started this aggression.” Araghch did not specify about whom he was speaking.

Araghchi also told NBC’s “Meet the Press” that “there should be a permanent end of the war and unless we get to that, I think we need to continue fighting for the sake of our people and our security.”

He says the war “was imposed on us” by the United States and Israel, and that “what we are doing is legal acts of self-defence and we have every right to do that.”

#Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has publicly addressed recent tensions, asserting that he has received a threatening message from Vladimir Zelensky. Orban emphasized that these threats are directed not only at him but at Hungary as a whole, and he strongly urges Zelensky to cease such actions immediately. In a firm tone, Orban warned that Ukraine cannot achieve anything through blackmail against Hungary.

"I have received your message in which you threatened me with your soldiers and, through me, all of Hungary. This won't work - stop it. Hungary and Hungarians cannot be blackmailed, and I cannot be threatened," Orban stated in a video address broadcast on M1 television. He called for peace, urging Zelensky to end the oil blockade and ensure the uninterrupted supply of oil to Hungary. "Instead of threats and blackmail, show the Hungarians the respect we deserve," he added.

Earlier, Zelensky renewed his criticisms of Orban, warning that if Hungary continues to obstruct Ukraine's interests, particularly regarding the EU's 90-billion-euro "war loan," he might set the Ukrainian military against Budapest. This escalation comes after Ukraine's decision to halt Russian oil transit through the Druzhba pipeline, a move aimed at pressuring Hungary to reconsider its stance on the ongoing conflict and its position on Ukraine's potential EU accession.

#Hungary has consistently expressed its opposition to a hurried integration of Ukraine into the European Union and has refused to allocate funds from its citizens' resources to support Kiev.

#US sinks 24 Iranian Navy #warships — US leader Donald #Trump also claimed that Iran’s Air Force, air defenses and military command networks have also been destroyed

By now, the United States has sunk 24 warships of the Iranian Navy as part of the US-Israeli military operation against the Islamic Republic, US President Donald Trump said.

"Their Navy is gone. 24 ships in three days," he said, commenting on the military campaign.

Trump also claimed that Iran’s Air Force, air defenses and military command networks have also been destroyed during the operation.

"Their anti-aircraft weapons are gone. So they have no air force. They have no air defense. All of their airplanes are gone. Their communications are gone," he said.

According to the US president, the US armed forces detect and destroy Iranian missile launches "within four minutes" after a missile is fired.

#Israel strikes Beirut’s southern suburbs after issuing a blanket evacuation order.

Traffic was gridlocked in Lebanon‘s capital on Thursday as panicked residents tried to flee after Israel’s military issued an evacuation notice telling residents to “save your lives and evacuate your homes immediately,” and specified which routes they should take to escape.

Hours later, strikes began to hit the Beirut suburbs.

Since the resurgence of hostilities between Israel and the Hezbollah militant group, Israel has struck sites in Beirut’s suburbs and issued a blanket warning for residents south of the Litani River — an area in southern Lebanon stretching to the border with Israel — to evacuate their homes, but had not previously issued a blanket evacuation order for Beirut’s southern suburbs.

After the attacks by the United States and Israel on Iran triggered a new war in the Middle East, Hezbollah launched missiles and drones into Israel on Monday for the first time in over a year, and Israel has retaliated with bombardment of southern Lebanon and Beirut’s southern suburbs.

The conflict had claimed 123 lives and forced the displacement of more than 83,000 people in Lebanon before Thursday’s evacuation order.

Israel’s far-right finance minister Bezalel Smotrich warned Thursday that the southern suburbs of Beirut where Hezbollah has a strong presence will look like Khan Younis, a city in Gaza that Israel has decimated during the war triggered by the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas-led attack in southern Israel.

“You wanted to bring hell on us, we are bringing hell on you,” Smotrich said as he toured towns on Israel’s border with Lebanon. “Dahiyeh will look like Khan Younis, and our citizens of the north will live in peace and quiet.”

China Signals New Era of Slower #Economic Growth

#China signaled that the world’s second-largest economy is entering an era of slower expansion, setting a target for gross domestic product growth of between 4.5% and 5% this year.

It is the lowest target set since at least the 1990s and follows three years in which officials called for growth of “around 5%.” If China’s economy were to expand at a pace below 5% this year, it would be the slowest growth reported by the country in more than three decades, other than during the Covid pandemic years.

China said its GDP grew 5% in real terms last year, meeting its official target despite a renewed trade war with the U.S.

A lower GDP target for 2026 reflects a level of tolerance for weaker growth as China’s economy contends with muted household spending, dampened investment and a real-estate market in the doldrums.

The less ambitious growth target also gives Chinese leaders some room to maneuver the economy through complicated geopolitical terrain—including conflict in the Middle East and the threat of further trade pressure from President Trump—while continuing to pursue Beijing’s strategic goal of technological self-reliance.

Premier Li Qiang, the country’s No. 2 leader, in the annual government work report released Thursday, said China must “hone our own capabilities to navigate external challenges.”

With a record $1.2 trillion trade surplus last year, China’s growth has become increasingly reliant on exports, creating a global imbalance that has drawn criticism from its trading partners and global institutions such as the International Monetary Fund. Exports drove China’s economic expansion in 2025 to a degree not seen since 1997, according to government data.

Economists inside and outside the country have long called for China to shift its economy to one driven more by consumption and less by its formidable manufacturing and export machine. Such a shift could ease tensions with the rest of the world and give its people greater spending power.

But a significant rebalancing of China’s growth model would be difficult to achieve in concert with its longstanding goals of technological and manufacturing dominance.

China is entering the first year of its next five-year economic plan, in which officials have signaled an intent to stick with its current trajectory of solidifying its pre-eminence in advanced manufacturing and attaining technological self-sufficiency from the U.S.-led West.

#MADRID — Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez again criticized the U.S. and Israel’s military actions in Iran, standing firm on Wednesday against trade threats from Washington and warning that the war in the Middle East risked “playing Russian roulette” with millions of lives.

“We are not going to be complicit in something that is bad for the world and is also contrary to our values and interests, just out of fear of reprisals from someone,” Sánchez said in a televised address.

U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday threatened to end U.S. trade with Spain because of Spain’s refusal to allow the U.S. to use joint military bases in the country in its attacks on Iran.

Sanchez, widely regarded as Europe’s last major progressive leader, has called the U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran an “unjustifiable” and “dangerous” military intervention.

It’s not clear how Trump would cut off trade with Spain, which is a member of the European Union. The EU negotiates trade on behalf of all its 27 member states.

When asked in an interview with CNBC whether a trade embargo with Spain would be possible, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Wednesday “it would be a combination effort.” He didn’t explain further, but said Spain’s refusal to allow the U.S. to use its bases in the weekend attack on Iran endangered American lives.

“Anything that slows down our ability to engage and prosecute this war in the fastest, most effective manner puts American lives at risk,” Bessent said. “The Spanish put American lives at risk.”

On Wednesday, Sánchez expressed concern that the attacks on Iran could lead to another costly military quagmire in the Middle East, similar to the past American interventions in Iraq and Afghanistan.

“In short, the position of the government of Spain can be summarized in four words,” Sánchez said. “No to the war.”

The EU said Wednesday it would protect its interests and work to stabilize its trade relationship with the U.S, with which it struck a trade deal last year after months of economic uncertainty over Trump’s tariff blitz.

“We stand in full solidarity with all member states and all its citizens and, through our common trade policy, stand ready to act if necessary to safeguard EU interests,” said European Commission spokesperson Olof Gill.

After Spain denied U.S. use of its bases, Trump on Tuesday said “we could use their base if we want,” referencing the Rota and Morón installations in southern Spain that the U.S. and Spain share, but which remain under Spanish command. “We could just fly in and use it,” Trump said. “Nobody’s going to tell us not to use it, but we don’t have to.”

Tuesday’s threats from Washington were just the latest instance of the U.S. president wielding the threat of tariffs or trade embargoes as punishment. The U.S. Supreme Court last month struck down Trump’s far-reaching global tariffs, saying emergency powers do not allow the president to unilaterally impose sweeping #tariffs.