Iran war day 6: Canada, allies to discuss possible military support for Gulf states; U.S. House votes to back Trump’s war powers in Iran

03/05/26 23:10

CBSA has removed only one senior Iranian official from Canada under federal ban

- Maura Forrest

Canadian border authorities have identified nearly 30 suspected senior Iranian officials who they believe should be barred from remaining in the country under a federal ban, amid a widening conflict in the Middle East that could see more regime officials seek refuge.

The Canada Border Services Agency has been investigating 95 cases involving possible high-ranking members of the Iranian regime, up from 66 last June, according to figures provided by the agency.

Of those 95, the CBSA has identified 28 people it believes are inadmissible since senior Iranian officials were banned from the country in November, 2022. That number is up from 20 last year.

But the CBSA has so far removed only one official from Canada – a number that remains unchanged from last year.

Read the full story here.

03/05/26 22:39

Gold rises as investors seek safe haven

Gold prices rose on Friday, rebounding from a more than 1% drop in the previous session, after investors sought the safe-haven metal as uncertainty grew over a widening Middle East conflict.

Spot gold was up 1% at $5,124.73 per ounce, as of 0255 GMT. The metal has lost roughly 3% so far this week, set to snap a four-week winning streak, as fading rate-cut prospects and higher energy prices stoked inflation concerns.

U.S. gold futures for April delivery were up 1.1% at $5,131.

The dollar weakened, making greenback-priced bullion less expensive for holders of other currencies.

- Reuters

03/05/26 22:26

Iran targets U.S. forces in Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Kuwait

Qatar’s Defence Ministry reported early Friday it intercepted a drone attack targeting Al Udeid Air Base, which hosts the forward headquarters of the U.S. Central Command.

Saudi Arabia intercepted and destroyed three ballistic missiles fired early Friday toward Prince Sultan Air Base south of Riyadh, which hosts U.S. forces, said a spokesperson for Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Defence. A cruise missile was also intercepted over the city of Kharj, the ministry said.

Air raid sirens sounded in Bahrain, where the Interior Ministry said Iranian strikes targeted two hotels and a residential building. It said there were no casualties.

In Kuwait, where the six U.S. soldiers were killed Sunday, the Kuwaiti army said its air defences were activated when missile and drone attacks breached Kuwait’s airspace.

- The Associated Press

03/05/26 22:23

U.S. says it struck an Iranian drone carrier, vessel now on fire

The U.S. military said early Friday that it struck an Iranian drone carrier, setting it ablaze.

The U.S. military’s Central Command released black-and-white footage of the burning carrier. The Iranian military did not immediately acknowledge the attack.

The drone carrier, the IRIS Shahid Bagheri, is a converted container ship with a 180-metre-long runway for drones. The vessel can travel up to 22,000 nautical miles without needing to refuel in ports, reports said at the time of its 2005 inauguration.

Adm. Brad Cooper, head of U.S. Central Command, described the carrier as “roughly the size of a World War II aircraft carrier.”

“And as we speak, it’s on fire,” Cooper told reporters.

Speaking alongside Cooper, Hegseth gave few details Thursday when he promised an upcoming surge.

“It’s more fighter squadrons, it’s more capabilities, it’s more defensive capabilities,” Hegseth said. “And it’s more bomber pulses more frequently.”

- The Associated Press

03/05/26 22:15

Gulf airlines resume some flights despite missile fire risk

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Emirates and Etihad Airways resumed limited flight schedules to key global cities from their United Arab Emirates hubs on Friday, though the continuing threat of missile fire piled pressure on airlines as they scrambled to accommodate travellers.

With most airspace in the Middle East still closed over missile and drone concerns since the start of the U.S.-Israel war against Iran, authorities have been arranging charter flights and securing seats on limited commercial services to evacuate tens of thousands of people.

A government-chartered Air France flight to bring French nationals back from the United Arab Emirates was forced to turn back on Thursday because of missile fire in the area, French Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot said.

“This situation reflects the instability in the region and the complexity of repatriation operations,” he said.

– Reuters

03/05/26 22:03

Israeli air strikes rock Iran, Lebanon

Intense Israeli airstrikes pounded the capitals of Iran and Lebanon early Friday as the U.S. apparently struck an Iranian drone carrier at sea, escalating its campaign targeting the Islamic Republic’s fleet of warships.

Iran launched new retaliatory attacks in the Middle East at the end of a full week of bombardment, which U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth warned was “about to surge dramatically.”

Israel’s military said Friday morning it had begun “a broad-scale wave of strikes” on Tehran, Iran’s capital. Witnesses described the Israeli airstrikes as particularly intense, shaking homes in the area. Others reported explosions around the Iranian city of Kermanshah in an area that is home to multiple missile bases.

The Israeli military said strikes have already destroyed most of Iran’s air defences and missile launchers.

In the southern suburbs of Beirut, Israel carried out at least 11 airstrikes, some intense and causing fires near a gas station, late Thursday into Friday.

- The Associated Press

03/05/26 21:54

B.C. couple who got out of Dubai urge fellow Canadians not to rely solely on Ottawa

- Janice Dickson

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Graham Williamson and his wife, Jennifer, were having a glass of wine in the ninth-floor lounge at Fairmont The Palm, a luxury hotel in Dubai, when all of a sudden a barrage of missiles and drones flew toward the city. From the patio outside the lounge, alongside other tourists, the B.C. couple watched air-defence systems intercept the projectiles, lighting up the sky. Then there was an explosion, and the hotel shook.

Williamson, 46, went down to their room to take a look, then texted his wife to come down. “We just got hit,” he said.

The couple spent the following days at the pool, watching those air-defence systems at work, before catching a flight to Madrid on Thursday. Williamson said that, in his opinion, anyone waiting for the Canadian government to help them with flights should instead find their own if possible.

“Canada’s response has not been underwhelming − rather, they are constrained by the situation. Travellers cannot, and should not, rely on the government to rescue them,” he said, adding that the United Arab Emirates has established a safe air transportation corridor and Canadians can book one-way flights from Dubai to any major European city.

“And my advice is leave now. Calm reassurance should not be taken as a sign not to immediately leave the region by appropriate means, while those options are still available. The situation is incredibly fluid and volatile.”

Read the full story here.

03/05/26 21:33

Who are the Kurds, the anti-regime militant group preparing for a potential military operation in Iran and Iraq?

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The Kurds are among the largest stateless ethnic groups in the world, with roughly 30 million living as minorities in Turkey, Iraq, Iran and Syria. They speak their own language, with several dialects, and most are Sunni Muslims.

Although Kurds have never had their own state, they govern a semi-autonomous area in northern Iraq and for years de facto ruled much of northeastern Syria. Many have waged insurgency campaigns seeking to establish their own nation called Kurdistan.

The nine million Kurds in Iran live mainly in a stretch of land along the country’s western borders with Iraq and Turkey. They have a long history of grievances and rebellions against both the current Islamic Republic and the monarchy that preceded it.

Before the war, Amnesty International said Kurds face “systemic discrimination” in Iran and that in the past “security forces killed or injured many unarmed Kurdish cross-border couriers (kulbars) with impunity.”

In the run-up to the current war, five Iranian Kurdish groups formed a coalition dedicated to overthrowing the Islamic Republic and establishing the Kurdish people’s right to self-determination. On Thursday, a sixth group joined.

Here’s what you need to know about the Kurds.

- The Associated Press

03/05/26 21:15

Investigation suggests U.S. responsible for strike on Iran school, sources say

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U.S. military investigators believe it is likely that American forces were responsible for an apparent strike on an Iranian girls’ school that killed scores of children Saturday but have not yet reached a final conclusion or completed their investigation, two U.S. officials told Reuters.

Reuters was unable to determine more details about the investigation, including what evidence contributed to the tentative assessment, what type of munition was used, who was responsible or why the United States might have struck the school.

Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth on Wednesday acknowledged the U.S. military was investigating the incident.

The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive military matters, did not rule out the possibility that new evidence could emerge that absolves the U.S. of responsibility.

The girls’ school in Minab, in southern Iran, was hit Saturday during the first day of U.S. and Israeli attacks on the country. Iran’s ambassador to the UN in Geneva, Ali Bahreini, said the strike killed 150 students. Reuters could not independently confirm the death toll.

Read more here.

-Reuters

03/05/26 20:57

Hezbollah warns Israelis near border with Lebanon to evacuate

Lebanon’s Hezbollah warned Israeli residents to evacuate towns within five kilometres of the border in a message posted on its Telegram channel in Hebrew early Friday.

“Your military’s aggression against Lebanese sovereignty and safe citizens, the destruction of civilian infrastructure and the expulsion campaign it is carrying out will not go unchallenged,” the militant group said.

Israel has said it will not evacuate its border towns and has sent more soldiers into Lebanon, saying this was a defensive measure meant to protect its citizens who live nearby.

– Reuters

03/05/26 20:55

Iran conflict drives up fertilizer costs during busy season for farmers

- Kate Helmore

The war with Iran is pushing the price of critical fertilizers higher, just as farmers across North America begin the spring planting season and are in need of crop nutrients.

A significant amount of all fertilizer trade passes through the 39-kilometre-wide Strait of Hormuz, which essentially shut down this week after Iran said it would “set fire” to any ships that try to pass through.

Growers have been beleaguered over the past year by a series of geopolitical tensions and can ill afford higher input costs.

Retailers, analysts and economists are questioning how much more uncertainty and volatility agricultural operations will be able to absorb before fertilizer demand falls, soil is depleted and harvests suffer.

“Whether it’s a tariff, a tax or a supply constraint, all those things turn into costs that pile up on farmers acres, and just further challenge farm gate economics,” Kreg Ruhl, vice-president of crop nutrients for Growmark, one of North America’s largest agricultural retailers and farmer co-operatives.

Read the full story here.

03/05/26 20:51

Kuwait says it is responding to missile and drone attacks

The Kuwaiti army said early Friday that its air defences are responding to hostile missile and drone attacks that have breached the country’s airspace.

– The Associated Press

03/05/26 20:25

Trump administration permits India to buy Russian oil for 30 days

The U.S. Treasury Department on Thursday authorized the sale of Russian oil to India for a period of 30 days, an effort meant to relieve price pressures caused by the continuing conflict with Iran.

The Treasury Department said that crude oil and petroleum products from Russia that are already on ships can be unloaded in India from March 5 to April 4.

U.S. futures contracts for crude oil climbed above US$80 in Thursday afternoon trading as the war has made it difficult to ship oil through the Strait of Hormuz.

President Donald Trump indicated Thursday that the Treasury Department would make efforts to relieve price pressures, but it was unclear whether he was referring to the temporary lifting of a ban on Russian oil tied to that country’s war in Ukraine.

– The Associated Press

03/05/26 20:10

Israel launches more overnight strikes on Beirut, southern and eastern Lebanon

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Israel carried out a series of air strikes late Thursday into Friday targeting the southern suburbs of Beirut, as well as areas in southern and eastern Lebanon. The Israeli army warned residents in these densely populated areas Thursday night to evacuate.

Traffic in Beirut ground to a halt as panicked residents fled or sought shelter. Many were forced to remain on the roads, including along Beirut’s seaside promenade, sleeping in the cold on thin mattresses.

No casualties have been immediately reported from the strikes.

– The Associated Press

03/05/26 19:19

UAE weighs freezing Iranian assets: report

The United Arab Emirates is weighing freezing billions of dollars of Iranian assets held in the Gulf state, The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday, citing people familiar with the discussions.

Reuters could not immediately confirm the report.

– Reuters

03/05/26 19:12

U.S. House Speaker says ‘we are not at war,’ claims mission ‘nearly accomplished’

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U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson spoke briefly after the House joined the Senate in rejecting a war powers resolution to halt President Donald Trump’s attacks on Iran.

Johnson said the United States is conducting a “limited operation” over Iran that is “limited in scope and duration.”

“We are not at war. We have no intention of being at war,” said the House Speaker, a close ally of Trump. “That mission is nearly accomplished.”

The Speaker contradicted the President’s own portrayal of the joint U.S.-Israel air bombing campaign as a war.

– The Associated Press

03/05/26 18:40

Hegseth says U.S. not expanding Iran objectives, despite Trump pushing for say in next leader

U.S. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said Thursday the United States was not expanding its military objectives in Iran, after President Donald Trump told Reuters that his country must be involved in choosing the next Iranian leader.

The Pentagon earlier this week said the military campaign, known as Operation Epic Fury, is focused on destroying Iran’s offensive missiles, missile production and navy, while not allowing Tehran to have a nuclear weapon.

“There’s no expansion in our objectives. We know exactly what we’re trying to achieve,” Hegseth said.

He added that Trump was “having a heck of a say in who runs Iran given the ongoing operation.”

In a telephone interview with Reuters on Thursday, Trump said the U.S. would have to help pick the next person to lead Iran.

The U.S. has hit more than 2,000 targets in Iran over the past six days, including Iranian warships.

– Reuters

03/05/26 18:03

Canada’s defence chief says allies may help Gulf states bombed by Iran

- Stephanie Levitz

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Canada’s top soldier said she is meeting Friday morning with her counterparts from European countries and elsewhere to discuss options for supporting Gulf states now caught up in the Iranian war.

Chief of the Defence Staff General Jennie Carignan said the meeting will see military leaders discuss what the needs on the ground might be and how they could all assist, before presenting options to their respective governments.

Gen. Carignan said Canada is not taking part in Operation Epic Fury, the name given to the United States and Israeli governments’ military actions against Iran.

“However, our Gulf partners may require defence and support, so within that context, these would be the type of military options that we could consider,” she told reporters on the sidelines of a defence conference in Ottawa Thursday.

Prime Minister Mark Carney has left the door open to the involvement of Canadian troops in the conflict, without specifying what they could do.

Gen. Carignan called the situation “dire and dangerous” for Gulf states, noting Iranian attacks on their military and civilian installations.

Read the full story here.

03/05/26 18:01

Hezbollah’s decision to enter the war sparks anger and confusion among Lebanese

- Mark MacKinnon

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There was a time when Fatima Daoud supported Hezbollah and saw the group as defending Lebanon’s sovereignty. But her affection for the “Party of God” expired as it dragged her country into war after war, driving her family from one home to another.

The Israel-Hezbollah war that began Monday has forced Ms. Daoud and her family to move seven times, from their destroyed home in southern Lebanon, via a succession of rented apartments and temporary shelters, to the high school where she and her family were camped Thursday.

Hezbollah’s decision to launch a volley of rockets at Israel on Monday – an attack it said was retaliation for the U.S.-Israeli strike on Iran, which has supported Hezbollah since its founding in 1982 – has provoked the predictably harsh Israeli military response, but also a firestorm of criticism within the country. It is the third such conflict in 20 years and the second in 15 months.

What’s different this time is that many in Hezbollah’s own Shia Muslim community are expressing bafflement and anger at the decision to pull the country into yet another war. Many feel that the group has shown that its ultimate loyalty has always been to Tehran.

Read the full story here.

03/05/26 18:00

More than 30 of Iran’s ships sunk by U.S., top commander says

Admiral Brad Cooper, head of U.S. Central Command, said Thursday that American forces had to date sunk more than 30 of Iran’s ships, including “an Iranian drone carrier ship roughly the size of a World War II aircraft carrier.”

“As we speak, it’s on fire,” Cooper said.

In February, Cooper for the first time joined indirect U.S.-Iran talks in Oman, appearing in his dress uniform as a reminder of the American buildup of military might in the region.

– The Associated Press

03/05/26 17:58

First U.S. charter evacuation flight lands outside Washington: source

The first U.S. charter evacuation flight carrying Americans stranded in the Middle East after the start of the Iran war has landed in the United States, a State Department official said.

The flight landed Thursday afternoon at Dulles International Airport, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly.

The official could not say how many Americans were on the plane and would not say where in the Middle East it had departed from.

– The Associated Press

03/05/26 17:44

What energy transition? The Middle East war shows the world still runs on oil

- Tim Shufelt

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If you were under the impression we were well on our way to decarbonizing the global economy, the conflict now engulfing the Middle East should serve as a dose of old-world reality.

Oil still powers the world. And when its supply is seriously disrupted, financial and economic turmoil is never far behind. Evidence of our hopeless oil dependency is there in the financial markets’ latest disturbance, which on Thursday dragged the TSX in Canada and the Dow Jones Industrial Average in the U.S. down by a further 1 per cent and 1.6 per cent, respectively.

We may fool ourselves into thinking we’ve evolved since the oil-crisis days of the 1970s, when oil embargoes and shortages sparked a Canadian recession, inflation as high as 12 per cent and one of the worst stock-market crashes in TSX history.

But how much has really changed? In 1973, fossil fuels accounted for about 87 per cent of total global energy supply. That number today: 81 per cent.

Read the full story here.

03/05/26 17:44

Hegseth says timeline on Iran is under U.S. control

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Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said Thursday the U.S. is solely controlling the timeline of activities in Iran and will do so “as long as it takes to ensure the United States of America achieves” its objectives.

“We set the tempo,” he said, speaking at U.S. Central Command, which oversees the Middle East. “We set the timeline led by the commander on the ground.”

Talking about U.S. weapons stockpiles, Hegseth said that “our munitions are full up and our will is ironclad.”

“We have only just begun to fight and fight decisively,” he said.

On Wednesday, Hegseth said the war could go as long as eight weeks, the longest timeline given by the Trump administration thus far.

– The Associated Press

03/05/26 17:40

Iranian official denies Trump’s claim it is in talks with U.S. to end the war

Iran is not engaged in any direct or indirect communication with the United States to bring an end to the widening war, Iran’s ambassador to Egypt told the Associated Press on Thursday, denying comments by Donald Trump that the country “wants to talk.”

“That’s not true,” the ambassador, Mojtaba Ferdousi Pour, said. “I think that’s a very weak and inaccurate statement, and it’s not credible.”

He said a lack of trust makes any such engagement impossible after talks for a possible nuclear deal twice failed and ended with the war.

“There will be no trust in Trump,” he said.

Asked why Iran is targeting U.S. bases but also tankers, strategic energy facilities and civilians in Doha, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Israel, Pour said Iran’s stated position has been consistent.

“We have declared repeatedly that if there are bases on the borders of the Islamic Republic of Iran belonging to the United States, and they will benefit from these bases, they will be targeted,” he said from the Iranian embassy in Egypt’s capital, Cairo, adding that the war extends beyond military engagement.

“It’s a comprehensive war. It’s cyberwarfare. It’s an economic war. It’s a political and security war. … This is a war in all fields.”

– The Associated Press

03/05/26 17:33

Analysis: Trump’s wins in Congress nevertheless reveal he is losing his grip on power

- David Shribman

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This week’s Capitol Hill votes affirming the legitimacy of Donald Trump’s war in Iran may have buttressed the President’s authority to extend executive prerogatives to declare war. But they also underlined the fragility of his grip on power in Washington.

Mr. Trump prevailed in the Senate on Wednesday, which failed by a 47-to-53 margin to move toward restricting his power to undertake military action. The vote in the House of Representatives Thursday supporting his conduct in the war on Iran was 219 to 212.

Together the twin votes were less a demonstration of the power of Mr. Trump’s sway in American politics than a vivid display of the potential limits on it.

The Republican majorities in both houses of Congress are slim, the midterm congressional elections are eight months away, and polls suggest a decisive shift away from the GOP. The loss of Republican control in either house likely would severely restrict the range and extent of Mr. Trump’s power − and would deliver to Democrats subpoena power they could use to torment administration officials and, in unlikely extreme cases, remove them.

Read the full column here.

03/05/26 17:17

Death toll in Lebanon rises to 123

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The number of people killed in Lebanon since a resurgence in hostilities between Israel and the Hezbollah militant group Monday has risen to 123, with 683 people wounded, the Lebanese health ministry said Thursday.

It was not clear how many of the casualties were civilians. The health ministry had earlier said that seven children were killed.

Meanwhile, Israel struck Beirut’s southern suburbs Thursday evening after issuing an evacuation notice, urging residents to “save your lives and evacuate your homes immediately,” and prompting a mass exodus as people scrambled to find shelter.

Two hospitals in the area also evacuated patients and staff ahead of the anticipated bombardment.

– The Associated Press

03/05/26 17:14

Trump says Iran’s navy is ‘gone’ but offers few details

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At an event with players from MLS champion Inter Miami, U.S. President Donald Trump said of Iran that “their navy is gone” and that the United States had wiped out “24 ships in three days.”

He added that the country’s anti-aircraft weapons and airplanes “are gone.”

Trump gave the brief update on the war at the top of the event and didn’t provide details, making it difficult to immediately verify.

“They have no air force, they have no air defence,” the President said.

Trump also suggested that Iranian leaders are now ready to make a deal and end the fighting but said, “We want to fight now more than they do.”

– The Associated Press

03/05/26 17:08

Syria opens airspace corridor that could ease regional snarl

Syria has opened a newly reactivated air corridor from the northern city of Aleppo toward the Mediterranean Sea for use by foreign airlines as well as its national carrier, the head of the country’s Civil Aviation Authority told Reuters on Thursday, as air traffic gradually resumes through Aleppo International Airport.

Civil Aviation Authority director Omar Hosari said the route is intended to provide a safe flight path for aircraft arriving at and departing from Aleppo and will be available to any airline as long as it “meets international safety standards.”

“The corridors are not dedicated exclusively to Syrian Air,” Hosari said. “Other airlines can use them to transit or operate through Syrian airspace according to the usual regulatory procedures.”

– Reuters

03/05/26 17:01

Trump says further U.S. action to ease oil pressure imminent

U.S. President Donald Trump said further action to reduce pressure on oil was imminent, adding that Iran was reaching out to make a deal amid American and Israeli strikes.

Trump, speaking at an event with the Inter Miami soccer team at the White House, said Iran was calling to ask how to make a deal. He also called on Iranian diplomats around the world to request asylum and help shape a new and better Iran.

– Reuters

03/05/26 16:55

Ukraine will help U.S. counter Iranian drones, Zelensky says

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said his country would provide assistance to the United States in response to its request for help in dealing with Iranian drones in the Middle East.

Tehran has fired hundreds of drones at U.S. targets in neighbouring countries after the U.S. and Israel began a massive campaign of air strikes against Iran on Feb. 28.

During its war with Russia, Ukraine has developed highly effective means of downing the Iranian-designed Shahed kamikaze drone, which Moscow has been using for much of the four-year conflict.

“We received a request from the United States for specific support in protection against ’Shaheds’ in the Middle East region,” Zelensky wrote on X.

“I gave instructions to provide the necessary means and ensure the presence of Ukrainian specialists who can guarantee the required security.”

– Reuters

03/05/26 16:46

U.S. House narrowly rejects resolution to limit Trump’s war powers

The U.S. House of Representatives has narrowly rejected a war powers resolution to halt President Donald Trump’s attacks on Iran, an early sign of unease in Congress over the rapidly widening conflict that is reordering the country’s priorities at home and abroad.

It’s the second vote in as many days, after the Senate defeated a similar measure along party lines. Lawmakers are confronting the sudden reality of representing wary Americans in wartime and all that entails – with lives lost, dollars spent and alliances tested by a president’s unilateral decision to go to war with Iran.

While the tally in the House, 212-219, was expected to be tight, the outcome provided a clarifying snapshot of political support for, and opposition to, the U.S.-Israel military operation and Trump’s rationale for bypassing Congress, which alone has the power to declare war.

“Donald Trump is not a king, and if he believes the war with Iran is in our national interest, then he must come to Congress and make the case,” said Representative Gregory Meeks, the top Democrat on the House foreign affairs committee.

Read the full story here.

- The Associated Press

03/05/26 16:40

S&P/TSX down more than 300 points, oil rises above US$80 a barrel

Canada’s main stock index finished more than 330 points lower as the price of oil rose above US$80 a barrel after Iran launched fresh attacks on Israel, U.S. bases and countries around the Middle East.

The S&P/TSX Composite Index was down 332.89 points at 33,609.97.

In New York, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 784.67 points at 47,954.74. The S&P 500 index was down 38.79 points at 6,830.71, while the Nasdaq composite was down 58.50 points at 22,748.99.

The Canadian dollar traded for 73.12 US cents compared with 73.19 US cents on Wednesday.

The April crude oil contract was up US$6.35 at US$81.01 a barrel.

The April gold contract was down US$56.00 at US$5,078.70 an ounce.

— The Canadian Press and The Associated Press

03/05/26 15:35

Trump unconcerned about rising gas prices

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U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday he was not concerned about rising U.S. gas prices driven by the widening Iran conflict, telling Reuters in an exclusive interview that the U.S. military operation was his priority.

“They’ll drop very rapidly when this is over, and if they rise, they rise, but this is far more important than having gasoline prices go up a little bit,” he said.

The comments mark a shift for the President, who touted a drop in gas prices in his State of the Union address last month and at a Texas rally on energy hours before the U.S. launched its air strikes on Saturday.

Trump said he was not looking to tap the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, the largest emergency crude stockpile in the world, and that he was confident the Strait of Hormuz, the critical channel for oil shipping near Iran, will remain open because Iran’s navy is at the “bottom of the sea.”

Global oil prices have jumped 16 per cent since the war started on Saturday.

- Reuters

03/05/26 15:28

What the different versions of the Iranian flag appearing at protests mean

Both Iran’s official state flag and the historic “Lion and Sun” flag have become common sights at rallies.

The official flag, which represents the current regime, features a red emblem meaning “Allah” in the centre. It was adopted in 1980, the year after the Islamic Revolution led by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini toppled the monarchy of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.

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Like all other versions, the official flag features three horizontal bands of green, white and red, representing Islamic faith, peace and valour, respectively.

Around the inner borders of the top and bottom bands, a Kufic script reads, “Allahu akbar,” meaning, “God is great.”

Dr. Shirin Khayambashi, an assistant professor in sociology at Toronto Metropolitan University, said the official flag is a controversial symbol of the regime and is rarely seen at protests in the diaspora.

The sun and the lion flag was adopted as the national flag under Iran’s 1906 constitution before being strictly banned under the current regime.

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“The lion and the sun in the middle was supposed to be representative of the people of Iran,” Khayambashi said.

She said that flag is widely associated today with support for the former monarchy.

Other variations of the Iranian flag include the army flag and the tricolour flag. The army flag features the sun and lion emblem but has an added wreath and crown.

The tricolour flag has no emblem. Khayambashi said it is referred to as the “flag of the people” because it represents no regime and can be customized with an emblem to represent a particular cause or movement.

- The Canadian Press

03/05/26 15:15

On the ground in Beirut, a refugee hub for those fleeing Israeli strikes

“They come here to find their families, to connect with their neighbours, maybe get on a bus heading north somewhere they believe is safer,” Mark MacKinnon, senior international correspondent for The Globe, reports in this video. “There’s an angry sense of déjà vu here,” he says, adding that it was only 15 months ago that Israel and Hezbollah fought their last conflict.

03/05/26 14:42

Israel decided to kill Khamenei in November, Defence Minister Israel Katz says

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Israel made the decision to kill Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in November, 2025, and was planning to carry out the operation around six months later, Defence Minister Israel Katz said on Thursday.

“Already in November we were convened with the Prime Minister in a very tight forum and the Prime Minister [Benjamin Netanyahu] set the goal of eliminating Khamenei,” Katz told Israel’s N12 TV news. The timing was set for mid-2026, he said.

The plan was eventually shared with Washington and brought forward around January after protests broke out in Iran, when Israel was concerned its pressured clerical rulers might launch an attack against Israel and U.S. assets in the Middle East, Katz said.

Israel has said its aim is to eliminate the existential threat it sees in Iran’s nuclear program and ballistic missile project, and to bring about regime change. Iran’s rulers have so far shown no sign of relinquishing power.

– Reuters

03/05/26 14:03

Canadian Armed Forces relocating members deployed in the Middle East

– Stephanie Levitz

Around 200 members of the Canadian Armed Forces are deployed in the Middle East on six different operations, but some are being moved to other areas or brought back to Canada as a result of the outbreak of war in the region.

Six others are being deployed abroad to act as liaison officers in the event the military is asked to assist in civilian evacuations in the region, said Lt.-Gen. Steve Boivin, who leads the Canadian Joint Operations Command.

Global Affairs Canada has not made that request so far, he told reporters on the sidelines of a defence conference in Ottawa Thursday.

Late Wednesday, Prime Minister Mark Carney did not rule out Canadian participation in the war, but Boivin would not speculate on what that could look like.

He said any request would be assessed against existing capabilities.

He also said that CJOC is keeping watch on whether there are direct threats to Canada and whether the military might need to adjust domestically.

“At this point in time, we have no indication that we need to make an adjustment to the force protection level,” he said.

Lt-Gen. Iain Huddleston, the deputy commander of NORAD, said assessments are being carried out into potential threats from the war to North American airspace.

But he said he couldn’t disclose the details of those assessments because they are classified.

03/05/26 13:20

Macron says France to send armoured vehicles to Lebanon

France will strengthen its co-operation with the Lebanese Armed Forces and provide them with armoured transport vehicles as well as operational and logistical support, French President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday, as Lebanon was pulled deeper into the war in the Middle East earlier this week.

“Everything must be done to prevent this country, which is close to France, from being dragged into war once again,” Macron said in a post on X.

“In this moment of great danger, I call on the Israeli Prime Minister not to extend the war to Lebanon. I call on Iranian leaders not to involve Lebanon further in a war that is not its own,” the French leader added.

– Reuters

03/05/26 13:05

U.S. Embassy in Pakistan issues a security alert ahead of possible protests

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The U.S. embassy in Pakistan has issued a security alert Thursday because of possible protests throughout the country on Friday.

The alert did not specify the cause of Friday’s anticipated demonstrations, but came days after Pakistani protestors supportive of the Iranian government attempted to storm a U.S. consulate, leading to violent clashes in Karachi and elsewhere that left 22 people dead.

The embassy’s warning restricts the movement of its personnel nationwide.

– The Associated Press

03/05/26 12:54

Trump tells Reuters he backs Kurds launching Iran offensive

U.S. President Donald Trump told Reuters during a telephone interview on Thursday that he backs the Kurds launching an Iran offensive.

“I think it’s wonderful that they want to do that, I’d be all for it,” Trump said.

When asked if the United States would provide or had offered air cover for any Kurdish offensive, Trump said: “I can’t tell you that.”

On Tuesday, sources told Reuters that anti-regime Iranian Kurdish PJAK militant groups had consulted with the U.S. about whether, and how, to attack Iran’s security forces in the western part of the country.

– Reuters

03/05/26 12:30

Nearly 25,000 flights cancelled since the start of the war

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More than half of the roughly 44,000 flights scheduled to fly in and out of the Middle East between Saturday and Thursday have been cancelled, according to the latest numbers from aviation analytics firm Cirium.

Flight-tracking service FlightAware reported about 2,050 flight cancellations worldwide as of around 11 a.m. ET Thursday, following more than 2,600 cancellations on Wednesday. Dubai International Airport, a major hub, continued to see the largest number of disruptions.

– The Associated Press

03/05/26 12:12

Parliament should get chance to debate Canadian military participation in war: Conservative MP Bezan

– Stephanie Levitz

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Conservative Defence critic James Bezan says Parliament should have a chance to debate any potential participation by the Canadian Armed Forces in the U.S.-Israel war with Iran.

Bezan said on Thursday that Prime Minister Mark Carney has been “all over the place” with his response to the launch of air strikes, and there needs to be more transparency about Canada’s position.

He said a decision ought to be made in the next few days about whether or when Parliament should take on the question. But, with the House not sitting this week, no conversations within his caucus have taken place so far.

Bezan also said the Forces are currently stretched thin, citing the army’s involvement in Latvia, the Air Force’s continuing modernization of aircraft and the Navy’s role patrolling in the Indo-Pacific.

The heads of the Canadian Army, Navy and Air Force declined Thursday to speak about contingency planning for any engagement in the Iran conflict but said moving troops or other military assets around is a balancing act.

“I can redeploy ships as required, but it comes down to, there’s always a prioritization,” said vice-admiral Angus Topshee, the commander of the Royal Canadian Navy,

“The government might want us to do everything, but we clearly can’t. And so what’s the opportunity cost?”

03/05/26 12:05

Bahrain says an Iranian missile hit a state-run oil refinery

A fire broke out at a unit of Bahrain’s Bapco Energies refinery after being struck by an Iranian missile, but the blaze has been contained, with no injuries reported and refinery operations continuing, Bahrain’s National Communication Centre said on Thursday.

There were no reports of casualties.

But it marked yet another Iranian strike targeting the region’s oil industry, the lifeblood of the Gulf Arab states.

Air raid sirens sounded across Bahrain earlier Thursday, with residents urged to seek shelter.

– The Associated Press and Reuters

03/05/26 11:59

Seafarers can refuse to sail through Mideast Gulf region, main union says

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Seafarers have the right to refuse to sail on ships passing through the Middle East Gulf, including the Strait of Hormuz, after the threat level for the region was raised to its highest level, the leading labour union and shipping industry groups said on Thursday.

Around 300 ships are anchored on both sides of the Strait while the U.S.-Israel led war against Iran escalates. Since Feb. 28, nine ships have been damaged and at least one seafarer has been killed.

As part of negotiated arrangements reached on Thursday between mariners and commercial shipping companies, known as the International Bargaining Forum, seafarers can refuse to sail into the area, with repatriation at the company’s cost and compensation equal to two months’ basic wage.

In addition, they will receive higher pay and compensation will be doubled in the event of death or disability, the International Transport Workers’ Federation said in a statement.

– Reuters

03/05/26 11:53

S&P/TSX composite down more than 400 points, oil closes in on US$80 a barrel

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Canada’s main stock index was down more than 400 points in late-morning trading Thursday as the price of oil rose to near US$80 a barrel after Iran launched fresh attacks on Israel, U.S. bases and countries around the Middle East.

The S&P/TSX composite index was down 463.86 points at 33,479.00.

In New York, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 847.74 points at 47,891.67. The S&P 500 index was down 61.71 points at 6,807.79, while the Nasdaq composite was down 147.25 points at 22,660.23.

The Canadian dollar traded for 72.98 US cents compared with 73.19 US cents on Wednesday.

The April crude oil contract was up US$4.64 at US$79.30 per barrel.

The April gold contract was down US$40.90 at US$5,093.80 an ounce.

– The Canadian Press

03/05/26 11:42

Trump says he needs to be involved in selecting Iran’s next leader, Axios reports

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U.S. President Donald Trump told Axios on Thursday that he needs to be personally involved in selecting Iran’s next leader.

“Khamenei’s son is unacceptable to me. We want someone that will bring harmony and peace to Iran,” Axios quoted Trump as saying in an interview.

“I have to be involved in the appointment, like with Delcy [Rodriguez] in Venezuela,” Trump said.

Who is Mojtaba Khamenei? Iran’s reclusive hard-liner is expected to replace his father as supreme leader

Mojtaba Khamenei, son of Iran’s late supreme leader, has survived the U.S. and Israeli air strikes on Iran in which his father Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed, Iranian sources told Reuters on Wednesday.

A mid-ranking cleric with close ties to Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guard, hardliner Mojtaba is one of the most influential figures in the Iranian clerical establishment and is seen as a possible successor to his father.

Iran has not yet announced a new leader.

– Reuters

03/05/26 11:25

Anti-war protester injured in struggle with U.S. Senator Sheehy on Capitol Hill

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A man protesting the U.S. and Israel’s strikes on Iran was injured in a struggle with U.S. Capitol Police and Republican Senator Tim Sheehy on Wednesday.

The man, Brian McGinnis, a former Marine who is a Green Party candidate for U.S. Senate in North Carolina, interrupted a Senate Armed Services hearing by shouting, “Israel is the reason for this war, America does not want to fight for Israel.”

A video of the incident verified by Reuters showed officers and Sheehy attempting to haul McGinnis, who was dressed in military uniform, out of the doorway as his hand was pinned behind the open door.

Onlookers called attention to his hand, which was trapped in the hinge of the door, when a cracking sound was heard.

In a post on X, Sheehy, who represents Montana, said he got involved to help defuse the altercation.

Three officers were treated for injuries along with the suspect, “who got his own arm stuck in a door to resist our officers,” Capitol Police said.

McGinnis, 44, faces charges for assault on a police officer, resisting arrest and obstructing during an unlawful demonstration, police said.

– Reuters

03/05/26 10:52

U.K.’s Starmer facing criticism from U.S., other allies over response to conflict

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The “special relationship” between Britain and the United States remains intact and they continue to share intelligence, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Thursday, after U.S. President Donald Trump rebuked him for hesitating to support U.S. strikes on Iran.

After initially refusing to allow the United States to use British bases for the U.S.-Israeli campaign, Starmer has come under personal attack from Trump, who said the British leader was “not Winston Churchill.”

Speaking at a press conference, Starmer defended his decisions both to withhold initial access to bases, and then to participate in “defensive” operations against Iran, once Tehran had responded by attacking its neighbours.

“We are working together in the region, the U.S. and the British working together to protect both the U.S. and the British in joint bases, where we’re jointly located and we’re sharing intelligence on a 24/7 basis in the usual way,” Starmer said.

Starmer has also faced criticism for his cautious response from other allies in the region, including Cyprus where an Iranian-made drone hit one of Britain’s military bases on the island.

- Reuters

03/05/26 10:33

European states move to secure Red Sea navigation, protect Cyprus

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European powers said on Thursday they would work together to safeguard shipping in the Red Sea and send naval and other assets to protect Cyprus.

The conflict has widened beyond Gulf states to the Mediterranean, where a drone strike hit a British air base on Cyprus on Monday, and as far afield as Asia.

Italy, Spain, France and the Netherlands will send naval assets to protect Cyprus in the coming days, Rome’s Defence Minister Guido Crosetto told Parliament.

French President Emmanuel Macron spoke with the prime ministers of Italy and Greece on Thursday and “they all agreed to step up co-operation to safeguard shipping in the Red Sea and to co-ordinate the dispatch of military assets to Cyprus,” a senior source said.

The plans ruled out any direct involvement in the war, underlining the delicate balance European governments are seeking over the conflict involving their long-term ally the United States.

“We are not at war and we do not want to enter a war,” Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said in a radio interview on Thursday.

– Reuters

03/05/26 10:29

Middle East war could force Gulf states to pivot from Africa

– Geoffrey York

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As they voiced their sympathy for the victims of Iranian air strikes this week, Sudan and Somalia made the curious decision to omit a key country from their commiseration list: the United Arab Emirates.

The UAE’s financial and military support has fuelled wars in Sudan and Ethiopia and bolstered a secessionist movement in Somalia’s breakaway region of Somaliland, according to widespread reports from the region. The Gulf state has also invested billions of dollars in commercial projects across Africa in a bid to boost its political and economic influence.

Now those same African countries are trying to calculate the impact of the UAE’s sudden involvement in the Iran conflict. Some believe the steep cost of the war could force the Emirates to pull back from Africa to conserve its financial and military resources. Others say the Iranian assault on the UAE could generate enough international sympathy to discourage any Western pressure to scale back its role in Sudan and elsewhere.

Analysts worry that the Mideast conflagration could distract Western attention from Africa, making it easier for African armies and their foreign backers to pursue more aggressive tactics in the continent.

Read the full story here.

03/05/26 10:20

Gold prices fall, erasing earlier gains

Gold prices reversed course on Thursday, erasing earlier gains, and concerns that the escalating conflict in the Middle East could drive up inflation grew.

Spot gold fell 0.7 per cent at US$5,099.48 per ounce as of 9:48 a.m. ET, after rising as much as US$5,194.59 earlier. U.S. gold futures for April delivery were down 0.5 per cent at US$5,108.70.

Gold is often viewed as a hedge against long‑term inflation, but tends to perform better when interest rates fall.

The metal, which hit a record US$5,594.82 on Jan. 29, briefly climbed above US$5,400 on Monday as the start of the U.S.–Israeli air campaign drove safe‑haven demand, but later eased as the dollar attracted its own flight‑to‑safety flows.

– Reuters

03/05/26 10:13

Cargo shipments ranging from perishables to plane parts stranded

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Shipments ranging from fresh produce to airplane parts are in limbo as Middle East conflict squeezes cargo capacity and pushes up freight rates. The war has grounded passenger and freighter flights across the region, including in Doha and Dubai, two of the world’s largest cargo hubs.

That has led to a 22 per cent reduction in global air cargo capacity, according to data from aviation and logistics consulting firm Aevean.

“It is an absolute halt of the supply chain to the Middle East,” said Abdol Moabery, CEO of Florida-based GA Telesis, which provides aircraft parts and repairs.

Air cargo accounts for about one-third of global trade by value, according to the International Air Transport Association.

According to an index by Spanish booking platform Freightos, freight rates from Southeast Asia to Europe have climbed more than 6 per cent since Friday, and South Asia rates to the United States are 5 per cent higher.

Air cargo had provided a fallback for freight affected by two years of attacks on shipping in the Red Sea, but the new conflict has narrowed the escape route for goods stuck at sea.

– Reuters

03/05/26 10:00

Azerbaijan closes southern airspace near Iran for 12 hours

Azerbaijan on Thursday closed part of its airspace in the south after it said four Iranian drones flew across its border.

The airspace will remain closed for 12 hours, according to a notice to airmen, known as a NOTAM, issued by Azerbaijan.

– Reuters

03/05/26 09:57

TSX, Wall Street open lower as investors weigh Middle East crisis

Canada’s main stock index opened lower on Thursday, dragged down by mining shares as gold prices declined, while investors practised caution amid the Middle East conflict.

At 9:32 a.m. ET, the S&P/TSX composite index was down 1 per cent at 33,627.88 points.

Wall Street’s main indexes opened lower on Thursday, raising concerns of fresh inflation pressures from the Iran war that could complicate the Federal Reserve’s monetary policy decisions.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 212.7 points, or 0.44 per cent, at the open to 48526.73. The S&P 500 fell 18.4 points, or 0.27 per cent, to 6851.08, while the Nasdaq Composite dropped 100.0 points, or 0.44 per cent, to 22707.468.

Markets seem to be again following the cue of oil prices on worries that a long-term spike could exhaust households’ ability to spend, as well as grind down the global economy and push interest rates higher. A barrel of Brent crude rose 3.3 per cent.

– Reuters and The Associated Press

03/05/26 09:54

Greek seafarers strike over crews stranded in the Gulf

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Greek seafarers began a 24-hour strike on Thursday, halting local ferry services, as they protested over vessel crews stranded in the Gulf amid the escalating Middle East war, and demanded the area be declared a war risk zone to enable the crews’ repatriation.

Greece is a dominant force in global shipping, controlling one of the world’s largest merchant fleets. More than 325 ships of Greek interests, their crews including dozens of Greek seafarers, are in the wider Gulf area.

“We demand that all of our colleagues, currently in the dangerous Gulf area, the Gulf of Oman and the Red Sea, are evacuated and safely repatriated,” said Angelos Galanopoulos, head of Greece’s lower engine crews’ union Stephenson.

Dozens of protesters rallied outside the shipowners union near the port of Piraeus.

The International Maritime Organization says it is concerned for about roughly 20,000 seafarers in the region. At least nine ships have been damaged in strikes since the conflict began on Saturday.

– Reuters

03/05/26 09:46

U.K. sending four extra Typhoon jets to Qatar, PM Starmer says

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British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Thursday that four additional Typhoon fighter jets would be sent to join the squadron in Qatar as the conflict in the Middle East escalates, insisting that the U.K. has the right plan for defence.

Starmer told a press conference Britain had the right plan and had already been pre-deploying military equipment across the region before the start of the war.

“My focus is providing calm, level headed leadership in the national interest,” Starmer said.

“That means deploying our military and diplomatic strength to protect our people, and it means having the strength to stand firm by our values and our principles, no matter the pressure to do otherwise.”

– Reuters

03/05/26 09:40

Pope Leo prays for world leaders to renounce war

Pope Leo released a video on Thursday praying that God would help world leaders renounce war as a means of resolving conflicts in an unusual appeal as the U.S.-Israeli bombing campaign against Iran pressed on for the sixth day.

“Lord, enlighten the leaders of the nations, so they may have the courage to abandon projects of death,” the pontiff said in the video message.

“Today we lift up our prayer for peace in the world, asking that nations renounce weapons and choose the path of dialogue and diplomacy,” he said.

Leo releases a video message each month to announce his prayer intentions for that month. The pope’s intention for March is “for disarmament and peace.”

It was unclear if Thursday’s video was created specifically to respond to the war in the Middle East.

The Vatican did not immediately respond to a question about when the video was recorded.

– Reuters

03/05/26 09:25

Turkey says it is closely following actions of Iranian Kurdish PJAK militant group

Turkey said on Thursday that it was closely following the actions of the Iranian Kurdish PJAK militant group, which it said threatened Iran’s security and regional stability, amid reports of discussions between Iranian Kurdish militias and Washington about the U.S. and Israeli war against Iran.

On Tuesday, sources told Reuters that the Iranian Kurdish groups had consulted with the U.S. about whether, and how, to attack Iran’s security forces in the western part of the country.

Turkey, a NATO member and Iran’s neighbour, is currently working on securing peace with the outlawed Iraq-based Kurdistan Workers Party militant group. Ankara also backs the integration of Syrian Kurdish militants into Syria’s state systems, and is unlikely to support collaboration with Iranian Kurdish militias by NATO ally Washington.

“The activities of groups that fuel ethnic separatism, such as the terrorist organization PJAK, negatively affect not only Iran’s security but also the overall peace and stability of the region,” Turkey’s defence ministry told a weekly press briefing in Ankara.

It added that Turkey’s state institutions were all closely following actions by the Kurdistan Free Life Party, also known as PJAK, an outlawed militant group that has links to the PKK, which Turkey, the U.S. and European Union designate as a terrorist group.

– Reuters

03/05/26 09:10

WHO says it has verified 13 attacks on health sites in Iran, one in Lebanon

The World Health Organization chief said on Thursday that it has verified 13 attacks on health infrastructure in Iran amid a U.S.-Israeli military campaign, killing four health care workers and injuring 25 others.

“WHO has verified 13 attacks on health care in Iran and one in Lebanon,” World Health Organization director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a press conference.

Another WHO official at the same briefing added that four ambulances were also affected, and that hospitals and other health sites suffered minor damage because of strikes nearby.

– Reuters

03/05/26 09:06

AI visuals spread online as Middle East conflict widens

03/05/26 08:50

Oil rises over 2% on supply concerns as Iran conflict widens

Oil prices rose more than 2 per cent on Thursday, extending a rally as the escalating U.S.-Israeli war with Iran disrupted supplies and shipping, prompting some major producers to cut output and others to take measures to ensure supply security.

Brent crude was up US$2.25, or 2.8 per cent, at US$83.65 per barrel by 7:51 a.m. ET, a fifth session of gains. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude rose US$2.56, or 3.4 per cent, to US$77.22.

Prompt Brent crude futures’ premium to the six-month contract reached its widest since July, 2022, indicating supply tightness in the global oil market.

Renewed attacks on tankers in the Gulf, along with Chinese measures to reduce fuel exports, pushed prices higher, said UBS analyst Giovanni Staunovo. The refined product market is also showing signs of stress due to missing Middle East exports, he added.

Some oil refineries in the Middle East, China and India shut their crude units because of the raging conflict in the Middle East.

As a result of a lower supply outlook in fuel markets, European diesel futures reached their highest level since October, 2022, at US$1,130.

– Reuters

03/05/26 08:30

Israel orders residents to leave southern Beirut

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The Israeli military warned residents to leave Beirut’s southern suburbs on Thursday, instructing them to move north and east of the Lebanese capital, the first time Israel has issued a warning covering entire neighbourhoods in the Hezbollah-controlled area.

“Save your lives, evacuate your homes immediately,” Israeli military spokesperson Avichay Adraee wrote on X, posting a map highlighting four neighbourhoods of the southern suburbs – an area adjacent to Beirut’s airport.

Lebanon was pulled into the war in the Middle East on Monday, when Iran-backed Hezbollah opened fire, sparking intensified Israeli air strikes largely focused in the southern suburbs, southern Lebanon and eastern Lebanon.

On Wednesday, the Israeli military ordered residents to leave a swathe of southern Lebanon – an area amounting to about 8 per cent of Lebanon’s territory.

– Reuters

03/05/26 08:13

More tankers come under attack as U.S.-Iran conflict spreads

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More tankers came under attack in Gulf waters on Thursday as the U.S.–Iran war escalated, threatening to spread the crisis to more oil producers in the region.

A Bahamas-flagged crude oil tanker was targeted by an Iranian remote-controlled boat laden with explosives while anchored near Iraq’s Khor al Zubair port, according to initial assessments. A second tanker at anchor off Kuwait was taking on water and spilling oil after a large explosion on its port side.

Nine vessels have come under attack since the conflict broke out between the U.S., Israel and Iran on Saturday.

Around 200 ships, including oil and liquefied natural gas tankers as well as cargo ships, remained at anchor in open waters off the coast of major Gulf producers, according to Reuters estimates based on ship-tracking data from the MarineTraffic platform.

Hundreds of other vessels remained outside the Strait of Hormuz unable to reach ports, shipping data showed. The waterway is a key artery for around a fifth of the world’s oil and LNG supply.

- Reuters

03/05/26 08:05

More than 20,000 Israelis have returned since start of Iran war: ministry

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More than 20,000 Israelis have returned to the country since the start of the Iran air war that began last Saturday, the Transportation Ministry said on Thursday.

Israel began to open its airspace on Thursday and allowed a handful of flights to land at Ben Gurion International Airport near Tel Aviv.

The ministry said 120,000 Israelis are currently abroad who wish to return to Israel and that the operation to repatriate them would likely take seven to 10 days.

It added that it was working to expand options for arriving in and departing from Israel by air, land and sea crossings.

- Reuters

03/05/26 07:57

Supply of food to 50 million people in Gulf affected by blocked ports, group says

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The war in the Middle East has blocked access to major ports in the Gulf region, impacting the supply of food to over 50 million people in a region highly dependent on agricultural imports, a ship-spotting platform said Thursday.

The platform, MarineTraffic.com, said that container vessels heading to ports in the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Kuwait are now stranded.

This has impacted agricultural supplies to over 50 million people in the Gulf, a region that imports over 90 per cent of its food, it said.

- The Associated Press

03/05/26 07:45

At least 38,000 people have crossed from Lebanon into Syria, UN refugee agency says

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The UN refugee agency, citing Syrian authorities, told The Associated Press that at least 38,000 people have crossed from Lebanon into Syria – mostly Syrians – in the wake of new fighting between Hezbollah and Israel.

On Wednesday, UNHCR and Lebanese officials said 84,000 people have been internally displaced within Lebanon.

“Across the Middle East and beyond, a troubling displacement picture is emerging in the aftermath of the ongoing conflicts in the region,” UNHCR spokesman Babar Baloch said Thursday.

UNHCR said Wednesday that 100,000 people were displaced within Iran in the first two days after the U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran, but there are no immediate signs of large numbers of people trying to leave the country.

- The Associated Press

03/05/26 07:33

UAE hit by missile and drones

The United Arab Emirates’ Defense Ministry said Thursday that one ballistic missile and six drones hit the country’s territory, as the war widens in the Middle East.

The ministry added in a statement that it repelled six missiles and 131 drones Thursday, and hundreds since the start of the war.

Earlier this week, shrapnel from the interception of cruise missiles killed three residents, and falling shrapnel in past days has wounded 94, it said.

- The Associated Press

03/05/26 07:29

A map of where Iran, the U.S. and Israel’s air attacks have hit so far

The war in the Middle East began on Feb. 28 when the United States and Israel struck Iran. Since then, the conflict has spread across the region.

According to the Iranian Red Crescent, at least 1,230 people have been killed so far in Iran. At least six U.S. soldiers are dead. Reuters has counted 77 deaths in Lebanon, 13 in Iraq, 10 in Israel, four in Syria, three in the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait and one each in Bahrain and Oman.

Iran is striking back at Washington’s allies in the Persian Gulf and the wider Middle East, including Israel, with drones and missiles.

Here’s an overview of which countries have been attacked so far. Zoom in to learn more about the civilian and military sites affected.

Read more here.

03/05/26 07:15

U.S. and Middle East countries seek Ukraine’s drone expertise

The United States and its allies in the Middle East are seeking Ukraine’s expertise in countering Iran’s Shahed drones, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Various countries, including the United States, have approached Ukraine for help in defending against the Iranian drones, Zelensky said late Wednesday. He said he has spoken in recent days with the leaders of the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Jordan and Kuwait about possible co-operation.

Russia has fired tens of thousands of Shaheds at Ukraine since it invaded its neighbour just over four years ago, launching a swarm of more than 800 drones and decoys in its biggest nighttime barrage. Iran has responded to joint U.S.-Israeli strikes by launching the same type of drones at countries in the Middle East.

Ukrainian assistance in countering Iranian drones will be provided only if it does not weaken Ukraine’s own defenses, and if it adds leverage to Kyiv’s diplomatic efforts to stop the Russian invasion, according to the Ukrainian leader.

“We help to defend from war those who help us, Ukraine, bring a just end to the war” with Russia, Zelensky said.

- The Associated Press

03/05/26 07:09

Italy to send aid to Gulf states and Cyprus after Iranian strikes

Italy is planning to send air defence aid to Gulf countries and naval assets to Cyprus after Iranian air strikes, the government said on Thursday, amid concern for the safety of citizens and troops in the region, as well as for energy security.

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said Italy would respond to aid requests from Gulf nations seeking air defence equipment to counter Iranian air strikes, while also looking to protect Italians on the ground.

“These are people we want to, and must, protect,” Meloni told radio station RTL 102.5.

In an address to the lower house of Italian Parliament, Defence Minister Guido Crosetto said Italy had also lifted its national air defences to the highest level.

“When faced with a reckless reaction, we can expect anything and everything,” he said, referring to Iran’s retaliatory strikes this week. He added Rome would send vessels to protect Cyprus along with some European allies.

- Reuters

03/05/26 06:56

Oil rises on supply concerns as Iran conflict widens

Oil prices rose on Thursday, extending a rally as the escalating U.S.-Israeli war with Iran disrupted supplies and shipping, prompting some major producers to cut output and others to take measures to ensure supply security.

Brent crude was up US$1.72, or 2.1 per cent, at US$83.12 per barrel by 6:06 a.m. ET, a fifth session of gains. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude rose US$1.95, or 2.6 per cent, to US$76.61.

Oil markets are tightening, with the Chinese government telling the largest oil refiners to suspend exports of diesel and gasoline, said PVM analyst John Evans.

Two oil refineries in China and India shut their crude units following the disruption to supplies, as both countries rely on Middle East crude imports.

As a result of a lower supply outlook in fuel markets, European diesel futures reached their highest level since October, 2022 at US$1,130.

- Reuters

03/05/26 06:53

Azerbaijan vows to respond after four injured by Iranian drones

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Azerbaijan warned on Thursday that it was preparing unspecified response measures after two Iranian drones flew across its border and injured four people in the Nakhchivan exclave, raising concern about further spillover of the conflict in the Middle East.

“These attacks will not remain unanswered,” the Azerbaijani Defence Ministry said in a statement.

It added that it was investigating the types of drones used in the attack, and “preparing the necessary response measures to protect the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the country and to ensure the safety of civilians and civilian infrastructure.”

Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi denied Tehran had targeted Nakhchivan.

“We do not attack our neighbouring countries,” he told Azerbaijani outlet AnewZ.

The Foreign Ministry earlier demanded that Iran “clarify the matter in the shortest possible time, provide an explanation and take the necessary urgent measures to prevent such incidents from recurring in the future,” adding that the incident “contributes to increased tensions in the region.”

It handed a note of protest to the Iranian ambassador to Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan and Iran already have tense relations over Baku’s growing economic, energy and military ties to NATO member Turkey and Israel, and the escalating war risks touching off violence between the neighbours.

Azerbaijan said one drone fell on the terminal building of the Nakhchivan International Airport, which is approximately 10 km across the border from Iran, and another drone landed close to a school building in a nearby village.

The four injured were taken to hospital, where they are in stable condition, the Health Ministry in the landlocked exclave of Azerbaijan bordering Armenia, Iran and Turkey told Reuters.

- Reuters

03/05/26 06:43

Sri Lanka says it is trying to safeguard lives on second Iranian ship

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Sri Lanka said it was trying to “safeguard lives” on a second Iranian ship off its coast on Thursday, a day after 87 people were killed in a U.S. submarine strike on an Iranian warship in the same region.

Sri Lanka’s cabinet spokesman told parliament that various authorities were responding to the presence of an Iranian ship in Sri Lanka’s exclusive economic zone outside its maritime boundary near the port of Colombo.

“The President, defence officials, and all other relevant officials are aware and we are addressing the situation,” spokesman Nalinda Jayatissa said in response to questions from an opposition leader.

“We are doing our utmost to safeguard lives,” he said, without saying how, or whether the ship was a military vessel.

Jayatissa said the IRIS Dena was sunk on Wednesday 19 nautical miles off Sri Lanka’s southern port city of Galle and that two freezers had been dispatched from Colombo to store the 87 bodies recovered from the sea.

Tehran has asked Colombo to help repatriate the bodies, Sri Lanka’s deputy minister for health and mass media, Hansaka Wijemuni, told Reuters, adding that a timeframe had not yet been determined.

- Reuters

03/05/26 06:35

Gold rises on safe-haven bid from Iran war

Gold prices rose on Thursday, lifted by safe-haven demand amid an escalating war in the Middle East, though a stronger dollar and concerns around the U.S. Federal Reserve’s monetary policy capped gains.

Spot gold was up 0.4 per cent at US$5,156.11 per ounce as of 5:30 a.m. ET, while U.S. gold futures for April delivery were up 0.7 per cent at US$5,168.20.

Gold, which hit a record US$5,594.82 in January, initially jumped above US$5,400 on Monday as the launch of the U.S.-Israeli air war against Iran sparked safe-haven demand, but pulled back from those highs as the dollar also benefited from a flight to safety.

“On the one hand, there may be greater safe-haven demand for gold given the ongoing conflict in the Middle East,” said Hamad Hussain, a climate and commodities economist at Capital Economics.

“On the other hand, the risk of a prolonged period of higher energy prices that takes rate cuts off the table, and adds to the chance of rate hikes, could be capping further gains.”

The U.S. dollar rose about 0.2 per cent after briefly retreating from three-month highs, as the fallout from the war roiled global markets and kept sentiment fragile.

Gold is considered a hedge against inflation in the long run, but also tends to thrive when interest rates are lower, as it is a non-yielding asset.

- Reuters

03/05/26 06:13

Article Five not on the table despite Iran missile incident, NATO’s Rutte says

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NATO is vigilant about events in the Middle East and the shooting-down of a missile headed for Turkish airspace on Wednesday, but invoking Article Five is not on the table right now, the military alliance’s chief Mark Rutte told Reuters on Thursday.

“Nobody’s talking about Article Five,” Rutte said in an interview.

Turkey said NATO air defences destroyed an Iranian ballistic missile headed into Turkish airspace, marking the first time the alliance member has been drawn into the Middle East conflict and raising the possibility of a major expansion involving its bloc allies.

The alliance’s Article Five specifies that an attack on one of its members is an attack on all the others.

Rutte said NATO supports the United States in its strikes against Iran as the country was “close to becoming a threat to Europe as well.”

- Reuters

03/05/26 06:10

U.S. House to vote on war powers resolution after Senate backs Trump on Iran strikes

The House is preparing to vote Thursday on a war powers resolution to halt U.S. President Donald Trump’s attack on Iran, a sign of unease in Congress over the rapidly widening conflict that is reordering U.S. priorities at home and abroad.

It’s the second vote in as many days, after the Senate defeated a similar measure along party lines. Lawmakers are confronting the sudden reality of representing the American people in wartime and all that entails – with lives lost, dollars spent and alliances tested by a president’s unilateral decision to go to war with Iran.

The tally in the House is expected to be tight, but the outcome will provide an early snapshot of the political support, or opposition, to the U.S.-Israel military operation and Trump’s rationale for bypassing Congress, which alone has the power to declare war.

“Donald Trump is not a king, and if he believes the war with Iran is in our national interest, then he must come to Congress and make the case,” said Rep. Gregory Meeks, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

Trump’s Republican Party, which narrowly controls the House and Senate, largely sees the conflict with Iran not as the start of a new war, but the end of a regime that for decades has long menaced the West. The operation has killed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, which some view as an opportunity for regime change, though others warn of a chaotic power vacuum.

For Democrats, Trump’s war with Iran, influenced by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, is a war of choice that is testing the balance of powers in the U.S. Constitution.

Read the full story here.

- The Associated Press

03/05/26 06:00

Tanker attack in the northern Persian Gulf boosts oil and gas prices, signals Iran war is widening

- Eric Reguly

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A crude oil tanker was hit in the northern reaches of the Persian Gulf, marking the first time a ship was attacked beyond the Strait of Hormuz area and sending the message that Iran is not ready to capitulate.

The attack on the tanker was reported by various sources.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said it had hit a vessel in the northern Gulf. At about the same time, the U.K Maritime Trade Operations Centre reported “a large explosion” on the port side of a tanker at anchor, near Kuwait, and that the vessel had taken on water.

The centre did not identify the ship, though some reports said it was the Sonangol Namibe, a large oil tanker registered in the Bahamas. The VesselFinder site reported a ship of the same name and flag in the northern Gulf. The ship was not loaded with oil at the time and there were no injuries, reports said.

In London trading early on Thursday, the news of the tanker attack sent Brent crude up by 3 per cent. Later in the morning, the price settled back to gain 2 per cent over Wednesday’s close at US$83 a barrel. Brent was below US$60 in late December.

European natural gas prices climbed about 12 per cent on Thursday, taking the weekly gain to 70 per cent. They had fallen yesterday but resumed their upward course today as it became apparent that Hormuz, the narrow channel that separates the Gulf from the Indian Ocean, through which 20 per cent of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) passes, probably will not reopen soon.

Both London’s FTSE-100 and Germany’s DAX stock indexes were up marginally in Thursday morning trading after fairly steep falls earlier in the week.

In a note published early Thursday, ING Economics said that investors are taking the view that the war in Iran, which began on Saturday with Israeli and U.S. airstrikes throughout the country, could rattle the markets for some time.

Read the full story here.

03/05/26 05:58

World shares advance as oil prices climb higher and Iran launches new attacks

World shares advanced Thursday, while U.S. futures slipped as Iran launched more missiles at Israel on the sixth day of the war in the Middle East.

The future for the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.2 per cent. The S&P 500 future was down 0.1 per ce t.

Uncertainty about the war in the Middle East has been rattling financial markets, with most taking their cues from what the price of oil is doing.

“Yesterday’s bounce in risk assets already looks less like a turning point and more like a classic relief rally in a market that briefly inhaled before realizing the room was still on fire,” Stephen Innes of SPI Asset Management said in a commentary.

Crude prices climbed early Thursday, with Brent, the international standard, gaining 1.8 per cent to $82.87 per barrel. U.S. benchmark crude jumped 2.1 per cent to $76.31 per barrel.

In Germany, the DAX regained lost ground, rising 0.2 per cent to 24,253.24, while the CAC 40 in Paris was up 0.3 per cent to 8,194.80. Britain’s FTSE 100 added 0.4 per cent to 10,609.63.

In Asian trading, South Korea’s Kospi took back much of its historic losses from a day earlier, jumping 9.6 per cent to 5,583.90. It had gained as much as 12 per cent earlier in the day as investors hunted bargains, triggering temporary trading halts.

Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 index gave back some early gains, closing 1.9 per cent higher at 55,278.06.

In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng climbed 0.3 per cent to 25,321.34 after Chinese Premier Li Qiang opened the annual session of the National People’s Congress with a report that set the annual target for economic growth this year at 4.5 per cent to 5 per cent.

The Shanghai Composite index gained 0.6 per cent to 4,108.57.

In Australia, the S&P/ASX 200 rose 0.4 per cent to 8,940.30, while New Zealand’s benchmark rose 0.6 per cent.

Taiwan’s main share index gained 2.6 per cent.

- The Associated Press

03/05/26 05:24

Gulf countries concerned about risk of Iran civil war, says EU’s foreign chief

Countries in the Middle East have told European officials they are concerned about the risk of civil war in Iran as a result of the conflict between Tehran and the United States and Israel, EU foreign chief Kaja Kallas said on Thursday.

“When we talk to the countries in the region, they are also worried about civil wars inside Iran because of the regime’s leadership and what is going on there,” she said ahead of a video conference with EU foreign ministers and representatives of the Gulf Cooperation Council on the situation in Iran and the broader Middle East.

The EU wants to push forward a diplomatic solution. “Wars really end in diplomacy and there has to be room for diplomacy here to really get out of this cycle of escalation,” she told reporters.

The EU is “extremely worried” about maritime security in the region and that it is trying to keep routes such as the Strait of Hormuz open, she said although, since the EU was not dependent on oil from Gulf states, the attacks there did not have a large short-term impact on the security of the supply of oil to the EU.

- Reuters

03/05/26 05:22

Iran launches missiles at Israel, U.S. bases as new Israeli strikes hit Lebanon

Iran launched a new wave of attacks Thursday morning at Israel, American bases and countries around the region, threatening that the United States would “bitterly regret” torpedoing an Iranian warship in the Indian Ocean and calling for “Trump’s blood,” while Israel said it hit multiple targets in Iran.

Israel announced multiple incoming missile attacks and air sirens sounded in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. Iranian state television said additional strikes also targeted U.S. bases.

The Israeli military said it had hit 80 targets in Lebanon linked to the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militant group over the past 24 hours and that a wave of strikes on Iran had hit long range ballistic missile launch sites and other targets.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi accused the U.S. Navy of committing an “an atrocity at sea” for sinking the Iranian frigate IRIS Dena in the Indian Ocean, which killed at least 87 Iranian sailors.

“Mark my words: The U.S. will come to bitterly regret (the) precedent it has set,” he said on social media.

Ayatollah Abdollah Javadi Amoli, in one of the few clerical statements so far from Iran, later called on state television for the shedding of both Israeli and “Trump’s blood.”

“Fight the oppressive America, his blood is on my shoulders,’” he said in a rare call for violence from an ayatollah, one of the highest ranks within the clergy of Shiite Islam.

Read the full story here.

- The Associated Press

03/04/26 21:04

Carney won’t ‘rule out’ Canadian military involvement in Middle East

- Steven Chase

Prime Minister Mark Carney has left the door open to Canadian military participation in the widening Mideast conflict if circumstances warrant.

Carney, who has already said Canada has no plans to join the U.S. and Israel attacks on Iran, was asked Thursday in Australia if he could categorically rule out deploying military assets to the region.

He said Canada would always stand by its allies and would act to protect Canadians.

“You’ve asked a fundamental hypothetical in a conflict that can spread very broadly. Recent events point to that,” Carney told reporters during a press conference with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in Canberra.

“So one can never categorically rule out participation,” he said. “We will stand by our allies. That makes sense.”

Read the full story here.

03/04/26 19:04

Anand says charter evacuation flights expected to leave UAE within 72 hours

- Marie Woolf

Ottawa is arranging charter flights and booking hundreds more seats on commercial airlines to help more than 2,000 Canadians stranded in Middle East and Gulf states who have asked the federal government for help to leave the region.

At a press conference in Ottawa, Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand said she expects charter flights to leave the United Arab Emirates in the next 72 hours.

A further 200 seats on commercial flights have been block-booked to help Canadians in Lebanon flee in the next three days.

Today, a flight left Beirut with 75 seats booked by the Canadian government. Most were filled with Canadians and the spare ones were offered by Canada to Britain and Australia. The countries have a reciprocal agreement to help each other’s citizens evacuate.

In Qatar, where the airspace is closed, Canadians were being bussed to neighbouring Saudi Arabia, with more land transportation being planned.

Read the full story here.

03/04/26 18:16

Fighting in Lebanon expands to areas that are not traditional Hezbollah strongholds

- Mark MacKinnon

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Mustafa Taha didn’t pick the first three calls from the foreign number that kept ringing his mobile phone Tuesday evening. It was almost time to break the day-long Ramadan fast, and he was too hungry and distracted to have a conversation with a stranger.

On the fourth call, Mr. Taha picked up and heard a recorded voice telling him in Arabic that he should immediately flee his home. He did, along with his wife and two children, just minutes before an Israeli missile slammed into the five-storey apartment building where they had lived for the past 16 years.

“I didn’t have time to take anything with me – just my family. I couldn’t grab my money, my documents, anything,” the 49-year-old electrician said today, as smoke continued to rise from the rubble of the apartment building in Sidon, a city that until Tuesday was considered a relatively safe space in the widening war for the Middle East.

The first two air strikes to hit Sidon marked the latest expansion of Israel’s campaign against the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militia, a conflict that is just one front in what is now a regional war. The strikes were among the first major attacks beyond the traditional Hezbollah strongholds of southern Lebanon, near the Israeli border, and the southern suburbs of Beirut.

Read the full story here.

03/05/26 06:00

Are you a Canadian traveller affected by what’s happening in the Middle East?

Are you a tourist or business traveller whose plans have been affected by the conflict in the Middle East? Have you been dealing with travel delays or suspended flights? Share your story below for a future Globe story, or e-mail audience@globeandmail.com. If you’d like to submit a photo, use this link.