Tuesday roundupWar in the Middle East: latest developments

AFP
Smoke rises from the site of an Israeli airstrike in the southern suburbs of Lebanese capital Beirut
Smoke rises from the site of an Israeli airstrike in the southern suburbs of Lebanese capital Beirut
© AFP

Here are the latest events in the Middle East war:

- Iran launches new strikes -

Iran launched a new salvo of missiles at Israeli cities including Tel Aviv and US targets in the region, the Revolutionary Guards said.

- IEA calls emergency meeting -

The International Energy Agency’s member countries will hold an emergency meeting Tuesday to assess “the current security of supply and market conditions” for oil, said IEA executive director Fatih Birol, as the war put massive upward pressure on prices.

- Iran arrests alleged spies -

A banner depicting Iran's new Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei on the side of a highway in Tehran on March 10, 2026
A banner depicting Iran’s new Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei on the side of a highway in Tehran on March 10, 2026
© AFP

Iran’s intelligence ministry announced the arrests of 30 people accused of spying “on behalf of two Persian Gulf countries in the name of the American-Zionist enemy”.

Those arrested included one foreigner, whose nationality was not revealed.

- Major refinery shut -

One of the world’s biggest oil refineries, the Ruwais facility in the United Arab Emirates, halted operations as a “precaution” following a drone attack on the industrial complex housing it, a source told AFP.

- ‘Catastrophic’ -

A tanker passes through the Strait of Hormuz, a key energy transport route, on February 25, 2026
A tanker passes through the Strait of Hormuz, a key energy transport route, on February 25, 2026
© AFP/File

Saudi Arabian oil giant Aramco warned the war could have “catastrophic consequences” on oil markets, and called for reopening the Strait of Hormuz -- which normally carries about 20 percent of global oil supplies but has been closed by the conflict.

- Putin urges ‘de-escalation’ -

Russian President Vladimir Putin called for “de-escalation” of the Iran conflict in a phone call with Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian, the Kremlin said.

“Pezeshkian thanked Russia for its support, particularly for providing humanitarian aid to Iran,” the Kremlin added, confirming Moscow had sent assistance to its ally Tehran.

- EU to keep Russia sanctions -

European Union economy chief Valdis Dombrovskis said the bloc did not support removing sanctions on Russian oil despite soaring energy prices.

“We must continue to exert maximum pressure on Russia” over its Ukraine war, he said when asked about US President Donald Trump’s announcement he would waive some sanctions on oil.

EU energy chief Dan Jorgensen called on member states to lower taxes on energy where possible.

- ‘Eye for an eye’ -

A boy at a makeshift encampment along the waterfront in Beirut on March 10, 2026
A boy at a makeshift encampment along the waterfront in Beirut on March 10, 2026
© AFP

“The enemy should know that whatever they do, undoubtedly it will have a proportionate and immediate response,” said Iran’s parliamentary speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf.

“We today go with the rule of ‘an eye for an eye’, without compromise, without exception,” he wrote on X. “If they start a war on infrastructure, we will undoubtedly target infrastructure.”

- Embassy evacuations -

Denmark and the Netherlands announced they were relocating their respective embassy staff in Tehran to Azerbaijan.

- Iran deploys Legos -

As Iran hits back against US and Israeli attacks with missiles and drones, it is also fighting a propaganda war with a Lego-style animation video complete with toy renditions of Trump, bombs and warplanes.

Iran’s state-run Revayat-e Fath institute released the two-minute video on state television following the February 28 US-Israeli attacks that killed supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and triggered the war.

- ‘Most intense day’ -

Smoke billows from the site of airstrikes near Azadi Tower in western Tehran on March 10, 2026
Smoke billows from the site of airstrikes near Azadi Tower in western Tehran on March 10, 2026
© AFP

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said attacks on Iran will ramp up Tuesday with the heaviest strikes since Washington launched the war 10 days ago.

“Today will be yet again our most intense day of strikes inside Iran,” Hegseth told a news conference at the Pentagon.

- ‘Empty’ threats -

Iran’s security chief Ali Larijani brushed off threats by Trump to hit the Islamic republic harder if the flow of oil stops through the Strait of Hormuz.

“Iran is not afraid of your empty threats. Even those greater than you could not eliminate the Iranian nation. Take care of yourself not to be eliminated!” he wrote in a post on X.

- Energy prices drop, stocks recover -

Energy prices dropped on Tuesday after US President Donald Trump said 'I think the war is very complete, pretty much'
Energy prices dropped on Tuesday after US President Donald Trump said ‘I think the war is very complete, pretty much’
© AFP

Oil and gas prices tumbled after Trump said “I think the war is very complete, pretty much”.

Brent crude and US crude oil benchmark West Texas Intermediate were hovering either side of the $90 a barrel mark, after having soared to almost $120 Monday. But they remain around 20 percent higher than prior to the start of the conflict.

Asian and European stock markets rallied. Wall Street opened flat.

- Talks ‘not on agenda’ -

Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, told PBS news that “I don’t think talking with the Americans would be on our agenda anymore”, adding that Tehran had a “very bitter experience” during previous negotiations.

- ‘Not done yet’ -

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the offensive against Iran was “not done yet”.

A man in an underground parking used as a bomb shelter during an alert in Israel's Tel Aviv
A man in an underground parking used as a bomb shelter during an alert in Israel’s Tel Aviv
© AFP

“Our aspiration is to bring the Iranian people to cast off the yoke of tyranny; ultimately, it depends on them. But there is no doubt that with the actions taken so far, we are breaking their bones -- and we are not done yet”.

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