The article details escalating US-Israeli military actions against Iran, including Trump's threats over alleged mine-laying in the Strait of Hormuz and US claims of destroying Iranian vessels. It covers rising oil prices, Israeli leaders defending strikes on Iranian oil sites, damage to Russia's consulate, Iran's reports of extensive civilian casualties and destruction, and international calls for de-escalation, while also noting UK preparedness and evacuation efforts.
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In a post on Truth Social, Trump said the consequences to Iran will be “at a level never seen before” if no action is taken to remove the mines. “If for any reason mines were placed, and they are not removed forthwith, the Military consequences to Iran will be at a level never seen before,” he wrote. “If, on the other hand, they remove what may have been placed, it will be a giant step in the right direction!” It comes amid market turmoil, with oil prices having surged over the weekend and hitting a high of $115 a barrel on Monday. Prices subsequently fell after Trump said the war would end “very soon”. RECOMMENDED Trump threatens to unleash ‘death, fire and fury’ on Iran if it meddles with flow of oil in Middle East The critical infrastructure that’s so vital to Middle East nations – and vulnerable to Iranian attack Iran may have activated ‘sleeper cells’ to carry out attacks around the globe, US officials say Trump says US sunk 10 mine-laying ships after threatening Iran over reports of mines in the Strait of Hormuz KEY POINTS Trump warns Iran to 'immediately' remove mines in the Hormuz Strait US asks Israel not to attack Iran's energy infrastructure Open Strait of Hormuz or we will strike 20 times harder, White House warns Iran Around 140 US troops wounded in Iran conflict, says Pentagon BA scraps flights across Middle East as war rages on Senator admits US 'made a mistake' with Iranian girls' school bombing Russian consulate in Isfahan damaged earlier this week, says Moscow Russia's consulate in the Iranian city of Isfahan was damaged in shelling earlier this week, Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Tuesday. An attack on a diplomatic representation was a "blatant violation" of international conventions and all sides should observe the "inviolability of diplomatic sites", she said. "On March 8, in the Iranian city of Isfahan, as a result of an attack on the governor's administration of the province of the same name located nearby, the Russian consulate was damaged," Zakharova said in a statement on the ministry's website. "Windows were shattered in the office building and residential apartments, and several employees were thrown by the blast wave. Fortunately, there were no casualties or serious injuries." President Vladimir Putin discussed the conflict with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Tuesday, the Kremlin said. The Kremlin leader has called for a halt to all hostilities. Alex Croft10 March 2026 23:45 Even Joe Rogan is against Trump's attacks on Iran: 'It just seems so insane' Even Joe Rogan is against Trump's attacks on Iran: 'It just seems so insane' Alex Croft10 March 2026 23:21 Israeli PM refuses to say when war could end Isaac Herzog, the Israeli president, has refused to offer a timetable on when the war with Iran could end, telling Germany's Bild newspaper: "We need to take a deep breath and get to the end result." Herzog said the US and Israeli attacks on Iran were changing the whole configuration of the Middle East. He defended strikes on Iranian oil sites as a way of taking away money from Tehran's "war machine". The interview was published as the US and Israel pounded Iran with what the Pentagon and Iranians on the ground said were the most intense airstrikes of the war, despite global markets betting that President Donald Trump will seek to end the conflict soon. Israel's foreign minister, Gideon Saar, had earlier said his country was not planning for an endless war and was consulting with Washington about when to stop it. “The Iranians are the ones spreading chaos and terror throughout the region and the world. So I think if we measure everything by a speedometer, we won’t get anywhere. We need to take a deep breath and get to the end result,” Herzog told Bild. Eliminating the Iranian threat would "enable the entire system in the region to suddenly breathe again and develop further. That’s fantastic,” he added. Alex Croft10 March 2026 22:58 Comment | Make no mistake, the only person this war is good for is Benjamin Netanyahu The Iran war has produced a dizzying mixture of contradictory statements from Washington. But one remark refuses to fade: Marco Rubio’s blunt admission that the United States joined the onslaught on 28 February because it knew Israel was about to strike Iran. If the secretary of state spoke plainly for a moment, he revealed something uncomfortable – not only about how the war began, but about who may ultimately decide when it ends. Of course, Rubio then tried to walk it back. How could he do otherwise when US president Donald Trump himself swiftly suggested that the dynamic had been one of the US leading Israel into war rather than the other way round? But why should Rubio have said it in the first place if it was false, especially when a carefully sourced story in the New York Times suggested that Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, had “spurred” Trump to opt for war rather than continue with diplomatic negotiations? Donald Macintyre writes: Make no mistake, the only person this war is good for is Benjamin Netanyahu Amid the contradictions and denials surrounding the Iran conflict, one admission from the US secretary of state Marco Rubio may offer the clearest insight yet into how the war began, says Donald Macintyre – and why it may prove difficult to end Alex Croft10 March 2026 22:35 Healey praises 'remarkable effort' to prepare HMS Dragon The Defence Secretary has praised the Royal Navy’s “remarkable effort” to prepare HMS Dragon for deployment over the past week. John Healey said: “I have only praise for our Royal Navy personnel and civilian teams who have worked flat out to prepare HMS Dragon for deployment to the eastern Mediterranean. “What is normally six weeks of work was completed in just six days – a remarkable effort delivered around the clock. They are the very best of Britain in action.” The Defence Secretary did not rule out UK aircraft involvement (PA) (PA Wire) HMS Dragon’s commanding officer, Commander Iain Griffin, said: “My ship’s company have worked tirelessly to ensure we are ready for our mission to the eastern Mediterranean. “I am proud of the professional manner in which they have responded. We are trained for this, we are ready for this, we have the equipment and people, we have the support of the British people and, most importantly, our families and friends.” Alex Croft10 March 2026 22:16 Second charter flight carrying UK nationals takes off from Dubai A second charter flight carrying British nationals home has taken off from Dubai, the Foreign Office has said. The plane was chartered to allow those who could not get seats on commercial flights, and particularly vulnerable people, to access a safe route back to the UK more quickly. There was a charge for the flight. Increasing numbers of commercial flights leaving the Gulf have become available in recent days, with 32 landing in the UK on Monday. Some 45,000 UK nationals are estimated to have left the region since March 1, out of the more than 200,000 thought to be in the Gulf at the start of the war. Alex Croft10 March 2026 21:58 Trump says US sunk 10 mine-laying ships after threatening Iran over reports of mines in the Strait of Hormuz President Donald Trump has said the United States sunk 10 mine-laying ships after threatening Iran over reports of mines in the Strait of Hormuz. “I am pleased to report that within the last few hours, we have hit, and completely destroyed, 10 inactive mine laying boats and/or ships, with more to follow!” Trump wrote on Truth Social Tuesday afternoon. Trump’s announcement came minutes after the president warned against Iran placing mines in the waterway that carries about a fifth of the world’s oil supply. “If for any reason mines were placed, and they are not removed forthwith, the Military consequences to Iran will be at a level never seen before,” Trump wrote on Truth Social earlier Tuesday. Rachel Dobkin brings the report: Trump says US sunk 10 mine-laying ships after reports of mines in Strait of Hormuz The Strait of Hormuz is a waterway bordered in the north by Iran that carries about a fifth of the world’s oil supply Alex Croft10 March 2026 21:48 Iran's UN ambassador says nearly 10,000 civilian sites destroyed in US-Israeli strikes Iran's UN Ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani has said that US-Israeli airstrikes on Iran have destroyed nearly 10,000 civilian sites. This includes 65 schools and educational institutions and almost 8,000 homes since the war began on 28 February, he said. He also repeated a previous death toll that the strikes had killed more than 1,300 civilians. The Iran war, which began more than a week ago, has caused uncertainty in the oil and gas industry (Sasan/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images) Alex Croft10 March 2026 21:39 G7 to speak on Wednesday, Canada PM says Leaders of the Group of Seven will speak on Wednesday, Ottawa said on Tuesday after Canadian prime minister Mark Carney talked with French president Emmanuel Macron on the Iran crisis. France is the current G7 chair. Alex Croft10 March 2026 21:18 Son of British couple trapped in Tehran prison asks Trump for help after being ‘let down’ by British government The son of a British couple trapped in an Iranian prison is appealing to Donald Trump for help after being “let down” by the British government. Joe Bennett says that British consular staff did not tell Craig and Lindsay Foreman that they were leaving Iran a day before the conflict erupted, and says he feels a profound sense of abandonment by the government. He now hopes Donald Trump may be able to offer support, as he prepares to address the US Capitol on Thursday. Read the full story: Son of British couple trapped in Iran asks US for help after being ‘let down’ by UK Joe Bennett is travelling to the US to lobby Trump for support as the US ramps up strikes on Iran James Reynolds10 March 2026 20:56 Newer 1 / 4 Older
