By Emma Farge

GENEVA, March 25 (Reuters) - Gulf Arab states told the U.N. Human Rights Council on Wednesday they face an existential threat from Iran as they condemned Iranian attacks on their infrastructure, which the U.N. rights chief said might constitute war crimes.

The nearly month-long U.S.-Israeli war on Iran has sparked large-scale Iranian retaliation in the form of drone and missile strikes on energy and civilian infrastructure in Gulf countries, killing civilians and driving up oil prices.

By Jonathan Spicer

ISTANBUL, March 25 (Reuters) - Turkey "is playing a role passing messages" between Iran and the U.S. to encourage de-escalation and direct negotiations, Harun Armagan, vice chair of foreign affairs for President Tayyip Erdogan's ruling party, told Reuters on Wednesday.

He did not elaborate on the messages but said they were also being conveyed to Gulf nations, which have been caught up in the widening regional war sparked by the U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran.

By Katya Golubkova and Irene Wang

TOKYO, March 25 (Reuters) - Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi asked International Energy Agency chief Fatih Birol for an additional coordinated release of oil stockpiles when they met on Wednesday, as Tokyo seeks to hedge against a prolonged Middle East conflict.

After agreeing to release a record amount of oil stockpiles in coordination with the IEA to cover for the Middle East supply loss, Takaichi on Tuesday said Japan would also open up joint oil stockpiles co-owned by producing nations in the country.

BEIRUT, March 24 (Reuters) - Lebanese state media said on Tuesday that an air strike hit a Christian town north of Beirut, an area that had not yet been targeted in the expanding war between Israel and armed group Hezbollah.

There were no immediate reports of casualties in the town of Sahel Alma. Witnesses in the area told Reuters they heard several blasts and saw white smoke emanating from the town.

(Reporting by Maya Gebeily;Editing by Alison Williams)

March 25 (Reuters) - Drones targeted a fuel tank at Kuwait International Airport, causing a fire but no casualties, Kuwait's Civil Aviation Authority said on Wednesday.

Emergency procedures were activated immediately, with firefighting teams responding to the blaze, it said, adding that initial reports indicated only material damage.

(Reporting by Enas Alashray and Yomna Ehab; Editing by Christopher Cushing)

By Karen Lema

MANILA, March 25 (Reuters) - The Philippines is working with Washington to secure waivers and exemptions that will allow it to obtain oil from U.S.-sanctioned countries and guarantee supplies, its ambassador to the United States said.

The Philippines, which relies heavily on imported fuel, declared a state of national energy emergency on Tuesday to deal with the fallout from the Middle East war, including the disruptions to oil procurement.

March 26 (Reuters) - Win Zaw is among five of a Myanmar family who fan out on motorcycles most nights from their small village in the rice-growing Irrawaddy delta to queue at fuel depots that might yield a few jerry cans of diesel for his tractor.

"Some even sleep there overnight," said the farmer, adding that lines of buyers on motorcycles and tractors formed as early as 3 a.m. "This is a total waste of manpower and time."

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez warned Wednesday that the Middle East war presented a "far worse" scenario than the invasion of Iraq in 2003.

"This is not the same scenario as the illegal war in Iraq. We are facing something far worse. Much worse. With a potential impact that is far broader and far deeper," he told parliament.

"This time, it's an absurd and illegal war. A cruel one that sets us back from achieving our economic, social, and environmental goals."

By Ben Blanchard and Yimou Lee

TAIPEI, March 25 (Reuters) - Taiwan fears China will exploit the distraction of the United States by its war in the Middle East, with state media citing examples from the conflict to cast doubt on the efficiency of U.S. weapons the island would use to repel any invasion.

One of the world's biggest potential flashpoints, democratically governed Taiwan faces growing military pressure from China, which views the island as its own territory, around which Beijing held its latest war games in December.

March 25 (Reuters) - Countries across Asia are weighing up work-from-home policies and stimulus measures enforced during the COVID pandemic, as they scramble to respond to global fuel shortages triggered by the Iran war.

Asia is at the frontline of the fuel crisis, buying more than 80% of the crude that transits the Strait of Hormuz, which has been almost totally blocked by Iran since the war broke out on February 28.

No country in the region has enforced work-from-home measures yet, but some have said they are on the table.