WASHINGTON, March 10 (Reuters) - President Donald Trump's nominee for a senior State Department position withdrew from consideration on Tuesday after his controversial comments about Jewish people and diminishing white power stirred rare Republican opposition to the president's choice.

In a statement on X, Jeremy Carl, Trump's nominee for assistant secretary of state for international organizations, thanked Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio for their support, but said their backing was not sufficient.

Iran unleashed a wave of attacks against Israel and Gulf nations on Wednesday, including targeting a Saudi oilfield, as reports of a proposed record release of oil reserves helped calm markets and prices.

The war sparked by US-Israeli strikes on Iran has spread across the region and beyond, causing spiking energy costs, fuel rationing, and even school closures.

By Renju Jose

SYDNEY, March 11 (Reuters) - Australia on Wednesday granted humanitarian visas to two more members of the Iranian women's soccer team who decided to stay in the country due to fears for their safety if they returned home.

Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said a player and a support staff member accepted the government's offer, after five players from the team were granted asylum a day earlier.

"I made them the same offer that I made the five players the night before," Burke told reporters.

PARIS, March 10 (Reuters) - French President Emmanuel Macron will convene a call with leaders of the Group of Seven on Wednesday to discuss the Iran crisis and rising energy prices, the French president's office said.

The talks come as G7 governments weigh how to respond to a sharp rise in oil prices triggered by the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran.

G7 energy ministers stopped short of agreeing on a release of strategic oil reserves on Tuesday and instead asked the International Energy Agency to assess the situation before acting.

Israel pounded Beirut's southern suburbs late Wednesday night, while militant group Hezbollah fired rockets and missiles at northern Israel in a new operation, as the death toll in Lebanon climbed past 630.

Earlier on Wednesday, Israel had struck the heart of the capital for a second time since the country became a front in the wider conflict roiling the Middle East.

March 10 (Reuters) - 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.

By Cassell Bryan-Low and Joey Roulette

WASHINGTON, March 10 (Reuters) - California-based Planet Labs has expanded restrictions on accessing its imagery of the Middle East to prevent adversaries from using it to attack the U.S. and its allies, a sign of how the expansion of commercial space business can impact conflicts.

Iranian women footballers claiming asylum in Australia evacuated from their safe house on Wednesday after one team member changed her mind and revealed their location to the Iranian embassy, Canberra said.

Seven members of Iran's visiting women's football delegation had sought sanctuary in Australia after they were branded "traitors" at home for refusing to sing the national anthem.

But one member of the group had second thoughts after speaking to other players who had turned down asylum in favour of returning to Iran, Australian Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said.

DUBAI, March 10 (Reuters) - Iran has arrested dozens including a foreign national for allegedly spying for the country's "enemies", the Intelligence Ministry said on Tuesday, amid a continued war with the U.S. and Israel.

The U.S. and Israel launched airstrikes against Iran on February 28, killing the country's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and several commanders.

During the ongoing conflict, Iran has launched retaliatory strikes against Gulf countries that are U.S. allies and host American military bases.

SEOUL, March 11 (Reuters) - North Korea said on Wednesday it supports the Iranian people's choice of new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, who was named on Monday to succeed his father killed in the initial strikes against the country by the U.S. and Israel, state media said.

North Korea's foreign ministry also said it strongly denounces acts of aggression by the U.S. and Israel of "illegal" attacks against Iran, which are destroying peace and escalating instability worldwide, KCNA state news agency said.

(Reporting by Jack Kim; E+diting by Chris Reese)