LONDON, March 5 (Reuters) - 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.-led war against Iran escalates. Since February 28, nine ships have been damaged and at least one seafarer has been killed.

March 5 (Reuters) - 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.

By Katharine Jackson

WASHINGTON, March 5 (Reuters) - 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 shouting "Israel is the reason for this war, America does not want to fight for Israel."

By Andrew Gray

BRUSSELS, March 5 (Reuters) - NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said on Thursday he was "not deaf" to criticism that he goes overboard in praising Donald Trump but argued the U.S. president deserved it.

However, in an interview with Reuters, Rutte also offered praise for Spain - a target of Trump's ire for refusing to allow U.S. military bases on its soil to be used in the American-Israeli assault on Iran.

The US House of Representatives on Thursday rejected an effort to curb Donald Trump's authority to wage war against Iran, as the president faces fierce criticism over launching the conflict without seeking approval from Congress.

Lawmakers voted down a bipartisan resolution led by Republican Thomas Massie and Democrat Ro Khanna that would have required Trump to obtain congressional authorization before continuing military operations against Tehran.

BEIRUT, March 5 (Reuters) - Israel warned residents to leave Beirut's Hezbollah-controlled southern suburbs on Thursday, sparking panic as people fled a swathe of the Lebanese capital on the fourth day of full-scale hostilities between the Iran-backed group and Israel.

An Israeli military spokesperson, in a post on X, ordered residents of the southern suburbs to move east and north, posting a map showing four sprawling districts of the capital he said they must leave, part of the area is adjacent to Beirut airport.

LONDON, March 5 (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Thursday that four additional Typhoon fighter jets would be sent to Qatar as the conflict in the Middle East escalates, insisting that the UK has the right plan for defence.

Britain's cautious response to the Iran crisis and a drone attack on its key military base in Cyprus have led to doubts among partners about its military effectiveness.

U.S. President Donald Trump has also criticised Starmer for failing to provide sufficient support for his strikes on Iran.

PIRAEUS, Greece, March 5 (Reuters) - 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 is declared a war risk zone to enable their repatriation.

The Iran conflict threatens Gulf ports and has already disrupted global trade through the Strait of Hormuz, a key artery accounting ​for about 20% of global oil and gas supply. Although the Strait is not shut, Iran has warned that it will fire on ⁠any ship trying to pass through.

By Joshua McElwee

VATICAN CITY, March 5 (Reuters) - 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.

(Clarifies Iranian ambassador's title)

GENEVA, March 5 (Reuters) - The World Health Organization chief said on Thursday that it has verified 13 attacks on health infrastructure in Iran amid a U.S.-Israeli 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, without attributing blame.