Exhausted Afghans cross the border from Iran in a sandstorm, leaving behind a country in the grip of war to return to a homeland that is battered by conflict and humanitarian crisis.

At the Islam Qala crossing point in Herat province, western Afghanistan, Talibshah, who did not to give his family name, said he had been working in agriculture northwest of Tehran.

He was cheated by money changers at the border and was trying to figure out how to get back to Sar-e-Pol province in the north, hundreds of kilometres away on difficult, mountainous roads.

Iran warned it could wage a prolonged war with the United States and Israel that would "destroy" the world economy, even as US President Donald Trump said late Wednesday the Islamic republic was facing imminent defeat.

The defiance from Tehran came as fighting around the strategic Strait of Hormuz -- the waterway carrying a fifth of the world's oil -- sent shock waves through energy markets, prompting emergency releases from global reserves and a limited draw on US stockpiles.

BUCHAREST, March 11 (Reuters) - Romanian President Nicusor Dan has convened the EU and NATO nation's top defence council on Wednesday to discuss whether to allow U.S. aircraft access to its military bases for support linked to its Tehran operations, political sources said.

The council will meet for the first time this year to discuss the security fallout from the conflict in the Middle East, its impact on Romania's energy market and "the temporary deployment of military capability on Romanian territory."

German arms maker Rheinmetall said Wednesday the Middle East war offered new business opportunities, especially for its air defence systems, as it forecast continued strong growth this year.

The conflict began with US-Israeli strikes on Iran at the end of February, triggering retaliatory Iranian attacks across the region, as well as turmoil on global markets.

Rheinmetall, whose business has boomed since Russia's 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine spurred a re-armament drive in Europe, said it may now turn its attention to the Middle East.

By Sarah Young

LONDON, March 11 (Reuters) - British police said they had banned a pro-Iranian march due to take place in London on Sunday, citing the possibility of "extreme tensions" with counter-protesters and the risk posed by Tehran during the conflict in the Middle East.

The Al Quds march in central London is organised annually by the Islamic Human Rights Commission, which the police said was supportive of the Iranian regime.

SEOUL, March 11 (Reuters) - South Korea's senior presidential secretary for AI, Ha Jung-woo, said on Wednesday that artificial intelligence cooperation with the United Arab Emirates could accelerate after the Middle East conflict ends, given the UAE's need to strengthen its defence capabilities.

BEIRUT, March 11 (Reuters) - An Israeli strike hit an apartment block in central Beirut on Wednesday, Lebanon's state news agency reported, further widening Israeli attacks in the capital beyond the Hezbollah-controlled southern suburbs where heavy strikes continued.

Footage showed extensive damage to two floors of the apartment block in the Aicha Bakkar neighbourhood, and smoke rising from the building.

There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military and no immediate reports of casualties.

US President Donald Trump would "welcome" Iran's participation at the upcoming World Cup in North America, despite the ongoing Middle East war, the White House said on Wednesday.

The war, triggered by US-Israeli strikes on February 28, has thrown into doubt Iran's participation at this summer's men's football World Cup, jointly hosted by Canada, Mexico and the United States.

The US administration was confirming an Instagram post by FIFA chief Gianni Infantino earlier in the day.

SYDNEY, March 11 (Reuters) - Australia has closed its embassies in Abu Dhabi and Tel Aviv as well as its consulate in Dubai, the foreign minister said on Wednesday, amid fears the conflict in the Middle East could intensify.

Iran's new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei is injured but "safe and sound", the son of the president said Wednesday, offering the first official explanation for why the 56-year-old has not been seen since his appointment at the weekend.

"I heard news that Mr Mojtaba Khamenei had been injured. I have asked some friends who had connections," Yousef Pezeshkian, who is also a government adviser, wrote in a post on his Telegram channel.

"They told me that, thank God, he is safe and sound," added the son of President Masoud Pezeshkian.