When a deafening drone tore a hole in her roof in northern Iraq, Iranian Kurd Amine Poursaid, gripped by fear of another attack, packed her family's belongings and prepared to escape.

She is one of thousands of Iranian Kurds opposed to the Islamic republic and who are living in exile in neighbouring Iraq. For years, they were safe, but since the Iran war began, their bases have become targets.

"Everything came crashing inside," said Poursaid, the wife of an Iranian opposition party member.

US President Donald Trump said Monday that he will waive some sanctions on oil to boost supply and bring down prices, due to market turmoil over war in the Middle East.

The US-Israel strikes on Iran and Tehran's retaliatory attacks across the Gulf region have upended the world's energy and transport sectors, virtually halting activity in the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz.

"We're also waiving certain oil-related sanctions to reduce prices," Trump told reporters after talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

By Heejin Kim and Kyu-seok Shim

SEOUL, March 10 (Reuters) - South Korea cannot stop Washington from redeploying some weapons stationed in the country, President Lee Jae Myung said on Tuesday, after reports that U.S. Patriot missile defence systems were being sent to the conflict in the Middle East.

Reports on shifting key U.S. military assets have sparked concern in Asia about the potential gaps in regional defences if Washington diverts ships and missiles currently used to deter military flexing by China and North Korea to other theatres.

HANOI, March 10 (Reuters) - Vietnam's trade ministry has called on local businesses to encourage their employees to work from home as part of efforts to save on fuel amid supply disruptions and price surges triggered by the Iran war.

Vietnam has been among the countries hardest hit by fuel disruptions since the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran began, being heavily reliant on energy imports from the Middle East, the government said in a statement on Tuesday, citing a report from the Ministry of Industry and Trade.

WASHINGTON, March 10 (Reuters) - Record high Islamophobia in the U.S. in 2025 was driven in part by President Donald Trump's crackdown against pro-Palestinian protests and immigration, a Muslim advocacy group said on Tuesday.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations said it recorded 8,683 anti-Muslim and anti-Arab complaints in 2025, the highest since it began publishing data in 1996, compared to 8,658 in 2024.

By Parisa Hafezi, Enas Alashray and Kanishka Singh

DUBAI/CAIRO/WASHINGTON, March 10 (Reuters) - Iran's Revolutionary Guards said on Tuesday they would not allow "one litre of oil" to be shipped from the Middle East if U.S. and Israeli attacks continue, prompting a warning from President Donald Trump that the U.S. would hit Iran much harder if it blocked exports from the vital energy-producing region.

By Alasdair Pal

SYDNEY, March 10 (Reuters) - Australian police extracted five Iranian women soccer players from the team's hotel before they were granted asylum, the interior minister said on Tuesday, as details of their escape from Iranian government minders emerged.

The five players, including team captain Zahra Ghanbari, sought protection after the team were branded "wartime traitors" for refusing to sing their national anthem before an Asian Cup match.

Oil prices sank and equities pushed higher Tuesday following a wild day of swings that came after President Donald Trump signalled that the US-Israeli war on Iran could end sooner than thought.

International oil benchmark, Brent North Sea crude, plunged 9.6 percent to $89.44 a barrel, a day after it neared $120.

The drop in oil prices gathered pace as member states of the International Energy Agency met for crisis talks to assess "the current security of supply" and the potential release of emergency stocks.

US Vice President JD Vance on Monday attended the dignified transfer ceremony for the seventh soldier killed in the Middle East war.

US Army Sgt. Benjamin Pennington, 26, died March 8 from injuries sustained in a March 1 strike on Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia.

Pennington's hometown was Glendale, Kentucky, and he was assigned to the 1st Space Battalion, 1st Space Brigade out of Fort Carson, CO.

The Middle East war has unleashed a torrent of AI-driven disinformation. Beyond entirely fabricated visuals, another kind of content is spreading: authentic images "enhanced" in ways that experts say are subtly distorting perceptions of what's happening on the ground.

In one striking photo, a kneeling US pilot is confronted by a Kuwaiti local, moments after parachuting from his jet. The high-quality image was widely shared online and even published by media outlets. Yet the pilot appears to have only four fingers on each hand.