March 8 (Reuters) - Oman's Muscat International Airport has asked private jet operators to avoid using the site for "additional flights," giving priority to government and commercial flights as fresh airspace closures hit the region’s attempts to increase travel, according to an email seen by Reuters.

"Due to the current crisis management measures at Muscat International Airport, flight movements are restricted to approved seasonal scheduled services only," the airport authorities told charter plane operators on Friday.

ISTANBUL, March 9 (Reuters) - Istanbul's jailed mayor Ekrem Imamoglu goes on trial on Monday in a sweeping corruption case that could extinguish the ambition of Tayyip Erdogan's main rival to become president at Turkey's next election.

Imamoglu, 55, is the chief suspect among more than 400 defendants linked to the Istanbul municipality accused of corruption and bribery. He and his main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) deny the charges, which carry prison sentences adding up to hundreds of years.

About 10 vessels in or near the Strait of Hormuz have come under attack since Iran blocked the strategic waterway in retaliation for US-Israeli strikes, data analysis groups report.

The attacks throughout the week following the outbreak of war on February 28 almost completely halted traffic through the strait, a crucial route for oil and other goods.

Britain's maritime security agency UKMTO has issued around 10 alerts for attacks as well as warnings of suspicious activity, but has released few details on the vessels involved.

By Samia Nakhoul and Parisa Hafezi

DUBAI, March 9 (Reuters) - Iran's clerical leadership chose confrontation over compromise in appointing Mojtaba Khamenei to succeed his father, Ali Khamenei, a move regional officials say is a direct rebuke to U.S. President Donald Trump, who had declared the son "unacceptable".

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in a U.S.-Israeli strike at the start of the conflict, now in its second week.

Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of late Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei who has been appointed as the new head of the Islamic republic, is a discreet figure who offers continuity of his father's hardline leadership.

The 56-year-old had no official post during his father's rule, but was speculated to be acting behind the scenes to pull strings at the heart of power in Iran.

He is regarded as close to conservatives, notably because of his ties with the powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which swiftly pledged allegiance to the new leader.

DUBAI, March 8 (Reuters) - Iran's Assembly of Experts has named Mojtaba Khamenei to replace his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as the country's new supreme leader, state media reported on Sunday.

Mojtaba, a mid-ranking cleric with close ties to the powerful Revolutionary Guards, had long been viewed by elements of Iran's ruling establishment as a potential successor to his father, who was killed after the United States and Israel launched strikes on Iran.

What is Israel's best bomb shelter? And when is the best time of day to shower without interruption from a missile alert?

The Middle East war that began with US and Israeli strikes on Iran has provoked waves of retaliatory Iranian fire as well as some tricky questions for Jews and Arabs from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

A new app, which went viral in the country within hours of launching, uses statistical analysis of recent air raid alerts in specific areas to guide users on the optimal time of day to bathe, while limiting the chances of having to run for cover mid-wash.

In central Beirut's Ramada hotel, a few metres away from Lebanon's landmark Pigeon Rocks, no one expected an Israeli strike to disturb the relative safety of this touristy area.

The rock formation, which comprises a natural arch and neighbouring sea stack, decorates the area of Raouche, facing a large banner that reads "beautiful romantic scenery".

They stood witness to Israel's first attack on central Beirut since the start of its new war against Hezbollah.

March 8 (Reuters) - The Iranian army said on Sunday that at least 104 people were killed and 32 were wounded in an attack by the U.S. on an Iranian warship off Sri Lanka's coast last week.

A U.S. submarine sank the frigate Dena in the Indian Ocean about 19 nautical miles off Sri Lanka's southern port city of Galle on Wednesday, killing dozens of sailors and dramatically widening Washington's pursuit of the Iranian navy.

(Reporting by Menna Alaa El-Din and Elwely Elwely; Editing by Alexandra Hudson)

March 8 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump is weighing the option of deploying special forces on the ground to seize Iran’s near-bomb-grade uranium, Bloomberg News reported on Sunday, citing three diplomatic officials briefed on the matter.

Reuters could not immediately verify the report.

(Reporting by Rhea Rose Abraham in Bengaluru)