By Simon Lewis

WASHINGTON, March 5 (Reuters) - The U.S. State Department said on Thursday it was ramping up the provision of charter flights from the Middle East after criticism over the Trump administration's planning and initial assistance to U.S. citizens trying to leave the regionsince the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran began.

The strikes that began on Saturday and Iran's retaliatory attackson its neighbors have led to widespreadairspace closures, clogging busy aviation routes throughout the region and leaving thousands stranded.

JERUSALEM, March 5 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday called again on Israel's president to grant Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a pardon for corruption charges, saying the premier should have nothing on his mind but the war with Iran.

Despite renewed fighting with the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah just over the border, the mood was almost normal Thursday on the main street of Kiryat Shmona, a small town in northern Israel.

Unlike during the last war with the Iran-backed movement, when the town was evacuated over fears of rocket fire, most shops are still open and customers sit on terraces of neighbourhood cafeterias.

But when sirens suddenly wail, warning of incoming fire from the militants across the frontier, visibly scared residents scramble to get to shelters downstairs.

By Samia Nakhoul

DUBAI, March 5 (Reuters) - With its supreme leader killed and its war machine under relentless U.S. pressure, Iran now stands largely alone - its longtime partners Russia and China offering nothing more than diplomatic condemnations and expressions of concern.

WASHINGTON, March 5 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump told Reuters in a telephone interview on Thursday that the United States will have a role in choosing Iran's next leader.

Trump said it was very early in the process of picking a new leader but that Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's son Mojtaba was an unlikely choice.

"We want to be involved in the process of choosing the person who is going to lead Iran into the future," Trump said.

Fewer commercial flights were cancelled Thursday in the Middle East despite continued military strikes, with more than 100 flights taking off from the United Arab Emirates, according to a specialist data firm.

The United States and Israel launched a campaign of air strikes against Iran on Saturday, killing its supreme leader and sparking retaliatory attacks by Tehran across the Gulf, with airports also targeted.

KYIV, March 5 (Reuters) - Ukraine returned 200 prisoners of war in its latest swap with Russia, including troops captured in Moscow's siege of Mariupol in early 2022, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Thursday.

"Every time our people come home, it proves that Ukraine is working to bring everyone back. No one is forgotten," he said on X.

"We involve mediators. I am grateful to everyone who helps Ukraine. I thank the United States for its support in making this exchange possible."

ZURICH, March 5 (Reuters) - The current turmoil in the Middle East is a direct result of the erosion in international law, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said on Thursday.

In a speech at the University of Zurich, Kallas said the international order has been undermined by major powers acting unilaterally, pointing the finger particularly at Russia, but also directing criticism at China and the United States.

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.