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.
TAIPEI, March 10 (Reuters) - The United States has not approached Taiwan about transfers of weapons to the Middle East, Defence Minister Wellington Koo said on Tuesday, after South Korea said it was in talks about the possible redeployment of some U.S. Patriot missile systems.
South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun said on Friday the U.S. and South Korean militaries are discussing the possible redeployment of some U.S. Patriot missile defence systems based in South Korea to be used in the war against Iran.
SEOUL, March 10 (Reuters) - South Korea President Lee Jae Myung said on Tuesday that his country could not stop U.S. forces in Korea from shipping some weapons out of the Asian country, but that it would not impact deterrence against North Korea.
"It appears that there is a controversy recently over U.S. Forces in Korea shipping some weapons out of the country," Lee said, noting while Seoul had expressed opposition it was not in a position to make demands.
By Richard Cowan
WASHINGTON, March 9 (Reuters) - Six Democrats in the U.S. Senate on Monday said they are embarking on an intensified campaign for public hearings on the Iran war, with top Trump administration officials testifying under oath and to take steps to interrupt regular Senate business if Republicans resist.
Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey told reporters that the senior Democrats on the Foreign Relations and Armed Services committees have made the requests to Republican chairmen James Risch and Roger Wicker, respectively.
By Samia Nakhoul
DUBAI, March 10 (Reuters)- - Iran is wagering it can outlast the United States and Israel--not militarily, but by grinding the war into a brutal contest of endurance. Its strategy is stark: Unleash drones and missiles, cut vital energy routes and jolt global markets hard enough to force Washington to blink first.
By David Brunnstrom
March 9 (Reuters) - Despite what it called a humanitarian "disaster" in Afghanistan, the U.S. said on Monday international assistance to the country should be evaluated, given Taliban "intransigence" and its exclusion of the female population from basic rights.
