LIVE | Trump claims Iran war is "pretty much" over

Oil prices fell Monday in electronic trading after the close after President Donald Trump said the war in Iran is "pretty much over."

"I think the war is very complete, pretty much. They have no navy, no communications, they've got no air force," Trump told CBS News by phone.

About 19H45 GMT, the price of Brent crude, the international benchmark, was down 5.20% to $87.87 a barrel from the closing price a few minutes earlier.

West Texas Intermediate (WTI) was losing 7.47% to $84.11. Prices soared in the last ten days, in the face of supply difficulties from the Middle East due to the conflict. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) was up 7.47% to $84.11.
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The State Department completed more than two dozen charter flights to rescue Americans in the Middle East since the war began. "Through the State Department’s 24/7 Task Force, we have directly assisted over 23,000 Americans abroad, offering security guidance and travel assistance," said Under Secretary of State for Global Public Affairs Dylan Johnson.

More than 36,000 citizens returned home on both government-arranged and private flights. Johnson detailed that the department had plenty of room to spare considering the requests for assistance they were receiving, and that "many Americans continue to depart on commercial options."

President Donald Trump on Monday said the government of Australia agranted asylum to members of the Iranian women's national soccer team competing in the AFC Asian Women's Cup, after several players staged silent protests during the tournament and fears were raised for their safety if they return home...
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World

Between soccer and exile: Iranian women's national team afraid to return home

Diane Hernández

The rise in oil prices above $100 per barrel hit markets hard, and stock markets fell on Monday amid fears that the prolongation of the conflict in the Middle East could trigger a new inflationary spike.

Oil rose as much as 30% during trading in Asia and, around 8:30 a.m. EST, West Texas Intermediate (WTI) was up 9.6% to $102.23 a barrel and a barrel of North Sea Brent gained 10.3% to $99.61.

Hours earlier, oil had surged as much as 30% during the Asian trading day. In recent hours, the price of both WTI and Brent exceeded $118 per barrel, their highest level since the summer of 2022, when prices spiked following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

European stock markets opened with sharp declines, but by midday they trimmed losses on the prospect that G7 countries will draw in a coordinated way on their reserves to contain escalating prices.

Around 8:40 a.m., the Paris stock exchange was down  1.56%, Frankfurt 1.14%, London dropped 0.76%, Milan 1.01% and Madrid 1.58%.


On Wall Street, the trend was confirmed and, after early trading, the Dow Jones gave up 1.23%, the Nasdaq by 0.95% and the S&P 500 lost 1.08%.

U.S. President Donald Trump told The New York Post on Monday that he is "not happy" with the appointment of Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei to succeed his recently assassinated father as Iran's supreme leader.

"I'm not happy with him," Trump told the outlet from his Doral, Fla., golf club near Miami when asked about his plans for Iran's new supreme leader.

Iran's security chief Ali Larijani said Monday that security cannot be restored in the Strait of Hormuz as long as the war with the United States and Israel continues.

"It is unlikely that any security can be achieved in the Strait of Hormuz amid the U.S.-Israeli attacks in the region," Larijani said in a post on X, quoted by AFP, after France announced that, together with its allies, it was preparing a "defensive" mission to reopen the sea lane.

French President Emmanuel Macron said Monday that he is preparing with partners a "strictly defensive mission" to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and escort ships "after the exit of the hottest phase of the conflict" from the Middle East.

During a visit to Cyprus, the president noted that France will contribute "in a lasting way" to security in the Red Sea by deploying two frigates, which will join the European mission created in that area in 2024.

According to AFP, Macron also mentioned the drone attack suffered by Cyprus last week, in the eastern Mediterranean, as part of Iranian retaliation to the U.S.-Israeli offensive. "When they attack Cyprus, they attack Europe," he said of the E.U. member country.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun on Monday accused Hezbollah of promoting the "collapse" of the state to favor Iran's interests, just a week after the group attacked Israel and unleashed a new war on Lebanese territory.

"Whoever launched those missiles wanted to provoke the collapse of the Lebanese state, plunging it into aggression and chaos ... all in the service of the Iranian regime's calculations," Aoun told a meeting with senior European officials, AFP reported.

Aoun described Hezbollah as "an armed group outside the state, which does not value Lebanon's interests or the lives of its people," and called for "direct negotiations under international auspices" with Israel to stop the war.

President Donald Trump on Monday called on Australia to grant asylum to the Iranian women's soccer team in the country after the players refused to stand for the national anthem during a match.

Trump wrote on his social networking site Truth Social that Australia would be making "a grave humanitarian mistake" if it allows the Iranian women's team to be sent back to their country, where, according to the president, they could face grave danger.

Donald Trump also urged Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to grant them asylum and assured that the United States would be willing to take them in if Australia does not.

"Don’t do it, Mr. Prime Minister, give ASYLUM. The U.S. will take them if you won’t," Trump added.

The New York Stock Exchange opened lower on Monday, weighed down by rising oil prices, on the 10th day of war in the Middle East. After the first trades of the day, the Dow Jones index fell 1.59%, the Nasdaq fell 1.36%, and the S&P 500 lost 1.43%.

"We are shocked by the events in the Middle East and the price of oil," Steve Sosnick, of Interactive Brokers, told AFP.

Russia and China, Iran's traditional allies in the region, publicly expressed their support for Mojtaba Khamenei as Iran's new supreme leader.

In a message to the new Iranian leader, Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday offered him his "unfailing support" and the "solidarity" of the Russian people, assuring that "Russia has been and will remain a reliable partner" of the Islamic republic.

"At a time when Iran is facing armed aggression, its performance in such a lofty position will undoubtedly require great courage and dedication," Putin added.

Beijing said the decision to appoint Khamenei as Iran's new supreme leader is an internal matter and "a decision of the Iranian side based on its Constitution," according to diplomatic spokesman Guo Kiakun.

Furthermore, China made it clear that it opposes an attack against the new supreme leader, as Israel and Trump had threatened.

Lebanese terrorist group Hezbollah swore allegiance Monday to the new Iranian supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei, who succeeds his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, killed on the first day of U.S. and Israeli attacks against Tehran.

In a statement, the pro-Iranian group expresses "congratulations and blessings" to the new leader on his election. It pledges him "loyalty" and "steadfastness on the path of loyalty."

Since the war began, the price of a barrel of West Texas Intermediate (WTI) oil, the U.S. market benchmark, has risen 70%, something never seen in such a short period.

During the last few hours, the price per barrel came to exceed $118, a new high since the summer of 2022, when prices soared due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. However, it is still far from the historic record of $147.27 per barrel reached during the economic crisis of 2008.

The Turkish Defense Ministry claimed that NATO defense systems intercepted a ballistic missile fired from Iran in Turkish airspace, in the second such incident in five days.

"NATO air and missile defense assets in the eastern Mediterranean neutralized a ballistic missile launched from Iran and that entered Turkish airspace," the ministry said in a statement.

"We reaffirm that all necessary measures will be taken firmly and without hesitation in the face of any threat to our territory and airspace. We recall that it is in the general interest to heed Turkey's warnings in this regard," the ministry said.

One person was killed and two suffered severe wounds on Monday from Iranian missile attack that hit six sites in central Israel, the Jewish state’s Channel 13 reported.

Emergency crews continued to search several impact sites.

Another missile barrage launched about 30 minutes later triggered air-raid sirens in central Israel, including Tel Aviv, but caused no casualties.

Iranian missile attacks on the Jewish state have killed 12 people and injured more than 2,000 since the start of “Operation Roaring Lion/Epic Fury,” the Israeli-U.S. military action against the Iranian regime.

G7 countries are considering a coordinated release of their strategic oil reserves to contain escalating prices. A French government source confirmed to AFP that this option will be discussed during a video conference of finance ministers.

The International Energy Agency requires its members to maintain reserves equivalent to 90 days of imports.

The proposed measure will have to take into account not only Iranian retaliation, but the decrease in production in Iraq and the autonomous Kurdish region of northern Iraq, as occurred in the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait due to the attacks they suffered. Saudi Arabia was forced to shut down parts of its giant Ras Tanura refinery

European stock markets fell at Monday's open as the latest spike in energy prices added to fears that supply disruptions caused by the war in the Middle East will lead to rising inflation.

Frankfurt and Paris stock markets lost more than 2.5% in early trading Monday, while London fell 1.8%.

The price of the main U.S. benchmark oil soared 25% in Asia on Monday on concerns that spiraling war in the Middle East could lead to prolonged supply disruptions.

West Texas Intermediate (WTI) rose 26.45% to $118 a barrel, while Europe's benchmark North Sea Brent rose 27% to $118.22 a barrel. Gas also saw similar rises.

As a result, the Seoul Stock Exchange, which had performed well this year due to its technology companies, closed down 5.96% on Monday, while the Tokyo Stock Exchange closed down more than 5.19%.Sharp declines were also recorded on the Hong Kong, Shanghai, Taipei, Sydney, Singapore, Manila and Wellington stock exchanges.

The futures of Wall Street's three major indexes had fallen more than 2% last week, while the U.S. dollar regained value because of its status as a safe-haven investment.

Iran's Army warned Sunday that it will attack oil facilities in the region if Israel continues attacking its energy infrastructure, following a bombing of four depots and a logistics center that left Tehran in the dark in broad daylight.

"If they can tolerate oil going up to more than $200 a barrel, continue this game," said Iranian central military command spokesman Ebrahim Zolfaghari.

Bahrain’s Ministry of Health reported Monday that 32 civilians were injured in an overnight Iranian drone strike on the island of Sitra. All of the injured are Bahraini nationals and there are four "serious cases," including children, the ministry said.

Hours later, an Iranian bombing against the Al Ma'ameer oil facility,also in Bahrain, caused a fire and left material damage, the Bahrain News Agency reported on X.

Turkey's Defense Ministry announced Monday the mobilization of six F-16 fighter jets to northern Cyprus, the part recognized only by Ankara, a week after the island was targeted in a drone attack.

Iranian authorities will confiscate assets and impose sanctions on members of the Iranian diaspora suspected of "collaborating" with Israel and the United States in the war, the judiciary announced Monday.

"Iranians abroad who align, aid and collaborate with the US and Israel will have their assets confiscated," the judiciary said.Iranians abroad who align, aid and collaborate with the U.S. Zionist aggressor enemy will be exposed to confiscation of all their assets and other sanctions provided for by law," the prosecutor general's office said, cited by Mizan Online, the judiciary's online media outlet.

Central Command issued a statement reporting that a seventh serviceman died Saturday "from wounds received during initial attacks by the Iranian regime across the Middle East" on March 1. They gave no further details about the circumstances of the attack and said the soldier's identity would be kept private until 24 hours after notifying his family.

The six other U.S. soldiers killed so far were in Kuwait and were also targeted in Iran's first wave of retaliatory bombings.