BSS
  11 Mar 2026, 22:26

War in the Middle East: latest developments

PARIS, France, March 11, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Here are the latest events in the Middle East war:

  • Citi, Deloitte, PwC clear offices in Gulf -

Several major international businesses closed or evacuated offices in Gulf countries after Iran threatened US- and Israel-linked economic targets and centres in the Middle East.

US finance group Citi and British consultancy Deloitte evacuated offices in Dubai's financial centre, while PwC, another British consultancy, closed offices in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the UAE and Kuwait.

  • Trump says 'practically nothing left to target' -

President Donald Trump signalled there could be a swift ending to the war, saying there is little left in Iran for US forces to attack.

There is "practically nothing left to target" and the war will end "soon", Trump was quoted as saying in an interview with Axios. "Any time I want it to end, it will end."

  • IEA to release 400 million barrels of oil -

The International Energy Agency said its member countries will unlock 400 million barrels of oil from their reserves to ease the impact of the war -- the biggest such release ever.

  • Drones hit Oman port fuel tanks -

Drones struck fuel tanks at Oman's Salalah port, state media reported, as Iran continues to target Gulf infrastructure. No casualties were reported.

  • Targeting mistake led to US strike on school: report -

The United States was responsible for a Tomahawk missile strike on an Iranian school because of a targeting mistake, The New York Times reported, citing US officials.

  • Ukraine anti-drone teams start work -

Ukrainian anti-drone teams, experts in countering Iranian-style drones, have begun working in three Gulf states targeted by Iran, President Volodymyr Zelensky said.

Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia are the first three countries getting help from the Ukrainians, Zelensky's spokesman said.

  • Hamas congratulates new Iran leader -

Hamas congratulated its "brothers in Iran" on the appointment of the Islamic republic's new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, and wished him victory in the war.

"We wish him success in fulfilling the aspirations of the Iranian people to defeat the Israeli-American aggression and prevent the forces of arrogance from imposing their will on Iran," Hazem Qassem, a spokesman for the Palestinian Islamist movement, said in a statement.

  • Iran says hit ships in Hormuz -

Iran's Revolutionary Guards said they had struck a Liberia-flagged vessel, which they claimed was Israeli-owned, and a Thai bulk carrier in the Strait of Hormuz after the ships ignored warnings to stop.

Guards navy commander Alireza Tangsiri said in a post on X that "any vessel intending to pass must get permission from Iran".

The Iranian military said it regarded any ships in the strait belonging to the United States, Israel or their allies as "legitimate targets".

  • Maritime ambulance reported hit -

Iran accused the United States and Israel of striking a maritime ambulance boat at an island in the Strait of Hormuz, Mehr news agency reported.

Several ships have been reported hit in the strategic waterway in recent days.

  • Iran aims for US, Israel targets -

Iran's army said it had attacked key targets in Israel, including the military intelligence headquarters, a naval base in Haifa and a radar system.

It also said it targeted US bases in Kuwait and Bahrain.

  • New 'wide-scale' strikes -

Israel's military said it had launched a new "wide-scale wave of strikes" across Iran and was hitting Hezbollah infrastructure in Lebanon's capital Beirut.

  • Erdogan warning -

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned: "This war must be stopped before it becomes bigger and completely engulfs the region in flames," adding that if the conflict continued "there will be more loss of life and property, and the cost to the global economy will increase even further".

  • Oil prices jump -

World oil prices surged, with the international benchmark, Brent North Sea crude, jumping 5.1 percent to $92.23 per barrel and the main US contract, West Texas Intermediate, soaring 5.9 percent to $88.38 per barrel.

  • Lebanon toll hits 570 -

The health ministry said Israeli strikes have killed 570 people in Lebanon so far, including 439 men, 45 women and 86 children. Fourteen healthcare workers were among the dead.

Earlier. the ministry said an Israeli strike killed seven people and wounded 18 others in the eastern Lebanon town of Tamnin al-Tahta, in a building that state media said was "inhabited by a Syrian family".