The U.S. Department of Defense has submitted a request to the White House seeking an additional $200 billion in funding tied to the ongoing Iran conflict, according to a senior administration official. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss internal deliberations, said the request has not yet been formally transmitted to Congress for consideration. It remains unclear whether the White House will advance the proposal. According to the official, the funding request would come on top of supplemental defence spending approved last year as part

Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister has issued a warning to Iran following reports of a drone strike targeting a major oil refining facility in Yanbu amid escalating regional tensions. According to regional media reports, the Samref oil refinery in Yanbu, a key Red Sea export hub, was hit in an aerial attack during ongoing hostilities involving the United States, Israel and Iran. The extent of damage and any disruptions to production have not been independently confirmed. Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud said the kingdom has the capability to respond, cautioning Iran against test

Israeli authorities say a series of overnight airstrikes on Iran targeted senior intelligence leadership and key energy infrastructure, as hostilities continue between Israel and Iran. According to a statement from Israel’s defence minister, Israel Katz, the strikes killed Iran’s intelligence minister, Esmail Khatib, along with several senior officials from the ministry. The claim has not been independently verified, and Iranian authorities have not confirmed any casualties as of publication time. Israeli officials also said their aircraft struck gas infrastructure in southern Iran. The re

Lebanon’s Health Ministry says the death toll from Israeli air and ground attacks since March 2 has risen to nearly 900 as tensions across the Middle East continue to escalate. According to the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health, at least 886 people have been killed and 2,141 others injured during Israeli strikes across parts of Lebanon over the past two weeks. The ministry said the attacks have also affected the country’s health-care system. Medical teams responding to emergencies were among those hit during the strikes. At least 38 health workers have been killed and another 69 injured w

The signing of a proposed trade agreement between India and the United States has been postponed for now, according to India’s commerce secretary Rajesh Agrawal. Agrawal said the agreement will move forward only after the United States fully implements its new tariff policy. He said the timeline for finalizing the deal is tied to the outcome of tariff changes currently under consideration by U.S. authorities. According to Agrawal, previously imposed global tariffs that were struck down by a U.S. court must be replaced with new global tariff measures before the trade agreement can be finalize

Afghanistan’s Taliban government on Friday accused Pakistan’s military of targeting civilian homes during overnight airstrikes in Kabul and the southern province of Kandahar, as cross-border fighting between the two countries entered its third week. Taliban government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in a statement posted on X that women and children were among those killed in the strikes. The claim could not be independently verified. According to Mujahid, Pakistani aircraft also struck fuel depots belonging to the private airline Kam Air near Kandahar’s airport. Pakistan’s military

A United States military refuelling aircraft crashed in Iraq during ongoing U.S. military operations linked to tensions with Iran, leaving four crew members dead and two others missing, according to the U.S. military. The aircraft was identified as a Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker used for aerial refuelling. U.S. officials said the aircraft was carrying a crew of six at the time of the crash. The U.S. military confirmed that the bodies of four crew members have been recovered, while search operations are continuing for the remaining two. Officials did not immediately release the names of the crew

The International Energy Agency says it will release 400 million barrels of oil from emergency reserves to help offset supply disruptions linked to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. According to the agency, the move is intended to stabilize global oil markets and reduce pressure from rising crude prices as the war affects supply routes and production in the region. The IEA said the decision represents the largest coordinated release of emergency oil stocks in the agency’s history. The organization has not yet confirmed when the oil will begin entering global markets or how quickly the

An explosive-laden drone struck a secondary school and a health care centre in southern Sudan on Wednesday, killing at least 17 people, most of them schoolgirls, according to a hospital official and a medical group. Dr. Musa al-Majeri, director of Douiem Hospital, said the attack occurred in a village served by the facility, which is the nearest major hospital in the area. He said at least 10 other people were wounded and were being treated after the strike. The drone strike has been blamed on Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, which have been fighting the Sudanese military since civ