Two French warships to be sent to the Red Sea, says Macron
French president Emmanuel Macron has ordered two warships to be sent to the Red Sea amid increasing instability across the Middle East as US-Israeli strikes on Iran and Iranian retaliatory attacks continue.
Mr Macron said that French involvement will include deployment in the Mediterranean, the Red Sea and the Strait of Hormuz.
Assistance will include eight warships, an aircraft carrier and two helicopter carriers in total.
Maira Butt9 March 2026 12:58
Iran’s new supreme leader signs his name on missile aimed at Israel
In one of his first moves in power, a picture of a projectile which featured the words “At your service, Sayyid Mojtaba”, was posted on the state broadcaster IRIB’s Telegram channel.
Maira Butt9 March 2026 12:54
Turkey’s president to make statement at 3pm
Turkey’s president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is to make a statement after a cabinet meeting this afternoon.
The speech, to be aired at 3pm GMT, will come after a second Iranian missile entered Turkish airspace and was shot down by Nato air defences.
Iran has denied it has shot any missiles towards Turkey.
Maira Butt9 March 2026 12:43
Ammunition parts fall in Gaziantep after missile struck down
Debris from an Iranian missile shot down by Nato air defences has landed in the southeastern province of Gaziantep, Turkey’s defence ministry said on Monday.
No casualties were reported in the incident as Turkey called on all parties to adhere to Ankara’s warnings.
Maira Butt9 March 2026 12:38
Second Iranian ballistic missile shot down in Nato airspace
Nato has shot down a second ballistic missile that entered Turkish airspace on Monday, the country’s defence ministry said.
Air defences in the eastern Mediterranean were activated after a weapon was fired from Iran.
The ministry said that it would take all necessary steps without hesitation to protect its airspace.
Maira Butt9 March 2026 12:20
‘We should have seen this coming’: Why a Royal Navy ship still hasn’t reached Cyprus after Iran strike
When a drone struck a Royal Air Force base in Cyprus on the night of 1st March, the UK was forced to reconsider its hands-off approach to America’s war with Iran.
In a recorded TV address earlier that evening, Sir Keir Starmer said he had agreed to a US request to use British military bases for “defensive” strikes on Iranian missile sites, adding “British lives” had been put at risk. By Tuesday, the government decided it would scramble a warship, HMS Dragon, to the eastern Mediterranean.
But the intended display of naval might has yet to take place, with the warship still in Portsmouth where it is expected to remain until later this week. It’s a wait that has left MoD officials “fuming” and exposed the shortcomings of previous financially-motivated decisions – including agreements with contractors to not work out of hours.
Maira Butt9 March 2026 12:10
In pictures: Israeli strike on Iranian fuel depot causing ‘acid rain’
Flames and smoke rise from an oil storage facility in Tehran, Iran (Alireza Sotakbar/ISNA via AP) (AP)
APTOPIX Iran US Israel (Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)
(UGC)
Maira Butt9 March 2026 12:00
Japan calls for swift release of detained nationals
Japan’s foreign minister Toshimitsu Motegi held a phone call with his Iranian counterpart, Abbas Aragchi, on Monday and asked for two Japanese nationals to be released, according to the Jiji news agency.
Maira Butt9 March 2026 11:53
Watch: Iran names new supreme leader after Ayatollah Khamenei killed in US-Iran warIran names new supreme leader after Ayatollah Khamenei killed in US-Iran war
Maira Butt9 March 2026 11:51
‘Not my son, over my dead body’: MTG lays into Karoline Leavitt for refusing to rule out Iran war draft
Leavitt was interviewed by Maria Bartiromo on Fox News’s Sunday Morning Futures about the possibility of seeing American boots on the ground in the Middle East as the campaign develops.
“Mothers out there are worried that we’re going to have a draft, that they’re going to see their sons and daughters get involved in this,” Bartiromo said, seeking assurances and noting that the fight has solely consisted of an exchange of airstrikes so far.
Maira Butt9 March 2026 11:25