2h agoMon 9 Mar 2026 at 7:54amThe latest out of the Middle East
Thanks for joining the live blog, which will continue to update throughout the day.
Here are today’s key developments:
Mojtaba Khamenei will replace his father as the new supreme leader of Iran.US President Donald Trump says ending the Iran war will be a “mutual” decision with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.Bapco, Bahrain’s main oil refinery and a key facility in the country’s energy sector, has declared force majeure on operations.Several new attacks were reported in Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait. An Iranian drone attack in Bahrain wounded 32 civilians, including children. Australia is considering a request for military assistance from the Gulf states, but Foreign Minister Penny Wong says Australia will not engage in offensive action against Iran.Trump has dismissed the war-related spike in oil prices as a “small price to pay” for removing the threat of Iran’s nuclear program.A seventh US military service member has died from wounds sustained during Iran’s initial counterattack a week ago.13m agoMon 9 Mar 2026 at 10:18amG7 to discuss joint release of emergency oil reserves
G7 finance ministers will discuss the possible release of emergency oil reserves, a French government source said.
The announcement was in response to surging oil prices resulting from the Middle East conflict.
The talks were first reported by the Financial Times, which said the International Energy Agency (IEA) would join the discussions.
Three G7 countries, including the US, have so far expressed support for the idea, the news outlet said.
The report came as oil prices surged more than 25 per cent to their highest levels since mid-2022.
The IEA did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Earlier today, the agency said in a newsletter that it was closely monitoring energy security.
Reporting with Reuters
28m agoMon 9 Mar 2026 at 10:03am
Blasts rock central Israel, one death reported
First responders have reported one person has died and a second has been seriously injured by shrapnel after Iranian missiles struck central Israel.
Paramedics were “searching a number of scenes”, the Magen David Adom emergency service said in a statement.
The military said there were reports of several impact sites from the missiles, after reporting earlier that defensive systems were operating to intercept the threat.
Reporting with AFP
42m agoMon 9 Mar 2026 at 9:49am
📷: Explosions in southern Beirut
(Reuters: Mohamed Azakir)
Smoke billows after an Israeli strike on Beirut’s southern suburbs after an escalation between Israel and Hezbollah.
54m agoMon 9 Mar 2026 at 9:37am
Tehran threatens to confiscate property of Iranians abroad who support attacks
Iranians living abroad could have property confiscated and face other legal penalties if they express support for the United States and Israel, the Iranian prosecutor general’s office said today.
Some members of the Iranian diaspora who want political change in Tehran took to the streets of Australian, European and American cities to celebrate the killing of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
“A warning has been issued to those Iranians living abroad who in different ways sympathise, support or cooperate with the American-Zionist (Israeli) enemy,” the prosecutor general’s office was quoted as saying by state media.
“They will be met with the confiscation of all their properties and other legal penalties in accordance with the law.”
Up to 5 million Iranians live abroad, according to Iranian government data, with the ABS reporting 85,830 Iranian-born people living in Australia as of 2023.
Reporting with Reuters
1h agoMon 9 Mar 2026 at 9:16am
📷: Funeral of victims of Israeli and US strikes in Tehran
(Reuters: Majid Asgaripour)
(Reuters: Majid Asgaripour)
People attend a funeral ceremony for victims of the strikes. (Reuters: Majid Asgaripour)
1h agoMon 9 Mar 2026 at 8:55am
Khamenei very much like his father, says Paterson
Coalition senator James Paterson says he expects little change as Mojtaba Khamenei takes over the leadership of Iran.
Paterson told 7.30 that he thought it would be a good thing for Iran’s people to choose their own leader, but for now, the new leader would have a similar style of leadership to that of his assassinated father.
“[The] best open source analysis is that Khamenei the younger is no different to Khamenei the elder,” Paterson said.
“And we should expect relatively [the same] of the regime.”
He was hopeful that authoritarian rule could end and predicted if it did, it would do so in spectacular fashion.
“The thing about authoritarian regimes is history shows us they often appear very strong right up until the moment that they break. And when they break, they shatter,” he said.
As to whether he thought the conflict would end soon, he could not say, but said it depended on two things.
“I think that the duration of the conflict will be dictated by the United States and Israel’s willingness and ability to prosecute the conflict and the Iranian regime’s ability to resist it and to continue to raise costs from their neighbours’ energy supplies.”
1h agoMon 9 Mar 2026 at 8:45am
Debris injures two people in Abu Dhabi
Two people have been injured by falling debris after interceptions by Abu Dhabi’s air defence system.
The incidents occurred in two different locations, injuring a Jordanian national and an Egyptian national.
Here’s what Abu Dhabi Media Office said in a statement:
2h agoMon 9 Mar 2026 at 8:29am
📷: Smoke rises following a strike in Bahrain
The Bapco Oil Refinery on Sitra Island in Bahrain. (Reuters)
(Reuters)
(Reuters)
2h agoMon 9 Mar 2026 at 8:13am
📹: Oil depot explosion triggers fire in TehranLoading…
Video posted to social media captures fire on the streets of Tehran after explosions at the Shahran oil depot.
Iran’s oil distribution company said four of its employees were killed in the attack.
Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said the large-scale attack marked a “dangerous new phase” of the conflict and amounted to a war crime.
“By targeting fuel depots, the aggressors are releasing hazardous materials and toxic substances into the air, poisoning civilians, devastating the environment, and endangering lives on a massive scale,” he wrote on X, shortly after the attack.
2h agoMon 9 Mar 2026 at 7:55amChina opposes any targeting of new Iranian leader
Iran’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei. (AP: Vahid Salemi)
China says it opposes any targeting of Iran’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei.
“China opposes interference in other countries’ internal affairs under any pretext, and Iran’s sovereignty, security, and territorial integrity should be respected,” foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun told a press conference.
The comments follow threats by the Israeli military against a successor to the new leader’s slain father, Ali Khamenei.
2h agoMon 9 Mar 2026 at 7:40am
📷: Aftermath of reported Iranian drone strikes in Beirut
A screengrab taken from a social media video. (Reuters)
Iranian drone strikes targeted the Sitra area in Bahrain earlier, leaving vehicles and buildings damaged and scattering debris on the streets.
Bahrain’s Ministry of Health confirmed the attack this morning.
Separately, thick smoke was seen rising from the direction of the Bapco oil refinery, after the government said an Iranian drone strike hit the area, causing injuries and damage.
3h agoMon 9 Mar 2026 at 7:20am
Iran war sends shockwaves through African economies
Surging oil prices triggered by the war with Iran are rippling across African economies.
The continent is experiencing higher fuel costs, rising inflation and renewed pressure on currencies.
Africa imports most of the petroleum products it consumes, leaving many economies highly vulnerable to supply disruptions tied to tensions in the Middle East.
“Africa is a net importer of oil products, meaning it is heavily exposed to shocks like these,” said Nick Hedley, an energy transition research analyst at Zero Carbon Analytics.
(AP: Mansur Ibrahim)
When global oil supplies tighten, Hedley said, prices rise while African currencies often weaken as investors move funds into safe-haven assets such as the US dollar.
The impact of higher oil prices across Africa will be uneven.
Countries like Kenya and Uganda say their supply remain stable even as they work on ensuring continuity.
Nigeria and Ghana produce crude oil but import most of their refined petroleum products, limiting the benefits to them of higher global prices.
“It’s difficult to say at this point whether they will see net gains,” Hedley said.
“Oil producers could benefit from higher crude prices, but ordinary citizens will likely face higher transport and fuel costs, and potentially higher interest rates.”
Reporting with AP
3h agoMon 9 Mar 2026 at 7:05am
📹: Multiple explosions in Khorramabad, Iran
Video posted to social media captures multiple air strikes targeting west Iranian city of Khorramabad.
Loading…3h agoMon 9 Mar 2026 at 6:50amBahrain’s main oil refinery declares force majeure on operations
Smoke rises following a strike on the Bapco oil refinery. (Reuters)
Bapco Energies declared force majeure on its group operations following a recent attack on its refinery complex.
This frees both parties from contractual obligations due to an extraordinary event.
Bapco is Bahrain’s main oil refinery and a key facility in the country’s energy sector.
Bapco Energies released a statement about its operations. (Reuters)
The company said all domestic market needs remain fully secured and supplies will continue without disruption, supported by proactive plans in place.
“[Bapco] hereby serves notice of force majeure on its group operations which have been affected by the ongoing regional conflict in the Middle East and the recent attack on its refinery complex”, said a statement posted by the company.
3h agoMon 9 Mar 2026 at 6:35amIDF struck missile launch sites and Internal Security command centres
The Israeli military says it has completed a wave of strikes on infrastructure across Iran belonging to the Iranian military.
As part of the strikes, the IDF says they struck a rocket engine production facility and several long-range ballistic missile launch sites that were prepared for launch toward Israel.
(Supplied: IDF)
In a statement, the IDF said they continue to deepen the damage to military infrastructure belonging to Internal Security and the Basij, among the infrastructures struck were:
The headquarters of the Iranian regime’s regional corps The Internal Security forces command centre of the Iranian regime in IsfahanAn additional base used by the IRGC and BasijThe IRGC’s police headquarters
4h agoMon 9 Mar 2026 at 6:20am
📷: Smoke rises following explosion in Beirut
Israel says Hezbollah infrastructure were hit. (Reuters)
Explosions rocked southern Beirut today, with Israel claiming that it struck Hezbollah infrastructure in the Lebanese capital.
Earlier today, an explosion was heard from Baabda in southern Beirut, with a cloud of smoke seen rising over the skyline.
Smoke over southern Beirut. (Reuters)
The US-Israeli attacks have killed at least 1,332 Iranian civilians and wounded thousands, according to Iran’s UN ambassador.
Iran has launched strikes across the region in retaliation.
4h agoMon 9 Mar 2026 at 6:13amBreaking: Iranian strike on oil complex triggers fire, Bahrain says
4h agoMon 9 Mar 2026 at 6:00am
Why you are not seeing more news from inside Iran
You might be wondering why, during such a huge event in Iran, you haven’t seen more news from inside the country.
It’s because reporting inside Iran is severely restricted and anyone who is publicly critical of the regime risks retaliation.
Internet restrictions also make it almost impossible to reach Iranians in real-time, making it difficult to ascertain the situation on the ground.
Reporters Without Borders places Iran 176th out of 180 countries on its World Press Freedom Index, ranking only Syria, China, North Korea and Eritrea in northeastern Africa as more oppressive.
“Journalists and independent media in Iran are constantly persecuted by means of arbitrary arrests and very heavy sentences handed down after grossly unfair trials before revolutionary courts,” the organisation says.
For foreign media, gaining access to Iran is extremely difficult and journalists are closely monitored.
The ABC is working with trusted contacts inside Iran, as well as the Iranian journalist diaspora, to report what is happening inside Iran.
But while doing that, we have to be careful to protect their identities and their safety.
Many Iranians who take part in opposition protests or speak to foreign media risk reprisal from the regime, including arrest or even the death penalty.
Just a few months ago, the regime killed thousands of its people for protesting against the government.
Since then, the ABC has not yet been allowed to enter Iran. The ABC last entered Iran late last year following the 12-day war.
Iranian dissidents living abroad are also targeted by pro-regime actors who send threatening messages designed to intimidate.
So while we are working to gather information and verify footage filmed by citizens — as well as to try and tell the stories of people who are living through this war — this context should help explain why you haven’t seen more.
4h agoMon 9 Mar 2026 at 5:48am
The latest out of the Middle East
Thanks for joining the live blog, which will continue to update throughout the day.
Here are today’s key developments:
Mojtaba Khamenei will replace his father as the new supreme leader of Iran.US President Donald Trump says ending the Iran war will be a “mutual” decision with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.Several new attacks were reported in Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait. An Iranian drone attack in Bahrain wounded 32 civilians, including children. Australia is considering a request for military assistance from the Gulf states, but Foreign Minister Penny Wong says Australia will not engage in offensive action against Iran.Trump has dismissed the war-related spike in oil prices as a “small price to pay” for removing the threat of Iran’s nuclear program.A seventh US military service member has died from wounds sustained during Iran’s initial counterattack a week ago.