Middle East

Trump: Iranian diplomats should seek asylum

Trump also spoke about Cuba and Venezuela at the ceremony in the White House East Room to commemorate Inter Miami CF winning the MLS Cup.

Inter Miami CF captain Lionel Messi gestures on the day US President Donald Trump honors reigning Major League Soccer (MLS) champion Inter Miami CF players and team officials with an event in the East Room of the White House in Washington, March 5, 2026.

WATCH: IDF eliminates 'several operatives' as IAF strikes 200 targets across Iran

Four IAF F-16 aircraft participate in Operation Roaring Lion, March 5, 2026.

China in talks with Iran to allow safe oil and gas passage through Hormuz, sources say

A navy vessel is seen sailing in the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway through which much of the world's oil and gas passes on March 1, 2026.

Will the Kurds open a new front against Iran's Ayatollahs? - analysis

Kurdish internal security forces stand guard, as Syrian Kurds demonstrate to demand the release of Kurdish militant leader Abdullah Ocalan, who has been held in prison by Turkey since his capture in 1999, in Qamishli, Syria February 15, 2026.

Iraqi feminist who saved thousands from honor killings slain by gunman outside home in Baghdad

Mohammed, who co-founded and directed the Organization of Women’s Freedom in Iraq, was rushed to hospital where she perished from her wounds, according to local reports and Amnesty International.

MARCH 5, 2026ByDANIELLE GREYMAN-KENNARD

HEAD OF the Organization of Women's Freedom in Iraq, Yanar Mohammed talks to press 24 August 2003 in Baghdad where she said that over 400 women in Iraq had been kidnapped, raped and sometimes sold since the Anglo-US occupation.

The Kurdistan region of Iraq fears being dragged into Iran war - analysis

As Iran faces US and Israeli strikes, Iraq’s Kurdistan Region fears being pulled into the conflict amid drone attacks, militia activity, and growing concerns about regional escalation.

MARCH 5, 2026BySETH J. FRANTZMAN

Kurdish Peshmerga fighters affiliated with PAK train on January 18, 2026 near Erbil, Iraq.

Russia accuses US and Israel of trying to drag Arab countries into wider Middle East conflict

Moscow accused the US and Israel of baiting Iran into striking Gulf allies to force them into a wider conflict. Russian President Putin offered to relay Arab concerns to Tehran.

MARCH 5, 2026ByREUTERS

Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting with Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia February 9, 2026.

Iranian bombers were 'minutes away' from striking US base in Qatar - report

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said later on Thursday that four additional Typhoon fighter jets would be sent to Qatar as the conflict in the Middle East escalates.

MARCH 5, 2026ByTOBIAS SIEGAL, TZVI JASPER

A QATAR Emiri Air Force F-15 Eagle tactical fighter aircraft performs aerial maneuvers in the sky above Qatar's capital Doha as the Gulf state marks its National Day on December 18, 2021.

Did Iran’s Islamic regime hold its leadership council meeting in a hospital?

Images suggest Iran’s interim leadership council may have met in a Tehran hospital, possibly for safety and propaganda purposes amid ongoing conflict and heightened Israeli-US pressure.

MARCH 5, 2026ByOMID HABIBINIA/THE MEDIA LINE

Arman Hospital is an expensive and well-equipped medical center in north Tehran.

UAE air defenses intercepted Iranian missiles and drones

Also on Thursday, Azerbaijan announced on Thursday that it was preparing unspecified retaliatory measures after it said four Iranian drones flew across its border and injured four people.

MARCH 5, 2026ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF, REUTERS

Smoke from a reported rocket interception is seen in the sky over in Dubai on February 28, 2026.

Missiles, drones coming from Iran fell on airport in Azerbaijan, source says

A video shared by Israeli media showed an explosion near a parking lot near the Nakhchivan International Airport, which is about 10 km from the border with Iran.

MARCH 5, 2026ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF, REUTERS

Iran's Araghchi condemns US sinking of Iranian vessel in Indian Ocean, which was 'guest to India'

"Frigate Dena, a guest of India's Navy carrying almost 130 sailors, was struck in international waters without warning," Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi posted on X/Twitter.

MARCH 5, 2026ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi addresses a special session of the Conference on Disarmament at the United Nations, aside of US-Iran talks in Geneva, Switzerland, February 17, 2026

WATCH: Israel launches flights to return citizens stranded abroad amid war with Iran

Flights are planned from Muscat to Amsterdam, Berlin, Copenhagen, London's Heathrow, Madrid, and Rome as well as from Riyadh to Frankfurt.

MARCH 5, 2026ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF, REUTERS

ISRAELIS RETURN in the first El Al flight to Israel since the beginning of Operation Roaring Lion, March 5, 2026.

Netanyahu meets with Macron, Lebanese officials, to discuss Hezbollah attacks

French President Macron reaffirmed the need for Hezbollah to immediately cease attacks and urged Prime Minister Netanyahu not to send soldiers on a ground offensive

MARCH 5, 2026ByDANYA SAPERSTEIN

French President Emmanuel Macron and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun attend a meeting with Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa joining remotely, during a visit at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, March 28, 2025.