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Live. Tehran fires barrage of drones at neighbouring Saudi Arabia and Kuwait as Iran war enters Day 11

Flames rise after an Israeli airstrike in Dahiyeh Beirut's southern suburbs, Monday, March 9, 2026
Flames rise after an Israeli airstrike in Dahiyeh Beirut's southern suburbs, Monday, March 9, 2026 Copyright  AP Photo/Hassan Ammar
Copyright AP Photo/Hassan Ammar
By Malek Fouda
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Saudi Arabian and Kuwaiti authorities report intercepting barrages of drones early on Tuesday as the US-Israeli war in Iran enters Day 11. Late on Monday, Trump said he expects the war to end “very soon” but provided no timeline on when that might be.

Welcome to our live blog following the latest news out of the Middle East as the Iran war enters its 11th day.

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Iran fired barrages of drones targeting neighbouring Saudi Arabia and Kuwait early on Tuesday, according to officials in both countries.

The Saudi Defence Ministry says it intercepted drones aerially over its oil-rich eastern region, while Kuwait says its National Guard struck some down in northern and southern areas.

The attack comes after US President Donald Trump sent contradictory messages about how long the war is expected to last. Speaking in Florida on Monday, Trump assured Republican lawmakers that the “excursion into the Middle East” to “get rid of some evil” will end “very soon”.

Speaking later at a separate event, the Republican president noted that the war in Iran will continue as long as it needs to, and will only end when all of Washington’s objectives are met. His comments have fuelled uncertainty in an already turbulent global economic climate, causing markets to swing.

Trump also claimed – without providing evidence – that Tehran was “looking to take over the Middle East”, defending the US’ campaign in Tehran as necessary to protect Washington’s allies and interests in the region.

Follow our live blog for the latest updates from our journalists in the region and worldwide.

European gas prices drop 15% after Trump remarks

European gas prices dropped around 15% on Tuesday after US President Donald Trump signalled that the US-Israel war on Iran could end sooner than predicted.

The Dutch TTF natural gas contract, considered the European benchmark, fell to around €48, after rising sharply just one day prior.

"I think the war is very complete, pretty much," said Trump on Monday, a remark which has eased global markets slightly. 

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Iran rules out negotiations with the United States

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says his country does not plan to hold talks with Washington anymore after his country suffered what he described as a “bitter experience” on two counts during previous talks on Tehran’s nuclear programme.

Araghchi accused the US of not living up to its word, saying they had received assurances from the White House during negotiations ahead of the “12 Day War” in June and the latest rounds of talks this year that no US attacks on Iran were imminent.

The top Iranian diplomat says the US betrayed his country on both occasions and moved to attack them anyway, on behalf of Israel.

He also says the US-Israeli campaign has been nothing but a “failure”, as he accused them of having no endgame in mind and merely launching indiscriminate attacks on civilian areas.

“They failed to achieve their goals at the beginning, and now, 10 days later, they are aimless,” said Araghchi in an interview with US media outlet PBS. 

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Azerbaijan sends humanitarian aid to Iran

Azerbaijan has sent humanitarian aid to Iran, officials in Baku said.

The aid package includes 10 tonnes of flour, six tonnes of rice, more than two tonnes of sugar, over four tonnes of drinking water, about 600 kilograms of tea and about two tonnes of medicine and medical supplies.

The move comes in an effort to diffuse tensions which spiked between Baku and Tehran last week when Azerbaijan accused Iran of firing drones at its Nakhchivan exclave, targeting an airport and a school in two separate strikes. Iran denies those allegations.

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Iran’s judiciary warns local media about its reporting

Tehran’s judiciary is warning local media outlets about what and how it reports new developments as the war with Israel and the United States rages on.

That remarks were made by judiciary spokesman Asghar Jahangir as reported by the state-run IRNA news agency.

Jahangir said local outlets “that did not comply with security issues and had taken videos and photos of certain places solely for the purpose of informing were given the necessary warnings.”

“If this happens again, the necessary legal measures will be taken,” he said, without elaborating further.

Tehran has shut off the internet during the war and may be restricting reporting to hide what has been struck so far.

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Ankara says NATO is deploying additional air defence system

Turkey’s Defence Ministry said on Tuesday the Patriot missile defence system is being deployed in the central province of Malatya, which hosts a NATO radar base.

The move follows NATO defences intercepting a second ballistic missile fired from Iran that entered Turkish airspace on Monday.

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Saudi energy giant Aramco reports decrease in profits compared to 2024 figures

Saudi Arabia’s oil giant Aramco reported profits of $104.7 billion (€90 billion) in 2025, down roughly 5.5% from the year before as the Iran war has seen its fields and facilities targeted.

Aramco released its annual results on Tuesday.

It planned to brief investors later in the day as the war that began on 28 February has seen Iranian drones and missiles target its facilities.

Aramco, formally known as the Saudi Arabian Oil Co., reported profits of $110 billion (€94.5 billion) in 2024.

The company, primarily state-owned, said its 2025 revenues were $445 billion (€382.4 billion), down from $480 billion (€412.4 billion) the year prior.

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Israel renews call to evacuate southern Lebanon

The Israeli military reiterated on Tuesday the call for all residents of southern Lebanon to evacuate their homes as it planned to “operate forcefully” in the area against what it says are Hezbollah positions.

The Israeli Defence Forces issued similar warnings during its war with Hezbollah in 2003-2024, displacing hundreds of thousands of people.

Lebanese officials say Israeli attacks across Lebanon, which started shortly after the United States opened fire on Iran, have so far killed at least 397 people and displaced approximately 500,000.

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Israel announces new attacks on Hezbollah’s financial arm

The Israeli military said on Tuesday it had completed a series of strikes targeting Hezbollah’s financial arm, al-Qard Al-Hasan.

The IDF said in a post on X that the Iran-backed group uses the financial institution to fund its military activities, purchase weapons and pay terrorist salaries.

Israel targeted several of the group’s branches in southern and eastern Lebanon on Monday and last week.

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UAE lowers volume on missile alerts at night

The United Arab Emirates says it will lower the volume of missile alerts sent to mobile phones in the overnight hours.

The UAE’s National Emergency Crisis and Disasters Management Authority made the announcement late night on Monday, saying that the loud blaring alarm would sound on phones from 9 am until 10:30 pm local time.

A standard text message chime would sound from 10:30 pm until 9 am, it said.

The blaring klaxon had sounded in the middle of the night since the US and Israel fired the war’s opening salvo on the 28th of February.

The change in the alerts signals how Gulf Arab states are trying to adjust to the idea of the war grinding on, as there’s no immediate sign of an end to the fighting.

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Egypt hikes fuel prices as crude prices continue to soar amid war

Egypt hiked fuel prices by up to 17% on Tuesday as the war in Iran sent prices of crude soaring.

According to the Petroleum Ministry, the cost of a litre of diesel, which is heavily relied on for public transport, increased by more than 17%. The price of the 92-octane gasoline rose by 15% and 95-octane gasoline increased by 14%, hitting the North African country hard.

The most populous Arab country, Egypt depends heavily on imported fuel. The Egyptian pound fell to a record low, trading at over 52 against the US dollar on Monday in response to the crisis.

To mitigate impact of the war, the government announced a series of measures, including reducing official overseas trips and tightening fuel consumption across sectors.

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Iran’s Revolutionary Guard say they will determine the end of the war

Tehran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard Corps said on Tuesday that the end of the war will be determined only by Iran.

Spokesperson Ali Mohammad Naini said in a statement published in various Iranian state-run media outlets. The remarks come in an apparent response to Trump’s comments on Monday, where he offered contradictory information on when Washington may seek to end its war.

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Trump vows to hit Iran back harder if it stops oil tankers

The US president vowed aggressive action against Iran if it continues to block the shipment of oil in the Strait of Hormuz, further destabilising already volatile energy prices.

“If Iran does anything that stops the flow of Oil within the Strait of Hormuz, they will be hit by the United States of America TWENTY TIMES HARDER than they have been hit thus far,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

“Additionally, we will take out easily destroyable targets that will make it virtually impossible for Iran to ever be built back, as a Nation, again — Death, Fire, and Fury will reign upon them — But I hope, and pray, that it does not happen!”

The Republican president said his threat was a “gift” to China, among other nations, because it relies on oil from the Middle East.

Truth Social

Truth Social is America’s “Big Tent” social media platform that encourages an open, free, and honest global conversation without discriminating on the basis of…

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Trump says war in Iran will end 'very soon'

US President Donald Trump said late on Monday that he expects the war in Iran to end very soon, but declined to provide any indication as to when that might be.

His comments came as he addressed Republican lawmakers who convened in Florida, assuring them that Washington's "excursion" into the Middle East will only be "short term" and boasting about the US military's "tremendous success".

Speaking at a later event, Trump offered a contradictory tone, telling reporters that the war will only end when all of Washington's objectives are met, as he claimed, without providing evidence, that Tehran was plotting to "take over the Middle East".

Read the full article below:

Trump says he expects the war in Iran to be over ‘very soon’

Trump assured Republican lawmakers that the war in Iran could end “very soon” but declined to provide a specific timeline on when that might be. The US preside…

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Additional sources • AP, AFP

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