Middle East

U.S. sends more warships, marines to Middle East — WSJ

The Pentagon is sending additional Marines and ships to the Persian Gulf, as Iran maintains a stranglehold on the Strait of Hormuz, The Wall Street Journal reported on March 13, citing U.S. officials.

13 March, 07:53 PM

Saudi Aramco eager to buy Ukrainian interceptor drones

Saudi Arabia’s state-owned oil giant is negotiating a deal to purchase Ukrainian interceptor drone technology to protect its oil infrastructure from Iran, The Wall Street Journal reported March 12, citing people familiar with the matter.

12 March, 09:11 PM

Ukraine evacuates 16 citizens from Middle East to Warsaw — Foreign Ministry

Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry, together with Poland’s Foreign Ministry, evacuated 16 Ukrainian citizens from the Middle East to Warsaw on March 11–12.

12 March, 02:37 PM

Saudi firm to buy Ukrainian interceptor drones

A Saudi company is preparing to purchase Ukrainian interceptor drones to defend against Iranian UAVs, the Kyiv Independent reported on March 10, citing a source in Ukraine’s defense industry.

11 March, 01:05 AM

U.S. intelligence: Iran preparing to mine Strait of Hormuz

U.S. intelligence agencies have concluded that Tehran is “taking steps” to deploy naval mines in the Strait of Hormuz, CBS News reported on March 10.

11 March, 12:44 AM

Witkoff takes Russians ‘at their word’ on Iran intelligence sharing

Russian dictator Vladimir Putin assured Donald Trump that Moscow is not supplying Iran with intelligence used to target U.S. forces, U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff said on March 10.

10 March, 10:25 PM

Ukraine fuel prices climb amid global oil turmoil — analysis

War in the Middle East has disrupted oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, rattling global energy markets and driving fuel prices higher in Ukraine, where motorists have seen prices rise by 6–10 hryvnias per liter.

10 March, 02:19 PM

U.S. poised to lift sanctions on Russian oil

The Trump administration is considering easing sanctions on Russian oil to help blunt the price shock caused by the U.S.–Israeli operation against Iran, Reuters reported on March 9, citing three people familiar with White House plans.

10 March, 02:22 AM

Trump calls Putin to discuss Iran, Kremlin says

U.S. President Donald Trump called Russian dictator Vladimir Putin on March 9 to “to discuss developments in the current international situation,” Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov told state propaganda agency TASS.

9 March, 11:27 PM

Global demand for weapons will keep rising, MP says

Even after the current war in the Middle East ends, global demand for armaments, especially air defense equipment, will continue rising, Ukrainian MP and Defense Committee chair Roman Kostenko told NV Radio on March 9.

9 March, 10:51 PM

Trilateral meeting postponed as U.S. focuses on Iran, Zelenskyy says

Trilateral Ukraine–U.S.–Russia talks initially scheduled for this week are postponed, since Washington is currently focused on the war in the Middle East, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on March 9.

9 March, 08:04 PM

Strait of Hormuz traffic drops to near zero

Since Monday, March 2, only nine commercial vessels have transited the Strait of Hormuz, while an average of 138 vessels crossed the waterway daily before the U.S.–Israeli operation against Iran began on Feb. 28, AFP reported on March 6.

7 March, 01:38 AM

U.S. may lift sanctions on Russian oil as global prices surge

Washington is considering lifting sanctions on some Russian oil to increase supply as the U.S.–Israeli operation in Iran has paralyzed civilian shipping in the region, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on March 6, as reported by Reuters.

7 March, 01:02 AM

U.S. asks Ukraine to help defend against Shahed drones

Washington asked for Ukrainian technical assistance and expertise in setting up a cost-effective defense against cheap Iranian drones in the Middle East, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on March 5.

5 March, 08:35 PM

Patriot missile supplies to Ukraine may fall short amid Middle East war — analyst

Aviation analyst Kostyantyn Kryvolap discussed on Radio NV how the war in the Middle East could affect supplies of missiles for Patriot air defense systems and what options exist to protect against ballistic threats on March 5.

5 March, 06:49 PM

At least 80 dead in Iranian frigate sinking, Sri Lanka says

At least 80 people were killed when a U.S. submarine torpedoed an Iranian warship south of Sri Lanka, the Guardian reported on March 4.

5 March, 02:50 AM

Iranian drones a ‘challenge’ for U.S. air defenses, report says

The U.S. military considers Iranian Shahed drones a “challenge” and believes current U.S. air defenses cannot reliably intercept all of them, CNN reported on March 4, citing people who attended a closed congressional briefing on the matter.

5 March, 02:06 AM

International law shields dictators and killers — Bild

Western politicians condemning U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran ignore that current international law, in effect, protects dictators and killers, Jan Schäfer, head of the political desk at German tabloid Bild, wrote on March 3.

5 March, 01:35 AM

Ukraine–U.S.–Russia talks on ice for now, report says

The next round of trilateral talks between Ukraine, the United States, and Russia currently has no set date or location, Suspilne public broadcaster reported on March 4, citing a source in the Ukrainian delegation.

5 March, 12:07 AM

Zelenskyy orders plans to help Middle East against Shahed drones

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy instructed senior government and military officials to draft plans for assisting countries in the Middle East with countering Iranian drones, the president said on March 4.

4 March, 10:40 PM

Middle East

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