Iran Women’s Footballer Withdraws Asylum Bid In Australia
An Iranian women’s national soccer team member who initially sought asylum in Australia has withdrawn her request after speaking with teammates, Australian Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said on March 11.
Seven members of the visiting squad had sought sanctuary after being branded “traitors” in Iran for silently protesting during the national anthem before a match.
Burke told the Australian parliament that one player reversed her decision after contacting teammates who had returned with the team and encouraged her to speak with the Iranian Embassy.
Because the embassy learned the group’s location, Australian authorities moved the remaining asylum-seeking players from a safe house to another location.
The rest of the team flew from Sydney to Kuala Lumpur early on March 11.
With reporting by AFP
Iran Police Chief Warns Protesters Will Be Treated As 'Enemies'
Iran's top police commander has warned that protesters supporting Tehran’s foes during the regional war will be treated as “enemies” rather than demonstrators, AFP reports.
National police chief Ahmad-Reza Radan said in remarks aired by state broadcaster IRIB late on March 10 that anyone acting “in line with the wishes of the enemy” would face the same response as hostile forces.
He added that security forces were ready, “with their hands on the trigger,” to defend the Islamic republic.
The warning follows a harsh crackdown on anti-government protests earlier this year sparked by economic grievances in sanctions-hit Iran.
Authorities say more than 3,000 people died in the unrest, while rights groups report far higher tolls.
Officials fear renewed demonstrations as the conflict with the United States and Israel escalates.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), a British naval coordination center that monitors security threats to commercial shipping, issued a post on X this morning, warning that "a container vessel has sustained damage from a suspected but unknown projectile" near the Strait of Hormuz. It reported that "all crew members are safe and accounted for."
In a subsequent X post, it said that "a cargo vessel has been hit in the Straits of Hormuz which has resulted in a fire onboard." It added that the ship "had requested assistance and the crew are evacuating the vessel." It then advised ships in the straits "to transit with caution."
Good morning. We'll start the live blog today with this video from US Central Command, which posted it on X, saying that the American military had "eliminated multiple Iranian naval vessels, March 10, including 16 minelayers near the Strait of Hormuz." The post comes hours after US President Donald Trump warned Iran against mining the Strait of Hormuz, saying on Truth Social that any such move would trigger severe retaliation.
We are now closing the live blog for the day. We'll be back tomorrow at 7:30 a.m. Central European time to cover the latest events across the Middle East.
White House Says Trump Will Determine When Iran Has Surrendered
- By RFE/RL
US President Donald Trump will determine what constitutes "unconditional surrender" by Iran in the face of US-Israeli bombardment, the White House said on March 10, amid questions about how long the war may last.
White House spokesman Karoline Leavitt's comments came on what US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth warned would be the "most intense day of strikes inside Iran," and in the wake of a statement by Trump that the campaign would end "very soon."
"Ultimately, the operations will end when the commander-in-chief determines the military objectives have been met, fully realized, and that Iran is in [a position of] complete and unconditional surrender – whether they say it or not," Leavitt told reporters.
On March 7, Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform that there would be "will be no deal with Iran except UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER!"
Trump is "not claiming that the Iranian regime is going to come out and say it themselves," Leavitt said, adding that he "will determine when Iran is in a place of unconditional surrender when they no longer pose a direct and credible threat to the United States and our allies."
Read more here.
After President Donald Trump remarked that US attacks on Iran may end "very soon," experts in Israel say that their government's own military campaign will likely follow Washington's lead. But as RFE/RL's Ray Furlong reports from Tel Aviv, Israel is pursuing its own security priorities with strikes on Hezbollah sites in Lebanon, while also risking US criticism over its choice of targets.
Read more on this here.
Iran Deploys 'Blue Shields' Amid US-Israeli Strikes
- By Amos Chapple
A series of blue-and-white shields unfurled atop buildings throughout Iran are intended as a message to American and Israeli targeteers.
Photos of the symbol placed on rooftops and alongside heritage sites were circulated by Iranian state media on March 10 along with reports that "more than 120 museums and several historic buildings" throughout Iran have been marked with the emblem.
Officially known as the Blue Shield, Iran's cultural heritage chief Mohsen Tousi told Iranian media the symbol had been deployed "to safeguard valuable cultural and historical assets."
Read more here.
Trump Warns Iran Against Mining The Strait Of Hormuz
US President Donald Trump warned Iran against mining the Strait of Hormuz, saying in a post on Truth Social on March 10 that any such move would trigger severe retaliation.
“If Iran has put out any mines in the Hormuz Strait… we want them removed, IMMEDIATELY,” Trump wrote, warning that otherwise the “Military consequences to Iran will be at a level never seen before.” He added that US forces would “permanently eliminate any boat or ship attempting to mine the Hormuz Strait.”
In a subsequent post on the same platform, Trump said US forces had already acted, writing that “we have hit, and completely destroyed, 10 inactive mine laying boats and/or ships, with more to follow.”
White House Says Oil Price Spike 'Temporary' Amid Iran Conflict
The White House says that once the objectives of the joint US–Israeli war against Iran are fully achieved, Americans will see a rapid drop in oil and gas prices.
"Rest assured to the American people, the recent increase in oil and gas prices is temporary and this operation will result in lower gas prices in the long-term," White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt told reporters on March 10.
Global oil prices briefly surged to more than $119 per barrel on March 9, the highest level since June 2022. Reduced oil supply from Saudi Arabia and other producers has heightened concerns about major disruptions in global markets.
Leavitt added that Trump and his energy team are closely monitoring markets and are in contact with industry executives, and that the US military is preparing additional options, in line with the president’s directive, to keep the Strait of Hormuz open.