Spanish PM Says Middle East War Won’t Distract From Support For Ukraine
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez says that the war in the Middle East would not distract his country from supporting Ukraine in its defense against Russia’s invasion.
"We cannot deny that the crisis in the Middle East is monopolizing conversation and precisely for that reason, I want to say to the government of Ukraine that nothing and no one will make us forget what is happening in Ukraine," Sanchez said at a joint press conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Madrid on March 18.
“We will keep our support for the Ukrainian people with the same intensity,” he added.
A day earlier, Zelenskyy told the BBC he had a “very bad feeling” about the impact of the Middle East conflict on the war in Ukraine, saying peace negotiations were being “constantly postponed” due to “one reason -- war in Iran.”
In The US War On Iran, Russia Is A Winner (Mostly)
- By Mike Eckel
High oil prices? Check. Fewer US weapons for Kyiv? Check. Washington distracted from the ongoing war on Ukraine? Check. Europe nervous about energy costs? Check. Tensions in the West? Check.
Nearly three weeks into the furious campaign of US and Israeli air strikes, the Tehran government -- Russia’s closest partner in the Middle East is being shoved toward collapse, regional politics have been scrambled and Moscow has been left watching, largely helplessly, from the sidelines.
The Kremlin isn’t entirely unhappy, though.
“I do think that it complicates the security and the economic picture for Europe. And it distracts [US President Donald] Trump from Ukraine, and all of that will feel like it gives a lot of extra room to Moscow,” said Sam Greene, a longtime Russia expert and professor of Russian politics at King's College London.
European policymakers “might begin to shift their willingness to support Ukraine and to maintain their stance on Russia,” he told RFE/RL. “It’s that sort of thing that blows wind into [Russian President Vladimir] Putin’s sails.”
Read more here.
Iranian Government Weakened But Still A Threat, Says Gabbard
With the US-Israeli conflict with Iran now in its third week, US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said Iran’s government has been weakened but remains functional and capable of attacking US and allied interests.
“The regime in Iran appears to be intact but largely degraded by Operation Epic Fury,” she told a Senate hearing on March 18, warning that “Iran and its proxies remain capable of and continue to attack US and allied interests in the Middle East. If a hostile regime survives, it will seek to begin a years-long effort to rebuild its missiles and UAV (drone) forces.”
Gabbard’s assessment comes amid uncertainty over Iran’s nuclear program.
Her prepared remarks said enrichment capabilities had been destroyed and not rebuilt, while her oral testimony suggested Iran was attempting to recover from damage.
Based on reporting by Reuters
UN Agency Says Status Of New Iran Nuclear Site Unknown
The United nation's nuclear watchdog says it does not know the status of a new Iranian uranium enrichment facility in Isfahan, as inspectors have yet to access the underground site.
Rafael Grossi, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said a planned visit was canceled after the complex was struck at the start of the 12-day war with Israel in June, leaving uncertainty over whether the facility is operational or still under construction.
Iran notified the UN agency of the site the same month, but Grossi said key questions remain about whether centrifuges have been installed there.
Separately, Iran told the IAEA that a projectile struck near the Bushehr nuclear power plant on March 17 without causing damage. The agency also confirmed strikes earlier this month on Iran’s Natanz enrichment facility.
Based on reporting by Reuters
Israel Says 3 Planes Severely Damaged At Ben Gurion Airport
Three private planes parked at Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv suffered "severe" damage after they were hit by debris from intercepted Iranian missiles, the Israel Airports Authority (IAA) said on March 18.
Reuters reports that the IAA said the damage had occurred over the past few days, but it not provide details about the aircraft owners.
Since the US-Israeli conflict with Iran began on February 28, flights at Israel’s main airport have been halted, with only repatriation flights operating.
Iranian Emergency Workers Search For Survivors Trapped Under Rubble
- By RFE/RL
Emergency workers from the Iranian Red Crescent Society search for survivors trapped under the rubble following ongoing US-Israeli air strikes on Iran. Daily attacks on Tehran have left rescue teams scrambling to deal with the deadly aftermath. Iran has responded with attacks across the region, including on civilian areas.
Iran Confirms Death Of Intelligence Minister
Iranian President Masud Pezeshkian has confirmed the death of the country's intelligence minister Esmail Khatib, whom Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said had been killed in an overnight strike on March 18.
Acknowledging Khatib's demise in an X post on March 18, which also named the head of Iran's security chief, Ali Larijani, and the country's defense minister, Aziz Nasirzadeh, who died in earlier attacks, Pezeshkian said that their "cowardly assassination," had "left us in mourning."
Earlier, the White House said Khatib's death was "a good thing’ for the US."
Trump’s chief spokesperson, Karoline Leavitt, told Fox News on the morning of March 18 that Khatib had been a “known terrorist.”
“Of course, this man is no longer with us here on earth,” she said. “And that’s a good thing for the United States. And it’s a good thing for the American people who have long been threatened by this rogue terrorist regime.”
Iran Vows Retaliation After South Pars Strike As Qatar Warns On Energy Risks
Iran has threatened to retaliate after a reported strike on the South Pars gas field, warning it could target energy infrastructure in response. A spokesman for Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya central headquarters, the country's central command, said Tehran would “severely strike the origin of this aggression,” calling it legitimate to hit the attacker’s “fuel, energy, and gas infrastructure.”
Qatar also condemned the strike. Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed Al-Ansari described the targeting of facilities linked to South Pars -- which Qatar jointly operates with Iran -- as a “dangerous and irresponsible step,” warning that attacks on energy infrastructure threaten global energy security, regional stability, and the environment.
Estonia Calls For Unity As US-Allied Divide Grows Over Hormuz Crisis
WASHINGTON -- Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur has called for unity between the United States and its European allies as US President Donald Trump signals frustration with NATO members after several resisted his calls to help Washington during its military action in Iran.
The dispute, driven by a deepening confrontation with Iran and rising global energy prices, is quickly becoming a broader test of transatlantic cohesion -- and of how the alliance responds to crises beyond its traditional scope.
Trump voiced frustration on March 17 after most NATO allies reportedly declined requests to deploy naval assets, including minesweepers and escorts, to secure commercial shipping through the narrow waterway, which carries roughly one-fifth of global maritime energy supplies.
Pevkur told RFE/RL that Tallinn is ready to discuss options with the United States and other allies, emphasizing that cooperation, not division, is critical.
"We are ready to discuss what the options are to solve the situation in the Middle East and also to ensure free trade," he said in an interview in Washington on March 17.
To read the full report, click here.
VIDEO: Iran Strikes Tel Aviv In Retaliation For Killing Of Security Chief
Iran has launched more strikes at Israel in retaliation for the killing of security chief Ali Larijani, confirmed on March 17, targeting Tel Aviv with numerous missiles.
At least two people were killed, according to Israeli officials, bringing the death toll in Israel to at least 14. In Iran, meanwhile, more than 3,000 people have died since US-Israeli air strikes began on February 28, according to rights group HRANA.
To read the full report, click here.
