World Echo

Hundreds of worshippers held Eidul Fitr prayers at the gates of Jerusalem’s Old City on Friday, with Israel closing access to the Al-Aqsa mosque and other holy sites over its war on Iran. “Today, Al-Aqsa has been taken from us. It’s a sad and painful Ramazan,” Wajdi Mohammed Shweiki, a silver-haired Palestinian man in his 60s, told AFP. “It’s a catastrophic situation for the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for Palestinians in general and for all Muslims across the globe.” Since Israel and the United States started the war on Iran on February 28, Israeli authorities have closed access to Jerusalem’s world-renowned holy sites over security concerns — Al-Aqsa Mosque for Muslims, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre for Christians and the Western Wall for Jews. As Iranian missile barrages head towards Israel, the authorities have banned gatherings of more than 50 people nationwide to limit potential casualties. In a sign of the risks, police said this week that shrapnel fragments had fallen on the O...

If the US-Israeli war on Iran ended tomorrow, one verdict is already clear: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would walk away stronger, while President Donald Trump would be left to manage the shock to global markets and Gulf allies who have borne the heaviest costs. For Netanyahu, analysts say, the war has redrawn Israel’s political map on his terms, pivoting attention away from Gaza and toward Iran, where national consensus is strongest and his security and economic credentials resonate most. For Trump, it has done the reverse: trapping him in a conflict with no clear exit, exposing his Gulf Arab allies to spiralling risks, and undercutting the economic storyline that powered his return to office. “There is a clear winner and a clear loser,” said Aaron David Miller, a former US Middle East negotiator. “Netanyahu is by far the key winner. He has demonstrated Israel’s military competence. The Gulf states are by far the biggest losers.” Also Read: IRGC says it 'seriously damaged...

Iranian attacks ‌have knocked out 17% of Qatar's liquefied natural gas (LNG) export capacity, causing an estimated $20 billion in lost annual revenue and threatening supplies to Europe and Asia, QatarEnergy's CEO and state minister for energy affairs told Reuters on Thursday. Saad al-Kaabi said two of Qatar's 14 LNG trains and one of its two gas-to-liquids (GTL) facilities were damaged in ​the unprecedented strikes. The repairs will sideline 12.8 million tonnes per year of LNG for three to five years, he said ​in an interview. QatarEnergy CEO Saad Al-Kaabi reports $20B in annual revenue loss after attacks hit LNG units. Exports to drop by 12.8M tons/year, potentially triggering Force Majeure for Italy, China, and Korea. ExxonMobil remains a key partner in affected sites.#QatarEnergy #LNG #Energy… pic.twitter.com/r7KXdJ690j — What's Goin On Qatar (@wgoqatar) March 19, 2026 "I never in my wildest dreams would have thought that Qatar would be — Qatar and the region — ...

Gulf states have requested an urgent debate at the United ​Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva over Iran's ‌strikes on civilians and energy infrastructure across the Middle East, documents show. A diplomatic note sent by Gulf states, seen by Reuters, ​describes the ballistic missile and drone strikes on Bahrain, ​Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the ⁠United Arab Emirates as a "situation of serious concern for ​international peace and security," with severe human rights implications. The expanding ​US-Israeli war on Iran, which has entered its third week, sparked large-scale Iranian retaliation in the form of drone and missile strikes ​on energy and civilian infrastructure in Gulf countries. Read More: Iran seeks compensation from UAE over US strikes on its territory Iran's closure ​of the Strait of Hormuz and attacks on energy facilities across the ‌region ⁠has spiked energy prices and fuelled fears of a rise in inflation globally. The "unprovoked...

China on Thursday said the killing of Iranian leaders and attacks on civilian targets are “unacceptable”, as tensions escalate in the ongoing conflict involving Iran. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian, speaking at a regular press briefing, said Beijing opposes the use of force in international relations. Read: China to offer emergency humanitarian aid to Iran, Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq “The killing of Iranian leaders and attacks on civilian targets are by no means acceptable,” he said in response to a question. The remarks came after reports that Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, was killed in an Israeli strike. China has repeatedly called for restraint and a peaceful resolution as the conflict intensifies. Earlier, China on Tuesday announced emergency humanitarian assistance for Iran, Jordan, Lebanon and Iraq, citing worsening humanitarian conditions amid ongoing regional conflict. Speaking at a regular briefing in Beijing, Lin said the conflict had...

Iran seeks compensation from the United Arab Emirates, accusing it of enabling US attacks against Iranian territory, Iran's UN Ambassador told the UN Secretary General in a letter, according to a Nournews report published on Thursday. In the letter, Amir Saeid Iravani said the UAE’s decision to allow its territory to be used for the strikes constituted "an internationally wrongful act that entailed state responsibility." Tehran said the UAE had an international responsibility to provide reparation, including compensation for all material and moral damages incurred. This letter follows a series of seven complaints submitted by Iravani to Guterres, protesting the illegal use of regional countries’ airspace and territory by the United States and Israel in operations against Iran. He detailed how Jordan, the UAE, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, and Kuwait were used to facilitate these attacks, according to state‑linked Press TV. Read: US weighs military reinforcements as ...