Middle East at war
Dubai built its boom on expats. Now war has the city on edge
From hotel balconies to heaving beach clubs, Western residents in the United Arab Emirates are navigating a surreal reality where missiles streak across a sky.
- Annika Smethurst
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- Middle East
US-Iran war live updates: US temporarily lifts sanctions on Russian oil; Three Australians on US submarine that sank Iranian ship, PM confirms; People ordered to evacuate southern Beirut
The conflict in the Middle East is intensifying, as reports of drone strikes spread across the region, and Iran vows revenge after a US submarine torpedoed an Iranian warship. Follow our rolling coverage.
- Emily Kaine, Ellen Connolly, Josefine Ganko, Nick Newling and Alexander Darling
Albanese confirms three Australians on US sub that sank Iranian ship
The prime minister insists “no Australian personnel have participated in any offensive action against Iran”. Greens Senator David Shoebridge says both things cannot be true.
- Nick Newling
Israeli ambassador says it’s ‘mind-boggling’ to question legal basis for war on Iran
Israel’s new ambassador says Australia was on the “right side of history” by backing strikes against Iran as he warned against calls for a ceasefire.
- Matthew Knott
- Opinion
- Saddam Hussein
I covered the Middle East when Saddam was America’s friend. The bloodletting hasn’t stopped
Iranians deserve better than the ayatollahs – and they deserve better than an illegal war waged by a felonious, feckless president with no plan for what follows.
- Geraldine Brooks
- Opinion
- Tripologist
Gulf flights are back, but don’t book or cancel before reading this
From rerouted flight paths to refund policies and rising fares, here is what you need to know about the current air travel disruptions.
- Michael Gebicki
‘Wartime traitors’: Iran state TV condemns women’s soccer team for anthem silence
Iranian commentators have warned the lives of Iran’s national team “are in imminent danger”.
- Emma Kemp
‘We are bringing hell on you’: Panic in Beirut suburbs as Israel launches airstrikes
In another escalation of the wider war against Iran, thousands of Lebanese families fled their homes after Israeli forces warned them of a wave of bombing to target Hezbollah groups.
- David Crowe
- Opinion
- Opinion
An oppressed people are, once again, lured onto the street only to have their hopes dashed
Celebrating is the natural response of those living under authoritarianism to news their tyrant is gone. So much is loaded into the moment. Like releasing a breath that has been held for decades.
- Waleed Aly
How an oil lifeline became a clogged artery: the Strait of Hormuz
Millions of barrels of oil moved through the Strait of Hormuz every day – until the war in Iran started. Now its role in global inflation is under the microscope.
- Shane Wright