World
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.
- by Emily Kaine, Ellen Connolly, Josefine Ganko, Nick Newling and Alexander Darling
Latest
Opinion
Middle East at war
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.
- by Geraldine Brooks
‘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.
- by David Crowe
Opinion
Middle East at war
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.
- by Waleed Aly
US-Iran war news updates: Iranian warship sunk by torpedo off Sri Lanka; Hegseth says US ‘just getting started’; First repatriation flight lands in Sydney
Hundreds of people have been killed across the Middle East as strikes on Iran continue, and retaliatory strikes impact the entire region. Follow our rolling coverage.
- by Emily Kaine, Ellen Connolly, Josefine Ganko and Alexander Darling
Dubai influencers warned they face jail over war posts
With some of the harshest cybercrime laws in the world, in the UAE any commentary about regional conflict or security can be a criminal offence.
- by Patrick Sawer and Alice Lilley
The cost of the Iran war is not in Trump’s favour
Attack drones are cheap, but defending against them is expensive – the bill for shooting them down could become unsustainable for the US.
- by Farah Stockman
How the US sank one of Iran’s most modern warships
The spectacular destruction of an Iranian warship off the coast of Sri Lanka underlines how the US-Israeli military operation is stretching far beyond Iran’s borders.
- by Tom Housden
Tony Wright’s Column
Middle East at war
How the world’s most extravagant party set Iran on a path to ruin
Roasted peacocks, an Australian butler and the Shah: Inside the 1971 desert feast that sowed the seeds of revolution.
- by Tony Wright
Stranded Australians arrive home after ‘traumatic’ waiting game in Middle East war zone
The Australians on the first repatriation flight from the Middle East included a group from Sydney’s Barker College and family of TV personality David Koch.
- by Daniel Lo Surdo
US-Iran war updates: Khamenei’s son tipped as likely new leader as Trump says US ‘decimated’ Iran; Israeli ground troops in Lebanon; Death toll continues to rise
Hundreds of people have been killed across the Middle East as strikes on Iran continue, Israel launches an offensive in Lebanon, and Iran returns fire across the region. Follow our rolling coverage.
- by Angus Delaney, Emily Kaine, Ellen Connolly, Josefine Ganko and Brittany Busch