NEWS

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The United States ordered non-essential government personnel to depart Saudi Arabia on Monday as the widening war with Iran rattled global markets and sent oil prices surging past $110 a barrel. Officials warned that escalating missile and drone threats across the Gulf had sharply increased security risks for diplomats and their families.

The departure order from the U.S. embassy in Riyadh marks the first major drawdown of American staff in the kingdom since hostilities between Israel and Iran erupted into open regional conflict. Officials cited the possibility of attacks originating from Yemen or Iran-aligned militias as fighting spreads beyond its original front lines.

Meanwhile, Iran confirmed that Mojtaba Khamenei had been selected as the country's new supreme leader following the death of his father, Ali Khamenei, during recent strikes. The decision places power in the hands of a cleric long believed to maintain close ties with the Revolutionary Guard.

Energy markets reacted almost instantly. Benchmark crude climbed above $110 as disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz raised fears that one of the world's most critical oil corridors could be choked by military confrontation. Several Gulf producers signaled temporary output cuts as tankers slowed or rerouted to avoid the narrow waterway.

U.S. President Donald Trump argued the spike in crude was a tolerable cost if it ultimately weakens Tehran's nuclear ambitions. Posting on Truth Social, he said higher energy prices were "a small price to pay" for neutralizing what he described as Iran's strategic threat.

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Iran has warned US President Donald Trump to 'be careful not to be eliminated' after he said he did not believe the regime's new Supreme Leader can 'live in peace'.

Trump had told Iran to brace for 'death, fire, and fury' for keeping the Strait of Hormuz shut before threatening its new leader, Mojtaba Khamenei.

He told Fox the new Supreme Leader will be unable to ‘live in peace’ and he was ‘not happy with the appointment’, having warned Iran he would have the final say over their leader.

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President Donald Trump has warned that Iran’s next supreme leader will struggle to remain in power without his approval, as Tehran prepares to announce a successor to the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Nine days after US-Israeli strikes killed Khamenei and pushed the Middle East into a wider conflict, Iran’s Assembly of Experts met privately and selected a new leader, according to members of the body.

The clerics did not reveal the name of the chosen successor but said the announcement would be made soon. Some insiders have suggested that Khamenei’s 56-year-old son, Mojtaba Khamenei, could take over from his father.

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Iran has named Mojtaba Khamenei as the country’s new Supreme Leader following the k!lling of his father, Ali Khamenei.

The decision was announced on Sunday, March 8, by the Assembly of Experts, the clerical body responsible under Iran’s constitution for selecting the country’s supreme leader.

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Russian oil has returned to the centre of global energy politics after the United States temporarily allowed India to buy shipments currently stranded at sea.