Real-time News

According to Russian state television, Russia's First Deputy Prime Minister stated that the Russian section of the Friendship Pipeline is technically ready to resume oil transport.

Israel Defense Forces: Over the past day, a large-scale airstrike was carried out in western and central Iran, during which a large amount of munitions were dropped on more than 400 Iranian military infrastructure targets, including ballistic missile launchers and weapons production sites.

Bloomberg energy and commodities columnist Javier Blas: By reducing oil production ahead of schedule, Gulf states are trying to delay the time when inventories reach their limits. Their plan is to strive to maintain low production levels while keeping operations running, avoiding a complete shutdown. The former is easier to resume, the latter is not.

GFZ (German Center for Geosciences): A 6.03-magnitude earthquake struck the Tonga Islands.

On March 8, Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps spokesman Naini stated that Iranian air defense systems had shot down 80 drones of various types, including three US MQ-9 drones and 74 Israeli Hermes-900, Hermes-450, and Heron drones. Naini also stated that one Hermes-900 drone was captured intact and handed over to technical personnel for study, and another Orbiter-4 reconnaissance drone was shot down over Isfahan.

On March 8th, HuaAn Fund Management Co., Ltd. issued an announcement stating that the HuaAn S&P Global Oil Index Securities Investment Fund (LOF) has recently experienced a significant premium in its secondary market trading price, deviating from the fund's net asset value per unit on the previous valuation date. To protect investors' interests, trading in this fund will be suspended from the opening of the market on March 9th, 2026 until 10:30 AM on the same day, and will resume at 10:30 AM on the same day. Redemption services will continue as usual during the suspension period.

Qatar Airways will operate a limited number of flights to and from Doha.

Samsung Electronics union members will begin voting this week to decide whether to hold an 18-day strike demanding higher wages. If approved, the strike will take place from May 21 to June 7.

The Israeli Ministry of Health said that at least 1,929 people have been hospitalized since the start of the war with Iran, with 157 more hospitalized in the past 24 hours.

On March 8, Iranian First Vice President Aref stated that Iran's main strategic objective is to force the complete withdrawal of the United States from the Middle East and the closure of its military bases in the region. Aref also stated that the current situation is a test for Iranian officials. He indicated that as long as logistical support is strengthened, Iranian fighters will confront their enemies with even greater resolve.

Local authorities say the fire at an oil depot in Armavir, southern Russia, has been extinguished.

March 8 – The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) stated today that Iran is attempting to reorganize its ranks and elect a new leader, with a meeting of Iranian experts, not held in forty years, expected to convene soon in Qom. Israel will continue to hold Khamenei's successor and anyone attempting to appoint him accountable; and warned all those planning to participate in the election that Israel will not hesitate to target them as well.

According to Al Jazeera, Russian Ambassador to London Andrei Kerin stated that Russia is not neutral in the war against Iran and that Moscow supports Tehran.

The Kuwaiti fire department said two officials died while on duty.

According to Axios, U.S. government officials have revealed that the possibility of seizing Kharag Island, Iran's strategic oil export terminal, has been discussed internally. The island handles approximately 90% of Iran's crude oil exports.

According to Al Jazeera, an Israeli minister stated that Israel plans to take "further escalation actions" following the attack on Iranian oil facilities.

Saudi Aramco shares rose 3.3% in early trading.

Bahrain Electricity and Water Authority: Iran's attack on a desalination facility has not affected water supply or the capacity of the water supply network.

The Israeli military has issued evacuation warnings for four villages in southern Lebanon.

On March 8, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Ghalibaf posted on social media that if the current war continues, not only will oil exports be difficult, but production could also be affected. He also pointed out that driven by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's "delusions," not only are American interests harmed, but interests throughout the region and even globally could be impacted.