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How Iran’s attacks on Gulf energy sites are shaping decision making in Washington
France 24 •

How Iran’s attacks on Gulf energy sites are shaping decision making in Washington

Sparking turmoil in global energy markets and undermining Gulf countries’ reputations for economic stability is all part of the Iranian regime’s strategy, according to a Middle East analyst. Speaking to FRANCE 24, Paymon Azmoudeh, senior consultant in the risk and compliance practice at Forward Global, explains that Tehran hopes to pressure Washington to end the war. Iran, he says, is very aware o...

Lebanon: Israeli strikes Beirut in new 'lage-scale' attack
France 24 •

Lebanon: Israeli strikes Beirut in new 'lage-scale' attack

#Israel launched a new 'large-scale attack' against #Hezbollah targets late on March 11, following rocket fire from the militant group. It struck #Beirut's southern suburbs as well as the capital's city centre, for the second time in a day and the third time since the start of the #war.

Thinking à la française: How French intellectuals shaped the world
France 24 •

Thinking à la française: How French intellectuals shaped the world

Nerd Alert! This week we focus on France’s contribution to knowledge and ideas. If French philosopher René Descartes famously said, “I think, therefore I am,” then “we think, therefore we are” could be said of the French. Over the years, France has produced a wide array of world-leading thinkers at the forefront of dazzling theories about knowledge, liberty, justice, the human condition – and, of ...

Ireland’s deputy PM warns of ‘near-existential moment’ for EU amid global turmoil

Ireland’s deputy PM warns of ‘near-existential moment’ for EU amid global turmoil

France 24 •

The European Union is facing an “almost existential moment” as it seeks to weather global turmoil. That is the warning from Ireland’s Tánaiste and Minister for Finance, Simon Harris. He says the current conflict in the Middle East serves as “a stark reminder of how Europe must become much more energy independent and much more economically resilient."

Iran's new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has 'very good links with the IRGC'

Iran's new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has 'very good links with the IRGC'

France 24 •

Jean-Emile Jammine is pleased to welcome Dr H. A. Hellyer, Senior Associate Fellow at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) for Defence and International Security Studies in London. The succession process currently unfolding in Iran must be understood within the extraordinary context of wartime decision-making, Dr Hellyer explains. The debate over Mojtaba Khamenei’s appointment is less about ...

Israeli planes spray herbicides on Syrian farmers’ fields

Israeli planes spray herbicides on Syrian farmers’ fields

France 24 •

Footage from January and February 2026 captures Israeli aircraft spraying herbicides over agricultural land in southern Syria. The FRANCE 24 Observers team spoke to a farmer who described the significant losses resulting from these spraying operations.

Washington tracking if Iran has activated 'sleeper cells' on US soil

Washington tracking if Iran has activated 'sleeper cells' on US soil

France 24 •

As the US-Israeli war against Iran escalates, fears are rising that covert agents lying low in Western countries could be activated to retaliate. US President Donald Trump said his administration is "on top" of the possibility of Iranian cells operating inside the United States, but has offered few details about the level of threat.

Mojtaba Khamenei as Iran's new Supreme Leader signals continuity to international community

Mojtaba Khamenei as Iran's new Supreme Leader signals continuity to international community

France 24 •

Amid the political uncertainty surrounding Mojtaba Khamenei, Iran's new Supreme Leader, Nadia Massih is pleased to welcome Dr Anahita Motazed Rad, Visiting Senior Fellow in the Department of International Relations at the London School of Economics. The Islamic Republic is navigating a moment of acute pressure, both internally and externally, and that the elevation of Mojtaba Khamenei serves an im...

On the ground: Iran attacks Gulf infrastructures

On the ground: Iran attacks Gulf infrastructures

France 24 •

Dubai reported a drone attack and fallen debris in two locations on Thursday while Kuwait's airport was damaged in yet another strike on the facility during Iran's Gulf campaign in the Middle East war. Iran has taken aim at US assets and civilian infrastructure around the Gulf in retaliation for US-Israeli attacks that sparked the conflict engulfing the wider region. Hoda Abdel-Hamid reports from ...

War in the Middle East: New waves of missiles hit Israel

War in the Middle East: New waves of missiles hit Israel

France 24 •

Lebanon's Hezbollah said it launched missiles at an Israeli military intelligence base in the suburbs of Tel Aviv early on Thursday, the Iran-backed group's latest claim in a major operation against Israel it announced hours earlier. Iran's Revolutionary Guards said earlier that they had carried out a joint missile operation with ally Hezbollah against targets in Israel. FRANCE 24's Noga Tarnopols...

Strait of Hormuz: Iran’s attacks on shipping worsen economic concerns

Strait of Hormuz: Iran’s attacks on shipping worsen economic concerns

France 24 •

The price of a barrel of Brent crude oil, the international standard, topped $100 a barrel early Thursday, just days after it spiked near $120. Oil prices shot more than 9% higher as supply concerns worsened with Iranian attacks on commercial shipping around the Strait of Hormuz. The latest attacks marked an escalation in Iran’s campaign aimed at generating enough global economic pain to pressure ...

War in the Middle East: Iran attacks Gulf energy targets

War in the Middle East: Iran attacks Gulf energy targets

France 24 •

Iran launched a new wave of attacks against Gulf energy targets on Thursday. The renewed drone and missile attacks against Iran's Gulf neighbours and Israel followed a warning from Tehran that it could wage a prolonged war that would "destroy" the world economy. FRANCE 24's Rochelle Ferguson Bouyahi tells us more about Iran's strategy.

Companies evacuate Dubai financial district after Iran threats

Companies evacuate Dubai financial district after Iran threats

France 24 •

US group Citi, consultancies Deloitte and PwC and other firms in Dubai have closed offices or asked employees to evacuate Wednesday after Iran threatened US and Israel-linked economic assets in the Middle East. The evacuations at the heart of the Middle East's financial hub come as the Gulf but especially the UAE has borne the brunt of Iran's attacks in response to US-Israeli strikes.

Humanitarian crisis in Lebanon: Displaced families face despair

Humanitarian crisis in Lebanon: Displaced families face despair

France 24 •

A new violent escalation in Lebanon – but in reality, the war that began in 2023 never truly stopped. According to the United Nations, the ceasefire signed in November 2024 between Hezbollah and Israel has been violated more than 14,000 times by Israel. Then, in late February, Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, was assassinated in US-Israeli bombings. In response, Hezbollah – Lebanon’s pro-Iran ...

Train connecting China and North Korea arrives in Pyongyang after 6-year hiatus

Train connecting China and North Korea arrives in Pyongyang after 6-year hiatus

France 24 •

A passenger that departed from Dandong in China arrived in North Korea's capital Pyongyang on Thursday evening, state media said, after a six-year hiatus following strict border closures enforced in 2020 to prevent the spread of Covid. China is North Korea's largest trading partner and a vital source of diplomatic, economic and political support for the isolated nuclear state.

Could the US military have struck a primary school by mistake?

Could the US military have struck a primary school by mistake?

France 24 •

PRESS REVIEW – Thursday, March 12: Multiple leaks to the American press by Pentagon officials point the finger at faulty US data that listed an Iranian primary school as a military target, leading to a Tomahawk strike that killed more than 170 people. In other news, UK papers react to the “Mandelson Papers”. And finally, The Guardian reports on an intrepid young fox with an American dream.

US war on Iran: 'An American war in desperate search of a strategy', expert says

US war on Iran: 'An American war in desperate search of a strategy', expert says

France 24 •

FRANCE 24’s François Picard is joined by Dr. Rouzbeh Parsi, Adjunct Senior Lecturer at Lund University in Sweden. According to Parsi, the current political situation in Iran should be approached with caution, as too much attention is being paid to the potential rise of Mojtaba Khamenei. The Islamic Republic is not a system built around a single individual, especially during a time of war. Decision...

US war on Iran: 'An American war in desperate search of a strategy'

US war on Iran: 'An American war in desperate search of a strategy'

France 24 •

FRANCE 24's François Picard is pleased to welcome Dr. Rouzbeh Parsi, Adjunct Senior Lecturer at Lund University in Sweden. According to Dr. Parsi, the current political situation in Iran should be approached with caution, too much attention is being paid to the potential rise of Mojtaba Khamenei. Yet the Islamic Republic is not a system built around a single person, especially during a time of war...

Chile marks sharp turn to the right as new hardline president vows sweeping reforms

Chile marks sharp turn to the right as new hardline president vows sweeping reforms

France 24 •

Right wing hardliner Jose Antonio Kast was sworn in as Chile’s president Wednesday, marking the nation’s most stark shift to the right since since the brutal dictatorship of general Augusto Pinochet, whom Kast greatly admires. Kast vowed in his inaugural address to follow through on sweeping reforms, including building physical border barriers along the frontier with Bolivia.

'European Union needs a bit of a revolution: There is no European strategy or foreign policy'

'European Union needs a bit of a revolution: There is no European strategy or foreign policy'

France 24 •

François Picard is pleased to welcome Sophie in 't Veld, former Dutch MEP and member of Volt Europa. She argues that the EU faces a profound structural crisis in its capacity to act on the global stage. What appears as policy debate is, in practice, an internal academic discussion with little consequence for international affairs. In moments of crisis, the EU is not shaping events but reacting to ...

'EU needs a bit of a revolution: There is no European strategy or foreign policy'

'EU needs a bit of a revolution: There is no European strategy or foreign policy'

France 24 •

François Picard is pleased to welcome Sophie in 't Veld, former Dutch MEP and member of Volt Europa. She argues that the EU faces a profound structural crisis in its capacity to act on the global stage. What appears as policy debate is, in practice, an internal academic discussion with little consequence for international affairs. In moments of crisis, the EU is not shaping events but reacting to ...

US war on Iran: 'An American war in desperate search of a strategy'

US war on Iran: 'An American war in desperate search of a strategy'

France 24 •

FRANCE 24's François Picard is pleased to welcome Dr. Rouzbeh Parsi, Adjunct Senior Lecturer at Lund University in Sweden. According to Dr. Parsi, the current political situation in Iran should be approached with caution, too much attention is being paid to the potential rise of Mojtaba Khamenei. Yet the Islamic Republic is not a system built around a single person, especially during a time of war...