National and international media news & headlines compiled by CLG

UK has just TWO DAYS’ worth of natural gas stored – sparking fears of a supply shortage as Iran shuts Strait of Hormuz | 8 March 2026 | Britain has just two days’ worth of natural gas in storage, sparking fears of a shortage crisis as the Middle East conflict shut down the world’s largest gas facility and Iran closed a key shipping channel. The UK’s gas reserves have dwindled from 18,000 GWh last year to 6,700 GWh, enough for just 1.5 days of demand, according to new data published by National Gas. There is a similar quantity stored as liquefied natural gas (LNG). Disruption to the gas market is driven partly by the near-total closure of the Strait of Hormuz, through which around 20 per cent of the world’s natural gas and oil flows, and also by the shutdown of production in some places. Qatar announced at the beginning of the week it had suspended production at Ras Laffan, the world’s largest natural gas facility, after it came under Iranian bombardment. Meanwhile, oil prices could rise to 150 per barrel if the war drags on, industry experts warned.

Trump says ending Iran war will be ‘mutual’ decision with Netanyahu | 8 March 2026 | U.S. President Donald Trump ​said on Sunday ‌that when to end the war ​with Iran will ​be a “mutual” decision made ⁠with Israeli ​Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Speaking ​by phone with The Times of Israel, ​Trump said Netanyahu ​will have input on ‌resolving ⁠the conflict. “I think it’s mutual…a little bit. We’ve ​been ​talking. ⁠I’ll make a decision at ​the right ​time, ⁠but everything’s going to be taken ⁠into ​account,” said ​Trump.

Wall Street braces for huge sell-off as oil hits highest level in four years and gas prices hit $8-a-gallon | 8 March 2026 | Wall Street is bracing for another turbulent week after oil prices surged above 100 a barrel on Sunday night as the war with Iran continues to disrupt global energy supplies. The spike has already begun hitting Americans in their wallets. The national average price of gasoline has climbed to 3.45 a gallon on Sunday, according to AAA — up about 16 percent in just a week since the conflict began. In California, the statewide average has jumped above 5 a gallon. Drivers at the Chevron station at 901 N Alameda Street in Los Angeles were facing 8.21 for a gallon of regular gas. Oil markets reacted to the ongoing closure of the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow shipping channel controlled by Iran through which roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil normally flows. U.S. crude oil surged above 108 a barrel, the first time it has crossed the 100 mark since Russia’s mission in Ukraine in 2022. Global benchmark Brent crude also surged above 107 a barrel.

7th U.S. service member killed as war between Iran and Israel-America rages on | 8 March 2026 | A seventh U.S. service member has been killed as the war between Iran and Israel-America rages on. The unidentified service member died after being “seriously wounded” during an Iranian attack on U.S. troops in Saudi Arabia on March 1, the U.S. Central Command said on Sunday afternoon. The agency said the fallen soldier’s identity will be withheld for 24 hours following the contact of next of kin. The tragic news comes a day after President Donald Trump attended the first dignified transfer ceremony for those killed in the Iran war on Saturday. He traveled to Dover Air Force Base, where the remains of six U.S. service members who died in Kuwait were returned to their families.

Trump Weighing Special Ops Raid to Secure Iran’s Enriched Uranium Stockpile –U.S. forces could move in at a later stage of the conflict, Trump said. | 8 March 2026 | President Donald Trump is weighing options that could include deploying special operations forces into Iran to secure or destroy highly enriched uranium stockpiles as part of his pledge that Tehran “will not have a nuclear bomb,” according to multiple reports Saturday. Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump suggested the possibility of a ground operation had not been ruled out, saying U.S. forces could move in at a later stage of the conflict if necessary… Axios reported Saturday that U.S. and Israeli officials have discussed sending special operations forces into Iran to secure the government’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium once Tehran’s military capabilities are sufficiently degraded.

Leavitt says ground troops in Iran not currently being considered, doesn’t rule it out | 4 March 2026 | White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt would not rule out the possibility of the U.S. sending ground troops to Iran, though she said Wednesday it is not being considered at the moment. During the first White House press briefing since Operation Epic Fury was launched, a reporter asked whether ground troops would be sent into Iran. “Well, they’re not part of the plan for this operation at this time, but I certainly will never take away military options on behalf of the president of the United States or the commander in chief, and he wisely does not do the same for himself,” Leavitt said. “I know there’s many leaders in the past who like to take options off of the table without having a full understanding of how things could develop. So, again, it’s not part of the current plan, but I’m not going to remove an option for the president that is on the table.”

Ali Khamenei’s son Mojtaba is confirmed as Iran’s next Supreme Leader after his father was killed in U.S. strikes in Tehran | 8 March 2026 | Mojtaba Khamenei has been named as Iran’s next supreme leader, Iranian state TV said on Sunday. Mojtaba is the son of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, whose death was announced on February 28 after he was killed in joint Israeli-U.S. missile strikes. He had long been considered a contender for the post despite never being elected or appointed to a government position. The 56-year-old was chosen by the 88-seat Assembly of Experts, a group of clerics responsible for selecting Iran’s supreme leader.

U.S. approves emergency sale of heavy bombs to Israel –West Jerusalem has requested 12,000 munitions 1,000 pounds each as the war with Iran enters its eighth day | 7 March 2026 | The U.S. State Department has approved the emergency sale of 1,000-pound bombs to Israel, bypassing congressional review. The contract, worth an estimated 151.8 million, covers 12,000 BLU-110A/B bombs requested by West Jerusalem, the State Department said Friday. The announcement comes as the U.S.-Israeli air war against Iran enters its eighth day, with both allies vowing to unleash new waves of strikes. The department said the urgent nature of the matter allows it to forgo congressional review requirements under the Arms Export Control Act.

Trump claims Iran bombed its own school in Minab strike | 7 March 2026 | U.S. President Donald Trump has denied American responsibility for the strike on an Iranian school that killed 175 people, most of them children, suggesting instead that a faulty Iranian missile was to blame. His remarks contradict investigations by AP, CNN, the New York Times, and the Washington Post, which concluded — based on satellite imagery and other visual evidence — that the U.S. likely destroyed a girls’ elementary school in the southern Iranian city of Minab during a February 28 bombardment of nearby Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps sites. Asked on Saturday whether the U.S. was responsible for the strike on the school, Trump said, “In my opinion, based on what I’ve seen, that was done by Iran.”

Oil prices surge to highest since 2023 | 6 March 2026 | Oil prices hit a two-and-a-half year high on Friday as the escalating US-Israeli war against Iran disrupts energy supplies from the Middle East to global markets. Global benchmark Brent crude futures were up over 8% to over 92 a barrel, while US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) rose over 11% to over 90, both highest since September 2023. Commercial traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical waterway between Iran and Oman that carries about one-fifth of the world’s oil exports, has come to a near-complete halt, according to Bloomberg.

Ukrainian drone strikes kill two civilians in Russia | 6 March 2026 | Two civilians have been killed and at least 21 others injured in separate Ukrainian drone attacks in Russia’s Kherson Region and in Sevastopol in Crimea, according to local officials. Kherson Region Governor Vladimir Saldo said two were killed and 12 wounded when drones dropped explosives on civilians gathered outside a grocery store in the town of Aleshki just before it opened. He said several of them had repeatedly dropped munitions on the crowd. Saldo said Kiev had launched a large-scale attack on the region the previous evening.

Kansas City International Airport is evacuated as passengers flee on to tarmac and flights are grounded | 8 March 2026 | Kansas City International Airport was evacuated on Sunday following reports of a “potential threat” inside the building. Confused and terrified passengers were seen dragging their bags out of the airport and onto the tarmac as all flights were grounded out of the Midwest hub just shortly after 11am. The FBI are on the scene. It’s unclear what the threat was at this time. Arriving flights are still being allowed to land, but no departures are permitted, a KCI spokesperson told Fox 4 KC News. Hundreds of anxious travelers have taken to social media to share videos of the unfolding chaos, with some claiming bomb-sniffing dogs are searching the concourse and terminals.

‘Bomb threat’ sparks mid-air panic amid Iran war terror fears | 7 march 2026 | A mid-air Southwest flight was forced to land in Georgia after a passenger triggered a security alert, coming amid escalating tensions in the Middle East. Southwest Airlines Flight 2094, bound for Fort Lauderdale, Florida, from Nashville, Tennessee, was abruptly diverted Friday night to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, according to Fox 5 Atlanta News. The incident was set-off by a passenger, described as a “possible security matter,” though what exactly happened has not been confirmed. A TikTok video from inside the plane claimed there was a bomb threat mid-flight, capturing the panic of passengers on board. In the footage, passengers can be seen being ordered to stay in their seats, with their hands up and heads down. Following a safe landing in Georgia just after 9pm, officers from the Atlanta Police Department removed the passenger from the plane.

Noem thanks Trump for new Shield of the Americas special envoy role after DHS ouster | 7 March 2026 | During the Shield of the Americas summit in Florida Saturday, outgoing Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem thanked President Donald Trump for appointing her to a newly created role after she was ousted from overseeing the agency. Noem, who is moving to the newly created position of special envoy for the Shield of the Americas, showed no ill feelings toward the president and said she was proud of her work at DHS, arguing the department had secured the border and eliminated public safety threats. Trump announced this week that Noem would shift into the new role after cutting short her tenure at DHS.

Trump taps Sen. Markwayne Mullin after firing Kristi Noem as DHS secretary | 5 March 2026 | President Donald Trump on Thursday said he was ousting Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem from that post and replacing her with Sen. Markwayne Mullin, an Oklahoma Republican. Noem’s chief advisor, Corey Lewandowski, will also leave his position at the Department of Homeland Security, MS Now reported. Trump’s termination of Noem, MS Now reported, was largely due to her claim in testimony to a Senate panel on Tuesday that the president had personally approved a 220 million taxpayer-funded ad campaign about DHS immigration enforcement. The campaign, which involved a Republican consulting firm with ties to Noem and DHS, prominently featured Noem in commercials.

Austin cops who killed terrorist and ended massacre that slaughtered three now face grand jury | 3 March 2026 | The hero Texas police officers who shot and killed an Islamic terrorist outside an Austin bar are facing a grand jury led by the city’s George Soros-backed district attorney (DA). Travis County DA José Garza was slammed after it emerged that his office is assessing possible charges against the three cops who bravely killed gunman Ndiaga Diagne on Sunday. Diagne, wearing a “Property of Allah” shirt over an Islamic flag, killed three people and wounded 13 others before he was killed by police who arrived on the scene within minutes of the attack. The city’s mayor praised the officers for “without a doubt saving lives.” However, they now face the prospect of a grand jury thanks to a policy shaped by the woke legal group The Wren Collective. The group worked with Garza’s office to establish a policy for all police involved in deadly shootings to face grand juries, including the heroic officers who stepped in on Sunday.