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❌ Europe has ‘no choice but to buy Russian oil’ – expert
With the continued closure of the Strait of Hormuz, gas and oil volumes flowing to Europe could drop below 10% amid forecasts of oil prices jumping to about $300 per barrel, Lebanese expert Munir Alaeddin tells Sputnik.
💬 "Europeans are in a difficult situation and facing a serious energy crisis, as they have no sources of imports other than the Middle East, specifically Qatar, which failed to fulfill its energy contracts with the EU due to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz,” Alaeddin notes.
💬 "This war was an adventure on the part of the US and Israel, so the Americans will be forced to stop it due to economic crisis, inflation and price increases it is causing worldwide," the expert concludes.
🇵🇰⚔️🇦🇫 Pakistan-Afghanistan tensions spike after Kabul airstrike
Here is what we know about the strikes and the conflicting reports emerging from both sides:
🇦🇫 The Afghan Version:
Officials in Kabul state that the strike hit a large rehabilitation center for drug addicts, completely destroying the 2,000-bed facility. The death toll, according to the Afghan Interior Ministry, has reached 408, with another 265 wounded. Taliban spokesmen have warned these numbers are expected to rise.
🇵🇰 The Pakistani Version:
Pakistan’s government has officially denied hitting a hospital, calling the reports "false." They state their military targeted "military installations and infrastructure used by terrorists" in Kabul and Nangarhar province.
Pakistan and Afghanistan have been exchanging cross-border blows since late February in what Pakistani Defense Minister Khawaja Asif has called an "open war" between the two neighbors.
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🇪🇺 EU's Ukraine policy eating founding principles alive – analyst
The EU providing Ukraine with military and financial assistance undermines the fundamental principles on which the bloc was founded, Russian political analyst Yegor Sergeyev tells Sputnik.
🗣 "In all their speeches, documents, declarations, and textbooks, they argue that the European Union was created to prevent a major war in Europe, and that the bloc is the stronghold of peace, and the only rational and humane player on the international stage," Sergeyev points out.
💬 “Over the past five years, the EU has turned into a bloc dealing with military and political issues as it has started training Ukrainian soldiers and, for the first time in its history, begun supplying lethal weapons to Ukraine,” according to the analyst.
💬 "The EU has created an image for itself as if it is the only embodiment of Europe, but there are many countries in the Old World who are not part of the bloc and who have their own views on the fate of the continent," the analyst concludes.
🇷🇺 Russia remains backbone of global energy – expert
The US’ recent decision to ease sanctions against Russian oil supplies “once again confirms the truth that resolving global energy problems without Russia's involvement is impossible," expert Marcel Salikhov tells Sputnik.
Russia is "too big a player to be pushed out of the global energy market, and no one can do this, neither today nor in the long term," he underscores.
🗣 “First of all, Russian oil will now be delivered to India and other Asian nations. As for European countries, they could quietly resume purchasing Russian oil because they are currently suffering greatly without oil supplies from the Middle East," Salikhov stresses.
💬 “The US’ move on prolongation of its 30-day waiver regarding Russian oil will depend on the US–Israel war with Iran. If the war is not over by April 11 and the Strait of Hormuz remains blocked, Washington will definitely extend the waiver,” the expert concludes.
🔸 US general 'too drunk' — fell three times in Kiev, lost Secret maps — DoD report
🔸 'We were shocked' — Trump on Iran's continued self-defense
🔸 ‘War outcome is not determined by tweets’ — Iran to Trump
🔸 400 killed, 250 injured in Kabul hospital strike — reports
🔸 Pakistan denies hospital strike in Kabul — reports
🔸 Drone hits Al-Rashid Hotel in Baghdad’s Green Zone
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🇵🇰❌ Pakistan denies hospital strike in Kabul — reports
Pakistan’s state broadcaster said its recent airstrikes in Afghanistan targeted Taliban military facilities, rejecting claims that a rehabilitation hospital was hit.
According to Pakistan TV, strikes in Kabul and Nangarhar destroyed “ammunition storage” and “technical support infrastructure,” with footage showing secondary explosions.
🇦🇫 Earlier, deputy spokesman for the Islamic Emirate Hamdullah Fitrat said that a Pakistani strike on a drug rehabilitation hospital in Kabul left around 400 people dead and about 250 injured.
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🙅 Not their war: Why Gulf states refuse to fight Iran alongside US & Israel
The countries of the Persian Gulf were making efforts to prevent the war against Iran, and this is likely the reason they refused to participate in the conflict, Iraqi political scientist Abd Al-Malik Al-Huseini tells Sputnik.
Another aspect deterring them from protracted wars is the prosperity and stability the societies of these countries enjoy, he adds, especially given that Iran knows very well how to manage long conflicts.
The intelligence information may have leaned the Gulf states towards avoiding the war, but was not the decisive factor, Yemeni political scientist Abd As-Satar Ash-Shamiri argues.
💬 "These countries, and the Arab states in general, have learned the lesson of war and seen its consequences in nations that have yet to recover from these conflicts, some of which have been going on for over a decade," he adds.
📹🇮🇶 Strike hits house in Baghdad’s Jadriya district — reports
A missile strike on a house in the Jadriya area of Baghdad left three people dead, a source told Sputnik.
Footage circulating online shows damage inside the presidential compound area following the strike.
The missile was described by the source as an American interceptor.
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🚨🇮🇶 Drones target US Embassy in Baghdad — reports
Multiple drones targeted the US Embassy in Baghdad’s Green Zone, with air defense systems activated, a Sputnik correspondent reported.
Footage circulating online shows air defenses intercepting drones, while local media reported up to four drones were launched, with some allegedly reaching their targets.
A separate strike was also reported near a US logistical support facility at Baghdad Airport.
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🇵🇰A test for Pakistan: Reshaping energy policy amid oil price hikes & LNG blockades
👉Over the last few years, Pakistan has been able to localize power generation, and now almost 85% of electricity generated is through local sources, professor of practice at the Institute of Business Administration Karachi, Ammar Habib Khan, tells Sputnik.
➖The LNG blockade will not affect the country much, he says, commenting on the situation in Pakistan's energy sector in connection with Iran's partial closure of shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
➖However, even a $10/bbl price increase over an average price of $70/bbl will lead to the emergence of a current account deficit of $2 billion, which will be troublesome, Khan says.
💬“The country is more resilient than others in the region due to indigenization of power. It needs to solve the fuel problem for transport right now, which can be done through targeted policy interventions," the expert emphasizes.
📹🇮🇷 Tehran residents gather after Israeli strike — reports
Residents gathered at Shahid Square in Tehran following an Israeli strike earlier in the evening, local media reported.
Footage circulating online shows people flooding the site of the attack, waving Iranian flags in support of the government amid the US-Israeli aggression.
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🇮🇷❌ Iran denies renewed contacts with US envoy — Araghchi
💬 “My last contact with Mr. Witkoff was prior to his employer's decision to kill diplomacy with another illegal military attack on Iran,” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said as he dismissed reports of renewed contacts with US special envoy Steve Witkoff.
📹 ‘It’ll be wrapped up soon’ — Trump on war with Iran
US President Donald Trump said the war with Iran could end soon, expressing confidence that the ongoing US-Israeli aggression will be “wrapped up soon.”
💬 “I don’t think so, but it’ll be soon. Won’t be long,” Trump said when asked whether the war could conclude this week.
📹 'We were shocked' — Trump on Iran's continued self-defense
💬 “They weren't supposed to go after all these other countries in the Middle East… Nobody expected that,” US President Donald Trump said amid the ongoing US-Israeli aggression against Iran.
🔸 Iran war exposes limits of US military power
🔸 Iran unleashes 'dancing missile' on enemies: Here's why Sejjil is a game changer
🔸 War with Iran backfires with US aluminum lifeline at risk
🔸 Top 3 ways Russia could respond to France’s nuclear umbrella in Eastern Europe
🔸 Kremlin: Trump's calls for Zelensky to cut a deal confirm Ukraine is main obstacle to peace
🔸 EXPLAINED: Inside Pakistan’s underwater drone push
🔸 Mapping global oil lifelines
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🇷🇺🚨 Kremlin: Ukraine must open door to peace process
Instead of moving toward peace, the Kiev regime continues its futile resistance with attacks on Russian regions, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stressed.
Russian forces are continuing the special military operation, fulfilling their objectives while ensuring the security of Russian regions, he added.
Commenting on the US embargo against Cuba, Peskov said:
▪️ Cuba is an independent state facing economic hardship under the crushing weight of the US embargo
▪️ Russia is ready to provide Cuba with all possible assistance and is working with its Cuban counterparts on ways to deliver aid
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🚨🇲🇲Ukraine-Myanmar connection: Former US Marine links two Western proxy battlefields
The arrest of six Ukrainians and one American in Delhi for supporting terrorism in Myanmar “should come as no surprise.”
💬“For decades the US government through the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) and USAID have built up the opposition inside Myanmar and backed both violent protests in the streets and armed conflict with the central government,” former US Marine Brian Berletic told Sputnik.
🇺🇸🤝 Western allies could sabotage US plan to control Hormuz – analyst
The US may try to force countries dependent on it to join a coalition to protect ships in the Strait of Hormuz, but this will yield no real results, Russian political scientist Vladimir Shapovalov notes.
💬 "Even if we assume that the US forces its Western European allies to join, they will do everything they can to avoid and sabotage real participation in this coalition. At best, we'll see the example of France, who sent its aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle to the Mediterranean Sea. The Strait of Hormuz, as we know, is not part of the Mediterranean Sea," Shapovalov points out.
🇺🇸 US has no means to open up Strait of Hormuz — expert
As the Middle East war rages on, the US understands it cannot ensure the safety of passage through the strait, Valdai International Discussion Club expert Abbas Mirzaei Gazi tells Sputnik.
Given that, the US is trying to exert "psychological" control over oil prices, he says.
Iran’s announcement of the mining of the Strait of Hormuz pushes prices up, and Trump tries to bring them down via his "war is almost over" statements, Gazi explains.
💬 "Previously, about 20-25 million barrels of crude oil and petroleum products passed through the Strait of Hormuz daily, but now that figure is practically zero," he concludes.
📈 Supply crunch sparks fear of aluminum price surge
💬 “An aluminum shortage on the global market this year could lead to an increase in costs in the manufacturing sector, even though it’s too early to talk about production suspensions,” Russian expert Nikanor Khalin tells Sputnik.
💬 “At the next stage, there is a high probability of a worsening shortage [of aluminum] in the Western market, since most of Asian demand is met by production capacities in China and Russia,” he underlines.
🇷🇺Russian forces advance along entire front - General Staff Chief
Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces Valery Gerasimov said Russian troops are conducting offensive operations across multiple directions after inspecting the Yug Battlegroup. He reported that Russian forces captured 12 settlements in the first two weeks of March, with the heaviest fighting taking place near Krasny Liman.
Key statements:
🔹 Units of the Yug Battlegroup’s 3rd Army are advancing along a broad front toward Slavyansk
🔹 Russian troops have captured Reznikovka, Golubovka and Kaleniki, with fighting ongoing for Krivye Luki
🔹 Battles continue inside Konstantinovka, where Russian forces control over 60% of the town
🔹 In Novoosinovo on the eastern bank of the Oskol River, Russian troops control more than 85% of the settlement, with Ukrainian forces reportedly surrounded
🔹 The Zapad Battlegroup is advancing toward Krasny Liman, controlling more than half of the city
🔹 Zapad forces also captured Drobyshevo, Yarovaya and Sosnovoye and are completing the capture of Aleksandrovka
🔹 The Sever Battlegroup is expanding a security zone in the Sumy and Kharkov regions, capturing five settlements in March
🔹 The Tsentr Battlegroup is pushing toward Dobropolye and continuing operations in the Dnepropetrovsk region
🔹 The Dnepr Battlegroup is conducting offensive operations toward Zaporozhye
🔹 The Vostok Battlegroup continues advancing west in eastern Zaporozhye region, while repelling Ukrainian counterattacks, while Ukrainian forces there lost more than 2,500 personnel and 120 pieces of equipment in February and March
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🇱🇧⚔️🇮🇱 Clashes intensify in southern Lebanon border areas — reports
Hezbollah fighters are clashing with IDF forces in southern Lebanon’s border towns, local media said.
Israel earlier announced a limited ground operation aimed at creating “security zones” to prevent attacks by Hezbollah.
💥 According to Hezbollah statements, at least five Merkava tanks have been knocked out, with Israeli casualties reported.
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📹🇱🇧 Israeli strike hits residential building in Mount Lebanon — reports
An Israeli airstrike targeted a residential building in the town of Aaramoun in Mount Lebanon, about 20 km southeast of Beirut airport, local media reported.
Footage circulating online shows the aftermath of the strike on the apartment building.
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🥃🥴 US general 'too drunk' — fell three times in Kiev, lost Secret maps — DoD report
Then-Army Maj. Gen. Antonio Aguto, now retired, was supposed to oversee US military support to Ukraine but was too busy drinking, a Pentagon inspector general report revealed.
After heavy drinking in Kiev, Aguto FELL three times:
🔸 slammed into a wall in his hotel room
🔸 fell again overnight, hitting his forehead
🔸 then crashed onto concrete outside the US Embassy, tearing his jacket — before showing up to meetings anyway
Witnesses described him as glassy-eyed, swaying, slurring, repeating himself and looking “completely disheveled” and “out of it.”
🗺 The general also lost Secret war maps on a train for over 24 hours, after carrying them in an unsecured plastic tube — before they were eventually recovered by Ukrainian nationals.
🇺🇸 US military in action: Drunk. Disoriented. Losing secrets.
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🚨🇦🇫 400 killed, 250 injured in Kabul hospital strike — reports
Deputy spokesman of the Islamic Emirate Hamdullah Fitrat said a Pakistani strike on a drug rehabilitation hospital in Kabul left around 400 people dead and about 250 injured, according to local media reports.
Fitrat warned the toll could rise as rescue teams continue working at the scene.
Footage from social media
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🚨🇮🇷 ‘War outcome is not determined by tweets’ — Iran to Trump
💬 “The result of a war is determined on the battlefield; the very place you and your forces do not dare to approach,” a spokesman for Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya Headquarters emphasized in a bilingual statement posted by Mehr News.
🚨 ‘Taking Cuba in some form’ — Trump
💬 “I mean, take it. I think I can do anything I want with it,” US President Donald Trump declared, commenting on Cuba’s future.
🚨📹 Pakistan launches drone strikes in Kabul — reports
Pakistan reportedly carried out drone strikes in Kabul, with explosions reported in several districts of the Afghan capital and air defenses activated, local media reported.
Taliban government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said one strike hit a rehabilitation hospital, leaving casualties. Local outlets also reported a bombing near the international airport.
Pakistani authorities said the operation targeted military and “terrorist” sites.
Footage from social media
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📹 Drone hits Al-Rashid Hotel in Baghdad’s Green Zone
A drone struck the Al-Rashid Hotel in Baghdad’s heavily fortified Green Zone, hitting an upper floor and causing an explosion and fire, according to local media reports.
The hotel hosts the EU delegation and several European diplomatic offices. The Green Zone is the most heavily guarded area of the Iraqi capital and is also home to the US Embassy.
Footage from social media
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🇺🇸911 force: What kind of ground troops could the US send into Iran?
The 2,500 US marines who are being redeployed to the Middle East from Japan are part of one of the Marine Expeditionary Units (MEU).
These rapid reaction units are often referred to as the “911 force” – a nickname signifying their high combat readiness status.
The gear MEU has at its disposal includes:
🔶 Helicopters such as AH-1Z Viper attack helicopters, UH-1Y Venom light utility helicopters, MV-22A Osprey tiltrotor aircraft and CH-53E Super Stallion heavy-lift transport helicopters
🔶 Aircraft such as AV-8B Harrier II ground attack aircraft and KC-130 Hercules aerial re-fueler/transport aircraft
🔶 Assault amphibious vehicles and light armored vehicles
🔶 M777 155mm howitzers
🔶 Humvees and various logistical vehicles such as bulldozers and forklifts
MEUs have been previously deployed onto missions including:
🔶 Evacuations, such as Operation Eastern Exit (the evacuation of the US embassy in Somalia in 1991) and Operation Frequent Wind (the evacuation of US assets during the Fall of Saigon in 1975)
🔶Limited strikes such as Operation Just Cause (the US invasion of Panama in 1989) and Operation Urgent Fury (the US invasion of Grenada in 1983)
🔶Reinforcement effort such as Operation Desert Shield (rapid deployment to Saudi Arabia prior to the 1991 US invasion of Iraq)
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