Hours after Iran announced that Mojtaba Jamenei, son of Ayatollah Ali Jamenei, has been elected as the new Supreme Leader following his father's death, the Israeli army announced a new wave of attacks in the central region of the Persian country and against infrastructure controlled by the Shiite group Hezbollah in Beirut.
Meanwhile, Iran has also launched a missile barrage against Israel on Monday, where sirens were heard, while also attacking other neighboring countries. Explosions were heard in Qatar on Monday; Kuwait announced that its air defense intercepted an attack with Iranian drones and missiles; Saudi Arabia confirmed the interception of two drones aimed at the Shaybah oil field in the southeast of the country. And Bahrain reported that 32 civilians were injured in an Iranian nighttime attack on the island of Sitra.
And the war has caused chaos in the markets. The price of Brent crude oil has surged by more than 17% and has reached up to $119.50. In response to this situation, G7 Finance Ministers will meet today to discuss a joint release of emergency oil reserves, according to the Financial Times.
Von der Leyen warns that relying solely on a "rules-based system" to defend the EU from "complex threats" is no longer possible
Additionally, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, stated that the EU must be prepared to project its power more firmly, as it can no longer rely solely on a "rules-based system" against threats and must assess whether its institutions and mechanisms help or hinder its credibility, according to Reuters.
"We will always defend and maintain the rules-based system that we helped build with our allies, but we can no longer rely on it as the only way to defend our interests or assume that its norms will protect us from the complex threats we face," said Von der Leyen.
"We urgently need to reflect on whether our doctrine, our institutions, and our decision-making -- all designed in a post-war world characterized by stability and multilateralism -- have kept pace with the speed of change around us. If the system we built -- with all its well-intentioned attempts at consensus and compromise -- is more of a help or a hindrance to our credibility as a geopolitical actor," she added.
Von der Leyen: "Not a tear should be shed for the Iranian regime"
The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said today that "not a tear should be shed for the Iranian regime" and warned about the economic consequences that could result from the escalation of the conflict in the Middle East.
"Let's say it clearly: not a tear should be shed for the Iranian regime that has inflicted death and imposed repression on its own people. And that has caused devastation and destabilization throughout the region through its armed proxies with missiles and drones," declared Von der Leyen.
The head of the European Commission, who avoided directly commenting on the question of "whether the conflict in Iran is a war undertaken by choice or by necessity," expressed herself in that way at the annual EU ambassadors' conference in Brussels, where she strongly criticized the ayatollah regime.
Macron and the Greek Prime Minister show their support to Cyprus in person
French President Emmanuel Macron and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis visit Cyprus on Monday to express their support, including military support, to the country, which currently holds the EU presidency, following drone attacks of Iranian origin launched from Lebanon. The two EU allied countries are scheduled to meet today with Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides, after an Iranian-made drone hit the British military base of Akrotiri.
According to Nicosia, the drone was launched from Lebanon, where Hezbollah operates. A few hours later, two other drones were intercepted in waters near the island, as explained by Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos to the Greek channel ERTnews.
The French Presidency has indicated that the meeting aims to "show France's solidarity with Cyprus" and to strengthen, together with EU partners, "security around Cyprus and in the eastern Mediterranean, to contribute to de-escalation in the region," in the context of the war unleashed by the US and Israel's attacks against Iran. Reported by Efe
Hezbollah denounces a new Israeli incursion attempt
The Lebanese Shiite group Hezbollah stated on Monday that it faced an Israeli force during a second attempted helicopter incursion in the east of the country, after nearly 40 people died on Saturday in a similar operation to recover the remains of a missing pilot.
According to the statement, about 15 helicopters entered Lebanese airspace from the other side of the Syrian border in the early hours of the morning and flew over Nabi Chit, among other villages in the area, until several of the aircraft landed a force from the Israeli Army. "Fighters of the Islamic Resistance faced the helicopters and the infiltration force with appropriate weapons," Hezbollah added, as reported by Efe.
Markets enter panic mode with 3% drops in Europe
Monday could become one of those historic days, remembered for decades, and always associated with the adjective "black" attached to its date. European stock markets opened with a drop of nearly 3%. The past hours have been marked by the price of oil, which has surged by more than 25% to reach $116, its highest level since July 2022 (after the Russian invasion of Ukraine), driven by the attacks by the United States and Israel against Iran, the well-founded fears of a much more limited supply due to interruptions in the Strait of Hormuz, and the panic spreading among investors. A dangerous situation in the short term, unsustainable in the medium term. Capable of rewriting the world geopolitical map, alliances, and current sanctions in a few weeks if energy becomes prohibitive and governments become nervous.
China calls for respecting Iran's sovereignty after the appointment of its new leader
China called on Monday for respecting Iran's sovereignty and territorial integrity following the appointment of its new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Jamenei, and reiterated its opposition to any external interference in the internal affairs of other countries.
The spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Guo Jiakun, stated that Beijing opposes any interference "under any pretext" and also called for an immediate ceasefire and a return to dialogue to avoid further escalation of the conflict in the Middle East.
The spokesperson indicated that the appointment of the new Supreme Leader is "a decision made by the Iranian side in accordance with its own Constitution," when asked about reports on Mojtaba Jamenei's appointment as the successor to his father, Ayatollah Ali Jamenei.
Analysis of a video suggests that it was the US that hit the girls' school in Iran
An analysis of a video by several American experts suggests that it was the United States that hit an Iranian girls' school with a missile in Minab, in an attack that killed about 180 people, mostly girls, on the first day of the war against Iran, as reported by Efe.
The video, published on Sunday by the Iranian agency Mehr and verified by US media, shows a Tomahawk cruise missile hitting an Iranian naval base next to the school in the southern city of Minab on February 28, when Washington and Tel Aviv launched their war against Iran.