🇺🇿More Than 500 Uzbek Nationals Remain in Doha Hotels
🏨 More than 500 Uzbek citizens are currently staying in hotels in Doha due to the unstable situation in the Middle East.
🤝 Embassy staff are regularly visiting citizens and providing assistance. Diplomats recently visited La Villa and OYYO Hotel to register Uzbek nationals temporarily staying there.
🍽 Representatives of the embassy and the Vatandosh Public Foundation also delivered iftar meals to citizens in need, while those requiring medical care were taken to Hamad Hospital.
⚰️ Diplomats also assisted with documentation and arrangements for the burial of an Uzbek citizen who died in a road accident, coordinating with Qatari authorities.
✈️ Qatar’s airspace remains closed amid the ongoing regional tensions.
#MiddleEast#News
🇺🇿 Uzbek-Born Man Killed in Rocket Attack in Israel
🚨 A man from Uzbekistan, Rustam Gulomov, 62, was killed during a rocket attack in Yehud, Israel, the Uzbek embassy reported.
🌍 Gulomov renounced his Uzbek citizenship in 2017 and had lived in Israel for 14 years, later obtaining Israeli citizenship.
⚠️ As of March 11, the embassy confirmed no other Uzbek citizens were reported injured and urged nationals in Israel to follow air raid alerts and safety guidelines carefully.
#MiddleEast#News
🛢 Oil Prices Drop 4% After Trump Predicts End to Middle East War
📉 Oil prices fell sharply on Tuesday after hitting a three-year high, as Donald Trump suggested the Middle East war could end soon, easing fears of prolonged global supply disruptions.
💵 Brent crude dropped $4.17 (4.2%) to $94.79 a barrel, while U.S. WTI crude fell $3.81 (4%) to $90.96. Prices had surged past $100 a barrel on Monday due to Saudi production cuts and the expanding U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran.
🤝 Market concerns eased after Vladimir Putin spoke with Trump and presented proposals aimed at quickly resolving the conflict. Trump said he believed the war with Iran was «very complete» and ahead of his expected timeline.
⚔️ Iran responded, warning it would control oil exports if attacks continued, while Trump reportedly considered easing sanctions on Russia and releasing emergency crude reserves.
🌍 G7 members said they were ready to take «necessary measures» to address the oil price spike, but did not commit to releasing reserves.
#MiddleEast#News
🚨 Oil Prices Surge Over 25% Amid Middle East Conflict
Global oil prices jumped sharply on Monday, rising more than 25% to the highest levels since mid-2022 as the conflict involving Israel, Iran and the United States disrupted supply.
⚓️ Strait of Hormuz under pressure – This key shipping route carries around 20% of the world’s oil, and disruptions to tanker movements have slowed deliveries, leaving Asian importers particularly exposed.
📈 Market moves – Brent crude hit $117.65 per barrel, up 27%, while U.S. WTI climbed 28.3% to $116.62. Earlier, Brent briefly touched $119.50 and WTI $119.48.
⛽️ Supply cuts – Iraq and Kuwait have reduced production, while Qatar’s LNG output has also fallen, tightening energy markets further.
👤 Geopolitical impact – The appointment of Mojtaba Khamenei as Iran’s new supreme leader reinforced expectations of continued hardline policies, adding to market uncertainty.
#MiddleEast#News
🚨 Iran Names Mojtaba Khamenei as New Supreme Leader
🇮🇷 Mojtaba Khamenei has been appointed Iran’s new supreme leader, succeeding his father Ali Khamenei, who was killed earlier during the ongoing conflict. The decision was announced by Iran’s Assembly of Experts, which said it selected him by a decisive vote.
👤 Mojtaba Khamenei, a mid-ranking cleric with strong ties to Iran’s security establishment, had long been seen as a leading successor. As supreme leader, he now holds ultimate authority over Iran’s political, military and religious institutions.
⚠️ The appointment comes as the war involving Iran, the United States and Israel enters its second week. Tensions remain high, with Israeli strikes hitting oil storage facilities in Tehran, while Iran reports more than 1,300 civilians killed in the campaign.
🌍 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the military campaign against Iran’s leadership would continue, while U.S. officials confirmed additional American casualties from earlier Iranian attacks.
✈️ The escalating conflict is also pushing up global energy prices and disrupting international travel, adding to wider geopolitical tensions in the region.
#MiddleEast#News
🚨 Indonesia Threatens to Quit Trump’s "Board of Peace"
⚖️ Indonesia’s Defence Minister Prabowo Subianto warned he may withdraw from Donald Trump’s “Board of Peace” if the initiative fails to benefit Palestinians, according to a government statement.
🌍 The board oversees an international stabilisation force in Gaza, part of a ceasefire arrangement that ended the two-year Israel-Hamas war. Indonesia had agreed to contribute troops, but domestic Islamic groups have criticised the move.
🔥 The ongoing conflict involving Iran has further complicated deployment plans, with U.S. officials saying timelines for the stabilisation force may shift due to regional instability.
📌 Domestic pressure is growing, with organisations like the Indonesian Ulema Council urging Jakarta to leave the initiative, while Nahdlatul Ulama suggests using the board to push for broader Middle East peace.
🇮🇩 Prabowo stressed that Indonesia’s participation depends on serving Palestinian and national interests, signalling the country could step back if the initiative no longer aligns with these priorities.
#MiddleEast#News
📱 Uzbekistan Embassy in Israel Responds to Controversial Video
🇺🇿 The Embassy of Uzbekistan in Israel addressed a video showing an Uzbek citizen using offensive language while filming during a missile attack, which sparked criticism from Israeli residents.
⚠️ In the clip, the man compared people taking shelter from rocket strikes to rats. The remarks drew backlash, and an Israeli citizen later filed a complaint with police.
🤝 Embassy officials said they quickly contacted the Uzbek citizen and also spoke with the complainant. The embassy confirmed the man is safe and that the situation is being monitored by the consular department.
📢 The mission also urged Uzbek nationals in Israel to respect local laws, avoid provocations and follow safety guidance during missile attacks.
#MiddleEast#News
📍 Iranian Drones Strike Area Near Airport in Azerbaijan’s Nakhchivan
🚁 Azerbaijan said drones believed to have crossed from Iran struck areas near Nakhchivan International Airport on Thursday, injuring two people.
🏢 One drone reportedly fell on the airport’s terminal building, about 10 km from the Iranian border, while another landed near a school in a nearby village. Footage circulating online showed black smoke rising close to the airport.
⚠️ Azerbaijan’s foreign ministry summoned Iranian ambassador Abbas Mousavi, demanding a swift explanation from Tehran and measures to prevent similar incidents in the future.
🤝 Uzbekistan also reacted to the situation, with Foreign Minister Bakhtiyor Saidov calling Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov to inquire about the incident.
#MiddleEast#News
🎮 White House Uses Call of Duty Clip in Video Showing U.S. Strikes on Iran
📹 The official White House account posted a video about recent U.S. strikes on Iran that opens with footage from the video game Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III.
💥 The one-minute clip then shows real missile strikes on Iranian targets and was shared on March 4 with the caption “Courtesy of the Red, White & Blue”.
🕹 The post quickly drew attention online for mixing video game imagery with real military footage. It also follows earlier social media posts by U.S. authorities that used references from games such as Pokémon and Halo.
#MiddleEast#News
🌏 Central Asia in 2026: Safe Haven or Illusion? Geopolitical Risk Insights
📊 London-based analyst Alexander Smotrov, former Director of Global Counsel, shared with Kursiv Uzbekistan his perspective on geopolitical risk and investment opportunities in Central Asia and the Gulf amid 2026’s global volatility.
⚠️ Geopolitical volatility is now the baseline. Investors face synchronized crises, fragmented sanctions, and rising political risks. Smotrov warns that diversification is less effective, requiring highly selective assessments of markets and sectors. No “safe havens” exist, though areas of relative stability remain.
🛢 Middle East tensions—especially around Iran—could trigger capital reallocation similar to the Ukraine war. While the Gulf has long been viewed as relatively stable, recent escalations have pressured monarchies to engage in active diplomacy to maintain their reputations as investment hubs.
🌐 Central Asia as a “neutral zone.” Smotrov notes that countries like Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan have skillfully balanced relations with China, Russia, the Gulf, Turkey, and the West. This equidistance presents opportunities, but neutrality could be tested if global polarization increases.
👉 Read about this and more in the full article
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⚠️ Iran Death Toll Rises to 787 After U.S.–Israeli Strikes
🕊 Nearly 800 people have been killed in Iran since coordinated strikes by the United States and Israel began on Saturday, according to the Iranian Red Crescent Society.
👥 The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists in Iran (HRANA) estimated 742 civilian deaths, including 176 children. Iranian lawmaker Fatemeh Mohammadbeigi said nine hospitals had been struck, accusing Washington and Tel Aviv of targeting medical facilities.
🏥 The Israeli military denied striking Gandhi Hospital in Tehran, saying attacks in the area were aimed at other targets. Iran’s foreign ministry continues to insist the hospital was hit.
🎯 The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said its air force attacked a leadership compound used by Iran’s government, including the presidential office and the Supreme National Security Council building, along with other key infrastructure.
#MiddleEast#News
🚨 Middle East Escalation Could Threaten Uzbekistan’s Transport Projects
🌍 In late February 2026, Israel and the U.S. struck Iran, triggering retaliatory attacks across the region.
📊 Stanislav Pritchin, head of the Central Asia sector at Russia’s Institute of World Economy and International Relations, said the conflict is unlikely to directly affect Uzbekistan, as the countries involved are not major trade or investment partners.
⚠️ However, regional instability, combined with clashes between Afghanistan and Pakistan, could undermine key infrastructure projects like the Trans-Afghan railway and the North–South transport corridor.
🚆 Pritchin warned that if these initiatives stall, Uzbekistan would rely on northern routes via Russia, eastern routes through China, or the longer, less-developed Middle Corridor.
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