* The Russian Foreign Ministry on Tuesday voiced serious concern over the mounting U.S. pressure on Cuba, pledging necessary support for the Caribbean island nation.
* Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Tuesday that he sees prospects for a peaceful settlement of the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
* Russian forces have taken control of the settlements of Kaleniki in the Donetsk region and Sopych in the Sumy region over the past 24 hours during a special military operation in Ukraine, the Russian Ministry of Defense said Tuesday.
* The aggression of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is primarily directed against Russia, with its ambitions continuing to expand, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said Wednesday.
* Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres discussed the ongoing U.S. and Israeli attacks against Iran in a phone call Monday night, the official IRNA news agency reported Tuesday.
* U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday waived the Jones Act for 60 days in an effort to curb rising oil prices caused by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz off the coast of Iran. The Jones Act requires that all goods transported between U.S. ports must be carried solely by American-built ships.
* U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday the United States has been informed by most of its NATO allies that they "don't want to get involved" with its military operation against Iran, claiming that the United States will "no longer 'need,' or desire" any help from NATO allies or any other countries in the world.
* Poland will invest 1 trillion Polish zlotys (270 billion USD) in its energy sector over the next decade, Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on Wednesday.
* Russia could request armed escorts for its merchant vessels through port authorities as security risks to maritime shipping continue to rise, local media reported on Wednesday.
* The Spanish government has announced it will release 11.5 million barrels of oil from its strategic reserves to limit market volatility following the conflict between Israel, the United States and Iran.
* Military strikes by the United States and Israel against Iran are triggering large-scale ecological disasters, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said at a press briefing on Wednesday.
* NATO deploys an additional Patriot air defense system to the southern Adana province of Türkiye, the Turkish Defense Ministry said Wednesday, after a ballistic missile fired from Iran toward Turkish airspace was intercepted last week.
* Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan held a phone conversation on Tuesday, stressing the importance of ensuring the security of energy pipelines between the two countries.
* Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Tuesday in London that Kyiv has deployed 201 anti-drone military experts to the Middle East to help counter Shahed drones.
* Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide on Tuesday described a new UN report on the forced displacement of Palestinians in the West Bank as "highly disturbing," citing repeated and systematic violations of humanitarian law by Israel.
* Dutch Finance Minister Eelco Heinen announced on Tuesday that the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and Finland will jointly finance and procure defense equipment.
* French President Emmanuel Macron said on Tuesday that France will never take part in operations to reopen the Strait of Hormuz "in the current context."
* Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo said on Tuesday that the government will move forward with a bill to remove legal restrictions on nuclear weapons.
* Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei offered his condolences on Wednesday over the death of Ali Larijani, secretary of the country's Supreme National Security Council, who was killed in an Israeli attack, while hinting at retaliation.
* The United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Wednesday warned that targeting energy facilities associated with Iran's South Pars gas field poses a threat to global energy security as well as to the security and stability of the region.
* The death toll from Israeli airstrikes on Lebanon since March 2 has reached 957, with 2,391 people injured, according to the country's health ministry on Wednesday.
* Iraq's Oil Ministry announced on Wednesday the resumption of crude oil exports from Iraq's northern Kirkuk oil fields to the Turkish port of Ceyhan, ending a suspension that had constrained the country's energy transit capabilities.
* Qatar's Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed Al-Ansari on Wednesday condemned the Israeli targeting of facilities linked to Iran's South Pars gas field, which is an extension of Qatar's North Field.
* People in large numbers attended a funeral ceremony in the Iranian capital Tehran Wednesday for the crew members of a frigate sunk by the United States as well as one the country's top security officials and a high-ranking military commander killed in Israeli attacks.
* Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) on Wednesday issued an evacuation warning for several oil facilities in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Qatar, the semi-official Mehr news agency reported.
* The Israeli air force has struck Iran's major natural gas facility, located in Bushehr in the south of the country, several Israeli media reported Wednesday.
* Azerbaijan has dispatched an additional batch of humanitarian aid to Iran on the instructions of President Ilham Aliyev, the state news agency AZERTAC reported on Wednesday.
* Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi and Oman's Sultan Haitham bin Tariq Al Said on Wednesday discussed the efforts aiming at de-escalating tensions and restoring regional stability, according to an Egyptian Presidency statement.
* The Israeli army has struck Iran's major natural gas facility, located in Bushehr in the south of the country, Israel's state-owned Kan TV News and Iranian state media reported Wednesday.
* Loud explosions were heard across Dubai, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), early Wednesday, which authorities said were caused by successful air defense interceptions.
* At least 27 people were killed and an unspecified number wounded in Israeli airstrikes targeting multiple areas in southern and eastern Lebanon during the early hours of Wednesday, the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health said.
* Iranian Ambassador to Russia Kazem Jalali on Tuesday denied the report that Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei is receiving medical treatment in Russia.
* In response to a missile threat, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) issued mobile alerts on Wednesday, urging Dubai residents to seek shelter.
* U.S. forces struck Iranian missile sites along Iran's coastline near the Strait of Hormuz, the U.S. Central Command said Tuesday on X.
* A drone attack targeted the U.S. embassy in Baghdad early Wednesday, according to media reports. An explosion was heard in the city.
* Iran's Supreme National Security Council confirmed that its secretary Ali Larijani has been killed in an attack, Iran's Tasnim news agency reported early Wednesday.
* Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdistan region announced Tuesday that it will allow the Iraqi federal government to resume oil exports via its pipeline, citing the need for national unity amid regional turmoil.
* Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani on Tuesday reiterated his government's opposition to any attack on oil fields and diplomatic missions, warning of the escalating conflict's impact on regional stability.
* Drone attacks targeted on Tuesday evening the U.S. embassy in Baghdad and the Victoria military base near the Baghdad International Airport, an Interior Ministry source said.
* Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said Tuesday it used a new "Haj Qasem" ballistic missile for the first time in a fresh wave of attacks against Israel, describing it as an advanced precision-guided weapon named after slain commander Qassem Soleimani, Iran's Tasnim news agency reported.
* The Lao government is taking urgent steps to ease the fuel crisis amid rising global energy prices and supply chain disruptions, rolling out measures to stabilize prices, ensure steady supplies, and prevent sudden spikes that could impact households and businesses nationwide.
* The Philippines' Department of Agriculture (DA) on Wednesday said it is moving to lock in fertilizer supplies from key global producers as oil-driven price spikes threaten farm output later this year.
* The Indonesian government is preparing to strengthen additional social assistance as a step-up effort to mitigate the potential domestic fallout from escalating tensions in the Middle East, an official said on Wednesday.
* Brunei has exceeded its greenhouse gas emissions reduction target under the Brunei National Climate Change Policy (BNCCP), a government minister said on Wednesday.
* The Asian Development Bank (ADB) on Wednesday launched a new roadmap to support Pakistan's transition to sustainable and inclusive growth through private sector-led development.
* Indonesia has reinforced its ban on foreign airlines offering domestic flights through international connections, particularly when sold via online travel agents (OTAs), the Transportation Ministry said.
* New Zealand and Ireland have agreed to advance their partnership on agricultural climate research, signing a joint ministerial statement in Wellington on Tuesday.
* Republic of Korea on Wednesday raised its oil crisis alert from "attention" to "caution" level and is preparing to release strategic petroleum reserves amid growing concerns over supply disruptions, Yonhap News Agency reported.
* Japan's exports to the United States fell 8 percent year-on-year in February to around 1.75 trillion yen (about 11 billion USD), marking the third consecutive monthly decline, data from the Finance Ministry showed Wednesday.
* Around 300 Afghan nationals have been released from prisons in neighboring Pakistan and returned to Afghanistan during the past week, according to local media Tolo news on Wednesday.
* Malaysia has secured 87.4 billion ringgit (22.35 billion USD) in approved digital investments in 2025, driven largely by growth in artificial intelligence (AI), big data, data centers and cloud services.
* The World Bank Vice President for South Asia, Johannes Zutt, concluded a 3-day visit to Bangladesh on Tuesday and reaffirmed the lender's commitment to fostering job creation and promoting inclusive growth in the South Asian country.
* New Zealand continues to maintain healthy reserves of petrol, diesel and jet fuel, despite global supply disruptions stemming from the Strait of Hormuz amid the Middle East conflict, senior officials said Wednesday.
* Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Wednesday confirmed that an Iranian projectile struck near an air base in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) where Australian soldiers are stationed, but that no personnel were injured.
