Middle East

A US Air Force F-15 Strike Eagle fighter aircraft takes off.

US, Iran search for American pilot after warplanes downed

Two US warplanes have been downed over Iran and the Gulf, Iranian ⁠and US officials said, with two pilots rescued and a third still missing and being hunted by Tehran's forces.

Middle East • 27 mins

LPG tanker Jag Vasant that arrived clearing the Strait of Hormuz seen at the Mumbai Port

Can Europe remain on the sidelines in a long Iran war?

This week it was hard not to feel the chill echoes of the Covid-19 pandemic that ravaged Europe and almost crippled its economy in 2020-21.

Analysis and Comment • 1 hr

STRAIT OF HORMUZ - 2 OCTOBER 2024: Satellite view of the Strait of Hormuz, a critical chokepoint for global energy supply, connecting the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman. This vital maritime route facilitates the transportation of goods, including oil an

Live Second Turkish-owned ship crosses Hormuz strait

Follow live developments as two US warplanes were downed over Iran and the Gulf, Iranian ⁠and US officials said, with two pilots rescued and a third still missing.

Middle East • 1 min

A F-15E Strike fighter jet conducting flight training

US warplane downed over Iran, one crew member missing

A US fighter jet has been shot down over Iran and search and rescue efforts have so far recovered one of two crew members who ejected, a US official told Reuters, in the first known incident of its kind in the nearly five-week-old war.

Middle East • 10 hrs

B1 bridge - pic taken from tweet from Iranian foreign minister

Eight dead, 95 wounded after strike on Iranian bridge

US President Donald Trump has said the tallest bridge in Iran had been destroyed, hours after threatening to bomb the country "back to the Stone Ages".

Middle East • 03 Apr

First responders search for survivors at the site of an overnight Israeli airstrike that targeted a house in the southern Lebanese village of Zibdine

Israeli occupation of south Lebanon 'very dire', says MP

A Lebanese MP has described the Israeli military's occupation of southern Lebanon as "very dire".

Middle East • 15 hrs

A plume of smoke rises from the site of a strike in Tehran on March 29, 2026.

If the war ends, how long for economies to recover?

The EU's Energy Commissioner said its bracing for a "long-lasting" energy shock from the Middle East war.

Business • 03 Apr

Family says man held in Iran faces possible execution

The family of a man detained in Iran accused of being involved in the killing of three members of the Iranian Basij militia during anti-government protests earlier this year has said he faces possible execution.

Middle East • 18 hrs

Fragments of a downed US fighter jet in central Iran

As it happened: US fighter jet shot down over Iran

Follow developments in the Middle East as US defence officials say the US Army's chief of staff has been asked to step down and calls grow for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

Middle East • 10 hrs

Smoke rises which visible from distant parts of the city as heavy explosions occurred where United States and Israel attack in the northern part of Tehran

US vows to target more Iranian infrastructure

President Donald Trump said the US "hasn't even started destroying what's left in Iran", reiterating vows to increase the ferocity of attacks on its infrastructure.

Middle East • 18 hrs

US President Donald Trump speaks about the Iran war from the Cross Hall of the White House.

Iran uncertainty persists after Trump's televised address

US President Donald Trump has stated over a dozen times that the Iran war will be wrapped up soon, but hope of a more substantial and detailed case last night during his prime time address did not happen.

Analysis and Comment • 02 Apr

Helen McEntee speaks to press prior to EU Foreign Ministers Meeting in Brussels.

McEntee's Lebanon trip cancelled on Defence Forces advice

The Minister for Defence had to abandon a trip to Lebanon on security advice from the Defence Forces.

Middle East • 22 hrs

Mourners pray by coffins in Choueifat, south of Beirut, during a funeral ceremony, for three journalists killed the previous day by Israeli airstrikes

European nations urge Israel, Hezbollah to cease conflict

Eighteen European countries have urged Israel and Hezbollah to stop fighting as their latest conflict reached one month and with fears over Israeli plans to control part of southern Lebanon post-war.

Middle East • 02 Apr

Cargo vessel, Ali 25, in the Gulf, near the Strait of Hormuz on March 22, 2026 in northern Ras al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates. In a statement yesterday, the UAE and nearly two dozen other countries issued a joint statement condemning Iran's "attacks by

Recap: Gulf states want UN mandate for force in Hormuz

Review all the latest developments as war in the Middle East continued.

Middle East • 02 Apr

Commercial plane, international air traffic

Will fuel shortages impact aircraft leasing companies?

Ireland is the leading centre for aircraft leasing accounting for 50% of all leased aircraft globally. It is estimated that an Irish-leased aircraft takes off somewhere in the world every two seconds.

Business • 02 Apr

Woman standing at a petrol station putting fuel into her red car

Rising prices drive up cost of commuting

US President Donald Trump has claimed that the war in Iran will come to an end in two or three weeks but for now, the cost of fuel looks set to keep rising.

Ireland • 02 Apr

Pezeshkian asks US if Mideast war puts 'America first'

Iran's president asked the people of the United States if the Middle East conflict was truly putting "America First", accusing the US of war crimes and being influenced by Israel ahead of a much-anticipated address by Donald Trump.

Middle East • 01 Apr

A photographs shows damaged buildings following an overnight Israeli airstrike in the Al Hadath neighbourhood of Beirut’s southern suburbs, on April 1, 2026. Lebanon was drawn into the Middle East war on March 2 when Tehran-backed militant group Hezbollah

As it happened - Iran strikes targets Israel, US bases

Follow developments in the Middle East as US President Donald Trump says the United States could end the Iran war within two to three weeks.

Middle East • 02 Apr

Aviation fuel disruption expected in May - O'Leary

Disruption to jet fuel supplies may kick in during early May, according to Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary.

Ireland • 01 Apr

A man walks past an electronic quotation board displays numbers of the Nikkei Stock Average on the Tokyo Stock Exchange along a street in Tokyo on March 31, 2026.

Asia markets rally on optimism Iran war could end soon

Stocks and bonds rallied and the dollar wallowed at the start of the Asian trading session today on hopes of a de-escalation in the Iran conflict, while significantly better-than-expected economic data for March propelled a rebound in Korean and Japanese shares.

Business • 01 Apr

US journalist Shelly Kittleson poses for a picture in Baghdad

US journalist kidnapped in Baghdad - police

A US journalist has been kidnapped in Baghdad and authorities are searching the city for ⁠her, two police officials said.

World • 01 Apr

Picture shows the destruction at the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted the Bir al-Abed neighbourhood in the southern suburbs of the Lebanese capital Beirut

Israel to destroy 'all houses' near Lebanon border

Israel will destroy all homes in Lebanese villages near the border and 600,000 people who fled the south will not be allowed home until northern Israel is secure, the country's defence minister has said.

Middle East • 31 Mar

European Commission spokesperson Anour El Anouni said their opposition to the death penalty was 'loud and clear'

Applying Israel's death penalty law would be 'war crime'

The United Nations has harshly criticised the Israeli parliament's approval of a "cruel and discriminatory" new death penalty bill, warning that applying it in occupied Palestinian territory "would constitute a war crime".

Middle East • 31 Mar

IRAN, TEHRAN - JANUARY 31: (----EDITORIAL USE ONLY â" MANDATORY CREDIT - 'IRANIAN PRESIDENCY / HANDOUT' - NO MARKETING NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS----) Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian attends a ceremony held at the m

As it happened: Iran Guards threaten US firms

Follow live developments in the Middle East as Iran attacks a crude oil tanker off Dubai and US President Donald Trump threatens to obliterate Iran's energy plants and oil wells if it does not open the Strait of Hormuz.

Middle East • 01 Apr

Energy crisis 'probably the worst ever', says Taoiseach

Taoiseach Micheál Martin has said the current energy crisis arising from the US-Israeli war on Iran is "probably the worst ever".

Politics • 31 Mar

middle-east

US, Iran search for American pilot after warplanes downed

Can Europe remain on the sidelines in a long Iran war?

Live Second Turkish-owned ship crosses Hormuz strait

US warplane downed over Iran, one crew member missing

Eight dead, 95 wounded after strike on Iranian bridge

Israeli occupation of south Lebanon 'very dire', says MP

If the war ends, how long for economies to recover?

Family says man held in Iran faces possible execution

As it happened: US fighter jet shot down over Iran

US vows to target more Iranian infrastructure

Iran uncertainty persists after Trump's televised address

McEntee's Lebanon trip cancelled on Defence Forces advice

European nations urge Israel, Hezbollah to cease conflict

Recap: Gulf states want UN mandate for force in Hormuz

Will fuel shortages impact aircraft leasing companies?

Rising prices drive up cost of commuting

Pezeshkian asks US if Mideast war puts 'America first'

As it happened - Iran strikes targets Israel, US bases

Aviation fuel disruption expected in May - O'Leary

Asia markets rally on optimism Iran war could end soon

US journalist kidnapped in Baghdad - police

Israel to destroy 'all houses' near Lebanon border

Applying Israel's death penalty law would be 'war crime'

As it happened: Iran Guards threaten US firms

Energy crisis 'probably the worst ever', says Taoiseach