International from Monday, March 16th, 2026

US Vice President JD Vance on Monday expressed support for the way President Donald Trump was handling the war in Iran and said he trusted him to make sure that "the mistakes of the past" are not repeated.

Iraq's interior ministry said on Monday that a drone hit a hotel in Baghdad without causing casualties or material damages.

Ship-tracking data shows a Pakistan-bound oil tanker passing through the Strait of Hormuz over the weekend, indicating that some countries are able to negotiate safe passage for their vessels despite the US-Israeli conflict with Iran.

The Iranian women's soccer team began making their way home from Malaysia on Monday, after five of its players withdrew their claims for asylum in Australia.

Several U.S. allies said on Monday they had no immediate plans to send ships to unblock the Strait of Hormuz, rebuffing a request by President Donald Trump for military support to keep the vital waterway open.

A World Health Organization official said on Monday that the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran has led to the evacuation of six hospitals but that so far the system appeared to be holding up and authorities have not sought emergency relief from the global health agency.

Israel said on Monday it has detailed plans for at least three more weeks of war as its military countinued to pound sites across Iran.

Russia launched a rare daylight attack on Kyiv on Monday using drones that appeared upgraded, Ukrainian officials said, with multiple explosions ripping through the city and drone debris crashing onto the capital's main square.

The Philippines said on Monday it rejected Beijing's assertion of sovereignty over the entire South China Sea, disputing a claim by China's embassy that a Filipino diplomat had once conceded the disputed Scarborough Shoal was not part of Philippine territory.

Japan and Australia have announced they have no plans to dispatch naval vessels to escort vessels in the Middle East, after US President Donald Trump called on allies to protect tankers traversing through the Strait of Hormuz.

At least 10 people were killed in a fire that broke out in the trauma care unit of a hospital in the eastern Indian state of Odisha on Monday, officials said.

British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper announced on Sunday that the UK will provide over 5 million pounds ($6.62 million) of emergency funding to support the humanitarian work of the Lebanese government amid conflict in the region.