Reuters World News - Iran vows retaliation, Russia-Ukraine, Oscars and ant-smuggling

Episode Date: March 14, 2026

 Iran warns it may target U.S. “hideouts” in the United Arab Emirates, as a drone attack disrupts oil-loading at the UAE’s Fujairah oil hub. European leaders push back as Washington issues a sanctions waiver on Russian crude. Global conflicts increase the risks for airline pilots and airports. Kenya reports its latest arrest in a widening ant‑smuggling crackdown. Plus, we look at the standout trends expected on the Oscars red carpet.  Recommended Read: In search of Banksy Listen to the latest On Assignment episode: The Oscars industrial complex Listen to the Morning Bid podcast ⁠⁠here⁠⁠. Sign up for the Reuters Econ World newsletter ⁠⁠here⁠⁠.  Listen to the Reuters Econ World podcast ⁠⁠here⁠⁠. Visit the Thomson Reuters Privacy Statement for information on our privacy and data protection practices.  You may also visit megaphone.fm/adchoices to opt out of targeted advertising. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I'm your weekend host Sharon Reisch Garson in New Jersey. It's Saturday, March 14th, today. Iran vows to retaliate for a U.S. attack on Karg Island. Trump expects many countries will send warships to keep the Strait of Hormuz open. As war spreads, drones and missiles create challenges for airline pilots. Plus, we look ahead to the Oscars and the trends that will dominate the red carpet. This is Reuters World News, bringing you everything you need to know from the frontlines in 10 minutes, seven days a week. Iran is warning that it may target U.S. hideouts in the United

Arab Emirates. The threat comes as a major UAE oil hub suffers disruption after a drone attack. Video footage shows plumes of dark, thick smoke rising into the air. Tehran is urging civilians to evacuate major ports and says the U.S. used UAE territory to launch strikes on Iran's Karg Island, the center of its oil exports. President Trump says many countries will send warships to keep the strait of Hormuz open, while Iran's supreme leader says the waterway should remain closed. U.S. Central Command says it struck more than 90 Iranian military targets on Karga Island, destroying sites including naval mine storage facilities and missile storage bunkers. In Iraq, security sources say a missile hit the U.S. embassy in Baghdad today, sending smoke over the compound.

And in Israel, Ha' Arat's newspaper is reporting that Israel and Lebanon are expected to hold direct talks in the coming days, their first since the start of the Iran war. The talks could take place in Paris. or Cyprus, and could include Jared Kushner, President Trump's son-in-law. The U.S. has temporarily waived sanctions so countries can buy millions of barrels of stranded Russian oil. Washington's calling it a move to help calm energy markets rattled by the war in Iran. But not everyone's on board. Ukraine and key European allies are condemning the decision. They warn it. and Moscow billions in fresh revenue as it continues its war on Ukraine.

James McKenzie is in Berlin with more. They're against this decision. They're worried about anything which eases up pressure on Russia with regard to the Ukraine war. That's their big priority. They're very skeptical about the Iran war. And their worries that it'll just take focus off Ukraine and give Russia a sort of freer hand in where it's doing.

there. And the possibility that, you know, once you start down this path, you keep going. And I think that's really their main concern. All of this is unfolding as Ukraine reports at least five people were killed in an overnight Russian air attack outside Kiev. Officials say the strikes hit residential buildings, schools, local enterprises and critical infrastructure across four districts in the Kiev region. And Russia's been carrying out these. kinds of attacks regularly. They're hitting towns and cities far from the front line in the

four-year-old war, including repeated strikes on energy facilities and other critical infrastructure. Drones and missiles are forcing changes to flight paths. And commercial pilots like Moritzberger say the airspace is more unpredictable than ever. It's so hard to identify these objects due to their size and the approach speed which you have. And therefore, for For us in the cockpit, there's pretty much nothing we can do. Since Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine, drones have become a key weapon on both sides. Airports in European cities from Stockholm to Munich have faced drone disruptions, suspected to be linked to the conflict. Christian Vandehay is head of the Danish Airline Pilots Association.

They can cause large structural damage that can give us problems. maneuvering the plane and worst case could lead to an accident where people gets killed. To find out more about the impact the uncertainties having, we spoke to our European Airlines correspondent, Joanna Pluchinska. We've spoken to some pilots, especially pilots in the Middle East, and they feel like they can handle things, that their planes are equipped with the right tools for detecting potential risks. We've also heard from the European Cockpit Association, which is the Union representing European pilots, that they are not trained to deal with this. They're not fighter pilots. They're commercial pilots.

They don't want to be put in these situations. Turning to Hollywood now, the Oscars are tomorrow, and lots of us will be watching the red carpet. We spoke to L.A. celebrity stylist Deborah F. Shawnee, whose polling looks for clients, including Hamit director Chloe Zhao, about what to expect. I'm noticing sculptural kind of interesting shapes, which are, you know, bold and statuesque. She says she's seeing dramatic decolettes, low backs, and textured fabrics worn by celebrities like Tiana Taylor and Roseburn. Men's fashion is moving in the opposite direction. Esquire UK style director Zach Maui says he expects to see formal looks from

nominees like Leonardo DiCaprio, Timothy Salome, and Michael B. Jordan. I think we'll get sort of old Hollywood tuxes and not so many frills and sequence as we have in previous years at other award ceremonies. Now, Hollywood insiders will tell you that by the time the Oscars roll around, everyone's exhausted, not just from attending an entire season of awards shows, but from the campaigning. Find out about the mud slinging, all the behind-the-scenes maneuvering. That's the focus of our On Assignment podcast this week. One example is the Oscar campaign for Best Picture winner, Anora. Neon spent a reported $18 million in that effort, three times the production budget. You can find a link in the show notes. Spring is on the way.

And as the temperatures climb, so do the ants. They start showing up everywhere. Most of us do what we can to get rid of them, but this story takes a turn. In Kenya this week, airport officials arrested a 27-year-old Chinese man after finding more than 2,000 ants in his luggage. Most of them were packed neatly in test tubes. But almost 300? Those were just rolled up in tissues. Surprisingly, the vast majority of the ants were alive.

And it seems like this isn't a one-off. It's part of a wider, organized ant smuggling network. To find out more, we spoke to correspondent Vincent Mummo and Zalani. This person who was arrested, he was heading to China. And also the same day was arrested. The prosecutors and the police said that a similar consignment was also seized in Bangkok. A similar incident also happened last year. Some other four guys were arrested and also charged here in Kenya with a similar offence.

The prosecutors said that they valued the total, which was actually also almost the same number, around 2000. And they said it was going to cost about 1.2 million Kenyan shillings, which is around roughly around $9,300. But Reuters also did a calculation then last year, and we determined that that was going to fetch around $1 million in Europe based on retail prices. They think these cases are pointing to a wider organized. They actually called it an organized system or organized network of criminals who are trying to smuggle ants outside Kenya. And for today's recommended read,

dive into a quest to identify Banksy. A Reuters investigation follows the British street artist from a bombed out Ukrainian village to New York and London, uncovering the clues and documents. It says unmask the world's most famous anonymous artist. You'll find a link in today's pod description. For more on any of the stories from today, check out roiders.com or the Reuters app. Don't forget to follow us on your favorite podcast player. And if you're listening on a smart speaker, just ask for the latest news from Reuters seven days a week. We'll be back tomorrow with our daily headline show.