03-29 00:00 · 中东,局势,AlJazeera,中东
Republicans and Democrats remain entrenched despite public polling showing dismay over war, petrol prices.
Washington, DC – A new war in the Middle East and the knock-on effect of rising petrol prices have roiled the United States public, according to a slate of polls, but a month into the US-Israeli war on Iran, lawmakers have shown little appetite to rein in the conflict.
That was evidenced earlier this week when the US Senate again failed to pass a so-called War Powers resolution to curtail US President Donald Trump’s ability to unilaterally prosecute the war, which began with US and Israeli strikes on February 28.
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The vote failed in the Republican-controlled chamber, 53-47, the same as on March 4, with senators voting along party lines, save for one Republican, Rand Paul, voting in favour, and one Democrat, Jon Fetterman, voting against. Democrats in the chamber have promised to hold a weekly vote to force the issue.
Meanwhile, despite evidence that Democrats in the US House of Representatives, which is also slimly controlled by Republicans, have the votes to pass their own War Powers resolution, the party’s leadership has reportedly backed away from holding a vote.
That shows potential wariness about compelling party members to stake a position beyond “token opposition” as the Trump administration continues to prosecute the controversial war, according to Jamal Abdi, the president of the National Iranian American Council.
“There are [members of Congress] who are stuck between their support from the pro-Israel lobby and other political factors and the fact of this war being so unpopular,” Abdi told Al Jazeera.
“I also think that there’s this view that Trump is suffering. He’s bleeding out politically, and they don’t want to stem the bleeding.”
Approaching the one-month mark, the Trump administration has not articulated a unifying endgame for the conflict, instead hailing the degradation of Iran’s military capabilities and the assassination of top officials.
Observers have warned that the war appears to have entered a phase of attrition that strategically favours Iran, in which, as the US director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard has said, “the regime remains intact but largely degraded”.
Polls continue to show widespread disapproval of the war, with a Reuters/Ipsos poll on Wednesday showing 61 percent disapproval compared with 35 percent approval. Trump’s overall approval rating slumped to 36 percent this week, the lowest since he took office.
An Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research also released on Wednesday found 59 percent of Americans felt US military action in Iran had been excessive.
Over the last week, Trump continued to send conflicting messages on the war, claiming ongoing – if disputed talks – with Iranian officials and releasing a ceasefire plan that Tehran has since rejected.
That came as the Pentagon deployed yet more US troops to the region, further raising the prospect of a ground invasion.
Republican unity?
For their part, Republican lawmakers have so far broadly fallen behind Trump, with many of the party’s top members cheering the US military effort and embracing Trump’s claims that the conflict will be a weeks-long affair.
“Republicans writ large, but for [US Representative] Thomas Massie and maybe Rand Paul, are going to support anything Donald Trump does,” Eli Bremer, a Republican strategist and former Colorado US Senate candidate, told Al Jazeera. “Everybody is very, very entrenched in their positions – but things could change.”
Given the fickle nature of public opinion in the US, he argued, Republicans appear to be assessing that the short-term pain will not necessarily result in major political fallout in the midterm elections in November if Trump can claim some degree of victory in the weeks ahead.
The main test will be if Trump is able to secure the Strait of Hormuz, even if it requires a boots-on-the-ground deployment, and in turn stabilise global oil markets to create the perception that the US has “brought Iran to its knees”, he said.
“On the flip side, if it goes on for another eight weeks or three months or some undetermined period of time, and gas prices in the US keep going up and up and up, then Democrats will use that to say Trump said he was was going to avoid ‘unending wars’, and look what he’s gotten us into,” Bremer said.
Polls have generally shown higher support for the war among Republicans, with the AP-NORC poll released on Wednesday finding that about half say the US military action has been “about right”. A quarter said the war had “gone too far”.
Funding friction and MAGA dissent?
One nascent point of inter-party friction has been US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s recent appeal for $200bn to fund the war, which some Republicans have seen as antithetical to Trump’s “America First” pledge.
“The answer on
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03-29 00:00 · 中东,局势,AlJazeera,中东
Islamabad’s diplomatic push bears fruit as the world watches for signs of a broader breakthrough.
Iran has agreed to allow 20 Pakistani-flagged vessels to transit the Strait of Hormuz, in what Islamabad has called a meaningful step towards easing one of the worst energy crises in modern history.
Ishaq Dar, Pakistan’s foreign minister, announced the move on Saturday, posting on X that two ships would cross daily under the arrangement.
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He described Iran’s decision as “a harbinger of peace”, which could help restore stability to a region on the edge, hailing it as a “welcome and constructive gesture”.
Notably, he addressed his post directly to US Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, US envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Minister of Foreign Affairs Abbas Araghchi, a signal that Islamabad, which is engaged in diplomatic efforts to end the war, views the deal as far more than a bilateral shipping agreement.
The strait has been effectively shut since the United States and Israel launched coordinated strikes on Iran on February 28, killing Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and triggering a war that has killed about 2,000 Iranians and more than 1,100 people in Lebanon, and sent shockwaves through global markets.
“The Strait of Hormuz is not an oil chokepoint,” former Qatari minister Mohammed Al-Hashemi wrote in a column for Al Jazeera this week. “It is the aortic valve of globalised production – and like any valve, when it fails, the entire circulatory system collapses.”
As an estimated 2,000 vessels are stranded on either side of the narrow waterway, oil has surged past $100 a barrel, up by roughly 40 percent.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has, in the meantime, turned the strait into something resembling a checkpoint. Ships seeking passage must submit their cargo details, crew lists and destinations to IRGC-approved intermediaries, receive a clearance code, and be escorted through Iranian territorial waters.
At least two vessels have paid for the privilege, reportedly $2m a crossing, settled in Chinese yuan.
Iran’s parliament is now moving to legalise this arrangement as a possible source of revenue.
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said on Friday that Malaysian ships were permitted to cross the strait as he thanked Iran’s president, Masoud Pezeshkian.
Only about 150 vessels have made it through since the war began, roughly one normal day’s traffic. Maritime traffic is down by 90 percent through the waterway.
Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, head of the World Trade Organization, said global trade was experiencing its “worst disruptions in the past 80 years”.
Saturday’s announcement is the fruit of an intense week of Pakistani diplomacy. Army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir spoke to US President Donald Trump on Sunday.
Dar also held calls with his Iranian and Turkish counterparts.
Pakistan shares a 900km (560-mile) border with Iran.
“If the parties desire, Islamabad is always willing to host talks,” Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Tahir Andrabi told Al Jazeera last week.
Trump, meanwhile, has been making the strait famous in his own way.
Speaking at a Miami investor forum, he referred to it as the “Strait of Trump”, before catching himself. “Excuse me, I’m so sorry. Such a terrible mistake,” he told the crowd.
Iran has demanded formal international recognition of its authority over the strait as a condition for ending the war. Its parliament is drafting legislation to codify toll collection permanently.
Sultan Al Jaber, an Emirati minister, said the chokehold was “economic terrorism,” warning that “every nation pays the ransom at the gas pump, at the grocery store, at the pharmacy”.
Trump said that Washington has eased strikes on Iranian power plants for five days, a window that closes on Saturday. Israel has said its own strikes will continue regardless.
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03-29 00:00 · 中东,局势,AlJazeera,中东
While US-Israeli attacks hit key infrastructure, hardliners demand withdrawal from Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
Rescue workers rush to save lives after south Tehran missile strike
Tehran, Iran – Iranian politicians are pushing to exit the country from the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) as the United States and Israel ramp up their attacks to hit civilian nuclear sites, steel factories and a university.
It would be meaningless for Iran to remain a signatory to the international treaty as it “has had no benefit for us”, said Ebrahim Rezaei, spokesman for the national security commission of parliament, in a Friday night post on X.
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Malek Shariati, a representative from Tehran, said that a priority piece of legislation has been uploaded in an online parliamentary portal and will be reviewed soon.
Politicians have not held any sessions since the start of the war on February 28.
According to Shariati, the legislation will withdraw Iran from the NPT, revoke a law that adopted nuclear restrictions linked with a now-defunct 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, and “support a new international treaty with aligned countries [including Shanghai Cooperation Organization/BRICS] on developing peaceful nuclear technologies”.
Hardliners have previously demanded an NPT exit and a nuclear bomb in response to outside pressure.
If such a law is approved by the parliament, it would also have to be agreed by the Guardian Council – a powerful 12-member constitutional body, before being implemented by the government.
Iranian authorities continue to accuse the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) of taking a politicised stance and being complicit in attacks against Iranian nuclear sites, charges the United Nations nuclear watchdog rejects.
Mohammad Mohkber, a senior adviser to the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and a former first vice president under late President Ebrahim Raisi, said on Saturday that IAEA Director Rafael Grossi is a “partner in crime” in blood spilled during the current war and the 12-day war last June.
“His political reports about Iran’s peaceful nuclear activities, lack of condemnation for aggression against our nuclear facilities, and now encouraging the enemies to attack Iran’s nuclear sites, will bring the country to irrevocable decisions,” he warned, without elaborating.
Grossi told US broadcaster CBS News in an interview earlier this month that no war has the capability to totally destroy Iran’s nuclear programme, “unless it was nuclear war and you go for destruction unfathomable, which we hope will never be the case”.
Fada-Hossein Maleki, a member of the national security commission of Iran’s parliament, said on Saturday he believes that Grossi has acted as an “agitator” for months in order to please US President Donald Trump. He said the nuclear bomb comment “violates all international norms and constitutes a provocative act”.
Electricity, steel become targets
Israeli and US forces significantly intensified their attacks on Friday, in some cases destroying infrastructure that will have long-term repercussions for Iranians and the country’s beleaguered economy that is struggling with an energy crisis and inflation rates of about 70 percent.
Warplanes bombed a yellowcake facility in Yazd and the Khondab Heavy Water Complex near Arak, and so far, at least three projectiles have landed in the vicinity of the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant, prompting IAEA warnings about the potential for a major radiological incident.
Heavy air strikes also pummelled Iran’s steel giants, namely the Mobarakeh complex in central Isfahan, and the Khuzestan complex in western Ahvaz. Production lines and power plants feeding them were targeted, prompting the Ahvaz complex to announce suspension of production until further notice on Saturday.
The companies form the backbone of Iran’s non-oil exports, and were projected to rack up billions of dollars in revenue at a time when Washington is also trying to choke off Iran’s oil exports. Thousands of jobs may be at stake after major damage to the sites.
The bombing came after Trump twice announced delays on launching destructive attacks against Iran’s power plants, which he said would last until April 6. He has also claimed that negotiations with Iran “are going very well” as the two sides present conflicting positions.
Tehran has undergone two of its most intense nights of bombing, with overnight strikes into Saturday lighting up the night sky orange and also leading to temporary power outages across multiple areas. Some citizens reported smelling strong odours left from the detonation of the powerful explosives in the morning in some areas.
But almost the entirety of Iran’s population of at least 90 million has been unable for one month to freely communicate its experience with the international community since the I
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03-29 00:00 · 中东,局势,BBC,中东
The BBC's Hugo Bachega speaks to families in Beirut as more than a million people have been displaced in Lebanon.
'Our home is gone': BBC speaks to displaced families in Lebanon
More than a million people have been displaced in Lebanon as the US-Israel war with Iran continues to impact the wider region.
It comes after Israel issued evacuation orders for large parts of the south. Israel intensified its campaign against the Iran-backed armed group Hezbollah in Lebanon after it fired rockets into northern Israel earlier this month. Hezbollah has continued firing rockets at Israel since then.
With shelters overwhelmed, many families are sleeping in their cars or in open areas in makeshift tents, under extreme weather conditions. Among them children and pregnant women.
Most of the families have come from areas where Hezbollah enjoys significant support including Beirut's southern suburbs known as Dahieh.
One child told the BBC he felt "ashamed" to be sleeping in the streets after his family were forced to flee their home in Beirut.
The BBC's Middle East Correspondent, Hugo Bachega, spoke to some of the hundreds of displaced families about the reality of living in Lebanon amid the conflict.
Filmed and edited by Neha Sharma
Produced by Samantha Granville, Neha Sharma and Angie Mrad
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03-29 00:00 · 中东,局势,BBC,中东
With the world focused on the Iran war, there is increasing uncertainty about what happens next for Gaza.
Gaza peace doubts deepen as attention shifts to Iran
Nearly six months after a fragile ceasefire came into force in Gaza, Palestinians in this war-torn territory are still struggling.
In the markets, there are again shortages of some goods and rising prices – with merchants saying supplies brought in from Israel have been disrupted by the new war in the region.
"What does the war between Iran and Israel have to do with us? Prices have doubled here. Goods aren't coming in like before," says a shopper, Hassan Faqawi, despairingly. "In this situation, the whole world is focused on Iran, America and Israel, and Gaza is forgotten."
While world attention has turned to the Iran war, there is increasing uncertainty about what happens in Gaza at a crucial stage in President Trump's 20-point peace plan, which halted the fighting in October last year.
In the past week at the UN Security Council, the High Representative for Gaza on the US-led Board of Peace, Nickolay Mladenov, laid out a detailed plan for Palestinian armed groups to decommission their weapons - linking compliance to the start of reconstruction.
But a Palestinian official familiar with Hamas affairs told the BBC it was likely that Hamas, whose October 2023 attack on Israel triggered the war, would reject the proposals. That raises the prospect of a return to a full-force military offensive with Israel's prime minister demanding that Hamas disarms "either the easy way or the hard way."
Heavy rain in recent weeks caused sewage systems to overflow in crowded tent camps.
Although the Trump plan pledged the immediate resumption of "full aid" to Gaza, with rehabilitation of essential infrastructure - for water, sewage and electricity - as well as the equipment needed to clear rubble, humanitarian agencies say much more needs to be done. Reconstruction materials are not yet allowed by Israel to enter, on the grounds that they could be used by Hamas to build tunnels and weaponry.
"You know a huge amount of our effort is spent negotiating for the smallest crumbs, like a crossing to reopen or a few litres of fuel. So, progress towards recovery is limited and almost not there, really," says Bushra Khalidi, Policy Lead for Oxfam, based in Ramallah.
"We're not seeing large-scale debris removal, we're not seeing proper rehabilitation of underground infrastructure, and there's still nowhere near enough fuel to run power systems. So, this is basic survival in Gaza."
In a statement to the BBC, Cogat, the Israeli army body responsible for managing the crossings, denied there were aid shortages and accused Hamas of exploiting resources.
Despite a ceasefire, Israeli air strikes in Gaza have continued. Dozens of Palestinians – including children – have been killed since the outbreak of the Iran war at the end of February. Israel says it is targeting Hamas, with commanders of its military wing and police officers among the dead.
While Hamas publicly welcomed the creation of a new 15-member Palestinian technocratic committee - an apolitical body to temporarily run Gaza - and pledged to hand over governance, there are signs that the group is reasserting its authority.
Sources told the BBC that the Hamas Interior Ministry has restructured its executive apparatus, appointing new police directors, setting up temporary headquarters and detention facilities and deploying new security patrols.
Witnesses say masked men in military style uniforms have set up dozens of checkpoints, stopping and searching vehicles and passers-by after nine o'clock at night.
Meanwhile, traders and shopkeepers complain that Hamas has imposed heavy taxes on goods and services – pushing up prices in Gaza even further.
Gazans express frustration with the situation.
"Unfortunately, no-one is controlling Gaza right now except Hamas," says a displaced woman, Hanaa. "We pray to God that peace will be imposed, and that the national committee will come and control Gaza."
Speaking to the BBC, a senior official in the National Committee for Gaza Administration, which reports to Trump's Board of Peace, said: "There is no date yet for a return to Gaza."
At the UN on Tuesday, Nikolay Mladenov, High Representative for Gaza on the Board of Peace, laid out what he said was a comprehensive framework to decommission the weapons of Palestinian armed groups - starting with "the most dangerous weapons, rockets, heavy munitions, explosive devices and assault rifles."
"The laying down of arms by militant actors would represent a decisive break from cycles of violence that have defined life in Gaza for decades," he said. "For the people of Gaza, the implications are profound: Israeli military withdrawal and reconstruction at scale."
Mladenov told the Security Council that the choice was between "a renewed war, or a new beginning".
The Palestinian source close to Hamas who spoke to the BBC said that the group had received proposals to disarm in exchange for the phased pullout of Israeli troops from Gaza over a period of six to nin
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03-29 00:00 · 中东,局势,BBC,中东
Jawad Younes and his uncle Ragheb were laid to rest on Saturday after their family compound was hit a day earlier.
Tears and defiance as Lebanese family bury child, 11, killed in Israeli strike
A funeral has been held in a southern Lebanese village for an 11-year-old boy and his uncle who were killed in an Israeli air strike.
Jawad Younes and 41-year-old Ragheb Younes were laid to rest in Saksakiyeh on Saturday after their family compound was hit a day earlier.
They are among the latest casualties in Israel's offensive against the Iran-backed armed group Hezbollah, after the group fired rockets into Israel earlier this month amid the war between the US and Israel against Iran.
Lebanese health officials say more than 1,100 people have been killed since the escalation began, with civilians increasingly caught in the crossfire.
The Israeli military did not respond to a request for comment on the intended target of the strike that hit the Younes family compound.
Hundreds gathered in Saksakiyeh town centre for Jawad and Ragheb's funeral.
Women dressed in black robes wailed over the bodies, one of which was draped in Hezbollah's yellow flag - a reflection of the group's support in this largely Shia area.
Malak Meslmani, Jawad's mother, sat beside her son's body with tears streaming down her face.
"My son is gentle and pure," she told the BBC.
"He loved the idea of martyrdom, and when he grew up, he wanted to be with the resistance.
"He wanted to resist the enemy Israel who killed him."
As the funeral procession made its way to the grave site, the sound of Israeli air strikes echoed in the distance. Plumes of smoke rose above nearby hilltops.
The strike on the Younes family home happened shortly after 13:00 (11:00 GMT) on Friday. Jawad's father, Hussein Younes, said his son had been playing football with his nine cousins at the time.
Standing in front of the ruins of his home, Jawad's father threw his hands in the air, and shouted: "I don't know! I don't know!", when asked why the Israeli military had targeted the house.
"If this was a military base, no kids would be here," he told the BBC.
The BBC spoke to multiple members of the family and local council members who all said the family had no involvement with Hezbollah militarily.
Five people survived the attack, and those wounded were taken to a nearby hospital. Among them was Jawad's aunt, Zeinab.
"Before it happened, me and my husband were inside," she said, speaking through tears from her hospital bed.
"We didn't see anything, and we didn't hear anything... Then I found myself under a pile of rubble."
Zeinab is being treated for a broken spine and a fractured leg. Doctors say they are hopeful she will walk again, but she is likely to require extensive surgery.
She said there had been no warning ahead of the strike, and that the family would have fled had they been alerted.
Jaward and Ragheb's burial comes just a day after another family in the same neighbourhood buried two children and their mother. They were also killed in Israeli bombardment amid another wave of deadly strikes across southern Lebanon.
On Saturday, three Lebanese journalists were killed in a targeted Israeli strike on their media vehicle, their employers said.
Ali Shoeib, a well-known correspondent for Al Manar TV, a station affiliated with Hezbollah, was killed alongside reporter Fatima Ftouni and cameraman Mohamed Ftouni from the channel Al Mayadeen, according to the stations.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed it had killed Shoeib, describing him as a "terrorist" from Iranian-backed Hezbollah's elite Radwan Force who had "operated for years under the guise of a journalist".
The IDF provided no evidence to support its claim that Shoeib had a military role. It did not comment on the deaths of Fatima or Mohamed Ftouni.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun called the strike a "brazen crime" that violated all norms under which journalists should be protected during war.
The Committee to Protect Journalists has previously accused Israel of repeatedly killing media professionals while alleging they were militants without providing credible evidence.
Also on Saturday, an Israeli air strike killed five paramedics in the town of Zoutar. Human rights groups say Israel's repeated attacks on healthcare workers in Lebanon could amount to war crimes.
Since 2 March, Israeli air strikes have battered towns and villages across Lebanon, while ground forces continue to advance in the south as part of an ongoing offensive. Israel says its operations are aimed at Hezbollah targets, but civilians are frequently among those killed.
On Friday, the UN's refugee agency warned that Lebanon was facing a worsening humanitarian crisis that could become catastrophic, with more than one million people now displaced.
Lebanon remains trapped in a cycle of violence, with Israel and Hezbollah both vowing to continue the fight despite the mounting human cost.
Many, like the surviving members of the Younes family, say they are willing to pay the price.
"We are not afraid of the war, because we are not afraid of death," Zainab's son Ali sa
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03-29 00:00 · 中东,局势,BBC,中东
There are fears the Iranian proxy may attack shipping in the Red Sea, adding to global economic woes.
Iran-backed Houthis join war with attack against Israel
The Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen say they have launched a barrage of missiles against Israel - the first since the start of the US-Israel war with Iran.
The group said in a statement that it had targeted "sensitive Israeli military sites" and vowed to continue such attacks. Israel said it had shot down two missiles coming from Yemen.
The entry of the powerful Iranian proxy into the conflict raises fears of further disruption to the world economy as the armed group has capacity to attack shipping in the Red Sea.
Houthis consider themselves to be part of a so-called "axis of resistance" that also includes other groups financed by Iran, such as the Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
Yemen has been devastated by a civil war that began 12 years ago, when the Houthis seized control of the country's north-west from the internationally recognised government and a Saudi-led coalition supported by the US intervened in an effort to restore its rule.
Crucially, they control the Yemen's Red Sea coastline.
The involvement of the group in the conflict that began with US and Israeli strikes on Iran on 28 February had been largely expected.
Prior to launching Saturday's attack, their military spokesman issued a statement saying their hands were "on the trigger for direct military intervention" if any countries joined the US-Israeli strikes or the Red Sea was used for military operations against Iran.
A few hours later, they confirmed they had launched "a salvo of ballistic missiles" and attacks would continue "until the aggression against all resistance fronts ceases" - an apparent reference to Israel's escalation of operations against the Hezbollah.
Later on Saturday, the Houthis said a second wave of missiles and drones had been launched against Israel.
US and Israeli attacks against Iran have continued unabated, even as US President Donald Trump says he has postponed a threatened attack on Iran's power plants if it does not reopen the strategic Strait of Hormuz to shipping by 6 April.
About 20% of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas typically passes through the waterway.
Its closure has caused the price of oil to skyrocket and has raised concerns that a prolonged blockage could raise energy prices - and even lead to a severe contraction in the economies of many countries.
Trump says Iran is desperate to reach a deal to end the war and is involved in talks with the US to do so - which Tehran denies.
There is a large distance between Israel and Yemen, and Israel has been successful in intercepting Houthi missiles in the past.
But the armed group has previously attacked vessels in the Bab al-Mandab Strait, which ships use to access the Red Sea and, ultimately, the Suez Canal from the Indian Ocean.
From November 2023 to early 2025, the Houthis launched almost 200 attacks on ships in the Red Sea, damaging over 30 vessels and hijacking at least one.
The attacks forced even major shipping companies to stop using the Red Sea - through which almost 15% of global seaborne trade usually passes - and take a much longer route around southern Africa instead.
The US and UK carried out air strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen in January 2024 and in March 2025 following the attacks.
The effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz by Iran has forced Saudi Arabia to divert oil through a pipeline to its Red Sea coast, with shipments bound for the Asian market then sailing south past Yemen - making Bal al-Mandab the main channel for these shipments.
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03-29 00:00 · 国际,新闻,BBC,国际
Retail and dining premises will have to shut by 21:00 each night for the next month to conserve power.
Shops and restaurants in Egypt told to close early as energy crisis deepens
Shops, restaurants and cafes in Egypt have been told to close early as part of a raft of temporary measures to combat soaring energy prices caused by the Iran war.
Retail and dining premises will have to close by 21:00 (19:00 GMT) each night for the next month, beginning on Saturday.
The "exceptional measures" introduced by the Egyptian government also include dimming street lights and roadside advertising, as well as a return to home working for one day a week in April for many.
Egypt has been particularly affected by the Middle East conflict and the effective blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, a key shipping route for oil and liquefied natural gas.
Global oil prices have skyrocketed since supply via the waterway came to a near-total halt, with fears there could be a knock-on effect on the price of food, medicine and other goods if left unresolved.
Even though Egypt has no involvement in the war, its reliance on imported fuel has made it vulnerable to supply shocks.
Egypt's Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly said on Saturday that its petrol bill alone had more than doubled from January to $2.5bn (£1.9bn) in March.
Hotels and tourist attractions will be exempt from the energy-saving measures, the government has said. Tourism is estimated to make up around a 10th of Egypt's economy.
However, several hotels in Cairo, including the Mariott and Cosmopolitan, told broadcaster RFI that they had acquired generators in case of power cuts and would keep their restaurants open for guests irrespective of closing times elsewhere.
While most employees will be told to work from home for one day a week, essential workers - such as those in hospitals, schools and factories - will be excluded.
Since Iran began threatening to strike ships transporting good through the Strait of Hormuz, most international shipping through the narrow chokepoint has ceased. Usually, around 20% of the world's oil and gas supply flows through it.
US President Donald Trump has repeatedly vented his frustration that allied nations were unwilling to help escort ships through the waterway.
Thailand said on Saturday that it had reached an agreement with Iran, giving its oil tankers safe passage.
The Egyptian government has already raised petrol prices and the cost of taking public transport to limit the impact of the conflict on its public finances.
It will also slow down large, energy-intensive state projects and cut government vehicle fuel allowances by nearly a third, news agency Reuters reports.
Meanwhile, the Ethiopian government on Saturday told state-owned companies and public institutions to place non-essential staff on leave to conserve fuel used for transport.
Additional reporting by Alaa Ragaie in Cairo and Richard Kagoe in Nairobi
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03-29 00:00 · 国际,新闻,BBC,国际
The crew are safe and will complete their mission, a spokesman for the organisers said.
Two Cuba-bound aid ships found days after disappearing
Two boats filled with humanitarian supplies travelling from Mexico to Cuba have been located days after contact with them was lost in the Caribbean.
The Mexican Navy said one of its aircraft had spotted the vessels some 80 nautical miles (148km) from the Cuban capital, Havana.
A spokesman for the Nuestra (Our) America Convoy said earlier that the crew were safe. Neither he nor the Mexican Navy gave any explanation about why the Friendship and Tiger Moth had disappeared.
The boats are among several vessels that have sought to carry supplies to the island nation since the US imposed an oil blockade in January, prompting a chronic fuel shortage.
They departed Isla Mujeres, in Mexico's easternmost state of Quintana Roo, on 20 March, and had been due to arrive at their destination on Monday or Tuesday.
There are nine crew members - from Poland, France, Cuba and the US - on board.
"The vessels are continuing their journey to [the Cuban capital] Havana," the Nuestra America Convoy spokesman said.
"The convoy remains on track to complete its mission - delivering urgently needed humanitarian aid to the Cuban people."
In a post on X, the Mexican Navy it was in radio contact with the boats and was sending a vessel of its own to the area "to provide support".
Volunteers and non-governmental organisations have largely spearheaded efforts to deliver humanitarian aid to Cuba since US President Donald Trump's oil embargo on the communist-run country began.
Coupled with shortages of food and medicine, the situation has triggered rare public dissent in the form of street protests.
Earlier in the week, the Cuban government celebrated after receiving another boat carrying 14 tonnes of humanitarian aid to the island.
The vessel, dubbed "Granma 2.0" after the boat in which [the late Communist leader] Fidel Castro returned to Cuba to launch its 1950s revolution, delivered solar panels, medicines, baby formula, bicycles and food.
Since the US seized former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in January and cut off the supply of oil from Venezuela - a staunch Cuban regional ally - Trump has turned his attention to the Caribbean island.
He has threatened tariffs on any country supplying oil to Cuba, has spoken of a "friendly takeover" of the nation and has urged it to "make a deal" or face unspecified consequences.
The Cuban government has confirmed it is in talks with the US to resolve their differences, but has insisted that "the political system of Cuba is not up for negotiation".
On Friday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the system in Cuba had to change if it wanted a better future.
"You need to change the people in charge, you need to change the system that runs the country, and you need to change the economic model that it's following," Rubio told reporters in France, where he attended a meeting of foreign ministers from the most advanced Western economies, known as the G7.
The US secretary of state denied there was a naval blockade around the island.
"The reason why Cuba doesn't have oil and fuel is because they want it for free," Rubio told reporters before leaving Paris.
"And people don't give away oil and fuel for free on a regular basis, unless it was the Soviet Union subsidising them or Maduro subsidising them.
"And the reason why they're having blackouts is because they have equipment from the 1950s and '60s that they never maintained or kept up."
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03-29 00:00 · 国际,新闻,BBC,国际
Peters is accused of instigating a fight between two women and then posting a video of it online, authorities say.
Looksmaxxing influencer Clavicular arrested on battery charge in Florida
A controversial internet streamer who goes by the name Clavicular has been arrested in south Florida on a battery charge.
Braden Eric Peters was taken into custody on Thursday by police in Fort Lauderdale after a battery investigation stemming from an incident last month in central Florida, investigators said.
Peters is accused of instigating a fight between two women and then posting a video of it on social media, authorities said. The BBC has contacted Peters for comment.
A 19-year-old woman reported that she had been battered by Violet Marie Lentz, 24, on 2 February during a physical altercation in a residence rented out by Peters, 20, Osceola County Sheriff's Office said.
Deputies arrived at the home but Peters and Lentz would not meet them outside to speak about the incident.
A warrant was issued by the sheriff's office for Peters for charges of misdemeanour battery and criminal conspiracy to commit battery.
A warrant was also issued for Lentz for misdemeanour battery. Authorities are still searching for her, the sheriff's office told the BBC.
Peters' bond was set at $1,000 (£754), booking records show. He was released from custody late on Friday.
In a separate incident, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission announced on Thursday it was launching an investigation into a video showing an alligator being shot at multiple times in the Florida Everglades.
The video shows four people, including Peters, on an airboat in the Everglades appearing to discharge firearms at an alligator, US media report.
It was unclear whether the commission's investigation was related to Peters. The commission has not responded to the BBC's request for comment.
Clavicular is an influencer and streamer, known for his looksmaxxing content that chronicles him going to extreme lengths to try to enhance his looks – from using steroids and testosterone to hitting his face with a hammer.
Looksmaxxing has given rise to a whole new underground subculture, which is gradually migrating from the margins of the internet to the mainstream.
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