While You Were Sleeping: 5 stories you might have missed, March 16, 2026
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
An Iranian man stands on a wall of damaged homes following a military strike on the Iranian capital Tehran on March 15.
PHOTO: AFP
US officials predict quick end to Iran war while Tehran says it can outlast foes
US officials responding to economic uncertainty over high oil prices predicted on March 15 that the US-Israeli war on Iran would end within weeks and that a drop in energy costs would follow, despite Iran’s assertion that it remains “stable and strong” and ready to defend itself.
US President Donald Trump threatened more strikes on Iran’s main oil export hub Kharg Island over the weekend and said he was not ready to reach a deal to end the war which has shut off the vital Strait of Hormuz and shaken up global energy markets.
Mr Trump has said Iran wants to negotiate, but Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on March 15 disputed that claim.
“We have never asked for a ceasefire, and we have never asked even for negotiations,” Mr Araghchi told CBS’ Face the Nation programme. “We are ready to defend ourselves for as long as it takes.”
IEA says oil from emergency stocks to flow immediately in Asia
PHOTO: REUTERS
The International Energy Agency (IEA) said oil from an unprecedented stockpile release will be made available in Asia, where buyers are clamouring to replace barrels lost to war-related disruptions in the Middle East.
The speed with which supplies hit the market is one of the key variables traders are watching to gauge how effective the effort will be in taming oil price increases.
The agency’s statement on March 15 came after it received implementation plans for a record 400-million-barrel reserve release announced last week.
Gaza’s Rafah crossing to reopen partially on March 18
PHOTO: REUTERS
Israel said it would partially reopen Gaza’s Rafah crossing with Egypt on March 18, after it closed the key gateway when it launched a joint attack on Iran with the US.
“The Rafah Crossing will reopen for movement in both directions starting this coming Wednesday (March 18), for limited movement of people only,” COGAT, the Israeli defence ministry agency in charge of civilian affairs in the Palestinian territories, said in a statement on March 15.
The Rafah crossing, the only gateway for Gazans to the outside world that does not pass through Israel, had only reopened for the movement of people on Feb 2, nearly two years after Israeli forces seized control of it during the war with Hamas.
Afghan asylum-seeker dies in ICE custody, US advocacy group says
PHOTOS: AFGHANEVAC.ORG
An Afghan immigrant who previously worked with the US military in Afghanistan and later sought asylum in the United States died this weekend in Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody less than 24 hours after being detained in Texas, a US veteran-led advocacy group said on March 15.
Mr Mohammad Nazeer Paktyawal, who was living in a Dallas suburb with his wife and six children while his asylum case remained pending, was arrested by federal agents outside his apartment on the morning of March 13 while taking his children to school, the group AfghanEvac's president Shawn VanDiver said in a statement. Mr Paktyawal died of unknown causes on March 14, Mr VanDiver said.
Mr Paktyawal, 41, is at least the 12th person to die in ICE detention in 2026 under US President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown. In 2025, 31 people died after being detained by ICE, a two-decade high. ICE has played a central role in Mr Trump's policy of mass deportations.
Richarlison earns struggling Tottenham Hotspur a point at Liverpool in EPL
PHOTO: REUTERS
Liverpool missed the chance to return to the Premier League's top four as Tottenham Hotspur striker Richarlison struck a late equaliser in a 1-1 draw at Anfield on March 15.
Dominik Szoboszlai's 18th-minute free kick had looked like securing the points for Liverpool but the hosts were unconvincing and could have no complaints as Tottenham ended a five-match losing streak in the league.
Former Everton striker Richarlison was a constant threat for the visitors and fired a low shot past Alisson in the 90th minute to secure a vital point in his side's relegation battle.
