The World in Brief from The Economist

Qatar’s energy minister, Saad al-Kaabi, said that Gulf oil-and-gas exporters would be forced to “call force majeure” on energy shipments within “days”; Wall Street stock indices tumbled as oil prices continued to soar and America’s jobs report showed that the unemployment rate rose from 4.3% to 4.4% in February.

The president said that the current front-runner Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, would be “unacceptable”. Also, Israel began “a broad-scale wave of strikes” on Tehran.

Donald Trump told reporters that he should help choose Iran’s new supreme leader.

Donald Trump told reporters that he should help choose Iran’s new supreme leader; Azerbaijan became the latest country to be drawn into the war in Iran after a drone attack on its territory.

Pete Hegseth claimed that America and Israel would soon gain control of Iranian airspace and deliver “death and destruction all day long”. Also, America’s Senate rejected a measure that would require Congress to approve Donald Trump’s military operations in Iran.

America’s secretary of war, Pete Hegseth, said that a US Navy submarine sank an Iranian warship in the Indian Ocean.

America’s secretary of war, Pete Hegseth, said that a US Navy submarine sank an Iranian warship in the Indian Ocean; Turkey’s defence ministry said that NATO air-defence systems in the Mediterranean shot down an Iranian “ballistic munition” that was headed towards its air space.

Israel said it would “intensify” strikes on Iranian infrastructure and military targets. Also, Donald Trump said America would “immediately” provide insurance for shipping lines travelling through the Strait of Hormuz.

Donald Trump said America would “immediately” provide insurance for shipping lines travelling through the Strait of Hormuz, and that the navy would escort oil tankers if necessary.