Trump ready for longer war; Israel troops enter Lebanon; Europe ups defence
Dubai, March 3: Israel stepped up airstrikes against Iranian missile launchers and factories on Tuesday, and Iran retaliated across the Gulf region, including with attacks on Dubai and Abu Dhabi, disrupting energy supplies and travel. While the American embassy in Saudi Arabia came under drone attack, Europe scrambled to defend Cyprus, a day after a drone attack was launched against the British base in the Mediterranean state. Four days into a war, US President Donald Trump said his country has “the capability to go far longer” than its projected four-to-five-week time frame for its military operations against Iran. Speaking from the Oval Office, Trump said someone from within the Iranian regime might be the best choice to take power once the US-Israel campaign is finished. He rejected speculation that the US is willing to install Reza Pahlavi, the exiled crown prince of Iran's last shah, in Iran. “As far as possible leaders inside Iran, the people we had in mind are dead... I guess the worst case would be to do this, and then somebody takes over who's as bad as the previous per son, right? That could happen. We don't want that to happen.” Israel, meanwhile, sent ground troops into southern Lebanon on Tuesday and warned residents of more than 80 villages to evacuate as the Iran-backed militant Hezbollah group said it was ready for an “open war” with Israel. According to reports, the UAE and Qatar are lobbying US allies to help them persuade Trump to reach for an off-ramp that would keep US military operations against Iran short. Airstrikes by the United States and Israel have killed at least 787 people in Iran since the start of the war, the Iranian Red Crescent Society said. In its intelligence assessment, the US department of homeland security said Iran and its proxies "probably" pose a threat of targeted attacks on the United States, although a largescale physical attack was unlikely.
WASHINGTON, United States, March 3, 2026 (AFP) - President Donald Trump on Tuesday boasted that US-Israeli strikes had "knocked out" most of Iran's military, while denying that Israel had forced him into launching the war that has engulfed the Middle East.
Trump however offered no firm plan for Iran, saying possible leaders eyed by the US had been killed and admitting that a replacement for slain supreme leader Ali Khamenei could be just as bad.
The 79-year-old Republican has faced criticism for conflicting messages about his justifications and aims after launching the region's biggest conflict in more than two decades.
"Just about everything's been knocked out," Trump said as he met German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, answering his first questions from reporters since the strikes began on Saturday.
"They have no navy, it's been knocked out. They have no air force. It's been knocked out. They have no air detection, that's been knocked out. Their radar has been knocked out."
Trump, who has given differing reasons in recent days for launching "Operation Epic Fury," claimed that Iran was going to strike first and that the United States acted to pre-empt it.
In doing so, he walked back Secretary of State Marco Rubio's comments on Monday that Washington did so only after learning that ally Israel was going to strike.
"Based on the way the negotiation was going, I think they (Iran) were going to attack first. And I didn't want that to happen," Trump said in the Oval Office.
"So, if anything, I might have forced Israel's hand."
Trump faced criticism for the lack of an apparent plan for Iran, and he admitted that he was not sure how the situation would play out.
"I guess the worst case would be, we do this, and then somebody takes over who's as bad as the previous person, right?" Trump said, referring to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
- New Iran leadership candidates 'dead'-
He said that two waves of US-Israeli attacks had killed Iranian figures he had eyed as potential new leaders, adding that there had been a "substantial" new attack on a meeting to choose the new leadership.
"Most of the people we had in mind are dead," he said. "Now we have another group. They may be dead also, based on reports."
Trump has previously urged the people of Iran to rise up and overthrow their government, but toppling the Islamic republic was not among the four key goals for the operation that he gave on Monday, including stopping its nuclear program.
On Tuesday the US leader told protesters to hold off. He has also used the recent deadly crackdown on protests in Iran as a justification for the war.
"If you're going to go out and protest, don't do it yet," Trump added.
Germany's Merz Chancellor Friedrich Merz voiced support Tuesday for the US-Israeli war on Iran but said he hoped it would end soon, saying it was hurting the global economy.
"This is, of course, damaging our economies. This is true for the oil prices, and this is true for the gas prices as well. So that's the reason why we all hope that this war will come to an end as soon as possible," he said.
Trump insisted soaring oil prices would drop "lower than even before" after the war ends.
While praising Merz, Trump had harsh words for European allies Britain and Spain.
"This is not Winston Churchill that we're dealing with," Trump said of British Prime Minister Keir Starmer who initially refused to let US forces use UK bases, before relenting.
Trump also threatened to cut off trade with Spain, whose left-wing government refused to let US planes use its bases to attack Iran and objected to raising defense funding as part of NATO.
"Spain has been terrible," Trump said, adding: "We could use their base if we want. We could just fly in and use it."
As the conflict escalates in West Asia, Israel conducted strikes in both Tehran and Beirut, while the US Embassy in Riyadh was struck by drone on Tuesday. The Israeli Defence Forces said in a post on X that it is currently conducting simultaneous targeted strikes against military targets in Tehran and Beirut.
The United States Central Command (CENTCOM) said on Tuesday that US forces carried out sustained operations targeting key Iranian military infrastructure, including facilities linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
In a post on X, CENTCOM stated, “U.S. forces have destroyed Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps command and control facilities, Iranian air defense capabilities, missile and drone launch sites, and military airfields during sustained operations. We will continue to take decisive action against imminent threats posed by the Iranian regime.”
Separately, Al Jazeera reported that Iran claimed to have launched a “massive missile and drone” attack on a US air base in Bahrain.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it destroyed the main command building of the Sheikh Isa Air Base during an early Tuesday drone and missile attack. It claimed that 20 drones and three missiles struck the base, setting fuel tanks ablaze.
Iran’s Ambassador to the United Nations, Amir Saeid Iravani, said Tehran would continue to defend itself decisively as long as what he termed US-Israeli aggression persists.
The conflict has also spread to Lebanon, where Israel has mounted operations against Hezbollah.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said the head of Hezbollah’s intelligence arm, identified as Makled, was killed in an overnight strike. According to the IDF, he was responsible for forming intelligence assessments on Israeli troops and the State of Israel using various intelligence collection tools.
The Israeli Air Force also intercepted two unmanned aerial vehicles that crossed into Israeli territory from Lebanon.
Riyadh: The U.S. embassy in Riyadh was hit by two drones resulting in a limited fire and some material damage, the kingdom's defence ministry said in a post on X on Tuesday, citing an initial assessment.
Live Updates
- 4 March 2026 12:58 AM IST
US State Department says it's preparing military and charter flights for Americans who want to leave Middle East, reports AP
- 4 March 2026 12:11 AM IST
Satellite images show damage to Iran's Natanz nuclear facility
Satellite images show damage to Iran's Natanz nuclear facility
Dubai, Mar 3 (AP) Satellite images of Iran's Natanz nuclear facility have shown several damaged buildings, compared with imagery from the previous day, along with additional damage across the facility's complex.Vantor, an imaging company based in Colorado and formerly known as Maxar Technologies, released images taken on Monday that it said showed damage to buildings housing personnel and to vehicle entrances to the underground fuel enrichment complex.Earlier Tuesday, the United Nations' nuclear watchdog said the Natanz enrichment site sustained "some recent damage" following the US-Israeli attack on Iran.The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said there was "no radiological consequence expected."The nuclear facility at Natanz, located nearly 220 km southeast of Tehran, is Iran's main enrichment site. It had been targeted by Israeli airstrikes in the 12-day war between Iran and Israel in June 2025, and by the US.Monday's attack on the Natanz facility marks the first confirmed strike against a nuclear site in Iran during the latest round of fighting.Following last summer's brief war, US President Donald Trump and his administration said that Iran's nuclear capabilities had been "obliterated".But ahead of the current round of hostilities, Trump again warned of Iran's nuclear ambitions. He claimed on Monday that Iran was seeking to rebuild its nuclear programme.Iran has four declared nuclear enrichment facilities. The IAEA said last week in a confidential report, seen by The Associated Press, that due to lack of access it "cannot provide any information on the current size, composition or whereabouts of the stockpile of enriched uranium in Iran."Iran has said it has not enriched since June, but it has blocked international inspectors from visiting the sites the US bombed. Satellite photos analysed by AP have shown new activity at two of those sites, suggesting Iran was trying to assess and potentially recover material. - 3 March 2026 11:45 PM IST
Iran media reports damage at Bushehr airport after strikes
Iran media reports damage at Bushehr airport after strikes
TEHRAN, March 3, 2026 (AFP) - US-Israeli strikes caused damage at an airport in Bushehr, a port city in southern Iran that also hosts a nuclear power plant, the Mehr news agency reported on Tuesday."Following an enemy attack, a projectile struck an Airbus aircraft... this plane is completely damaged," the agency said. "The shockwave (from the strike) caused damage to the airport terminal," it added, noting a second aircraft had also been hit. - 3 March 2026 11:13 PM IST
Trump says US will cut all trade with Spain
Trump says US will cut all trade with Spain
President Trump says the United States plans cut off all trade with Spain after the European country refused to let the US military use its bases for missions linked to strikes on Iran.
He also chastised the United Kingdom for similar decisions.“Spain has been terrible,” Trump told reporters during a meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.The president added he told US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to “cut off all dealings” with Spain.“We’re going to cut off all trade with Spain. We don’t want anything to do with Spain,” said Trump. - 3 March 2026 10:20 PM IST
Israel Intensifies Airstrikes on Tehran as Iran Broadens Retaliation Across Region
Israel stepped up airstrikes against Iranian missile launchers and factories Tuesday, and Iran retaliated across the Gulf region, disrupting energy supplies and travel.
As explosions rang out in Tehran and in Lebanon - where Israel said it struck Hezbollah militants - the American embassy in Saudi Arabia came under drone attack.Four days into a war that President Donald Trump suggested would last several weeks but perhaps longer, hundreds of people have been killed, the vast majority in Iran, where information has been limited in part by an internet shutdown. - 3 March 2026 10:18 PM IST
EU Assists in Evacuating Citizens from the Middle East
The European Union has begun helping member countries Italy, Austria and Slovakia repatriate their citizens stranded due to the war in the Middle East, the bloc's crisis management chief told AFP Tuesday.
Commissioner Hadja Lahbib said the three countries were the first so far to ask Brussels to assist in funding flights from the region.Under the EU's "civil protection mechanism" member states can get the bloc's executive to reimburse them for the bulk of the costs. - 3 March 2026 10:03 PM IST
Germany’s Merz Meets Trump in Talks Overshadowed by Middle East War
Donald Trump hosted German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Tuesday for the US president's first meeting with a foreign leader since joining Israel in strikes on Iran that have dragged the Middle East into war.
The long-scheduled White House meeting was supposed to focus on the war in Ukraine and rocky EU-US trade relations, part of a wider effort to salvage frayed transatlantic ties.But Trump's signal that airstrikes against Iran could go on for weeks has upended the global agenda, with Tehran striking back against US bases and allies in the region. - 3 March 2026 9:56 PM IST
Tens of Thousands Stuck Across Middle East as Iran Conflict Disrupts Travel Home
Tens of thousands of people, from Romanian religious pilgrims to tourists and diplomats' family members, are stranded across the Middle East as the Iran war spreads .
Major airlines have canceled flights to and from the region, and airspace across the Gulf is closed. Some of those who are stuck have been forced to seek shelter because of airstrikes, while others are marooned on cruise ships, which currently can't sail through the Strait of Hormuz. - 3 March 2026 9:51 PM IST
Iran Warns it Could Strike Major Middle East Economic Centers if U.S.–Israeli Attacks Continue
An Islamic Revolutionary Guard general warned Tuesday that continued US-Israeli attacks would see Iran conduct reprisals against "all economic centres" in the Middle East.
"We are saying to the enemy that if it decides to hit our main centres, we will hit all economic centres in the region," said Ebrahim Jabbari."We have closed the Strait of Hormuz. Currently, the price of oil is above $80 and will soon reach $200," he was quoted as saying by Iranian news agency ISNA, as Brent crude climbed above $85 for the first time since July 2024. - 3 March 2026 8:30 PM IST
Kashmiri Students in Iran Shaken by Nearby Explosion, Urge MEA for Swift Rescue
An explosion just 300 metres from their dormitory has left Indian students in Iran's Urmia city fearful, a Kashmiri medical student told PTI on Tuesday as hostilities continue in the region.
Labeeb Qadri from Srinagar, a final-year MBBS student at Urmia University of Medical Sciences, said attacks have been taking place continuously.
