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The day so far<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s a brief recap of the developments so far, on the third day of US and Israel<\/a> attacks on Iran, and of Tehran continuing retaliatory strikes against US allies across the Gulf after the killing of its supreme leader on Saturday.<\/p>\n At least 555 people have been killed in Iran<\/a> by the Israel-US attacks across 131 cities since Saturday, according to the Iranian Red Crescent Society.<\/p>\n Speaking at the White House for the first time since attacking Iran, Donald Trump said the US military is continuing to carry out large-scale operations in Iran and has capability to continue for over four weeks. The US president claimed his objectives in Iran are \u201cclear\u201d. They include \u201cdestroying Iran\u2019s missile capabilities\u201d and \u201cannihilating their navy\u201d, as well as preventing them from ever having nuclear weapons; he said that Tehran \u201ccannot continue to arm, fund and direct terrorist armies outside their borders\u201d. He also cited the apparent lack of progress in diplomatic negotiations as further justification for the strikes.<\/p>\n The US president had earlier failed to rule out the possibility of boots on the ground in Iran, in an interview with the New York Post. His defense secretary Pete Hegseth had earlier said there weren\u2019t plans to have service members on the ground in Iran, but had also been reluctant to say whether this was the administration\u2019s lasting stance. \u201cWe\u2019re not going to go into the exercise of what we will or will not do,\u201d he said<\/a> at a Pentagon press conference earlier.<\/p>\n Trump also told CNN earlier that the \u201cbig wave\u201d of strikes against Iran is yet to come. \u201cWe haven\u2019t even started hitting them hard,\u201d the US president said. \u201cWe\u2019re knocking the crap out of them.\u201d<\/p>\n Hegseth also said earlier that the US \u201cdidn\u2019t start this war but we\u2019re finishing it\u201d. He also indicated that the US did not plan to effect a democratic transition in Iran \u2013 and refused to establish a clear timeline for how long the US operation will continue. We have a story on that here<\/a>.<\/p>\n Israeli strikes have killed at least 152 people in Lebabnon, the Lebanese health ministry said, and wounded more than 150. Israel argued that its strikes were necessary after Tehran\u2019s ally Hezbollah fired rockets into northern Israel (which Israel intercepted) in response to the Israeli killing of Iran\u2019s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Saturday.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Israeli strikes kill over 50 in Lebanon<\/p>\n Lebanon\u2019s health ministry has said more people have been killed in Israeli airstrikes.<\/p>\n It said the death toll is now at 52, with 154 wounded.<\/p>\n The Lebanese armed movement Hezbollah, one of Tehran\u2019s principal allies in the Middle East, had earlier launched rockets towards Israel.<\/p>\n Israel then responded with sweeping airstrikes, which it said targeted the Hezbollah-controlled southern suburbs of Beirut and struck senior militants.<\/p>\n The Lebanese state news agency NNA earlier had an initial tally of 31 people killed and 149 injured.<\/p>\n Joseph Aoun, the Lebanese president, condemned both attacks launched from Lebanon and Israel\u2019s counterstrikes.<\/p>\n He warned that \u201cpersisting in using Lebanon once again as a platform for wars we have no part in will expose the country to new risks.\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n The spiralling war in the Middle East is putting civilians in \u201cgrave danger\u201d, the head of the Red Cross warned Monday, saying a large-scale conflict would outstrip any ability to help.<\/p>\n The war launched by the United States and Israel<\/a> against Iran has spread across the Middle East and beyond, with Lebanon\u2019s Hezbollah entering the fray and a British military base in European Union member Cyprus coming under attack.<\/p>\n \u201cWidening hostilities across the Middle East are putting civilian lives in grave danger,\u201d said Mirjana Spoljaric, president of the International Committee of the Red Cross.<\/p>\n \u201cThe scale of major military operations flaring across the Middle East risks embroiling the region \u2013 and beyond \u2013 into another large-scale armed conflict that will overwhelm any humanitarian response.\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Britons are now being advised against \u201call but essential travel to Jordan\u201d, as the situation in the Middle East continues to escalate.<\/p>\n The Foreign Office updated its travel advice for the country on Monday.<\/p>\n The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) website now reads:<\/p>\n double quotation markFCDO now advises against all but essential travel to Jordan.<\/p>\n FCDO continues to advise against all travel to within 3km of the border with Syria.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Nato secretary-general Mark Rutte on Monday praised US and Israeli military action against Iran, saying it was degrading Tehran\u2019s ability to get its hands on nuclear and ballistic missile capability, but he said Nato itself would not be involved.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s really important what the US is doing here, together with Israel, because it is taking out, degrading the capacity of Iran<\/a> to get its hands on nuclear capability, the ballistic missile capability,\u201d he told Germany\u2019s ARD television in Brussels.<\/p>\n \u201cThere are absolutely no plans whatever for Nato to get dragged into this or being part of it, other than individual allies doing what they can to enable what the Americans are doing together with Israel,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n Share<\/a> Two people have been killed attacks on five ships in the Gulf of Oman, the UK maritime trade operations centre has said in a situation report on the critical security situation in the last 24 hours.<\/p>\n An Indian national, who was in the engine room at the time, was confirmed dead after an attack on the crude oil tanker, the MKD VYOM. A fire on board is now under control with plans to tow it to safety.<\/p>\n A second person was killed on the US flagged tanker Stena Imperative berthed in the Port of Bahrain after it was struck in a drone attack just before 3am GMT on Monday.<\/p>\n Three others carriers came under attack, UKMTO said. It reported three attacks on oil infrastructure in the last 24 hours, including an attack on the Jabal Ali port in Dubai and the Tanura refinery in Saudi Arabia following a drone attack.<\/p>\n And it reported traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, a critical pinch point for oil cargo, had dropped 80% in the last 24 hours.<\/p>\n \u201cWhile no official legal closure has been confirmed \u2026 multiple reports indicate Iranian forces are issuing VHF hails claiming the waterway is restricted. Mariners are reporting severe GNSS\/GPS interference and disruptions to AIS and communication systems,\u201d it said in its situation report.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Trump says US’s mission in Iran ‘substantially ahead’<\/p>\n Lucy Campbell<\/p>\n US president Donald Trump goes on:<\/p>\n An Iranian regime armed with long range missiles and nuclear weapons would be an intolerable threat to the Middle East, but also to the American people.<\/p>\n Our country itself would be under threat, and it was very nearly under threat.<\/p>\n He says the US is already \u201csubstantially ahead\u201d of its time projections.<\/p>\n They projected four-five weeks at the beginning, but adds they have \u201ccapability to go far longer\u201d, Trump says.<\/p>\n He adds that the US had predicted four weeks to terminate Iran\u2019s military leadership, \u201cand \u2026 that was done in about an hour, so we\u2019re ahead of schedule there, by a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n Further, Trump claims the objectives of the operation in Iran are \u201cclear\u201d.<\/p>\n They include \u201cdestroying Iran\u2019s missile capabilities\u201d and \u201cannihilating their navy\u201d, as well as preventing them from ever having nuclear weapons.<\/p>\n He adds that the country \u201ccannot continue to arm, fund and direct terrorist armies outside their borders\u201d.<\/p>\n Trump then goes on to cite the apparent lack of progress in diplomatic negotiations as further justification for the strikes.<\/p>\n And we thought we had a deal. But then they backed out and they came back and we thought we had a deal and they backed out. I said, you can\u2019t deal with these people. You got to do it the right way.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a013.06 EST<\/p>\n Switzerland said on Monday that its diplomatic channel between the United States and Iran has remained active since the US-Israeli air war against Iran began on 28 February.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is available to both parties and operates in both directions,\u201d the Swiss foreign ministry said in an email to Reuters, without providing details.<\/p>\n Since the 1979 Islamic Revolution when Washington and Tehran cut ties, Switzerland has had a mandate of a neutral \u201cprotecting power\u201d representing US diplomatic interests in Iran<\/a>.<\/p>\n The foreign ministry said that all its embassies in the region remained operational and that it is offering support to its nationals there seeking assistance.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>US continues to carry out ‘large-scale operations’ in Iran, Trump says<\/p>\n Lucy Campbell<\/p>\n Donald Trump is speaking now, he begins with a brief update on the US\u2019s attacks on Iran.<\/p>\n Today, the US military continues to carry out large-scale combat operations on Iran<\/a>, he says, \u201cto eliminate the grave threat posted to America by this terrible terrorist regime\u201d.<\/p>\n Trump claims that Iran ignored US warnings and \u201crefused to cease their pursuit of nuclear weapons\u201d, even after the US\u2019s \u201cobliteration\u201d of its nuclear program last year, he says.<\/p>\n He goes on to claim that Iran posted an immediate threat to American forces in the region and the US.<\/p>\n double quotation markThe regime\u2019s conventional ballistic missile program was growing rapidly and dramatically, and this posed a very clear, colossal threat to America and our forces stationed overseas.<\/p>\n The regime already had missiles capable of hitting Europe and our bases, both local and overseas, and would soon have had missiles capable of reaching our beautiful America.<\/p>\n Donald Trump speaks during a Medal of Honor ceremony in the East Room of the White House. Photograph: Anadolu\/Getty ImagesShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a013.13 EST<\/p>\n UK businesses with a presence in the Middle East have been urged to step up vigilance against cyber threats from Iran following US-Israeli attacks.<\/p>\n The National Cyber Security Centre said there was \u201calmost certainly\u201d a heightened risk of an indirect cyber threat for organisations who have offices, or supply chains, in the Middle East.<\/p>\n The UK\u2019s cybersecurity agency said Iran<\/a> remained a threat despite an extensive bombing campaign that has devastated the country\u2019s political and military leadership, including the death of its supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.<\/p>\n \u201cIranian state and Iran-linked cyber actors almost certainly currently maintain at least some capability to conduct cyber activity,\u201d said the NCSC.<\/p>\n The agency said there is \u201clikely\u201d no significant change in the direct cyber threat from Iran to the UK, but organisations should prepare for the risk of collateral damage from Iran-linked hacktivists. It said organisations with a presence in the region should consider boosting monitoring of their IT systems and follow NCSC guidelines for dealing with a heightened threat of cyber attacks.<\/p>\n Jonathon Ellison, NCSC\u2019s director for national resilience, said UK organisations and key infrastructure providers \u2013 such as airports and power stations \u2013 needed to \u201cact now\u201d in protecting themselves from potential attacks.<\/p>\n \u201cIn light of rapidly evolving events in the Middle East, it is critical that all UK organisations remain alert to the potential risk of cyber compromise, particularly those with assets or supply chains that are in areas of regional tensions,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Israel\u2019s military said it was extending the closure of educational establishments and workplaces until 8pm (6pm GMT) on Saturday, as the US and Israel<\/a> continued striking targets in Iran for the third consecutive day.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Home Front Command has updated the defensive guidelines until Saturday, March 7, 2026, at 20:00,\u201d the military said, extending an earlier advisory.<\/p>\n \u201cThe IDF emphasises that, in accordance with these guidelines, gatherings, educational activities, and workplace operations are prohibited, with the exception of essential sectors.\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Trump doesn’t rule out possibility of US boots on ground in Iran In an interview with the New York Post<\/a>, the US president noted that the possibility of American troops in Iran is not entirely off the table.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t have the yips with respect to boots on the ground \u2013 like every president says \u2018there will be no boots on the ground.\u2019 I don\u2019t say it,\u201d Donald Trump told the Post. \u201cI say \u2018probably don\u2019t need them,\u2019 [or] \u2018if they were necessary.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n This comes after Pete Hegseth initially said that there weren\u2019t plans to have service members on the ground in Iran, but also was reluctant to say whether this was the administration\u2019s lasting stance. \u201cWe\u2019re not going to go into the exercise of what we will or will not do,\u201d he said<\/a> at a Pentagon press conference earlier.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a011.31 EST<\/p>\n A drone boat has struck a ship 50 miles north of Muscat, Oman, the UK maritime trade operations centre has said.<\/p>\n The UKMTO, which coordinates intelligence and verifies security threats, for commercial shippers, said in an alert this afternoon that the ship had been struck yesterday and crew had been evacuated to shore.<\/p>\n But it confirmed in an alert on Monday afternoon it was a strike by \u201can uncrewed surface vehicle\u201d.<\/p>\n The alert comes as the Indian Embassy in Muscat confirms an Indian national was killed in a drone attack on an oil tanker.<\/p>\n It said in a statement on X:<\/p>\n double quotation markThe Embassy of India expresses its deepest condolences on the tragic demise of an Indian national on board MKD Vyom.<\/p>\n The Embassy is in close coordination with the local authorities in Oman to facilitate the safe and early repatriation of our nationals on board the vessel.<\/p>\n We remain committed to extending all possible assistance in this matter.<\/p>\n![\"Lisa](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/1772476808_151_Lisa-OCarroll-byline-004.jpg\")
Lisa O\u2019Carroll<\/p>\n![\"Dan](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Dan_Milmo,_R.png\")
Dan Milmo<\/p>\n![\"Shrai](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Shrai_Popat.png\")
Shrai Popat<\/p>\nLisa O\u2019Carroll<\/p>\n