Updated at\u00a019.22 EST<\/p>\n
Key events<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n 16m ago<\/p>\n Oil prices rise amid growing fears of supply disruptions<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 50m ago<\/p>\n Netanyahu says Iran’s nuclear program made it vital to strike now<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 1h ago<\/p>\n Rubio says US strikes on Iran triggered by Israel\u2019s plan to attack<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 1h ago<\/p>\n Saudis confirm US embassy in Riyadh hit by two drones, sparking fire<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 2h ago<\/p>\n Fire at US embassy in Riyadh after two drone hits, say Saudis<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 2h ago<\/p>\n Fire after blast at US embassy in Riyadh \u2013 report<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 2h ago<\/p>\n Confusion over status of vital Strait of Hormuz<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 3h ago<\/p>\n Lebanon bans Hezbollah military actions<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 4h ago<\/p>\n The day so far<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 4h ago<\/p>\n Israel working to intercept new missiles launched from Iran<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 4h ago<\/p>\n Trump claims Iran ‘would have had nuclear bomb three years ago\u2019<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 5h ago<\/p>\n US urges citizens to immediately depart over a dozen Middle Eastern countries<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 5h ago<\/p>\n Israeli military says it has launched new waves of strikes on Tehran<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 5h ago<\/p>\n Marco Rubio says US would not ‘deliberately’ target a school<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 6h ago<\/p>\n US attacked Iran ‘pre-emptively’ after learning Israel was going to launch strikes – Rubio<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 6h ago<\/p>\n Six US service members killed in Iran, military says<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 6h ago<\/p>\n Strait of Hormuz closed, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards says<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 7h ago<\/p>\n ‘Killing terrorists is good for America’: White House says 49 senior Iranian leaders killed in strikes<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 7h ago<\/p>\n US military claims it has destroyed all Iranian ships in Gulf of Oman<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 7h ago<\/p>\n Israel’s UN envoy says Iran operation will last ‘as long as it takes’<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 8h ago<\/p>\n UK ‘doesn’t believe in regime change from the skies’, says Starmer<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 8h ago<\/p>\n The day so far<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 8h ago<\/p>\n Israeli strikes kill over 50 in Lebanon<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 9h ago<\/p>\n Trump says US’s mission in Iran ‘substantially ahead’ and could last 4-5 weeks<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 10h ago<\/p>\n US continues to carry out ‘large-scale operations’ in Iran, Trump says<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 10h ago<\/p>\n Trump doesn’t rule out possibility of US boots on ground in Iran<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 11h ago<\/p>\n Trump on Iran strikes: ‘The big wave hasn\u2019t even happened’<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 11h ago<\/p>\n Iran Revolutionary Guards say targeted 500 US, Israeli sites<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 12h ago<\/p>\n IDF says it launched a ‘broad wave’ of attacks ‘in the heart of Tehran’<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 14h ago<\/p>\n Pentagon to brief media this morning on Trump’s Iran strikes<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 14h ago<\/p>\n Fourth US service member ‘killed in action’ – Centcom<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 14h ago<\/p>\n QatarEnergy halts liquefied natural gas production after attacks<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 14h ago<\/p>\n What we know so far…<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 15h ago<\/p>\n Two drones heading towards RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus intercepted, spokesperson says<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 15h ago<\/p>\n US says three jets ‘went down’ over Kuwait ‘due to an apparent friendly fire incident’<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 15h ago<\/p>\n Iran’s ‘reckless’ attacks threaten regional stability, US and allied Gulf states say<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 16h ago<\/p>\n Saudi Arabia halts some operations at Ras Tanura refinery after reported attack<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 17h ago<\/p>\n Mass evacuation of cities across Middle East may be necessary if nuclear power stations attacked, UN nuclear chief says<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 17h ago<\/p>\n IDF says ‘all options on table’ in response to question about possible ground invasion of Lebanon<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 18h ago<\/p>\n At least 555 people have been killed in Iran by US-Israeli attacks, Iranian Red Crescent Society says<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 18h ago<\/p>\n Saudi oil refinery reportedly halts operations after drone attack<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 19h ago<\/p>\n Kuwait says ‘several’ US warplanes have crashed in the country, with all the crew surviving<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 20h ago<\/p>\n Summary<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 20h ago<\/p>\n Israeli military says fighting Hezbollah could take ‘many’ more days<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 20h ago<\/p>\n US embassy in Kuwait warns of attack threat and urges people to take cover<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 21h ago<\/p>\n Israeli strikes in Lebanon kill 31 \u2013 report<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 21h ago<\/p>\n Iran launches another attack wave on Israel and Gulf cities<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 21h ago<\/p>\n Israeli general says strikes on Lebanon will intensify<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 22h ago<\/p>\n Iran’s security chief says it ‘won’t negotiate’ with US<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 22h ago<\/p>\n At least 10 killed in Israeli strikes on Beirut \u2013 report<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 24h ago<\/p>\n Streams of people flee Beirut amid airstrikes and evacuation orders<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 24h ago<\/p>\n UK responding to suspected drone strike at Cyprus base, says MoD<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 1d ago<\/p>\n Opening summary<\/p>\n <\/a>Show key events only<\/p>\n Please turn on JavaScript to use this feature<\/p>\n Oil prices rise amid growing fears of supply disruptions<\/p>\n Oil prices have lifted for a third day on Tuesday as the widening Middle East conflict and threats to shipping<\/a> through the Strait of Hormuz heightened fears of supply disruptions from the key producing region.<\/p>\n Brent crude futures were at $78.83 a barrel, up $1.10, or 1.4%, by 0107 GMT. On Monday, the contract surged to as high as $82.37, its highest since January 2025, though it pared those gains to settle 6.7% higher, Reuters reports.<\/p>\n US West Texas Intermediate crude jumped 74 cents, or 1%, to $71.97 a barrel. In the previous session, the contract initially climbed to its highest since June 2025 before sliding back to still settle up 6.3%.<\/p>\n \u201cWith no quick de-escalation in sight, the Strait of Hormuz effectively closed and Iran<\/a> showing a willingness to target energy infrastructure in the region, upside risks remain and they grow the longer the conflict drags on,\u201d an IG market analyst, Tony Sycamore, said in a note.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a021.36 EST<\/p>\n Travellers stranded by the widening war in the Middle East began departing the United Arab Emirates<\/a> aboard a small number of evacuation flights on Monday, as mentioned earlier<\/a>, while governments around the world work to extract their citizens from the region.<\/p>\n Airlines Etihad Airways and Emirates, based in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, and budget carrier FlyDubai said they would operate limited flights in the wake of the chaos and damage<\/a> sparked by Iranian missiles and drones after US-Israeli attacks.<\/p>\n A passenger (right) of the first charter flight carrying 127 Italians stranded in Oman or transiting from the UAE to Oman is welcomed after arriving at Fiumicino airport in Rome. Photograph: Redazione Telenews\/Telenews\/EPA<\/p>\n Since Saturday at least 11,000 flights into, out of and within the Middle East have been cancelled, affecting more than 1 million passengers, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium.<\/p>\n The travel chaos looks set to continue, with Donald Trump saying<\/a> on Monday that the conflict had been projected to last four to five weeks but that it could go on longer.<\/p>\n Late on Monday the US state department called on Americans to immediately depart more than a dozen countries in the Middle East, including Saudi Arabia and the UAE amid the spiralling conflict.<\/p>\n The full story is here:<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a021.33 EST<\/p>\n Netanyahu says Iran’s nuclear program made it vital to strike now<\/p>\n Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Iran was building new nuclear weapon sites that would have been impossible to attack within months, creating an urgent need to strike the country.<\/p>\n \u201cThey started building new sites, new places, underground bunkers, that would make their ballistic missile program and their atomic bomb program immune within months,\u201d Netanyahu told Fox News<\/a> on Monday.<\/p>\n double quotation markIf no action was taken now, no action could be taken in the future. And then they could target America, they could blackmail America, they could threaten us, and threaten everyone in between. So action had to be taken.<\/p>\n Iran\u2019s nuclear programme is among the reasons Israel and the US have given for the attacks, alleging Iran<\/a> was getting too close to being able to eventually make a nuclear bomb.<\/p>\n However, what remains of Iran\u2019s atomic facilities after the two militaries attacked them in June<\/a> appears to have been largely spared in this campaign so far.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have no indication that any of the nuclear installations \u2026 have been damaged or hit,\u201d the International Atomic Energy Agency chief, Rafael Grossi, said on Monday.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a021.38 EST<\/p>\n Rubio says US strikes on Iran triggered by Israel\u2019s plan to attack Israel\u2019s determination to attack Iran and the certainty that US troops would be targeted in response forced the Trump administration to take pre-emptive strikes, secretary of state Marco Rubio<\/a> has said, in a new explanation for Washington\u2019s surprise entry into the conflict.<\/p>\n The rationale drew divided reviews from top members of Congress, who on Monday evening received the first briefing by the Trump administration since it ordered the air campaign to begin over the weekend.<\/p>\n Rubio, CIA director John Ratcliffe and joint chiefs of staff chair Dan Caine spoke to the lawmakers behind closed doors in the Capitol ahead of a vote expected later this week in the House of Representatives on a war powers resolution that presents an unlikely opportunity to force Donald Trump to end hostilities against Iran<\/a>.<\/p>\n Marco Rubio speaks to the press after the classified briefing on Monday. Photograph: Will Oliver\/EPA<\/p>\n Rubio told reporters at the Capitol:<\/p>\n double quotation markIt was abundantly clear that if Iran came under attack by anyone \u2013 the United States or Israel or anyone \u2013 they were going to respond, and respond against the United States.<\/p>\n We knew that there was going to be an Israeli action. We knew that that would precipitate an attack against American forces, and we knew that if we didn\u2019t pre-emptively go after them before they launched those attacks, we would suffer higher casualties.<\/p>\n The full story is here:<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a021.39 EST<\/p>\n Saudis confirm US embassy in Riyadh hit by two drones, sparking fire<\/p>\n Saudi Arabia\u2019s defence ministry has confirmed<\/a> on social media that the US embassy in Riyadh was hit by two drones, according to initial estimates, and caused a limited fire and minor material damage to the building.<\/p>\n A loud blast was heard and flames seen at the embassy early on Tuesday morning, reports said. Black smoke was seen rising over Riyadh\u2019s diplomatic quarter, which houses foreign missions.<\/p>\n Reuters quoted two people as saying there were no reported injuries, given the building was empty in the early morning hours.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a021.41 EST<\/p>\n Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reportedly claimed Iran\u2019s nuclear program would have been beyond attack in months.<\/p>\n More on this soon.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Amid the Middle East upheaval, holidaymakers on the first flights out of Abu Dhabi since Saturday have described petrifying experiences.<\/p>\n Thousands of flights have been cancelled across the region, leaving hundreds of thousands of passengers stranded.<\/p>\n A small number of flights have found their way out of the United Arab Emirates<\/a>, including one that landed at London\u2019s Heathrow airport on Monday evening, Isaaq Tomkins<\/a> reports.<\/p>\n As passengers emerged they described their fear as missiles flew overhead.<\/p>\n \u201cWe could hear the explosions. We could sometimes feel them \u2026 and then [there was] black ash landing in the breakfast,\u201d said Pen Harrison, who was on a cycling tour in Sri Lanka and had been on a stopover in Abu Dhabi.<\/p>\n Sahib Matharu, a 31-year-old from London who was also on a stopover through Abu Dhabi, said:<\/p>\n double quotation markWe were on edge the whole time. It was surreal.<\/p>\n Every passenger on the flight who spoke to the Guardian reported seeing missile interceptions from their hotel.<\/p>\n See the full story here:<\/p>\n Travellers checking a departure board displaying cancelled flights to Middle East countries at Heathrow airport on Monday. Photograph: Isabel Infantes\/ReutersShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a020.42 EST<\/p>\n The US embassy in Riyadh has issued a security alert advising American citizens to \u201cshelter in place immediately\u201d.<\/p>\n The embassy\u2019s post on X<\/a> said:<\/p>\n double quotation markThe US Mission to Saudi Arabia has issued a shelter in place notification for Jeddah, Riyadh and Dhahran and are limiting non-essential travel to any military installations in the region \u2013 we recommend American citizens in the Kingdom to shelter in place immediately.<\/p>\n The US Mission to Saudi Arabia continues to monitor the regional situation.<\/p>\n The alert came as a Saudi defence ministry spokesperson was quoted as saying an attack by two drones on the embassy had caused a fire.<\/p>\n Fox News is reporting that the embassy was empty at the time of the strike and there were no injuries.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a019.52 EST<\/p>\n Fire at US embassy in Riyadh after two drone hits, say Saudis<\/p>\n The Saudi defence ministry is reportedly saying the US embassy in Riyadh has been hit by two drones, resulting in \u201climited\u201d fire and minor damage.<\/p>\n We\u2019ll bring you more on this soon.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a019.37 EST<\/p>\n Fire after blast at US embassy in Riyadh \u2013 report<\/p>\n A fire broke out at the US embassy in the Saudi capital of Riyadh after a blast, Reuters is reporting, citing two sources.<\/p>\n Loud explosions were heard and clouds of smoke seen in the city\u2019s diplomatic quarter, home to foreign embassies in the capital and residences of foreign diplomats, four witnesses told Agence France-Presse early Tuesday morning.<\/p>\n \u201cI heard two explosions followed by smoke rising over the quarter,\u201d a resident said.<\/p>\n The blasts were heard as Iran pressed its campaign targeting Gulf states including Saudi Arabia with waves of missile and drone attacks in response to US and Israeli airstrikes.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a019.22 EST<\/p>\n Confusion over status of vital Strait of Hormuz<\/p>\n There\u2019s uncertainty over the status of the Strait of Hormuz, a key shipping route for the world\u2019s oil supply: Iran\u2019s Revolutionary Guards declared it was closed and threatened to fire on any ship trying to pass, but US Central Command later said the strait had not been shut.<\/p>\n Iran\u2019s threat to fire was its most explicit warning since telling ships it was closing the export route on Saturday, a move that threatens to choke a fifth of global oil flows and send crude prices sharply higher.<\/p>\n \u201cThe strait [of Hormuz] is closed. If anyone tries to pass, the heroes of the Revolutionary Guards and the regular navy will set those ships ablaze,\u201d Ebrahim Jabari, a senior adviser to the Guards\u2019 commander-in-chief, said in remarks carried by state media.<\/p>\n But US Central Command (Centcom) later said the strait was is not closed despite statements by Iranian officials, Fox News reported on Monday. Centcom did not immediately respond to a request for comment.<\/p>\n The Strait of Hormuz is a key shipping route for global oil supply. Photograph: Dado Ruvi\u0107\/Reuters<\/p>\n The Strait of Hormuz is one of the world\u2019s most vital shipping lanes, especially for oil and gas, with about 20% of global seaborne oil passing through.<\/p>\n That said, some analysts believe that cutting off access would not affect the major Asia-Europe shipping route, with the Gulf ending in a cul-de-sac by the shores of Kuwait, Iraq and Iran.<\/p>\n But the strait is essential to all regional trade as it allows access to Dubai\u2019s Jebel Ali port, the world\u2019s 10th-largest container port and a redistribution hub for more than a dozen countries in the region.<\/p>\n With news agencies<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a019.46 EST<\/p>\n Loud explosions have reportedly been heard and clouds of smoke seen in the diplomatic quarter of Riyadh, the Saudi capital.<\/p>\n We\u2019ll bring you more on this soon.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a018.55 EST<\/p>\n Israel\u2019s military has just been quoted as saying it has launched fresh strikes on Hezbollah targets in Beirut, after warning it would press ahead with its campaign against the Iran-backed group.<\/p>\n \u201cThe IDF is currently striking Hezbollah command centres and weapons storage facilities in Beirut,\u201d said a statement from the military on Tuesday, quoted by AFP.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a018.50 EST<\/p>\n Lebanon bans Hezbollah military actions<\/p>\n Lebanon\u2019s government has taken the unprecedented step of banning Hezbollah\u2019s military and security activity, prompting the Iran-backed group to lash out at the decision.<\/p>\n The Lebanese prime minister, Nawaf Salam, was quoted by AFP as saying after an emergency cabinet meeting on Monday:<\/p>\n double quotation markThe Lebanese state declares its absolute and unequivocal rejection of any military or security actions launched from Lebanese territory outside the framework of its legitimate institutions.<\/p>\n This necessitates the immediate prohibition of all of Hezbollah\u2019s security and military activities, considering them to be outside the law, and obliging it to hand over its weapons.<\/p>\n Hezbollah is represented in both the government and parliament, and the government\u2019s move came hours after the Iran-backed militant group said it had attacked Israel<\/a> early on Monday to avenge the killing of Iran\u2019s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei.<\/p>\n File shot of Hezbollah fighters holding their group flags at a parade in Beirut. Photograph: Hussein Malla\/AP<\/p>\n Israel later began bombarding Beirut\u2019s southern suburbs and southern Lebanon, killing at least 52 people and wounded 154, according to the Lebanese government.<\/p>\n In response to the government\u2019s ban, the head of Hezbollah\u2019s parliamentary bloc, Mohammed Raad, condemned Beirut\u2019s \u201crash decisions\u201d, saying that \u201cthe Lebanese were expecting a decision rejecting the [Israeli] aggression\u201d.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a018.41 EST<\/p>\n Several international airlines are resuming a small number of flights from the United Arab Emirates as war-driven airspace closures strand tens of thousands of travellers.<\/p>\n Emirates, Etihad and FlyDubai said on Monday they would operate select departures and arrivals after having suspended flights over the weekend, the AP is reporting.<\/p>\n Dubai officials are telling passengers to go to the airport only if contacted.<\/p>\n Planes parked at terminal 3 of Dubai international airport on Monday. Photograph: Raghed Waked\/Reuters<\/p>\n Foreign governments are urging their citizens to shelter in place while officials explore evacuation options.<\/p>\n The German government said it planned to send planes to Oman and Saudi Arabia to evacuate ill travellers, children and pregnant people.<\/p>\n As reported earlier, the US state department has urged Americans to immediately depart more than a dozen Middle Eastern countries amid the war on Iran.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a018.19 EST<\/p>\n The day so far<\/p>\n The Israeli military says it has begun a new wave of strikes on Tehran. This came shortly after the military issued an evacuation warning for Tehran residents, especially those located near the headquarters of Iran\u2019s state broadcaster IRIB.<\/p>\n Israel\u2019s military said just after midnight (local time) on Tuesday that it was working to intercept a new wave of missiles launched from Iran, warning residents in multiple locations to seek shelter.<\/p>\n The US attacked Iran \u201cpre-emptively\u201d on Saturday to protect US forces from retaliation after learning that Israel<\/a> was going to strike, Marco Rubio told reporters on Monday.<\/p>\n The US state department has urged Americans to immediately depart more than a dozen Middle Eastern countries amid US-Israeli strikes against Iran.<\/p>\n White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt has said that \u201c49 of the most senior Iranian regime leaders\u201d have been killed in the US-Israeli strikes on Iran, declaring that \u201ckilling terrorists is good for America\u201d. That number includes supreme leader Ali Khamenei.<\/p>\n The number of US service members killed in Iran<\/a> has risen to six, the US military said on Monday.<\/p>\n The US military said that it has struck over 1,250 targets in Iran since operations started on Saturday.<\/p>\n Israel and the US will not stop their military campaign against Iran until its objectives are achieve, Israel\u2019s ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, said earlier.<\/p>\n Earlier, UK prime minister Keir Starmer said that his government does not \u201cbelieve in regime change from the skies\u201d as he set out to parliament why Britain will not join its closest military partner in offensive action against Iran \u2013 suggesting that to do so would be unlawful.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Further to Chuck Schumer\u2019s comments<\/a> we brought you a few minutes ago, US senator Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the intelligence committee, has said there was no imminent threat from Iran to the United States before the bombing campaign.<\/p>\n Exiting the classified briefing on the war, Warner told the New York Times that if a threat to Israel<\/a> is now to be considered equivalent to an imminent threat to the United States, he said, then the Trump administration is \u201cin uncharted territory\u201d.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Israel working to intercept new missiles launched from Iran<\/p>\n Israel\u2019s military said just after midnight (local time) on Tuesday that it was working to intercept a new wave of missiles launched from Iran, warning residents in multiple locations to seek shelter.<\/p>\n \u201cA short while ago, the IDF identified missiles launched from Iran<\/a> toward the territory of the State of Israel. Defensive systems are operating to intercept the threat,\u201d it said.<\/p>\n![\"Chris](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Chris_Stein.png\")
Chris Stein<\/p>\n