US president Donald Trump has ruled out sending troops to Iran, saying it would be a \u201cwaste of time\u201d, but indicated he would like to see Iran\u2019s leadership structure removed. \u201cWe want to go in and clean out everything,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The IDF also conducted renewed strikes against what it described as Hezbollah strongholds in Beirut, the Lebanese capital. Hundreds of thousands of people in the southern suburbs of the city were ordered to leave their homes by the IDF yesterday, causing scenes of panic.<\/p>\n
Iran\u2019s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said they had fired missiles towards Tel Aviv after an earlier wave of explosions caused a blaze at a residential building in the city.<\/p>\n
Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a002.52 EST<\/p>\n Key events<\/p>\n Show key events only<\/p>\n Please turn on JavaScript to use this feature<\/p>\n Azerbaijan withdraws diplomats from Iran<\/p>\n Azerbaijan is withdrawing diplomatic staff from Iran for their own safety, foreign minister Jeyhun Bayramov said.<\/p>\n His comments come a day after Azerbaijan said four Iranian drones had crossed its border and injured four people in the Nakhchivan exclave.<\/a><\/p>\n Speaking at a press conference<\/a> today, Bayramov said Azerbaijan was evacuating employees from its embassy in Tehran and its consulate general in Tabriz north-west of Iran.<\/p>\n \u201cWe cannot put the lives of our people at risk,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a005.08 EST<\/p>\n US probe of Iran school strike must ‘happen very quickly’, says UN rights chief<\/p>\n Volker T\u00fcrk, the UN high commissioner for human rights, has urged the US to move \u201cvery quickly\u201d with its investigation into a deadly strike on a school in Iran, which Tehran has blamed on the US and Israel<\/a>.<\/p>\n Iranian officials said the attack on Shajareh Tayyebeh girls\u2019 school in Minab, which happened on Saturday at the start of the US-Israeli combing campaign on Iran, killed at least 165 students.<\/a><\/p>\n Pete Hegseth, the US defence secretary, continued to deny responsibility for the strike, saying it was being investigated and that Americans \u201cnever target civilian targets\u201d.<\/p>\n Speaking to reporters in Geneva today, T\u00fcrk said:<\/p>\n double quotation mark\u201cWhat we have asked for is obviously prompt, transparent and impartial investigations, which we understand has been announced by the United States of America.<\/p>\n \u201cWe need this to happen very quickly and we need to also make sure that there is accountability as well as redress for the victims.\u201d<\/p>\n Iranians attend the funeral ceremony of the victims of an airstrike on a girls school in the city of Minab, southern Iran. Photograph: EPAShare<\/a><\/p>\n Qatar\u2019s energy minister Saad al-Kaabi said it could take \u201cweeks to months\u201d for energy exports to return to normal levels even if the war ended immediately, following an Iranian drone strike at the country\u2019s largest liquefied natural gas (LNG) plant.<\/p>\n He warned the conflict in the Middle East could \u201cbring down the economies of the world\u201d, as the world\u2019s second-largest producer of LNG was forced to declare what is known as force majeure, when a company is freed from contractual obligations in the event of extraordinary circumstances beyond its control.<\/p>\n While a small proportion of Qatar\u2019s gas is exported to Europe, he said the continent would be affected as Asian buyers outbid Europeans for whatever gas is available on the market.<\/p>\n \u201cIf this war continues for a few weeks, GDP growth around the world will be impacted,\u201d Al-Kaabi told the Financial Times.<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cEverybody\u2019s energy price is going to go higher. There will be shortages of some products and there will be a chain reaction of factories that cannot supply.\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a004.41 EST<\/p>\n Sri Lankan president calls for peace as Iranian sailors seek refuge on island<\/p>\n The president of Sri Lanka, Anura Kumara Dissanayake, has urged for peace, after his country allowed an Iranian ship to dock in one of its port and allowed 200 crew members to enter the island.<\/p>\n Sri Lankan officials brought 208 people on the vessel to the capital Colombo while their ship, the Irins Bushehr, was into custody in Trincomalee on the east coast.<\/p>\n Authorities are still searching for people who are believed missing after a US submarine torpedoed the Iranian warship Iris Dena off the Sri Lankan coast on Wednesday. Rescuers found the bodies of 84 people in oil-slicked water while 32 lives were saved. The 180-crew Iris Dena was on its way home after taking part in naval exercises hosted by India in late February, officials said.<\/p>\n Sri Lanka navy personnel assist Iranian sailors during a rescue operation after responding to a distress call from their vessel, the Iris Dena, on Wednesday. Photograph: Sri Lankan Navy\/Reuters<\/p>\n In a statement posted on X, Dissanayakes said:<\/p>\n double quotation markNo civilian should die in wars. Our approach is that every life is as precious as our own. We jealously guard our non-aligned policy while ensuring that humanitarian values and the saving of lives remain our top priority.<\/p>\n What the world urgently needs today is peace. There is a real risk of a severe global economic crisis, and entire societies are facing serious and complex challenges.<\/p>\n We call upon all parties to demonstrate a firm commitment to peace. As a state, Sri Lanka stands ready to support every step toward ending hostilities. All our actions are aimed at saving lives and ensuring that humanity prevails.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a004.41 EST<\/p>\n Gaby Hinsliff is a Guardian columnist. She has written this opinion piece about the disappearing fantasy of Dubai portrayed by influencers:<\/p>\n To be fooled by a mirage, you needn\u2019t be lost in the desert. Sometimes, the illusion is strongest just when you thought you were safely home, posting from the pool about your teenage daughter\u2019s spa party and your own glittering life in a city where \u201cthe possibilities are endless\u201d, as they tend to be for billionaires\u2019 daughters living in tax havens. Only then does the fantasy explode in a puff of intercepted missile smoke, leaving just another woman in her pyjamas telling Instagram (as Petra Ecclestone did at the weekend<\/a>) that she moved to Dubai \u201cto feel safe\u201d and war was never mentioned in the small print.<\/p>\n Who could have guessed that living a few hundred miles as the drone flies from Tehran might have risks? Certainly not the anonymous hedge funder who fumed to the Financial Times that \u201cthe trade was not that you were getting exposed to geopolitics<\/a>\u201d.<\/p>\n But if it\u2019s hard to sympathise with the super-rich, as they discover that there are some things money can\u2019t buy, then they are not the only Britons trapped in the Gulf. The deal Dubai offered economic migrants \u2013 which is what Britons seeking a better life in the Gulf are, much as some will hate the label \u2013 was a kind of real-life Truman Show: a sunny, shiny, sterilised low-crime haven for anyone itching to get rich or stay that way, sustained by stiff penalties<\/a> for anyone publicly shattering its illusions.<\/p>\n Alongside the wealth managers, property agents and taut-skinned trophy wives who always accompany the mega-rich are an army of younger temporary workers to clean their pools and nanny for their kids and teach them pilates, many of whom have families back home now worried sick. Gloat if you must that they are now finding out why other people stay home in the rain, but schadenfreude is a grim look when fellow human beings are sleeping in their basements as the tyrannical Iranian regime tries to kill them.<\/p>\n You can read the rest of her opinion piece here:<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a004.43 EST<\/p>\n Pictures: People forced to flee from southern suburbs of Beirut as Israel<\/a> strikes Lebanese capital<\/p>\n Displaced people at Martyrs’ Square in Beirut. Photograph: Khalil Ashawi\/ReutersA man with his family fleeing Israeli airstrikesbuilds a fire to keep warm along the Beirut coast. Photograph: Hussein Malla\/APChildren displaced from the southern suburbs of Beirut rest at Martyrs’ Square. Photograph: Khalil Ashawi\/ReutersDisplaced families seeking safety set up tents in the central square of Beirut. Photograph: Khalil Ashawi\/ReutersA view of a damaged building after an Israeli strike in Beirut. Photograph: ReutersSmoke rises from an Israeli airstrike in Dahiyeh, Beirut’s southern suburbs in Lebanon. Photograph: Hussein Malla\/APShare<\/a><\/p>\n The AFP news agency has reported that an alert was sent out by the Emirati government warning people in Dubai of \u201cpotential missile threats\u201d.<\/p>\n The mobile phone alert by the UAE\u2019s interior ministry urges people to seek shelter as the city faces retaliatory strikes from Iran<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cDue to the current situation, potential missile threats, seek immediate shelter in the closest secure building and steer away from windows, doors and open areas,\u201d the alert read.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a003.23 EST<\/p>\n Providing further details of those arrested, the Met police said a 40-year-old man and a 55-year-old man were arrested at addresses in Barnet, with searches ongoing.<\/p>\n A 52-year-old man was arrested at an address in Watford. Police are searching the property and another linked address in Wembley.<\/p>\n A 22-year-old man was arrested at an address in Harrow.<\/p>\n Six other men, aged 29, 39, 42, 49 and two aged 20, were arrested at the same location in Harrow on suspicion of assisting an offender.<\/p>\n All 10 men remain in custody.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Four people in UK arrested on suspicion of spying on Jewish community for Iran<\/p>\n Four people have been arrested by counter terror police on suspicion of assisting Iran<\/a>, the Metropolitan police said.<\/p>\n The men, one Iranian and three dual British-Iranian nationals, were arrested this morning shortly after 1am in Barnet and Watford.<\/p>\n In a statement, the Met police said: \u201cThe men were arrested on Friday, 6 March on suspicion of assisting a foreign intelligence service.<\/p>\n \u201cThe country to which the investigation relates is Iran.<\/p>\n \u201cThe investigation relates to suspected surveillance of locations and individuals linked to the Jewish community in the London area.\u201d<\/p>\n Police said six other men were arrested in Harrow on suspicion of assisting an offender.<\/p>\n Cmdr Helen Flanagan, the head of counter-terrorism policing for the Met police, said: \u201cToday\u2019s arrests are part of a long-running investigation and part of our ongoing work to disrupt malign activity where we suspect it.<\/p>\n \u201cWe understand the public may be concerned, in particular the Jewish community, and as always, I would ask them to remain vigilant and if they see or hear anything that concerns them, then to contact us.\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a003.16 EST<\/p>\n Majority of Spaniards against US-Israeli attacks on Iran – poll More than two-thirds of Spaniards (68.2%) are opposed to the US\/Israeli attacks on Iran, according to a new survey published as Donald Trump continues his fierce criticisms of Spain over its refusal to allow jointly operated bases in Andaluc\u00eda to be used in the ongoing strikes.<\/p>\n The poll, conducted for El Pa\u00eds<\/a>, found that 45% of those surveyed strongly disagreed with the war, while another 23.2% were somewhat against it. Meanwhile, 8% of those surveyed strongly agreed with the military action, while 15.2% were somewhat in agreement with it.<\/p>\n Spain\u2019s socialist prime minister, Pedro S\u00e1nchez, has incurred Trump\u2019s wrath for refusing permission for the bases to be used, and for questioning the thinking behind the war. Trump has responded by threatening to cut of all trade with Spain.<\/p>\n In a blunt speech on Wednesday<\/a>, S\u00e1nchez compared the growing conflict in the Middle East to playing \u201cRussian roulette with the destiny of millions\u201d and said his country would \u201cnot be complicit in something that is bad for the world \u2013 and that is also contrary to our values and interests \u2013 simply out of fear of reprisals from someone\u201d.<\/p>\n S\u00e1nchez\u2019s stand against Trump<\/a> elicited more invective from the US president on Thursday. In an interview with the New York Post<\/a>, Trump once again railed against Spain for refusing to accept Nato\u2019s proposal for member states to increase their defence spending to 5%<\/a> of their GDP. He also took aim at the UK again over its perceived lack of support for the military operation.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have a lot of winners, but Spain is a loser, and UK has been very disappointing,\u201d Trump said in a phone interview with the Post. \u201c[Spain is] very hostile to Nato.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThey don\u2019t pay their \u2013 they\u2019re the only one that voted against the 5% payment, and they\u2019re very hostile to everyone \u2026 Not a team player, and we\u2019re not going to be a team player with Spain either.\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a> The UK deputy prime minister, David Lammy, has said that 6,500 people have now returned to the UK from the UAE since the US and Israel<\/a> launched its attacks on Iran.<\/p>\n Lammy confirmed the numbers to broadcasters including Sky News and the BBC today.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Israel announces new phase in Iran conflict as US warns strikes will ‘surge dramatically’<\/p>\n Israeli attacks hit the Iranian capital Tehran overnight as the IDF announced a \u201cnew stage\u201d in its campaign against Iran, with US and Israeli officials hinting at escalating strikes.<\/p>\n The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) chief of staff Lt Gen Eyal Zamir said his military has completed the initial stage of \u201csurprise opening blow\u201d and that it was \u201cnow moving to the next phase of the campaign\u201d with surprises ahead.<\/p>\n \u201cWe will intensify the strike on the foundations of the regime and its military capabilities,\u201d he said in a statement carried by the Times of Israel.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have additional surprising moves in our hands, which I do not intend to reveal.\u201d<\/p>\n His remarks followed an announcement by US defence secretary Pete Hegseth that \u201cfirepower over Iran<\/a> and over Tehran is about to surge dramatically\u201d.<\/p>\n US president Donald Trump has ruled out sending troops to Iran, saying it would be a \u201cwaste of time\u201d, but indicated he would like to see Iran\u2019s leadership structure removed. \u201cWe want to go in and clean out everything,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n The IDF also conducted renewed strikes against what it described as Hezbollah strongholds in Beirut, the Lebanese capital. Hundreds of thousands of people in the southern suburbs of the city were ordered to leave their homes by the IDF yesterday, causing scenes of panic.<\/p>\n Iran\u2019s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said they had fired missiles towards Tel Aviv after an earlier wave of explosions caused a blaze at a residential building in the city.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a002.52 EST<\/p>\n Summary<\/p>\n If you\u2019re just joining us, here is a quick recap of the day so far:<\/p>\n The US granted Indian refiners a 30-day waiver to buy Russian oil after the US-Israel war on Iran sparked fears of a supply crunch<\/a>, lifting global prices. Barely a month ago, Donald Trump claimed<\/a> India had agreed to stop purchasing oil from Russia, in a shift that he said would \u201chelp END THE WAR in Ukraine\u201d by cutting off a key source of funds for Moscow. The US treasury secretary, Scott Bessent, insisted this temporary waiver, designed \u201cto enable oil to keep flowing\u201d into the market, \u201cwill not provide significant financial benefit to the Russian government\u201d.<\/p>\n The IDF carried out a wave of 26 strikes <\/a>on what it describes as Hezbollah infrastructure in the Dahiya neighbourhood, a densely populated commercial and residential area in the southern suburbs of Beirut. The IDF had earlier issued forced evacuation orders for the whole population of Beirut\u2019s southern suburbs \u2013 home to 500,000 people \u2013 sparking widespread panic and leading to huge queues of traffic as people tried to flee<\/a>. It comes in spite of calls from world leaders including Emmanuel Macron urging Israel not to expand the war into Lebanon. According to the Lebanese health ministry, Israeli strikes have killed at least 123 people and injured 683 in Lebanon since Monday.<\/p>\n Trump has pushed back against Iranian claims that it is ready for a ground invasion by US and Israeli forces. \u201cThey\u2019ve lost everything. They\u2019ve lost their navy,\u201d the US president told<\/a> NBC News, without citing evidence for the claim. \u201cThey\u2019ve lost everything they can lose.\u201d More on that here<\/a>.<\/p>\n The Iranian leadership council met ahead of selecting new supreme leader, state media reported. State TV reported a leadership council met <\/a>and discussed how to hold a meeting of the country\u2019s Assembly of Experts, which will select the nation\u2019s new supreme leader. The statement provided no timeline on the selection of the supreme leader, nor information on whether the assembly would meet in person or remotely for the vote.<\/p>\n Trump also said he must \u201cbe involved in the appointment\u201d of Iran\u2019s next leader as he was in Venezuela, and dismissed the idea of the assassinated ayatollah\u2019s son, Mojtaba Khamenei, succeeding his father as supreme leader as \u201cunacceptable\u201d. Trump has spoken in vague terms about who he wants to lead the country, but declined to provide specific names. More on that here<\/a>.<\/p>\n The war has escalated each day, now affecting an additional 14 countries across the Middle East and beyond. On Thursday, Azerbaijan accused Iran of drone attacks, which Tehran denied.<\/p>\n The first government-chartered plane evacuating British nationals has landed in the UK. The plane took off from Muscat, the capital of Oman, at 1.36pm GMT on Thursday and arrived at London Stansted just before 1am on Friday. More on that here<\/a>.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, the US House of Representatives has voted down a Democratic-backed measure to halt hostilities with Iran, as Republicans cleared the way for Trump to continue the conflict that has drawn in countries across the Middle East, but criticised as having unclear goals. Our story here<\/a>.<\/p>\n The UK\u2019s defence secretary, John Healey, has declined to rule out Britain joining US-Israeli strikes on Iran. More on that here<\/a>.<\/p>\n Canada\u2019s top general said allies were in talks about possibly helping Gulf states defend themselves. The defence chief, Gen. Jennie Carignan, said a meeting was set for Friday to discuss such a proposal among allied militaries, and the Canadian Armed Forces would present a recommendation to the Canadian government. She did not specify what type of support this might involve but said Canada is not taking part in the US bombing of Iran and confirmed the discussions were not about participating in Operation Epic Fury.<\/p>\n The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said he received a request from the US \u201cfor specific support\u201d in dealing with Iran\u2019s Shahed attack drones, as the US and its allies in the Middle East seek Ukraine\u2019s expertise in countering such attacks from Russia. \u201cI gave instructions to provide the necessary means and ensure the presence of Ukrainian specialists who can guarantee the required security,\u201d Zelenskyy wrote<\/a> on X. More on that here<\/a>.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Sri Lanka takes control of an Iranian vessel off its coast after US sunk an Iranian warship<\/p>\n Sri Lanka began transferring more than 200 sailors from an Iranian vessel to shore on Friday after the ship sought assistance while anchored outside the country\u2019s waters, AP reports.<\/p>\n The move comes amid mounting tensions in the Indian Ocean, following the sinking of an Iranian warship by a US submarine.<\/p>\n Sri Lanka navy spokesperson, commodore Buddhika Sampath, said the sailors of the IRIS Bushehr were being brought first to the port of Colombo and the ship will later be moved to an eastern port on the island.<\/p>\n \u201cThe disembarkation is in progress,\u201d he said, adding the sailors would be taken to the naval base at Welisara, about 20 kilometres north of Colombo, after medical exams and immigration procedures.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Iranian leadership council meets ahead of selecting new supreme leader, state media says<\/p>\n Iranian state television said on Friday that a leadership council met and discussed how to hold a meeting of the country\u2019s Assembly of Experts, which will select the nation\u2019s new supreme leader, AP reports.<\/p>\n The leadership council includes President Masoud Pezeshkian, judiciary chief Gholam Hossein Mohseni Ejehi and cleric Ayatollah Ali Reza Arafi.<\/p>\n The statement provided no timeline on the selection of the supreme leader, nor information on whether the assembly would meet in person or remotely for the vote.<\/p>\n The assembly has been meeting virtually, after their compound in the city of Qom was hit by Israeli strikes.<\/p>\n Donald Trump has said he must \u201cbe involved in the appointment\u201d of Iran\u2019s next leader and dismissed the idea of the assassinated ayatollah\u2019s son, Mojtaba Khamenei, who is being heavily tipped to succeed his father, as \u201cunacceptable\u201d.<\/p>\n Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi later told NBC it was \u201cthe business of Iranian people\u201d to decide who will succeed the former Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Israel carried out 26 airstrikes on Beirut, IDF says<\/p>\n The Israel Defence Force says it conducted \u201ca broad-scale wave\u201d of 26 strikes in the Dahieh area of Lebanon<\/a> overnight, targeting Hezbollah infrastructure.<\/p>\n double quotation mark”Among the targets were an executive council\u2019s command center and a facility storing UAVs used for attacks against Israel.<\/p>\n The IDF had earlier issued forced evacuation orders for the whole population of Beirut\u2019s southern suburbs \u2013 home to 500,000 people \u2013 sparking widespread panic and leading to huge queues of traffic as people tried to flee<\/a>.<\/p>\n It comes in spite of calls from world leaders including Emmanuel Macron urging Israel<\/a> not to expand the war into Lebanon. According to the Lebanese health ministry, Israeli strikes have killed at least 123 people and injured 683 in Lebanon since Monday.<\/p>\n Lebanon\u2019s Iran-backed Hezbollah militia warned Israeli residents on Friday to evacuate towns within 5 km (3 miles) of the border.<\/p>\n \u201cYour military\u2019s aggression against Lebanese sovereignty and safe citizens, the destruction of civilian infrastructure and the expulsion campaign it is carrying out will not go unchallenged,\u201d Hezbollah said in a message posted on its Telegram channel in Hebrew.<\/p>\n![\"Gaby](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Gaby-Hinsliff,-L.png\")
Gaby Hinsliff<\/p>\n![\"Sam](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Sam_Jones.png\")
Sam Jones<\/p>\n![\"Jamie](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Jamie-Grierson,-L.png\")
Jamie Grierson<\/p>\n