On Monday, the Middle East crisis intensified following US-Israeli strikes on Iran and retaliatory attacks, marking the third day of high-intensity military operations.
Iran Red Crescent said that 555 people killed in Iran since the start of the war two days ago.
In major development. Iran's Revolutionary Guards said their missile attacks have targeted the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the headquarters of the Israeli air force commander.
Iran’s ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency, Reza Najafi, has claimed that US-Israeli airstrikes targeted Iran’s Natanz nuclear enrichment site.
Meanwhile, the UN nuclear watchdog IAEA urged "utmost retraint" saying that the situation the the Middle East was "very concerning".
Iran also targeted Saudi Arabia's massive Ras Tanura refinery on the Gulf coast. A Saudi defence ministry spokesman said two drones had targeted the refinery and been intercepted, according to a statement posted by the Saudi Press Agency on X.
Earlier in the day, multiple American warplanes crashed in Kuwait but their crew survived, Kuwait's defence ministry said.
The Israeli military said it killed the head of Hezbollah's intelligence services, Hussein Moukalled, in a strike in Beirut on Sunday as Israel traded fire with the Lebanese armed group.
"The IDF now confirms that in a precise strike in Beirut last night (Sunday), the terrorist Hussein Moukalled, who served as the head of Hezbollah's intelligence headquarters, has been eliminated," the army said in a statement.
The US military on Monday announced that a fourth American service member had been killed in the war on Iran.
"As of 7:30 am ET (1130 GMT), March 2, four U.S. service members have been killed in action. The fourth service member, who was seriously wounded during Iran's initial attacks, eventually succumbed to their injuries," US Central Command (CENTCOM) wrote on X.
Qatar's state-run energy firm said on Monday it had halted liquefied natural gas production following Iranian attacks on facilities at two of its main gas processing bases.
"Due to military attacks on QatarEnergy's operating facilities in Ras Laffan Industrial City and Mesaieed Industrial City in the State of Qatar, QatarEnergy has ceased production of liquefied natural gas (LNG) and associated products," the company said in a statement.
In an interview with a UK newspaper, US President Donald Trump has said that he was "very disappointed" with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer's initial refusal to let Washington use British military bases in the ongoing conflict against Iran, reported AFP.
Starmer subsequently made a U-turn by agreeing to the use of the bases in the Indian Ocean's Chagos Islands for "specific and limited defensive purpose".
Speaking to the Daily Telegraph, Trump said Starmer’s initial refusal was unlike anything that had "happened between our countries before." He added, "It took far too much time. Far too much time."
In a joint statement, the US and six allied Gulf states – Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates – condemned Iran’s "indiscriminate and reckless attacks" across the region.
"Iran’s actions represent a dangerous escalation that violates the sovereignty of multiple states and threatens regional stability. Targeting civilians and non-combatant states is reckless behavior that undermines stability," said the statement.
The statement added that attacks had occurred in Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
"We stand united in defense of our citizens, our sovereignty, and our territories, and we reaffirm our right to self-defense in the face of these attacks," said the seven countries in the statement.
The Israeli military said it began a new "broad strike" on Tehran on Monday, as AFP journalists reported hearing loud explosions in central and eastern parts of the Iranian capital.
"The Israeli Air Force, with the guidance of Israeli Intelligence has begun an additional broad strike on Iranian terror regime targets in the heart of Tehran," the military said in a statement, on the third day of the joint US-Israeli operation against Iran.
Three US fighter jets were downed in a “friendly fire incident” by Kuwaiti air defenses, US Central Command (CENTCOM) said.
The F-15 Strike Eagles were operating in support of Operation Epic Fury against Iran when they were mistakenly shot, amid ongoing attacks from Iranian aircraft, drones, and ballistic missiles.
All six crew members ejected safely and have been recovered in stable condition. Kuwait has acknowledged the incident, and CENTCOM said the cause is under investigation, while praising the efforts of Kuwaiti defense forces during the operation.
Two Iranian drones targeted a power plant in Qatar and a separate energy facility on Monday, the Qatari defence ministry said.
One drone targeted a water tank belonging to a power plant in Mesaieed south of Doha and another targeted an energy facility in Ras Laffan on the north coast, Qatar's main site for production of liquefied natural gas, the ministry said.
There were no reports of casualties, it added.
Loud explosions were heard on Monday in several parts of the Iranian capital, AFP journalists said.
The ongoing blasts shook apartment buildings in central Tehran and were also felt in the city's east, the journalists reported. It was not immediately clear what was the target.
A bomb-carrying drone boat struck a Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman on Monday, killing one Indian mariner on board, Oman said.
It identified the vessel as the MKD VYOM. It said the dead crew member was from India.
British Foreign Minister Yvette Cooper on Monday said an unmanned drone that struck a UK military base on Cyprus hit the runaway.
"This is an unmanned drone strike specifically on the airport runway... we're not able to provide further information and detail at this point, but obviously all of the precautionary measures are being taken around the base," Cooper told Sky News.
A ship was hit at a Bahrain port Monday, causing a fire that was extinguished and no casualties, a British maritime security agency reported, as Iran presses its retaliation campaign in the Gulf.
"UKMTO received a report of an incident in the Port of Bahrain. The Company Security Officer reported that the vessel had been struck by two unknown projectiles causing a fire. All members of the ships crew are safe and have evacuated the vessel," the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said.
Iran's Revolutionary Guards said their missile attacks have targeted the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the headquarters of the Israeli air force commander.
A series of new explosions were heard above Jerusalem on Monday, AFP journalists reported, after the Israeli military said it had detected fresh missiles launched from Iran.
"A short while ago, the IDF identified missiles launched from Iran toward the territory of the State of Israel. Defensive systems are operating to intercept the threat," the military said in a statement.
Jordan has announced a partial closure of its airspace, effective from today until further notice. The Civil Aviation Regulatory Commission said all aircraft will be barred from flying between 6 pm local time (15:00 GMT) and 9 am (06:00 GMT) daily.
The move, announced on the commission’s website, is “in light of current regional developments and a risk assessment in accordance with international standards,” according to state news reports.
US and Israeli strikes on Iran have killed three Revolutionary Guard members and five army personnel, according to separate official statements on Monday.
"Three members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps were killed" in an attack on a detachment in the western Lorestan province, an official IRGC statement said, according to the ISNA news agency.
In a separate attack on the western city of Khorramabad, "five members of the Iranian army were killed", Tasnim news agency said, quoting an army statement.
Iranian missiles targeting an air base near the Saudi capital of Riyadh were intercepted on Monday, a Gulf source briefed on the matter told AFP, as Iran fired wide-ranging barrages across the region.
"Iranian missiles targeting Prince Sultan Air Base were intercepted again on Monday morning," said the source.
Iran’s ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency, Reza Najafi, has alleged that US-Israeli airstrikes targeted Iran’s Natanz nuclear enrichment site.
Speaking to journalists on Monday, Najafi condemned the attacks as “unlawful, criminal and brutal,” saying the strikes hit Iran’s “peaceful safeguarded nuclear facilities.” He dismissed claims that Iran is seeking nuclear weapons as “simply a big lie.”
Israel's military said Monday it struck a senior Hezbollah operative in Beirut, with the defence minister saying the Lebanese group's chief Naim Qassem is "a marked target".
"A short while ago, the (Israeli military) precisely struck a senior Hezbollah terrorist in Beirut," the military said. AFPTV showed smoke rising from the southern Beirut district of Dahiyeh, a stronghold of Hezbollah.
France is "ready" to defend Gulf countries and Jordan against Iran if necessary, Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said Monday.
"To allied countries that have been deliberately targeted by the missiles and drones of the (Iranian) Revolutionary Guards and dragged into a war they did not choose -- Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Iraq, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, and Jordan -- France expresses its full support and complete solidarity," he said.
"It stands ready, in accordance with the agreements that bind it to its partners and with the principle of collective self-defence provided under international law, to take part in their defence," he said.
Iran's army it targeted US Ali Al Salem air base in Kuwait as well as vessels in the Indian ocean after the killing of the Islamic republic's supreme leader in US and Israeli strikes.
"Missile units of the army's ground and naval forces operating from various locations targeted the US Ali Al Salem air base in Kuwait as well as enemy vessels in the northern Indian Ocean over the past hours," the army said in a statement.
It added that "15 cruise missiles" were used in the attacks.
UN nuclear watchdog head Rafael Grossi said the situation in the Middle East was "very concerning", urging "utmost restraint".
"I reiterate my call on all parties to exercise maximum restraint to avoid further escalation," Grossi said as he opened a special session on Iran of the board of governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz, has declared that Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem is now a “target for elimination.”
The statement follows Israeli strikes on Lebanon, including the capital Beirut, that killed atleast 31 people, after Tehran-backed militant group Hezbollah fired rockets at Israel in retaliation for the killing of Iran's supreme leader.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) says there is no indication that Israeli or U.S. strikes on Iran have hit any nuclear facilities.
IAEA chief Rafael Grossi, told the agency’s 35-nation Board of Governors on Monday that efforts to contact Iran’s nuclear authorities are ongoing, but so far there has been no response.
“We have no indication that any of the nuclear installations … have been damaged or hit,” Grossi said.
Saudi Arabia’s Defence Ministry confirmed that two drones targeting the Aramco's Ras Tanura refinery were intercepted.
A source said the attack caused a fire at the refinery but the blaze had already been extinguished.
The attack prompted a temporary shutdown of the facility, Saudi state television authorities said.
A total of 555 people have been killed across Iran in US and Israeli strikes that began two days ago, the Iranian Red Crescent said Monday.
"Following the Zionist-American terrorist attacks carried out in various regions of our country, 131 cities have been affected to date and, regrettably, 555 of our compatriots have been killed," the humanitarian group said in a post on Telegram.
Delegates at the United Nations' nuclear agency began meeting on Monday for an extraordinary session on Iran in the wake of the US-Israeli strikes on the Islamic Republic.
Russia, a key ally of Tehran, requested the meeting on Saturday at the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), following the same request by Iran.
The extraordinary meeting precedes an already scheduled regular session of the IAEA's board of governors, which represents 35 countries.
Following the strikes, the IAEA, which monitors Iran's nuclear programme, said on Saturday that it was "closely monitoring developments in the Middle East, and urges restraint to avoid any nuclear safety risks to people in the region".
Iran’s nationwide internet blackout has now stretched beyond 48 hours, according to NetBlocks, as connectivity remains at a fraction of normal levels amid continuing US–Israeli strikes on the country. Internet access has plunged to around 1–4% of ordinary traffic, leaving most Iranians cut off from the global web as the conflict unfolds.
NetBlocks noted that shutdowns are a familiar tactic for the Iranian regime in times of crisis, the government previously imposed lengthy blackouts earlier this year during domestic unrest, including a shutdown in January that lasted several week often cited as a means to curb information flow and suppress dissent.
Union Minister Pralhad Joshi on Monday assured that the government is fully prepared to ensure the safety of Indians affected by the escalating war situation in the Gulf. The Centre is in constant touch with Indian missions abroad and has held urgent consultations with senior officials and ministers to facilitate their safe return.
Highlighting past evacuations, including from Ukraine, Joshi said Kannadigas and other Indians facing hardship are being prioritised. While acknowledging the risks of air travel in conflict zones, he urged families not to panic, confirming that expert advice is being sought and arrangements are underway to assist those stranded in Dubai, where flight operations have been disrupted.
“No one should be anxious. Serious efforts are being made to bring them back safely,” he said.
Several American warplanes crashed in Kuwait on Monday morning but their crew survived, Kuwait's defence ministry said.
"Several US warplanes crashed this morning. Confirming that all crew members survived," a defence ministry spokesman said in a statement, adding that the cause was under investigation.
"Authorities immediately initiated search and rescue operations, evacuating the crews and transporting them to a hospital for medical evaluation and treatment. He noted that their condition is stable," the statement added.
Iran's Revolutionary Guards said Monday they had launched missile strikes on Israel's government in Tel Aviv as well as security and military centres in Haifa and an attack on east Jerusalem.
"Among the targets of this tenth wave were a targeted strike on the Zionist regime's government complex in Tel Aviv, attacks on military and security centres in Haifa, and a strike on east Jersualem," said a Guards statement carried by state TV.
China called on Monday for a ceasefire and diplomatic talks to end the conflict in the Middle East as it stretched into a third day, reported AFP.
"The most urgent task is a cessation of military operations and preventing a spillover of conflict," foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning told a news conference, urging "a resolution through dialogue and negotiation".
One Chinese citizen was killed in Tehran, she said, where Israel and the United States have been carrying out strikes in an operation that killed the Islamic republic's supreme leader.
The US embassy in Kuwait said Monday that people should not come to the facility, after AFP reported that smoke was rising from the diplomatic mission on Iran's third day of retaliatory Gulf attacks.
"There is a continuing threat of missile and UAV attacks over Kuwait. Do not come to the Embassy. Take cover in your residence on the lowest available floor and away from windows. Do not go outside," the embassy said in a statement.
"U.S. Embassy personnel are sheltering in place," it added.
Black smoke was seen rising from the US embassy in Kuwait City on Monday after the latest volley of Iranian strikes, AFP reported.
Sirens earlier sounded over the city following the latest Iranian attacks, which started across the oil-rich Gulf region on Saturday.
Loud explosions shook Gulf cities on Monday as Tehran carried out strikes for a third consecutive day on countries hosting US bases, in retaliation for US-Israeli air raids. AFP reports said blasts were heard across Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Doha, Manama, and Kuwait City.
The unprecedented bombardment has rattled a region long considered a relative haven of peace in the turbulent Middle East. Bahrain’s interior ministry said one person was killed in the strikes, marking the kingdom’s first fatality since the attacks began, and bringing the Gulf-wide death toll to five since Saturday. Falling debris from an intercepted missile also sparked a fire on a foreign ship in the port city of Salman, killing one worker and seriously injuring two others.
Israeli strikes on Lebanon have killed 31 people and wounded 149, AFP is citing a Lebanese ministry as saying.
Kuwait's forces intercepted an unspecified number of drones targeting the country on Monday but no injuries were reported, according to the oil-rich Gulf emirate's state news agency.
Civil defense chief at Kuwait's interior ministry Mohammed Al-Mansouri "stressed that Kuwaiti Air Defense personnel efficiently and effectively intercepted a number of hostile aerial targets at dawn today," official news agency KUNA reported.
"He also affirmed that the situation in the country is stable and there is no cause for concern," it added.
At least one person has been killed and 32 others injured in Kuwait, all of them foreign nationals, the health ministry said Sunday.
As the US-Israel campaign against Iran entered its third day, the conflicts pread beyond Iran and Israel, with drone strikes targeting Western forces in Iraq and Cyprus, while the US escalated operations inside Iran.
In Iraq, a pro-Iranian militia claimed a drone strike on US troops at Baghdad airport on Monday, a day after it targeted a US base in Erbil. No casualties were immediately reported.
Cyprus reported a drone strike on RAF Akrotiri, a British military base in the Mediterranean. Officials said there were no casualties and the situation is being handled. The attack followed Britain’s approval for US forces to use its bases for defensive strikes against Iranian missile sites.
US military operations inside Iran intensified: B-2 stealth bombers struck Iranian ballistic missile facilities with 2,000-pound bombs. President Donald Trump said that nine Iranian warships were sunk and the Iranian navy’s headquarters was “largely destroyed.”
Gulf Arab states warned they reserve the right to respond to Iranian strikes targeting their territories. Analysts say the attacks in Iraq and Cyprus show the conflict could increasingly involve other countries hosting Western forces.
Iranian authorities the strike at the Shajare Tayyebeh girls’ elementary school in Minab, southern Hormozgan province, on Saturday, killed at least 108 students. The provincial governor later put the toll at 165.
Verified footage shows a damaged building with murals of crayons, apples, and children, with distressed civilians nearby. According to news agency AFP Geolocation confirms the site is in Minab.
Israel says it is not aware of any US or Israeli strike on the school. “We’re operating in an extremely accurate manner,” said military spokesman Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani.
US Central Command and the Pentagon are aware of the reports and are investigating. A CENTCOM spokesperson said, “The protection of civilians is of utmost importance… we will continue to take all precautions to minimise the risk of unintended harm.”
Norway-based rights group Hengaw is investigating the identities of students reportedly present, with around 170 children said to be in class at the time.
US leader Donald Trump's "delusional fantasies" have plunged the Middle East into chaos, the powerful head of Tehran's Supreme National Security Council said on Monday.
"Trump plunged the region into chaos with his 'delusional fantasies' and now fears more American troop casualties," Ali Larijani wrote on X.
New strikes hit an Iraqi military base housing Kataeb Hezbollah, a source from the pro-Iran armed group said on Monday.
"Three strikes hit Jurf al-Nasr," a Kataeb Hezbollah source told AFP, referring to a military base that serves as one of the main bastions of the powerful armed group that has been repeatedly targeted since the start of the Israel-US campaign on Iran.
Benchmark equity indices Sensex and Nifty crashed in early trade on Monday tracking a sharp spike in crude oil prices amid escalating tensions in the Middle East.
The 30-share BSE Sensex tanked 2,743.46 points or 3.37 per cent to 78,543.73 in early trade. The 50-share NSE Nifty tumbled 533.55 points or 2.11 per cent to 24,645.10.
From the Sensex pack, InterGlobe Aviation, Larsen & Toubro, Eternal, Adani Ports, Asian Paints, UltraTech Cement and Reliance Industries were among the biggest laggards.
Bharat Electronics emerged as the only gainer.
Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, tumbled 5.38 per cent to USD 76.79 per barrel.
Iran "will not negotiate with the United States", Ali Larijani, the powerful head of Tehran's Supreme National Security Council said on Monday.
In a post on X, Larijani denied media reports that Iranian officials had sought to initiate talks with the Trump administration following US-Israeli strikes on Iran over the weekend, which came after Tehran and Washington held nuclear negotiations.
Iran’s foreign minister suggested on Sunday that parts of the country’s military are operating independently of central government control, following attacks on Gulf Arab nations.
In an interview with Al Jazeera, Abbas Araghchi said, “What happened in Oman was not our choice. We have already told our… armed forces to be careful about the targets that they choose.” He added that some military units are “in fact independent and somehow isolated and they are acting based on instructions… given to them in advance.”
The comments come after strikes on Oman and Qatar, both of which have historically acted as intermediaries with Tehran, Oman in recent US-Iran nuclear talks, and Qatar over a shared offshore natural gas field.
While militaries worldwide plan for contingencies in wartime, Iran’s case is unusual, given that its paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, answering only to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, controls much of the country’s ballistic missile and drone arsenal.
Araghchi’s remarks may serve both to explain the attacks and to ease tensions with Gulf Arab neighbors, who have expressed growing frustration at repeated strikes despite years of diplomatic engagement.
ABC News Chief Washington Correspondent Jonathan Karl has posted on X that the US had identified possible candidates to assume leadership in Iran, but they were killed in the initial US-Israeli attack.
“The attack was so successful it knocked out most of the candidates,” the post said quoting Trump.
“It’s not going to be anybody that we were thinking of because they are all dead. Second or third place is dead,” he added.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, are planning to hold a press conference Monday morning about the military operation against Iran.
The Pentagon announced the 8 a.m. EST media briefing on social media Sunday night.
On Tuesday, Hegseth and Caine will join U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and CIA Director John Ratcliffe in briefing the full membership of Congress on the strikes, the White House said.
Rubio also was slated to brief Hill leadership Monday.
Israeli forces hit targets across Lebanon, including Beirut, after Hezbollah launched rockets in retaliation for Iran’s supreme leader’s killing. Residents in southern Lebanon fled, with schools set up as shelters. Air raid sirens sounded in northern Israel, but no immediate casualties reported. Lebanese leaders called Hezbollah’s attack “irresponsible” as tensions escalate across the region.