TOP DEVELOPMENTS
The war between the United States, Israel and Iran has entered its eighth day, with attacks continuing across Iran and other countries in the Middle East.
Donald Trump says he’ll hit Iran harder: US President Donald Trump warned in a Truth Social post that more Iranian officials will be targets, saying, “Today Iran will be hit very hard!,” while noting an apology by Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian earlier in the day to neighboring nations over Tehran’s attacks.
Iran says it has right to defend itself: Iran’s Foreign Ministry has said in a statement that responding to the US and Israel’s “brutal military aggression” is the country’s inherent right to self-defence.
It said that Tehran would continue to take action “until the aggression stops or until the United Nations Security Council fulfils its duty by identifying the aggressors.”
'Disarm Hezbollah': Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz on Saturday warned Lebanese President Joseph Aoun that his country would pay a "very heavy price" if it fails to disarm Hezbollah.
Evidence suggests the deadly blast at an Iranian elementary school was likely a U.S. airstrike: The Feb. 28 strike produced the highest reported civilian death toll since the war began, prompting staunch criticism from the United Nations and human rights monitors. The U.S. has not accepted responsibility but said it was investigating the matter.
Iran apologises: Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian apologised on Saturday to neighbouring countries for attacks launched during the Islamic republic's war with Israel and the United States. He further said that the neigbours won't be targeted unless attacks are launched from them.
Flight operations: Dubai airport said Saturday it was partially resuming services shortly after it suspended operations.
The death toll continues to rise: At least 1,230 people in Iran, more than 200 in Lebanon and around a dozen in Israel have been killed, according to officials in those countries. Six U.S. troops have been killed.
The Israeli army continues to pound the country, claiming it is hitting Hezbollah targets, while the country’s health ministry says more than 330 people have been killed since Monday, March 2.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has warned US President Donald Trump that if he seeks escalation, Iran’s armed forces are prepared.
Araghchi said in a statement that Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian’s openness to de-escalation within the region had been “immediately killed” by Trump misinterpreting Iran’s capabilities.
Trump’s “week-long misadventure has already cost the US military $100 billion, in addition to the lives of young soldiers,” he said, adding that the cost would be transferred to ordinary Americans.
He accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of duping the US into fighting its wars, adding that it was a “war of choice” pursued by “Israeli-Firsters”.
The United Arab Emirates’ Dubai Media office said Saturday that falling shrapnel from interception of projectiles from Iran caused a minor damage to the facade of a tower in Dubai Marina, an area with many luxury high rises. There were no injuries reported.
The number of people killed by Israeli strikes in Lebanon since Monday has risen to 294, with another 1,023 wounded, Lebanon’s health ministry said.
It was not clear how many of them were civilians. Tens of thousands more have been displaced.
An Iranian attack on Saturday caused a fire in Bahrain's capital of Manama, damaging a house and other buildings, the interior ministry said without specifying if there were casualties.
"The Iranian aggression caused a fire and material damage to a house and several surrounding buildings in Manama," the ministry said. "Civil Defence is taking the necessary measures to extinguish the fire."
Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf says on X that countries hosting US bases in the region “will not enjoy peace”.
He also said that the attack against the Qeshm desalination plant, blamed earlier on the US by Iran’s foreign minister, was “carried out with the support of one of the air bases in the southern neighboring countries”.
“This blatant crime will receive a proportionate response. American military bases in the region have become platforms for operations against Iran”, he added. “The origin of any attack is the destination of our response.”
The defense policies of the Islamic Republic of Iran are consistent, based on the guidelines of our martyred Imam.
— محمدباقر قالیباف | MB Ghalibaf (@mb_ghalibaf) March 7, 2026
As long as the presence of U.S. bases in the region continue, the countries will not enjoy peace.
Iranian officials and people are united on this principle.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry has said in a statement that responding to the US and Israel’s “brutal military aggression” is the country’s inherent right to self-defence.
It said that Tehran would continue to take action “until the aggression stops or until the United Nations Security Council fulfils its duty by identifying the aggressors.”
The statement said that under international law, “states are prohibited from allowing their territory to be used, directly or indirectly, to inflict harm and damage on other states.”
The Foreign Ministry said that Iran has undertaken “necessary and proportionate defensive operations” against US bases, and that warnings had been issued continuously.
This should “in no way be construed as enmity or hostility toward regional countries,” the statement said.
Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Defence says a ballistic missile landed in an uninhabited area after being launched towards Prince Sultan Air Base.
In a statement, the ministry’s official spokesperson said the missile fell without causing casualties or damage.
Prince Sultan Air Base, located southeast of Riyadh, hosts Saudi and US military forces.
The Israeli military issued an urgent, renewed evacuation warning Saturday for residents of Beirut’s southern suburbs, urging those remaining in the area to leave immediately.
The warning, covering an area which had previously received evacuation warnings in the past few days, appeared to be directed at those who have not yet left ahead of what could be renewed Israeli strikes in the area.
Israeli military spokesperson Avichay Adraee told residents they would be notified by the military when it is considered safe to return to their homes.
The island Kingdom’s Interior Ministry said Saturday evening that Iranian missiles caused a fire and other damage to a house and several surrounding buildings in the country’s capital of Manama.
It was not clear if an Iranian missile hit the country or the damage was a result of interception efforts.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has confirmed that Israeli forces carried out an attack the town of Nabi Chit in the Bekaa Valley overnight, which killed at least 41 people, according to Lebanese health authorities.
In a statement on X, Netanyahu said Israeli soldiers had conducted a special mission in the area aimed at locating the remains of Ron Arad, an Israeli airman captured in Lebanon about 40 years ago.
He added that the attack “did not bring the findings we were looking for”.
Lebanon’s Ministry of Public Health also said that at least 40 were wounded in Israeli air and ground raids on the town.
לוחמינו הגיבורים יצאו הלילה למבצע מיוחד לאיתורו והשבתו של הנווט רון ארד שנפל בשבי בלבנון לפני כ-40 שנה.
— Benjamin Netanyahu - בנימין נתניהו (@netanyahu) March 7, 2026
במשך שנים ארוכות אנו עוסקים במשימה זו ללא הרף.
הפעולה שבוצעה הלילה לא הביאה את הממצאים אותם חיפשנו, אך המחויבות של מדינת ישראל והמחויבות שלי להשלמת כל משימות השבויים והנעדרים…
The United Arab Emirates will emerge "stronger" after the Middle East war, the president told Abu Dhabi TV in a rare address on Saturday, as Iran continued its retaliatory strikes across the Gulf.
The UAE "is in a period of war", Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan told the TV channel, but "we will emerge stronger".
Qatar, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates all reported they intercepted missiles and drones on Saturday evening from Iran. The attacks come eight hours after Iranian president apologized Saturday for attacks on “neighboring countries.”
The attacks underlined the limited powers exercised by the theocracy’s leaders over the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, which controls the ballistic missiles targeting Israel and other countries. It answered only to Khamenei and now appears to be picking its own targets.
The UAE’s Defense Ministry said that it was responding to intercept missiles and drones launched toward the country, as Qatar’s Defense Ministry also said that it intercepted a missile attack. Meanwhile, sirens went off in the island kingdom of Bahrain for the seventh time on Saturday.
— وزارة الدفاع - دولة قطر (@MOD_Qatar) March 7, 2026
The Israeli military has issued a renewed evacuation warning for residents of Beirut’s southern suburbs, urging those who have not yet left to evacuate immediately.
In a post on X, an Israeli army spokesperson said residents should follow previously issued evacuation instructions and warned that remaining in the area could endanger their lives.
Iran's hardline judiciary chief said the Islamic republic would continue targeting regional neighbours offering its enemies "points... used in agression against our country".
"Evidence from Iran's armed forces shows that the geography of some countries in the region is openly and covertly at the disposal of the enemy," said Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, who is also a member of the interim leadership council.
"The heavy attacks on these targets will continue," he added.
The Israeli military said Saturday that it struck a Tehran airport used to help transport weapons to militant groups that Iran supported across the Middle East.
The military said the Mehrabad Airport was used to transfer weapons and cash to militant groups, especially Hezbollah in Lebanon. Israel said it destroyed 16 aircrafts that were used for transporting weapons as part of a broad wave of strikes against Tehran overnight. The strike also destroyed several Iranian fighter jets.
Hezbollah says it launched a rocket barrage at an Israeli military base earlier today.
In a statement, the group said its fighters targeted the Ein Zeitim base in northern Israel, at about 1:15pm local time (11:15 GMT).
Jeremy Corbyn has urged the UK not to be drawn into what he described as “another illegal war” during a protest in London calling for an end to US and Israeli strikes on Iran.
In a statement read to demonstrators outside the US embassy today, the former Labour leader referenced the mass protests against the 2003 invasion of Iraq, saying many people had opposed that war but were ignored.
“For too long, the UK has blindly followed the US as it indulges in catastrophic interventions around the world,” the statement said.
“We are here to defend something different, a foreign policy based on cooperation, equality and sovereignty,” it added.
Israel said it hit 16 military aircraft belonging to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps in overnight strikes on Mehrabad airport, in Tehran.
The airport was hit as part of a wave of Israeli strikes on the Iranian cities of Tehran and Isfahan. Israeli and US attacks around Isfahan killed at least eight people, a provincial official said.
The United Arab Emirates reported new missile and drone attacks on Saturday as Iran continued its retaliatory strikes across the Gulf.
"UAE air defences are currently responding to incoming missile and drone threats from Iran," the defence ministry said. "Sounds heard are the result of the Air Defence Systems intercepting missiles and drones."
Trump spoke during an event on Florida about the six U.S. troops who were killed in a drone strike in Kuwait. Trump is set to fly to Dover Air Force Base, Delaware later Saturday, to be on hand for the dignified transfer of the troops.
Trump called it a “very sad situation to greet the families of the heroes who are coming home from Iran and coming home in a different manner than they thought they’d be coming home.” He added the troops are “great heroes in our country.”
Trump said that “when it comes to war,” there will be U.S. troop deaths, but added “we’re going to keep it to a minimum.”
State-run Anadolu news agency reported the Defense Ministry is considering deploying F-16 aircraft “to ensure the security” of the ethnic Turkish part of the island.
A British air base on Cyprus’ southern coastline was hit by a Shahed drone on Sunday.
Citing a ministry statement, Anadolu said the move would be under “phased plans” currently being discussed.
Kuwait says it is reducing oil production as a “precautionary” measure due to the war in the Middle East.
The Kuwait Petroleum Cooperation blamed Iran’s attacks on the country as well as threats to the Strait of Hormuz, where a fifth of the world’s oil trade passes.
The Kuwaiti statement did not say how much it was reducing output, but Saturday’s announcement threatened to further jolt global energy markets.
Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency (NNA), citing the Health Emergency Operations Center of the Ministry of Public Health, added that since Monday, March 2, 1,023 people have been wounded.
An Iranian military spokesperson has warned that any US ships entering the Gulf will end up at the bottom of the sea.
It comes after Trump said earlier this week the US Navy would begin escorting tankers through the Strait of Hormuz “as soon as possible”.
US President Donald Trump said the military campaign against Iran is going extremely well, rating the progress “15 out of 10.”
He made the remark during a meeting at the White House, saying the United States and its ally Israel had achieved major success in the conflict.
Trump claimed Iranian military capabilities and leadership were being rapidly destroyed. According to him, missile systems, communications networks, and parts of Iran’s armed forces had been heavily weakened by the strikes.
Defending the attacks, Trump described the war as a global service. He said the campaign was not only for the Middle East but “for the world,” arguing that the people targeted were “very sick people.”
Dubai's main airport, a key global transport hub, was forced to briefly close on Saturday as Iran launched missiles and drones at targets across the Gulf.
The barrage came despite Iran's president apologising to neighbouring countries for its attacks, saying they would no longer be targeted unless strikes were launched from their territory.
The United States has started using British bases for certain operations against Iran during the Middle East war, the UK government announced on Saturday.
Britain's defence ministry said the US had begun using the military sites for "specific defensive operations to prevent Iran firing missiles into the region".
Those bases are Fairford in Gloucestershire, western England, and the UK-US Diego Garcia base on the Chagos Islands in the Indian Ocean.
US President Donald Trump said American strikes on Iran have significantly damaged the country’s military capabilities, claiming its navy, air force and communications infrastructure have been heavily hit.
Speaking at an event in Florida, Trump said US forces had destroyed 42 Iranian naval vessels in recent days and knocked out much of the country’s air power and telecommunications systems.
He also said previous US strikes targeted facilities linked to Iran’s nuclear programme, claiming Tehran had been close to obtaining a nuclear weapon before the attacks.
Trump described the operation as a major success and said the strikes had dealt a decisive blow to Iran’s military capabilities.
Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi accused the United States on Saturday of attacking a desalination plant on a Gulf island, saying it had set a precedent.
"The US committed a blatant and desperate crime by attacking a freshwater desalination plant on Qeshm Island," said Araghchi in a post on X.
"Water supply in 30 villages has been impacted. Attacking Iran's infrastructure is a dangerous move with grave consequences. The US set this precedent, not Iran."
The U.S. committed a blatant and desperate crime by attacking a freshwater desalination plant on Qeshm Island. Water supply in 30 villages has been impacted.
— Seyed Abbas Araghchi (@araghchi) March 7, 2026
Attacking Iran's infrastructure is a dangerous move with grave consequences. The U.S. set this precedent, not Iran.
Kuwait's national oil company on Saturday announced a cut to its production of crude due to Iranian attacks and threats to the Strait of Hormuz, a key transit point for Gulf hydrocarbons.
"In light of the ongoing aggression by the Islamic Republic of Iran against the State of Kuwait, including Iranian threats against safe passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz, KPC (Kuwait Petroleum Corporation) has implemented a precautionary reduction in crude oil production and refining throughput as part of its risk management and business continuity strategy," it said, adding that it would be "reviewed as the situation develops".
Lebanon's health ministry on Saturday said Israeli attacks on the country had killed almost 300 people since the start of the war with Hezbollah this week.
In a statement, the ministry said that "the death toll from the Israeli aggression, from dawn on Monday... has risen to 294 martyrs and 1,023 wounded".
Iran's Revolutionary Guards said its forces have targeted a Marshall-islands flagged oil tanker on Saturday in the Gulf as the war with Israel and the United States raged.
"An oil tanker with the trade name 'Louise P' with the flag of the Marshall Islands, one of the assets of the terrorist America, was hit by a drone in the middle of the Persian Gulf," the Guards said on their website Sepah News.
An Israeli air strike on a town in eastern Lebanon killed six people, including four children, the Lebanese health ministry said, in a separate incident from a nearby commando operation.
"The Israeli enemy raid on the town of Shmistar in the Baalbek district at dawn resulted in the killing of six citizens, including four children and a woman," the ministry said in a statement.
Lebanon's military said on Saturday that three soldiers were killed in Israeli shelling during the Israeli army's commando operation in east Lebanon to find the remains of airman Ron Arad, missing since 1986.
In a statement, the Lebanese military said that "three soldiers and a number of civilians were killed as a result of the violent enemy shelling that accompanied" a commando operation carried out by Israeli forces, followed by "an exchange of fire between the enemy force and locals" in Nabi Sheet.
Jordan accused Iran on Saturday of directly targeting sites in the kingdom, firing 119 missiles and drones in the week since US-Israeli strikes triggered a regional war.
Jordanian military spokesman Brigadier General Mustafa Hayari told a news conference that 108 of the projectiles had been intercepted.
"These missiles and drones were targeting vital installations inside Jordan and were not passing through our territories," he said.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz on Saturday warned Lebanese President Joseph Aoun that his country would pay a "very heavy price" if it fails to disarm Hezbollah.
Addressing the president, Katz said in a statement broadcast on Israeli television that if "the choice becomes protecting our civilians and the safety of our soldiers or Lebanon, we will choose to defend our civilians and our soldiers, and the government of Lebanon and Lebanon will pay a very heavy price."
Israel sent ground troops to Lebanon and conducted many airstrikes on the country this week after Lebanese armed group Hezbollah joined its ally Iran in strikes responding to a US-Israeli attack on the Islamic republic.
The United Arab Emirates said it intercepted 15 ballistic missiles and 119 drones on Saturday as Iran kept up its attacks on its Gulf neighbour.
"UAE air defence systems detected today, Saturday 7th March 2026, 16 ballistic missiles, of which, 15 were intercepted and destroyed, while one ballistic missile fell into the sea," the ministry of defence said in a post on X.
US President Donald Trump suggested on Saturday the United States would hit Iran "very hard" and threatened to expand strikes to include new targets.
"Today Iran will be hit very hard!" Trump posted on his Truth Social media platform.
"Under serious consideration for complete destruction and certain death, because of Iran's bad behavior, are areas and groups of people that were not considered for targeting up until this moment in time."
Israel's military said Saturday it had carried out an operation in Lebanon to find remains of airman Ron Arad, but failed to uncover any trace of the navigator missing since 1986.
"As part of IDF activities in Lebanon, IDF special forces operated overnight in an attempt to locate findings related to the missing navigator Ron Arad. No IDF injuries were reported," the Israeli army said in a statement.
"No findings related to him were located at the search site."
Explosions were heard and air raid sirens sounded in Jerusalem on Saturday, AFP journalists said, as the US-Israeli war with Iran entered a second week.
At least three explosions were heard, while over the past 24 hours at least six air raid alerts have been issued across Israel.
Dubai airport, the world's busiest for international traffic, said Saturday it was partially resuming services shortly after it suspended operations.
"We have partially resumed operations from today, 7 March, with some flights operating out of DXB and DWC," it said, referring to Dubai's main airport as well as the city's Dubai World Central – Al Maktoum International Airport.
We have partially resumed operations from today, 7 March, with some flights operating out of DXB and DWC.
— DXB (@DXB) March 7, 2026
Please do not travel to the airport unless you have been contacted by your airline that your flight is confirmed, as schedules continue to change.
Israel's military began a new wave of air strikes on the Iranian cities of Tehran and Isfahan, it said Saturday, as the US-Israeli attack against the Islamic republic entered its second week.
"The IDF has begun a broad wave of strikes toward infrastructure of the Iranian terror regime in Tehran and Isfahan," a military statement said.
Iran's Revolutionary Guards said Saturday they had targeted an oil tanker in the Gulf in their conflict with Israel and the United States.
"This morning, an oil tanker with the trade name Prima was hit by an exploding drone after ignoring repeated warnings from the IRGC naval forces regarding the prohibition of traffic and the insecurity of the Strait of Hormuz," the Guards said in a statement, reported AFP citing Tasnim news agency.
Emirates, the largest airline in the Middle East, announced on Saturday that it was suspending all flights to and from Dubai until further notice, after an aerial interception took place over Dubai airport during attacks from Iran.
"Please do not go to the airport," the airline said in a statement on X.
Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian apologised on Saturday to neighbouring countries for attacks launched during the Islamic republic's war with Israel and the United States.
"I apologise... to the neighbouring countries that were attacked by Iran," said Pezeshkian in a speech broadcast by state TV.
Dubai International Airport, the world’s busiest for international traffic, temporarily halted operations on Saturday following an aerial interception near the airport.
The Dubai Media Office said the suspension was “for the safety of passengers, airport staff, and airline crew.” Witnesses reported a loud explosion and a cloud of smoke. Flights were seen circling in holding patterns, according to Flightradar24.
Emirates, the UAE’s largest airline, also suspended all flights to and from Dubai until further notice, urging passengers not to go to the airport.
Authorities confirmed a “minor incident resulting from the fall of debris after an interception,” with no injuries reported. The UAE Ministry of Defence said air defences were responding to missile and drone threats from Iran.
Recent Iranian attacks have also hit Abu Dhabi airport, the Palm Jumeirah development, and the Burj Al Arab hotel, while drone debris caused a fire at the US consulate in Dubai on Tuesday.
Flights had partially resumed on Monday despite ongoing threats.
Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian said Saturday that the country's neighbours will not be targeted unless attacks are launched from them during the war with Israel and the United States.
"The interim leadership council agreed yesterday that no more attacks will be made on neighbouring countries and no missiles will be fired unless an attack on Iran originates from those countries," said Pezeshkian in a speech broadcast on state TV.
The leadership council has been leading Iran since last week's killing of the Islamic republic's supreme leader, in the US and Israel strikes which triggered a Middle East war.
Iran's Revolutionary Guards said Saturday they have targeted "separatist groups" in Iraq's Kurdistan region, as the war against Israel and the United States entered its second week.
"Three locations of separatist groups in the Iraqi region (of Kurdistan) were hit... this morning," said the Guards in a statement carried by Tasnim news agency.
"If separatist groups in the region (of Kurdistan) make any move against Iran's territorial integrity, we will crush them."
The foreign ministers of the Arab League will meet Sunday via videoconference to discuss Iranian strikes on several member states, the bloc’s assistant secretary-general Hossam Zaki told AFP.
The meeting was requested by Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, Jordan, and Egypt.
Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit condemned the attacks, calling them “fully reprehensible” and a “blatant violation of international law and the UN Charter,” warning they have created “an unprecedented state of hostility” between Iran and its Arab neighbours.
The session comes after US and Israeli forces launched airstrikes against Iran on February 28, and Iran retaliated with missile and drone attacks on Israel and Gulf countries.
Israel's military said more than 80 fighter jets completed a wave of strikes on Iranian military sites, missile launchers and other targets in Tehran and central Iran on Saturday.
"Over 80 Israeli Air Force fighter jets... completed an additional wave of strikes targeting infrastructure belonging to the Iranian terror regime," the military said in a statement.
Iran's Revolutionary Guards said Saturday they were waiting for US forces to escort ships through the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic waterway where traffic remains strangled as the regional war rages, reported AFP citing Fars news agency.
"We are waiting for their presence," said Guards spokesman Ali Mohammad Naini, after the US energy secretary announced the Navy was preparing to escort ships through the strait "as soon as it's reasonable to do it".
"We recommend that before making any decision, the Americans remember the fire of the American supertanker Bridgeton in 1987 and the oil tankers that were recently targeted," Naini said.
The US State Department has approved an “emergency” sale of 12,000 one-thousand-pound bomb casings to Israel worth about USD 151.8 million, as the war involving Israel, Iran and the US intensifies in the Middle East. Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued a waiver bypassing congressional approval, citing national security interests under the Arms Export Control Act. The sale also includes engineering, logistics and technical support, while some US lawmakers criticised the move for circumventing Congress.
Saudi Arabia's Defence Minister, Prince Khalid bin Salman, urged Iran on Saturday to "exercise wisdom and avoid miscalculation", following repeated missile and drone launches at the kingdom.
After meeting with Pakistan's military chief, the Saudi minister posted on X: "We discussed Iranian attacks on the Kingdom and the measures needed to halt them... We stressed that such actions undermine regional security and stability and expressed hope that the Iranian side will exercise wisdom and avoid miscalculation."
AFP reported that their correspondents heard explosions in Dubai and Bahrain's capital Manama on Saturday.
Two blasts were heard in Dubai and one in Manama, where a warning siren sounded.
"Citizens and residents are urged to remain calm and head to the nearest safe place," Bahrain's interior ministry posted on X.
The defense minister of Saudi Arabia and Pakistan’s army chief met Saturday to discuss “ways to stop these attacks” from Iran, reported AP, citing the state-run Saudi Press Agency.
“During the meeting, they discussed Iranian attacks on the kingdom within the framework of the Joint Strategic Defense Agreement between the two brotherly countries, and ways to stop these attacks, which do not serve the security and stability of the region,” the agency said.
There was no immediate word from Pakistan, a neighbor of Iran that so far has not been drawn into the spreading war.
In September, after Israel attacked Hamas officials in Qatar, Saudi Arabia and nuclear-armed Pakistan signed a mutual defense pact that defines any attack on either nation as an attack on both. Pakistan’s defense minister later said his nation’s nuclear program “will be made available” to Saudi Arabia if needed under the pact.
US President Donald Trump said Friday only Tehran’s unconditional surrender will end the conflict, as crude prices surged and US-Israeli strikes hit over 3,000 targets in Iran. The war has killed hundreds in Iran, Lebanon, Israel, and Gulf countries, displaced thousands, and triggered fears of a global energy crisis. UN chief Antonio Guterres urged urgent diplomacy, while Russia and France called for ceasefires and condemned attacks. Iran has retaliated with missiles and drones across the region, and humanitarian warnings grow as Lebanon faces mass displacement and civilian casualties. (Read full story)
Iran will not participate in the Milan Cortina Paralympics because its only athlete set to compete can't safely travel to Italy amid the intensifying Middle East conflict, the International Paralympic Committee said Friday.
The IPC said cross-country skier Aboulfazl Khatibi Mianaei would not be able to travel to Italy due to the ongoing conflict.
The 23-year-old skier has participated in the last two Winter Olympics and was due to participate in an event on Tuesday.
United States Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has addressed reports that Russia is providing Iran with intelligence on US positions in the Middle East.
Speaking to CBS News, Hegseth said President Trump is “well aware of who is talking to whom” and emphasized that the US is “tracking everything.”
He added, “Anything that shouldn’t be happening, whether in public or through back channels, is being confronted—and confronted strongly.”
"Our commanders are aware of everything," he said. "We have the best intelligence in the world. We're aware of who's talking to who."
"We're not concerned about that," the defense secretary said. "We mitigate it as we need to."
The US economy is on a “roller-coaster” ride as the stock market reacts to the war on Iran, the New York Times reports.
The S&P 500 dropped 1.3 percent Friday, bringing this week’s losses to 2 percent – the index’s worst week of 2026.
At the same time, the international oil benchmark Brent crude sat at $92 a barrel, a rise of almost 30 percent since last Friday. The figure marks the biggest weekly jump since the coronavirus pandemic rocked markets in April 2020.
And finally, the US Labor Department reporting the unexpected loss of more than 90,000 jobs in February has placed the US Federal Reserve “between a rock and a hard place”, one analyst told the Times, as it must consider whether to cut interest rates or hold them steady in light of rising oil prices.
Trump has repeatedly attacked Federal Reserve Board Chair Jerome Powell over interest rates, and in January nominated a preferred replacement.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said in an interview with CBS’ “60 Minutes” that the U.S. is “tracking everything” and factoring it into battle plans, when asked about reports that U.S. intelligence shows Russia is providing Iran with information that could help it strike American assets in the Middle East.
“The American people can rest assured their commander-in-chief is well aware of who’s talking to who,” Hegseth said. “And anything that shouldn’t be happening, whether it’s in public or back-channeled, is being confronted and confronted strongly.”
Hegseth also downplayed the possibility that Russia’s assistance could be putting Americans in harms way.
“We’re putting the other guys in danger, and that’s our job. So we’re not concerned about that,” he said. “But the only ones that need to be worried right now are Iranians that think they’re gonna live.”
Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Defense said four drones were intercepted and destroyed over the Empty Quarter desert while heading toward the Shaybah oil field.
Fire broke out in offices and warehouses belonging to US firms Halliburton and KBR after a drone attack in Iraq’s Basra targeted a compound housing employees of foreign oil companies, security sources told the Reuters news agency.
Iran's ambassador to the United Nations on Friday condemned US interference after President Donald Trump insisted that he should be involved in selecting the successor of slain supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Amir Saeid Iravani said that Trump's reported comments "constitute a clear violation of the principles of non-interference in the internal affairs of states and enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations."
"Iran is a sovereign and independent state. It does not accept and will never allow any foreign power to interfere in its internal affairs," Iravani told reporters in New York.
The U.S. Treasury secretary told FOX Business host Larry Kudlow that Friday night would be the United States’ “biggest bombing campaign” in Iran. U.S. and Israeli officials have said this week that attacks on Iran would increase.
Earlier this week Trump told CNN the “big wave is yet to come.” Additionally, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Thursday that firepower over Tehran would “surge dramatically” through “more bomber pulses more frequently.”
Israel said Friday it had launched "broad-scale" strikes on targets in Tehran, as the Iranian state broadcaster reported an explosion in the western part of the city.
"The IDF has begun a broad-scale wave of strikes" on government targets in the Iranian capital, an Israeli military statement said.
The announcement of the new offensive came just after the army said it had detected another round of Iranian missile fire headed towards Israel.
The system, developed by an American company, will soon will head to the Middle East to help defend against Iranian drones.
It fires drones against drones and has shown success in fighting those used by Russia in its war against Ukraine. The system was deployed to Romania and Poland last year.
While the U.S. has used Patriot and THAAD missile systems to take down Iranian missiles, a U.S. defense official says there are limited effective U.S. anti-drone defenses now in the Middle East.
Another U.S. official called the U.S. response to countering Iran’s Shahed drones “disappointing.”
Both spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive military matters.
At least two drones struck energy infrastructure and facilities of U.S. contractors in Iraq’s southern Basra province Friday evening, according to two security officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to speak with the press.
The officials added that unmanned aerial vehicles targeted a compound housing foreign oil company offices and warehouses, triggering fires at facilities linked to U.S. energy services firms.
The attack comes amid a spate of drone and missile incidents across Iraq and the region, including strikes on oil fields and the cargo section of the Basra International Airport.
It was not immediately clear if there were any casualties.
Qatar Airways has announced it will operate a series of special repatriation flights on 7 March, following temporary authorisation from the Qatar Civil Aviation Authority confirming a safe operating corridor.
The flights will depart from Hamad International Airport in Doha to the following destinations:
London Heathrow (LHR)
Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG)
Madrid Barajas (MAD)
Rome Fiumicino (FCO)
Frankfurt (FRA)
According to the airline, priority on these services has been given “to stranded passengers with families, elderly passengers, and those with urgent medical and compassionate needs”.
“These flights do not constitute a confirmation of resumption of scheduled commercial operations,” it added.
Qatar Airways to Operate Limited Relief Corridor from Doha.
— Qatar Airways (@qatarairways) March 6, 2026
Qatar Airways scheduled flight operations remain temporarily suspended due to the closure of Qatari airspace. Qatar Airways will resume operations once the Qatar Civil Aviation Authority announces the safe full…
A drone fell at the military airport in Baghdad, setting fire to one of the storage facilities there, according to an Iraqi security source.
There was no immediate official statement on the incident, which the source said took place minutes earlier.
The reported drone fall came about an hour after Iraqi authorities said rockets had been launched at the logistical support centre of the United States embassy near Baghdad airport.
Officials said the rockets were fired from a vehicle in the Abu Ghraib area, west of Baghdad, and landed in an open area without causing injuries. Iraqi authorities added that they had seized the vehicle, which was carrying additional rockets prepared for launch, and had opened an immediate investigation.
The area around Baghdad airport has been targeted repeatedly in recent days, including several drone attacks over the past three days.
In a separate development, an Iraqi security source told Al Jazeera that a US company operating in the oil and fuel sector in Basra was also targeted, with smoke seen rising from the site.
The State Security Service of Azerbaijan said Iranian agents and their local accomplices were planning to blow up the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline, which carries the country’s crude to global markets, and launch attacks at the Israeli Embassy in Baku, a synagogue and a leader of the country’s Jewish community, according to a report by the state television.
It said the attacks were aimed at sowing panic and denting the Caspian Sea nation’s international image.
The agency said the suspects brought explosives into the country and hid them in secret caches. It said four Azerbaijani citizens were charged with involvement in the plot and given 6 ½-year prison sentences. Three others were arrested.
On Thursday, Iranian drone attacks on Azerbaijan wounded four civilians and damaged an airport building.
French President Emmanuel Macron has held phone conversations with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, amid growing fears that the war sparked by US and Israeli attacks on Iran is fast spreading to other parts of the Middle East and beyond.
“France is working with its partners to prevent the conflict from spreading further in the region,” Macron said, in a post on X. “The sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria and Lebanon must be respected, as must the sovereignty and territorial integrity of every country in the region. The ongoing acts of destabilization must leave no room for terrorism. France will ensure that this is the case.”
أجريتُ محادثات مع الرئيس السوري احمد الشرع، وكذلك مع الرئيس اللبناني جوزيف عون.
— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) March 6, 2026
تعمل فرنسا مع شركائها على الحيلولة دون اتساع رقعة النزاع أكثر في المنطقة.
يجب احترام سيادة سوريا ولبنان وسلامتهما الإقليمية، كما يجب احترام سيادة كل بلد في المنطقة وسلامته الإقليمية.…
Iran’s UN envoy has concluded his remarks by warning the UN Security Council to “act now, without delay”.
“Failure to act will have catastrophic consequences,” Amir-Saeid Iravan said. “Today, it is Iran. Tomorrow it could be any [UN] member state.”
An officer spoke to journalists along the border with Lebanon to the backdrop of consistent booms from missiles being intercepted and alerts warning that drones were incoming. The officer spoke on condition of anonymity as per the army’s regulations.
He said Israel has deployed troops to protect some 200 Israeli families living on the border and the army is placing soldiers between civilians and Hezbollah to protect them.
Northern Israel is receiving missiles from both Iran and Hezbollah. Atop a lookout of Israel’s northern villages that are adjacent to Lebanese ones, the officer briefed journalists as they sought shelter between alerts.
Cloudflare, an internet infrastructure company, said via the social platform X that the Iran-wide internet shutdown entered its 7th day, with its radar monitor showing internet traffic data at less than 1% of its prewar levels. It comes as Israeli-U.S. strikes pummel the country, terrifying civilians.
Human Rights Watch condemned the shutdown, calling it a violation of human rights and urging Iranian authorities to end it. It said the shutdown could “conceal large-scale atrocities, contribute to the spread of mis- and disinformation, and unlawfully restrict access to information.” It could also heighten the risk of civilian harm by hampering access to life-saving information, food distribution, shelter and medical care and services.
“Internet shutdowns can also contribute to severe psychological harm on people during the conflict as they are unable to contact their loved ones,” said Tomiwa Ilori, senior technology and human rights researcher at Human Rights Watch.
The United States struck more than 3,000 targets during the first week of the Iran war, the US military said on Friday.
Targets include command-and-control centers, air defense systems, missile sites, and Iranian navy ships and submarines, US Central Command, which is responsible for American forces in the Middle East, said in a fact sheet.
Major US defense companies have agreed to quadruple production of advanced weapons, President Donald Trump said on Friday, the seventh day of his war against Iran.
"The largest U.S. Defense Manufacturing Companies" have "agreed to quadruple Production of the "Exquisite Class" Weaponry," Trump said in a post on Truth Social, referring to advanced, high-precision military hardware.
The US president also said the country has "a virtually unlimited supply" of lower-grade weapons, which he said are currently being used in the Iran war.
Amir-Saeid Iravani, Iran’s ambassador to the UN, has said that the US and Israel “have demonstrated that they recognise no red line in committing their crimes”.
Speaking to the UN Security Council in New York, Iravani said the duo are attacking “densely populated” civilian areas and infrastructure, including schools, medical, recreational and sports facilities.
“These acts constitute clear war crimes and crimes against humanity,” he said.
In an joint open letter, Iranian ambassadors and heads of diplomatic missions around the world have hit out at United States President Donald Trump, who on Thursday had called on them to defect amid the intensifying US-Israeli war on Iran.
“The disgraceful remarks that have recently been voiced by American officials regarding the diplomatic apparatus and the honorable and patriotic Iranian diplomats constitute yet another clear indication of their failure to understand the fundamental realities of Iran and the Islamic Republic of Iran,” the letter says, “as well as the depth of their hostility and animosity toward the Iranian nation and the national and religious values of the Iranian people — particularly the principle of loyalty to the homeland and steadfastness in defending Iran even at the cost of one’s life.”
Unofficial Translation
— Iran in India (@Iran_in_India) March 6, 2026
Statement by the Ambassadors and Heads of Diplomatic and Consular Missions of the Islamic Republic of Iran Around the World Regarding the Military Aggression of the United States and the Zionist Regime Against Iran
In the Name of God, the Most… pic.twitter.com/DLcOzsPwIv
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has accused the US of using Arab countries as launchpads for attacks.
“Iran and the Arab brothers have lived side by side for centuries in a spirit of affection, friendship, and mutual respect,” he posted on X.
“The American aggressors launch from the lands of our Arab friends to target children and the innocent.”
He said that any Iranian response would be directed at “the bases of the United States and its institutions”.
Britain is ready to help defend Saudi Arabia, Prime Minister Keir Starmer told the kingdom's de facto leader in a call on Friday as the Middle East war escalates.
Starmer spoke to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and assured him "the UK stood ready to support the defence of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia should it be needed," the PM's spokeswoman said.
Qatar’s Ministry of Defence has said that the country’s air defence systems battled waves of Iranian drones on Friday, starting at dawn and continuing until evening.
Of the 10 drones that were launched towards Qatar, nine were intercepted, while the tenth hit an uninhabited area, causing no injuries.
A spokesperson for the military says that Iran does not plan to close the vital maritime route, but rather the reason for a decrease in traffic through the strait is the danger posed by the ongoing war.
“We will not prevent any ship wishing to cross the Strait of Hormuz, but the responsibility for its security lies with the ship itself”, the spokesperson said.
“We will target any ship belonging to the Zionist entity [Israel] and America if it attempts to cross the Strait of Hormuz.”
French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday condemned an "unacceptable attack" on UN peacekeeping forces in southern Lebanon, after speaking with his Lebanese and Syrian counterparts.
"France is working with its partners to prevent the conflict from spreading further in the region," Macron said on X, highlighting the "key stabilising role" played by the United Nations Interim force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).
"The sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria and Lebanon, as for every country in the region, must be respected," he said.
Two UN peacekeepers from Ghana were critically wounded in the missile attack on their position in the town of Qawzah, according to Lebanese state media and the Ghanaian military.
Staggering amounts of money are funding a war “spent on destruction while politicians continue to boast about cutting aid budgets for those in greatest need,”
Undersecretary-General Tom Fletcher said. This leaves less attention and funding for help in conflicts and crises in Gaza, Ukraine, Sudan, South Sudan and Congo.
“As conflicts spread, the international system pulls further apart and more resources flow towards weapons rather than the funding, the political will, the diplomatic energy, needed for saving lives,” Fletcher told U.N. reporters Friday. “Humanitarian action is always harder in times of war but this, of course, is when it is needed most.”
“We need calmer heads to prevail,” Fletcher said.
The Russian president had a call Friday with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. He expressed condolences over the killing of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and “numerous civilian casualties resulting from the U.S. and Israel’s armed aggression.”
In the call, the first reported by the Kremlin since the start of the war, Putin “reaffirmed Russia’s principled stance in favor of an immediate cessation of hostilities, the rejection of force as a method to solve any issues surrounding Iran or arising in the Middle East, and a swift return to the path of diplomatic resolution,” according to the Kremlin’s readout.
It said Pezeshkian “expressed gratitude for Russia’s solidarity with the Iranian people as they defend their sovereignty and the independence of their country” and offered a “detailed update on the developments during the latest active phase of the conflict.”
The Gerald Ford, the US aircraft carrier that is the world’s largest, has now moved from the Eastern Mediterranean, where it was based in recent days, to the Red Sea, crossing the Suez Canal.
The aircraft carrier has been a central part of two of US President Donald Trump’s recent military campaigns: The abduction of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro at the start of the year, and now, the war on Iran.
Qatar’s General Authority of Civil Aviation has announced the partial resumption of air traffic in the country via “dedicated emergency air routes with limited capacity, in full coordination with the Qatari Armed Forces and the relevant authorities in the country”, Qatar News Agency is reporting.
US and Israeli strikes on Iran, and retaliation by Tehran on targets across the region, have forced much of the Middle East’s airspace to shut down.
A loud bang was heard on Friday evening in Erbil, the capital of Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region, before smoke rose from a hotel in the city, an AFP journalist said.
The journalist saw smoke billowing from the upper floors of the Erbil Arjaan by Rotana hotel, and said firefighters had arrived at the scene.
Earlier, the United States warned that Iranian-backed fighters may target hotels in Kurdistan that are frequented by foreigners.
An Iranian security official has dismissed accusations that Tehran was behind a reported drone incident involving neighbouring Azerbaijan, saying Iran would not use a “small drone” if it chose to carry out what it called a defensive operation.
“If Iran decides to carry out defensive operations against any country, it will act in the same way it dealt with other countries in southern Iran, not through a small drone,” the official was quoted as saying by the Fars news agency, known to be close to the Revolutionary Guards.
The source added that “self-restraint towards neighbouring countries is a fundamental principle in Iranian national security”, but said the limits of that restraint depend on “the extent of the other party’s cooperation with external enemies”.
The opening phase of US and Israeli strikes on Iran has involved a higher tempo of targeting than any recent American or Israeli air campaign, according to new analysis by monitoring group Airwars.
“By comparing publicly released targeting figures from both the US and Israeli militaries with historic data, the analysis found the initial days of the campaign hit significantly more targets per day than any campaign in recent decades”, it claimed.
Even compared with Israel’s initial bombardment of Gaza, Airwars said only around half as many targets were hit in those first days in Gaza as have been declared in the early phase of the Iran operation.
“While comparisons between conflicts are often imperfect as militaries release varying amounts and types of information, this Iran campaign appears to be vastly outpacing any other recent US air war”, it noted.
US President Donald Trump is to attend the dignified transfer on Saturday of six soldiers killed in an Iranian attack on Kuwait, the White House said Friday, as the escalating war with Tehran brings home its first American dead.
Russia has provided Iran with information that could help Tehran strike American warships, aircraft and other assets in the region, according to two officials familiar with U.S. intelligence on the matter.
The people, who were not authorized to comment publicly on the sensitive matter and spoke on the condition of anonymity, cautioned that the U.S. intelligence has not uncovered that Russia is directing Iran on what to do with the information.
Still, it’s the first indication that Moscow has sought to get involved in the war that the U.S. and Israel launched on Iran a week ago. Russia has tightened its relationship with Iran as it looked for badly needed missiles and drones to utilize in its four-year war Ukraine.
Tehran, meanwhile, has been isolated for years over its nuclear program and its support of proxy groups, including Hezbollah, Hamas and the Houthis, that have wreaked havoc in the Middle East.
Iranian leader Majid Takht-Ravanchi has said “this war was imposed on us” by the US and Israel.
In a fiery interview with France 24, the diplomat said that “we were negotiating in good faith” before the US changed its tune.
“We do not trust the Americans,” he said. “Not only did they betray us, but they betrayed diplomacy.”
Iran’s deputy foreign minister has unequivocally pushed back on Azerbaijan’s assertion that an Iranian drone targeted the autonomous Nakhchivan exclave yesterday.
“Iran was not responsible for such an attack,” Takht-Ravanchi told France 24, but said Iran was “investigating”.
“That missile did not come from Iran,” he added.
Karoline Leavitt said Friday that she didn’t have anything to share on the Pentagon’s investigation into whether the U.S. military struck an Iranian girls school.
“Again, as I said at the briefing two days ago, I don’t have any updates with respect to the investigation. I would expect those to come from the Pentagon,” she told reporters outside the White House.
The headquarters of Ghana's United Nations peacekeeping battalion in Lebanon was hit by missile attacks, leaving two soldiers critically injured, Ghana's armed forces said in a statement.
Israel's military chief said on Friday that its forces were "crushing the Iranian terrorist regime", a day after announcing that the joint US-Israeli campaign against the Islamic republic had entered a new phase.
"We are crushing the Iranian terrorist regime and will seize every opportunity to deepen our achievements," Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir told soldiers, according to a statement issued by the military.
Azerbaijan said on Friday it had prevented a series of Iranian "terrorist" attacks on its territory, a day after Baku accused Iran of firing drones at an airport and school in an Azerbaijani border region.
Azerbaijan's state security service said it had "prevented terrorist acts and intelligence operations in Azerbaijan organised by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)," adding that seven Azerbaijani nationals were arrested.
Secretary-General Antonio Guterres stressed that “the stakes could not be higher.”
“All the unlawful attacks in the Middle East and beyond are causing tremendous suffering and harm to civilians throughout the region – and pose a grave a risk to the global economy,” he said.
In a statement, Guterres called for an end to the war that started in Iran and is now affecting more than a dozen other countries, and for serious diplomatic negotiations.
The U.S. Mission in Iraq said "Iran-aligned terrorist militia groups" may seek to target hotels frequented by foreigners in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region, in a post on X.
"U.S. citizens are strongly encouraged to depart as soon as they are safely able to do so," it said.
"Americans choosing not to depart should be prepared to shelter in place in a secure location for extended periods. Have a supply of food, water, medications, and other essential items," it added.
Security Alert – U.S. Embassy Baghdad, Iraq – March 6, 2026 (Update 1)
— U.S. Embassy Baghdad (@USEmbBaghdad) March 6, 2026
Location: Iraq
Event
Update: Iran-aligned terrorist militia groups may seek to target hotels frequented by foreigners in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region. U.S. citizens are strongly encouraged to depart as… pic.twitter.com/6KA8MirKhR
The Israeli military said it has carried out strikes on more than 500 targets this week, including a strike in Beirut's Dahiyeh suburb targeting a command centre used by the Revolutionary Guard's navy unit.
Other strikes focused on command centres that it said were used by Lebanon's Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group.
