The US and Israel on Feb 28 launched what they described as a “pre-emptive” joint strike against Iranian targets, with Trump announcing start of “major combat operations”
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei assassinated in US-Israeli strikes, which have so far killed over 780 people across Iran
Chinese shipping giant Cosco announced it was suspending services to and from Gulf countries, including the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Kuwait
American service members across every branch of the military have been told by commanders that the US-Israeli war on Iran is intended to induce the Biblical end times, or Armageddon
US State Department said it had ordered non-emergency personnel from US consulates in the cities of Karachi and Lahore and their families to leave Pakistan due to security concerns.
When asked about the Saturday attack on an Iranian girls’ school that killed more than 160 people, US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has said the US is “investigating”, Al Jazeera reports.
“All I can say is that we are investigating that. We, of course, never target civilian targets, but we are taking a look and investigating that,” Hegseth has replied.
At least 80 people were killed in a US submarine strike on an Iranian warship in the Indian Ocean, Reuters reports citing Sri Lanka’s deputy foreign minister, who told local television.
Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth has dismissed China and Russia as non-factors in Washington’s decision-making when it comes to the war against Iran, AFP reports.
“I don’t have a message for them, and they’re not really a factor here, and our issue is not with them,” the US secretary of war told a press conference, adding that Washington’s focus was purely on ending what he called “the nuclear ambitions of Iran”.
Russia and China have longstanding diplomatic and trade ties with Iran, while Russia has close military links to the country. Both Moscow and Beijing have criticised the US-Israeli operations.
The United States military has joined Israel and attacked more than 1,000 targets in Iran and assassinated many of its top officials, including supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
US President Donald Trump has provided varying objectives and justifications.
He has said he felt Iran was going to strike first and the attack was meant to eliminate imminent threats to the United States, its military bases overseas and allies, although he did not provide details and some claims were not backed by US intelligence reports.
The attacks on Iran are pushing the boundaries of Trump’s constitutional authority, according to legal experts.
Turkiye “was not a target” of a missile launched from Iran, heading toward Turkish airspace that was destroyed by Nato air-defence systems, a Turkish official tells AFP.
“We believe it aimed at a base in Greek Cyprus but veered off course,” the official said wishing to remain anonymous.
A US submarine torpedoed and sank an Iranian warship in the Indian Ocean, US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth says, AFP reports.
“An American submarine sunk an Iranian warship that thought it was safe in international waters. Instead, it was sunk by a torpedo,” Hegseth tells reporters.
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has said the United States was winning in the war against Iran and that the US military could fight as long as needed, Reuters reports.
“Our air defenses and that of our allies have plenty of runway. We can sustain this fight easily for as long as we need to,” Hegseth said.
Two rounds of air raid sirens blared in quick succession in Jerusalem, AFP journalists have reported, after the Israeli military said it had detected two missile barrages incoming from Iran.
It said air defence systems were “operating to intercept the threat.” In a separate statement shortly after the first salvo was announced, the military said that “several launches… from Lebanon toward Israeli territory were successfully intercepted after sirens sounded in central Israel.
Lebanon was dragged into the regional war on Monday when the pro-Iran Hezbollah group launched an attack on Israel, saying it wanted to “avenge” the killing of Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei during US-Israeli strikes, sparking Israeli retaliation.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in a call with his Lebanese counterpart Nawaf Salam discussed the wider regional escalation, with both leaders agreed on the urgent need for restraint, de-escalation, and restoration of peace.
“I spoke with Prime Minister Nawaf Salam today to convey Pakistan’s unwavering solidarity with the people of Lebanon in the wake of Israeli attacks that have caused tragic loss of life,” the prime minister said on X.
He added Pakistan “firmly supports Lebanon’s sovereignty and territorial integrity”.
Hezbollah has said it has struck two Israeli military vehicles in the southern Lebanese village of Houla, as Israel’s army reportedly advances over the border, AFP reports
In a statement, the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah said it struck an armoured personnel carrier in Houla with “appropriate weapons, achieving a direct hit”.
In a separate statement, Hezbollah said it had also struck a Merkava tank in Houla, “achieving a direct hit”.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has said that crude oil markets are well supplied, and that the US plans to make a series of additional announcements on the issue, Reuters reports.
“The crude markets are very well supplied. There are hundreds of millions of barrels on the water away from the Gulf. But more importantly, we have a series of announcements that we’re going to be making,” Bessent said in an interview with CNBC.
Damage to Israel’s economy from the air war with Iran could reach more than $2.93 billion a week, the Israeli finance ministry said on Wednesday.
Under current “red” restrictions by Israel’s Home Front Command that limit travelling to work and school closings, along with callups to the reserves, economic loss is estimated at roughly $3bn.
Qatar’s state-run energy firm has announced force majeure following attacks on two of its main facilities that halted liquefied natural gas production, AFP reports.
“Further to the announcement by QatarEnergy to stop production of liquefied natural gas and associated products, QatarEnergy has declared force majeure to its affected buyers,” the company said in a statement.
Nato condemned Iran’s targeting of Turkiye, spokesperson Allison Hart said, according to AFP.
“We condemn Iran’s targeting of Turkiye. Nato stands firmly with all Allies, including Turkiye, as Iran continues its indiscriminate attacks across the region. Our deterrence and defence posture remains strong across all domains, including when it comes to air and missile defence,” Hart said.
PM’s political adviser Rana Sanaullah has said Pakistan’s efforts on the diplomatic front are that “this war imposed on Iran ends in some kind of agreement or understanding”.
Asked whether Saudi Arabia and Iran were in direct contact with each other or Islamabad was acting as a mediator, Sanaullah stated, “Pakistan is doing this work of communication.”
Speaking on Geo News, he said PM Shehbaz and FM Ishaq Dar were making efforts so that “Iran’s response to other Muslim and Gulf countries […] this matter does not happen, else it would further weaken Muslim countries’ alliance”.
Italy’s government is likely to provide military aid, including an air defence system, to Gulf nations that have requested help with equipment in the face of Iranian air strikes, two sources have said, according to Reuters.
The sources, who asked not to be named, said that while a final decision had not yet been made, Italy would probably send one of its SAMP/T batteries that can intercept ballistic missiles.
They would not say which country would receive the system, or which battery Rome was considering redeploying.
Italy is not particularly reliant on energy supplies from the Gulf, but its energy minister has said the country could reactivate some coal-fired power plants if the conflict leads to an energy crisis.
The HMS Dragon during ammunitioning operations at Upper Harbour Ammunitioning Facility (UHAF) in Portsmouth Harbour, after British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced that Britain would deploy the naval vessel, along with helicopters equipped with counter-drone capabilities, to the eastern Mediterranean as the conflict in the Middle East intensifies, in Portsmouth, Britain, March 4, 2026. — Reuters
A missile launched from Iran, heading towards Turkish airspace through Iraq and Syria, has been destroyed by Nato air defence systems, Turkish officials said, according to AFP.
“A ballistic munition launched from Iran, which was detected passing through Iraqi and Syrian airspace and heading towards Turkish airspace, was engaged in a timely manner by Nato air and missile defence assets stationed in the eastern Mediterranean and rendered inactive,” the defence ministry said in a statement.
The UAE’s Ministry of Defence has said its air defence systems successfully intercepted three ballistic missiles today and detected 129 drones, of which 121 were intercepted, while eight fell within the territory of the state.
The ministry stated that since the start of the blatant Iranian aggression, 189 ballistic missiles launched towards the UAE have been detected, with 175 missiles destroyed, 13 falling into the sea and one missile landing within the territory.
“A total of 941 Iranian drones have also been detected, of which 876 were intercepted, while 65 fell within the country. Eight cruise missiles were also detected and destroyed,” the ministry said.
The resulting incidents have resulted in three deaths and “78 minor injuries among individuals of Emirati, Egyptian, Sudanese, Ethiopian, Filipino, Pakistani, Iranian, Indian, Bangladeshi, Sri Lankan, Azerbaijani, Yemeni, Ugandan, Eritrean, Lebanese and Afghan nationalities”.
The European Union sees no impact from the conflict in Iran on its oil supply, but rising prices are a strong concern, an EU official has said, Reuters reports.
Member states are currently not planning measures in response to the impact of oil market developments, the commission official said.
Jamaat-i-Islami Emir Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman announced nationwide protests against US and Israeli aggression on Friday.
He called on the government to withdraw from the Trump-led Board of Peace and urged both government and opposition leaders to unequivocally condemn the attack on Iran.
The JI chief warned that failure to defeat the objectives of the US and Israel in Iran could embolden “Zionist expansionism” in the region.
IAEA has reported that there is no damage to facilities containing nuclear material in Iran and therefore no radiological release risk at this time, based on analysis of latest available satellite imagery.
“Near Isfahan nuclear site, damage is visible at two buildings. No additional impact detected at Natanz after previously reported damage at entrances, and no impact at other nuclear sites, including Bushehr NPP,” it said on X.
The IAEA chief reiterated his call for “maximum restraint to help avoid any danger of radiological incident”.
