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”
Pakistan hosted the first round of face-to-face talks between the US and Iran in 47 years in April; the talks ended without a breakthrough, but also without a breakdown
Ceasefire falters as US, Iran exchange attacks on each other’s military sites; Kuwait, Bahrain targeted in retaliation
The UN peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon (Unifil) has expressed “heartfelt condolences” to the relatives of the Lebanese army members who were killed today in Israel’s attack in the Nabatieh area, Al Jazeera reports.
“Such attacks in Lebanese territory constitute gross violations of Lebanon’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and Security Council Resolution 1701,” it says in a post on X.
That UN resolution ended a war between Israel and Hezbollah in 2006. It also formed the basis of a November 2024 truce between the two sides.
The Iranian national football team arrives in a bus at Antalya Airport in Antalya, Turkiye on June 6, 2026, for their departure to Mexico ahead of the FIFA 2026 World Cup. — AFP
Midfielder Roozbeh Cheshmi (C) descends from a bus as the Iranian national football team arrives at Antalya Airport in Antalya, Turkiye on June 6, 2026, for their departure to Mexico ahead of the FIFA 2026 World Cup. — AFP
Members of the Iranian national football team go through a security check at Antalya Airport in Antalya, Turkiye on June 6, 2026. for their departure to Mexico ahead of the FIFA 2026 World Cup. — AFP
Iran’s World Cup squad has been notified they must enter and leave US soil on the same day as any match they must play in the United States, the country’s ambassador to Mexico said, reports Reuters.
Due to the ongoing US-Israeli conflict with Tehran, Iran’s team is now based in Mexico, instead of their intended site in Tucson, Arizona.
“We can enter in the morning and we must leave the same day,” Iran’s envoy Abolfazl Pasandideh told reporters.
Iran’s national football team has taken off from Turkey en route to Mexicoto take part in this year’s FIFA World Cup, according to state TV, after its players were granted US visas late the night before, AFP reports.
The team “took off this evening for Mexico to participate in the World Cup after a 15-day training period” in Turkey, Iranian state TV reports. “The national team will arrive in Tijuana after a 20-hour flight.”
Lebanese army chief General Rudolf Haykal has left on a visit to Pakistan, Reuters reports citing the Lebanese army, amid Pakistani efforts to mediate an end to the US-Israeli war on Iran that has also spilt into Lebanon.
Deferring jet orders due to uncertainty and higher jet fuel prices caused by the war in Iran would be unwise for Middle Eastern carriers, as the decision could be costly in the long term, Reuters reports quoting a vice president of the airline trade group IATA.
Kamil Al-Awadhi, Regional Vice President for Africa and the Middle East, tells reporters that he does not expect the war and higher costs to affect aircraft orders from Middle Eastern carriers. The region’s airlines are major buyers of jets from planemakers Boeing and Airbus.
Deferrals are “not wise because that deferral will cost you,” he says, citing long waiting times for aircraft.
“Given the waiting time for Airbus’ latest generation of single-aisle planes, it would take years for operators to get their planes,” Al-Awadhi says. “The plan is to continue where we’re going … even though this is a hiccup.”
The Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs has strongly condemned “continued Israeli aggression against the sisterly Republic of Lebanon, affirming its complete rejection of targeting Lebanon’s sovereignty and its army”.
“The Kingdom expresses its deepest condolences to the families of the victims, the government, and the brotherly people of Lebanon for the loss of members of the Lebanese army, including officers, while performing their national duty, and expresses its solidarity with Lebanon and its brotherly people in the face of all threats to its security and stability,” it says in a statement posted on X.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday held a meeting with Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, during which they discussed the latter’s upcoming visit to Tehran, according to a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).
“Consultations also took place between the prime minister and the interior minister regarding his upcoming visit to Tehran. The prime minister provided guidance related to the visit,” the statement added.
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam has condemned an Israeli strike that killed three Lebanese army personnel in the south of the country, describing it as “a heinous crime and an attack on Lebanon and all Lebanese people”, Al Jazeera reports.
In a statement, Salam has extended his condolences to the families and colleagues of Brigadier General Wassam Sabra, Captain Elie Khoury and soldier Hussein Ghozal, as well as to the Lebanese army as an institution.
Bahrain has stated its support for Lebanon’s “sovereignty” and rejected external interference in its internal affairs, voicing backing for President Joseph Aoun’s efforts to extend state authority and restrict weapons possession to the state alone, Al Jazeera reports.
The Bahraini foreign ministry says in a statement that it supports Aoun’s government in implementing the Taif Agreement and UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which calls for the disarmament of non-state armed groups in Lebanon.
Bahrain also expressed appreciation for US mediation efforts led by President Donald Trump to reach a permanent ceasefire in Lebanon, and praised the Lebanese government’s commitment to ending hostilities, protecting civilians, and securing the return of displaced people.
The ministry called for strengthening international and regional efforts to provide urgent humanitarian support to Lebanon and back UNIFIL peacekeeping forces.
Iran has condemned a nighttime US attack on coastal radar installations in the Gulf, calling it a “flagrant” violation of the ceasefire in place since April, AFP reports.
The foreign ministry says it was an attack “on the national sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Islamic republic”, denouncing Washington’s “hostile and provocative behaviour”.
Hezbollah has condemned the Israeli attack on a Lebanese army vehicle that killed three soldiers, calling the strike “a deliberate crime”, Al Jazeera reports.
In a statement, the Lebanese group has deemed the strike “a deliberate and premeditated crime that adds to the series of crimes the enemy continues to commit against our Lebanese people, particularly in the south and the Western Beqaa”.
Hezbollah has also criticised the Lebanese state authorities, saying the attack was “a natural consequence of the authorities’ disregard for the country’s sovereignty and the blood of its people, as well as their gratuitous concessions”.
“The latest of these concessions was their complete surrender to the enemy’s conditions in Washington, encouraging it to violate the blood of our people and our army with impunity,” the group says. “We condemn this sinful aggression and reaffirm our steadfast support for our national army.”
Iran has denounced a report by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) expressing concern over its lack of access to Iranian nuclear sites, a “tool of political pressure”, AFP reports.
“If the agency wants to be part of a diplomatic solution, it must refrain from turning a technical report into a tool of political pressure,” Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi writes on X.
In a confidential report seen by AFP on Thursday, the IAEA stated that the lack of access to nuclear sites in Iran constitutes a “proliferation concern”.
Kuwait’s fire brigade says it has responded to three incidents of shrapnel caused by defensive interception operations, according to Al Jazeera.
Brigadier General Mohammed Al-Gharib, director of the public relations and media department and official spokesman of the fire brigade, has said in a statement that the incidents resulted from falling shrapnel from the interception.
“Firefighters responded early morning today to three unusual incidents resulting from defensive interception operations, including two fire cases caused by falling debris and one case involving site security and precautionary measures.”
Qatar has condemned the repeated Iranian attacks on Kuwait and Bahrain, describing them as a flagrant violation of the two Gulf nations’ sovereignty and a blatant breach of international law, Al Jazeera reports.
In a statement, the Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs has called for de-escalation and stressed the necessity of sparing the region the consequences of “unjustified attacks”.
The ministry reiterates Qatar’s full solidarity with Kuwait and Bahrain, voicing support for any measures the two countries take to preserve their sovereignty and security.
Iran still has “21, 22 per cent” of its missiles left, US President Donald Trump says, after Tehran fired dozens across the region during a week marked by repeated violations of a fragile ceasefire, AFP.
“They still have capacity. They have some missiles, they have some drones. I would say, percentage-wise, maybe 21, 22pc of their missiles,” Trump tells NBC News in an interview.
That estimate for Iran’s remaining missile stockpile is higher than the 18pc Trump gave in May, and he has often claimed to have completely destroyed Iran’s war-fighting capacity.
Weeks of complex talks marked by threats and flare-ups of violence have failed to secure a deal to end the war. But Trump said Iran has “got no choice” except to reach an agreement.
“They’re strong, they’re proud, there are things they never thought they’d be doing that they’re going to have to do,” he tells NBC.
Jordan has condemned Iranian attacks on Bahrain and Kuwait, describing them as a “flagrant violation” of their sovereignty, a threat to regional security, and a dangerous escalation undermining efforts to restore stability, Al Jazeera reports.
The Jordanian foreign ministry says in a statement that the attacks constitute a blatant breach of international law and the United Nations Charter.
Jordan affirms its “absolute solidarity” with both Gulf nations and its support for any steps they take to protect their sovereignty, security and the safety of their citizens and residents.
