The military operation against Iran entered its fourth day on Tuesday. Strikes against targets inside Iran and against Hezbollah targets continued, while Iran has launched limited but disparate attacks throughout the Gulf. President Trump has taken aim at European allies, including Britain and Spain, while French President Macron has claimed that the strikes by the U.S. and Israel against Iran are “outside international law”.
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**Tuesday’s live updates below. All updates in Eastern time**
11:05 PM: Saudis thwart attempted Iran attacks
The Ministry of Defense for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia said on Tuesday evening that successfully intercepted and destroyed two cruise missiles in Al-Khurj, which is south east of Riyadh. The Saudi MoD also claimed to have destroyed nine drones “immediately upon their entry into the Kingdom’s airspace.”
10:45 PM: Ayatollah’s son emerges as favourite to replace slain father
According to a report from the New York Times, Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of the assassinated Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, is being tipped as the “clear front-runner” to be selected as the next Supreme Leader of Iran. The report, which cited three anonymous “Iranian officials familiar with the deliberations”, said that if the 56-year-old cleric is selected, it would likely suggest a “victory for hard-liners” in the regime.
8:15 PM: CENTCOM says opening 24 hours twice as large as first day of 2003 Iraq War
The head of U.S. Central Command, Admiral Brad Cooper, said that the first 24 hours of Operation Epic Fury were “double the scale” of the opening day of the 2003 Iraq War.
“Now we are less than 100 hours into this operation, and we have already struck nearly 2,000 targets with more than 2,000 munitions,” the CENTCOM chief said.
“We have severely degraded Iran’s air defenses and destroyed hundreds of Iran’s ballistic missile launchers and drones. In simple terms, we are focused on shooting all the things that can shoot at us. Our B-2 bombers and B-1 bombers have executed uncontested surgical strikes against multiple missile facilities deep inside Iran and then just last night, a B-52 bomber struck ballistic missile command and control posts.
“We are also sinking the Iranian navy, the entire navy. Thus far, we have destroyed 17 Iranian ships, including the most operational Iranian submarine that now has a hole in its side. For decades, the Iranian regime has harassed international shipping. Today, there is not a single Iranian ship in the Arabian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz, or Gulf of Oman.”
6:45 PM: First American casualties of Operation Epic Fury in Iran named
The U.S. Department of War has revealed the names of the four Army Reserve Soldiers who were killed during Operation Epic Fury on March 1st in Port Shuaiba, Kuwait, during a drone attack. All four were assigned to the 103rd Sustainment Command, Des Moines, Iowa.
Capt. Cody A. Khork, 35, of Winter Haven, Florida
Sgt. 1st Class Noah L. Tietjens, 42, of Bellevue, Nebraska
Sgt. 1st Class Nicole M. Amor, 39, of White Bear Lake, Minnesota
and Sgt. Declan J. Coady, 20, of West Des Moines, Iowa.
6:20 PM: Three-quarters of U.S. public would approve of Iran conflict if it ends in weeks
A YouGov poll for CBS News of Americans found that 76 per cent of the public would approve of the military action in Iran if it lasted only days or weeks, compared to 24 per cent who would still disapprove. Support for the conflict diminishes the longer it goes; however, 54 per cent disapprove if it lasts months, and 87 per cent disapprove if it lasts years.
6:00 PM: Qatar busts Iranian spy cells
The state-run Qatar News Agency (QNA) reported on Tuesday that authorities in the Gulf nation claimed that they have arrested members of two Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps spy cells operating within the borders of Qatar.
According to the QNA report, ten suspects have been arrested, including seven for allegedly spying on military infrastructure and three for plotting sabotage against the nation’s infrastructure. They have all reportedly confessed their ties to the IRGC and their intent to conduct espionage against Qatar.
5:50 PM: American military base struck by Iran in Qatar
The Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, the largest U.S. military base in the Middle East, was struck on Tuesday by an Iranian missile, the Qatar Ministry of Defence said. The Qatari MoD said that two missiles from Iran targeted its territory. The first was shot down, and the second struck the Al-Udeid base, but without causing any casualties.
5:40 PM: Shipping giant MSC announces it will avoid Gulf
The Italian-Swiss Mediterranean Shipping Company, which stands as the world’s largest container shipping firm, accounting for around one-fifth of global traffic, said on Tuesday that due to the war in Iran, its ships will be diverted from the Gulf region.
“In light of the ongoing situation in the Middle East, MSC regrets to inform you that it is compelled to declare an End of Voyage for all shipments currently under MSC’s custody and care, whether located ashore or at sea, and destined for ports in the Arabian Gulf,” the company said in a statement.
“All shipments currently en route will be diverted to the next safe port of discharge. At that location, cargo will be discharged and placed at customers’ disposal for local delivery and recovery,” MSC added.
4:35 PM: Dozens of Hezbollah targets hit in Lebanon by Israel
The Israeli Air Force said that it has bombed around 60 targets tied to the Iranian-backed Hezbollah terrorist group in Lebanon since it broke the 2024 ceasefire agreement on Sunday and began launching rockets in “revenge” strikes over the killing of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. The IAF said that it took out weapons storage facilities, command centers, launchers, and additional terrorist infrastructure predominantly in the Tyre and Sidon areas in Lebanon.
The Israeli Air Force also claimed that it has shot down over 100 Iranian drones launched towards their territory since fighting began on Saturday.
3:55 PM: Israel Air Force destroyed around 300 Iranian missile launchers since Saturday
According to the IDF, the Israel Air Force has dropped approximately 4,000 munitions across Iran, and has “rendered approximately 300 missile launchers inoperable.”
“This is the result of more than 1,600 attack sorties and a systematic, round-the-clock hunting effort for launchers and missile stockpiles in order to reduce fire on Israel’s rear,” the IAF said.
3:50 PM: Rubio says all consulate staff safe in Dubai
Commenting on the apparent Iranian drone attack on the U.S. consulate building in Dubai, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that “all personnel are accounted for.”
“The last update I had, seconds before getting before these cameras was, that a drone unfortunately struck a parking lot adjacent to the chancellery building and then set off a fire in that place,” Rubio said.
“Our embassies and our diplomatic facilities are under direct attack from a terroristic regime.”
3:15 PM: AmericanConsulate in Dubai hit with drone
The U.S. Consulate building in Dubai was struck by a drone on Tuesday evening, resulting in a fire. According to the government of Dubai’s Media Office, the fire was “successfully contained” by emergency services, who responded “immediately”. No injuries have been reported at the time of this post.
2:45 PM: Trump says U.S. Navy prepared to escort energy tankers through Strait of Hormuz
In a statement on Truth Social, U.S. President Donald Trump said: “If necessary, the United States Navy will begin escorting tankers through the Strait of Hormuz as soon as possible. No matter what, the United States will ensure the FREE FLOW of ENERGY to the WORLD.”
The President added that he has ordered the United States Development Finance Corporation (DFC) to provide political risk insurance for ships travelling through the Gulf, which he said would be provided at a “reasonable price” and available to “all shipping lanes”. Commercial ships have reportedly been avoiding the Strait of Hormuz, a major chokepoint between Iran and Oman, after the United States and Israel launched strikes against the Islamist Iranian regime on Saturday.
“The United States’ ECONOMIC and MILITARY MIGHT is the GREATEST ON EARTH – More actions to come. Thank you for your attention to this matter!” Trump said.
2:35 PM: Macron calls for international coalition to protect shipping, global economy
French President Emmanuel Macron said on Tuesday that Paris will seek to form an international military coalition to protect shipping lanes, particularly in the Gulf region, Le Figaro reported.
In a national address, the French leader said: “Today, the Strait of Hormuz is effectively closed… The Suez Canal and the Red Sea are also under pressure and threatened.”
“We are taking the initiative to build a coalition to pool the resources, including military force, to resume and secure traffic in these waterways that are essential to the global economy,” he added.
To that end, the French president said he has ordered the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier to the Mediterranean, along with its air assets and a frigate escort. “Many things are still unstable, but France remains a power that seeks to preserve peace, a powerful and stable force,” Macron said.
2:25 PM: Macron says U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran in violation of international law
Addressing the French public in a national broadcast, President Emmanuel Macron denounced President Trump’s Operation Epic Fury in Iran, saying per Le Figaro: “The United States of America and Israel have decided to launch military operations, conducted outside of international law, which we cannot approve.”
However, Macron said that “history never mourns the executioners of their people” and that those killed in the Islamist regime in Tehran will not be missed.
The French president also warned against an Israeli ground invasion of Lebanon, saying that it would be “a dangerous escalation and a strategic mistake.” He did note that it was a “major mistake” in the first place for Hezbollah to break the 2024 ceasefire on Sunday and strike Israel with rockets from Lebanon.
2:10 PM: IDF strikes ‘covert’ Iranian nuclear weapons complex
The Israel Defense Forces claims that it struck the “Minzadehei” nuclear weapons complex, which it said allowed a group of Iranian nuclear scientists to operate “covertly to develop a key component in the nuclear weapons system.”
“The strike denies a core component in Iran’s ability to develop nuclear weapons,” the IDF said in a statement.
2:00 PM: British Royal Air Force jets shoot down drones over Jordan
The UK’s Ministry of Defence said on Tuesday afternoon that Royal Air Force F-35B jets shot down drones while in defence of Jordan. Britain has said it plans only to take “defensive” actions during the Iranian conflict.
“This marks the first time RAF F-35 has shot down a target on operations. The aircraft was supported by RAF Typhoon jets and a Voyager air-to-air refuelling aircraft as part of our defensive operation to protect British interests and allies,” the MoD said.
Additionally, the ministry said that British forces have taken down drones over Iraqi airspace and an Iranian drone headed towards Qatar on Monday.
12:45 PM: Trump threatens cut off trade with Spain over refusal to allow U.S. to use bases during Iran conflict
Addressing the support — or lack thereof — from European allies during Operation Epic Fury, President Trump singled out socialist-run Spain as having been “terrible” and said that he instructed Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to “cut off all dealings” with Madrid after Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez refused to grant access to Spain’s military bases to the United States military during the Iran conflict.
“Spain has absolutely nothing that we need, other than great people; they have great people, but they don’t have great leadership,” President Trump said, while quipping that the U.S. could have used the bases if it chose to, as Madrid could not do anything to stop them.
He also criticised Madrid for being the lone holdout among European nations for refusing to increase their NATO spending contributions to 5 per cent of GDP.
12:15 PM: Trump blasts UK’s Starmer again over base dispute
Continuing to demonstrate his displeasure with British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer for his initial refusal to allow UK military bases to be used by U.S. forces to launch attacks on Iran — a stance Starmer later abandoned — President Trump said that due to the dispute, it took “three, four days for us to work out where we can land, it would have been much more convenient landing there as opposed to flying many extra hours.”
“So we are very surprised. This is not Winston Churchill that we’re dealing with,” he said of Starmer.
12:05 PM: Trump rejects claims Israel pushed U.S. into war with Iran
During an Oval Office meeting on Tuesday with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, U.S. President Donald Trump said that his hand was not forced by Israel to attack Iran.
“We were having negotiations with these lunatics, and it was my opinion that they were going to attack first, they were going to attack if we didn’t do it… I felt strongly about that. We have great negotiators, great people that do this very successfully and have done it all their lives very successfully, and based on the way the negotiation was going, I thought they were going to attack first, and I didn’t want that to happen. So if anything, I might have forced Israel’s hand, but Israel was ready, and we were ready,” President Trump said.
For his part, German Chancellor Merz said that Berlin is on the “same page in terms of getting this terrible regime in Tehran away.”
11:15 AM: Grenell says Iran conflict shows importance of U.S. acquiring Greenland
Former U.S. ambassador to Germany and current interim President of the Kennedy Center, Richard Grenell, said that the lacklustre response from NATO allies to Operation Epic Fury in Iran demonstrated that President Donald Trump was “absolutely right” that the United States should have control over Greenland.
Greenland is currently under Danish control, which has exercised some form of control over the island for centuries. The Trump administration has argued that Copenhagen has failed to develop the defenses on the island, which it claims will become increasingly important to counter threats from countries like China and Russia.
“NATO members aren’t all with us on Iran,” Grenell wrote. “We need Greenland for U.S. national security purposes as soon as possible.”
11:15 AM: UK to deploy warship to Cyprus
Following a suspected Iranian drone strike on the British RAF Akrotiri base on Cyprus on Sunday evening, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer announced on Tuesday that the UK will deploy helicopters with “counter drone capabilities” and the Type 45 HMS Dragon air defense destroyer to the region. This followed deployments of naval assets from France and Greece amid indiscriminate Iranian strikes throughout the Gulf and beyond.
10:55 AM: Communist China pushes for ceasefire in call with Israel
CCP Foreign Minister Wang Yi spoke by phone on Tuesday to his Israeli counterpart, Gideon Sa’ar, and urged an “immediate cessation of military operations to prevent the further escalation and loss of control of the conflict,” according to a readout from Beijing.
China, which depends significantly on Iran for oil imports, added that it “opposes any military strikes launched by Israel and the US against Iran. Force cannot truly solve problems; instead, it will bring new problems and serious long-term consequences.”
10:40 AM: IDF targets Iranian missile production sites
The Israeli Defense Forces said that it carried out a series of airstrikes in Tehran, which struck “sites used by the regime for the production of weapons, with an emphasis on ballistic missile production sites.” The IDF also claimed to have struck dozens of ballistic misiile launcher and storage sites in Isfahan, the Times of Israel reported.
10:10 AM: According to a report from the Times of Israel, citing a Jerusalem defence source, the Israeli Air Force hit a building in the Iranian city of Qom, which is south of Tehran, where Islamic clerics had allegedly gathered to select the successor to slain Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. It is so far unclear how many, if any, were killed in the strike.
The Times of Israel further reported that local pro-regime Tasnim news agency said: “The American-Zionist criminals attacked the Assembly of Experts building in Qom.”
09:30 AM: Berlin and Rome summon Iranian ambassadors
Germany’s Foreign Office summoned its Iranian ambassador on Tuesday in response to the “reckless attacks on states” in the Gulf region. Berlin said that it condemns the “arbitrary and disproportionate rocket and drone attacks by the Iranian regime, including on civilian targets. The attacks threaten our allies, our military personnel, and our nationals in the region.”
Meanwhile, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani also summoned the Iranian ambassador to Rome in the wake of a suspected Iranian drone attack against a British Royal Air Force base in Cyprus on Sunday evening.
Both German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni have condemned the regime in Tehran for its strikes across the Gulf.
09:00 AM: CENTCOM publishes footage of U.S. “hunting” Iranian missile launchers
U.S. Central Command said that its forces are “hunting” down mobile launchers being used by Iran to fire missiles “indiscriminately” across the region.
08:45 AM: Qatar halts more production
QatarEnergy, one of the world’s largest producers of liquid natural gas, said on Tuesday that it is stopping production of “downstream products” such as aluminum, methanol, polymers, and urea. This followed Monday’s announcement that it would halt LNG production in Qatar amid Iranian attacks. Qatar accounts for around 20 per cent of global LNG production.
08:10 AM: Iran Prez delegates power to governors
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said that to ensure that “decision-making is carried out swiftly and in proportion to local conditions,” he announced that Tehran will delegate the “necessary authorities” to governors.
“We are in direct contact with the governors. The situation is exceptional, but the country has not come to a halt,” he said, adding: “National unity is our primary asset.”
In addition to serving as president, Pezeshkian has been tapped for the three-person emergency council tasked with selecting the successor to the slain Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
08:00 AM: Time for talking is over, says Trump
In a post on Truth Social on Tuesday morning, U.S. President Donald Trump suggested that what remains of the Iranian regime wants to negotiate an end to the conflict.
“The Iranians want to negotiate. I replied: ‘Too late!’” President Trump quipped.
07:50 AM: Huckabee lays out escape routes from Israel for Americans
U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee has said that American citizens seeking to flee the country should do so through Egypt, noting that there are “limited” options given airport closures. He said that the Israeli Tourism Ministry is providing buses from Haifa, Herzliya, Jerusalem, and Tel Aviv to the Egyptian border city of Taba, which has an international airport or ground transport to Cairo.
On Monday, the U.S. State Department urged American citizens to evacuate from Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel (and the West Bank and Gaza), Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen amid the conflict with Iran.
07:30 AM: IDF says Iranian presidential complex “dismantled”
The Israel Defence Forces said that it has struck the Iranian Regime’s “leadership compound”, including the Supreme National Security Council building, the Presidential complex, and the assembly area of the Council of Experts.
“This command headquarters was one of the most heavily secured assets in Iran. The compound that housed the regime’s most senior forum was struck by the IAF overnight using precise intelligence,” the IDF. “The leaders behind this terror regime, and the headquarters in which they sat, have been eliminated.”
However, it is currently unclear if any senior leaders were killed during the strikes, such as the head of the National Security Council, Ali Larijani, who has emerged as a top power broker in the wake of the killing of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on Saturday.
07:10 AM: Saudi rages over Iran drone attack on U.S. Embassy in Riyadh
In a statement posted on social media, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia expressed its “rejection and condemnation in the strongest terms of the flagrant Iranian attack that targeted the U.S. Embassy building in Riyadh.”
Saudi described the attack — which resulted in a fire at the building, but no injuries — as “cowardly and unjustified” and said that it “blatantly” violated international norms and laws, including the Geneva Convention.
“The Kingdom reaffirms its full right to take all necessary measures to protect its security, territorial integrity, citizens, residents, and vital interests, including the option of responding to the aggression,” the statement said.
07:00 AM: IAEA weighs in on Natanz nuclear site
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said on Tuesday that it can “confirm” that there has been damage to the entrance of Iran’s underground Natanz Fuel Enrichment Plant (FEP).
However, the monitoring agency said that there are “no radiological consequence expected and no additional impact detected at FEP itself, which was severely damaged in the June conflict.”
06:45 AM: France deploys to the region
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot told broadcaster BFMTV on Tuesday that Paris has deployed Rafale fighter jets over the United Arab Emirates to protect its air and naval bases from Iranian attacks. It comes after a base in the UAE housing French troops and aircraft was struck on Sunday by an Iranian drone. Barrot said it was unclear whether France was the target of the attack and noted that the damage was “limited,” with no injuries.
05:40 AM: Farage thinks of the future
While much of the focus is presently on the immediate urgency of military operations, Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has a weather eye on what comes next, which decades of experience in Europe suggests an inevitability of a migrant crisis. Britain can’t take any more migrants, Farage warned — we “simply can’t”, he said — saying instead the focus should be on ensuring Persia is a place that makes the Iranian diaspora worldwide want to go home to rebuild.
Farage said of the many “wonderful Persian people” he’d met, “many” would “love to go back to their home country, but away from the barbarity of this regime”. Read more here.
Trump’s Iran strikes have triggered something of a political crisis in the United Kingdom as weak and unpopular Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer initially refused to allow the country to get involved, only to later relent under specific circumstances and while decrying the U.S. strikes as illegal and badly thought-through.
President Trump has expressed his despair at Britain, which, until the Starmer era, was traditionally America’s most staunch ally, for having turned its back on Washington. Yesterday, Trump said he is “very disappointed”, and has gone further today, lamenting, “I never thought I’d see that. I never thought I’d see that from the UK. We love the UK.”
Trump suggested this change was down to the UK’s ruling Labour party trying to appease the many Muslim voters in the country it once took the votes from, but who are now deserting it for more obviously Islamist, foreign-interest political parties. We wrote about that last week; you can read more on these demographic-political changes here.
President Trump reflected on Britain: “It’s also not such a recognisable country… London is a very different place, with a terrible mayor. You have a terrible mayor there, some terrible people. But it’s a very different place.”
Breitbart London’s Simon Kent has written about Trump’s latest remarks, and you can read them here.
05:00 AM: Israel announces it is moving into Lebanon
Hezbollah has joined “the campaign of the Iranian terror regime”, Israel has said this morning, amid barrages of rockets against communities in the Galilee region and elsewhere. The IDF will roll into Lebanon and take strategic sites to deny them to Hezbollah, said Defense Minister Israel Katz.
Katz said terror organisation Hezbollah would “pay a heavy price” for firing rockets. Read more about this expansion of the conflict in the Middle East in our full report at Breitbart News.
TOPSHOT – Smoke rises from Israeli bombardment on the southern Lebanese area of Kfar Tibnit on March 3, 2026. Israel on March 3 ordered the military to take control of more positions in Lebanon, where the army pulled back some of its forces after Hezbollah attacked Israeli bases in support of its backer, Iran. (Photo by Rabih DAHER / AFP via Getty Images)
— Tuesday — 02:15 AM: U.S. President Donald Trump said that the United States has a “virtually unlimited supply” of “medium and upper medium grade” munitions. President Trump said that such weapons could be used to fight wars “forever”. He said that the United States is currently “not where we want to be” in terms of the “highest end” munitions, which he criticised former President Joe Biden for having given much of the “super high end” weapons away to Ukraine and others, without “bothering to replace” them.
“Fortunately, I rebuilt the military in my first term, and continue to do so. The United States is stocked, and ready to WIN, BIG!!! Thank you for your attention to this matter,” President Trump wrote on Truth Social.
For earlier livewire updates from Monday please click here
Read the full article here