Explosions reported in Tehran
Explosions were heard throughout the night into the early morning in Iran’s capital.
The Israeli military confirmed it is conducting “simultaneous strikes” on Tehran and Lebanon’s Beirut.
US embassy in Riyadh reports attack
The US embassy in Saudi Arabia’s capital announced its temporary closure on Tuesday due to an attack on the facility.
“Avoid the Embassy until further notice due to an attack on the facility. We continue to limit non-essential travel to any military installations in the region,” the embassy wrote in a statement on X.
“All routine and emergency American Citizen Services appointments are cancelled,” it added.
Security Alert: Consular Appointments Cancelled – U.S. Mission to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (Mar. 3, 2026)
The U.S. Mission to Saudi Arabia is closed on Tuesday, March 3. All routine and emergency American Citizen Services appointments are cancelled. The shelter in place…
— U.S. Embassy Riyadh (@USAinKSA) March 3, 2026
US military says it ‘destroyed’ command facilities of Iran’s Guards
The US military said it “destroyed” command facilities of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, as well as air defence capabilities and missile and drone launch sites.
“We will continue to take decisive action against imminent threats posed by the Iranian regime,” US Central Command wrote on X.
U.S. forces have destroyed Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps command and control facilities, Iranian air defense capabilities, missile and drone launch sites, and military airfields during sustained operations. We will continue to take decisive action against imminent threats… pic.twitter.com/0aHEyVHf5e
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) March 3, 2026
Iran targeted US air base in Bahrain, state media says
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard claimed an attack on a US air base in Bahrain, according to Iran’s state media.
“The IRGC announced that […] its naval forces carried out a large-scale drone and missile attack at dawn on the US air base in the Sheikh Isa area of Bahrain,” IRNA news agency posted on Telegram.
The force said it launched 20 drones and three missiles, which destroyed the base’s main command headquarters, the IRGC said in a statement, without providing evidence.
Iran’s FM responds to Rubio, says US launched strikes ‘on behalf of Israel’
“Mr. Rubio admitted what we all knew: US has entered a war of choice on behalf of Israel. There was never any so-called Iranian ‘threat’,” Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi wrote on X.
“Shedding of both American and Iranian blood is thus on Israel Firsters. American people deserve better and should take back their country,” he added.
On Monday, US Defence Secretary Rubio told reporters that the objective of the US strikes was to “destroy their ballistic missile capability and make sure they can’t rebuild it,” not regime change.
The Defence Secretary also admitted that the US believed Iran would likely be attacked, and acted proactively because Washington expected Tehran to retaliate against the United States.
“There absolutely was an imminent threat, and the imminent threat was that we knew that if Iran was attacked, and we believed they would be attacked, that they would immediately come after us,” Rubio told reporters on Monday.
Mr. Rubio admitted what we all knew: U.S. has entered a war of choice on behalf of Israel. There was never any so-called Iranian “threat”.
Shedding of both American and Iranian blood is thus on Israel Firsters.
American people deserve better and should take back their country.
— Seyed Abbas Araghchi (@araghchi) March 3, 2026
US warns citizens to leave in 14 countries across Middle East
The US State Department urged American citizens to leave 14 countries across the Middle East, including Egypt and Gulf states, “via commercial means”.
The territories listed include Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel and the Palestinian territories, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, United Arab Emirates and Yemen.
The @SecRubio @StateDept urges Americans to DEPART NOW from the countries below using available commercial transportation, due to serious safety risks. Americans who need State Department assistance arranging to depart via commercial means, CALL US 24/7 at +1-202-501-4444 (from… pic.twitter.com/vdplAik2Sq
— Assistant Secretary Mora Namdar (@AsstSecStateCA) March 2, 2026
Saudi Arabia intercepts eight drones near Riyadh and Al-Kharj
Saudi Arabia’s defence ministry said it intercepted eight drones near Riyadh and Al-Kharj.
The defence ministry also reported two drones struck the US embassy in the Saudi Arabian capital, sparking a fire and causing minor damage.
US authorities in Saudi Arabia urged citizens to shelter in place in Jeddah, Riyadh and Dhahran.
Subject: Security Alert – Shelter in Place – U.S. Mission to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, (Mar. 3, 2026)
Location: Saudi Arabia
Event: Security Alert
The U.S. Mission to Saudi Arabia has issued a shelter in place notification for Jeddah, Riyadh and Dhahran and are limiting…— U.S. Embassy Riyadh (@USAinKSA) March 3, 2026
Netanyahu claims Iran was trying to make ‘atomic bomb programme immune’
Speaking to FOX News, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defended the decision to go to war with Iran alongside the United States.
“They started building new sites, new places, underground bunkers that would make their ballistic missile program and their atomic bomb programme immune within months,” Netanyahu said without offering evidence to support his claim.
Satellite photos analysed by The Associated Press showed limited activity at two nuclear sites in Iran before the joint US-Israel attacks. Analysts say it was likely Tehran was trying to assess damage from American strikes in June and possibly salvage what remained there.
Iran warns it will attack ships trying to pass Strait of Hormuz
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards claims it closed the Strait of Hormuz and threatened on Monday to attack any vessel trying to pass through the critical shipping lane linking the Gulf to global markets.
A large share of the world’s oil and gas passes through it daily.
“We will burn any ship that tries to pass through the Strait of Hormuz,” General Sardar Jabbari said in a post on the Guards’ Telegram channel. “We will also attack oil pipelines and will not allow a single drop of oil to leave the region. Oil price will reach $200 in the coming days”.
Energy prices rose as a result of the disruption to the traffic passing through the waterway, as well as Iran’s continued attacks on energy infrastructure across the Gulf.
