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A CENTCOM video's screenshot of a US strike on Iran.  - Sputnik International

LIVE UPDATES: Middle East Tensions Mount After Strikes on Iran – Day 4

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The United States and Israel carried out a coordinated series of strikes on February 28 targeting multiple sites in Iran, including locations in Tehran. In response, Iran launched retaliatory strikes against Israeli territory and US military bases across the Middle East.
The operation against Iran took place despite ongoing Oman-mediated talks between the US and Iran in Geneva aimed at addressing the Iranian nuclear issue.
Iranian authorities reported that Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in the strikes. Following the attacks, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced the launch of True Promise 4, describing it as the most extensive and forceful offensive operation in the country’s history, targeting Israel and US military bases in the region.
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18:57 GMT 03.03.2026
Trump's gift to the people of Iran: Iranian media share an aerial photo of 165 graves for girls killed in the Minab school attack - Sputnik International, 1920, 03.03.2026
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West's Silence on Schoolgirls Killed in Iran Reveals Its True Face - Russia's MFA
18:19 GMT 03.03.2026
UAE Mulling Military Action Against Iran Over Strikes on Its Territory - Reports

The United Arab Emirates is considering striking Iran in response to attacks on US military facilities on its soil, the Axios news website reported on Tuesday, quoting a source familiar with the matter.
"The UAE is considering taking active defensive measures against Iran. Although it has not been involved in the war in any way, it has still endured 800 projectiles," the source told Axios.
Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Ali Larijani said that Iran would continue targeting US bases in the Middle East as long as they remained under US control. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said that Iranian strikes were also aimed at Israeli military facilities.
Israeli officials told Axios that a military response to the Iranian strikes might also come from Saudi Arabia.
16:59 GMT 03.03.2026
Trump Says Germany Has Been Assisting US Operations Against Iran
Germany under Chancellor Friedrich Merz has been helping the United States as it conducts military operations against Iran, US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday.
"We'll obviously be talking a little bit about Iran today, and he's [Merz] been helping us out," Trump said from the White House ahead of his bilateral meeting with the German chancellor.
16:58 GMT 03.03.2026
Powerful Explosion Heard in Dubai - Eyewitnesses
A powerful explosion was heard in Dubai on Tuesday evening, eyewitnesses told RIA Novosti on Tuesday.
"We heard a loud explosion coming from the sea. We are in the Dubai Marina area," the eyewitness said.
16:57 GMT 03.03.2026
UK Deploys F-35s, Air Defense Systems to Cyprus After Drone Strike - Foreign Secretary
The United Kingdom has deployed additional F-35 fighter jets, air defense systems and radars to its Akrotiri air base in Cyprus following a drone strike, Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said on Tuesday.
"We have already increased the deployment with additional defensive capabilities, including radars, F-35 jets and air defense and counter drone systems. And we work closely with the Cypriot government as well on safety and security issues," Cooper told the parliament.
A drone struck the UK's Akrotiri airbase in Cyprus in the early hours of Monday, causing limited damage. Two drones heading toward Akrotiri were intercepted later that day, prompting evacuation from UK bases in Cyprus and Paphos airport.
16:55 GMT 03.03.2026
US Struck Over 1,700 Iranian Targets Over 72 Hours - CENTCOM
The US Central Command (CENTCOM) said on Tuesday that the United States has struck more than 1,700 targets over three days of its operation against Iran, including the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) headquarters.
"Targets Struck: Over 1,700," the CENTCOM said in an overview of the first 72 hours of the Operation Epic Fury.
The targets hit include Iranian command and control centers, IRGC joint headquarters, IRGC Aerospace Forces headquarters, integrated air defense systems, ballistic missile sites, navy ships, navy submarines, anti-ship missile sites, and military communication capabilities, the statement added.
16:53 GMT 03.03.2026
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov - Sputnik International, 1920, 03.03.2026
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Lavrov to Araghchi: US-Israeli Actions Undermine Int'l Law
16:45 GMT 03.03.2026
Germany, Italy Summon Iran's Ambassadors Amid Escalation in Middle East
Germany and Italy summoned Iran's ambassadors on Tuesday amid the escalation in the Middle East, the countries' respective foreign ministries said.
"The Iranian ambassador was summoned to the Foreign Office today. We unequivocally demanded that the Iranian regime immediately cease its reckless attacks on states in the region," the German ministry said on X.
The ministry demanded that Iran, which came under an attack by the United States and Israel during negotiations in Geneva, stop its "indiscriminate and disproportionate" retaliatory strikes, which "threaten our allies, our military personnel and our citizens in the region."
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said that Italy had summoned Iran's ambassador in Rome after the United Kingdom's Akrotiri airbase in Cyprus was struck.
"I reiterated to the ambassador that Italy is not at war," Tajani was quoted as saying by the Ansa news agency.
16:36 GMT 03.03.2026
IAEA's Reaction to Strikes on Iran Unsatisfactory - Russian Envoy in Vienna
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)'s reaction to the strikes on Iran was unsatisfactory, Russian Permanent Representative to International Organizations in Vienna Mikhail Ulyanov said on Tuesday.
"As for the IAEA's response, in my opinion, it was completely unsatisfactory," Ulyanov told the Channel One broadcaster.
The US inability to reach an agreement does not allow us to hope for a resumption of negotiations on the Iranian nuclear dossier, but it is possible that they may begin sooner or later, Ulyanov said, adding that Iran will not allow anyone into its nuclear facilities in the near future.
16:34 GMT 03.03.2026
Middle East Crisis Exposes Western Lie About Human Rights - Russia's Zakharova
The escalation in the Middle East has exposed the West's lies about its support for human rights, freedoms and other so-called democratic values, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Tuesday.
"The situation in the Middle East has confirmed that the public policy and rhetoric, as well as the non-public policy, that the collective West has built around human rights, freedom of speech and so-called democratic values - all of this has turned out to be a lie," Zakharova told reporters.
16:30 GMT 03.03.2026
No Leaks at Natanz Nuclear Facility in Iran After US, Israeli Strikes - AEOI
Iran has not detected any radioactive leaks at the Natanz nuclear facility, which was hit by US and Israeli strikes, the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) said on Tuesday.
"No radioactive leaks have been detected. Therefore, there is no threat to residents of the surrounding areas. The radioactive safety situation is stable and under full control," the statement read.
16:27 GMT 03.03.2026
US, Israel Launch Strike on Tehran's Mehrabad Airport - Reports
The United States and Israel launched an airstrike on Mehrabad International Airport in Tehran, the Mehr news agency reported on Tuesday.
The agency did not provide further details but showed footage of rising plumes of smoke.
16:25 GMT 03.03.2026
US, Israel to Be Forced to End War in Coming Days - Iranian Defense Ministry
The United States and Israel will be forced to cease military action against Iran in the coming days due to Tehran's tactical capabilities and defensive potential, Iranian Defense Ministry spokesman Reza Talaei-Nik said on Tuesday.
"The will of its fighters, its tactical capabilities, and its armed might are at such a level that in the coming days they will stump the enemy and force it to end the war," Talaei-Nik told an Iranian broadcaster.
16:16 GMT 03.03.2026
US Embassy in Lebanon Informs It Will Close Until Further Notice Amid Middle East Tensions
The US Embassy in Lebanon's Beirut will close until further notice amid a worsening security situation in the Middle East, the diplomatic mission said on Tuesday.
"Update: Due to ongoing regional tensions, U.S. Embassy Beirut will be closed until further notice. All other regular and emergency consular appointments have been cancelled. We will communicate when the Embassy returns to normal operations," the embassy said via X.
16:15 GMT 03.03.2026
Iran to Strike Economic Centers of Middle East If Its Centers Attacked - IRGC
Tehran will strike "all economic centers" in the Middle East if Iran's "main centers" are attacked, Ibrahim Jabari, adviser to the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), said on Monday.
"We warned the enemy that if you want to strike our main centers, we will strike all the economic centers of the region. Let them know that we will do so," Jabari said, as quoted by the ISNA news agency.
16:07 GMT 03.03.2026
FBI Agents Fired in Late February Were Tasked With Monitoring Threats From Iran - Reports
Agents and staff members of an FBI counterintelligence unit fired by Director Kash Patel days before the US operation in Iran were engaged in monitoring threats from the Islamic Republic, CNN reported on Tuesday, citing two sources familiar with the matter.
In late February, US media reported that Patel ordered the dismissal of several agents linked to the 2022 search of US President Donald Trump's Florida estate.
Patel's decision paralyzed the FBI's Washington counterintelligence unit, known as CI-12, which deals with, among other things, the mishandling of classified documents and tracking foreign spies operating in the United States, the report said.
Multiple sources familiar with the matter told CNN that the dismissals heightened concerns within the Justice Department and the FBI that counterterrorism and intelligence investigations following the military operation in Iran could be impeded by the mass outflow of national security experts. Meanwhile, Operation Epic Fury could reportedly lead to increased threats.
On August 8, 2022, the FBI searched Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida as part of an investigation into the unlawful handling, theft and destruction of classified documents. Then-US Attorney General Merrick Garland later said he personally approved the court's request for the search warrant. Trump was not present during the operation. Law enforcement officers seized thousands of documents, including materials classified up to the highest level. Trump rejected the investigation as politically motivated. The case was later dropped after his election victory, as sitting heads of state cannot be prosecuted.
16:01 GMT 03.03.2026
Iran Intends to Maintain Cooperation With IAEA - Ambassador in Vienna
Iran intends to maintain cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Iranian Ambassador in Vienna Asadollah Eshragh Jahromi said on Tuesday.
There is no detailed information yet on the status of Iranian nuclear facilities that were hit, Jahromi said.
The UN must take urgent action to stop the US and Israeli crimes against Tehran and bring those responsible to justice, Jahromi said.
The United Nations needs to take urgent actions regarding these crimes of war and against humanity, the ambassador said.
The US and Israel deliberately target not only defensive, but also civilian targets throughout Iran, the envoy said, adding that exact number of those dead and injured in the attacks on Iran from February 28 to March 2 are still being clarified.
The assassination of Iran's supreme leader recklessly opened a dangerous "Pandora's box" that undermines th stability of the international system, the ambassador said, adding that the Iranian people's response to the attacks will be decisive and make aggressors deeply regret their criminal actions.
Iran is trying to stay in contact with the Persian Gulf countries, Eshragh Jahromi said.
Iran is trying to stay in contact with countries of the Persian Gulf that have been close and friendly ties for many years, the ambassador told reporters.
Iran has no intention of harming its brothers and sisters in the Gulf countries, and Tehran's actions are aimed solely at military bases, the ambassador said.
15:56 GMT 03.03.2026
Residents attend the funeral of people killed in an Israeli-U.S. strike Feb. 28 on a girls' elementary school in Minab, Iran, Tuesday, March 3, 2026. Abbas Zakeri/Mehr News Agency via AP. - Sputnik International, 1920, 03.03.2026
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US War Goals ‘Completely Unrealistic’, Iran Can’t Be Bombed Into Regime Change: Former NATO Insider
15:49 GMT 03.03.2026
Sounds of Powerful Explosion Heard in City of Karaj to West of Iranian Capital - Reports
The sounds of a powerful explosion are heard in the city of Karaj west of the Iranian capital, the Iranian Mehr news agency reported on Tuesday.
No further details are given by the news agency.
15:48 GMT 03.03.2026
US and Israel Attack Civilians – Iranian Red Crescent
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