Live! Iran claims missile strike on US base in Bahrain as US destroys IRGC centre
Tehran says 20 drones and three missiles hit Sheikh Isa facility, alleges fuel tanks set ablaze; US says it destroyed key IRGC command centres and air defences
The Iran-US conflict intensified sharply on Tuesday (March 3), with Washington claiming it has destroyed key Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) command centres, air defence systems and missile launch sites, even as Tehran announced a “massive drone and missile attack” on a US air base in Bahrain, alleging it set critical facilities ablaze.
US forces have destroyed Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps command and control facilities, Iranian air defence capabilities, missile and drone launch sites, and military airfields during sustained operations, Central Command posted on X.
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The IRGC on Tuesday said it carried out a “massive drone and missile attack” on a US air base in the Sheikh Isa area of Bahrain this morning. It said it deployed 20 drones and three missiles, “destroying the main command and headquarters building of the US air base and setting its fuel tanks on fire”. A statement from Bahrain and the US military is awaited.
US embassy in Riyadh targeted
US President Donald Trump earlier warned Iran of imminent retaliation after two Iranian drones struck the US Embassy compound in Riyadh, causing a fire and material damage. The attack came on the fourth day of escalating hostilities triggered by US and Israeli-led strikes on Iran and Tehran’s retaliatory attacks on US and Israeli bases across the Gulf. “You’ll find out soon what the retaliation will be,” Trump said in response to the drone strikes.
Saudi Arabia's defence ministry said in a post on X that an initial assessment showed the US Embassy compound had been hit by two drones, resulting in a fire on Monday night. There were no injuries reported, given that the building was empty in the early morning hours. A viral video, whose authenticity could not be verified, shows a huge blaze and thick plumes of smoke coming out of the drone-hit US Embassy as fire engines reach the spot to douse the flames.
Hormuz tensions sharply escalate
Meanwhile, Tehran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) declared the Strait of Hormuz “closed” and warned that any vessel attempting to pass through the strategic waterway would be set ablaze. The IRGC announcement marks one of the most significant geopolitical escalations in the ongoing armed conflict between Iran on one side and Israel and the US on the other.
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Brigadier General Sardar Ebrahim Jabari, a senior adviser to the Guards commander-in-chief, announced the closure. "The strait (of Hormuz) is closed. If anyone tries to pass, the heroes of the Revolutionary Guards and the regular navy will set those ships ablaze," Jabbari added.
US urges citizens to leave Middle East
The US and Israel have continued to pound Iran since killing its Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Saturday, while Tehran and its allies have hit back against Israel, neighbouring Gulf states, and targets critical to the world's production of oil and natural gas.
Safe havens in the Mideast like Dubai have seen incoming fire; hundreds of thousands of airline passengers are stranded around the globe; oil prices shot up; and US allies pledged to help stop Iranian missiles and drones.
With no sign of the conflict abating anytime soon, Trump said operations are likely to last four to five weeks but that he was prepared “to go far longer than that.” In a sign of concern over the potential for spiralling violence, the State Department on Monday urged US citizens to leave more than a dozen Middle Eastern countries due to safety risks.
(With agency inputs)
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Live Updates
- 3 March 2026 8:59 PM IST
Assam polls: Congress releases first list of candidates
The Congress on Tuesday (February 3) released its first list of candidates for the upcoming Assam Assembly elections, scheduled in April/May. Among the prominent names on the list are Gaurav Gogoi, Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha and sitting MP from Jorhat constituency, who will contest the Assembly polls from Jorhat.
Congress Legislative Party leaders Debabrata Saikia has been fielded from his traditional seat of Nazira, which he had won by a slender margin last time. Former Pradesh Congress Committee chief Ripun Borah will contest from Barchalla. Former Union minister Paban Singh Ghatowar’s son Pranjal Ghatowar will contest from Chabua-Lahowal. Pranjal had lost the last assembly polls from the Moran (now renamed Khowang) seat by a margin of over 20,000 votes. - 3 March 2026 8:37 PM IST
Air India operating 2 relief flights to Jeddah, Dubai
Air India is operating two special relief flights to Jeddah and Dubai with wide-body planes on Tuesday to bring back passengers stranded due to the Middle East conflict. The airline will also be operating a special relief flight to Dubai from Mumbai on March 4.
In a statement, Air India said it was deploying wide-body aircraft with higher capacity on its services to Jeddah and Dubai from Mumbai on March 3 and 4 to facilitate the return of passengers impacted by the ongoing situation in the Middle East.
"A Boeing 777 aircraft with a capacity of close to 350 seats departed Mumbai for Jeddah this evening.
"This will be followed by a Boeing 787-9 with around 300 seats scheduled to depart Delhi for Dubai later tonight and another Boeing 787-8 aircraft with over 250 seats operating from Mumbai to Dubai in the early hours of 4 March," the airline said on Tuesday.
According to Air India, all the flights are expected to operate at full capacity on their return sectors on March 4, arriving at Mumbai and Delhi, respectively. The Tata Group-owned airline, which is closely monitoring the evolving developments in the region, on Monday commenced scheduled operations to all its destinations in the USA, Canada, Europe and the UK. For these flights, Air India is taking the longer route through Oman, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt airspaces.
- 3 March 2026 8:29 PM IST
Qatar declares 'force majeure', gas supplies to Indian industry cut
Qatar, India's largest supplier of imported natural gas, has declared force majeure on deliveries following a halt in production in the wake of an Iranian drone strike -- a disruption that has led to a cut in supplies to Indian industry by up to 40 per cent, a PTI report said, citing sources.
Qatar supplies about 40 per cent of the nearly 27 million tonnes of liquefied natural gas (LNG) that India imports annually to meet demand across sectors ranging from power generation and fertiliser production to CNG distribution and piped cooking gas networks.
Gas importer Petronet LNG Ltd has informed gas marketers of Qatar halting its liquefied natural gas production after Iran continued to strike Gulf countries in retaliation for Israeli and US strikes against it, they said.
The attacks have also effectively brought oil and LNG shipments through the Strait of Hormuz to a near halt, driving up global energy prices as well as sharply raising war-risk insurance and shipping costs.
Iran controls the Strait -- a vital maritime chokepoint through which roughly 50 per cent of India's crude oil imports and around 54 per cent of its LNG supplies transit. It is the transit for not just LNG from Qatar but also from the UAE.
Sources said Petronet has informed its gas offtakers, GAIL (India) Ltd and Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), about a halt in supplies from Qatar. The gas marketers have, in turn, cut supplies to industries while maintaining flow rates for CNG retailing.
The cuts range from 10 per cent to 40 per cent, they said.
Petronet has long term contract to buy 8.5 million tonnes per annum of LNG from Qatar. Additionally, it buys Qatari LNG from the spot market as well. Besides Petronet, companies such as IOC have LNG import contracts with the UAE.
Sources said GAIL and IOC are looking at tapping the spot or current market to meet the shortfall, but prices have firmed up. LNG in the spot market is now at USD 25 per million British thermal unit, roughly double the term contract rates.
- 3 March 2026 6:47 PM IST
Protests over Khamenei's killing: Schools, colleges to remain closed in Kashmir till March 7
Schools and colleges across Kashmir will remain closed till March 7 in the wake of protests against the killing of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in a joint air strike by Israel and the US.
"All schools and colleges of Kashmir Division will remain closed till March 7, 2026," Education Minister Sakina Itoo said on Tuesday (March 3).
With protests brewing, the government had on March 1 ordered the closure of educational institutions in the Valley for two days.
Agitations against the killing of the top Shia cleric continued for the third consecutive day on Tuesday with thousands of people taking to the streets in several parts of Kashmir, including in Srinagar city.
The protests have largely broken out in areas with a major Shia population.
- 3 March 2026 6:22 PM IST
Why Trump is angry with the British leadership
US President Donald Trump has slammed British Prime Minister Keir Starmer for not supporting the American-Israeli strikes on Iran and stated that “the relationship is obviously not what it was”.
Trump told The Sun newspaper that Starmer was not “helpful”. “He has not been helpful. I never thought I’d see that. I never thought I’d see that from the UK. We love the UK,” Trump said.
“It’s a different world, actually. It’s just a much different kind of relationship that we’ve had with your country before. It’s very sad to see that the relationship is obviously not what it was,” he added.
- 3 March 2026 6:07 PM IST
Modi speaks to Sultan of Oman, Crown Prince of Kuwait
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday (March 3) spoke to Sultan Haitham bin Tarik of Oman and Crown Prince of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah, and expressed concern over attacks on their countries during the ongoing conflict in West Asia, officials said.
In his telephonic conversations, Modi also discussed with the two leaders the welfare and security of the Indian community residing there.
"The prime minister spoke to two important leaders from the Gulf region on Tuesday afternoon. He had a phone call with the Sultan of Oman, Sultan Haitham bin Tarik, and also had a conversation with the Crown Prince of Kuwait, Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah," an official said.
During his talks with the two leaders, Modi expressed concern over the attacks in their respective countries and discussed the welfare and security of the Indian community residing there.
The phone calls took place in the wake of a coordinated offensive launched against Iran by the United States and Israel, in which the Islamic country's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was killed.
In retaliation, Iran has fired drones and missiles at Israel and US military installations around the Gulf, as well as at the global business and aviation hubs of Dubai and Doha.
Over the last two days, Modi has spoken to the King of Bahrain and the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, and condemned recent attacks on the two countries in violation of their sovereignty and territorial integrity, asserting that India stands in solidarity with their people in this difficult hour.
- 3 March 2026 4:17 PM IST
Anxiety, fear grip parents of Indian students stuck in Iran
As the West Asia crisis escalates, parents continue to appeal to the Indian government to evacuate their children from Iran at the earliest.
For 30-year-old Altaf Khan, currently residing in Srinagar, Tuesday started with checking his phone and waiting for updates on his sister's safety. "My sister, Sobia, is a first-year medical student in Tehran. We were able to connect with her yesterday for a couple of minutes and the fear was evident in her voice. She told us that sirens have been going off frequently and that they could hear loud explosions near their campus," Khan said.
He added that his parents have neither been eating nor sleeping. The constant anxiety has been very taxing for his family, he added. "My sister is only 19. I cannot imagine what she must be feeling, how scared she must be," Khan added, his voice choked with emotion.
Another parent, 44-year-old Aafroza (goes by first name), based out of Srinagar, said, "It is our urgent request that the Indian government get all our children out safely and immediately. I was able to connect with my daughter for a little bit on Monday and she said that they were running out of food and other necessities as well. Movement outside the campus has become very risky, with the escalated security concerns."
Aafroza's daughter is a third-year medical student in Tehran. "All other countries had already evacuated their respective students. The situation has escalated so much and we are just living every second in fear that we will receive bad news. We are constantly glued to our phones, in the hope of getting some updates or reassurances," Aafroza told PTI.
Aafroza confirmed that she had not been able to connect with her daughter till Tuesday afternoon.
The national representative of All India Medical Students Association, Mohammad Momin Khan, said, "Indian students who were relocated from Tehran have safely reached Qom as part of precautionary arrangements. The movement was carried out in coordination with the Embassy of India in Tehran to ensure the safety and well-being of all students."
Earlier in the day, India advised its nationals in Iran to exercise utmost caution and remain indoors as far as possible as the security situation in the Persian Gulf nation deteriorated in view of fresh military strikes by the US and Israel. - 3 March 2026 2:43 PM IST
TN govt announces series of 'sops' ahead of polls
Tamil Nadu CM Stalin has annoucned a series of 'freebies' ahead of the Tamil Nadu elections.
One-time Rs 2,000 summer incentive given to women under KMUT scheme also extended to vulnerable groups.
Elderly pensioners.
Widows.
Aged transgender persons.
Persons with disabilities.
Rs 2,000 will be credited along with the March pension. Because of that, beneficiaries received between Rs. 3,200 and Rs. 4,000 rupees this month depending on the scheme they fall under.
About 29.29 lakh elderly and widows will receive Rs 3,200 each.
About 5.92 lakh persons with disabilities will receive Rs 3,500 each.
About 2.58 lakh families of persons with severe disabilities receiving maintenance support will receive Rs 4,000 rupees.
Fisher families are receiving Rs 8,000 per family as fishing ban period assistance for April to June. Around 1,62,900 families will benefit.
Tea farmers in Nilgiri district are also receiving support. A subsidy of Rs 2 per kilogram for green tea procured through 15 cooperative factories is being provided, amounting to Rs 8.53 crore rupees, helping 14,870 farmers.
- 3 March 2026 1:52 PM IST
No evacuation support for Americans in Israel amid escalating conflict
The US Embassy in Jerusalem has issued a security alert warning American citizens that it cannot evacuate or directly assist with departures from Israel. Citizens are urged to make independent arrangements to leave the country.
Due to escalating conflict in the region, US government employees and their families have been instructed to remain sheltered in place until further notice.
The Embassy noted that the Israeli Ministry of Tourism has begun operating shuttles to the Taba Border Crossing into Egypt, which is open 24 hours a day. Americans wishing to use this option must register via the Ministry’s evacuation form.
The Embassy emphasized that it cannot recommend or guarantee the safety of the shuttle service, stating the information is provided solely as a courtesy to those seeking to depart.
- 3 March 2026 1:47 PM IST
Iranian foreign minister says US entered war of choice on behalf of Israel'
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi early Tuesday sought to turn the tables on the United States, describing it as entering “a war of choice on behalf of Israel.” After Trump urged Iranians to take over their government, Araghchi made the same call to Americans.
“Shedding of both American and Iranian blood is thus on Israel Firsters,” Araghchi wrote on X. “American people deserve better and should take back their country.”
