Live! Trump warns Iran: 'Big wave of strikes yet to happen'
'We haven’t even started hitting them hard,' says US President; UAE set to resume flights
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Iran’s elite force spearheading the counter-attack against the US and Israel, is now leaderless and acting on its own, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has told Al Jazeera in an interview.
Araghchi said the IRGC acted independently in striking Oman, calling it “not our choice”. Formed in 1979 to safeguard the Islamic system, the IRGC operates separately from Iran’s army and reports directly to the Supreme Leader.
With Ayatollah Khamenei killed in the US Israel offensive, the force is now headless but not functioning on the orders of the Iranian government. It is acting according to the instructions Khamenei gave before his assassination.
On Monday (March 2), the third day of the West Asia crisis, the IRGC claimed to have attacked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office as well as the headquarters of the Israeli air force commander. The veracity of the claim or the duo's fate was not immediately clear.
PM stresses need for dialogue and diplomacy
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi issued a statement on the West Asia crisis two days after a joint attack by the US and Israel claimed the life of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and pushed West Asia (the Middle East) into a severe crisis.
"India's position on the many ongoing tensions in the world is clear. We have always called for maintaining peace and stability, and when two democracies stand together, the voice for peace becomes even stronger. The current situation in West Asia is a matter of deep concern for us. India supports the resolution of all disputes through dialogue and diplomacy. We will continue to work closely with all countries to ensure the safety of all Indian citizens in the region," Modi said in Delhi after holding a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security late on Sunday.
The crisis claimed the first Indian victim on Monday as an oil tanker was hit in the Gulf of Oman. The person was a crew member onboard.
War expands as militias join in
The war expanded during the day, as Iran and Iranian-backed militias fired missiles at Israel and Arab states while Israel and the US pounded targets in Iran, with statements of defiance and warnings of more US casualties.
Also read | ‘Betrayal’ of long-time ally Iran; Indians at risk: Opposition tears into ‘silent’ govt
As the American and Israeli airstrikes continued, top Iranian security official Ali Larijani vowed defiantly on X that “we will not negotiate with the United States.” In Iraq, a pro-Iranian militia claimed a drone attack targeting US troops at the Baghdad airport, the day after it said it fired at a US base in Irbil in the north, and Cyprus said a drone attack targeted a British base on the Mediterranean island nation.
Strikes escalate Middle East conflict
Israel and the US bombed Iranian missile sites and targeted its navy, claiming to have destroyed its headquarters and multiple warships. More than 500 people have been killed since the start of the strikes, according to Iranian leaders.
As the bombardment continued, Hezbollah said it fired missiles from Lebanon into Israel early Monday in response to the killing of Khamenei and “repeated Israeli aggressions”. There were no reports of injuries or damage, and Israel said that it had intercepted one projectile while several fell in open areas.
Also read | By striking Iran, Trump and Netanyahu make a mockery of global order
Israel retaliated with strikes on Beirut and urged civilians in nearly 50 villages in eastern and southern Lebanon to evacuate ahead of more possible attacks, sending people fleeing.
Trump vows vengeance for US deaths
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump said in a video posted on social media that the US would “avenge” the deaths of the service members and that “there will likely be more” killed before the conflict ends.
Israel, which had pledged “nonstop” strikes, said it was increasing its attacks, with 100 fighter jets simultaneously striking targets in Tehran, Brig Gen Effie Defrin told reporters at a briefing.
The US military, meanwhile, said B-2 stealth bombers struck Iran's ballistic missile facilities with 2,000-pound bombs. Trump said on social media that nine Iranian warships had been sunk and that the Iranian navy's headquarters had been “largely destroyed.”
Iranian strikes extend beyond US, Israel
In the Gulf, Iran's retaliatory strikes went beyond US and Israeli targets, pushing the conflict into cities that have long marketed themselves as regional safe havens.
Also read | Protests across India over killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader: ‘A thousand Khameneis will rise’
The foreign ministers of Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Oman and Bahrain said Sunday that their countries retain “the legal right to respond and the right to self-defence” after Iranian strikes hit hotels, airports and other sites in multiple cities throughout the Gulf.
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Live Updates
- 2 March 2026 7:08 AM IST
Oil prices rise sharply in market trading after attacks in Middle East disrupt global energy supply
Oil prices rose sharply when market trading began Sunday, as US and Israeli attacks on Iran and retaliatory strikes against Israel and US military installations around the Gulf sent disruptions through the global energy supply chain.
Traders were betting the supply of oil from Iran and elsewhere in the Middle East would slow or grind to a halt. Attacks throughout the region, including on two vessels traveling through the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf, could restrict countries' ability to export oil to the rest of the world. That would likely result in higher prices for crude oil and gasoline, according to energy experts.
West Texas Intermediate, the light, sweet crude oil produced in the United States, was selling for about USD 72 a barrel Sunday night, up around 8 per cent from its trading price of about USD 67 on Friday.
Roughly 15 million barrels of crude oil per day — about 20 per cent of the world's oil — are shipped through the Strait of Hormuz, making it the world's most critical oil chokepoint, according to Rystad Energy. Tankers traveling through the strait, which is bordered in the north by Iran, carry oil and gas from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iraq, Qatar, Bahrain, the UAE and Iran.
Iran had temporarily shut down parts of the strait in mid-February for what it said was a military drill. Further disruptions to that shipping channel could lead to lower supply and higher prices for oil.
Attacks throughout the region, including on two vessels travelling through the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf, could restrict countries' ability to export oil to the rest of the world. That would likely result in higher prices for crude oil and gasoline, according to energy experts.
Against that backdrop, eight countries that are part of the OPEC+ oil cartel announced they would boost production of crude Sunday. The Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries, in a meeting planned before the war began, said it would increase production by 206,000 barrels per day in April, which was more than analysts had been expecting. The countries boosting output include Saudi Arabia, Russia, Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Kazakhstan, Algeria and Oman.
- 2 March 2026 7:07 AM IST
3 US troops killed and 5 are seriously wounded during Iran attacks, military says
Three American service members have been killed and five others seriously wounded during the US attacks on Iran, the military announced Sunday, marking the first American casualties in a major offensive that President Donald Trump said could likely lead to more losses in the coming weeks.
The three who were killed were US Army soldiers deployed to Kuwait as part of a unit that oversees supplies and logistics, according to a person familiar with the situation who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity. The development was reported earlier by NBC News and The Washington Post.
US Central Command, which oversees the Middle East, announced the deaths in a post on X but did not say when and where they occurred as the Islamic Republic retaliates over the joint strikes by the US and Israel. The post said “several others sustained minor shrapnel injuries and concussions” and were going to return to duty.
- 2 March 2026 7:07 AM IST
'Chance to kill senior leaders was a golden opportunity'
An Israeli military official described Saturday's mission against the Iranian leadership as the result of months of “extremely high coordination” with the US The official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss a covert operation, said a variety of factors created a “golden opportunity." Those factors included weeks of training and monitoring the movements of senior figures, along with “real time intelligence” that the targets were gathered together.
The results, the official said, were near-simultaneous strikes, within 60 seconds of one another, in three locations 1,000 miles (1,609 kilometres) from Israel that killed Khamenei and some 40 senior figures, including the head of the Revolutionary Guard and the country's defence minister.
- 2 March 2026 7:06 AM IST
Streets of Tehran are largely deserted
In Tehran, there was little sign that Iranians had heeded Trump's call for an uprising against the government.
The streets were largely deserted as people sheltered during airstrikes, witnesses told The Associated Press, speaking anonymously for fear of retribution. The paramilitary Basij, which has played a central role in crushing protests, set up checkpoints across the city, they said.
Two powerful explosions were heard in Tehran's Niavaran neighborhood late Sunday.
An eyewitness in the city told AP that the windows of their apartment shook violently, and residents came out onto the streets fearing it was too dangerous to stay inside. The witness spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals. Video footage from Tehran showed plumes of smoke filling the skyline, and the official IRNA news agency reported that parts of the building of the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) were struck Sunday.
In southern Iran, at least 165 people were killed Saturday when a girls' school was struck, and dozens more were wounded, IRNA reported. The Israeli military said it was not aware of strikes in the area. The US military said it was looking into the reports.
- 2 March 2026 7:05 AM IST
Israel fires on Lebanese capital
Israel launched a barrage of strikes on Lebanon's capital, Beirut, after the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah fired missiles across the border early Monday.
It was the first time in more than a year that Hezbollah has claimed a strike against Israel. The Israeli military said it intercepted a projectile that crossed the border and that several others fell in open areas. No injuries or damage were reported.
Hezbollah said in a statement that the strikes were carried out in retaliation for the killing of Khamenei and for “repeated Israeli aggressions.”
