US Iran news highlights: US Senate backs Trump's Iran strikes; Tehran says over 1,000 killed
US Iran news highlights: As the military faceoff between US-Israel and Iran continued for the fifth day on Wednesday, White House said that ‘rogue Iranian terrorist regime is being absolutely crushed’.
US Iran news highlights: Iraqi security forces reportedly foiled a rocket launch bid by seizing a mobile rocket launch platform carrying two missiles ready to fire at a neighboring country in the area of Zubair district, south of Basra, Reuters reported, quoting, adding that the operation was carried out based on precise intelligence provided by the Iraqi National Security Service....Read More
US President Donald Trump on Wednesday (local time) called Iran a country ‘out of control’, claiming that the pre-emptive strikes were carried out to prevent them from attacking Israel first. He said that the US is in a strong position against Iran now, adding that everyone who wants to be a leader ‘ends up being dead’. Earlier, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt had indicated that Trump was a seeking a ‘bigger role’ in post-war Iran.
The United States has confirmed that it destroyed over 20 Iranian ships, including one of its top submarines, in the ongoing strikes against Tehran. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said this on Wednesday (local time) during a press briefing as
Over 1,000 people have been killed in the Israel-US strikes on Iran that started last weekend, Iranian state media said on Wednesday. Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and his family, along with several top leaders of the Iran, were killed in the US-Israel joint strikes as talks failed to remove the confrontation between Washington and Tehran.
Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian on Wednesday told the head of neighbouring Gulf nations that Iran wanted to resort to diplomacy to avoid war, but the ‘American-Zionist military aggression’ left no choice but to defend itself.
“We respect your sovereignty, and we believe that the security and stability of the region must be achieved through the collective efforts of its states,” he said in a statement.
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Wednesday said the US and Israel are on the cusp of taking ‘complete control of Iran’s airspace’ as he laid out plans to step up attacks deeper in the country as its defenses are destroyed.
A member of Iran's Assembly of Experts said that they are ‘close’ to choosing the new supreme leader to replace Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
"The Supreme Leader will be identified in the closest opportunity, we are close to a conclusion; however, the situation in the country is a war situation," Ayatollah Ahmad Khatami told state TV.
Iranians will begin paying their respects to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei from 22:00 on Wednesday at Tehran’s Imam Khomeini Musallah, according to state media.
The public mourning ceremony will allow people to bid farewell to Khamenei at the large prayer complex in the capital, Tehran. Authorities said the gathering will start late Wednesday night as the country prepares for additional mourning events in the coming days.
Meanwhile, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said they had launched around 40 missiles at US and Israeli targets on the fifth day of the Middle East war.
“Several hours ago, the 17th wave of Operation Honest Promise 4 was carried out with the launch of 40 missiles by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ aerospace forces toward American and Zionist targets,” a statement broadcast on state television said, without providing further details.
Attack on Lebanese capital
Explosions shook the Lebanese capital as Israel announced a fresh wave of strikes on Iran, with the war spreading across the Middle East into Wednesday.
The United States has so far struck nearly 2,000 targets in Iran as part of what it describes as the largest military buildup in the Middle East in a generation, the top American commander in the region said.
"We've already struck nearly 2,000 targets with more than 2,000 munitions. We have severely degraded Iran's air defenses and destroyed hundreds of Iran's ballistic missiles, launchers and drones," Admiral Brad Cooper, head of US Central Command, said in a video message.
"The first 24 hours of this operation were nearly double the scale" of the first day of shock-and-awe strikes on Iraq in 2003, "and we continue with 24/7 strikes into Iran," he added.
Middle East conflict intensified
The conflict intensified on Tuesday, with explosions reported in Tehran and in Lebanon, where Israel said it had retaliated against Hezbollah militants.
The American embassy in Saudi Arabia and the US consulate in the United Arab Emirates came under drone attacks. Iran has fired dozens of ballistic missiles at Israel, though most were intercepted.
Eleven people in Israel have been killed since the conflict began.
The Pentagon identified four US Army Reserve soldiers killed in a drone strike on Sunday at a command centre in Kuwait.
Two other service members were also killed in the attack.
‘Broad wave of attacks’ have started: Israeli military
Israel’s military said it had begun a “broad wave of attacks” across Iran, targeting missile launch sites, air defence systems and other infrastructure linked to what it described as the Iranian “terror regime”.
Days after joint US-Israeli strikes killed Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the conflict shows no signs of easing, pushing West Asia closer to an all-out war.
Tehran has responded with retaliatory attacks on US-linked installations in Gulf countries.
Khamenei's son selected as successor
Iran’s Assembly of Experts has reportedly selected Mojtaba Khamenei, son of the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as the country’s next Supreme Leader.
Trump on future of Iran: A leader ‘as bad as’ Khamenei
US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that the “worst case” would be a new Iranian leader “as bad as” the late Supreme Leader. “I guess the worst case would be, we do this, and then somebody takes over who's as bad as the previous person, right?” he told reporters.
Trump also alleged that Iran was “hitting civilian areas” and said Tehran was targeting “countries which have nothing to do with what's going on.” He claimed he believed Iran would strike first and revealed that he “might have forced Israel's hand” on launching strikes.
Explosion in Tehran, Mehrabad and retaliation in Tel Aviv
Fresh explosions were reported in Tehran, as well as in the northwestern cities of Tabriz and Urmia, according to Iranian news agencies cited by Reuters.
Israel struck Tehran’s Mehrabad airport after issuing evacuation warnings in parts of the capital. An Iranian air carrier was destroyed on the ground in an Israeli strike on Bushehr airport.
Iran, in turn, launched strikes in the Tel Aviv area, Israel’s military said. First responders reported treating 12 people for injuries, while police confirmed multiple impact sites.
Iran’s foreign ministry rejected talks with the US and Israel, saying it was “standing against evil.” Earlier, Iran targeted the US Embassy in Saudi Arabia with drones. The attack by two drones caused a “limited fire” and minor damage at the US Embassy in Riyadh, according to Saudi Arabia’s Defence Ministry.
Too late for talks now: Trump
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said it was “too late” for talks. “Their air defence, air force, navy, and leadership is gone. They want to talk. I said: ‘Too late!’” he wrote. The US President had earlier said operations in Iran could last another four to five weeks and that he was prepared “to go far longer than that.”
Briefing members of Congress on ‘Operation Epic Fury,’ Secretary of State Marco Rubio was quoted as saying that the “hardest hits are yet to come from the US military".
Not an endless war: Netanyahu
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the strikes would continue but insisted it would not be an “endless war”.
India is closely monitoring the evolving airspace situation across parts of West Asia and its impact on flight operations. So far, 1,221 flights operated by Indian carriers and 388 by foreign carriers have been cancelled due to the conflict.
Indian carriers operated 24 flights
On Tuesday, Indian carriers operated 24 flights, while Emirates and Etihad operated nine flights from the Gulf.
The Ministry of Civil Aviation said Indian carriers are planning 58 flights on March 4, including 30 by IndiGo and 23 by Air India and Air India Express. Foreign carriers operating between India and the Gulf are also conducting limited services, subject to operational and airspace considerations.
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- 5 Mar 2026, 07:15:21 AM IST
The live updates to the blog are closed.
The live updates to the blog are closed.
- 5 Mar 2026, 04:18:52 AM IST
US Iran news LIVE updates: US-Spain faceoff over Middle East ops
US Iran news LIVE updates: Soon after the White House said that Spain had agreed to join Washington in its operations in the Middle East, Spain has denied the claim. “I can refute (the White House spokesperson),” Spanish minister José Manuel Albares told radio station Cadena Ser, AP reported. “The position of the Spanish government regarding the war in the Middle East, the bombing of Iran and the use of our bases has not changed one iota.”
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- 5 Mar 2026, 04:15:27 AM IST
US Iran news LIVE updates: Iraq foils missile launch bid
US Iran news LIVE updates: Iraqi security forces reportedly foiled a rocket launch bid by seizing a mobile rocket launch platform carrying two missiles ready to fire at a neighboring country in the area of Zubair district, south of Basra, Reuters reported, quoting, adding that the operation was carried out based on precise intelligence provided by the Iraqi National Security Service.
- 5 Mar 2026, 03:40:08 AM IST
US Iran news LIVE updates: Israel asks Lebanese to leave the south 'immediately' as fighting with Hezbollah intensifies
US Iran news LIVE updates: Israel warned residents to immediately leave a swathe of south Lebanon on Wednesday, ordering them to move north of the Litani River on the third day of full-blown hostilities with the Iran-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah. Lebanon has emerged as a theatre in the war that has engulfed the region since the United States and Israel attacked Iran. Hezbollah launched drones and rockets at Israel on Monday, prompting Israeli retaliation that has killed dozens of people.
via Reuters
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- 5 Mar 2026, 03:38:07 AM IST
US Iran news LIVE updates: US extends support to Turkey after missile incident
US Iran news LIVE updates: US extended support to Tukey after a ballistic missile launched from Iran was headed towards Turkish airspace via Iraq and Syria. It was destroyed by NATO air defence systems, Turkish officials said Wednesday. Following the incident, US secretary of state Marco Rubio said in a call with Turkey's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan "that attacks on Turkey's sovereign territory were unacceptable and pledged full support from the United States," State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said, AFP reported.
- 5 Mar 2026, 03:34:45 AM IST
US Iran news LIVE updates: Israel kills 3 in Beirut strikes
US Iran news LIVE updates: Three people have been killed in Israeli strikes near Beirut in Lebanon, news agency AFP reported, quoting sources.
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- 5 Mar 2026, 03:32:49 AM IST
US Iran news LIVE updates: Senate blocks bid to end strikes
US Iran news LIVE updates: As voting continues, majority of US Senate has blocked the effort to force Trump to end Iran strikes without Congress' approval, Reuters reported.
- 5 Mar 2026, 02:07:17 AM IST
US Iran news LIVE updates: US in a strong position, says Trump
US Iran news LIVE updates: Trump has said that US is in a strong position against Iran. "We're in a very strong position now, and their leadership is just rapidly going. Everybody that seems to want to be a leader, they end up dead," Trump said at White House, AFP reported.
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- 5 Mar 2026, 02:03:13 AM IST
US Iran news LIVE updates: Trump calls Iran a ‘nation out of control’
US Iran news LIVE updates: US President Donald Trump on Wednesday (local time) called Iran a country ‘out of control’, claiming that the pre-emptive strikes were carried out to prevent them from attacking Israel first.
- 5 Mar 2026, 01:39:21 AM IST
US Iran news LIVE updates: US asks non-emergency staff in Pakistan to leave country
US Iran news LIVE updates: The United States has ordered the non-emergency staff at consulates in Pakistan's Karachi and Lahore to leave the country. It also granted permission for staff to leave missions in Saudi Arabia, Cyprus and Oman, AFP reported. Things turned volatile in Pakistan following the US-Israel strikes on Iran after which protesters clashed with security forces resulting in the killing of at least 25 people, according to reports.
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- 5 Mar 2026, 01:29:32 AM IST
US Iran news LIVE updates: US says Spain agreed to join Middle East ops, Spain denies claim
US Iran news LIVE updates: Soon after the White House said that Spain had agreed to join Washington in its operations in the Middle East, Spain has denied the claim. “I can refute (the White House spokesperson),” Spanish minister José Manuel Albares told radio station Cadena Ser, AP reported. “The position of the Spanish government regarding the war in the Middle East, the bombing of Iran and the use of our bases has not changed one iota.”
- 5 Mar 2026, 01:28:05 AM IST
US Iran news LIVE updates: US claims to get control of Iranian air space in some hours
US Iran news LIVE updates: The United States expects to have "complete" control of Iranian airspace in the coming hours, the White House said on Wednesday. "We expect to have complete and total dominance over Iranian airspace in the coming hours," press secretary Karoline Leavitt said.
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- 5 Mar 2026, 12:45:44 AM IST
US Iran news LIVE updates: US denies attacking girls' school in Tehran
US Iran news LIVE updates: White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt denied that a girls' school in Tehran was targeted in US-Israel joint strikes last week leading to death of over 160 people. “Not that we know of... The United States of America does not target civilians, unlike the rogue Iranian regime that kills children,” Leavitt said as she accused Tehran of using propaganda against the US.
- 5 Mar 2026, 12:37:01 AM IST
US Iran news LIVE updates: Iran attack based on cumulative effect of various direct threats Iran posed to US, says White House
US Iran news LIVE updates: Iran attack based on cumulative effect of various direct threats Iran posed to US, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said.
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- 5 Mar 2026, 12:35:14 AM IST
US Iran news LIVE updates: Spain agrees to join US in ops against Tehran, says White House
US Iran news LIVE updates: Spain has agreed to cooperate with US operations against Iran, White House said on Wednesday after Trump threatened to cut off trade with Madrid.
“With respect to Spain, I think they heard the president’s message yesterday loud and clear,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said. “And it’s my understanding over the past several hours, they’ve agreed to cooperate with the U.S. military. And so I know that the U.S. military is coordinating with their counterparts in Spain," press secretary Karoline Leavitt said.
- 5 Mar 2026, 12:33:18 AM IST
US Iran news LIVE updates: Trump "actively considering" a US role in Iran after war, says White House
US Iran news LIVE updates: President Donald Trump is "actively considering" a US role in Iran after the American-Israeli operation against the country concludes, the White House said Wednesday.
"I think it's something the president is actively considering and discussing with his advisors and his national security team," Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said of any post-war US role.
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- 5 Mar 2026, 12:19:40 AM IST
US Iran news LIVE updates: White House press secy accuses Obama of sending funds to Iran Supreme Leader
US Iran news LIVE updates: White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt dubbed former US president Barack Obama as weak and accused him of “sending cash” to slain Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. “Prior leaders have been too weak and ineffective to address this threat. Some, like Barack Hussein Obama, sent cash that ultimately financed this terrorist crusade against the United States and our people,” Leavitt said in a press briefing on Wednesday.
- 5 Mar 2026, 12:14:26 AM IST
US Iran news LIVE updates: White House hints at taking control of Strait of Hormuz
US Iran news LIVE updates: US on Wednesday hinted at taking control of the Strait of Hormuz, the world’s most critical oil chokepoint, saying that Iran will no longer be controlling the key point. “Ultimately, the energy industry will benefit from Trump’s actions with respect to Iran, because Iran will no longer be controlling the Strait of Hormuz and restricting the free flow of energy,” US press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a press briefing on Wednesday.
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- 5 Mar 2026, 12:09:16 AM IST
US Iran news LIVE updates: Over 1,000 killed, says Iran
US Iran news LIVE updates: Over 1,045 people have been killed so far in the US-Israel air strikes that began last Saturday, Al Jazeera reported citing Iranian state media.
- 5 Mar 2026, 12:08:01 AM IST
US Iran news LIVE updates: Iran's top submarine hit, says White House
US Iran news LIVE updates: US press secretary Karoline Leavitt on Wednesday confirmed that the US destroyed 20 Iranian ships, including its top submarine, in the ongoing strikes. “We have destroyed more than 20 Iranian ships so far, including their top submarine last night,” Leavitt said while briefing the media.
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- 4 Mar 2026, 11:56:30 PM IST
US Iran news LIVE updates: 17,500+ American citizens left Middle East since conflict erupted
US Iran news LIVE updates: Over 17,500 American citizens have left Middle East since conflict erupted after US and Israel launched joint strikes against Iran last Saturday, killing Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The escalation soon spiralled into a regional conflict. “Since February 28, over 17,500 American citizens have returned to the United States from the Middle East — with over 8,500 American citizens returning to the U.S. yesterday alone. Many more Americans have left the Middle East to other countries in Europe and Asia, and others have safely departed the Middle East but are still in transit back to the U.S,” US official Dylan Johnson, wrote on X.
- 4 Mar 2026, 11:29:21 PM IST
US Iran news LIVE updates: Khamenei's funeral postponed
US Iran news LIVE updates: Funeral of the slain Iran Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in a US-Israeli airstrike on February 28, has been postponed on account of expectations of large crowds. The three-day ceremony had been scheduled to start at 10 p.m. local time at the Imam Khomeini Mosalla, a mosque in Tehran, the state-run Islamic Republic News Agency reported Wednesday. State television later said the proceedings were being delayed “due to the expected unprecedented presence of mourners,” and a new time would be announced soon.
via Bloomberg
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- 4 Mar 2026, 10:55:58 PM IST
US Iran news LIVE updates: Qatar rejects Iran's claim it only targeted US interests there
US Iran news LIVE updates: Qatar on Wednesday rejected Iran's claim that it only targeted US interests there.
Iran's foreign minister Abbas Araghchi made the claim during a phone call earlier in the day.
Qatar's prime minister and foreign minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani "categorically rejected" it, according to a readout released by the foreign ministry. The minister said attacks also have targeted residential areas and critical infrastructure, including near the main airport and liquefied natural gas facilities.
- 4 Mar 2026, 10:44:00 PM IST
US Iran news LIVE updates: Israeli strikes on Lebanon kill 72 people since Monday,says health ministry
US Iran news LIVE updates: Israeli strikes on Lebanon have killed 72 people and displaced more than 83,000 since the start of a new round of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah, Lebanese officials announced Wednesday.
In a statement, the health ministry said "the toll of the Israeli aggression since dawn on Monday... has risen to 72 martyrs and 437 wounded", while the minister of social affairs announced that the number of displaced in official shelters was 83,847.
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- 4 Mar 2026, 10:36:10 PM IST
US Iran news LIVE updates: Hegseth says US spared ‘no expense’ to enhance air defence
US Iran news LIVE updates: Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth acknowledged on Wednesday that some Iranian air attacks may still hit their targets even as he asserted that US military superiority is quickly giving it control of the Islamic Republic's airspace.
The US has spared "no expense or capability" to enhance air defence systems to protect American forces and allies in the Middle East, Hegseth told reporters at the Pentagon days after the US and Israel attacked Iran in a war that has widened throughout the region.
- 4 Mar 2026, 10:30:37 PM IST
US Iran news LIVE updates: 'Completely unacceptable' UK Foreign Secy slams Iran's strike in US Embassy in Riyadh
US Iran news LIVE updates: UK Foreign Secretary and Labour MP Yvette Cooper condemned the reported Iranian strikes on Riyadh, including an attack targeting the US Embassy, terming them "completely unacceptable".
In a post on X on Tuesday, the UK Foreign Secretary said the attacks were reckless and destabilising and accused Iran of targeting innocent civilians.
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- 4 Mar 2026, 10:21:10 PM IST
US Iran news LIVE updates: Iran kept loading crude at Kharg Island two days after US air strikes
US Iran news LIVE updates: Iran continued loading crude onto tankers at its Kharg Island oil terminal on Monday, two days after the US and Israel launched air attacks against the Persian Gulf country. It’s unclear whether that can continue as the conflict has intensified.
One very large crude carrier, capable of hauling about 2 million barrels of oil, was moored at a loading jetty on the eastern side of the island in a satellite image from 10:47 am local time on Monday.
- 4 Mar 2026, 10:17:13 PM IST
US Iran news LIVE updates: Explosion rocked city in Iran's Kurdistan province
US Iran news LIVE updates: An explosion rocked a city in Iran's western Kurdistan province on Wednesday, according to video verified by AFP, on the fifth day of the US-Israeli war against the Islamic republic.
Huge columns of smoke rose over the city of Baneh in the morning, according to the verified images. Videos shared of the explosion on social media said it hit a base belonging to Iran's Revolutionary Guards.
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- 4 Mar 2026, 10:12:36 PM IST
US Iran news LIVE updates: Iran says it targeted over 10 ships and tankers in current conflict
US Iran news LIVE updates: Iran has targeted more than 10 ships and tankers in current conflict, a Revolutionary Guards navy commander told Iranian state media on Wednesday.
The US–Iran war widened on Wednesday after a US strike hit an Iranian warship off Sri Lanka, deepening a crisis that has paralysed shipping through the Strait of Hormuz for a fifth day and choked off vital Middle East oil and gas flows.
- 4 Mar 2026, 10:07:21 PM IST
US Iran news LIVE updates: Air India plans to commence operations to and from Jeddah from March 5
US Iran news LIVE updates: Air India on Wednesday said it plans to commence its scheduled operations to and from Jeddah to Delhi and Mumbai from March 5.
- AI2255/2256 - Delhi-Jeddah-Delhi
- AI2251/2252 - Mumbai-Jeddah-Mumbai
- AI2245/2246 - Mumbai-Jeddah-Mumbai
Air India has also planned to operate an additional service AI909D/996D early on 5 March on the Mumbai-Dubai-Delhi route with a B777 aircraft with larger capacity to fly back stranded passengers.
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- 4 Mar 2026, 10:03:21 PM IST
US Iran news LIVE updates: Iran making case for demise with indiscriminate attacks, EU's Kallas says
US Iran news LIVE updates: EU's top diplomat Kaja Kallas on Wednesday said that Iran's government is making a strong case for its demise by indiscriminately attacking its neighbours, Reuters reported.
"Iran's strategy is to sow chaos and set the region on fire," Kallas said. Turkey said earlier on Wednesday that NATO air defences destroyed an Iranian ballistic missile headed into Turkish airspace.
- 4 Mar 2026, 09:57:14 PM IST
US Iran news LIVE updates: Israel army says struck major Iran military compound in Tehran
US Iran news LIVE updates: Israel said Wednesday it had struck a major Iranian military compound in Tehran housing command centres of the Revolutionary Guards, the elite Quds Force and the Basij paramilitary force, AFP reported.
"A short while ago, the Israeli Air Force, precisely guided by IDF (military) intelligence, completed a wide-scale strike targeting a large... military compound in eastern Tehran" that contained "headquarters of all of the Iranian security organisations", the Israeli military was quoted as saying.
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- 4 Mar 2026, 09:49:21 PM IST
US Iran news LIVE updates: Iran says US ‘agression’ left Tehran no other choice
US Iran news LIVE updates: Tehran on Wednesday told head of neighbouring gulf states that due to US ‘agression’, it had no other choice.
In a statement it said, “We have strived alongside you and through diplomacy to avoid war, but the American-Zionist military aggression has left us no choice but to defend ourselves. We respect your sovereignty, and we believe that the security and stability of the region must be achieved through the collective efforts of its states.”
- 4 Mar 2026, 09:43:44 PM IST
US Iran news LIVE updates: Israel initially planned to strike Iran in mid-2026, says minister
US Iran news LIVE updates: Israel had initially planned to strike Iran in mid-2026, but developments inside the Islamic republic and shifting regional dynamics brought the timetable forward to February, AFP quoted Defence Minister Israel Katz as saying.
"An operation was planned for the middle of the year with the same target set," Katz said in an address to military intelligence officials, according to a statement issued by his office.
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- 4 Mar 2026, 09:40:04 PM IST
US Iran news LIVE updates: Iran threatens to target Israeli embassies if Israel targets its Lebanon mission
US Iran news LIVE updates: Iran on Wednesday warned of targetting Israeli embassies across the world if Tel Aviv targets its Lebanon mission, AFP reported.
Earlier in the day, Israel's military ordered residents of dozens of border villages in southern Lebanon to evacuate “immediately” as airstrikes on suburbs of Beirut intensified and Hezbollah claimed more attacks.
- 4 Mar 2026, 09:36:19 PM IST
US Iran news LIVE updates: Iran FM says strikes targeted US, not Qatar; Doha rejects claim
US Iran news LIVE updates: Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi told his Qatari counterpart Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani that Iranian missile attacks were directed at U.S. interests and not at Qatar.
Qatar's top diplomat "categorically rejected" that claim and called for an immediate halt to Iran’s attacks, the Qatari Foreign Ministry said on X.
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- 4 Mar 2026, 09:32:04 PM IST
US Iran news LIVE updates: Turkey has prepared plans for possible migrant flow from Iran, minister says
US Iran news LIVE updates: Turkey has drawn up plans to deal with a potential inflow of people fleeing the war in neighbouring Iran, Interior Minister Mustafa Ciftci said on Wednesday, with preparations including possible buffer zones along the frontier and tent camps.
There was currently no unusual movement at the three border gates along the Iran-Turkey border, Ciftci added.
- 4 Mar 2026, 09:22:48 PM IST
US Iran news LIVE updates: Iran says Trump dragged American people into 'unfair war' with Iran
US Iran news LIVE updates: Iran's security chief Ali Larijani said Wednesday that US President Donald Trump had dragged the American people into "an unfair war" with Iran.
"Mr. Trump, with Netanyahu's clownish antics, dragged the American people into an unfair war with Iran," Larijani posted on X.
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- 4 Mar 2026, 09:08:23 PM IST
US Iran news LIVE updates: US will take 'all the time we need' to win Iran war, Hegseth says
US Iran news LIVE updates: US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Wednesday that the United States is winning its war against Iran “decisively, devastatingly and without mercy.”
Speaking from the Pentagon’s briefing room, Hegseth said more forces, including jet fighters and bombers, will soon arrive in the region. He said that the U.S. “will take all the time we need to make sure that we succeed.”
- 4 Mar 2026, 08:59:39 PM IST
US Iran news LIVE updates: Turkey summons Iranian envoy to protest ballistic missile heading toward airspace
US Iran news LIVE updates: Turkey summoned the Iranian ambassador to Ankara to its foreign ministry on Wednesday to convey its protest and concerns over a ballistic missile fired from Iran that was heading towards its airspace, a Turkish diplomatic source told Reuters
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- 4 Mar 2026, 08:54:05 PM IST
US Iran news LIVE updates: A look at US stock of weapons used against Iran
US Iran news LIVE updates: The US has a massive stock of easy-to-produce, air-dropped precision bombs, but has been using costly and less-numerous standoff weapons in its attacks on Iran, sapping supplies meant for more formidable enemies, Bloomberg reported.
Opening salvos of the war included BGM-109 Tomahawks, slow but accurate cruise missiles with a range of more than 1,000 miles designed to hit targets deep in well defended territory.
They cost several million dollars apiece, and the US has about 4,000 remaining in its stockpiles, said Kelly Grieco, a senior fellow at the Stimson Center.
- 4 Mar 2026, 08:44:25 PM IST
US Iran news LIVE updates: US Senate likely to reject bid to curb Trump's Iran war powers
US Iran news LIVE updates: The US Senate is set to vote Wednesday on a resolution aimed at curbing President Donald Trump's authority to continue military strikes on Iran, AFP reported.
The bipartisan measure, introduced by Democrat Tim Kaine and Republican Rand Paul, would require the withdrawal of US forces from hostilities against Iran unless Congress authorizes the campaign.
But with Republicans holding a 53-47 majority in the upper chamber of Congress and largely backing the president's decision to attack Iran alongside Israel, the resolution is widely expected to fail.
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- 4 Mar 2026, 08:36:56 PM IST
US Iran news LIVE updates: IndiGo cancels more than 500 flights to Middle East in past 4 days
US Iran news LIVE updates: IndiGo on Wednesday said it cancelled over 500 flights to the Middle East and select international destinations from February 28 to March 3 due to the evolving airspace restrictions over Iran and other Gulf countries.
In a regulatory filing, the airline said that it will continue to closely monitor the revenue environment arising from this situation.
- 4 Mar 2026, 08:35:10 PM IST
US Iran news LIVE updates: US defence secretary says ‘can't stop everything’, some missile may hit target
US Iran news LIVE updates: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth acknowledged Wednesday that some Iranian air attacks may still hit their targets even as he asserted that US military superiority is quickly giving it control of the Islamic Republic's airspace.
The U.S. has spared “no expense or capability” to enhance air defense systems to protect American forces and allies in the Middle East, Hegseth said. “This does not mean we can stop everything, but we ensured that the maximum possible defense and maximum possible force protection was set up before we went on offense,” he added.
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- 4 Mar 2026, 08:31:01 PM IST
US Iran news LIVE updates: Air India to operate more flights to Toronto, Frankfurt & Paris amid high demand
US Iran news LIVE updates: Air India on Wednesday announced the deployment of additional flights to Toronto, Frankfurt and Paris (Charles de Gaulle) to cater to high demand amid the ongoing situation in West Asia.
As part of this, the Tata group-owned airline will operate three additional flights between Delhi and Toronto from March 5 -11, besides adding three flights between Delhi and Frankfurt, and one flight between Delhi and Paris (Charles de Gaulle) from March 7 -10 March, Air India said.
- 4 Mar 2026, 08:30:17 PM IST
US Iran news LIVE updates: Israeli military orders immediate evacuations in southern Lebanon as strikes on Beirut intensify
US Iran news LIVE updates: Israel's military on Wednesday ordered residents of dozens of border villages in southern Lebanon to evacuate “immediately” as airstrikes on suburbs of Beirut intensified and Hezbollah claimed more attacks, AFP reported.
Lebanon was dragged early Monday into the war in the Middle East, which erupted following US-Israeli strikes on Iran, when Hezbollah fired rockets and drones into northern Israel, triggering Israeli retaliatory airstrikes on different parts of the country.
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- 4 Mar 2026, 08:28:07 PM IST
US Iran news LIVE updates: Hegseth boasts of ‘historic’ campaign against Iranian military
US Iran news LIVE updates: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the US and Israel are on the cusp of taking complete control of Iran’s airspace as he laid out plans to step up attacks deeper in the country as its defenses are destroyed.
“Iran’s capabilities are evaporating by the hour,” Hegseth told a press conference. “While American strength grows fiercer, smarter and utterly dominant, more bombers and more fighters are arriving just today.”
“We are only four days into this and the results have been incredible — historic, really,” Hegseth said.
- 4 Mar 2026, 07:50:22 PM IST
US Iran news LIVE updates: Israel army says two soldiers injured by anti-tank fire in south Lebanon
US Iran news LIVE updates: The Israeli military said anti-tank fire in south Lebanon injured two of its soldiers on Wednesday, after Hezbollah said it had struck two Israeli military vehicles, AFP reported.
"Earlier today (Wednesday), two IDF soldiers were moderately injured as a result of an anti-tank fire toward IDF troops operating in southern Lebanon," the military said in a statement, adding they had been evacuated to hospital for treatment.
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- 4 Mar 2026, 07:41:53 PM IST
US Iran news LIVE updates: US says Iran firing fewer missiles, US strikes to expand inland
US Iran news LIVE updates: Iran is firing fewer missiles than it did at the start of the war on Saturday, the top U.S. general said on Wednesday, as he argued Iran's military capabilities were greatly diminished as the United States expands its strikes inside Iran.
"We will now begin to expand inland striking progressively deeper into Iranian territory, and creating additional freedom of maneuver for US forces," General Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told a news briefing at the Pentagon.
- 4 Mar 2026, 07:25:38 PM IST
US Iran news LIVE updates: Hegseth says US sank Iranian warship with torpedo in Indian Ocean
US Iran news LIVE updates: The United States has sunk an Iranian warship in the Indian Ocean using a torpedo, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said. Speaking about the incident, Hegseth said the vessel “thought it was safe in international waters,” but was instead struck and sunk by a torpedo.
He did not identify the ship involved. Earlier, the Sri Lankan navy reported that the Iranian frigate IRIS Dena had gone down in the Indian Ocean following a reported explosion, with around 140 people on board still missing.
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