Iran US tensions news: US-Israel strikes on Tehran spark conflict in Middle East; Netanyahu, Trump hold phone call
Iran US tensions news highlights: US President Donald Trump has given a brief remark to the Washington Post, his first comment since his recorded video message earlier in the day. Trump claimed that all he wanted was "freedom for the people” of Iran.
Iran US tensions news highlights: US President Donald Trump has confirmed the role of the United States in strikes against Iran as he said that US has begun ‘major combat operations in Iran’....Read More
Israel said it launched a "preemptive strike" against Iran after multiple explosions were heard in Tehran on Saturday, with reports adding that Israel strikes hit Iran near Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's offices. The operation is being called ‘Roar of the Lion’, according to Israeli officials.
Sirens were also sounded in Jerusalem, and people across the country received phone alerts about an "extremely serious" threat. The Israeli military said termed it a “proactive alert to prepare the public for the possibility of missiles being launched toward the state of Israel.”
The attack comes hours after US President Donald Trump said that the US has a ‘big decision to make’ after talks between Washington and Tehran ended on Thursday without a definite conclusion.
“We have a big decision to make. You know that. Not easy. We have a very big decision to make. We have a country that's been for 47 years blowing people's legs off, arms off, and the face. They've been knocking out ships, killing people. Not only Americans, but lots of people,” Trump said.
Israel attacks Iran today: Top points
- Israel and Iran shut their respective airspaces on Saturday following Israel-US strikes against Tehran. Internet was also reportedly disrupted in Iran following the strikes.
- While Supreme Leader Khamenei is out of Tehran at a ‘secure location’, state media reported that President Masoud Pezeshkian is “safe and sound”.
- The US military operation against Iran, which began after joint US-Israel strikes on Saturday, may continue for days, Reuters reported, quoting US officials.
- Iran-backed Houthis may respond in support of Iran as soon as tonight, AP reported, quoting some Houthi officials. Houthis in Yemen have said that they will resume missile and drone attacks on shipping routes and on Israel.
- There may be US casualties in operations against Iran, US President Donald Trump said as he acknowledged that the operations against Iran may lead to US casualties.
- Israel’s military has issued a statement claiming to have hit “hundreds of Iranian military targets”, including missile launchers, as it conducted air strikes on western Iran.
IDF intercepts Iranian missiles
Hours after the strikes on Iran, Israel Defence Forces said they were intercepting Iranian missiles. “A short while ago, the IDF identified missiles launched from Iran toward the territory of the State of Israel. Defensive systems are operating to intercept the threat,” the IDF said. This comes after Tehran vowed a ‘crushing’ response against Israel as multiple missiles hit Tehran, some of them near Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's offices.
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- 28 Feb 2026, 11:02:29 PM IST
Iran US tensions news LIVE: This blog is now closed
Iran US tensions news LIVE: This blog is now closed and will not be updated.
- 28 Feb 2026, 10:53:27 PM IST
Iran US tensions news LIVE: Jordan says it downed 13 ballistic missiles
The army of Jordan dealt with incoming fire today targeting its territory, the country's official news agency reported
“The military source indicated that 13 ballistic missiles were successfully intercepted by Jordanian air defense systems, while drones were shot down after being engaged,” the report says.
Material damage resulted from the interceptions, but so far, no casualties have been reported, it added.
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- 28 Feb 2026, 10:46:09 PM IST
Iran US tensions news LIVE: Israel says over 500 targets hit in Iran
Israel has said that it hit about 500 targets in Iran, including missile launchers, air defences, AFP reported.
- 28 Feb 2026, 10:31:30 PM IST
Iran US tensions news LIVE: Shipments through Strait of Hormuz suspended
Several tanker owners, oil majors and trading houses have suspended crude oil, fuel and liquefied natural gas shipments via the Strait of Hormuz after the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran, and Tehran said it had closed navigation, trading sources qoted by Reuters said.
"Our ships will stay put for several days," one top executive at a major trading desk said. Satellite images from tanker trackers showed vessels piling up next to big ports, such as Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates, and not moving through Hormuz.
Multiple vessels in the area have received VHF transmission from Iran's Revolutionary Guards that "no ship is allowed to pass the Strait of Hormuz", an official with the EU naval mission Aspides told Reuters.
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- 28 Feb 2026, 10:11:22 PM IST
Iran US tensions news LIVE: US-Israel strikes kill 15 in an Iranian gym, report says
A gymnasium in Iran's Lamerd was hit in attacks carried out by the US and Israel, according to Fars news agency.
“Initial estimates indicate that more than 15 people were killed in this apparent crime,” it added. “At the time of the attack, children were playing and exercising in this hall.”
- 28 Feb 2026, 10:08:09 PM IST
Iran US tensions news LIVE: IAEA says ‘no radiological impact’ in Iran
The UN nuclear watchdog said on Saturday it had seen no "radiological impact" from U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran or retaliatory strikes in other countries in the region, though it did not say whether Iranian nuclear sites had been targeted.
"The IAEA is closely monitoring developments in the Middle East, and urges restraint to avoid any nuclear safety risks to people in the region," the International Atomic Energy Agency said on X.
"The IAEA is in permanent contact with countries in the region. So far, no evidence of any radiological impact."
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- 28 Feb 2026, 10:04:02 PM IST
Iran US tensions news LIVE: How many flights got affected on Saturday?
Airlines on Saturday cancelled about half of their flights to Qatar and Israel, and about 28%to Kuwait, after the United States and Israel launched strikes on Iran, according to preliminary data from the provider Cirium.
In total, about 24% of flights to the Middle East were cancelled, according to the data.
- 28 Feb 2026, 09:56:01 PM IST
Iran US tensions news LIVE: Explosions rattle Dubai's Palm
Two witnesses told AFP they heard an explosion and saw a plume of smoke rising from Dubai's famed man-made island, The Palm, as authorities reported four injured.
The attack came as Iran carried out retaliatory strikes in the oil-rich Gulf following US and Israeli attacks -- rattling a region long seen as a haven of peace and security.
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- 28 Feb 2026, 09:53:31 PM IST
Iran US tensions news LIVE: Hezbollah expresses solidarity with Iran
Lebanon's Hezbollah expressed solidarity with Iran on Saturday as it came under attack from the United States and Israel, warning in a statement of dire consequences for the region without saying whether it would get involved.
In a statement, Hezbollah said the consequences of the US-Israeli plan would "affect everyone without exception if left unchallenged". "We are confident that the American and Israeli enemy will receive a major blow," it said.
- 28 Feb 2026, 09:48:21 PM IST
Iran US tensions news LIVE: More on Trump-Netanyahu phone call
White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said that US President Donald Trump spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu by phone on Saturday and will continue to closely monitor the Iranian situation with his national security team.
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- 28 Feb 2026, 09:45:41 PM IST
Iran US tensions news LIVE: Death toll in Iran elementary school rises to 85
The number of people killed in a strike at an elementary girls’ school in Minab, in the southern province of Hormozgan, has now risen to 85, Tasnim news agency reported.
- 28 Feb 2026, 09:41:02 PM IST
Iran US tensions news LIVE: Qatar asks citizens to remain indoors
Qatar’s Interior Ministry has urged people in the country to “remain indoors” amid the Iranian attacks.
“Stay away from windows and open areas, and avoid leaving their homes except in cases of absolute necessity until the situation stabilises,” it said in a social media post.
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- 28 Feb 2026, 09:34:54 PM IST
Iran US tensions news LIVE: Explosions heard in Doha again
At least three new bangs have just been heard in Qatar’s capital, Doha, Al Jazeera reported.
- 28 Feb 2026, 09:30:37 PM IST
Iran US tensions news LIVE: CIA assessed Khamenei would be replaced by IRCG elements if killed, report says
In the run-up to the US and Israeli attacks on Saturday, the US Central Intelligence Agency assessed that even if Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in the operation, he would likely be replaced by hardline figures from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Reuters reported, quoting two sources briefed on the matter.
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- 28 Feb 2026, 09:27:16 PM IST
Iran US tensions news LIVE: Tehran's letter to the UN Security Council
Iran has submitted a letter to the UN Security Council and Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, in which it called on the UN to “bear responsibility for international peace”.
The letter said, “Iran urgently calls upon the members of the Security Council to convene, without delay, an emergency meeting of the Council to address the US and Israeli regime’s acts of aggression, breach of peace which is a real and serious threat to international peace and security, and to take the necessary and immediate measures to halt this unlawful use of force and to ensure accountability.”
“The Islamic Republic of Iran calls on all Member States of the United Nations that bear responsibility for international peace and security to unequivocally condemn this act of aggression and to undertake urgent and collective measures to confront it, as it undoubtedly poses an unprecedented threat to regional as well as global peace and security.”
- 28 Feb 2026, 09:23:01 PM IST
Iran US tensions news LIVE: All universities in Iran closed
Iran has announced it is closing all universities nationwide until further notice, state media reported.
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- 28 Feb 2026, 09:18:02 PM IST
Iran US tensions news LIVE: Turkey urges 'all parties' to halt Iran-linked hostilities
Turkey on Saturday urged "all parties" to end the spiral of violence initiated with US-Israeli strikes on Iran, with its top diplomat calling his Iranian counterpart about ways to halt the attacks.
The confrontation began with the Israeli and US strikes and quickly broadened regionally as Tehran retaliated against Gulf states and Israel, with Turkey calling for an "urgent" resumption of dialogue to end the tensions.
"We call on all parties to cease hostilities immediately," the Turkish foreign ministry said in a statement, warning that the events risked "the future of our region and global stability".
Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan immediately spoke by phone with his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi and six other top diplomats about ways to "end the attacks", a ministry source said.
"The recent escalation of tensions... is an unacceptable situation... It is essential that dialogue and negotiation mechanisms be urgently reactivated," Burhanettin Duran, head of presidential communications, wrote on X.
Turkey, he said, would pursue efforts "to reduce tensions... using diplomatic channels".
- 28 Feb 2026, 09:13:50 PM IST
Iran US tensions news LIVE: Iran rubbishes reports of Khamenei's death
Hours after the US and Israel struck deep into Iran with the goal of displacing the Islamic regime, speculation arose about the whereabouts and well-being of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei.
Israeli TV reported that their assessment suggested that the supreme leader had likely been killed in the strike.
However, the Iranian's issued a speedy denial. Representative of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, in India, Dr Abdul Majid Hakeem Ilahi, said, "The Supreme Leader is in good health and never has a fear of America or any other people... He will continue by his dignity and wisdom, and I hope that we will win this war."
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- 28 Feb 2026, 09:11:23 PM IST
Iran US tensions news LIVE: Trump, Netanyahu hold phone call
US President Donald Trump spoke by phone with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
- 28 Feb 2026, 09:04:11 PM IST
Iran US tensions news LIVE: Israel says it's targeting missile launchers in Iran
The Israeli army said its air force has begun new airstrikes targeting missile launchers in Iran.
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- 28 Feb 2026, 09:01:52 PM IST
Iran US tensions news LIVE: Israel hit by Iranian missiles
Initial reports in Israeli media suggest two areas in central Israel suffered from the direct impact of Iranian missiles. Emergency crews have been called to the scene, but no casualties have been reported so far.
- 28 Feb 2026, 08:50:19 PM IST
Iran US tensions news LIVE: UNSC to meet later today
The UN Security Council is set to meet later on Saturday over the joint Israeli and US attacks on Iran and the current military escalation across the Middle East.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has, meanwhile, issued a statement calling for an immediate cessation of hostilities and warning that failure to do so risks “a wider regional conflict with grave consequences for civilians and regional stability.”
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- 28 Feb 2026, 08:48:01 PM IST
Iran US tensions news LIVE: Kuwait's International Airport hit by a drone
A drone targeted Kuwait's international airport, causing light injuries to several workers and limited material damage, the Kuwaiti state news agency reported on Saturday as Iran continued to launch strikes targeting US bases in the region.
- 28 Feb 2026, 08:46:06 PM IST
Iran US tensions news LIVE: Putin discusses Iran situation with his security council
Russian President Vladimir Putin has discussed the situation with Russia’s security council.
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- 28 Feb 2026, 08:43:48 PM IST
Iran US tensions news LIVE: Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to address the nation
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei will address the nation, Al-Alam TV reported, hours after US, Israeli strikes targeted top Iranian leaders on Saturday.
- 28 Feb 2026, 08:30:07 PM IST
Iran US tensions news LIVE: NATO says ‘closely following’ developments in Iran
NATO spokesperson Allison Hart has said that the transatlantic alliance is “closely following developments in Iran and the region”.
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- 28 Feb 2026, 08:26:31 PM IST
Iran US tensions news LIVE: Several explosions in Iran's Shiraz
According to the Fars news agency, several explosions have been heard in Shiraz, in southwestern Iran.
- 28 Feb 2026, 08:24:17 PM IST
Iran US tensions news LIVE: Iran's foreign minister says Khamenei ‘is alive as far as I know’
In an interview with NBC News, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has said that Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is alive “as far as I know”.
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- 28 Feb 2026, 08:16:18 PM IST
Iran US tensions news LIVE: 70 people killed in Iran's Minab and Jask, authorities say
At least 70 people have been killed and more than 90 wounded in attacks on Minab and Jask, both in Hormozgan province in southern Iran, the Fars news agency reported, quoting the head of Hormozgan Medical Sciences.
- 28 Feb 2026, 08:11:55 PM IST
Iran US tensions news LIVE: Trump says all he wants is ‘freedom for the people’
US President Donald Trump has given a brief remark to the Washington Post, his first comment since his recorded video message earlier today.
“I want a safe nation, and that’s what we’re going to have,” Trump claimed. “All I want is freedom for the people.”
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- 28 Feb 2026, 08:08:49 PM IST
Iran US tensions news LIVE: Basij forces to patrol Tehran streets
According to the IRGC-affiliated Fars news agency, paramilitary Basij forces will begin patrolling the streets of the Iranian capital, Tehran, from Saturday night.
- 28 Feb 2026, 08:05:42 PM IST
Iran US tensions news LIVE: Saudi Arabia confirms Iran targeted Riyadh
A statement by the Saudi Foreign Ministry has confirmed that Iran targeted Riyadh and the kingdom’s eastern region, adding that the attacks were repelled.
“These attacks cannot be justified under any pretext or in any way, and they came despite the Iranian authorities knowing that the Kingdom had confirmed that it would not allow its airspace and territory to be used to target Iran,” it added.
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- 28 Feb 2026, 08:02:22 PM IST
Iran US tensions news LIVE: A look at the message IDF chief of general staff wrote to Israeli pilots
IDF pilots got a message from the Chief of General Staff. (Israel Defense Forces) Here is the message Israeli pilots got from the Chief of General Staff.
It translates to: “You are authorised to execute. Strike your targets - you are making history. I have full confidence in you. Good luck to us all.”
- 28 Feb 2026, 07:50:10 PM IST
Iran US tensions news LIVE: Report says Iran's defence minister killed in US-Israel strikes
Iran's Defence Minister Amir Nasirzadeh and Revolutionary Guards commander Mohammed Pakpour are believed to have been killed in Israeli attacks, Reuters reported, quoting three sources.
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- 28 Feb 2026, 07:43:39 PM IST
Iran US tensions news LIVE: UK, Germany, France condemn Iran's strikes in the Middle East
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has condemned Iran's retaliatory attacks on Gulf countries after joint strikes from the US and Israel earlier today.
In a joint statement with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, he says: "France, Germany and the United Kingdom have consistently urged the Iranian regime to end Iran's nuclear programme, curb its ballistic missile programme, refrain from its destabilising activity in the region and our homelands, and to cease the appalling violence and repression against its own people.
"We did not participate in these strikes, but are in close contact with our international partners, including the United States, Israel and partners in the region. We reiterate our commitment to regional stability and to the protection of civilian life.
"We condemn Iranian attacks on countries in the region in the strongest terms. Iran must refrain from indiscriminate military strikes. We urge the Iranian leadership to seek a negotiated solution. Ultimately, the Iranian people must be allowed to determine their future."
- 28 Feb 2026, 07:38:59 PM IST
Iran US tensions news LIVE: US lawmaker calls on Congress to ‘curb’ Donald Trump's war powers
New Jersey Democratic lawmaker Andy Kim on Saturday called for lawmakers to return to Washington and immediately pass a war powers resolution that would limit US President Donald Trump’s authority to carry out additional military action against Iran without congressional approval.
“Right now, I have zero confidence in this president who has so flagrantly violated our Constitution. That is why we should have Congress immediately go back into session for the War Powers vote to reassert the American people’s will, which, again, they don’t want to be at war,” Kim, who sits on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer.
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- 28 Feb 2026, 07:35:58 PM IST
Iran US tensions news LIVE: India says 'deeply concerned' in first reaction to US-Israeli strikes on Iran
India's Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), in its first reaction to the US-Israeli strikes on Iran, has said that the country “is deeply concerned at the recent developments in Iran and the Gulf region”.
“We urge all sides to exercise restraint, avoid escalation, and prioritise the safety of civilians. Dialogue and diplomacy should be pursued to de-escalate tensions and address underlying issues. Sovereignty and territorial integrity of all states must be respected,” New Delhi said in a statement.
"Our Missions in the region are in touch with Indian nationals and have issued appropriate advisories asking them to remain vigilant, stay in contact with the Missions, and follow local security guidance," it added.
- 28 Feb 2026, 07:30:16 PM IST
Iran US tensions news LIVE: Qatar's radar system targeted by Iranian strike
A Qatari Defence Ministry official quoted by Al Jazeera said that an early warning radar in the northern region of the country was targeted by an Iranian strike.
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- 28 Feb 2026, 07:26:35 PM IST
Iran US tensions news LIVE: Israel begins shifting into ‘emergency mode’ in energy sector, report says
According to a report by Israeli newspaper Haaretz, Israel “braces for Iranian missile attacks” and its energy sector “has begun shifting into emergency mode, with refinery operations scaled back and parts of its natural gas infrastructure temporarily halted”.
- 28 Feb 2026, 07:22:18 PM IST
Iran US tensions news LIVE: Iran says elementary school attack ‘will not go unanswered’
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has said the attack on a girls’ elementary school in Minab, a city in the Hormozgan province of southern Iran, will “not go unanswered.”
According to the state-run IRNA news outlet, the attack killed 53 students. Araghchi said the victims were all “innocent children”.
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- 28 Feb 2026, 07:18:12 PM IST
Iran US tensions news LIVE: IRGC says attacks on US bases, Israel ‘to continue’
According to the Fars news agency, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has said Iranian attacks on Israel as well as on US bases and interests across the region will “continue unabated”.
- 28 Feb 2026, 07:15:20 PM IST
Iran US tensions news LIVE: US lawmaker calls Donald Trump's Iran Operation ‘unconstitutional’
US Senator Edward J. Markey has called President Donald Trump’s military attack on Iran “illegal and unconstitutional”.
“It was not approved by Congress and holds dangers for all Americans. Trump’s illegal actions raise the threat of escalation into a wider regional war with grave risks for US troops and civilians in the region. Trump has consistently exaggerated the imminence of Iran’s nuclear threat, even after insisting the United States ‘obliterated’ Iran’s nuclear program during his illegal Operation Midnight Hammer attack,” he said in a statement.
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- 28 Feb 2026, 07:11:18 PM IST
Iran US tensions news LIVE: Russian Embassy asks citizens to leave Iran
The Russian Embassy in Tehran has asked its citizens to leave Iran via Armenia or Azerbaijan.
- 28 Feb 2026, 07:06:48 PM IST
Iran US tensions news LIVE: Death toll in school strike rises to 53
The death toll after a strike on a girls' school has risen to 53, according to Iran's state-run Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA), which cites a spokesperson for the country's ministry of education.
According to the report, the school was "targeted by three missile attacks" today. An additional 63 people were injured in the attacks, it added.
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- 28 Feb 2026, 07:03:22 PM IST
Iran US tensions news LIVE: Oil tankers avoiding the vital Hormuz Strait
A number of oil tankers are avoiding sailing through the Hormuz shipping strait that links the oil-rich Persian Gulf to the open seas, with some shipowners taking a cautious approach to the narrow waterway after the US and Israel bombed Iran.
While the stretch of water remains open and some vessels continue to pass through, tankers are piling up both inside and outside the entrance, according to tracking data compiled by Bloomberg.
- 28 Feb 2026, 07:01:10 PM IST
Iran US tensions news LIVE: Baghdad denounces strikes on Iran, warns against involving Iraq
Iraqi authorities denounced US-Israeli strikes on neighbouring Iran and warned against drawing Iraq into the conflict, after air strikes killed two people in the country's south.
Sabah Al-Numan, the military spokesman for the prime minister, said that Iraq "condemned the unjustified aggression against the Islamic republic", and "warned of the consequences of the blatant aggression" against Iraqi sites.
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- 28 Feb 2026, 06:55:02 PM IST
Iran US tensions news LIVE: Erbil International Airport in Iraq targeted by a drone
The Erbil International Airport in the Kurdish region of northern Iraq has been targeted again, Al Jazeera reported.
The latest incident involved a drone which air defences intercepted and shot down.
- 28 Feb 2026, 06:53:04 PM IST
Iran US tensions news LIVE: White House indicates Donald Trump will not give another address
The White House issued a statement saying reports that Donald Trump would address the nation on Saturday morning are inaccurate.
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- 28 Feb 2026, 06:46:06 PM IST
Iran US tensions news LIVE: Multiple US assets targeted by Tehran
Iran has targeted US assets across the Gulf Arab states in retaliation for a huge joint attack on Iran by the US and Israel.
The Iranian government on Saturday confirmed its attacks on several targets, according to the Fars news agency, including Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, where US airbases are hosted.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed all Israeli and US military targets in the Middle East have been struck “by the powerful blows of Iranian missiles”.
- 28 Feb 2026, 06:40:45 PM IST
Iran US tensions news LIVE: Two killed in strikes on Iraq base
Two people were killed Saturday in air strikes on an Iraqi military base housing the powerful pro-Iran group Kataeb Hezbollah, which has threatened the US with an imminent response.
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