Iran chooses new supreme leader

Rafael Grossi says there’s no evidence Iran is building a nuclear bomb but he noted the country’s refusal to grant International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors full access to facilities is a matter of “serious concern”.

“I have been very clear and consistent in my reports on Iran’s nuclear programme. While there has been no evidence of Iran building a nuclear bomb, its large stockpile of near-weapons grade enriched uranium and refusal to grant my inspectors full access are cause for serious concern,” Grossi said in a social media post.

“For these reasons my previous reports indicate that unless and until Iran assists the IAEA in resolving the outstanding safeguards issues, the agency will not be in a position to provide assurance that Iran’s nuclear programme is exclusively peaceful.” [Al Jazeera English]

Qatar said it had dismantled two spy cells linked to Iran's Revolutionary Guards, its official press agency reported just after midnight Wednesday, after Tehran launched missiles at drones across the Gulf for a fourth day in retaliation for US-Israeli strikes.

"Close surveillance made it possible to arrest 10 suspects. Seven were tasked with spying and gathering information about vital and military infrastructure in the country, and three were meant to carry out sabotage operations," the agency said.

It added the suspects "admitted during the investigation their links to the Revolutionary Guards and having been instructed to conduct espionage and sabotage activities". [AFP]

Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed a drone strike Tuesday adjacent to the US consulate in Dubai and said all personnel were safe.

"A drone unfortunately struck a parking lot adjacent to the chancellery building and then set off a fire in that place. All personnel are accounted for," Rubio told reporters in Washington. [AFP]

A drone attack caused a fire near the US consulate in Dubai on Tuesday, a government statement said, a day after the US embassy in Riyadh was hit by an Iranian strike.

"Dubai authorities have confirmed that a fire resulting from a drone-related incident near the US Consulate has been successfully contained," the official Dubai Media Office posted on X. [AFP]

Iran's Assembly of Experts elected Ali Khamenei's son Mojtaba as the next supreme leader under pressure from the Revolutionary Guards, Iran International reported.

The Pentagon's policy chief on Tuesday distanced the United States from the death of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, saying he was killed by an Israeli strike.

Testifying before the Senate Armed Services Committee, Elbridge Colby said the strike that killed Khamenei and other senior Iranian leaders was not part of the American military campaign. [AFP]

Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, killed Saturday in US-Israeli strikes, will be buried in the holy city of Mashhad, the Fars news agency said Tuesday.

Khamenei, who died at 86 after leading for 36 years, was originally from Mashhad, Iran's second-largest city, where his father is buried at the Imam Reza shrine. No date for the burial was disclosed. [AFP]

Iran fired another salvo of missiles at Israel on Tuesday evening, the Revolutionary Guards said in a statement carried by the Fars news agency.

"The sixteenth wave of 'Operation True Promise 4' has begun with a large number of missiles and drones launched by the aerospace forces of the Revolutionary Guards against the heart of the occupied territories," the statement said, referring to Israel. [AFP]

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Tuesday that Iran's new leadership, when elected and formed, could provide a window of opportunity to end the war with the United States and Israel.

Fidan told state broadcaster TRT Haber any compromise that may be needed would be better than prolonging the war, and added he hoped the new Iranian leadership would "show the will" to end the conflict. [Reuters]

French President Emmanuel Macron has ordered aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle, its air assets, and its frigate escort to set sail for the Mediterranean following the situation in the Middle East, he said on Tuesday in an address to the nation.

"Faced with this unstable situation and the uncertainties of the coming days, I have ordered the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle, its air assets, and its frigate escort to set sail for the Mediterranean," he said. [Reuters]

The US State Department said on Tuesday it was facilitating charter flights from the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Jordan for citizens who wished to leave. [Reuters]

Israel's military chief on Tuesday said his forces would keep attacking Hezbollah until the Iran-backed Lebanese group was disarmed, as the war in the Middle East raged for a fourth day.

"We are determined to eliminate the threat Hezbollah poses and will not stop until this organisation is disarmed," Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir was quoted as saying in a military statement.

The latest round of fighting between Hezbollah and Israel started early Monday when Hezbollah launched rockets towards Israel in retaliation for the killing of Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei in US-Israeli attacks on Saturday. [AFP]

The Israeli military said on Tuesday that it had killed the commander of Iran's Quds Force in Lebanon, Daoud Ali Zadeh, in a strike on Tehran. [Reuters]

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday said that two waves of US-Israeli attacks on Iran had killed figures he had eyed as potential new leaders.

"Most of the people we had in mind are dead," Trump said as he met German Chancellor Friedrich Merz at the White House.

"Now we have another group. They may be dead also, based on reports." [AFP]

The United States military has carried out strikes against more than 1,700 targets in Iran, US Central Command said on Tuesday.

In a fact sheet, US Central Command said the strikes, which started on Saturday, had targeted Iranian Navy ships, submarines, and anti-ship missile sites along with command and control centers. [Reuters]

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov spoke by phone on Tuesday with his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araqchi, Russia's foreign ministry said.

The ministers discussed the development of the situation in the region "resulting from the unprovoked armed aggression by the United States and Israel against Iran," the ministry said.

Lavrov reiterated Russia's call for de-escalation, rejected the use of force and urged a political and diplomatic resolution, saying Moscow stood ready to help. [Reuters]

US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that he expected oil prices to drop as soon as his administration's military operations in Iran ends.

He made his comments in the Oval Office ahead of a meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. [Reuters]

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday said the United States would cut off all trade with Spain after the European country refused to let the US military use its bases for missions linked to strikes on Iran.

"Spain has been terrible," Trump told reporters during a meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, adding that he had told Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to "cut off all dealings" with Spain.

"We're going to cut off all trade with Spain. We don't want anything to do with Spain," he added. [Reuters]

Pakistan says at least 300 Iranian citizens have reached the country, as Israeli and US attacks continue throughout Iran.

Pakistan's leaders are balancing competing relationships right now. Pakistan nominated President Trump for a Nobel Peace Prize last year, as its rapport with the US grew.

But despite being a Sunni-majority country, there are Shia communities across Pakistan, who strongly oppose the war in Iran. (Source: BBC)

The US embassy in Saudi Arabia is warning of imminent missile and drone attacks over Dhahran, where a US consulate is located.

US citizens are urged to shelter in place and "review security plans in the event of an attack".

Dhahran, on Saudi's east coast, is a major centre of the oil industry – and is home to the headquarters of the Saudi national oil firm Aramco. (Source: BBC)

President Donald Trump criticised Prime Minister Keir Starmer for a second time this week, saying it was "sad to see" the so-called special relationship deteriorate after Britain initially held off providing support for US strikes on Iran.

Starmer said Britain did not take part in the assault on Tehran by the United States and Israel because any British military action must have a "viable, thought-through plan" and he did not believe in "regime change from the skies".

In the Commons, Starmer was explicit in acknowledging his disagreement with President Donald Trump – perhaps his biggest and most consequential such disagreement yet.

He further said that the American and Israeli actions were not right and implying they were not lawful either – but that it was both right and lawful to authorise the US to use UK airbases in order to protect British allies in the Gulf from attack.

Trump said he did not need Britain's support to strike Iran but said the delay had been disappointing.

"It's very sad to see that the relationship is obviously not what it was," Trump told the Sun newspaper in an interview published on Tuesday. (Source: BBC, Reuters)

Iran is detaining at least six US citizens or permanent residents, according to detainee advocates, raising fears they and thousands of Americans believed trapped in the country could be used as bargaining chips in the escalating war with the US and Israel.

The detainees are among what some experts estimate are possibly thousands of dual US-Iranian nationals and green-card holders who have remained in Iran despite repeated US warnings not to travel there because of the threat of being arrested.

Iran does not recognise dual citizenship, meaning that other governments cannot provide diplomatic protection or consular services to their citizens who also hold Iranian nationality.

The UN human rights office on Tuesday urged what it called the forces behind a deadly attack on a girls' school in Iran to investigate and share insights into the incident, without naming any perpetrator.

"The onus is on the forces that carried out the attack to investigate it," UN human rights office spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani told a Geneva press briefing.

"This is absolutely horrific," Shamdasani said.

Germany's foreign ministry summoned the Iranian ambassador on Tuesday to call on the country's leadership to stop attacks on states in the region, it said in a post on X.

"We have unequivocally called on the Iranian regime to immediately cease its reckless attacks on countries in the region," the ministry posted on the social media platform. [Reuters]

Lebanon's Hezbollah said on Tuesday that it had downed an Israeli drone over the southern Lebanese town of Nabatieh, without specifying whether the target was a surveillance or attack drone. There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military.

In its 2024 war with Israel, Hezbollah downed several Israeli surveillance drones over Lebanon. (Source: Reuters)

At ⁠least ⁠30,000 displaced people have sought protection in ⁠shelters in Lebanon since hostilities between ⁠Israel and Hezbollah began on Monday, says UNHCR.

“Many more slept in their cars on ⁠the side of ⁠roads or were still ⁠stuck in traffic jams on the roads,” said UNHCR spokesperson ⁠Babar Baloch.

Source: Al Jazeera

Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz says he has instructed the army to take control of more positions in Lebanon.

“Netanyahu and I have approved for the [military] to advance and seize additional controlling areas in Lebanon to prevent firing on Israeli border settlements,” he said in a post on X.

Source: Al Jazeera

Iran’s Foreign Ministry says the government is focused on “defence” following reported attempts at negotiations.

“Eternal disgrace will remain upon those (US and Israel) who claimed to pursue diplomacy but, in the face of Iran’s logic, bowed down and turned to the military option,” said spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei.

In a statement on Telegram, the Israel Defence Force (IDF) said "numerous munitions" were dropped on Iran's Presidential Office and the Supreme National Security Council on Tuesday.

It adds that a military training institution and "additional key regime infrastructure" were also hit. [BBC]

Around 787 people have been killed in Iran since the US and Israel launched strikes at the country on Saturday, Iran's Red Crescent Society says.

Meanwhile, US-based Human Rights Activists in Iran (HRANA) reports that 742 civilians have died, including 176 children.

Source: BBC

The International Atomic Energy Agency has said it can confirm, based on the latest available satellite imagery, “some recent damage to entrance buildings” of Iran’s underground Natanz Fuel Enrichment Plant (FEP).

“No radiological consequence expected and no additional impact detected at FEP itself, which was severely damaged in the June conflict,” it added, referring to the 12-day war launched by Israel against Iran last year that also included US attacks on the Natanz facility alongside two others.

In a social media post, Khawaja Asif calls Zionism a driving force behind instability in the Muslim world and a “threat to humanity”, warning that the war on Iran threatens Pakistan’s security.

“From the establishment of Israel on the land of Palestine until today, every catastrophe that has befallen the Islamic world, every war imposed upon it, will show the direct or indirect hand of Zionist ideology and the state,” the defence minister said as he hailed Pakistan’s nuclear capability as a shield against external threats.

Asif argued that the current conflict had been “imposed upon” Iran despite its readiness to reach an agreement in negotiations with the US. (Al Jazeera)

France has deployed Rafale fighter jets over the United Arab Emirates to protect its naval and air bases against Iranian attacks, Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said Tuesday.

France has hundreds of navy, air force and army personnel based in the United Arab Emirates. Its Rafale aircraft are stationed at the Dhafra base near Abu Dhabi.

"These Rafales and their pilots are mobilised to ensure the security of our facilities," Barrot told the BFMTV broadcaster in response to a question on French action in the United Arab Emirates over the weekend to neutralise Iranian drones. (AFP)

A magnitude 4.3 earthquake struck the Gerash region in southern Iran on Tuesday, adding to an already tense situation as US and Israeli military strikes continue across the country. There were no immediate reports of significant damage or casualties from the tremor.

At least five people have been killed and 25 injured in a US-Israeli attack on residential neighbourhoods in Hamadan, western Iran, Mehr news agency is reporting.

The report added that the strikes hit populated areas, causing civilian casualties.

Drones targeted an Omani port on Tuesday, hitting a fuel tank, state media said, as Iran presses its retaliation campaign on the Gulf in response to US and Israeli strikes.

"A security source reported that fuel tanks at the commercial port of Duqm were targeted by a number of drones, one of which hit a fuel tank. The resulting damage was contained without any human casualties," the Oman News Agency said in statement.

Iran has held a mass funeral ceremony for 165 people, including students, killed in an attack on a girls’ school in the southern city of Minab.

Iranian state television showed thousands of people filling a public square. From the stage, a women who said she was the mother of “Atena” held up a printed image of portraits that she called “a document of American crimes”.

The crowd erupted into chants of “Death to America,” “Death to Israel” and “No surrender.”

Iranian state media has blamed Israel for targeting the school. An Israeli military spokesperson said on Sunday that he was not aware of any Israeli or US strikes in the area.

The Israeli military said Tuesday it had deployed troops to several locations in southern Lebanon in what it described in a statement as a "forward defence" measure along the border.

"We have positioned soldiers on the border area in additional points to defend our civilians, to prevent Hezbollah from attacking them," military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani told journalists in a separate briefing.

"This is not a ground operation. This is a tactical measure... to ensure the safety of our people," he added.

The US Embassy in Jerusalem said it was "not in a position at this time to evacuate or directly assist Americans in departing Israel."

The US ambassador to Israel in a post on X advised American citizens seeking to leave to travel via Egypt and not through Jordan.

The US and Israel carried out two fresh strikes on Iran’s Natanz nuclear facility over the weekend, according to Mohammad Eslami, Tehran’s atomic energy chief.

Satellite imagery captured on Sunday and Monday shows the aftermath of the attack on the Natanz nuclear complex. (Al Jazeera)

Drone stikes blamed on Iran hit on Tuesday a camp hosting Iranian Kurdish fighters and family members in northern Iraq, a local official and an exiled opposition group said.

A local official in the Koysinjaq district, Tareq al-Haidari, told AFP "three Iranian drones targeted the Azadi camp, which belongs to Iranian Kurdish opposition parties in the district."

One drone directly hit the camp's hospital, wounding one person, said Haidari and a commander from the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (PDKI). (AFP)

The US State Department has ordered non-emergency government personnel and their families to depart Qatar and Kuwait, following a similar security alert for Jordan, Bahrain and Iraq.

The US Embassy in Kuwait on X said it will be closed until further notice, citing "ongoing regional tensions". [Reuters]

Amid the ongoing war situation in the Middle East, Bangladesh’s international air connectivity has suffered a major setback as operations at airports in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and Doha remain suspended.

Authorities at Shah Amanat International Airport announced the cancellation of seven more international flights operated by different airlines on Tuesday morning.

The diplomatic mission has updated its travel advisory in Iraq, ordering non-emergency US government employees to leave the country “due to security reasons”.

It also said US government personnel in Baghdad were prohibited from using the city’s international airport over security risks.

The mission said it is closing today “due to the current security situation” and said that all in-person appointments are cancelled through Friday, March 6.