Iran-US war latest: Israel launches fresh strikes on Tehran as US names soldiers killed in drone attack
IDF reports 300 Iranian missile launchers destroyed as ‘Epic Fury’ intensifies
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The Israeli military said it launched a “broad wave” of strikes in Tehran early on Wednesday, just hours after Iranian state media reported that the Revolutionary Guard had carried out a fresh barrage of missile and drone strikes on Israel.
IDF said the strikes targeted “the Iranian terror regime’s launch sites, aerial defence systems and additional infrastructure”.
The US Central Command said American and Israeli forces had struck over 1,700 targets in Iran since the start of the war and “severely degraded” Iranian air defences.
The Pentagon, meanwhile, named the first four American personnel killed in the widening conflict with Iran.
Capt Cody A Khork, 35, Sgt 1st Class Noah L Tietjens, 42, Sgt 1st Class Nicole M Amor, 39, and Sgt Declan J Coady, 20, were identified on Tuesday, two days after they were killed in Kuwait.
They were killed in a drone attack on a military facility at Port Shuaiba while “supporting Operation Epic Fury”.
The Donald Trump administration had yet to identify two other American service members killed in the conflict.
Israel issued evacuation warnings for multiple villages in southern Lebanon ahead of a likely offensive, while Saudi Arabia said it intercepted nine drones overnight.
Trump-Iran latest: Key Points
Trump criticises Starmer: ‘This is not Winston Churchill we’re dealing with’
US president Donald Trump said he has been pleased with some European allies but is dissatisfied with others, specifically singling out the UK.
“I’m not happy with the UK,” the US president said.
“It’s taken three, four days for us to work out where we can land,” Trump said.
Referring to Starmer, he added: “This is not Winston Churchill that we’re dealing with.”
Maroosha Muzaffar4 March 2026 05:40
Trump’s ambassador to Israel accused of making ‘odd’ and ‘awkward’ sex joke in memo to staff sheltering in place
If that time “results in the birth of your next child in about 9 months, I of course expect that you will want to name the little bugger after me!” the wartime memo allegedly reads.
A U.S. official told the Post the message was “awkward” and “odd.”
Maroosha Muzaffar4 March 2026 05:30
‘We will hunt you down’: Hegseth warns enemies as department names fallen troops
‘We will hunt you down’: Hegseth warns enemies as department names fallen troops
Maroosha Muzaffar4 March 2026 05:20
Trump threatens to ‘cut off all trade’ with Spain over Iran war base dispute
US president Donald Trump has threatened to “cut off all trade” with Spain after it refused to allow US aircraft to use Spanish bases for strikes on Iran.
“So we’re going to cut off all trade with Spain. We don’t want anything to do with Spain,” Trump said, adding that he had asked treasury secretary Scott Bessent to “cut off all dealings with Spain”.
Speaking at the White House alongside German chancellor Friedrich Merz, Trump criticised Spain’s government for blocking the request and for not backing his push for Nato members to raise defence spending to 5 per cent of GDP.
Spain’s prime minister Pedro Sanchez said US use of Spanish bases must comply with the UN Charter.
Madrid responded that trade ties with the US are “mutually beneficial” and warned that any review of the relationship must respect international law and EU-US agreements.
A transport aircraft prepares for landing at UK’s RAF Akrotiri air base near Limassol, Cyprus, Tuesday, 3 March 2026 (Associated Press)
“If the US administration wishes to review this relationship, it must do so while respecting the autonomy of private companies, international law and bilateral agreements between the European Union and the US,” it said.
“Our country has the necessary resources to contain possible impacts, help sectors that may be affected, and diversify supply chains.”
Maroosha Muzaffar4 March 2026 05:10
Trump ‘does not care’ whether Iran plays in the 2026 FIFA World Cup
US president Donald Trump has said he “does not care” whether Iran plays in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, as tensions escalate following US and Israeli strikes on Iran and retaliatory attacks in the Gulf.
“I think Iran is a very badly defeated country. They’re running on fumes,” he told Politico.
The US is co-hosting the tournament with Canada and Mexico from 11 June to 19 July, and Iran has already qualified, with group matches scheduled in Los Angeles and Seattle.
The sun sets behind a plume of smoke rising after a US–Israeli military strike in Tehran, Iran, Tuesday, 3 March 2026 (Associated Press)
Despite the conflict, Iran has not withdrawn, though the head of Iran’s football federation, Mehdi Taj, has reportedly cast doubt on participation, saying it is “far from our expectations that we can look at the World Cup with hope”.
FIFA has not commented directly on Trump’s remarks, but its general secretary said the focus remains on ensuring a safe tournament “with everybody participating”.
Maroosha Muzaffar4 March 2026 05:00
US navy could begin escorting oil tankers through Strait of Hormuz, Trump says
President Donald Trump said the US Navy could begin escorting oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz if necessary, as the US-Israel war with Iran drives up global energy prices and threatens shipping routes in the Gulf.
He also said he had directed the US International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) to provide political risk insurance and financial guarantees to support maritime trade, in an effort to stabilise oil markets after crude prices spiked due to disrupted tanker movements.
Vector Map of the Strait of Hormuz with Sea Lanes, Surrounding Territories, and Shipping Routes (Getty/iStock)
Framing the move as both an economic and security measure, Trump said in a social media post: “No matter what, the United States will ensure the free flow of energy to the world.”
Maroosha Muzaffar4 March 2026 04:50
Iran’s air defences ‘severely degraded’, claims US Central Command
The US Central Command says it has “severely degraded” Iran’s air defences and destroyed “hundreds of Iran’s ballistic missiles, launchers and drones” as part of its ongoing campaign.
Providing an update on Operation Epic Fury, Admiral Brad Cooper said US forces had “struck nearly 2,000 targets and destroyed 17 Iranian ships”, adding that “there is not a single Iranian ship underway in the Arabian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz or Gulf of Oman”.
He said the focus remains on “shooting all the things that can shoot at us”.
A plume of smoke rises after a strike on the Iranian capital Tehran, on 3 March 2026 (AFP via Getty Images)
Cooper also claimed Iran had launched more than 500 ballistic missiles and over 2,000 drones, which he described as “indiscriminately targeting civilians”, calling the US campaign so far an “unprecedented success”.
“We will not stop. We will continue to conduct dynamic targeting operations or hunting Iran’s last remaining mobile ballistic missile launchers,” he said.
Maroosha Muzaffar4 March 2026 04:40
US officials to meet top defence contractors to boost weapons output – report
The Trump administration is set to meet top US defence contractors at the White House on Friday to push for faster weapons production, according to Reuters.
Executives from major firms including Lockheed Martin and Raytheon have reportedly been invited, as the Pentagon looks to replenish stockpiles depleted by strikes on Iran and ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza.
US president Donald Trump gestures as he boards Air Force One before departing Palm Beach International Airport in West Palm Beach, Florida, on 1 March 2026, on his way back to Washington, DC (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images)
The meeting signals growing urgency in Washington over weapons supplies, despite Trump saying earlier this week that the US has a virtually unlimited supply of munitions and can fight wars “forever” using existing stockpiles.
Maroosha Muzaffar4 March 2026 04:30
Fire caused by drone strike on US embassy in Dubai ‘contained’, media office says
A drone strike sparked a small fire near the US consulate in Dubai, but authorities say it has been fully extinguished with no injuries reported.
Officials confirmed the drone hit a parking area, and emergency teams quickly contained the blaze.“Dubai authorities have confirmed that a fire resulting from a drone-related incident near the US Consulate has been successfully contained,” Dubai’s media office posted online.
It added that “emergency teams responded immediately”, and in a post about 45 minutes later, the media office said the fire had been “fully extinguished” with “no injuries reported”.
The incident comes amid escalating regional tensions, with recent drone strikes also reported at the US embassy in Saudi Arabia and heightened security measures across the Gulf.
Maroosha Muzaffar4 March 2026 04:20
Israel launches ‘broad wave’ of strikes in Tehran
The US-Israeli war on Iran has entered its fifth day, with Israel launching a “broad wave” of strikes in Tehran.
Israel Defense Forces said the strikes targeted “the Iranian terror regime’s launch sites, aerial defence systems and additional infrastructure”.
Rocket trails are seen in the sky above Netanya amid a fresh barrage of Iranian missile attacks on 3 March 2026. US and Israeli strikes pummelled targets across Tehran on 3 March as US president Donald Trump warned it was ‘too late’ for Iran to seek talks to escape a war now in its fourth day. Drones and missiles crashed into oil facilities and US diplomatic missions in the Gulf as the Islamic republic retaliated, and Israel pushed troops deeper into Lebanon to battle the Tehran-backed militia Hezbollah after it entered the fray (AFP via Getty Images)
This comes after reports from Iranian state media that the Revolutionary Guard had carried out a fresh barrage of missile and drone strikes on Israel just hours earlier.
Maroosha Muzaffar4 March 2026 04:15
