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US-Israel attack on Iran: Tehran launches retaliatory strikes as Trump says ‘major combat operation’ under way – live
What we know so far
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Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) says it has fired missiles against US military bases in the Gulf in retaliation against the major US-Israel attack on Iran. Explosions were reported in Bahrain, Kuwait, the UAE and Qatar. One person has been killed from shrapnel from an Iranian missile in the UAE, officials said.
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Explosions shook the Iranian capital Tehran, where people reported seeing smoke rising from the district that includes the presidential palace.
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Iran has also launched multiple waves of missiles at Israel, with blasts reported in the skies over Jerusalem. The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said air defence systems were working to shoot down the “barrage of missiles” launched from Iran.
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Israeli officials told media that top Iranian regime and military leaders, including Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and president Masoud Pezeshkian, were targeted in the attacks.
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It is believed that Khamenei is not in Tehran and has been taken to a secure location, while Iranian media is reporting that Pezeshkian is safe.
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US president Donald Trump has vowed that the “massive and ongoing” campaign against Iran would crush its military, eliminate its nuclear programme and bring about a change in government. “Our objective is to defend the American people by eliminating imminent threats from the Iranian regime, a vicious group of very hard, terrible people,” he said.
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Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the “joint operation” against the Iranian government could “create the conditions for the brave Iranian people to take their destiny into their own hands”.
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Talks between the US and Iran on Tehran’s nuclear programme ended inconclusively on Friday, with a suggestion that further discussions would be held next week. Trump had said he was “not happy” with the progress of discussions.
Key events
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World leaders react to attacks
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Iran will ‘teach aggressors lesson they deserve’, says Tehran foreign minister
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Iran missile strikes Kuwait base hosting Italian troops, official says
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Oman foreign minister ‘dismayed’ by attacks, tells US ‘this is not your war’
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Saudi Arabia condemns Iran attacks against Gulf nations
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40 killed in girls’ school in Iran after US-Israel attack, state media says
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Bahrain authorities evacuate people from US base location
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Airlines that have cancelled flights to the region
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British Airways cancels flights to Tel Aviv and Bahrain
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What we know so far
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Iran’s supreme leader and president were targets of attack – reports
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Analysis: Yet another mid-talks attack jeopardises chances of Iran taking Trump seriously
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Foreign office issues warning to British nationals in region amid attacks
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One person killed in Abu Dhabi, says UAE defence ministry
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Iran targets US bases in Kuwait, UAE, Qatar and Bahrain
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US navy fleet ‘subject to missile attack’ in Bahrain
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Iran launch missiles at US base in Bahrain – report
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Gulf countries close airspace
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Iranian officials ‘main target’ of US-Israel strikes – reports
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‘No red lines’ in Iran’s response to attacks, says official
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Flights suspended and airspaces closed in region
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What we know so far
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Netanyahu: Attacks on Iran to remove ‘existential threat’
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Netanyahu: US-Israel attacks against Iran will allow Iranians to topple Ayatollah regime
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‘Take over your government’, Trump tells Iranian people
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Iran launched missiles at Israel, says IDF
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Schools and workplaces closed in Jerusalem until Monday
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‘We are going to raze their missile industry to the ground’ – Trump
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Lay down your arms or ‘face certain death’, Trump tells Revolutionary Guards
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US military has launched ‘major combat operations’ in Iran – Trump
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Mobile phone services cut in Iran
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Blasts heard in several cities – reports
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Images show smoke rising from Tehran
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Iran closes its airspace
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Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is not in Tehran
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Loud blasts and columns of smoke in Tehran, report AFP journalists
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Israel strikes Iran
World leaders react to attacks
Prime minister Keir Starmer is chairing a meeting of the UK government’s Cobra emergency committee as Britain decides how to respond to the US-Israeli bombing of Iran, and Tehran’s retaliation against bases in the Gulf.
A government spokesperson said:
“Iran must never be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon and that is why we have continually supported efforts to reach a negotiated solution. Our immediate priority is the safety of UK nationals in the region and we will provide them with consular assistance, available 24/7.
“As part of our longstanding commitments to the security of our allies in the Middle East, we have a range of defensive capabilities in the region, which we have recently bolstered. We stand ready to protect our interests.
“We do not want to see further escalation into a wider regional conflict.”
French president Emmanuel Macron has called for an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council and that his country “stands ready to deploy the necessary resources” to its closest partners in the region.
France hosts several military bases in the Middle East, notably in Qatar, the UAE and Jordan, all countries which have been targeted by Iranian missiles today.
He said:
The ongoing escalation is dangerous for all. It must stop. The Iranian regime must understand that it now has no other option but to engage in good faith in negotiations to end its nuclear and ballistic programs, as well as its regional destabilization activities. This is absolutely necessary for the security of all in the Middle East.
The Iranian people must also be able to freely build their future. The massacres committed by the Islamic regime disqualify it and demand that the voice be returned to the people. The sooner, the better.
European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen called for restraint and described the developments in Iran as “deeply concerning”.
She said:
Ensuring nuclear safety and preventing any actions that could further escalate tensions or undermine the global non-proliferation regime is of critical importance.
Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov condemned the strikes against ally Iran and held a phone call with Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi, his ministry said.
In a statement, the ministry said:
[Lavrov] condemned the unprovoked armed attack by the US and Israel on Iran, which violates the principles and norms of international law and completely disregards the grave consequences for regional and global stability and security.”
The UN human rights chief Volker Türk urged for the bombing to stop as he implored all parties “to see reason” and return to the negotiating table.
He said:
Bombs and missiles are not the way to resolve differences but only result in death, destruction and human misery.
Iran will ‘teach aggressors lesson they deserve’, says Tehran foreign minister
Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi, who headed the nuclear talks for the Iranian delegation, vowed that his country would defend itself against the strikes by Israel and the US.
In a defiant message posted on social media, he said:
Netanyahu and Trump’s war on Iran is wholly unprovoked, illegal, and illegitimate.
Trump has turned ‘America First’ into ‘Israel First’— which always means ‘America Last’.
Our powerful armed forces are prepared for this day and will teach the aggressors the lesson they deserve
Helena Smith
Cyprus, the EU’s closest state to the Middle East, has activated emergency plans to evacuate third-country nationals from the region.
Within hours of the start of the US-Israeli offensive, the island’s foreign minister, Constantinos Kombos, announced the emergency move.
“We are closely monitoring the developments in the region and remain in constant contact with our diplomatic missions on the ground,” he wrote on X.
“In light of this situation, the special national plan ESTIA has been activated. ESTIA is the ministry of foreign affairs’ emergency action plan, enabling the safe evacuation of EU and third-country nationals from nearby crisis areas in the wider Middle East via Cyprus.”
The government would respond to developments as they unfolded, he said.
Located less than an hour from the coast of Lebanon, the country has frequently operated as a point of refuge at times of crisis with airport facilities in Larnaca being used to evacuate thousands from the Middle East when conflict erupts.
Iran missile strikes Kuwait base hosting Italian troops, official says
Lorenzo Tondo
An Iranian missile struck a military base in Kuwait hosting Italian troops, causing what officials described as “significant damage” to the runway, according to reports carried by the AFP news agency.
Other sources suggested that one of the projectiles hit a Nato facility in the country, inflicting “extensive damage” on the site.
Italy’s foreign minister, Antonio Tajani, confirmed the attack, saying the base houses around 300 Italian service members. All personnel were reported safe and unharmed.
Oman foreign minister ‘dismayed’ by attacks, tells US ‘this is not your war’
The Omani foreign minister Badr Albusaidi, who has been mediating indirect nuclear talks between the US and Iran over the past month, said he is “dismayed’ by the violence that has erupted in the Middle East.
In a social media post, he said:
I am dismayed. Active and serious negotiations have yet again been undermined. Neither the interests of the United States nor the cause of global peace are well served by this. And I pray for the innocents who will suffer. I urge the United States not to get sucked in further. This is not your war.
You can read our diplomatic editor Patrick Wintour’s analysis on today’s attacks and their impact on the negotiations here:
Qatar’s defence ministry has just issued a statement saying it successfully thwarted a third wave of missiles launched from Iran.
“The ministry confirms that the threat was addressed immediately upon detection and in accordance with pre-approved operational plan,” the statement read.
Saudi Arabia condemns Iran attacks against Gulf nations
Saudi Arabia has condemned the “blatant Iranian aggression” on Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, Jordan and the UAE, which have all faced retaliatory strikes.
In a statement posted on social media, it said:
The Kingdom affirms its full solidarity with and unwavering support for the brotherly countries, and its readiness to place all its capabilities at their disposal in support of any measures they may undertake. It also warns of the grave consequences resulting from the continued violation of states’ sovereignty and the principles of international law.
Journalists at the AFP news agency reported several explosions in the Saudi capital Riyadh this morning, although officials have not commented on this.
40 killed in girls’ school in Iran after US-Israel attack, state media says
Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency has reported that at least 40 people were killed after an Israeli strike hit a girls’ elementary school in Minab in the southern Hormozgan province.
At least 45 others were wounded in the attack, the news agency reported. It provided no further details about the casualties.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has a base located in Minab, according to reports.
Bahrain authorities evacuate people from US base location
Bahrain’s interior minister said it has begun to evacuate people from the Juffair area, south-east of the capital Manama, where a US naval base is located.
“We urge your cooperation with the relevant authorities,” the ministry said in a statement posted on social media.
We reported earlier of the multiple explosions near the US navy’s fifth fleet headquarters in Bahrain.
Jason Burke
An Israeli military official just held a media briefing, telling journalists that Israel and the US had launched a joint offensive against Iran that had been planned for months and had much more ambitious aims than those of the previous round of conflict between Israel and Iran in June last year.
Describing Iran as an “enormous threat” to Israel, the US, the region and the world, the official said that Israel’s mission was to “significantly reduce and degrade the Iranian regime’s capabilities” and that Israel’s operations would continue “as long as necessary”. The aim was a “bigger change, for years to come”, they said.
The official refused to confirm or deny that Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, was among the targets, adding that Iran’s air defence system was one of the priorities for Israel’s initial wave of strikes.
“The Iranian regime has the blood of tens of thousands on its hands … A lot of their leadership is involved in efforts aiming at the destruction of Israel and military planning, so they can be targets,” the official said.
The official said Israel had identified a “sharp acceleration” in the Iran’s production of missiles, as well as efforts to move forward again with its nuclear programme despite the destruction inflicted last year.
“They are developing dozens of ballistic missiles each month, and their pace of production is getting faster and faster,” he said.
“This is a regime that is moving forward towards producing thousands of missiles in the coming years. A dramatic expansion of an already dangerous arsenal,” the source added.
The official said Israel has mobilised 70,000 reservists — mainly air defence staff but also others — and deployed troops to defend its borders against any scenario.
Airlines that have cancelled flights to the region
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Aegean Airlines – flights to and from Tel Aviv in Israel, Beirut in Lebanon and Erbil in Iraq until 2 March.
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Air France – cancelled flights to and from Tel Aviv in Israel and Beirut in Lebanon today.
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British Airways – cancelled flights to Tel Aviv and Bahrain until 3 March and its flight to Amman in Jordan today.
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Iberia Express – cancelled a flight to Tel Aviv scheduled for today.
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Japan Airlines – cancelled a flight today from Tokyo Haneda to Doha in Qatar as well as a return flight on 1 March.
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Lufthansa – suspended flights to and from Tel Aviv in Israel, Beirut in Lebanon, and Oman until 7 March and flights to and from Dubai in the UAE this weekend.
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Norwegian Air – suspended all flights to and from Dubai until 4 March.
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Turkish Airlines – cancelled flights to Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, the UAE and Oman today and flights to Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Iran and Jordan until 2 March.
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Virgin Atlantic – cancelled its VS400 service from London Heathrow to Dubai today.
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Qatar Airways – suspended flights to and from Doha due to the closure of Qatari airspace.
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Wizz Air – halted flights to and from Israel, Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Amman with until 7 March.
