Iran news and live updates: Trump hints at retaliation to Iranian strikes on US embassy in Saudi Arabia

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has denied his country “dragged” the United States into a war with Iran.

“That’s ridiculous. Donald Trump is the strongest leader in the world. He does what he thinks is right for America,” Mr Netanyahu told Fox News.

“I know the cost of war, but I know that sometimes war is necessary to protect us from the people who would destroy us.”

“We had to take the action now, and we did,” he told Fox News.

“Otherwise, the Iranian mass murder regime would have immunity from future action.”

Mr Netanyahu said when he met Donald Trump, the US President told him “we have to prevent Iran from getting nukes, as simple as that.”

“To have a regime like that, so fanatic that it just defines itself by destroying America, exporting revolution, exporting terrorism, exporting the worst Islamist fanaticism that attacks Arabs, attacks Israelis, attacks Americans, attacks everyone inside … to have a regime like that, that plans to eradicate the United States, have the weapons of mass death, would have been the greatest threat that America would face in the coming decades,” he said.

Kellie Meyer shared details of a brief, two-minute phone call with the US President, during which he also claimed he was “very close” to achieving his objectives.

Meyer reported that Mr Trump said he would put American boots on the ground “only if necessary,” though he didn’t believe it would come to that. He also stated that attacks on US sites are considered part of war.

More than 130 cities across the country have been targeted in the ongoing escalation.

In Lebanon, Israeli strikes have claimed over 50 lives, the country’s Health Ministry confirmed earlier this morning.

Meanwhile, in Israel, Iranian counterstrikes have killed 11 people as tensions across the region continue to escalate.

At least 15 Etihad flights have departed from Abu Dhabi airport in a major effort to move stranded passengers, according to flight tracking service Flightradar24.

The aircraft left within a three-hour window, bound for destinations including Islamabad, Paris, Amsterdam, Mumbai, Cairo and London, as airlines begin cautiously resuming limited movements after days of disruption linked to the escalating Middle East conflict.

“A total of 15 Etihad Airways passenger aircraft have taken off from Abu Dhabi within a three-hour window, likely helping to clear transit passengers who have been stuck there since the start of the conflict,” Flightradar24 posted on X.

“According to official information from Etihad Airways all flights to and from Abu Dhabi are suspended until 14:00 UAE time on Tuesday 3 March.”

The update suggests the departures were carefully coordinated to ease mounting congestion at the airport, where transit passengers have reportedly been stranded since hostilities began.

• The Australian Government is considering contingencies on how to bring home tens of thousands of citizens stranded in the Middle East as the US-Israel war on Iran widens, Defence Minister Richard Marles said, describing the situation as a “very significant consular challenge”.
• As reported by The Nightly on Monday, Mr Marles also confirmed that Australia’s Al Minhad air base near Dubai was targeted by Iranian drones over the weekend, though all personnel stationed there are safe.
• US President Donald Trump has delivered his first public address since the conflict erupted, saying the US and Israel could not wait any longer before striking Iran. The attack on Iran was “our last, best chance to strike” and to eliminate the “intolerable threats posed by this sick and sinister regime”, Mr Trump said.
• The US embassy in Riyadh was reportedly struck by two suspected Iranian drones, sparking a fire and prompting an urgent “shelter in place immediately” warning for American citizens in Saudi Arabia. No injuries have been reported.
• The Israeli military says it has killed Islamic Johad’s top commander in Lebanon. “Abu Hamza Rami carried out hundreds of terrorist attacks against IDF troops and Israeli civilians, including recruiting and training terrorists and procuring weapons,” the Israel Defense Force said.
• A senior Iranian Revolutionary Guard official has declared the Strait of Hormuz closed, vowing Iran would fire on any vessel attempting to pass through it, according to Iranian state media.
• Three US fighter jets were mistakenly shot down by Kuwaiti air defences, though all six crew members ejected safely. US Central Command confirmed the American death toll has risen to six after recovering the remains of two previously unaccounted-for personnel.
• Iran has intensified its attacks across the region, launching strikes on Israel, Lebanon, the UAE, Kuwait and Iraq. Iraq’s Foreign Ministry says more than 70 missile and drone strikes have hit the city of Erbil since Saturday.
• Saudi Arabia’s largest oil refinery, Ras Tanura, was shut down after shrapnel from an intercepted Iranian drone ignited a major fire at the facility.
• Iran’s Red Crescent says the national death toll has now surpassed 550 as US and Israeli forces focus their operations on Tehran.

The US embassy in Riyadh has issued a security warning urging American citizens in Saudi Arabia to remain indoors.

In a post shared on X, the embassy said:

The US Mission to Saudi Arabia has issued a shelter in place notification for Jeddah, Riyadh and Dhahran and are limiting non-essential travel to any military installations in the region – we recommend American citizens in the Kingdom to shelter in place immediately.

The US Mission to Saudi Arabia continues to monitor the regional situation.

The alert was issued after a Saudi defence ministry spokesperson reportedly said two drones struck the embassy, sparking a fire.

The US embassy in Saudi Arabia has reportedly been struck by two suspected Iranian drones, according to sources who spoke to CNN.

No injuries were reported, said one of the sources.

The diplomatic compound, based in the Saudi capital Riyadh, is understood to be among several American facilities Iran has targeted as part of its retaliatory attacks linked to the ongoing US-Israel military campaign.

The alleged strike comes just hours after the country’s largest oil refinery, Ras Tanura, was forced to shut down.

Shrapnel from an intercepted drone reportedly ignited a fire that ripped through the site.

Anthony Albanese also addressed the outbreak of war in his remarks to the caucus.

He said it would be causing distress to the many Australians with family and friends in the Middle East.

“We stand with the people of Iran against an oppressive regime, and Iran, through the IRGC, had organised attacks on our own soil,” he said.

Penny Wong has told colleagues the fact the major transport hubs in the Middle East had been attacked is massively hindering the ability to help stranded Australians.

The Foreign Minister gave a comprehensive update on the Middle East situation to a small committee of Labor MPs on Tuesday morning, then a briefer version to the full caucus meeting.

“The major transport hubs have previously been part of a solution in getting people home - this time, they are part of the problem,” she told the larger meeting, according to a senior Labor source.

“The hubs being hit means the number of people affected has massively increased and our capacity to help them has been massively reduced.”