Middle East crisis Highlights: Explosions in Dubai, Doha; Israel claims Iranian top commander killed

Israel's military says it The Israeli military says it struck a compound in Iran where the Iranian regime operated to develop 'necessary capabilities' for nuclear weapons.

The Israeli military claimed on Tuesday that it had killed the commander of Iran's elite Quds Force in Lebanon, Daoud Ali Zadeh, in a strike on the capital city of Tehran, Reuters reported.

A US State Department official said on X that it has been in touch with nearly 3,000 Americans abroad, and is actively securing military aircraft and charter flights for those who wish to leave Middle East. "Have helped 130 US citizens leave Israel, 100 more expected to depart," the official tweeted.

Iraqi authorities said on Tuesday that they downed a drone that had tried to target the US consulate in Erbil, Reuters reported.

President Donald Trump said there was no prior evacuation plan for Americans in the Middle East before the US-Israeli strikes on Iran, arguing the operation moved too fast to arrange one. 

“Because it did happen all very quickly,” Trump said when asked about Americans stranded in the region. He added that he believed Iran was preparing attacks against Israel and others, which prompted swift action.
 

US President Donald Trump said Iran had rapidly expanded its missile arsenal, claiming the country built “thousands of missiles” in a short span of time. He said many of those weapons had since been destroyed or used, but argued the scale of the buildup was significant.

President Donald Trump threatened to halt trade ties with Spain after it refused the use of its military bases for Iran strikes.

“Some of the European nations have been helpful, and some haven’t — and I’m very surprised. Germany’s been great... Spain has been terrible. In fact, I told Scott to cut off all dealings with Spain,” Trump said. He added that he was also dissatisfied with the United Kingdom, saying, “Spain has been very uncooperative, and so has UK,” and claiming he had the authority “to stop everything that has to do with Spain.”

Donald Trump downplayed the chances of exiled activist Reza Pahlavi becoming Iran’s next leader, saying he would prefer someone from within the country to take charge. 

“Some people like him, and we haven’t been thinking too much about that,” Trump said. While describing Pahlavi as “a very nice person,” he added that a figure already inside Iran and with public support would likely be more suitable.
 

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said he shares US President Donald Trump’s view on the need for political change in Iran, describing the leadership in Tehran as a “terrible regime.” Speaking alongside Trump, Merz said both leaders were aligned on removing the current authorities and would discuss what should follow. 

“We are on the same page in terms of getting this terrible regime in Tehran away. And we will talk about the day after, what will happen then,” he said. Merz added that he hoped the conflict would end soon and that military actions by Israel and the United States would pave the way for “a new government in place, who is coming back to peace and freedom.”

US President Donald Trump said that Iran’s decision to retaliate against neighbouring countries had caught many off guard, including himself. He suggested that some of the nations targeted had maintained relatively neutral ties with Tehran in the past. 

“Amazingly, they’re hitting countries that were, you know, let’s call them neutral, right? They lived together for a long time,” Trump said. “I think they were surprised. I was surprised, and now those countries are all fighting against them and fighting strongly against them.”

US President Donald Trump said he expects oil prices to fall once military action against Iran ends, even though prices have climbed sharply amid the widening conflict. Trump acknowledged that fuel costs could stay elevated for a short period, but insisted markets would correct once the situation stabilises and supply disruptions ease. 

US President Donald Trump said the “worst-case” outcome for Iran would be the emergence of new leadership that mirrors the current regime. Trump warned that if power were to shift in Tehran, it could result in “somebody who’s as bad as the previous person” taking control. “That could happen. We don’t want that to happen,” he said. “We’d like to see somebody in there, bring it back to the people, and we’ll see what happens.”

Trump indicated that some of the individuals previously viewed as potential leaders were no longer alive. “Of the candidates we had, some are dead,” he said, adding that “pretty soon, we’re not going to know anybody.”

When asked if Israel had forced his hand to launch strikes against Iran, President Trump rejected the idea, saying the military action was driven by what he saw as the failure of negotiations with Tehran. He argued that based on how talks were progressing, he believed Iran was likely to strike first, and that his decision was meant to pre-empt that threat. 

"I didn’t want that to happen — so if anything, I might’ve forced Israel’s hand," Trump said.

US President Donald Trump met German Chancellor Friedrich Merz at the White House, where Iran dominated discussions. Trump said he felt strongly that Iran was going to strike first and claimed "everything’s been knocked out in Iran", citing the direction of earlier talks. 

Loud bangs were heard in Abu Dhabi and Dubai in the UAE, and the Qatari capital Doha, news agency Reuters reported.

US President Donald Trump has claimed that Iran is running out of launchers and areas to shoot them since they are being "decimated". Additionally, the US Military said on Saturday that it has conducted more than 1,700 strikes against the West Asian nation since the coordinated strikes with Israel began on February 28.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Tuesday that the UK would be sending helicopters with counter-drone tech to Cyprus, and was also deploying the air defence destroyer naval vessel HMS Dragon to the country.

Israel PM Benjamin Netanyahu says Israeli pilots are over the skies of Iran and Lebanon, and that the Jewish nation will continue to respond with great force.

Air India has deployed wide body aircraft for Dubai and Jeddah rescue flights, aiming to bring back stranded Indians at full capacity. A 350-seater Boeing 777 left for Jeddah from Mumbai this evening, while a Boeing 787-9, with around 300 seats, is expected to depart from Delhi later tonight. Another Boeing 787-8 with over 250 seats will operate between Mumbai and Dubai in the early hours of March 4. The planes are slated to be operated between the late night of March 3 and March 4.

(Inputs from Amit Bhardwaj)

Explosions are being heard across Iran. Iranian media reported that an Iran air carrier (passenger plane) was destroyed on the ground in an attack on the airport in Bushehr, the southern city of Iran.