Iran ; explosions across Tehran following Israeli and US strikes, 28 February 2026

[JennieM]

6m ago

Mass evacuation of cities across Middle East may be necessary if nuclear power stations attacked, UN nuclear chief says​

Patrick Wintour

The mass evacuation of cities across the Middle East may be necessary if civil nuclear power stations are attacked leading to radiological release, Rafael Grossi, the director general of the IAEA UN nuclear inspectorate, warned on Monday at the opening of the quarterly board meeting of the IAEA.

He admitted “a strong sense of frustration” that an agreement between the US and Iran over Iran’s nuclear program had eluded the parties in their recent negotiations. Grossi had attended the talks providing technical assistance.

Opening the board meeting, he said diplomacy “is hard and never impossible. The use of force has been present in international relations since times in memorial. This s a reality, but it is always the least preferred option.”

“I remain convinced that the lasting solution to this long existing discord lies on the diplomatiic table when it comes to nuclear matters, a crystal clear understanding of the scope and verifiability of an agreement is of the essence.

“Diplomacy is hard, but it is never impossible. Nuclear diplomacy is even more difficult, but it’s never impossible. It is not a matter of if, but of when we will again gather at the diplomatic table. We simply must do so as quickly as possible.”

Turning the impact of the current fighting across the Middle East he said:

“We cannot rule out a possible radiological release with serious consequences, including the necessity to evacuate areas as large or larger than major cities.”

“Let me underline that the situation today is very concerning. Iran and many other countries in the region that have been subject to military attacks have operational nuclear power plants and nuclear research reactors, as well as associated fuel storage sites, increasing the threat to nuclear safety.

He added:

“The United Arab Emirates has four operating nuclear reactors. Jordan and Syria have operational nuclear research reactors. Bahrain, Iraq, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia have also been attacked. These countries all use nuclear applications of some sort or the other. We therefore urge utmost restraint in all military operations.”

Discussing Iran’s remaining nuclear installations, he said:

“We have no indication that any of the nuclear installations, including the Bushehr nuclear power plant, the Tehran research reactor, or other nuclear fuel cycle facilities have been damaged or hit. Efforts to contact the Iranian nuclear regulatory authorities continue with no response so far.”

Middle East crisis live: Kuwait mistakenly shoots down three US fighter planes, as US says Iran’s ‘reckless’ attacks threaten regional stability

Israeli military says fighting Iran-backed Hezbollah could take ‘many’ more days; US crew bailed out safely after crash-landing, says Kuwait

www.theguardian.com

 

[SouthAussie]

"Reza Najafi, Iran’s ambassador ‌to the UN nuclear watchdog, says the country’s ⁠sprawling nuclear facility at Natanz was ⁠struck during US and ⁠Israeli military operations on Sunday."

**************

"Israel’s army says two senior Iranian intelligence officials have been killed in Iran in the first wave of attacks on the country on February 28.
The military statement published on Monday identified the victims as Sayed Yahya Hamidi and Jalal Pour Hussein.

It said Hamidi was deputy minister of intelligence for Israel affairs
Hossein was head of espionage division at Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence."

US jets crash in Kuwait, Iran says no talks; Israel kills 31 in Lebanon

US president says attacks on Iran will continue until all objectives are met, as Tehran keeps up raids on US assets.

www.aljazeera.com

 

[Friday Fan]

Huh??​

Iran views US presence in neighbouring countries as ‘offensive platform’​

​

​

“Iran, however, does not see the American presence in the neighbouring countries as a sovereign guest, but as an integrated offensive platform,” Aslani said.

“That’s why Iran is saying that the United States must not use the airspace or the territory of the neighbouring countries to attack them, and if Iran responds, the response would be against the US presence, the US military bases and its interests in those countries, not the neighbouring countries themselves,” he said.

On comparing the Iranian and the US military capabilities, Aslani said that Iran is “forced to adopt asymmetrical methods” of response through widening their range of targets.

“This could create a potential for Iran to dilute the effectiveness of US defence systems in the region, and this can make Iran’s attacks more effective in targeting American assets and Israeli targets. So this is not intended to cause harm to the neighbouring countries, but to American assets in those countries,” he said.

US jets crash in Kuwait, Iran says no talks; Israel kills 31 in Lebanon

US president says attacks on Iran will continue until all objectives are met, as Tehran keeps up raids on US assets.

aje.news

 

[iamshadow21]

Huh??​

Iran views US presence in neighbouring countries as ‘offensive platform’​

​

​

“Iran, however, does not see the American presence in the neighbouring countries as a sovereign guest, but as an integrated offensive platform,” Aslani said.

“That’s why Iran is saying that the United States must not use the airspace or the territory of the neighbouring countries to attack them, and if Iran responds, the response would be against the US presence, the US military bases and its interests in those countries, not the neighbouring countries themselves,” he said.

On comparing the Iranian and the US military capabilities, Aslani said that Iran is “forced to adopt asymmetrical methods” of response through widening their range of targets.

“This could create a potential for Iran to dilute the effectiveness of US defence systems in the region, and this can make Iran’s attacks more effective in targeting American assets and Israeli targets. So this is not intended to cause harm to the neighbouring countries, but to American assets in those countries,” he said.

US jets crash in Kuwait, Iran says no talks; Israel kills 31 in Lebanon

US president says attacks on Iran will continue until all objectives are met, as Tehran keeps up raids on US assets.

aje.news

Are you confused by the word? They mean offensive as in the opposite of defensive, not offensive as in rude or disgusting.

They're going after the US military bases, basically.

MOO

 

[Friday Fan]

Are you confused by the word? They mean offensive as in the opposite of defensive, not offensive as in rude or disgusting.

They're going after the US military bases, basically.

MOO

I know. It's just the arrogance of the whole thing.

 

[Mo Thuairim]

We have a picture showing the moment an apparent fighter jet falls from the sky in Kuwait and someone parachuting to safety (see earlier post for more details).

Kuwait says 'several' US warplanes have crashed in the country, with all the crew surviving

Several American warplanes crashed in Kuwait this morning, the country’s defence ministry said.

All the pilots bailed out safely and are [being] checked up on at a hospital, according to the ministry. They are all in a stable condition.

It is not immediately clear what caused the US warplanes to crash but the incident came during an intense period of Iranian fire targeting the country.

The defence ministry said it is continuing investigations into the “causes of the incident”.

US-Israel war on Iran live: conflict spreads to Lebanon and wider region, as Kuwait reports ‘several’ US warplanes crashing

Israeli military says fighting Iran-backed Hezbollah could take ‘many’ more days; US crew bailed out safely after crash-landing, says Kuwait

www.theguardian.com

 

[JennieM]

11m ago

Two more unmanned drones heading toward British base in Cyprus shot down​

Konstantinos Letymbiotis, a spokesman for the government of Cyprus,posted on X on Monday that two unmanned aerial drones heading toward the RAF Akrotiri base have been shot down.

The British base was struck by an unmanned drone overnight that caused no casualties and limited damage. Shortly after the hit, Keir Starmer announced that the UK would allow the US use British military bases to attack Iranian missile sites.

Trump says Starmer took ‘far too much time’ to let US use UK bases for Iran attacks – UK politics live

Report says US president is ‘disappointed’ that Starmer didn’t initially agree to allow the US to use British bases for military attacks

www.theguardian.com

 

[JennieM]

1m ago
Helena Smith

More now from Cyprus, the EU state closest to the conflict, where authorities have opened emergency shelters following Iran’s combat drone strike against RAF Akrotiri.

Thd island’s interior ministry said civil defense forces had also been seconded to infom citizens of steps to be taken in the event of an attack.

One local official in thd village of Akrotiri told the Guardian that residents were “panicked by the blast of sirens and fearful of what might happen” in the wake of the British prime minister’s decision to allow the UK’s military installations to be used by the US against Iran’s missile cache.

As part of authorities activating the civil defense plan trained wardens will be relegated to neighbourhoods.

An emergency reception centre has been set up in Limassol, the nearest town to Akrotiri, to accommodate citizens, many of whom are choosing to leave villages in the affected area.

Middle East crisis live: Kuwait mistakenly shoots down three US fighter planes, as US says Iran’s ‘reckless’ attacks threaten regional stability

Israeli military says fighting Iran-backed Hezbollah could take ‘many’ more days; US crew bailed out safely after crash-landing, says Kuwait

www.theguardian.com

 

[SouthAussie]

Iran's president appointed on Monday Revolutionary Guards general Majid Ebnelreza as the country’s acting defence minister after his predecessor was killed in Israeli-US strikes.

Iran launches another salvo of drones and missiles across region

The US president has warned that operations may last weeks, while Tehran continued to attack countries across the Middle East on Monday, as Iran war entered its third day. Follow our live blog.

www.euronews.com

 

[Mo Thuairim]

Turns out Kuwait mistakenly shot down the US fighter planes...

US says three jets 'went down' over Kuwait 'due to an apparent friendly fire incident'

Kuwait air defences mistakenly shot down three US F15 fighter jets flying in Iran-related operations, the US Central Command (Centcom) said. All six aircrew ejected safely, have been safely recovered and are in stable condition, it said in a statement which you can read in full here.

“During active combat – that included attacks from Iranian aircraft, ballistic missiles, and drones – the U.S. Air Force fighter jets were mistakenly shot down by Kuwaiti air defenses,” Centcom said, saying the three jets “went down over Kuwait due to an apparent friendly fire incident”.

Centcom added that the circumstances surrounding the incident remain under investigation and that additional information would be released as it becomes available.

We reported in an earlier post that several American warplanes had crashed in Kuwait this morning but the cause was unclear.

Middle East crisis live: Kuwait mistakenly shoots down three US fighter planes, as US says Iran’s ‘reckless’ attacks threaten regional stability

Israeli military says fighting Iran-backed Hezbollah could take ‘many’ more days; US crew bailed out safely after crash-landing, says Kuwait

www.theguardian.com

 

[ostruzionismo]

La guerra è un conflitto continuo e duraturo.

L'Afghanistan è stata una guerra. L'Iraq è stata una guerra. Il Vietnam e la Corea sono state guerre.

Durarono anni.

Tutto questo finirà nel giro di pochi giorni o settimane.

Ca c'entra,dal momento che una nazione bombarda un'altra nazione facendo morti ,questa è Guerra

 

[crussell821]

1m ago
Helena Smith

More now from Cyprus, the EU state closest to the conflict, where authorities have opened emergency shelters following Iran’s combat drone strike against RAF Akrotiri.

Thd island’s interior ministry said civil defense forces had also been seconded to infom citizens of steps to be taken in the event of an attack.

One local official in thd village of Akrotiri told the Guardian that residents were “panicked by the blast of sirens and fearful of what might happen” in the wake of the British prime minister’s decision to allow the UK’s military installations to be used by the US against Iran’s missile cache.

As part of authorities activating the civil defense plan trained wardens will be relegated to neighbourhoods.

An emergency reception centre has been set up in Limassol, the nearest town to Akrotiri, to accommodate citizens, many of whom are choosing to leave villages in the affected area.

Middle East crisis live: Kuwait mistakenly shoots down three US fighter planes, as US says Iran’s ‘reckless’ attacks threaten regional stability

Israeli military says fighting Iran-backed Hezbollah could take ‘many’ more days; US crew bailed out safely after crash-landing, says Kuwait

www.theguardian.com

I have family in Cyprus, I’m so worried for them!

 

[JennieM]

11m ago

Greece to send two frigates and two F-16 fighter jets to Cyprus​

After an unmanned drone struck the RAF Akrotiri base in Cyprus overnight – and two more drones heading toward the base were struck down on Monday – Greece will send two frigates and two F-16 fighter jets to Cyprus “to contribute to its defence against the threats it faces,” said Greek defence minister Nikos Dendias, who will also travel to Cyprus tomorrow.

Trump says Starmer took ‘far too much time’ to let US use UK bases for Iran attacks – UK politics live

Report says US president is ‘disappointed’ that Starmer didn’t initially agree to allow the US to use British bases for military attacks

www.theguardian.com

 

[JennieM]

IDF issues new evacuation order for buildings in southern Beirut​

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has issued an "urgent" evacuation warning for buildings in the south of Beirut, Lebanon.

Arabic spokesperson Avichai Adraee says the military will soon strike infrastructure which is says belongs to the Hezbollah-linked group Al-Qard Al-Hassan Association (AQAH).

"You must evacuate immediately," he warns.

Israel says AQAH finances Hezbollah’s military activities - something the group denies. AQAH says it only provides small, interest-free loans to ordinary Lebanese.

Iranian strikes reported on Qatar and Saudi energy sites as US jets shot down by Kuwaiti 'friendly fire'

The US defense secretary says American attacks on Iran will not lead to "endless war". Meanwhile in Cyprus, two drones were intercepted near a UK base, after an earlier attack on Sunday.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[Friday Fan]

I have family in Cyprus, I’m so worried for them!

My sister lives in Doha, Qatar

She's getting used to this.....

 

[iamshadow21]

My sister lives in Doha, Qatar

She's getting used to this.....

I'm angry that anyone has to. This should be nobody's normal.

MOO

 

[iamshadow21]

Ca c'entra,dal momento che una nazione bombarda un'altra nazione facendo morti ,questa è Guerra

Welcome. I'm pretty sure the mods are going to ask that you post in English, if you're able. If not, google does translate things pretty well. Here's what you said:

"It's relevant, since one nation bombs another nation causing deaths, this is war."

I suspect 'the moment one nation' is more accurate than 'since one nation', but my exposure to other languages is thirty years past in high school and I was not very good at them.

MOO

 

[JennieM]

2m ago

Fourth US service member 'killed in action' - Centcom​

We have another statement in from the US Central Command (Centcom). It says a fourth American service member has died in action (it was previously announced that three US service members had been killed as part of the US war against Iran).

The full Centcom statememt reads:

As of 7:30 am ET, March 2, four U.S. service members have been killed in action.

The fourth service member, who was seriously wounded during Iran’s initial attacks, eventually succumbed to their injuries.

Major combat operations continue and our response effort is ongoing. The identities of the fallen are being withheld until 24 hours after next of kin notification.

Middle East crisis live: Kuwait mistakenly shoots down three US fighter planes, as US says Iran’s ‘reckless’ attacks threaten regional stability

Israeli military says fighting Iran-backed Hezbollah could take ‘many’ more days; US crew bailed out safely after crash-landing, says Kuwait

www.theguardian.com

 

[sds71]

Secy. Hegseth & Gen. Caine Hold Briefing on Iran

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth & Joint Chiefs of Staff Chair Gen. Dan Caine brief reporters on combat operations against Iran.

www.c-span.org

 

[JennieM]

6m ago
Keir Starmer is planning to update Parliament on the Middle East crisis at 3.30pm.

The Prime Minister said:

I know the situation in the Middle East is worrying for British people in the region, and at home.

It’s my duty as Prime Minister to keep British people safe.

I will be answering questions on the steps we took over the weekend in Parliament.

Trump says Starmer took ‘far too much time’ to let US use UK bases for Iran attacks – UK politics live

Report says US president is ‘disappointed’ that Starmer didn’t initially agree to allow the US to use British bases for military attacks

www.theguardian.com