BURST
On the third day after the U.S. and Israel’s joint strike on Iran, conflict in the Middle East threatens to escalate further. Iran has carried out relatiatory stikes on U.S. bases, with explosions reported in Dubai, Bahrain, Iraq and elsewhere.
The conflict could escalate on Monday with Gulf monarchies threatening to retaliate as a Saudi oil refinery burns, Qatar halts LNG production, and tankers have been attacked off Oman. Meanwhile, Lebanon’s Hezbollah is entering the fray and a British air base in Cyprus has been targeted.
U.S. has said it expects to incur casualties as Iran presses on with attacks. Flights through the region’s hub airports have been cancelled, disrupting international travel for many thousands of people.
Additional reporting from Agence France-Presse
Here’s the latest:
Pete Hegseth says Iran campaign targeting nukes, navy
In a briefing this morning, the United States defense secretary Pete Hegseth declined to rule out putting troops on the ground in Iran and indicated the war launched over the weekend could go on for as long as six weeks.
U.S. forces began carrying out sweeping strikes on Iran Saturday in concert with military action by Israel, and have struck hundreds of targets across the country since then, including the Islamic republic’s missiles, navy and command-and-control sites.
When asked if the U.S. already had boots on the ground, Pentagon chief Hegseth, told a news conference: “No, but we’re not going to go into the exercise of what we will or will not do.”
“We’ll go as far as we need to go,” he said.
WATCH IN FULL: @SecWar and Gen. Dan Caine, Chairman of @thejointstaff, provide an update on Operation Epic Fury pic.twitter.com/LU8r1Y3p5u
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) March 2, 2026
Hegseth sought to differentiate the Iran operation from past long-running U.S. wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, saying the war is not an effort to build democracy in Iran.
“This is not Iraq. This is not endless,” he said. “Our generation knows better and so does this president. He called the last 20 years of nation building wars ‘dumb’ and he’s right.”
— With files from AFP
Anand won’t say whether Canada considers strikes on Iran as legal
Speaking to reporters in New Delhi on Monday, Foreign Minister Anita Anand would not say whether Canada considered Saturday’s strikes on Iran to be in violation of international law. Anand noted that Canada was not involved in the operation and “stressed” that Canada wanted talks to open up “as soon as possible.”
“We prefer a diplomatic solution. This is why I have spent the last two days speaking with my counterparts across the Middle East and in the Gulf states, from Jordan, to Qatar, to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, to U.A.E and all of my G7 counterparts, stressing that Canada believes in a diplomatic and peaceful solution, and as soon as possible, we would like parties to get to the table,” Anand said.
Prime Minister Mark Carney said in a statement on Saturday that he supported the U.S. operation in Iran.
“Canada supports the United States acting to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon and to prevent its regime from further threatening international peace and security, and the Canadian government urges the protection of all civilians in this conflict,” said Carney, before a scheduled speech in Mumbai, India.
Kuwait accidentally shoots three U.S. fighter jets, incident under investigation
Three U.S. Air Force fighter jets crashed after they were shot down by Kuwaiti air defences on Monday due to apparent friendly fire.
“During active combat — that included attacks from Iranian aircraft, ballistic missiles, and drones — the three U.S. F-15E Strike Eagles were mistakenly shot down by Kuwaiti air defenses,” U.S. Central Command said in a statement.
The crew members, all six of them, ejected safely and have been safely recovered. The incident has been acknowledged by Kuwait and the cause of it is under investigation. Although such incidents are not uncommon during intense air combat, “the U.S. hasn’t lost multiple jets to enemy fire since early in the 2003 invasion of Iraq,” Bloomberg notes.
Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark nationalpost.com and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, here.