Iran will not negotiate, announces Ali Larijani- Live Updates
Tehran ( Web News )
The US and Israel have launched a major combat attack on Iran, the Israeli defence minister said on Saturday. Iran has responded swiftly and has targeted key Israeli cities with a barrage of Ballistic missiles.
Iran’s security chief Ali Larijani, who was also an adviser to the country’s former Supreme Leader, said that Tehran will not negotiate with the US, in response to a report that Iran is trying to revive negotiations with Washington.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced a first wave of missile and drone attacks against Israel in retaliation for the strikes, according to the Tasnim news agency.
“We have started an extensive military operation in Iran; we will destroy the threat from the cruel Iranian regime,” the US President said in a video statement.
Israel’s Channel 12 claimed, citing an Israeli security source, that the attack underway in Iran is a joint US-Israel operation.
Three US F-15 fighter jets mistakenly shot down by Kuwaiti air defense, CENTCOM says
The United States Central Command (CENTCOM) has said that three US Air Force F-15 fighter jets were “mistakenly shot down” by Kuwaiti air defence.
At 11:03 p.m. ET on Sunday, March 1, three US F-15E Strike Eagles flying in support of Operation Epic Fury went down over Kuwait due to “an apparent friendly fire incident,” CENTCOM said.
However, Iran’s Khatam Al-Anbiyaa Central Headquarters earlier claimed that air defenses successfully intercepted and shot down an American F-15 fighter jet in the vicinity of the Kuwait-Iraqi border. This official announcement was issued via IRIB.
Several explosions have been heard in Tehran, according to Iran’s Tasnim news agency.
The report said “the air strike targeted an area near Revolution Square, where demonstrators were gathered in a rally condemning the aggression.”
“Iranian air defences intercepted the attack in the skies over central Tehran,” it added.
Iran says its Natanz nuclear facility was attacked
Iran’s sprawling nuclear facility at Natanz was struck during U.S. and Israeli military operations against the Islamic Republic, Iran’s ambassador to the U.N. nuclear watchdog said on Monday.
“Again they attacked Iran’s peaceful, safeguarded nuclear facilities yesterday,” Reza Najafi told reporters at a meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency’s 35-nation board of governors. Asked by Reuters which facilities were hit, he replied: “Natanz”.
Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot has announced that France stands “ready” to defend Gulf countries and Jordan against any necessary action from Iran.
“To allied countries that have been deliberately targeted by the missiles and drones of the [Iranian] Revolutionary Guards and dragged into a war they did not choose – Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Iraq, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, and Jordan – France expresses its full support and complete solidarity,” he said.
“It stands ready … to take part in their defence,” he added.
‘All options on table’ for Lebanon ground invasion, Israeli army
Israel’s army spokesperson, Effie Defrin, has stated that Israel has mobilized approximately 100,000 reservists, along with dozens of battalions, brigades, and divisions.
Defrin emphasized that these forces are prepared for “all possibilities, both defence and offence,” adding that “All options are on the table.”
The United States (US) Embassy in Islamabad has issued a security alert for its citizens amid protest calls after Ali Khamenei’s assassination.
The US embassy, in its alert, said it is monitoring reports of ongoing demonstrations outside US diplomatic facilities in Pakistan.
The Embassy of the United States, Islamabad and US Consulates in Karachi, Lahore and Peshawar have cancelled all visa appointments in Pakistan following nationwide demonstrations, some of which turned violent in Karachi, Islamabad and Gilgit-Baltistan, leaving at least 10 people dead and dozens injured.
In a statement posted on X, the US Embassy in Islamabad announced that all appointments for US visa services and American Citizen Services were cancelled for today, March 2, at the embassy in Islamabad and the US Consulates General in Karachi and Lahore.
Amazon cloud services in Bahrain, UAE disrupted
Amazon Web Services (AWS) is currently experiencing power and connectivity outages at its data centers in Bahrain and the UAE, which the company attributes to Iran’s retaliatory strikes.
AWS reported on its status page that two zones—clusters of data centers—in the UAE are without power. The cloud unit specified that one UAE zone was affected after “objects” struck the data center, resulting in sparks and a fire, necessitating an immediate power shutdown.
The cloud firm has advised customers to utilize services in other regions, with the expectation that recovery will take “multiple hours.”
Death toll in Iran surpasses 550: Red Crescent
Over 555 people have been killed in joint US-Israeli strikes across the country, the Iranian Red Crescent Society has said in a statement.
US-Israeli attacks have now impacted 131 cities across the country.
Relief operations, spearheaded by the Red Crescent’s humanitarian mission, are ongoing and uninterrupted. Rescue teams are deployed in the affected areas, and over 100,000 responders are on full alert nationwide.
Furthermore, a network of approximately four million volunteers is currently on standby to provide humanitarian services, assistance, and psychosocial support.
Iran confirms shooting down US jet in Kuwait
The Khatam Al-Anbiyaa Central Headquarters has confirmed that Iranian air defenses successfully intercepted and shot down an American F-15 fighter jet in the vicinity of the Kuwait-Iraqi border. This official announcement was issued moments ago via IRIB.
Earlier, Kuwait’s Defense Ministry said “several” US warplanes had crashed in the country; all the crew survived.
Iran condemns Israeli attacks on Lebanon, ‘shameful’ silence
Esmaeil Baghaei, spokesman for Iran’s Foreign Ministry, has strongly condemned what he called “brutal”, deadly Israeli air strikes on southern Lebanon and the southern suburbs of Beirut.
Baghaei condemned the “repeated and gross violations of Lebanon’s national sovereignty and territorial integrity” by Israel. The spokesperson also pointed to violations of the November 2024 ceasefire agreement.
He described the silence of those who claim to uphold the “rule of law” and “human rights” in the face of such heinous crimes as “shameful”. He warned that this situation has placed international peace at an unprecedented level of risk.
‘Several’ US warplanes crashed in Kuwait: Defence Ministry
Kuwait’s Defense Ministry says “several” US warplanes have crashed in the country; all the crew survived.
A video widely shared on social media captured a US F-15 pilot safely ejecting after the aircraft’s tail caught fire moments before it crashed.
The Kuwait Defence Ministry confirmed that all crew members of the crashed aircraft survived, and Kuwaiti authorities immediately launched search and rescue operations, safely evacuating all crews and transporting them to a hospital for medical treatment, where their condition is reported as stable.
Furthermore, Kuwaiti authorities are coordinating their efforts with the US, and an investigation is currently underway to determine the exact cause of the crash.
China’s Foreign Ministry has confirmed the death of a Chinese citizen in Tehran following a joint airstrike by the U.S. and Israel, RT reports.
This confirmation follows an earlier statement from the Ministry expressing high concern over the military strikes against Iran by the U.S. and Israel, emphasizing that Iran’s sovereignty, security, and territorial integrity must be respected.
Consequently, China is urging an immediate cessation of all military actions to prevent further escalation. The country advocates for a return to dialogue and negotiation to uphold peace and stability in the Middle East.
An Israeli-US missile attack struck positions belonging to the Iran-backed paramilitary group Kataib Hezbollah in Jurf al-Sakhr, located south of the Iraqi capital, Baghdad. This information was confirmed by a security source to Al Jazeera.
The strike resulted in considerable material damage, including the incineration of vehicles, facilities, and storage depots. As of now, no casualties have been confirmed.
Iran will not negotiate, says Ali Larijani
Iran’s security chief Ali Larijani, who was also an adviser to the country’s former Supreme Leader, said that Tehran will not negotiate with the US, in response to a report that Iran is trying to revive negotiations with Washington.
France, Germany and Britain signal readiness for defensive action against Iran
France, Germany and Britain have issued a joint statement declaring their readiness to defend their interests and those of their allies in the Middle East.
The three governments expressed strong condemnation of what they described as Iran’s indiscriminate and disproportionate missile attacks. In their statement, they noted that Tehran had also targeted countries that were not involved in the initial American and Israeli operations.
The joint declaration further indicated that, if necessary, the three nations would take steps to neutralise Iran’s missile and drone capabilities.
PSX loses over 15,000 points amid Middle East tensions after Iran-Israel war
The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) opened the week in the red, plunging more than 15,000 points amid heightened geopolitical tensions following the US-Iran conflict, which has also roiled global equity markets.
No one can deny Iran’s right to self-defence: FM Araghchi
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi strongly rejected a warning from US President Donald Trump that Tehran should avoid retaliation or face overwhelming force, insisting that Iran is acting in self-defence amid rising tensions.
In remarks responding directly to Trump’s statement, Araghchi said Iran has a “legitimate right” to defend itself and described US actions as “an act of aggression.” He stressed that there is a fundamental difference between initiating force and responding to it.
“We are defending ourselves, whatever it takes,” Araghchi said, adding that no country can be told it does not have the right to protect its sovereignty.
UAE withdraws ambassador from Iran, closes embassy over attacks: statement
The United Arab Emirates was shuttering its embassy in Iran and recalling its ambassador, a statement from the foreign ministry said on Sunday, following a barrage of Iranian attacks targeting the Emirates.
“The UAE announces closure of its embassy in Tehran and withdrawal of its ambassador and all members of its diplomatic mission, and condemns the Iranian missile attacks,” read a statement posted by the foreign ministry’s director of strategic communications on X.
The decision was made in response to “the blatant Iranian missile attacks that targeted the country’s territories, which constitute aggressive assaults that struck civilian sites, including residential areas, airports, ports, and service facilities, and exposed defenceless civilians to danger”.