Iran Expands Retaliatory Strikes Across Gulf as US Signals Prolonged
Military Campaign
Iranian strikes on the U.A.E. were
reported early Tuesday (02.03.2026), the U.S. Embassy in Riyadh was hit by
drones, and Israel said it was attacking Hezbollah targets in Lebanon.
President Trump said the campaign could last weeks or more.
1.
Iran Broadens Attacks in Gulf Region:
Iran expanded retaliatory strikes against American targets across the
Gulf, including missile and drone attacks on regional countries hosting U.S.
bases.
2.
US–Israeli Offensive Intensifies:
The joint military campaign by the United States and Israel
continued with airstrikes inside Iran, with officials indicating operations
could last weeks or longer.
3.
Fighting Spreads to Lebanon:
Iran-backed Hezbollah launched rockets into Israel, prompting Israeli
bombardment of Hezbollah positions in Beirut and other areas.
4.
Attacks on Gulf States:
o
United Arab Emirates
intercepted ballistic missiles from Iran.
o
Saudi Arabia reported drone strikes near the
U.S. Embassy in Riyadh.
o
Qatar said it shot down Iranian Su-24
bombers entering its airspace.
5.
Trump Signals Open-Ended Campaign:
Donald Trump stated the military campaign could extend beyond the
initially projected four to five weeks.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned that “the hardest hits are yet to
come.”
6.
US Casualties and Military Incidents:
o
Six American service members reportedly killed in
Iranian strikes.
o
Three U.S. fighter jets shot down in an apparent
friendly fire incident involving Kuwaiti air defenses;
crew members were safely recovered.
7.
Iran Signals Long War & Hormuz Threat:
Iranian leaders, including Ali Larijani, rejected negotiation claims and
declared readiness for a prolonged war.
Senior Revolutionary Guards officials threatened to block the Strait of
Hormuz, through which about 20% of global oil flows.
8.
Energy & Economic Fallout:
o
Oil and gas markets remain volatile.
o
Qatar halted liquefied natural gas production,
affecting global supply chains.
o
Shipping routes disrupted, raising freight and
insurance concerns.
9.
Rising Death Toll:
o
Over 550 deaths reported in Iran.
o
At least 31 killed in Lebanon.
o
10 deaths in Israel and six across Gulf states.
10.
Wider Regional Impact:
Missile and drone strikes caused explosions in Iraq, Kuwait, UAE and other Gulf
nations, impacting civilian infrastructure including airports and hotels.
Overall
Implication:
The conflict has escalated into a broader regional
confrontation spanning Iran, Israel, Lebanon, and multiple Gulf states. With
threats to the Strait of Hormuz and energy infrastructure, the crisis carries
serious geopolitical, energy market, and global trade implications.
Iran
broadened its retaliatory attacks on American targets in the Gulf region on
Monday and early Tuesday, as President Trump and other top officials in his
administration signaled that the U.S.-Israeli strikes
on Iran could intensify and continue for weeks or more.
As
American and Israeli planes pounded targets in Iran on Monday, the fighting
expanded into Lebanon, where the Iranian-allied militia Hezbollah fired rockets
into Israel, prompting Israel to bombard the militia’s strongholds outside
Beirut. Early Tuesday, the Israeli military said it was attacking again in Iran
and in Lebanon, targeting Hezbollah command centers
and weapons storage facilities in the capital, Beirut.
Around
the same time, the United Arab Emirates’ Defense
Ministry said its air defenses were “dealing with a
barrage of ballistic missiles” from Iran. And within hours, the Saudi Defense Ministry said that the American Embassy in Riyadh
had been attacked by two drones, resulting in a “limited fire” and minor
damage. The embassy was closed on Tuesday.
In
Washington on Monday, Mr. Trump offered an open-ended time frame for the U.S.
military campaign. “Whatever the time is, it’s OK, whatever it takes,” he said,
speaking at his first public event since the U.S.-Israeli airstrikes on Iran
began. “Right from the beginning we projected four to five weeks, but we have
the capability to go far longer than that.” Later in the day on Capitol Hill,
Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters that “the hardest hits are yet to
come from the U.S. military.”
The
New York Post also reported that the president had said in an interview on
Monday: “I don’t have the yips with respect to boots on the ground — like every
president says, ‘There will be no boots on the ground.’ I don’t say it.”
The
Pentagon said on Monday that the number of American service members killed in
Iranian strikes had risen to six. And three American fighter jets were shot
down by Kuwaiti air defenses in what the U.S.
military called an “apparent friendly fire incident.” All six crew members from
F-15s ejected safely and were recovered, the military said.
Iranian
leaders remained defiant. The country’s top security official, Ali Larijani,
denied news reports that Iran’s new leaders were seeking to negotiate with
Washington, denouncing Mr. Trump for “delusional fantasies” and for plunging
the Middle East “into chaos.” Iran, he said in a string of fiery social media
posts on Monday, “has prepared itself for a long war.”
A
senior Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps official vowed on Monday that “not a
single drop of oil” would pass through the Strait of Hormuz, the conduit for
about one-fifth of the world’s supply. An adviser to the Revolutionary Guards
commander said on Iranian state TV that Iran would “set on fire” any ships
trying to transit the strait. Traffic there has already slowed to a trickle,
after the Revolutionary Guards warned ships away over the weekend, but Iran had
not directly threatened them.
In
another sign of an expansion of attacks in the Middle East, Qatar’s Defense Ministry said its air force had shot down two Su-24
bombers coming from Iran. It was the first report that Iran, which has fired
missiles and drones at its Gulf neighbors and Israel
in retaliation for the Israeli-U.S. assault, had also sent warplanes into their
airspace.
Here’s
what we’re covering:
·
Economic fallout: Oil and natural gas markets remained
highly volatile as the fighting shut down shipping routes and damaged
production facilities. Qatar’s state-owned energy company said that it would
halt production of liquefied natural gas, cutting off a large share of the
world’s supply of the fuel.
·
Death toll: More than 550 people have been killed
in Iran since the beginning of the war, the Iranian Red Crescent emergency
service said on Monday. The Lebanese health ministry said that at least 31
people had been killed in Israeli airstrikes. At least 10 people have been
killed in Israel and six, including civilians, across the Gulf since Saturday,
according to the authorities.
·
Persian Gulf: Iranian missiles and drone attacks led
to explosions in Iraq, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and other countries
where the U.S. has military bases. Iranian leaders have said the attacks have
targeted U.S. assets, but they have also struck Dubai’s international airport,
hotels and other civilian and economic infrastructure.