Morning Briefing: March 2, 2026

By Gizem Nisa Demir

ISTANBUL (AA) - Here’s a rundown of all the news you need to start your Monday, including escalating tensions in the Middle East as US President Donald Trump says strikes against Iran could last “four weeks or less,” Israel launching a fresh wave of airstrikes on Tehran following the deaths of top Iranian leaders, and the UK permitting the US to use British bases for defensive operations against Iranian missiles, amid fears of wider regional conflict.

TOP STORIES

• Trump says strikes against Iran will take '4 weeks or less'

US President Donald Trump said Sunday that the joint US-Israeli campaign launched Saturday against Iran is expected to last around four weeks.

"It's always been a four-week process," Trump told the Daily Mail. "As strong as it is, it's a big country, it'll take four weeks — or less," he added.

The remarks came as the operation entered its second day.

US forces had struck Iranian command centers, ballistic missile sites, naval vessels, and air defense systems in the opening 24 hours, deploying B-2 stealth bombers, fighter jets, nuclear-powered aircraft carriers, and guided-missile destroyers, among other assets, according to the United States Central Command.

• Israeli army launches new wave of strikes on Iranian capital

The Israeli army said Sunday it has launched a new wave of airstrikes targeting the Iranian capital Tehran.

“The Israel Air Force has initiated a wave of strikes in the heart of Tehran,” the army said in a brief statement.

Several explosions were heard in Tehran following the Israeli military's announcement.

The US and Israel launched an attack on Iran on Saturday, killing several top Iranian leaders, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Tehran retaliated with a series of drone and missile attacks that targeted Israel, US assets, and several Gulf countries.

• US can use British bases for defensive strikes against Iranian missiles: Starmer

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Sunday that the UK will allow the US to use its bases for “specific and limited defensive purposes,” following escalating Iranian missile attacks across the Gulf region.

"The United States has requested permission to use British bases for that specific and limited defensive purpose.

"We have taken the decision to accept this request – to prevent Iran firing missiles across the region, killing innocent civilians, putting British lives at risk, and hitting countries that have not been involved," Starmer said in a statement.

NEWS IN BRIEF

• Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam called an emergency Cabinet meeting early Monday following intense Israeli attacks targeting many areas of the country, including the capital Beirut.
• Salam said that rocket launches from southern Lebanon were an “irresponsible and suspicious act” that endangers the country’s security and gives Israel pretexts to continue its attacks.
• The Lebanese group Hezbollah said Monday that it carried out a rocket barrage and drone attack from southern Lebanon targeting an Israeli missile defense site south of the city of Haifa.
• Explosions were reported overnight in Tehran, as well as the nearby city of Karaj, Iranian media reported early Monday.
• The Israeli army said Monday that it launched a new wave of airstrikes in central Tehran, targeting what it described as “Iranian regime” sites.
• Kuwaiti air defenses successfully intercepted multiple hostile aerial targets early Monday, demonstrating “efficiency and capability” in protecting national airspace, said the country’s Defense Ministry.
• Two drones targeted the US Victoria base near Baghdad International Airport on Monday, according to the Iraqi private satellite television channels Al-Sumaria and Al-Rasheed, citing security sources.
• Omani Foreign Minister Badr bin Hamad al-Busaidi said Sunday that "the door to diplomacy is still open" as US and Israeli attacks on Iran continue, urging a return to negotiations and warning against abandoning hopes for peace.
• Former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is alive and unharmed, as joint US-Israeli attacks target Iran's senior leadership, military infrastructure, and nuclear sites, a close aide told Anadolu on Sunday.
• An Iranian attack targeted a maritime facility near Mina Salman Port on Sunday evening, Bahrain’s Interior Ministry said.
• Leaders of the E3 group of Britain, France, and Germany on Sunday said they are prepared to take "necessary and proportionate defensive measures" to protect their interests and those of their allies in the Middle East following what they described as indiscriminate Iranian missile attacks across the region.
• At least five explosions were heard in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, and surrounding areas following the launch of missiles from Iran toward Israel, an Anadolu correspondent reported Sunday evening.
• Two airstrikes hit a position belonging to the Popular Mobilization Forces in western Iraq on Sunday evening, resulting in casualties, Iraq’s Joint Operations Command said.
• Iran reported US-Israeli airstrikes on parts of the state television headquarters in Tehran on Sunday evening.

BUSINESS & ECONOMY

• Shipping firm Maersk suspends vessel crossings in Strait of Hormuz

Danish shipping company Maersk on Sunday announced that it is suspending vessel crossings in the Strait of Hormuz after reports that it had been closed following US and Israeli attacks on Iran.

"The safety of our crews, vessels, and customers’ cargo remains our key priority. We are suspending all vessel crossings in the Strait of Hormuz until further notice," Maersk announced in a statement.

It also announced that all sailings on Middle East-India to Mediterranean and Middle East-India to East Coast US on services will be rerouted around the Cape of Good Hope until further notice due to the "deteriorating security situation" in the region.

• OPEC+ eight members to raise output by 206,000 bpd in April

Eight members of the OPEC+ group agreed to raise oil production by 206,000 barrels per day (bpd) in April, following a pause in output increases between January and March 2026 due to seasonal factors, according to an OPEC statement on Sunday.

The group, comprising Saudi Arabia, Russia, Iraq, the UAE, Kuwait, Kazakhstan, Algeria, and Oman, met virtually to review global oil market conditions and the outlook.

The output increase represents a partial and gradual return of the 1.65 million bpd voluntary cuts announced in April 2023, supported by a "stable global economic outlook and current healthy market fundamentals, as reflected in the low oil inventories."