Iran news and live updates: Pete Hegseth declares America ‘didn’t start this war but we’re finishing it’
RECAP: US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth has spoken to the media, saying Iran’s regime was ‘gifted death from America and death from Israel’.
THE NIGHTLY: Read the recap of today’s events below.
Key events
02 Mar 2026 - 08:20 PM
Two drones intercepted over British air base in Cyprus
02 Mar 2026 - 07:53 PM
Hezbollah’s military activity ‘illegal’: Lebanese government
02 Mar 2026 - 07:47 PM
15 injured as Iran strikes southern Israel
02 Mar 2026 - 07:45 PM
Ship traffic through Gulf of Hormuz plummets
02 Mar 2026 - 07:38 PM
Iran to appoint a new Supreme Leader ‘quickly’: Cleric
02 Mar 2026 - 07:31 PM
Iran bombs Qatari power plant, prompting swift backlash
02 Mar 2026 - 07:15 PM
US confirms fighter jets shot down by Kuwaiti ‘friendly fire’
02 Mar 2026 - 07:10 PM
IDF bombs Tehran, targets regime leaders
02 Mar 2026 - 06:22 PM
France ‘ready’ to defend Gulf countries
02 Mar 2026 - 06:14 PM
Albanese reiterates firm position against Iranian regime
02 Mar 2026 - 06:07 PM
Iran claims it targeted US fighter aircraft which crashed over Kuwait
02 Mar 2026 - 05:50 PM
US-Israeli strikes targeted Iranian nuclear facility, ambassador says
02 Mar 2026 - 05:44 PM
Beirut attacked by warplanes as part of Israeli offensive
02 Mar 2026 - 05:37 PM
Oil and natural gas prices spike as markets open
02 Mar 2026 - 05:32 PM
Israeli President pictured at Tel Aviv strike site
02 Mar 2026 - 05:26 PM
Senior Hezbollah member hit, Israel says
02 Mar 2026 - 04:54 PM
Saudi oil refinery attacked
02 Mar 2026 - 04:44 PM
Major Iranian city hit by strikes, agency reports
02 Mar 2026 - 04:34 PM
Lebanon offensive could be ‘prolonged’: Israel
02 Mar 2026 - 04:26 PM
Millions of Iranians without internet
02 Mar 2026 - 04:08 PM
Iranians killed in strikes on residential area, agency says
02 Mar 2026 - 04:05 PM
‘Several’ US warplanes crash in Kuwait
02 Mar 2026 - 04:01 PM
Read The Nightly now
02 Mar 2026 - 03:45 PM
‘Huge amount’ of proof to justify strikes on Iran, Israeli President says
02 Mar 2026 - 03:12 PM
Iranian missiles hit Dubai base where Aussies are stationed
02 Mar 2026 - 02:36 PM
Israeli ‘offensive campaign’ on Lebanon to last several days
02 Mar 2026 - 02:12 PM
At least 31 killed in Israeli airstrikes on Lebanon
02 Mar 2026 - 01:37 PM
Explosions reported in Jerusalem, Gulf cities after Iranian missile alert
02 Mar 2026 - 01:36 PM
Israel to escalate strikes on Lebanon amid Hezbollah attacks
02 Mar 2026 - 01:28 PM
‘We will not negotiate with US’: Iran security official
02 Mar 2026 - 01:02 PM
Eye-watering price Aussies could soon fork out for petrol
02 Mar 2026 - 12:21 PM
‘Strikes continue’: Unites States Central Command releases footage
02 Mar 2026 - 11:26 AM
Suspected drone strike sparks response at UK Cyprus base
02 Mar 2026 - 10:52 AM
Chris Minns condemns Sydney mosque for mourning Ayatollah
02 Mar 2026 - 10:08 AM
Australians warned to brace for global travel disruption amid Middle East conflict
02 Mar 2026 - 09:28 AM
Explosions heard in Tel Aviv as Israeli strikes hit Beirut
02 Mar 2026 - 09:19 AM
Israel retaliates after Hezbollah rocket fire from Lebanon
02 Mar 2026 - 08:55 AM
The Aussie stocks being hit hardest by the Iran war amid rising oil prices
02 Mar 2026 - 07:55 AM
Foreign Minister says she hasn’t been in contact with US State Secretary
02 Mar 2026 - 06:23 AM
UK authorises the use of British military bases in the Middle East
Aussies stranded as missile strikes paralyse Middle East airports
Australians living in the Middle East have described feeling “alert, but not alarmed” as missile strikes and widespread airspace closures bring major travel hubs to a standstill.
More than 3,500 flights have been cancelled across the region, with roughly one million passengers stranded in a single day.
Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha international airports have all closed, with Emirates, Etihad Airways and Qatar Airways flagging they are unlikely to resume operations for at least another 24 hours.
The shutdown follows Iran’s retaliatory strikes against the US and Israel, which have hit Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Doha, with Dubai’s international airport sustaining damage from a missile attack.
Lachlan Kitchen, an Australian expat living in Dubai, told Sunrise on Monday the situation felt eerily familiar to COVID-19.
“We used to hear during COVID that we’re living in unprecedented times, and it feels like we’re sort of reliving that,” Kitchen said.
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US, Israel will need to explain strikes on Iran says Wong
Foreign Minister Penny Wong says the US and Israel should be left to explain the legality of their strikes on Iran, despite Australia being one the first countries to back the attack that ultimately killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Speaking to the ABC, Senator Wong was asked about the justification of America’s actions under international law, particularly as critics compare the military strikes on Iran to the illegal US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003.
“Well, the one of the distinctions with Iraq, between Iraq and now, is that we are not participating in these strikes. That’s the first point I’d make,” she said.
“The second is, what I’ve said, is that the legal basis of this is for the United States and Israel to explain.”
