Logo

President Trump on Monday discussed Operation Epic Fury in Iran and send his condolences to the service members killed.

Early in the morning, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth declared that the US didn’t start the current war on Iran, but vowed to finish it, accusing the theocratic regime of attacking the US for decades.

The military confirmed three US F-15s involved in the attack in Iran were shot down by Kuwaiti air defenses in a case of friendly fire. All six crew members on the planes were able to eject safely and are in stable condition.

Meanwhile, six US service members have died from injuries sustained in the attacks.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio and CIA Director John Ratcliffe will address Congress’ “Gang of Eight” about the strikes on Monday, and the two will then appear before the full Congress alongside Hegseth and Caine on Tuesday. 

Follow The Post’s coverage on the latest in the peace deal with Iran:

US and Israeli officials are saying that the military campaign in Iran could last weeks.

Follow The Post’s live updates for the latest news on the US and Israel’s attack on Iran.

Iran's Natanz site damaged, says nuclear watchdog

By Chris Bradford

The International Atomic Energy Agency -- the United Nations nuclear watchdog -- has confirmed Iran's Natanz nuclear facility has been damaged.

"Based on the latest available satellite imagery, IAEA can now confirm some recent damage to entrance buildings of Iran's underground Natanz Fuel Enrichment Plant (FEP)," the agency wrote on X Tuesday.

"No radiological consequence expected and no additional impact detected at FEP itself, which was severely damaged in the June conflict."

Satellite pictures released on March 2 suggested at least two buildings had been damaged.

At least 787 people in Iran have been killed in airstrikes: officials

By Richard Pollina

At least 787 people in Iran have been killed in US and Israeli airstrikes since the war began, the Iranian Red Crescent Society said Tuesday.

That figure has not been independently confirmed.

The organization had listed the toll at 555 just a day earlier on Monday.

With Post Wires

'Non-emergency US government personnel' ordered to leave Qatar, Bahrain, Jordan, Iraq and Kuwait

By Richard Pollina

The US State Department ordered non-emergency staff and their families out of Jordan, Bahrain, Iraq, Qatar and Kuwait over escalating security concerns on Monday.

The State Department warned that in Jordan, Bahrain, Qatar, and Kuwait, there is a continuing threat of Iranian drone and missile attacks and significant interference with commercial air travel.

The advisory cautions that Jordan and Bahrain face potential terrorist threats and that Iraq carries high risks of violence and kidnapping.

Americans staying behind should prepare backup plans if the situation deteriorates.

“These alternative plans should not rely on the US government for assisted departure or evacuation,” the department said.

America's high-end munition stockpile ‘not where we want to be’ because Biden was ‘giving everything’ away, Trump claims

By Victor Nava

President Trump revealed Monday night that the US has a “virtually unlimited supply” of medium-grade munitions but could use more high-grade firepower. 

"The United States Munitions Stockpiles have, at the medium and upper medium grade, never been higher or better,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.  

“As was stated to me today, we have a virtually unlimited supply of these weapons,” the president continued. “Wars can be fought ‘forever,’ and very successfully, using just these supplies (which are better than other countries finest arms!).” 

“At the highest end,” Trump added, “we have a good supply, but are not where we want to be.” 

The president noted that “additional high grade weaponry is stored for us in outlying countries,” and he blamed former President Joe Biden for the stockpile not being what it should be. 

“Sleepy Joe Biden spent all of his time, and our Country’s money, GIVING everything to P.T. Barnum (Zelenskyy!) of Ukraine - Hundreds of Billions of Dollars worth - And, while he gave so much of the super high end away (FREE!), he didn’t bother to replace it,” Trump claimed.  

“Fortunately, I rebuilt the military in my first term, and continue to do so,” Trump continued. “The United States is stocked, and ready to WIN, BIG!!!”

“Thank you for your attention to this matter.”

Trump says Iran will 'find out soon' how US will retaliate for service member deaths, embassy drone strike

By Victor Nava

President Trump signaled Monday night that the US will retaliate against Iran for the drone and missile attacks that have killed American service members. 

“You're going to find out soon,” Trump told NewsNation, when asked about what the US response to Iranian counterattacks would be. 

Six US service members have been killed since the start of military operation against Iran on Saturday, according to US Central Command.

“The identities of the fallen are being withheld until 24 hours after next of kin notification,” Central Command said Monday afternoon.

Iranian drones targeted the US Embassy in Saudi Arabia’s capital city of Riyadh on Monday night. 

The building was mostly empty at the time and sustained minor damage, according to reports. No injuries have been reported.

“It's part of war. It's part of war whether people like it or not that's the way it is,” Trump said of the potential for more Iranian attacks targeting US sites. 

The president, who has hinted the war could last several weeks, said he’ll “absolutely know” when his objectives are achieved. 

“It's getting very close. We're doing a lot of damage. We're setting them back alot,” he told NewsNation. 

“We're inflicting tremendous damage on them in terms of their ability to have nuclear, and missiles of any type.”  

When asked who is in control of Iran, Trump responded, “You'll be finding out very soon.”

Netanyahu claims Iran war will lead to a long-term peace ‘we haven't even dreamed of’

By Victor Nava

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was adamant Monday that the joint military airstrikes against Iran will not lead to “endless war,” but rather a “gateway to peace."

“If we go through what we plan to do, I think it will create conditions for peace,” Netanyahu told Fox News host Sean Hannity. “This is not an endless war. This is, in fact, something that will usher in an era of peace that we haven't even dreamed of.” 

“This is a gateway for peace, for a broader peace, and I believe that we can achieve it,” Netanyahu added. 

Benjamin Netanyahu appears on Hannity
By “working together against Iran,” Israeli PM Netanyahu predicted he and President Trump would be able to “bring many, many more peace treaties" throughout the region. Fox News

The prime minister noted that Saudi Arabia and other countries in the Middle East have been “threatened” and “targeted” by Iran, and it would be a “great boon” for them to see the existing regime taken down. 

“I think peace between Israel and Saudi Arabia would be really possible, and probably very close, once this thing happens,” Netanyahu said. 

By “working together against Iran,” the prime minister predicted he and President Trump would be able to “bring many, many more peace treaties" throughout the region.

Netanyahu laughs off claims he dragged Trump into war with Iran: ‘Ridiculous’ 

By Victor Nava

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday chuckled at the claim he “dragged” President Trump into a war with Iran, calling the suggestion “ridiculous.” 

“You know, there are people that say, well, the Prime Minister of Israel dragged Donald Trump into it,” Fox News host Sean Hannity said during an interview with Netanyahu, before dismissing the accusation. 

Netanyahu similarly laughed off the idea. 

“That's ridiculous,” he told Hannity. “Donald Trump is the strongest leader in the world. He does what he thinks is right for America.” 

The prime minister argued that Trump is well aware of the threat Iran poses to Americans. 

“You don't have to drag him into anything. And nobody would do it anyway. He does what he thinks is right, and this is right,” Netanyahu asserted. 

“America, under President Trump, has entered this fight to protect our civilization and to protect our common future,” the prime minister added.

US military has 'much greater capacity to inflict damage' on Iran to achieve Trump's objectives, JD Vance warns

By Victor Nava

Vice President JD Vance noted Monday night that the US military has “much greater capacity to inflict damage” on Iran if warranted to achieve President Trump’s objectives.

“We have a lot of capacity here,” Vance told Fox News host Jesse Watters, explaining what Secretary of State Marco Rubio meant earlier Monday when he declared that the “hardest hits” against Iran have yet to take place.

“Obviously, I'm not going to reveal classified information here on air, but the President of the United States knows what we're able to do,” Vance continued. “He knows that we have much greater capacity to inflict damage on the Iranian nuclear program, but also on various missiles that threaten our troops."

The vice president echoed other administration officials in arguing that regime change is not an objective of the military campaign against Iran launched Saturday.

"I think the president has been extremely clear about our objectives, and it's that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon,” Vance said during his appearance on “Jesse Watters Primetime.”

Vice President J.D. Vance appears on Jesse Watters Primetime
Vice President JD Vance was adamant that Trump would not allow the US to get into a protracted war in the Middle East.  Fox News

“Whatever happens with the regime, in one form or another, it's incidental to the president's primary objective here, which is to make sure the Iranian terrorist regime does not build a nuclear bomb,” the vice president said earlier in the interview. 

Vance said Trump determined that preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon would require “a change in mindset from the Iranian regime.”

“So he saw that the Iranian regime was weakened. He knew that they were committed to getting on that brink of a nuclear weapon, and he decided to take action because he felt that was necessary in order to protect the nation's security.” 

The vice president was adamant that Trump would not allow the US to get into a protracted war in the Middle East. 

“There's just no way that Donald Trump is going to allow this country to get into a multi-year conflict, with no clear end in sight and no clear objective,” Vance said.

Trump’s objective, according to Vance, is “pretty clear … pretty simple, and I think that means that we're not going to get into the problems that we've had with Iraq and Afghanistan.”

US Embassy in Saudi Arabia hit in drone attack: reports

By Victor Nava

The US Embassy in Saudi Arabia's capital city of Riyadh issued a shelter-in-place order Monday night after a drone attack.

The embassy was "subjected to an attack by two drones according to initial estimates, resulting in a limited fire and minor material damage to the building," a spokesperson for the Saudi defense ministry wrote on X.

RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA - JUNE 21: General view of the USA embassy on June 21, 2005 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (Photo by AFP via Getty Images)
The US Embassy in Saudi Arabia's capital city of Riyadh, seen in 2005, issued a shelter-in-place order Monday night after a drone attack. AFP via Getty Images

A "security alert" posted by the Riyadh embassy on X read, "The U.S. Mission to Saudi Arabia has issued a shelter in place notification for Jeddah, Riyadh and Dhahran and are limiting non-essential travel to any military installations in the region – we recommend American citizens in the Kingdom to shelter in place immediately."

The embassy was reportedly empty at the time of the drone strike, which is believed to have come from Iran, according to Fox News.

The State Department did not immediately respond to The Post's request for comment.

State Department urges Americans in Middle East to 'depart now' over 'serious safety risks'

By Zoe Hussain

The US State Department on Monday urged Americans across the Middle East to “depart now,” citing “serious safety risks,” according to authorities. 

All US citizens should flee “using available commercial travel” from Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, the West Bank and Gaza, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen, Mora Namdar, the Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs, wrote in a post on X.

The urgent warning comes amid a barrage of retaliatory strikes across the region in response to the US and Israel's military operations in Iran. 

The @SecRubio@StateDept urges Americans to DEPART NOW from the countries below using available commercial transportation, due to serious safety risks. Americans who need State Department assistance arranging to depart via commercial means, CALL US 24/7 at +1-202-501-4444 (from… pic.twitter.com/vdplAik2Sq

— Assistant Secretary Mora Namdar (@AsstSecStateCA) March 2, 2026

“Americans who need State Department assistance arranging to depart via commercial means, CALL US 24/7 at +1-202-501-4444 (from abroad) and +1-888-407-4747 (from the U.S. and Canada). ENROLL in http://step.state.gov to get the latest security updates from the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate,” Namdar advised.

Rubio: 'Next phase will be even more punishing on Iran than it is right now'

By Emily Goodin

Secretary of State Marco Rubio vowed the U.S. will hit Iran even harder in the next phase of Operation Epic Fury.

"The next phase will be even more punishing on Iran than it is right now," Rubio told reporters on Capitol Hill.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks to the media on the day of a briefing for Congressional leaders on the situation in Iran, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., March 2, 2026.
"The next phase will be even more punishing on Iran than it is right now," Rubio told reporters on Capitol Hill. REUTERS

He also declined to give a timeline.

"We will do this as long as it takes to achieve those objectives, and we will achieve those objectives. The world will be a safer place when we're done with this operation," Rubio said.

Comments
anonymous profile image
Powered by RoundtableBuilt on infrastructure designed for real-time media. Learn more at RTB.io.© Roundtable 2026. By using this site you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy