Iran war live updates: US embassy in Saudi Arabia struck by Iranian drones: Officials

JON HAWORTH, JACK MOORE, NADINE EL-BAWAB, DAVID BRENNAN, KEVIN SHALVEY and MEREDITH DELISO... See moreTue, March 3, 2026 at 1:07 AM UTC

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Iran war live updates: US embassy in Saudi Arabia struck by Iranian drones: Officials

President Donald Trump announced "major combat operations" against Iran on Saturday, with daytime strikes in the joint U.S.-Israel attack targeting military and government sites, officials said.

On Sunday, Iranian state television confirmed that Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was among those killed by airstrikes in Tehran on Saturday.

Iran is responding to the U.S.-Israeli operation with missile and drone attacks targeting Israel, regional U.S. bases and Gulf nations.

Israel is also intensifying its long-running strike campaign in Lebanon following fresh attacks by the Iranian-aligned Hezbollah militia.

Watch special coverage on Nightline, "War with Iran," each night on ABC and streaming on Disney+ and Hulu.

Latest Developments

Mar 2, 7:56 PMUS embassy in Saudi Arabia struck by Iranian drones: US officials

The U.S. embassy in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, has been struck by two Iranian drones, according to two U.S. officials and initial estimates from the Saudi Ministry of Defense. The embassy was relatively empty given the overnight hours and no one is believed to have been injured -- but there is still believed to be an ongoing threat to the embassy, the U.S. officials said. The strikes resulted in "limited fire and minor damage to the building," a spokesperson for the Saudi Ministry of Defense said. The State Department also issued an alert advising Americans in Saudi Arabia to shelter in place immediately. This is the second U.S. embassy to sustain damage in an Iranian drone strike, following Kuwait on Monday. -ABC News' Shannon K. Kingston

Mar 2, 6:47 PMMissile alerts overnight in Israel, UAE, Qatar and more

After alerts were activated across Israel early Tuesday local time, the Israel Defense Forces said "launches from Iran have been identified toward several areas in the country's territory."The United Arab Emirates' Ministry of Defense said in a recent statement that its "air defenses are currently dealing with a barrage of ballistic missiles coming from Iran."

The Qatari Ministry of Defense said it "successfully continued to intercept and neutralize two ballistic missiles that targeted several areas within the country."

In Kuwait, "armed forces are currently dealing with a wave of missiles and drones that have been detected in the airspace," army officials said.Emergency sirens have also gone off in Bahrain, according to the country's interior ministry. "Citizens and residents are urged to remain calm and head to the nearest safe place," the ministry said.

Mar 2, 7:02 PMIranian FM says US bases are 'legitimate targets'

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said he believes American bases are "legitimate targets" in a new interview with Iranian state TV."When the United States attacks us -- whether by fighter jets or the ships it deploys -- they have access to our territory to strike with all kinds of missiles and aircraft. We cannot reach their territory, but we can reach their bases. I think those bases are legitimate targets," Araghchi said.

ABC News - PHOTO: Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi appears on ABC News' "This Week" on March 1, 2026

Mar 2, 6:22 PMGang of 8 members react to classified briefing

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Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said the classified briefing on Iran between Trump administration officials and members of the Gang of 8 "raised more questions than it answered." "Look, a whole lot of questions were asked," Schumer told reporters Monday following the briefing on Capitol Hill. "I found their answers completely and totally insufficient. In fact, at least to me, that briefing raised many more questions than it answered." House Speaker Mike Johnson, meanwhile, said he was "very satisfied" with the closed-door briefing after hearing from CIA Director John Ratcliffe, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Johnson called the attack on Iran a "defensive operation" -- echoing Rubio's reasoning that an Israeli operation was already in motion -- and that the administration "had a very difficult decision to make." "The first responsibility of the federal government is to protect the country and its interests, and that's what we did here," Johnson said. -ABC News' Lauren Peller, John Parkinson, Hannah Demissie and Jay O'Brien

Mar 2, 4:11 PM6 US service members killed

Six U.S. service members have been killed since the operation against Iran began, according to U.S. Central Command."U.S. forces recently recovered the remains of two previously unaccounted for service members from a facility that was struck during Iran's initial attacks in the region," CENTCOM said in a statement Monday. "Major combat operations continue."

All six deaths occurred from a single incident in Kuwait, sources told ABC News.The names of the fallen troops will be withheld until 24 hours after next of kin notification, CENTCOM said.

Mar 2, 5:54 PMStrait of Hormuz is 'closed': IRGC

Sahar Al Attar/AFP via Getty Images - PHOTO: A navy vessel is seen sailing in the Strait of Hormuz on March 1, 2026.

An Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commander said the Strait of Hormuz is "closed.""The strait is closed, and whoever wants to cross, our heroes in the navy of the IRGC and army will set those ships on fire," Brigadier General Ebrahim Jabari said on Iranian state TV earlier.The Strait of Hormuz is one world's most important chokepoints for oil. Roughly 20% of the world’s oil passes through the Strait, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

Mar 2, 5:46 PMIDF says it has targeted headquarters of Iranian state broadcaster

The Israel Defense Forces said the Israeli Air Force has "struck and dismantled" the Iranian state broadcaster "a short while ago." "The center was also recently used by the Iranian regime's forces to advance military activities under the guise of civilian activity and assets, in addition to the propaganda activities that emanate from the communications center," the IDF said in a statement. "The IDF will continue to strike the Iranian regime's infrastructure across Tehran," the statement added.

Mar 2, 5:33 PMState Department urges US nationals to leave 14 Middle Eastern countries

The State Department is urging Americans to leave 14 countries in the Middle East immediately "due to serious safety risks," Assistant Secretary Mora Namdar said on X.

Assistant Secretary for Consular Affairs/X - PHOTO: The State Department posted this graphic, March 2, 2026.

Mar 2, 5:21 PM'Hardest hits are yet to come from US': Rubio

Kylie Cooper/Reuters - PHOTO: 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, March 2, 2026.

Before heading into a briefing for members of the Gang of 8 on Capitol Hill, Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters that "the hardest hits are yet to come from the U.S. military.""The next phase will be even more punishing on Iran than it is right now," he said.Rubio said that he did not know how long the hostilities could last."We have objectives. We will do this as long as it takes to meet those objectives," he said.-ABC News' Shannon K. Kingston

Mar 2, 5:19 PMRubio says knowledge of pending Israeli action fueled decision to strike Iran now

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Monday that knowledge of pending Israeli action played a part in the decision to strike Iran now -- though denied that Israel forced the U.S.' hand."It was abundantly clear that if Iran came under attack by anyone -- the United States or Israel or anyone -- they were going to respond, and respond against the United States. The orders had been delegated down to the field commanders," Rubio told reporters before his briefing for members of the Gang of 8 on Capitol Hill.

Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images - PHOTO: 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, March 2, 2026.

Rubio said the near-immediate retaliation from Iran had proven his point -- saying missiles had been "prepositioned" to strike before the initial attack on the leadership compound."If we stood and waited for that attack to come first, before we hit them, we would suffer much higher casualties," Rubio said. "We knew that there was going to be an Israeli action. We knew that that would precipitate an attack against American forces, and we knew that if we didn't preemptively go after them before they launched those attacks, we would suffer higher casualties."When asked if the U.S. was forced to strike because of an impending Israeli action, Rubio said no, and that U.S. military action would have eventually been necessary anyway.Asked about regime change, Rubio said it was not a chief objective of the operation, but that "we would not be heartbroken" if it happened.Pressed on whether the U.S. would play a role in shaping the next government of Iran, Rubio was noncommittal."I mean, we might. We'll see how circumstances play out," he said.-ABC News' Shannon K. Kingston

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