Trump says Iran operation will last up to 5 weeks as death toll across Middle East surpasses 500
Iran says it does not seek to regionalise the war and Gulf countries should pressure the US.
US President Donald Trump said on March 3, 2026, that US troops would press ahead with “ferocious, unyielding resolve” to “eliminate the intolerable threat posed by this sick and sinister regime” in Iran, as US Secretary of State Marco Rubio echoed Trump’s earlier warning that “the hardest hits are yet to come”. The US and Israel continued to strike targets across Iran as officials said the mission was to destroy its nuclear capabilities. Iran responded with retaliatory attacks, hitting US bases across the region. Iran’s foreign minister said his country did not seek to regionalise the war and that Gulf states should pressure the US over its attacks against his country. The combined death toll after three days of tit-for-tat strikes has surpassed 500.