Iran fired missiles at Israel and Arab states on Monday in a war that widened to include Tehran-backed Mideast militia groups, Hezbollah, which has attacked Israel and counterattacked the group in Lebanon, and the United States, which bombed targets in Iran.
As U.S. and Israeli airstrikes continue to hit the country, Iran’s top security official Ali Larijani said on X: “We will not negotiate with the United States.”
Trump, who a day earlier encouraged the Iranians to “take over” the government, said on Sunday he was willing to talk to Iran’s new leadership.
Meanwhile, Iran’s foreign minister said earlier that military units operate independently of any central government control, amid pressure over attacks on Gulf Arab states that have acted as intermediaries for Tehran in the past.
Iranian leaders say more than 200 people have been killed since the attacks began that killed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other senior leaders.
This is the latest:
Attack in western Iran kills 3
Iran’s state-run news agency said an attack in the western city of Sanandaj early Monday killed three people.
The Islamic News Agency said the attacks hit two residential areas but gave no further details.
Kuwait says US fighter jet crashed
Several U.S. warplanes crashed in Kuwait on Monday and all pilots ejected safely, the Kuwaiti Defense Ministry said.
The ministry did not elaborate on the cause of the crash, but it occurred during an intense period of Iranian firing against the country.
Kuwait’s Ministry of Defense said the pilot had been sent to hospital for examination and was in stable condition.
U.S. Central Command did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Türkiye temporarily halts transit for Iranians traveling short distances
Türkiye has temporarily closed its border with Iran to ban Iranians from short-distance travel amid public concerns that tensions could spark a wave of migrants, the Turkish Trade Ministry said.
A foreign ministry statement said that in accordance with a mutual agreement with Iran, Türkiye allows its citizens and third-country nationals to enter from Iran, but short-distance travel by Iranians has been suspended.
Meanwhile, commercial freight transit between Türkiye and Iran continues “in a controlled manner,” the ministry said.
Israel says Gaza crossings will remain closed
Israel says crossings into Gaza, through which much-needed humanitarian aid passes, will remain closed while the war with Iran continues.
COGAT, the Israeli defense agency that oversees aid to Gaza and the crossing, said the crossing cannot operate safely due to missile threats.
Israelis have been instructed to stay close to bomb shelters and areas beyond a certain distance will be closed.
COGAT claims that Gaza has enough food stocks to last “for a long time,” but some organizations, including World Central Kitchen, which operates soup kitchens across Gaza, have warned that their supplies are about to run out.
“We need to deliver meals every day to feed hungry families who are not involved in this war,” World Central Kitchen founder Jose Andres wrote on X.
Location of the U.S. Embassy in Kuwait
Like some other U.S. embassies in the Middle East, the Kuwait outpost is a large, walled complex consisting of multiple buildings and recreational facilities.
It is located near other embassies and residential areas south of Kuwait city center.
The Bayan Palace of the ruling emir is not far away.
In December 1983, a truck packed with explosives drove through the gate and detonated, severely damaging parts of the U.S. Embassy in Kuwait.
The blast was part of a series of attacks later blamed on Iran-backed militant groups.
Fire and smoke rise inside U.S. Embassy in Kuwait
Fire and smoke rose from the U.S. Embassy in Kuwait on Monday after Iran attacked the small Middle Eastern country.
Video obtained by The Associated Press showed thick smoke billowing from the scene and sirens blaring.
The United States earlier issued an emergency warning to Americans there, asking them to take shelter and stay indoors.
“Do not come to the embassy,” it said, without elaborating.
Qatar Airways flights remain suspended
Qatar Airways said its flights remain suspended and its next update is planned for Tuesday morning.
Iranian state media shows footage of damage to Tehran hospital
Video released by Iranian state media showed damage to Tehran’s Gandhi Hospital.
Several huge explosions were heard in Erbil, the capital of northern Iraq’s Kurdish region
Associated Press reporters heard several loud explosions Monday morning in Erbil, the capital of Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdistan region.
WHO calls for protection of civilians and medical facilities
The World Health Organization called for the protection of civilians and medical facilities in the Middle East after weekend Israeli and U.S. attacks on Iran sparked regional conflict.
“Protection and health care for civilians must be absolute,” WHO regional nutritionist Hanan Balkshi wrote on social media.
“All parties must … ensure that medical facilities are protected.”
Lebanese government holds emergency meeting
The Lebanese government is holding an emergency meeting after Hezbollah’s attacks on Israel triggered Israeli airstrikes in different parts of the country.
The meeting began on Monday morning in the presence of Army Chief of Staff General Rudolf Heikkal.
The state-run state news agency reported that the cabinet will discuss the volatile situation and the measures it plans to take.
Thick smoke billows over Kuwaiti neighborhood where U.S. Embassy is located
One witness said he saw smoke rising over the Kuwaiti neighborhood where the U.S. embassy is located, as Americans were urged to stay away.
Ayman Moawad, an Egyptian worker who lives near the U.S. Embassy in Kuwait, told The Associated Press that he saw smoke rising over the area.
However, he did not know whether this was the attack on the embassy as part of Iran’s ongoing attacks on the small Middle Eastern country.
The United States earlier issued an emergency warning to Americans there, asking them to take shelter and stay indoors.
“Do not come to the embassy,” it said, without elaborating.
Eyewitnesses say there was a strike at Iran’s state television station
Strikes across Iran continued into Monday, with one apparently causing Iranian state television to go off the air.
Witnesses said an attack in the Niavaran neighborhood in northern Tehran hit a transmitter used by Iran’s state television.
Its satellite signal has dropped since then.
State media has said hospitals and residential complexes were attacked during strikes by Americans and Israelis.
Iran has not yet provided any details about its material losses.
UAE closes stock exchanges
The United Arab Emirates will close the country’s main stock exchange at the start of the trading week as regional war intensifies.
The country’s Capital Markets Authority said the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange and Dubai Financial Market will be closed on Monday and Tuesday.
It said it would closely monitor the regional situation and take further measures if necessary.
Another market, Nasdaq Dubai, also said it would halt trading for both days.
Dubai is the Gulf’s main business center and the UAE’s capital, Abu Dhabi, is also an important regional financial center and home to some of the world’s largest sovereign wealth funds.
The benchmark index on the Saudi Arabian Exchange, the region’s largest stock market, fell 2.2% on Sunday.
U.S. issues emergency warning to Americans in Kuwait
As Kuwait faces ongoing attacks, the United States has issued an emergency warning to Americans there, asking them to take shelter and stay indoors.
“Do not come to the embassy,” it said, without elaborating.
Israeli airstrike kills at least 31 in Lebanon
The Lebanese Health Ministry said on Monday that Israeli air strikes in Lebanon killed at least 31 people after Hezbollah attacked the country.
Hezbollah’s attacks and Israeli retaliatory strikes have expanded the ongoing war in the Middle East after the United States and Israel launched airstrikes against Iran.
The attack also injured 149 people, the health ministry said.
About two-thirds of the victims were said to have occurred in southern Lebanon.
Cyprus president says drone caused ‘minor material damage’
Cypriot President Nicos Christodoulides said a Shaheed drone caused “minor material damage” to military installations at RAF Akrotiri on the island’s southern coast.
Christodoulides said in a brief address to the nation that the drone struck just after midnight on Monday.
He said all relevant authorities were on alert and he had convened a meeting of the National Security Council to assess the situation.
He added that he was in contact with other European leaders.
“I want to make it clear: our country will not be involved in any way and does not intend to participate in any military operations,” Christodoulides said in his speech.
Cyprus remains focused on its humanitarian role in the region and seeks to be “part of the solution, not part of the problem,” he said, adding that his primary concern remained the safety and security of the country and its people.
Air strikes reported in Iran
According to reports, air strikes were carried out across Iran overnight.
Elsewhere, explosions were heard in Dubai on Monday.
In Bahrain, the Interior Ministry said alerts were sounded across the country, urging residents to “move to the nearest safe location.”
In Kuwait, authorities said debris fell on the Ahmadi refinery, causing minor injuries to two workers.
The state-run Kuna news agency said earlier that Kuwaiti troops foiled a drone attack early Monday.
Top Iranian security official says Iran ‘will not negotiate’ with U.S.
“We will not negotiate with the United States,” Iran’s top security official said on Monday.
Ali Larijani issued the above statement on the Xth day in response to a report by Qatar’s Al Jazeera News Network.
The remarks come as the United States and Israel continue to launch air strikes against Iran.
Iran and its militia allies have expanded attacks over the killing of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Pentagon to brief media on Iran attacks
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegers and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Kaine plan to hold a news conference Monday morning on military action against Iran.
The Pentagon announced an 8 a.m. ET media briefing on social media Sunday night.
The White House said Hegseth and Kaine will join Secretary of State Marco Rubio and CIA Director John Ratcliffe in briefing the full Congress on the attack on Tuesday.
Rubio is also scheduled to brief Hill leadership on Monday.
Lebanese president says Hezbollah attacks on Israel ‘put our country at risk’
President Joseph Aoun said in a statement on Monday that Hezbollah’s rockets fired from Lebanon “target all efforts and efforts made by the Lebanese state to distance Lebanon from the dangerous military confrontations taking place in the region.”
He added that while Israel’s attacks on Lebanon were condemned, “insisting on once again using Lebanon as a platform for a proxy war in which we are not a party would once again put our country at risk.”
