Iran has retaliated with strikes on US and Israeli military bases across the Middle East, after cities including Tehran were struck on Saturday morning.
Explosions have been heard in Bahrain, where the US Navy’s 5th fleet is based, as well as in the UAE, Jordan and Qatar.
One person has been killed as a result of falling debris in Abu Dhabi, while sirens are sounding across Israel with citizens warned to take shelter.
It comes after Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu launched co-ordinated strikes across Iran in a “preventative attack”.
President Donald Trump confirmed a “major combat operation” in an eight-minute speech, stating Iran could never have a nuclear weapon and adding: “It’s been mass terror, and we’re not going to take it any longer.”
Witnesses said they heard the blasts in the Iranian capital, while footage appears to show columns of smoke rising above the city.
Iran and Israel have closed their airspace, while officials in Tehran said their supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has been transferred to a secure location.
The development comes amid heightened tensions over Iran’s nuclear programme – its long-running effort to enrich uranium, which Western powers fear could be used to produce nuclear weapons.
Trump-Iran latest: Key Points
- Trump confirms ‘major combat operations’ in Iran as US launch airstrikes
- Iran launches missiles at Israel, IDF says
- Explosions in Bahrain which houses US forces
- Iran’s retaliation strikes kill one person in Abu Dhabi
- Dubai: flights cease to and from the world’s busiest international airport
- Explosion reported in Tehran as Israel says it has launched ‘preventative attack’ against Iran
Drone targets Kuwait’s international airport, state news agency says
A drone targeted Kuwait’s international airport, causing light injuries to several workers and limited material damage, the Kuwaiti state news agency reported on Saturday as Iran continued to launch strikes targeting U.S. bases in the region.
In the United Arab Emirates, loud bangs and plumes of smoke have been seen in Dubai’s Palm Island neighbourhood.
British nationals in Saudi Arabia advised to stay at home
The Foreign Office has advised British nationals in Saudi Arabia to remain at home.
In an update to its official travel advice, the Foreign Office said: “Due to reports of missile activity in the region, we advise all British nationals to stay at home.
“Remain indoors in a secure location and follow instruction from the local authorities.”
British nationals in Qatar, Bahrain, the UAE and Kuwait have already been advised to “shelter in place” amid ongoing missile exchanges in the region, while the Foreign Office now advises against all travel to Israel and Palestine.
Keir Starmer gives statement on strikes as he announces British planes ‘are in the sky’ in Middle East
Keir Starmer has confirmed British planes are “in the sky” in the Middle East in efforts to defend allies.
Speaking from Downing Street, the prime minister said: “As Britain has done before, in line with international law, we’ve stepped up protections for British bases and personnel to their highest level. We are also reaching out to UK nationals in the region and doing everything we can to support them.
“I’ve been speaking with leaders today from the E3 and across the region. It is vital that we prevent further escalation and return to a diplomatic process. We want to see peace and security and the protection of civilian life.
“Iran can end this now. They should refrain from further strikes, give up their weapons programs, and cease the appalling violence and repression against the Iranian people who deserve the right to determine their own future.”
Harriette Boucher28 February 2026 14:59
Breaking: British planes in Middle East
Sir Keir Starmer said British planes “are in the sky today” in the Middle East “as part of co-ordinated regional defensive operations to protect our people, our interests and our allies”.
Harriette Boucher28 February 2026 14:43
‘It’s chaos here’: Britons left stranded as flights cancelled after Trump’s strikes on Iran
Thousands of Britons have been left stranded in the Middle East after global airlines grounded hundreds of flights due to US and Israeli strikes against Iran.
Iran and Iraq’s airspaces were closed due to the escalating military action, which has seen blasts reported in multiple countries across the region, and Dubai International Airport, the biggest global aviation hub, suspended all flights on Saturday.
Martin Boreham, who had been on holiday in Dubai with his wife, was due to get the 13:10 British Airways flight back to Heathrow when the captain told the passengers the airspace had been closed.
Mr Boreham spoke to The Independent just after he had disembarked the flight, which stood on the tarmac for three hours. He said: “We were all ready to go, sat there for about 15 minutes, and then the captain came on and said that the airspace was shut. We were on the plane for three hours. We’ve actually just got off and been given instructions to go back into immigration. It’s carnage here.
“British Airways have told us: ‘Go to immigration, pick up your bags and then you’ll get a text message’, which seems a bit wishy washy to be honest. I’m a bit concerned about that.”
‘It’s chaos here’: Britons left stranded as flights cancelled after Iran strikes
Major travel disruption as hundreds of flights cancelled across the Middle East due to Iran airstrikes
Harriette Boucher28 February 2026 14:34
Key Iranian figures still alive, says foreign minister
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said key leaders of the regime were still alive.
He told NBC: “As far as I know, yes, they are alive, all high-ranking officials … we are handling this situation and everything is fine.
“We may have lost a few commanders but that’s not such a big problem,” he said.
It comes after sources said Israel believed its attacks had killed several senior Iranian officials.
Harriette Boucher28 February 2026 14:13
Republican will force Congressional vote on Iranian airstrikes
MAGA rebel Thomas Massie has said he will force a Congressional vote on Iranian airstrikes Iran when Congress reconvenes.
“I am opposed to this War. This is not ‘America First’,” he said in a post on X.
“The Constitution requires a vote, and your Representative needs to be on record as opposing or supporting this war.”
Harriette Boucher28 February 2026 14:06
Trump briefed ‘gang of eight’ on strikes earlier in week
US house speaker Mike Johnson said he was briefed in detail earlier this week about potential military action.
“The Gang of Eight was briefed in detail earlier this week that military action may become necessary to protect American troops and American citizens in Iran.
“I received updates from Secretary Rubio thereafter, and I will remain in close contact with the President and the Department of War as this operation proceeds,” he said.
The gang of eight includes the Republican and Democratic leaders of the Senate and House of Representatives.
“Iran and its proxies have menaced America and American lives, undermined our core national interests, systematically destabilized the Middle East, and threatened the security of the entire West,” Mr Johnson said.
Full statement from Macron, Merz and Starmer:
“France, Germany and the United Kingdom have consistently urged the Iranian regime to end Iran’s nuclear program, curb its ballistic missile program, refrain from its destabilising activity in the region and our homelands, and to cease the appalling violence and repression against its own people.
“We did not participate in these strikes, but are in close contact with our international partners, including the United States, Israel and partners in the region. We reiterate our commitment to regional stability and to the protection of civilian life.
“We condemn Iranian attacks on countries in the region in the strongest terms. Iran must refrain from indiscriminate military strikes. We urge the Iranian leadership to seek a negotiated solution. Ultimately, the Iranian people must be allowed to determine their future.”
