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CIA ARMING KURDISH FORCES: Kurdish forces in Iraq are being armed by the CIA and plotting a ground invasion, according to reporting from CNN. A senior Iranian Kurdish official said they are planning a ground operation in Western Iran, and on Tuesday, Trump spoke to the president of the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan.
If armed Kurds fight against Iranian security forces, other civilians might be more inclined to continue to rise up against the government without the same threat of crackdown they faced in January.
FALLEN U.S. SOLDIERS IDENTIFIED: The Pentagon released the names of four of the six U.S. soldiers killed in the Iranian strike on a base in Kuwait. They were members of the Iowa Army Reserve: Cody A. Khork, 35; Noah L. Tietjens, 42; Nicole M. Amor, 39; Declan J. Coady, 20.
IRAN SUPREME LEADER SUCCESSION DRAMA: Israel’s air force struck Iran’s Council of Experts in Qom, the body in charge of the election of the next supreme leader. Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of the former supreme leader Ali Khamenei who was killed in the U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran, is emerging as the likely next supreme leader. Meanwhile, Trump is expressing doubts about popular opposition leader, Reza Pahlavi, the exiled crown prince living in the U.S.
Son of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Mojtaba Khamenei, at a demonstration to mark Jerusalem Day in 2019 in Tehran. (Photo by Morteza Nikoubazl/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
FRANCE DEPLOYS AIRCRAFT CARRIER TO MED: President Emmanuel Macron said he is sending an aircraft carrier to the Mediterranean, despite arguing that U.S.-Israel strikes on Iran are outside of international law.
“We have defense agreements that bind us to Qatar, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates. The latter are particularly targeted, and we owe them solidarity,” Macron said.
FUNERALS FOR CHILDREN KILLED IN SCHOOL STRIKE: A mass burial and funeral were held for the at least 168 killed in a strike on Shajareh Tayyebeh, a girls’ elementary school in the southern city of Minab in Iran on Saturday. The strikes happened at the beginning of the Iranian school week when school was in session. Neither the U.S. nor Israel has claimed responsibility.
A crowd gathers to mourn the children in the funeral held for children who died in the strike on Shajareh Tayyebeh, an elementary school in Minab, March 3, 2026 (Photo by Stringer/Anadolu via Getty Images)
CHINA URGES IRAN TO STOP HORMUZ BLOCKADE: As traffic through the Strait of Hormuz is effectively closed, Beijing’s foreign ministry asked “all parties to immediately cease military operations, avoid escalating tensions, and safeguard the safety of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz,” according to The Guardian. China is a major importer of Iranian oil and a strategic partner of Iran's but has refrained from explicitly supporting Tehran since the U.S.-Israeli war began, though it condemned the U.S.-Israeli strikes.
DEATH TOLLS RISE IN LEBANON, ISRAEL: At least four people were killed and six wounded in an Israeli strike on a residential building in Baalbek in eastern Lebanon. Israel endured Iranian strikes that killed at least nine and injured around 27 in Beit Shamesh.
GULF STATES RETALIATION ON THE TABLE: The U.S. has closed embassies in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Lebanon. The UAE is considering retaliation against Iran, according to reporting from Axios, which would be the first of its kind, as 3 people were confirmed dead and 53 more were injured.
Editor’s note:
This war is escalating fast, and information — and disinformation — is flying. Our reporters are monitoring all of it to give you the stories you need.
Subscribe for more news roundups and deeply reported stories from our team.
