U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders has publicly questioned President Donald Trump’s decision to order an attack on Iran. In an Instagram post on Sunday, Sanders wrote that Trump justified the strike by claiming Iran should not possess nuclear weapons, a reasoning Sanders appeared to challenge. Referring to statements made in June, Sanders noted that Trump had previously declared Iran’s nuclear facilities completely destroyed after a 12-day conflict. He concluded his post with the remark, “Vietnam, Iraq, Iran. Another lie, another war,” suggesting skepticism toward the administration’s justification for military action. The post adds to ongoing debate in the United States over the rationale and transparency behind recent military operations targeting Iran.

Japan’s stock market suffered a sharp decline on Monday following military strikes by the United States and Israel in Iran, which reignited global economic concerns. According to AFP reports from Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 index dropped 2.07 percent to 57,628.07 points in early trading, marking a significant setback at the start of the week. Analysts attributed the fall to heightened tensions in the Middle East, which have created uncertainty and fear among investors. The resulting anxiety has spread across Asian markets, leading to widespread caution. Many investors have reportedly adopted a wait-and-see approach as they monitor the evolving situation. The report noted that the sudden and steep decline reflects the sensitivity of regional markets to geopolitical developments, particularly those involving energy-producing regions like the Middle East.

Bangladesh’s Commerce Minister Khandaker Abdul Muktadir held a meeting with Indian High Commissioner Pranay Verma at the minister’s secretariat office in Dhaka on Monday, March 2, 2026. The meeting began around 11:30 a.m., with the Indian envoy received by the ministry’s senior information officer. A press briefing is scheduled to follow the meeting. The discussion marks another engagement between Bangladesh and India at the ministerial level, reflecting ongoing diplomatic and trade interactions. The source notes that the meeting took place in an official setting, continuing a pattern of bilateral consultations between the two neighboring countries. Further details about the agenda or outcomes of the meeting were not disclosed in the source, but a briefing to journalists is expected after the session concludes.

The United Kingdom’s Ministry of Defence confirmed that a suspected drone attack targeted an RAF base in Cyprus on Sunday night. The incident occurred at RAF Akrotiri, one of Britain’s key military installations on the island. Authorities reported no casualties from the attack and stated that security measures at the base remain at the highest level, with personnel responding immediately to the threat. The attack came amid heightened regional instability following the reported death of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in a joint US-Israeli airstrike. UK Defence Secretary John Healy said indiscriminate retaliatory attacks by Iran have increased risks for British troops and civilians across the Middle East. The Ministry of Defence emphasized its commitment to protecting its forces and maintaining operational readiness in the region. The situation underscores growing security concerns for Western military assets in the eastern Mediterranean as tensions escalate between Iran and Western allies.

Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth will hold a press conference on Monday morning to address the joint US-Israel military operation, marking the first official briefing by a senior American official since the operation began on Saturday. According to AFP, the Pentagon announced on social media that the briefing will take place at 8 a.m. local time, with Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Dan Kane also attending. The White House stated on Sunday that Hegseth will visit Congress on Tuesday with Secretary of State Marco Rubio to brief lawmakers on the progress of the operation. The opposition Democratic Party has criticized the administration, claiming it was not consulted before the operation began. The joint forces of the United States and Israel launched attacks in Iran on Saturday. Iranian state media confirmed on Sunday that the country’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was killed in a strike in Tehran.

Four defeated candidates from the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) have filed cases in the High Court alleging vote rigging in the 13th national parliamentary election. The candidates are Sohel Hossain Kaykobad from Kurigram-2, Saiful Islam from Rangpur-6, Emdadul Haque Bhorsa from Rangpur-4, and Major General (Retd.) Md. Sharif Uddin from Rajshahi-1. The information was confirmed by court sources on Monday, March 2, 2026. Earlier, on Sunday, March 1, the High Court ordered the preservation of ballot papers and result sheets for Rajshahi-4 and Pabna-4 constituencies after taking into account similar allegations of vote rigging. The Election Appeal Tribunal, led by Justice Zakir Hossain, accepted the petitions and set May 11 for the next hearing. These petitions were also filed by defeated BNP candidates. Previously, Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami had filed petitions in the High Court alleging vote rigging in three constituencies: Dhaka-6, Dhaka-7, and Gaibandha-4.

Iran has declared that it will not engage in discussions with the United States. The country’s National Security Council Secretary, Ali Larijani, made the statement on Monday through a post on the social media platform X. His remarks came after U.S. media reports claimed that Iran was pushing to restart nuclear negotiations with Washington. Larijani rejected a Wall Street Journal report alleging that, following the killing of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, he had urged renewed nuclear talks through Omani mediators. He dismissed the report as false and reaffirmed that Iran would not hold talks with the United States. The statement underscores Tehran’s continued resistance to U.S. diplomatic overtures amid ongoing speculation about possible backchannel efforts to revive nuclear discussions.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a telephone conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss the ongoing conflict and tense situation in the Middle East. Modi urged Netanyahu to bring an immediate end to the hostilities. The discussion was revealed in a post on social media platform X early Monday night, where Modi confirmed that the two leaders exchanged views on the current regional situation. During the call, Modi conveyed India’s concern over recent developments and emphasized that the safety of civilians should remain the highest priority. He reiterated India’s position that the conflict must stop immediately. The conversation came as tensions escalated following Israeli and U.S. attacks on Iran early Saturday, which caused explosions in several Iranian cities and reportedly killed senior figures including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The exchange between Modi and Netanyahu highlights India’s diplomatic engagement amid a volatile regional crisis involving multiple powers and ongoing military actions.

Israel’s Defense Forces claimed to have dropped more than 2,000 bombs on Iranian targets within 30 hours since the start of its offensive. According to the IDF, hundreds of Iranian military sites and installations have been attacked since Saturday. Israeli security officials said that over 700 air missions were conducted by the Israeli Air Force, targeting ballistic missile launchers, air defense systems, and command centers across Iran. Israel also claimed to have destroyed the headquarters of Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), a claim echoed by the United States. In parallel, Israel launched strikes in Lebanon following a major rocket attack by Hezbollah on northern Israel. The Israeli military stated that it was hitting Hezbollah positions “across Lebanon” to prevent the group from posing a threat to the state of Israel. Al Jazeera reported multiple explosions in Beirut’s southern suburb of Dahiyeh, known as a Hezbollah stronghold, as Israeli warplanes continued heavy bombardment in the area.

Pakistan’s Information Minister Attaullah Tarar announced that 415 Afghan Taliban members were killed in military strikes across Afghanistan. According to his post on social media platform X, the attacks also left 580 people injured. The Pakistani military claimed to have destroyed 182 checkpoints and captured 31 others, along with 85 tanks, armed vehicles, and guns. The operations reportedly included airstrikes at 41 locations nationwide, with the Kharchar checkpoint near the Kurram sector among those destroyed. Pakistan stated that the strikes were a strong and effective retaliatory campaign against what it described as unprovoked attacks by Afghan Taliban forces along the border. The announcement marks a significant escalation in cross-border hostilities between the two neighboring countries. The scale of the operation and the high casualty figures suggest a deepening conflict dynamic along the Pakistan-Afghanistan frontier, though independent verification of the claims was not mentioned in the report.

Crude oil prices rose sharply on Monday following a US-Israel strike on Iran that disrupted supply and limited investor access to oil. Brent crude jumped about 13 percent in a single day, while the international benchmark increased nearly 5 percent. By midday in Tokyo, the price per barrel reached 76.48 dollars, according to Al Jazeera. Asian stock markets opened lower as investors reacted to the oil price surge. The Hang Seng Index in Hong Kong fell around 1 percent, and Japan’s Nikkei 225 dropped about 1.5 percent. In the United States, stock futures traded outside regular hours also showed significant losses, with both the S&P 500 and the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite down roughly 0.7 percent. The developments suggested a volatile trading day ahead for global markets as energy costs spiked and geopolitical tensions heightened following the attack on Iran.

U.S. President Donald Trump announced that military operations in Iran will continue until all objectives are achieved. He made the statement in a recently released video, emphasizing that the campaign would not stop before its goals are met. Trump acknowledged the likelihood of additional American casualties, calling it an unfortunate but necessary consequence. He described the ongoing campaign as the only viable path and vowed that the United States would avenge the deaths of its soldiers by delivering the most punitive strikes against terrorists who, he said, had launched a war against civilization. The president urged Iran’s Revolutionary Guards and military police to surrender their weapons in exchange for full immunity, warning that refusal would lead to certain death. His remarks underscored a continuation of U.S. military pressure on Iran, with no indication of an immediate de-escalation.

Israel has instructed residents of more than 50 villages and towns in southern Lebanon to leave their homes and move at least 1,000 meters away to open areas. The warning stated that the evacuation was necessary for their safety and cautioned that anyone staying near Hezbollah members, facilities, or military equipment would be putting their lives at risk. According to the report, Israel carried out attacks on Hezbollah targets across Lebanon, including in the capital Beirut, on Monday. The directive and strikes come amid heightened tensions between Israel and Hezbollah in the region. The situation underscores the growing security risks in southern Lebanon, where civilians are being urged to relocate as military operations intensify.

The United States and Israel have continued airstrikes on Iran for a third consecutive day, while Iran has responded with counterattacks. A Reuters/Ipsos poll revealed that only one in four Americans support the US military action against Iran. The survey found that 27 percent of respondents backed the strikes, 43 percent opposed them, and 29 percent remained undecided. Nearly half of Americans believe President Donald Trump is overly eager to use military force, according to the same poll. Even among Republicans, one in four share that view. The findings highlight a divided public opinion over the administration’s handling of the escalating conflict with Iran. Following the reported death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, President Trump claimed that Iran’s new leadership has expressed willingness to engage in talks with the United States, and he stated his own readiness to meet them.

At least 20 people were killed in an Israeli attack on Niloufar Square in Tehran, according to reports published on March 2, 2026. The strike damaged Gandhi Hospital and a police building in the Iranian capital. Al Jazeera reported explosions in both eastern and western Iran, raising fears that not only military headquarters but also civilian residential areas were being targeted. Iran’s Mehr news agency said the death toll in the Niloufar Square attack exceeded 20, indicating the broad scope of the assault across the country. The attacks reportedly began in Tehran’s Pasteur area, where the offices of Iran’s Supreme Leader and President are located. An official also stated that a separate strike on a girls’ school in Minab, southern Iran, killed 180 people. The reports suggest a significant escalation in hostilities, with both political and civilian sites affected, though details on the broader military or diplomatic response were not provided in the source.