**Livewire** Operation Epic Fury Day Three: The Latest News From Iran and the Middle East

The military operation against Iran has entered its third day, with strikes against targets inside Iran and interceptions of Iranian aircraft, missiles, and drones attempting to land blows across the Middle East and Eastern Mediterranean ongoing.

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**Monday’s live updates below. All updates in Eastern time**

1:45 PM: The Kremlin has said that Russian President Vladimir Putin has held phone calls with multiple leaders in the Gulf region, including Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa of Bahrain.

According to Moscow state media, Putin has called for a ceasefire in Iran and “emphasized the urgent need to resolve the extremely dangerous situation that has arisen through political and diplomatic means.”

1:00 PM:  NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte told Fox News that he “commends” President Trump for taking the lead on “taking out Khamenei, taking out the nuclear capability in Iran, but also taking out the ballistic missile program in Iran, this is crucial.

“I spoke with all the key European leaders over the weekend. [There’s] widespread support for what the president’s doing and making sure that in terms of logistics, access, and defending key U.S. interests in Europe and in the region, the Europeans are really stepping up.”

However, speaking to Germany’s ARD broadcaster, Rutte said that the NATO alliance will not be directly involved in the U.S.-Israeli military operation against Iran.

12:15 PM: During a Medal of Honor ceremony in the White House, U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday that America will “easily prevail” in Iran, while saying that Operation Epic Fury is “substantially ahead of schedule”. President Trump said that although plans were made for an approximate four-week operation in Iran, the U.S. has the “capability to go far longer than that”.

“Our objectives are clear. First, we’re destroying Iran’s missile capabilities… Second, we’re annihilating their navy… Third, we’re ensuring that the world’s number one sponsor of terror can never obtain a nuclear weapon… And finally, we’re ensuring that the Iranian regime cannot continue to arm, fund, and direct terrorist armies outside of their borders,” he said.

12:05 PM: German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Monday that he and French President Emmanuel Macron have “established a nuclear steering group” to coordinate nuclear deterrence strategy. Macron separately said that France, which, after the departure of the United Kingdom, stands as the EU’s only nuclear-armed power, will increase the number of its warheads.

Meanwhile, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said that Warsaw is in talks with France and “a group of closest European allies” to discuss a broader European deterrence.

“We are arming up together with our friends so that our enemies will never dare to attack us,” Tusk said.

11:50 AM: The United Arab Emirates (UAE) Ministry of Defence said that its air defenses “successfully intercepted today 9 ballistic missiles, 6 cruise missiles, and 148 drones” on Monday.

The ministry said that since the start of the conflict on Saturday, Iran has launched 174 ballistic missiles, 161 of which were destroyed, and 13 fell harmlessly into the sea.

“A total of 689 Iranian drones were also detected, with 645 intercepted, while 44 landed within the country’s territory. Additionally, 8 cruise missiles were detected and destroyed, causing some collateral damage. The incidents resulted in 3 fatalities and 68 minor injuries,” the country’s MoD added.

11:40 AM: The Israel Defence Forces said that it has struck over 70 Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon, including weapons storage facilities and missile launchers, after the Iranian-backed terror group reportedly broke the 2024 ceasefire on Sunday evening in “revenge” for the killing of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

“The targets that were attacked were intended to be used by the terror group to advance and carry out various terror plots against IDF forces and civilians of the State of Israel,” the IDF said.

“The Hezbollah terror group chose to join the Iranian terror regime and will bear the consequences of the strike against the State of Israel.”

11:25 AM: Qatar has announced that its Emiri Air Force successfully shot down two Russian-made SU24 Iranian fighter jets, as well as intercepting seven ballistic missiles and five drones.

“The Ministry affirms that the threat was addressed immediately upon detection, in accordance with the operational plan, as all missiles were shot down before reaching their targets,” the defence ministry said.

11:10 AM: Addressing the House of Commons on Monday, British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said that the United Kingdom is “not joining the U.S and Israeli strikes” on Iran, despite U-turning on his decision to allow the U.S. to use UK military bases to attack Iran. Starmer acknowledged President Trump’s earlier criticisms of the failure to do so, but said: “It is my duty to judge what is in Britain’s national interests.”

Earlier on Monday, President Trump said that he was “very disappointed” with Starmer, telling the Daily Telegraph that it “took far too long” for Starmer to approve American strikes from British bases.

10:50 AM: Speaking to the New York Post on Monday, President Trump said that he is not ruling out the idea of sending U.S. troops on the ground in Iran, but suggested that it might not be necessary, claiming that Operation Epic Fury is “way ahead of schedule” in terms of the number of top Iranian officials killed.

“I don’t have the yips with respect to boots on the ground — like every president says, ‘There will be no boots on the ground.’ I don’t say it,” Trump told the paper. “I say ‘probably don’t need them,’ [or] ‘if they were necessary.’”

10:40 AM: U.S. President Donald Trump suggested that strikes on Iran will intensify, telling CNN on Monday: “We haven’t even started hitting them hard. The big wave hasn’t even happened. The big one is coming soon.”

“We’re knocking the crap out of them,” President Trump continued. “I think it’s going very well. It’s very powerful. We’ve got the greatest military in the world, and we’re using it.”

Trump said that the time will come for the Iranian people to take to the streets and topple their government, but said that “right now we want everyone staying inside. It’s not safe out there.”

10:30 AM: Speaking from Beit Shemesh at the site of an Iranian missile strike that killed nine people, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday that Operation Epic Fury was launched to both “remove existential threats and allow the Iranian people to effect regime change,” the Times of Israel reported.

“If this regime of terror obtains nuclear weapons, they will threaten all of humanity. Therefore, we went out in order to remove that danger first and foremost from ourselves, but we are acting here together with the United States, in the name of and for the sake of all humanity,” Netanyahu said.

10:15 AM: The Wall Street Journal reports that natural gas prices in Europe spiked by 50 per cent on Monday after QatarEnergy, the world’s largest liquefied natural gas (LNG) producer, said it was halting operations following alleged military strikes on its facilities.

9:55 AM: The Pentagon has reportedly relocated military aircraft from the Rota and Moron military bases in southern Spain on Sunday, Madrid’s ABC newspaper reports. The decision to relocate the logistical support aircraft was made after the socialist government of Pedro Sánchez — the only EU leader to openly condemn the U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran — said over the weekend that its bases could not be used to launch attacks on Iran. ABC suggested that the U.S. aircraft likely relocated to other European bases, such as Germany’s Ramstein Air Base.

9:45 AM: French President Emmanuel Macron warned on Monday that the conflict in Iran “will bring its share of instability and possible conflagration to our borders,” noting the ongoing risks of “an Iran with nuclear and ballistic capabilities not yet destroyed”.

However, the French leader said per BFMTV: “All those who would have the audacity to attack France know the unbearable price they would have to pay.”

Macron previously announced that France would “raise” its military posture in the Gulf region on Sunday after French naval assets in the United Arab Emirates were struck in a drone attack, resulting in minor damage.

9:20 AM: The U.S. Embassy in Lebanon has urged American citizens to leave the country “immediately” while there are commercial flights available as conflict broke out on Sunday evening after Hezbollah terrorists fired rockets into northern Israel. The U.S. Embassy further warned Americans not to travel to the country, given the ongoing strikes by Israel into Lebanon.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Embassy in Iraq has advised Americans in the country to “exercise increased caution, keep a low profile, and shelter in place until further notice,” warning that “Iran-aligned terrorist militias continue to pose a significant threat to public safety. Reports of missiles, drones, and rockets in Iraqi airspace continue.”

9:05 AM: U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said on Monday that Operation Epic Fury in Iran is not a “democracy-building exercise”.

“No stupid rules of engagement, no nation-building quagmire, no democracy-building exercise, no politically correct wars. We fight to win and we don’t waste time or lives,” he said.

Secretary Hegseth added that President Trump has “been very consistent: crazy regimes like Iran, hellbent on prophetic Islamist delusions, cannot have nuclear weapons, it’s common sense. Many have said it, but it takes guts to actually enforce it—and our president has guts.”

“Iran’s stubborn and self-evident nuclear pursuits, their targeting of global shipping lanes and their swelling arsenals of ballistic missiles and killer drones were no longer tolerable risks. Iran was building powerful missiles and drones to create a conventional shield for their nuclear ambitions,” he said.

“Our bases, our allies, our people all in their crosshairs. Iran had a conventional gun to our head as they tried to lie their way to a nuclear bomb. It almost worked under Obama and his terrible deal, but not under this president.”

“Turns out the regime who chanted ‘death to America’ and ‘death to Israel’ was gifted death from America and death from Israel.”

8:35 AM: In a press conference alongside Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine said that Operation Epic Fury was the “culmination of months and in some cases years of deliberate planning and refinement against this particular target set.”

“Across every domain: land, air, sea, cyber, the U.S. joint force delivered synchronized and layered effects designed to disrupt, degrade, deny, and destroy Iran’s ability to conduct and sustain combat operations.”

8:30 AM:  In his first press conference since the start of Operation Epic Fury in Iran, U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said that the military action taken by the United States was in response to 47 years of the Islamist regime in Tehran waging a “savage, one-sided war against America”.

“We didn’t start this war, but under President Trump, we are finishing it,” Secretary Hegseth said.

7:45 AM:  U.S. Central Command has announced the death of a fourth American military service member amid Operation Epic Fury in Iran. CENTCOM said that the service member was “seriously wounded during Iran’s initial attacks, eventually succumbed to their injuries.”

“Major combat operations continue and our response effort is ongoing. The identities of the fallen are being withheld until 24 hours after next of kin notification.”

7:40 AM: Jerusalem has vowed to kill Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem after the terror group apparently broke the 2024 ceasefire agreement on Sunday by firing rockets into northern Israel. Defense Minister Israel Katz said that they will send Qassem to the “depths of hell” alongside Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

7:35 AM: According to the Times of Israel, the IDF have claimed to have killed Hussein Makled, the head of intelligence for the Iranian-backed Hezbollah terrorist group in Lebanon, during retaliatory strikes after Hezbollah fired rockets into northern Israel on Sunday in a “revenge” strike over the killing of Ayatollah Khamenei.

Initial figures from the Lebanese Health Ministry said that 31 people were killed and 149 people were wounded, the Times of London reports.

7:25 AM: U.S. President Donald Trump has said that he is “very disappointed” with British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer for initially refusing to allow UK military bases to be used by American forces to strike Iran, a decision which he u-turned on Sunday evening, over a day into the conflict. President Trump told London’s Daily Telegraph that it “took far too long” for Starmer to change his mind, adding: “That’s probably never happened between our countries before… It sounds like he was worried about the legality.”

7:10 AM: U.S. Central Command has confirmed the loss of three F-15E Strike Eagle fighters on Sunday evening in the skies over Kuwait. The jets were in “active combat” with Iranian aircraft but suffered an “apparent friendly fire incident” after being “mistakenly shot down by Kuwaiti air defenses.”

CENTCOM said that “all six aircrew ejected safely, have been safely recovered, and are in stable condition”.

12:05 AM: Israel Defence Force Maj. Gen. Rafi Milo, the head of Northern Command, said that retaliatory strikes against Hezbollah targets in Lebanon will continue and said that their “intensity will increase,” the Times of Israel reported.

“Shortly after Hezbollah’s rocket fire, in accordance with planning, we launched a first wide wave of strikes in Beirut and southern Lebanon, targeting senior operatives, headquarters, and terror infrastructure. We are also working to evacuate the population in southern Lebanon for its protection ahead of additional strikes,” Milo said.

12:00 AM:  One of the top remaining members of the Islamist regime, Ali Larijani, the head of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, said on Monday that Tehran will “not negotiate with the United States.”

He added: “Trump plunged the region into chaos with his ‘delusional fantasies’ and now fears more American troop casualties. With his delusional actions, he turned his self-made ‘America First’ slogan into ‘Israel First’ and sacrificed American soldiers for Israel’s power-hungry ambitions.”

For earlier livewire updates from over the weekend please click here