Trump says Iran war could last four to five weeks, but could go 'far l

US President Donald Trump said the US campaign against Tehran has 'the capability to go far longer, as the Iran war entered its fourth day. Follow our live blog.

The US and Israel's war on Iran has entered its fourth day, a campaign that US President Donald Trump said Monday would take several weeks.

Trump said operations are likely to last four to five weeks but that he was prepared “to go far longer than that.”

Meanwhile, Tehran has continued its attacks across the region, striking Israel and a variety of targets inside Gulf states, including energy facilities in Qatar and the American Embassy in Saudi Arabia.

Iran also claimed the Strait of Hormuz is closed, and threatened to attack any ship trying to pass through the key shipping lane linking the Gulf to global markets.

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US warns citizens to leave in 14 countries across Middle East

The US State Department urged American citizens to leave 14 countries across the Middle East, including Egypt and Gulf states, "via commercial means".

The territories listed include Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel and the Palestinian territories, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, United Arab Emirates and Yemen.

The @SecRubio @StateDept urges Americans to DEPART NOW from the countries below using available commercial transportation, due to serious safety risks. Americans who need State Department assistance arranging to depart via commercial means, CALL US 24/7 at +1-202-501-4444 (from… pic.twitter.com/vdplAik2Sq

— Assistant Secretary Mora Namdar (@AsstSecStateCA) March 2, 2026

Saudi Arabia intercepts eight drones near Riyadh and Al-Kharj

Saudi Arabia's defence ministry said it intercepted eight drones near Riyadh and Al-Kharj.

The defence ministry also reported two drones struck the US embassy in the Saudi Arabian capital, sparking a fire and causing minor damage.

US authorities in Saudi Arabia urged citizens to shelter in place in Jeddah, Riyadh and Dhahran.

Subject: Security Alert - Shelter in Place - U.S. Mission to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, (Mar. 3, 2026)

— U.S. Embassy Riyadh (@USAinKSA) March 3, 2026

Location: Saudi Arabia

Event: Security Alert

The U.S. Mission to Saudi Arabia has issued a shelter in place notification for Jeddah, Riyadh and Dhahran and are limiting…

Netanyahu claims Iran was trying to make 'atomic bomb programme immune'

Speaking to FOX News, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defended the decision to go to war with Iran alongside the United States.

“They started building new sites, new places, underground bunkers that would make their ballistic missile program and their atomic bomb programme immune within months," Netanyahu said without offering evidence to support his claim.

Satellite photos analysed by The Associated Press showed limited activity at two nuclear sites in Iran before the joint US-Israel attacks. Analysts say it was likely Tehran was trying to assess damage from American strikes in June and possibly salvage what remained there.

Iran warns it will attack ships trying to pass Strait of Hormuz

Iran's Revolutionary Guards claims it closed the Strait of Hormuz and threatened on Monday to attack any vessel trying to pass through the critical shipping lane linking the Gulf to global markets.

A large share of the world’s oil and gas passes through it daily.

"We will burn any ship that tries to pass through the Strait of Hormuz," General Sardar Jabbari said in a post on the Guards' Telegram channel. "We will also attack oil pipelines and will not allow a single drop of oil to leave the region. Oil price will reach $200 in the coming days".

Energy prices rose as a result of the disruption to the traffic passing through the waterway, as well as Iran's continued attacks on energy infrastructure across the Gulf.