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US President Donald Trump says he told Iran 'it's too late to talk'.
13:08, Tue, Mar 3, 2026 Updated: 13:12, Tue, Mar 3, 2026
Trump has told Iran it's too late to talk (Image: Getty)
Israel ramped up its blitz of Iran as the US warned the rogue state the hardest hits are “yet to come”.
US President Donald Trump issued gloated on Truth Social that Iran wanted to talk but "it's too late to talk" as its paltry air defences and navy were smashed to smithereens.
On the fourth day of the war the presidential compound in Tehran was pummelled by missiles.
In a statement posted on Telegram the Israel Defence Forces said "numerous munitions" were dropped on the Presidential Office and the Supreme National Security Council.
A military training institution and "additional key regime infrastructure" were also struck.
The base was used by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei who was assassinated in the opening exchanges of Operation Epic Fury on Saturday.
An IDF statement said the "most important and central" command centre in Iran had been hit, adding: "The leadership complex of the terror regime is one of the most secure assets in Iran and spans many streets in the heart of Tehran. Its attack deepens the damage to the functional continuity of the command and control systems in the regime."
The Israeli military also carried out strikes on Iran-backed Hezbollah terrorists in Beirut including communication sites used by the militant group who were operating "under civilian cover".
The death toll inside Iran now stands at 787.
The US has promised “the big one” is yet to come, suggesting the bombing blitz will strike Tehran even harder.
Tehran has been hit by a missile barrage (Image: Getty)
Khamenei was eliminated after Israeli spies hacked into traffic cameras in an audacious intelligence coup.
The cameras were one of multiple intelligence sources that helped confirm the ayatollah's whereabouts on Saturday morning when the US-Israeli operation started.
One Israeli intelligence source said: "We knew Tehran like we know Jerusalem and when you know [a place] as well as you know the street you grew up on, you notice a single thing that's out of place."
Israel was able to disrupt mobile phone towers to prevent Khamenei's bodyguards from receiving possible warnings.
The decision was made to target the leader before he could shelter in a bomb-proof bunker. The operation was planned for months but moved forward when US and Israeli intelligence learned that Khamenei and senior officials would meet at his compound.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said regime targets in Tehran had been struck with "significant force" and the operation will "continue with full force for as long as necessary”.
Mr Katz instructed Israeli soldiers to “hold and advance” into areas of south Lebanon to prevent further Hezbollah fire on northern Israel in the first acknowledgment Israel’s campaign against Hezbollah would involve boots on the ground.
The International Atomic Energy Agency, the UN nuclear watchdog, confirmed an Iranian enrichment site was damaged in strikes.
Satellite images showed the underground Natanz facility had been damaged but “no radiological consequence" is expected after the incident.
Iranian drones hit the US embassy in Riyadh as Tehran continued to launch waves of retaliatory strikes at the Gulf and Israel, while Israeli soldiers began operating in southern Lebanon.
The drone attack caused a minor fire, prompting the diplomatic mission to tell Americans to distance themselves from the compound. The attack followed an earlier Iranian drone strike on the US embassy in Kuwait, as Iran continued to target US bases, facilities and personnel in Arab Gulf states.
The US and Israeli air war against Iran started with attacks against Tehran which eliminated Khamenei, 86, his daughter, son-in-law, grandson, and 49 top-ranking Iranian leaders and security officials including army chief of staff, General Abdol Rahim Mousavi, and defence minister General Aziz Nasirzadeh. Also killed were Major General Mohammad Pakpour, the Revolutionary Guard's top commander, and Ali Shamkhani, Khamenei’s security adviser.
It was one of the most significant blows to Iran’s leadership since the 1979 Islamic revolution.
The strikes followed weeks of threats from President Trump that he would order military action if Iran did not agree to a new deal over its nuclear programme - which Iran insists is peaceful.
On Truth Social he bragged: "Their air defence, air force, navy, and leadership is gone. They want to talk. I said ‘too late!'"
The blitz prompted immediate retaliation against Israel and missile attacks at Arab nations with US bases across the region. The fighting has expanded to now include at least nine countries and various pro-Iran groups.
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What started as a war between Iran and the US and Israel has quickly spread into a regional conflict, pulling in Lebanon and Cyprus, choking off maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz and hitting non-military targets in the Arab Gulf states.
There are now fears Iran could launch a wave of cyber attacks with the UK government warning companies to be extra vigilant.
English (US) · 