\n<\/p>\n
Three U.S. soldiers have been killed in the U.S.-Israeli military operation in Iran that killed the country’s leader on Saturday, according to the U.S. Central Command. <\/p>\n
“As of 9:30 am ET, March 1, three U.S. service members have been killed in action and five are seriously wounded as part of Operation Epic Fury,” U.S. Central Command said in a post on X<\/a>. “Several others sustained minor shrapnel injuries and concussions \u2014 and are in the process of being returned to duty.”<\/p>\n The deaths are the first known U.S. casualties of the combat, which began early Saturday and has prompted fierce retaliation from Tehran. The identities of the soldiers have not yet been released, pending notification of their families.<\/p>\n Trump warned there could be casualties as a result of the operation on Saturday. <\/p>\n “That often happens in war. But we are doing this not for now, we are doing this for the future and it is a noble mission,” Trump said.<\/p>\n \u2014Garrett Downs<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Senator Mark Warner, a Democrat from Virginia, speaks to members of the media following a Gang of Eight briefing on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, US, on Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026. <\/p>\n Graeme Sloane | Bloomberg | Getty Images<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Sen. Mark Warner<\/a>, (D-Va.), the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee<\/a>, said on Sunday he’s seen “no intelligence” to suggest that Iran was planning a preemptive strike on the U.S., as the Trump administration has claimed. <\/p>\n “I saw no intelligence that Iran was on the verge of launching any kind of preemptive strike against the United States of America,” Warner said on CNN’s “State of the Union.” <\/p>\n “None,” Warner, who has access to highly classified information in his role, added. <\/p>\n Warner’s statement directly contradicts the Trump administration’s justification for the conflict. The administration said Saturday that the strikes came as Iran was readying to hit U.S. interests.<\/p>\n “We had analysis that basically told us, if we sat back and waited to get hit first, the amount of casualties and damage would be substantially higher than if we acted in a preemptive defensive way to prevent those launches from occurring, and that is the focus of the campaign right now,” a senior Trump administration official told reporters Saturday, according to MS Now.<\/p>\n Republicans have largely defended the president’s strike. <\/p>\n Sen. Tom Cotton, (R-Ark.), Warner’s counterpart, said on CNN Sunday that “President Trump is right that it is absolutely vital and necessary now to address that threat before it fully materializes in the near future.”<\/p>\n \u2014 Garrett Downs<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n An Israeli flag is displayed in front of a building near a road sign for the US embassy in Jerusalem on September 27, 2023. <\/p>\n Ahmad Gharabli | Afp | Getty Images<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n The U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem said it is “not in a position\u202fat this time\u202fto evacuate or directly\u202fassist Americans” who are trying to leave Israel.<\/p>\n Ben Gurion Airport, Israel’s main international airport, remains\u202fclosed to all commercial and charter flights, the Embassy said in a security alert<\/a>.<\/p>\n It directed all U.S. government employees and their family members to continue to shelter in place in and near their residences until further notice.<\/p>\n “The U.S. Embassy reminds U.S. citizens of the continued need for caution and increased personal security awareness \u2014 including knowing the location of the nearest shelter in the event of a red alert as security incidents, such as mortar, rocket, and missile fire, and unmanned aircraft system (UAS) intrusions, often take place without any warning,” the alert said. “The security environment is complex and can change quickly.”<\/p>\n \u2014Greg Iacurci<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Anna McConnell pumps gas into her vehicle on Oct. 24, 2025 in Miami, Florida.<\/p>\n Joe Raedle | Getty Images<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Oil markets are on edge ahead of the start of trading at 6 p.m. ET, and any jump in prices could lead to higher prices at the pump for U.S. consumers.<\/p>\n Andy Lipow, president of Lipow Oil Associates, expects crude prices to rise between $3 and $5 a barrel this evening, which translates to an 8 to 12 cent increase per gallon of gasoline. But he said the impact won’t be felt immediately \u2014 it will take between 7 and 10 days to show up at the pump.<\/p>\n The national average for a gallon of regular gasoline is $2.98, according to AAA, down from $3.10 one year ago.<\/p>\n Lipow cautioned that a complete closure of the Strait of Hormuz could drive oil prices up by as much as $20 per barrel, translating to a 50-cent increase in the price per gallon of gasoline. Under such a scenario, the U.S., the European Union and others would likely tap their strategic petroleum reserves to counter supply disruptions, he said.<\/p>\n \u2014Pippa Stevens<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n A person points at a page on the Flightradar 24 website thats shows civilian flights avoiding Iranian and Iraqi sky, in Paris on March 1, 2026. <\/p>\n Anna Kurth | Afp | Getty Images<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Another 1,579 flights in and out of major airports in the Middle East were canceled on Sunday, Cirium said. Dubai International Airport, which reported damage from an incident on Saturday, was most impacted with 747, or 70% of its flights canceled, Cirium said. At least 70% of flights were also canceled in Israel and Qatar.<\/p>\n Airspace closures in the region grounded hundreds of flights in the region. <\/p>\n —Leslie Josephs<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n An installation depicting barrel of oil with the logo of Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) is seen during the COP29 United Nations climate change conference in Baku, Azerbaijan November 19, 2024.\u00a0<\/p>\n Maxim Shemetov | Reuters<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n OPEC+ has agreed to raise oil production by a modest 206,000 barrels per day, the group said in a statement<\/a> Sunday.<\/p>\n “In view of a steady global economic outlook and current healthy market fundamentals, as reflected in the low oil inventories, the eight participating countries decided to resume the unwinding of the 1.65 million barrels per day of additional voluntary adjustments announced in April 2023 and agreed on a production adjustment of 206 thousand barrels per day,” OPEC+ said.<\/p>\n The group includes Saudi Arabia, Russia, Iraq, the UAE, Kuwait, Kazakhstan, Algeria, and Oman, among others.<\/p>\n The announcement comes amid heightened fears of a disruption to oil supplies from the Gulf region as U.S. and Israeli airstrikes target Iran’s leadership and Tehran’s retaliatory strikes on key regional cities in its vicinity.<\/p>\n For more, read Lee Ying Shan’s story on how energy markets are braced for possible interruptions to energy supplies from the Middle East here<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u2014Azhar Sukri<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n A yacht sails past a plume of smoke rising from the port of Jebel Ali following a reported Iranian strike in Dubai on March 1, 2026. <\/p>\n Fadel Senna | Afp | Getty Images<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n The United Arab Emirates has been hit by retaliatory strikes from Iran for a second day. CNBC’s team in the country heard explosions in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. <\/p>\n Dubai’s media office confirmed<\/a> that “debris from drones intercepted by air defences fell in the courtyards of two homes in Dubai, resulting in two injuries.” The authorities also wrote<\/a> on X that the major port and logistics hub of Jebel Ali was hit by “debris resulting from an aerial interception” which caused a fire at one of the berths.<\/p>\n On Saturday, the major travel and tourism hub of Dubai was hit by debris and several strikes. According to the Media office, the attacks hit the Fairmont Hotel on the Palm and the Burj Al Arab<\/a>, which was on fire due to falling debris, authorities said. The Burj Al Arab, an iconic sail-shaped hotel on Dubai’s landmark Jumeirah beach, stands out as a landmark of luxury, alongside the Burj Khalifa in Dubai’s downtown.<\/p>\n Early Sunday morning, both Dubai and Abu Dhabi airports were hit by strikes. “Dubai Airports confirms that a concourse at Dubai International (DXB) sustained minor damage in an incident, which was quickly contained,” officials wrote<\/a> on X. The UAE’s airspace remained closed and flights into Abu Dhabi via Etihad were suspended further until 2 a.m. local time on Monday. <\/p>\n Abu Dhabi confirmed<\/a> earlier this morning that authorities “responded to an incident resulting from the interception of a drone that targeted Zayed International Airport. The interception led to falling debris, which resulted in one fatality of an Asian national and seven injuries.”<\/p>\n Officials in Abu Dhabi confirmed an “incident involving the fall of debris from a drone after it was intercepted by air defence systems” onto one of the buildings at Etihad Towers, a major residential tower with a Conrad Hotel inside.<\/p>\n The incident resulted in minor injuries to a woman and her child, as well as minor material damage, according to a post by the Media Office.<\/a> Shrapnel also hit the Union Towers building in Abu Dhabi in the last hour. <\/p>\n \u2014Emma Graham<\/em> <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Women walk past electoral posters of Ayatollah Alireza Arafi, a candidate for the upcoming Assembly of Experts elections in downtown Tehran, Iran, Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2024.<\/p>\n Vahid Salemi | AP<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Iran has named senior cleric Ayatollah Alireza Arafi to its interim Leadership Council following the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.<\/p>\n A spokesperson for the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed to MS Now that Arafi was elected alongside President Masoud Pezeshkian and Chief Justice Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei to oversee the supreme leader’s duties until a permanent successor is chosen.<\/p>\nWarner says he’s seen ‘no intelligence’ Iran planned preemptive strike<\/h2>\n
U.S. Embassy ‘not in a position’ to evacuate or assist U.S. nationals leaving Israel<\/h2>\n
What a jump in oil prices means for U.S. consumers<\/h2>\n
Another 1,500 Middle East flights canceled due to strikes<\/h2>\n
OPEC+ agrees to raise oil production by 206,000 barrels per day<\/h2>\n
Dubai, Abu Dhabi hit by Iranian strikes for a second day<\/h2>\n
Iran names Alireza Arafi to Interim Leadership Council after Khamenei\u2019s death<\/h2>\n