US embassy staff in Oman have been instructed to take cover due to the risk of fresh Iranian strikes, as the four-day Middle East conflict continues to spread across the region.
“Find a secure location within your residence or another safe building,” the embassy warned in an alaert on X, advising staff and citizens to “have a supply of food, water, medications, and other essential items”.
Further Iranian retaliation is anticipated after Israel launched fresh attacks on Tehran and Beirut.
Pictures show the smouldering remains of building reduced to rubble in a southern suburb of the Lebanese capital. The Israeli military had earlier said it was carrying "simultaneous targeted strikes against military targets in Tehran and Beirut”.
Israeli troops have been also deployed to southern Lebanon in a major escalation of the war in the Middle East, Israel’s defence minister has said. A military spokesperson said it was unlikely Israel would deploy ground forces to Iran, because it would not be a practical move.
“The hardest hits are yet to come from the US military,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio added before briefing members of Congress about the Iran operation.
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Israeli military strikes Iran's Presidential Office
The Israeli military has just issued a fresh update, which says its air force struck the leadership compound of the Iranian leadership.
“Numerous munitions” were dropped on Iran’s Presidential Office and the Supreme National Security Council, the IDF said in a statement on Telegram.
A military training institution and other regime infrastructure in the compound, which was used by former supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, were also hit.
UN urges investigation into 'horrific' strike on Iranian school that killed 165
The UN human rights office has called for an investigation into the attack on a girls’ school in Iran which authorities say killed at least 165 people.
"The High Commissioner (Volker Turk) calls for a prompt, impartial and thorough investigation into the circumstances of the attack.
“The onus is on the forces that carried out the attack to investigate it," UN human rights office spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani told a Geneva press briefing, describing the incident as "horrific".
The UN avoided naming which forces it believed had carried out the strike.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said US forces "would not deliberately target a school", after Iranian state media reported over 160 were killed on the first day of the US and Israeli attacks on Iran.
Saudi Arabia condemns Iranian attack
Saudi Arabia condemned an Iranian attack targeting the US embassy in Riyadh, a foreign ministry statement said.
The kingdom reserved its right to respond to the attack in order to defend its security and vital interests, including the option of responding to any aggression, the statement said.
Kuwaitis threaten to capture downed US fighter jet pilot mistaken for Iranian soldier
Middle East conflict could prompt nuclear arms race, warns Moscow
Moscow has weighed in on the war between the US, Israel and Iran, warning that it could spur a nuclear weapon race in the Middle East.
The war may prompt not only Iran but also its Arab neighbours to seek to acquire nuclear weapons if it feels increasingly under threat by neighbouring countries, foreign minister Sergei Lavrov said.
The widening war in the Middle East increased the risk that nuclear proliferation issues could spin out of control, Lavrov said.
UN nuclear watchdog reports damage at Iran's Natanz enrichment plant
UN nuclear watchdog IAEA said on Tuesday there was some recent damage to entrance buildings at Iran's underground Natanz Fuel Enrichment Plant (FEP),
The agency added that it expected no radiological consequence or additional impact detected at FEP itself.
‘No question’ Middle East conflict will impact UK economy, warns minister
Iranian death toll rises to 787, Iran's Red Crescent says
The death toll of US and Israeli strikes on Iran has hit 787 people, the UN human rights office has said, citing Iran’s Red Crescent.
The growing toll comes as Israel intensifies its attacks on Lebanon, with buildings flattened in a southern suburb of the capital of Beirut.
The US-based Human Rights Activists in Iran (HRANA), meanwhile, reports that 742 civilians have been killed, including 176 children.
IMF monitoring Middle East developments
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) said on Tuesday it was closely monitoring developments in the Middle East, noting disruptions to trade and economic activity, surging energy prices and increased financial market volatility.
The IMF said it was too early to assess the economic impact on the region or globally, which will depend on the extent and duration of the conflict.
France ready to defend Middle East allies, foreign minister says
France is ready to defend its partners if requested amid Iranian retaliatory strikes, foreign minister Jean-Noel Barrot said on Tuesday.
"This war… is dragging a number of countries in the region into the conflict with which we have relations, defence agreements, and interests, including military bases," Barrot told French broadcaster BFM TV.
He added that French Rafale fighter jets carried out air operations to secure the skies above France's bases in the region.
Around 400,000 French nationals are currently in the countries affected by the crisis in the Middle East and the French government is ready to fly back those most at risk using both commercial and military flights, Barrot said.
