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U.S. President Donald Trump said Tuesday he has ordered the United States International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) to provide political risk insurance and financial guarantees for maritime trade moving through the Gulf, and signaled that the U.S. Navy could begin escorting tankers through the Strait of Hormuz if necessary. Representational Image: NY Post In a public statement, Trump said the directive takes effect immediately and is intended to safeguard the financial security of all maritime trade, particularly energy shipments transiting the Gulf. He said the insurance and guarantees would be available to all shipping lines at what he described as a reasonable price. Trump added that if conditions require, the U.S. Navy will begin escorting tankers through the Strait of Hormuz “as soon as possible,” asserting that the United States will ensure the free flow of energy to global markets. He described U.S. economic and military capacity as sufficient to uphold that object...

✍️ Written by Saket Suman The widening confrontation following U.S.–Israeli strikes on Iran has rapidly evolved beyond a bilateral military clash into a sprawling proxy conflict stretching across multiple countries, armed groups and political theatres. This is a transformation that may ultimately define the trajectory of the war more than frontline combat itself. As consistently reported by IndianRepublic.in in its ongoing coverage , the most significant escalation since the initial strikes has been the entry of Iran-aligned militias and regional actors into active hostilities, that has created overlapping fronts from Lebanon and Iraq to the Gulf and eastern Mediterranean. What began as targeted military operations has now become a decentralized conflict involving state and non-state actors operating simultaneously across borders. File Photo of IDF attack on ammunition warehouses; Via: Open Source Intel The shift became unmistakable when Hezb...

Governments across Europe, North America, South Asia and the Middle East are scrambling to evacuate their citizens as the widening Iran war has shut large swaths of Gulf airspace, disrupted commercial aviation and left tens of thousands stranded, while leaders in Washington debated the war’s objectives even as international watchdogs sought to calm fears over nuclear risks. Chancellor Merz meets US President Trump; Via: Foc u s Online From Romanian pilgrims to tourists and diplomats’ families, foreign nationals have struggled to leave Israel, Lebanon and parts of the Gulf as major airlines canceled flights and regional airspace closures narrowed exit options.  Some evacuees described fear as missiles and drones crossed the skies, followed by relief upon reaching neighboring countries by land. Israel announced that Ben-Gurion Airport would reopen for limited incoming repatriation flights beginning early Thursday, initially allowing one passenger flight per hour, as governments coord...

Britain is reinforcing its military posture in the eastern Mediterranean after an Iran-made drone struck the Royal Air Force base at Akrotiri in Cyprus, which has now prompted Prime Minister Keir Starmer to announce the deployment of the air-defense destroyer HMS Dragon and counter-drone capable helicopters to the region.  The move comes as the conflict widens beyond direct Israel–Iran exchanges as Israeli forces have expanded airstrikes into southern Lebanon, targeting areas including the port city of Sidon; maritime disruptions linked to Iranian retaliation have sharply constrained tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, pressuring global oil markets; and major international actors from China to Ukraine are recalibrating their diplomatic and military strategies in response to the spreading instability. Image Via: Keir Starmer Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the U.K. will send the air-defense destroyer HMS Dragon and helicopters equipped with counter-drone capabilities to th...

Israel’s military on Tuesday evening (IST) issued an urgent public evacuation warning in Persian to residents and workers in Tehran’s Hakimiya industrial area, stating that it would conduct operations targeting what it described as Iranian military infrastructure in the coming hours. Location Source: IDF FARSI In a post published by its Farsi-language account, the Israeli army warned individuals located in the red-designated zone shown on an attached map to immediately leave the area. The message said the military had conducted similar operations in recent days in the Tehran region and would continue targeting infrastructure linked to the Iranian regime. “Your presence in this area puts your life in danger,” the statement said, urging civilians to evacuate for their safety. The warning marks a significant escalation in public military messaging, with Israel directly addressing Iranian civilians in Persian ahead of planned strikes inside the capital. It comes amid intensified Israeli ai...

✍️ Written by Saket Suman India on Tuesday intensified its diplomatic outreach and economic preparedness measures as the West Asia conflict widened, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaking to leaders of Oman, Kuwait and Qatar, the External Affairs Minister engaging European counterparts, and key ministries reviewing trade, defence and energy contingencies. File Photo: PM NaMo The outreach followed the Ministry of External Affairs statement earlier in the day reiterating India’s concern over the deteriorating situation across Iran and the Gulf, the safety of nearly one crore Indian nationals in the region, and the need for dialogue and diplomacy to restore stability. Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he spoke with Sultan Haitham bin Tarik of Oman and condemned what he described as the violation of Oman’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. He said both sides agreed that sustained diplomatic engagement was essential for the earliest restorat...

Saudi Arabia on Tuesday condemned what it described as a “flagrant Iranian attack” targeting the U.S. Embassy building in Riyadh , warning that repeated strikes on diplomatic premises violate international law and risk further regional escalation as the war expands across the Gulf. Image Source: KTRH News on X In a statement issued March 3, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia said the Kingdom rejects and condemns “in the strongest terms” the drone attack on the U.S. diplomatic compound in the capital . Saudi authorities said earlier that two drones struck the embassy compound, causing a limited fire and minor damage. The statement said the repetition of such attacks constitutes a violation of international norms and laws, specifically referencing the 1949 Geneva Convention and the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, which grant immunity to diplomatic premises and personnel even during armed conflict. The Kingdom also emphasized that despite its...

India on Tuesday urged an early end to the expanding West Asia conflict , warning that the deteriorating security situation across Iran and the Gulf directly affects nearly one crore Indian citizens living and working in the region, as well as India’s trade and energy supply chains. File Photo; Via: FM In a statement issued in New Delhi on March 3, Official Spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs Randhir Jaiswal said India had expressed deep concern at the start of the conflict on February 28 and had called for restraint, de-escalation and prioritization of civilian safety. He said the situation has since “deteriorated significantly and continuously,” even as the holy month of Ramadan is underway. Statement by the Official Spokesperson on the ongoing conflict in the West Asia region ⬇️ https://t.co/s1Qm6xIqbS — Randhir Jaiswal (@MEAIndia) March 3, 2026 The spokesperson said the conflict has intensified in recent days and spread to other nations, resulting in mounting destruct...

Iran has launched a second wave of missiles toward Israel within about 90 minutes on Tuesday, the Israeli military confirmed, as Hezbollah declared it would enter an “open war” with Israel and a fire broke out at the Fujairah port in the United Arab Emirates following a drone interception. The Israeli military confirmed that missiles were launched from Iran toward Israeli territory for the second time in roughly an hour and a half. The announcement came amid heightened regional tensions after days of cross-border strikes and retaliatory attacks that have already drawn in Lebanon and multiple Gulf states. Damage to the Hezbollah-owned Al-Nour radio building in Dahieh; Via: Agoraphobic Journalist In Beirut, senior Hezbollah official Mahmoud Komati said the group would no longer exercise restraint and would return to armed confrontation with Israel. In comments released by Hezbollah’s media office, Komati has said that after more than a year of observing a ceasefire that ended the previou...