By NIKKI SCHWAB, CHIEF CAMPAIGN CORRESPONDENT

Published: 12:02 EDT, 16 March 2026 | Updated: 12:12 EDT, 16 March 2026

White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles has been diagnosed with breast cancer. 

President Donald Trump announced the news on Monday via a Truth Social post. 

‘Susie Wiles is an incredible Chief of Staff, a great person, and one of the strongest people I know but, unfortunately, she has been diagnosed with early stage breast cancer, and has decided to take on this challenge, IMMEDIATELY, as opposed to waiting,’ the President wrote. ‘She has a fantastic medical team, and her prognosis is excellent!’

Trump said Wiles would continue working in her high-powered White House job while undergoing treatment.

‘During the treatment period, she will be spending virtually full time at the White House, which makes me, as President, very happy!’ he said. 

‘Her Strength and her Commitment to continue doing the job she loves, and does so well, while undergoing treatment, tells you everything you need to know about her,’ the President added. 

Wiles has become an indispensable member of Trump’s inner circle, guiding his 2024 campaign to victory and keeping his White House more well-managed than during his tumultuous first term.

‘Susie, as one of my closest and most important advisors, is tough and deeply committed to serving the American People,’ Trump said. ‘She will soon be better than ever!’ 

‘Melania and I are with her in every way, and we look forward to working with Susie on the many big and wonderful things that are happening for the benefit of our Country!’ Trump added. 

This is a breaking news story and will be updated. 

White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles has been diagnosed with breast cancer 

Iran’s new supreme leader nearly killed in a US airstrike, was allegedly flown to Russia for life-saving leg surgery.

Despite US reports that he is was killed in the strike, Mojtaba Khamenei recently issued a blood-thirsty statement demanding revenge on the US and its allies.

Kuwaiti newspaper Al-Jarida reported that the son of the slaughtered Ayatollah had been snuck out of Iran for a top secret surgery.

The paper said that the evacuation took place under the strictest secrecy, and that the new Iranian leader was flown to Moscow on a Russian military aircraft.

Khamenei then allegedly received a ‘successful’ operation in one of Vladimir Putin’s presidential palaces.

Al-Jarida said its unverified information came from a ‘high-ranking source close to the new Iranian Supreme Leader’.

Iran has said the new Ayatollah is alive after Donald Trump suggested he heard the newly chosen supreme leader was ‘not’.

Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi wrote: ‘The leader of the revolution is in good health and is fully managing the situation.’

Mojtaba Khamenei was selected to replace his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in the top role last week after the US and Israel carried out a targeted assassination at the beginning of the war.

But he has still not made a public appearance, and did not appear on camera to issue his first message of vengeance on Thursday.

MORE: Benjamin Netanyahu mocks rumours of his death in coffee shop sketch

MORE: Trump is in a ‘vulnerable position’ in Iran, former White House aide warns

MORE: First pictures of the US soldiers killed in Iraq military plane crash

A former senior aide to Donald Trump has told Metro that the President is in a ‘vulnerable position’ with his war in Iran – and doesn’t know how to get out of it.

Since the US launched joint strikes in Iran with Israel more than two weeks ago, the oil industry has been thrown into chaos, neighbouring countries have been struck with missiles, and 13 US soldiers have been killed.

At the time, Trump said his reasons for the strikes on February 28 were he believed Iran was going to attack the US first – something that his own officials have since told Congress that there was no intelligence suggesting this.

Trump also said he hoped to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons, something Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has also said, adding: ‘We didn’t start this war… but under President Trump, we’re finishing it.’

When the conflict began, only 41% of Americans approved of the intervention – far lower than support for any other US conflict in decades.

Now, John Robert Bolton, Trump’s former national security advisor from 2018 to 2019, told Metro that there is a strong case for regime change in Iran, but Trump hasn’t made this clear to the American public – something which could come back to haunt him.

He said: ‘You’ve always got to be prudent, but when a country is seeking weapons of mass destruction—chemical, biological, or nuclear—and engaging in international terrorism while repressing its own people, it is a problem,’ he warned.

‘If you wait too long to deal with it, as we did with North Korea, it becomes a bigger problem. It goes to what Churchill said regarding appeasement: “This just confirms the unteachability of mankind.”

‘You go through this over and over again; you don’t strike when it’s easy, you wait until it’s too late, and then you pay the price.’

Trump’s biggest mistake in Iran

Having served under Trump for two years in his first administration, former US ambassador to the United Nations Bolton said the President needed to convince America why going after Iran would be to their benefit – but so far, he hasn’t.

‘Trump didn’t make it clear to the public, to Congress, or to the Allies. It’s not too late, but it’s getting close,’ he said.

‘By failing to make the case, he has put himself in a vulnerable position. He knows he’s in a difficult place, and he doesn’t know how to get out of it,’ Bolton added.

This is a ‘war of choice’

Ambassador Bolton told Metro that while Iran was not considered an ‘imminent threat’, its nuclear programme was getting ‘too close for comfort’.

‘People say this is a “war of choice.” It is. It’s a preventive war to prevent the need to do something else in much more dangerous circumstances,’ he explained.

Referring to the US’ Iraq War in 2003, he added: ‘By the late 1990s, Saddam didn’t have centrifuges spinning, but he had kept together approximately 3,000 scientists and technicians who could rebuild the program.

‘That was the point: they have the knowledge. Iran may not have centrifuges spinning today, but they know how to put them back together.’

When a country is ‘seeking weapons of mass destruction and engaging in international terrorism while suppressing its own people’, it’s a problem, he added.

‘The lesson to us is: don’t be so patient. If a proliferator has enough patience and gets nuclear weapons, it becomes difficult, if not impossible, to take its program out without grave risk,’ Bolton said.

‘If the US had attacked Iran 20 years ago, it would have spared the region ‘a lot of pain and suffering’.

Trump needs to work with the opposition in Iran

The opposition movement in Iran is extremely widespread, but not organised, Ambassador Bolton points out.

Still, working with dissidents inside the country could prove vital for Trump’s goals of regime change in the country.

‘Dissatisfaction with the regime has never been higher. It is weaker than at any point since it took power in 1979,’ Ambassador Bolton argued.

‘People age 30 and under—who make up two-thirds of the population—know they could have a different life. They can see it across the Gulf; they can see it on the internet when the government lets the internet operate.’

After the 2022 murder of Mahsa Amini, a Kurdish woman in Iran who was beaten and killed by police because she refused to wear the hijab, anti-government protests surged.

The murder of Amini prompted the ‘Women, Life, Freedom’ movement, which Bolton said is significant, because: ‘Once you challenge the Ayatollahs’ legitimacy, in effect, you are challenging the state.’ 

Knock-on effects cripple the Middle East

Gulf states are still suffering from missile and drone attacks after Tehran threatened to widen its campaign as the war in the Middle East entered its third week.

Iranian strikes have killed at least a dozen civilians in Gulf states, most of them migrant workers.

Yesterday, President Trump said he hoped allies would send warships to secure the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran has fired hundreds of missiles and drones at Arab Gulf neighbours during the war, but it has said it was targeting US assets, even as hits or attempts were reported on civilian ones such as airports and oil fields.

As global anxiety soars over oil prices and supplies, Trump said on Saturday that he hopes China, France, Japan, the UK, South Korea and others send warships to keep the Strait of Hormuz ‘open and safe’.

But Iran’s joint military command has reiterated its threat to attack US-linked ‘oil, economic and energy infrastructures’ in the region if the Islamic Republic’s oil infrastructure is hit.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

For more stories like this, check our news page.

MORE: First pictures of the US soldiers killed in Iraq military plane crash

MORE: Iran says the Ayatollah is alive after Trump suggested he died

MORE: Dubai influencers say people who are fleeing city during Iran War are ‘ungrateful’

By KATELYN CARALLE, SENIOR U.S. POLITICAL REPORTER and VICTORIA CHURCHILL, US POLITICAL REPORTER

Published: 18:06 EDT, 11 March 2026 | Updated: 20:15 EDT, 11 March 2026

Donald Trump declared that the US had won the war with Iran during a rally in Kentucky on Wednesday.

On the 12th day of nonstop bombings in the Middle East, the President insisted that it was actually already over.

‘It’s only good if you win,’ Trump said of the war. ‘And we’ve won.’

‘You know, you never like to say too early ‘you won.’ We won… In the first hour it was over,’ he said at a rally in Kentucky.

Trump’s statements came mere hours after Israel said missiles were launched from Iran towards its territory. Al Jazeera additionally reported that ‘Iran has launched nine ballistic missiles and a number of drones against Qatar’ per the  ‘Gulf nation’s Defence Ministry.’

The President and the Administration as a whole, and other Republicans, have not had a unified message throughout the war’s duration thus far.

On February 28th, the first day of the joint US/Israeli operation in Iran, Trump stated in a video posted to his Truth Social site that Iran’s nuclear program had been ‘obliterated’.

That phrasing conflicted with a White House document from just months earlier, which described strikes carried out by the US last summer as having ‘significantly degraded’ the authoritarian regime’s nuclear capabilities. 

US President Donald Trump arrives to speak at Verst Logistics in Hebron, Kentucky, on March 11, 2026

This combination of pictures created on March 11, 2026 using satellite image released courtesy of Vantor shows an overview of Havadarya airbase in Bandar Abbas, Iran, on February 27, 2026 (top) and on March 11, 2026 after airstrikes

Smoke rises after an explosion at the airport in Erbil, Iraq, late Wednesday, March 11, 2026

Senator Roger Marshall, a Kansas Republican who is seeking reelection in this year’s midterm elections, told CNN’s Kaitlan Collins that he was ‘wrong’ about Iran’s nuclear capabilities when asked to react to a statement he made on Fox News last June, following the Trump admin’s strikes on nuclear sites in Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan.

Last year, Marshall said that it would take Iran ‘years to restart their nuclear program’, that they can’t control their airspace, and that he was in ‘shock and awe’ over how much ‘damage was done to their facilities.’

GOP Sen. Roger Marshall on his argument last summer that it would take Iran “years” to restart their nuclear program: “I was wrong.” pic.twitter.com/OX9c42zUnS

— Kaitlan Collins (@kaitlancollins) March 11, 2026

South Carolina Republican Senator Lindsey Graham sparked immense backlash with his comments he made about the war during an appearance on Fox News’ show Hannity this week.

Graham claimed that when he goes ‘back to South Carolina, I’m asking them to send their sons and daughters over to the Middle East.’

That line has created mayhem, as President Trump’s bombing of Iran last month is highly unpopular with the American public, with both Democrats and Republicans alike. Eight American service members have already been killed in the conflict. The latest numbers also reveal that at least 140 troops have been injured.

Nancy Mace, a South Carolina Congresswoman who is also running to be the state’s governor in this year’s midterm elections, noted in an X post Tuesday that she does ‘not want to send South Carolina’s sons and daughters into war with Iran,’ without directly mentioning Graham’s comments.

Trump delivered his Wednesday remarks at Verst Logistics in Hebron, Kentucky, where he also railed against his top Congressional nemesis, Kentucky Representative Thomas Massie.

Trump also boosted his handpicked challenger, Ed Gallrein, a retired Navy SEAL, during the event, although the formal guidance previewed the speech as ‘remarks on the economy.’ 

By JAMIE BULLEN, LIVE COVERAGE EDITOR and SAM LAWLEY, NEWS REPORTER

Updated: 14:33 EDT, 9 March 2026

US President Donald Trump has told Fox News he is ‘not happy’ about Iran’s decision to select Mojtaba Khamenei as its new Supreme Leader. 

French President Emmanuel Macron has meanwhile announced an ambitious plan to deploy two warships to the Strait of Hormuz amid increasing fears over surging oil and gas prices.

Speaking in Cyprus, President Macron said the ‘purely defensive mission’ led by France and its allies would protect oil and gas shipments through the waterway where traffic has been choked off following the war with Iran.

The French leader said he wanted to see an ‘unprecedented’ naval force of European and non-European ships in the Mediterranean, the Red Sea and off the Strait of Hormuz consisting of a total of eight frigates, two helicopter carriers and the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier.

It comes as oil prices surged to more than $100 per barrel for the first time in four years as major producers cut supplies over fears of prolonged shipping disruption.

An emergency meeting of the G7 was held in Paris earlier with crisis options including the release of oil reserves discussed but no final decision has been made.

Elsewhere the US Navy has reportedly struck an Iranian warship and two other vessels in the Persian Gulf. Sources say the ships were hit during strikes on the Iranian port city of Bandar Abbas. Video and pictures circulating on social media show flames and huge plumes of smoke blowing from the ships.

And Donald Trump has said he and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will make a ‘mutual’ decision on when to end the war with Iran as Pete Hegseth guaranteed Tehran ‘will surrender’.

 Follow the latest updates on the US-Israel war with Iran

Trump ‘not happy’ about Iran’s new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei

US President Donald Trump has told Fox News he is ‘not happy’ about Iran’s decision to select Mojtaba Khamenei as its new Supreme Leader.

Khamenei has previously been branded ‘unacceptable’ by Trump who last week made his feelings clear about the Ayatollah’s son.

Trump said somewhat sarcastically that ‘at some point they’ll be calling me to ask who I’d like’ to replace the Ayatollah.

The president has said he would personally select a new leader and Khamenei’s son was ‘unlikely’ and ‘unacceptable’.

Khamenei, excluded from a list of three senior clerics his father reportedly identified last year, was on Sunday announced as the Ayatollah’s successor after being appointed by the regime’s 88-person assembly.

The leader has strong links to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and was chosen by Iran’s Assembly of Experts ‘under pressure from the Revolutionary Guards’, according to Iranian media.

France to send warships to Middle East and oil prices surge: Everything you need to know

The US-Israel war with Iran has entered its tenth day with mayhem continuing across the Middle East since the fighting began last month.

If you’re just joining us, French President Emmanuel Macron has announced a plan to send warships to the Strait of Hormuz to help oil and gas supplies flow through the passage once again

The US Navy has reportedly attacked an Iranian warship and two other vessels in the Persian Gulf.

Meanwhile, oil prices are surging worldwide as global markets slid today and Donald Trump has declared he and Benjamin Netanyahu will make a ‘mutual’ decision on when to end the war.

Here are the key developments on Monday afternoon.

• France has announced plans to deploy eight warships to the Middle East in a ‘purely defensive’ mission to reopen the Strait of Hormuz
• An Iranian warship and two other vessels have reportedly been attacked by the US Navy during airstrikes on the port city of Bandar Abbas
• NATO have shot down a second Iranian missile in Turkish airspace
• Oil prices rise to above $100 a barrel for first time in four years as global markets slid at the start of trading
• Donald Trump says he and Benjamin Netanyahu will make ‘mutual’ decision on when to end Iran war
• Vladimir Putin offers ‘unwavering support’ to Iran’s new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei
• Bahrain’s only oil refinery has been struck by an Iranian missile as Tehran targets energy installations across the Gulf
• The UAE confirmed two members of its armed forces were killed in a helicopter crash when the aircraft malfunctioned during the defence against Iranian drones
• Pete Hegseth, the US Defense Secretary, last night guaranteed Iran will ‘surrender’ and President Donald Trump will set the terms of their defeat
• Mojtaba Khamenei, the 56-year-old son of Iran’s late supreme leader Ali Khamenei, was selected by the country’s Assembly of Experts to succeed his father
• Iranian state television has reported Khamenei is ‘wounded’ but did not elaborate on how the injuries were caused
• The US has identified the seventh solider killed during Operation Epic Fury

More than 1,900 killed in Israeli strikes, IDF claims

The number of Iranian soldiers and commanders killed in Israeli strikes since the war erupted just over a week ago has hit 1,900, according to the IDF.

Spokesman Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin added in a press statement that thousands more had been wounded in that time.

He said: ‘We have many more targets; it is an ongoing effort, and we are deepening the blows to all levels of the regime.’

Lack of Navy warship has ‘completely undermined our international standing’, argues Shadow Defence Secretary

Shadow defence secretary James Cartlidge criticised the lack of a single Navy warship deployed in the region and the delay on sending HMS Dragon into the fray.

He added that the UK’s response so far has ‘completely undermined our international standing’ – before the Commons debate descended into a political back and forth about each party’s historic defence spending.

Israel on Khamenei: ‘The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree’

Israel has criticised the selection of Mojtaba Khamenei as the new Supreme Leader, saying: ‘The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.’

The country’s Foreign Ministry wrote on X: ‘Mojtaba Khamenei’s hands are already stained with the bloodshed that defined his father’s rule. Another tyrant to continue the Iranian regime’s brutality.’

Israel previously doubled down on its pledge to destroy the regime and last week insisted that no successor to the Ayatollah would be acceptable.

Over 36,000 Americans have evacuated from the Middle East

Over 36,000 American citizens have fled the Middle East since February 28, US State Department Assistant Secretary of State for Global Public Affairs Dylan Johnson told Fox News.

More than two dozen charter flights have been completed and commercial flight ability has increased.

‘At this time, seats available on the Department’s charter options are significantly greater than the demand from Americans in the region.  Many Americans continue to depart on commercial options,’ Johnson said.

Hezbollah claims it struck IDF base

Hezbollah terror group has said it struck the IDF Home Front Command headquarters in what was the deepest attack in Israel conducted since hostilities were renewed last week.

The operation this afternoon also apparently hit a ‘satellite communications station’ in Haela Valley near Beit Shemesh.

Sixteen people were ‘lightly hurt’ in the attack, according to medical officials.

The IDF added that the three Hezbollah launchers deployed to fire long-range projectiles were destroyed in a series of air strikes.

UK conducting ‘defensive air sorties’ to back UAE

At the same time as the Defence Secretary was addressing the Commons, the MoD confirmed the ‘defensive air sorties’ in the Gulf.

In a post on X, the Ministry said: ‘The UK has begun conducting defensive air sorties in support of the United Arab Emirates. To support defensive operations, the UK has deployed additional air operations experts to the Gulf — ensuring an accurate air picture across the region and assisting partners with airspace management.

‘Further Wildcat helicopters have arrived at our bases in Cyprus to support defensive operations in the region.

‘A Merlin helicopter has now arrived in theatre to further strengthen our ability to detect aerial threats.’

US using High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems in Iran

US Central Command shared images of High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems it is using it Iran.

‘US Army High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) provide unrivaled deep-strike capability in combat against the Iranian regime,’ CENTCOM wrote on X.

HIMARS are light multiple rocket launchers that get attached to tactical vehicles.

Healey: ‘Iranian regime is a destructive force but we need legal basis for our decisions’

The Defence Secretary also explained the restrictions on Britain’s involvement in the Iran War – while offering a shot at the Middle Eastern country.

‘We must have a legal basis for our decisions,’ he insisted.

‘Iran has been lashing out with dangerous reckless and indiscriminate strikes. British troops were within a few 100 yards from strike in Bahrain.

‘The Iranian regime is a destructive force.’

Trump issues chilling warning to Iran’s new Supreme Leader

Donald Trump has issued a stark warning to Iran’s new Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei just weeks after ordering the strike that killed his father.

Trump said he was ‘not happy with’ Khamenei as the Islamic regime’s new dictator.

HMS Dragon will head to Mediterranean ‘in days’

Navy destroyer HMS Dragon will leave Portsmouth for the Mediterranean in the ‘next few days’, the Defence Secretary confirmed after much speculation over when the ship would head to the region.

It has been more than a week since an RAF base on Cyprus was struck, the Shadow Defence Secretary pointed out in the Commons.

Key Updates

• Trump ‘nowhere near’ sending troops to Iran

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• G7 nations have not made decision on release of emergency oil

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• Seventh solider killed during Operation Epic Fury identified

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• France to escort ships through Strait of Hormuz

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• Two UAE soldiers killed in helicopter crash

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• UAE faces barrage of 15 ballistic missiles

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• France to send warships to Middle East and oil prices surge: Everything you need to know

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• NATO shoot down second Iranian missile in Turkish airspace

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• FTSE plunges as mounting oil crisis sparks panic in the markets

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• Trump dismisses oil price surge as ‘small price to pay’

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• What we know about Mojtaba Khamenei – Iran’s new Supreme Leader

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• G7 to discuss release of emergency oil reserves

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• Bahrain’s state oil company declares force majeure after Iran strikes refinery

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• Pete Hegseth guarantees Iran ‘will surrender’ but Tehran rejects ceasefire

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• Oil prices rise to above $100 a barrel for first time in four years

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• Oil prices surge and Hegseth guarantees a ‘surrender’: Key developments in Iran war

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By JAMIE BULLEN, LIVE COVERAGE EDITOR and ELIZABETH HAIGH, SENIOR NEWS REPORTER and RACHEL BOWMAN, US SENIOR NEWS REPORTER and SHANNON MCGUIGAN, NEWS REPORTER

Updated: 14:38 EST, 6 March 2026

An Iranian ballistic missile has exploded near the Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia, which also hosts US troops, a social media video appears to show. 

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps have began its twenty-third round of strikes, a statement from the country’s news agency Tasmin has said.

It comes after the IDF said they were working to intercept incoming attacks after reporting missiles launched from Iran towards Israel had been detected.

Meanwhile, alerts were issued to mobile phones in areas which could be impacted by the country’s Home Front Command, the IDF said. 

Meanwhile Donald Trump said he would not make a deal with the Iranian regime unless they offer ‘unconditional surrender’. 

‘There will be no deal with Iran except UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER!’ he wrote on Truth Social on Friday. 

Follow the latest updates on the US-Iran war below

Iran used drone attacks in residential areas of Bahrain, CENTCOM claims

Brad Cooper, the head of the US military’s Middle East-based Central Command (CENTCOM) has said Iran fired seven attack drones in residential areas of Bahrain yesterday evening.

‘This is unacceptable and will not go unanswered,” he said in a statement, while adding Tehran had targeted 12 countries in retaliatory strikes..

‘We will continue working with regional partners to address this threat to innocent people across the region.’

Trump says no deal with Iran unless they offer ‘unconditional surrender’

Donald Trump said he will not make a deal with Iran unless they offer ‘unconditional surrender.’

‘There will be no deal with Iran except UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER!’ he wrote on Truth Social on Friday.

‘After that, and the selection of a GREAT & ACCEPTABLE Leader(s), we, and many of our wonderful and very brave allies and partners, will work tirelessly to bring Iran back from the brink of destruction, making it economically bigger, better, and stronger than ever before.

‘IRAN WILL HAVE A GREAT FUTURE. “MAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN (MIGA!).”‘

Police patrols ramped up in London ahead of rival protests this weekend

Police patrols are set to be ramped up ahead of rival protests in London over the weekend, the Met Police have confirmed.

Public Order Act conditions have been imposed to prevent ‘serious disruption’ as protests against the Iranian government, ‘Stage for Freedom’ and ‘Hands Off Iran’, organised by Stop the War, are set to take place in the city this weekend.

James Harman, the Metropolitan Police’s Deputy Assistant Commissioner, said:

‘It is inevitable that strong feelings will result in protest or other forms of public assembly.

The role of the police is not to try limit that freedom of expression, but to ensure that it doesn’t result in disorder and that it doesn’t cause others to be threatened or intimidated

‘We will ensure that ordinary life in London can still go on without protests being the cause of serious disruption.’

US Embassy in Jerusalem offering bus service to Egypt

The US Embassy in Jerusalem announced it is offering a bus service to Taba, Egypt, for Americans in Israel.

‘US Embassy Jerusalem has started offering bus service to Taba for U.S. citizens in need of assistance departing Israel,’ the embassy wrote on X.

The bus service will be offered on Saturday and Sunday.

‘Once we have assigned you to a bus you will receive details about the time of departure and rally point. Departures are available from the Jerusalem area and the Tel Aviv area,’ the embassy said.

Trump’s latest Truth sends global markets haywire

Global markets have gone haywire after Donald Trump demanded Iran’s ‘unconditional surrender.’

US crude oil crashed through the $90 barrel threshold, spiking by 11.5 percent as it notched a 35 percent gain this week. The national average for a gallon gas has surged almost 27 cents since last week to $3.25.

Wall Street traders were in frenzy as the Dow dropped nearly 2 percent, while the the S&P 500 and Nasdaq fell 1.6 percent each.

More Typhoon fighter jets to arrive in Qatar to ‘protect Britain’s interests’, MoD says

Four extra Typhoon fighter jets have been pledged to defend Britain’s interest in the Middle East, and are set to arrive in Qatar overnight, the UK Ministry Defence has said.

It comes after two British Wildcat helicopters, which are equipped with drone-busting missiles, touched down in Cyprus earlier today

The MoD also confirmed its F-35 and Typhoon jets took part in air patrols over Qatar, Jordan and the eastern Mediterranean last night.

Breaking:Iran launches new wave of strikes, Israel says

Missiles from Iran heading to Israel have been identified, the IDF has said.

In a new statement, the Israeli military said:

Defensive systems are operating to intercept the threat,.

The public is instructed to enter a protected space and remain there until further notice. Leaving a protected space is permitted only after receiving explicit instructions.’

US army abandons paratrooper’s training sparking speculation soldiers may be sent to Middle East

A US paratrooper unit training exercise has been cancelled, sparking speculation that soldiers may be sent to the Middle East.

The 82nd Airborne Division, which has expertise in parachute assault, has ditched its training assignment, US officials have said.

The North Carolina-based unit has a combat team of around 5,000 soldiers who specialise in ground combat.

They are believed to be ready to be sent to missions with an 18-hour notice.

The Washington Post reported that no deployment orders have been issued; however, the unprecedented decision to cancel training infers the unit could be deployed to the Middle East.

By James Fielding

Terrified Britons trying to escape under-fire Dubai told today of the widespread panic now engulfing airports.

With some 14,000 UK citizens alone having flagged to the authorities that they want to get out of the desert city and other sites across the Middle East, there is now a palpable sense of desperation.

Iran is believed to have fired almost as many drones and missiles at Dubai and the United Arab Emirates, the gulf’s dominant trade and tourism hub, as it has at Israel, with even the iconic Palm Jumeirah hotel in flames.

The Daily Mail spoke today to some of the thousands of stranded tourists and expats trying to escape the warzone that now is Dubai on flights back to Britain.

Among them was Paul Hart who told how he and his wife had been stuck in Dubai since the fighting started – and could not travel to Oman for the British Government’s repatriation flight.

He said: ‘If you travel to Oman you have to go to the border and then get another taxi to take you from the border to the airport.

‘My wife suffers from Crohn’s disease and also has occipital neuralgia, therefore she needs close proximity to toilets and things, so it’s not an option to travel to Oman.

‘My plane was due to depart on February 28. I was actually on board. It was all boarded, and then it came over the airways that “Sorry, the airspace is closed”.

‘So after four hours, we were able to depart the plane. Fortunately, we were able to get a taxi, and fortunately, we were able to return to our original hotel, because the alternative they provided was booked up within seconds.

READ MORE:

White House: Trump looking at potential leaders for Iran

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that Trump was looking at potential candidates to be the next leader of Iran.

It comes after the US President said his country must be involved in choosing Tehran’s next leader.

‘I know there’s a number of people that our intelligence agencies and the United States government are looking at, but I won’t get any further on that,’ she said

She also elaborated on Trump’s earlier statement saying no deal would be done with Iran unless they ‘unconditional[ly] surrender’.

What the President means is ⁠that when he, as Commander in Chief of the US Armed Forces, determines that Iran no longer poses a threat to the United States of ‌America, and the goals of Operation Epic Fury has been fully realised, then Iran will essentially be in a place of ‌unconditional ‌surrender, whether they say it themselves or not.’

Breaking:United States’s campaign against Iran could take four to six weeks, White House says

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the US expects the Iranian campaign to take between four and six weeks.

It comes after Donald Trump said the war could last for exactly four to five weeks; however, could go on for ‘far longer’.

Pete Hegseth, the US Secretary of Defence, said the country would ‘take all the time’ needed to ‘make sure we succeed.

Meanwhile, before a meeting with major defence contractors and the US President, Leavitt said the US had enough weapons stockpiles for its operational needs in Iran.

She added that the country was also assessing a number of potential people to lead Iran.

It comes after Trump said he will not make a deal with Iran unless they offer ‘unconditional surrender.’

By Elizabeth Haigh

Protesters in support of the Iranian regime and its late Supreme Leader torched an Israeli flag and chanted ‘death to the IDF’ at a vigil in Birmingham last night.

Dozens of activists assembled in the city to condemn the US-Israeli strikes on the country and mourn the passing of former ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Video footage showed the small crowd chanting ‘death to the IDF’ and ‘bomb Tel Aviv’, as well as burning the Israeli flag and holding pictures of Khamenei.

West Midlands Police told the Daily Mail it has launched an investigation into possible racially/religiously aggravated public order offences.

The vigil at the Imam Reza Cultural Centre saw attendees hold signs in support of the regime and wave Iranian flags.

It was attended by convicted terrorist Shahid Butt, 60, who is standing in the May local elections in the Sparkhill area of the city.

Butt was convicted of terrorism in Yemen in 1999 after plotting bomb attacks on Western targets including the British consulate in Aden, an Anglican church, and a Swiss-owned hotel. He was jailed for five years.

Controversial lawyer Akhmed Yakoob, who previously stood as a candidate for the West Midlands mayoral election, was also at the vigil.

Anti-regime protesters turned up during the event, prompting clashes between the two sides, with police breaking up scuffles.

Key Updates

• A USAF B1-B bomber prepares to land at RAF Fairford airbase

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• WATCH: Iranian missile explodes ‘near the Prince Sultan Air Base’ in Saudi Arabia

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• Iran has ‘begun its twenty-third round of strikes’, local media reports

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• Iran has attacked 12 countries, US military says

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• Iranian missiles detected making their way to Israel, IDF says

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• PICTURED: Royal Navy helicopter arrived in Cyprus

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• IDF release footage of moment Ayatollah Khamenei’s bunker is blown up

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• Watch: Huge airstrike rocks Tehran as US warns ‘big one’ is on its way

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• Qatar warns that oil could double to $150 a barrel and ‘bring down world economies’

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• Qatar declares Iran targeted its navy during Bahrain attack

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• US stealth bombers land at UK bases as Trump warns Iran ‘big one’ is coming

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• Azerbaijan pulls out diplomats from Iran

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• The most dangerous and safest places in the Middle East since Iran war

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• Israel claims to have destroyed Hezbollah ‘terror sites’ in new Beirut strikes

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• Dubai residents receive ‘missile threat’ alert on their phones

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• Four men are arrested in London on suspicion of spying for Iran

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• Brits arrive home after ‘traumatic’ government repatriation flight from the Middle East

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• Saudi Arabia intercept three drones near Riyadh

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• Watch: Iranian missiles hit two hotels in Bahrain

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• Israel declares war in ‘new phase’ as more strikes launched in Tehran

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• US announces strike on Iranian drone carrier

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President Donald Trump has fired Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and announced Senator Markwayne Mullin will replace her, marking the first Cabinet-level termination of his second term.

The ‘last straw’ came when Noem told Senator John Kennedy under oath that she’d been given Trump’s approval for a $220 million taxpayer-funded campaign designed to boost her national profile. 

She testified that the multi-million dollar ad campaign was signed off on by the President when pressed by Congress under oath this week. However, reports indicate that her claim caught Trump by surprise. 

‘I ​never knew anything about it,’ he told Reuters in an interview on Thursday.

Noem has also been under heavy scrutiny for her alleged affair with her top advisor, Corey Lewandowski. Both Noem and Lewandowski have denied the affair. 

Later on Thursday, Trump announced that Senator Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma would be nominated to become the next DHS Secretary. Mullin’s office did not immediately respond to the Daily Mail’s request for comment. 

‘I am pleased to announce that the Highly Respected United States Senator from the Great State of Oklahoma, Markwayne Mullin, will become the United States Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS), effective March 31, 2026,’ Trump posted on Truth Social.

‘The current Secretary, Kristi Noem, who has served us well, and has had numerous and spectacular results (especially on the Border!), will be moving to be Special Envoy for The Shield of the Americas, our new Security Initiative in the Western Hemisphere we are announcing on Saturday in Doral, Florida. I thank Kristi for her service at “Homeland.”’

Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem films an ad at Mount Rushmore. The ad was a part of a $220 million campaign to recruit more DHS workers. Noem said Trump signed off on the expense, but the President refuted that

Trump announced that Senator Markwayne Mullin will be nominated to become the next DHS Secretary

The ‘last straw’ came when Noem told Senator John Kennedy under oath this week that she’d been given Trump’s approval for a $220 million taxpayer-funded campaign designed to boost her national profile

The President lauded Mullin for his Native American roots and claimed the Senator ‘will make a spectacular Secretary of Homeland Security.’

Officials within DHS and ICE are celebrating the news of Noem’s departure, sources have revealed to the Daily Mail.

One DHS source told the Daily Mail staff that in the department’s headquarters are cheering the news: ‘Everyone is happy, lots of smiles.’

‘Morale had taken a hit. There’s a feeling among a lot of folks here that the department can finally reset and refocus on operations instead of internal turmoil.’ 

There’s also an expectation that Corey Lewandowski will follow her out the door. ‘He will go because he knows Mullin will toss him.’ It is unclear if the advisor will depart DHS along with the secretary.

Another DHS insider said Trump had been preparing to fire her for days, but that her performance Tuesday ‘gave him cover’ to do so immediately.

Meanwhile, an ICE official at the department’s headquarters told Daily Mail, ‘Crowds are celebrating. Lots of phone calls. Texts. People stopping by to celebrate.’ 

A Senate panel grilled Noem about the ad campaign and the process through which the money was allocated for it. 

Mullin told reporters hours before Trump’s announcement that he had not talked to the president this week and he wouldn’t weigh in on ‘hypotheticals’ about him replacing Noem

Noem told lawmakers on Tuesday that there was ‘a competitive process’ to award the contract for the campaign and that it was ‘all done correctly, all done legally.’ 

One of the ads cut from the $220 million project showed Noem wearing a cowboy hat, riding a horse in front of Mt. Rushmore. 

Noem defenders were surprised by the heat she took from members of Congress during her appearance in the Senate this week.

They expected confrontation from Sen. Thom Tillis, who is a Trump critic on his way out after announcing he would not run for reelection. 

They did not expect confrontation from Republican Senator John Kennedy, who publicly berated Noem.

‘He just kicked the teeth out of her,’ one insider said. ‘That came out of nowhere.’

Insiders familiar with the situation heard that at the very least Corey Lewandowski would out by this weekend, but that could be moot if both of them would be out in weeks.

On paper, Lewandowski is a special government employee, so it’s easy to force him out on a timeline basis.

Trump had batted down questions about firing Noem in February before ousting her in March

Noem has been labeled as ‘ICE Barbie’ for myriad photoshoots showing Noem in full makeup, posing with guns and bulletproof vests

But there is no Kristi Noem without Corey, he singlehandedly lobbied Trump to get her the position and she would be without her biggest defender.

The White House grew tired of weekly stories of scandal and infighting, as Susie Wiles had long had enough of her theatrics.

‘It’s like who doesn’t she fight with,’ a source familiar told the Daily Mail

Trump chose Sen. Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma partially to avoid a confrontational Senate confirmation process, one source told the Daily Mail.

He would have likely elevated Homan, but there was real doubt that Homan could get the 60 votes necessary to get confirmation.

Pressed on Thursday whether he is under consideration to lead DHS, Mullin dodged the question. 

‘Listen, I haven’t talked to the President all week, so I couldn’t even help you with that answer,’ he said. 

When asked if he is interested in the job, Mullin again shot down the inquiry. 

‘I’m actually absolutely not dealing with hypotheticals,’ he shot back.

Hours after his remarks, Trump announced Mullin would replace Noem. 

Mullin later told reporters he found out about his appointment right before the President published his statement.  

The ad campaign and the alleged affair are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Noem’s controversies. 

The DHS Secretary caught flak earlier this year when her agents shot and killed two Americans – Renee Good and Alex Pretti – during immigration operations in Minnesota.

She has also been slammed as ‘ICE Barbie’ for myriad photoshoots showing Noem in full makeup, posing with guns and bulletproof vests. 

Noem’s ouster marks the first Cabinet-level firing of Trump’s second term. 

Sources within DHS and ICE celebrated Noem’s ouster on Thursday 

The President previously removed Michael Waltz as national security advisor to ambassador to the UN, though that reassignment was not at the Cabinet level. 

DHS did not immediately respond to the Daily Mail’s request for comment. 

Trump’s announcement that Mullin will replace Noem immediately garnered support from lawmakers. 

‘I’m not sure how many fellow Democrats will vote to support our colleague [Senator Mullin] as the next DHS Secretary, but I am AYE,’ Democratic Senator John Fetterman posted on X.   

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina reacted: ‘President Trump could not have chosen a better candidate to be Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security than Senator Markwayne Mullin.’

‘He is one of the most knowledgeable people I know regarding how to protect America. Markwayne is an outstanding choice and I hope he gets the overwhelmingly bipartisan vote that he deserves.’

Israel attacks sites in Qom and Isfahan, as it reopens its main airport

By PHILLIP NIETO, US POLITICAL REPORTER

Published: 17:22 EST, 3 March 2026 | Updated: 19:02 EST, 3 March 2026

Iran has blown up a CIA station at the US Embassy in Saudi Arabia as the agency works to arm militants for an uprising against the Islamic regime.

A suspected Iranian drone struck the CIA station in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia’s capital, on Monday, just two days after the spy agency pinpointed Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s location in the strike that killed him.

An internal State Department alert revealed that Tehran’s attack ‘collapsed’ part of the station’s roof and ‘contaminated’ the compound with smoke, according to the Washington Post.

The station also sustained ‘structural damage’ while personnel were advised to ‘shelter in place.’ 

The US and Saudi governments confirmed that two drones hit the U.S. embassy complex, but did not disclose that the CIA station was impacted, the Post said. 

There was no indication that CIA personnel were wounded.

The CIA has long been viewed by the Islamic regime as its arch-enemy, in part because of the agency’s history of covert efforts aimed at undermining its leadership.

The American spy agency and the United Kingdom’s MI6 set in motion the 1953 Iranian coup d’état, which led to the overthrow of Iran’s democratically elected leader. 

The US embassy headquarters in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia is photographed Tuesday after it was hit by suspected Iranian drone strikes. The Washington Post reported that the CIA station located at the embassy was blown up

President Donald Trump ordered the launch of ‘Operation Epic Fury’ starting on Saturday, which has now led to the death of six American troops

An undated photo of the US embassy in Saudi Arabia’s capital of Riyadh. The Washington Post uncovered that a CIA station located at the embassy complex sustained some damage from two suspected Iranian drones on Tuesday 

Tehran’s attack also comes as the spy agency works to arm Kurdish militants inside the country in an effort to foment an uprising following the ayatollah’s death. 

The Daily Mail has contacted the CIA for comment. 

Top White House officials have been in active discussions with Kurdish leaders in Iraq about providing them with military support to strike the regime. 

Iranian Kurdish militants have thousands of soldiers along the Iraq-Iran border with major support in Northern Iraq’s Kurdistan region. 

Since the fall of Saddam Hussein in 2003, this semi-autonomous region has served as a haven for local Kurdish groups that pose a military threat to Iran’s regime. 

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has targeted these groups with dozens of drone strikes since the start of the war on Saturday.

President Donald Trump on Tuesday reportedly spoke with the president of the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan, one of the major Kurdish opposition groups targeted by Tehran’s military. 

The Sunni Muslim group has engaged in guerrilla warfare against the Iranian military and the IRGC. 

Smoke rises from an Israeli strike in Beirut on Tuesday

Smoke plumes billow following Israeli bombardment on Beirut’s southern suburbs

Iran’s capital of Tehran has been ravaged by US-Israeli airstrikes since Saturday

Iran retaliated to the US and Israeli strikes with a barrage of missiles at neighboring nations – some of which broke through air defense systems (seen in Dubai) 

Trump’s war has now spiraled across the Middle East, with Israeli cities and several Gulf allies coming under Iranian drone and missile attacks

‘Operation Epic Fury’ wiped out much of Iran’s top leadership over the weekend as part of a joint US–Israeli military campaign aimed at crippling the regime after Trump’s diplomatic talks collapsed last week. 

Despite the death of the ayatollah, the Islamic government appears to remain in control of the country. The CIA’s reported efforts to arm Kurdish militants could pose one of the most existential threats to the regime.

Trump’s war has now spiraled across the Middle East, with Israeli cities and several Gulf allies coming under Iranian drone and missile attacks.

The US has responded with a wave of airstrikes aimed at crippling Iran’s military bases and remaining leadership. 

American embassies in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and the UAE have been struck by drones. The State Department has ordered the departure of non-emergency personnel in response. 

A total of six American troops are dead following the launch of ‘Operation Epic Fury, ‘ while nearly two dozen remain hospitalized from injuries. 

Former President Bill Clinton did not say President Donald Trump should be subpoenaed in Congress’s sprawling Jeffrey Epstein investigation, claiming he was unaware of any wrongdoing. 

The House Oversight Committee deposed Bill and Hillary Clinton last week to determine their connections to and knowledge of Epstein. The panel released the never-before-seen videos of the hours-long depositions on Monday afternoon. 

When pressed by the top Democrat on the panel, Congressman Robert Garcia of California, on whether Trump should be subpoenaed to testify in the investigation, the ex-President turned the tables on the California lawmaker. 

‘That’s for you to decide, but he (Trump) did know him well, and I once had a brief discussion with him about it,’ Clinton, 79, told Garcia. 

It was the first time in US history that Congress had deposed a US President. Given the new precedent, Democrats have said they want to bring in Trump to testify, though Clinton refused to weigh in on whether they should or should not. 

Garcia then thanked Clinton, and the room fell silent, the video of the testimony shows.   

After a pause, Clinton spoke up, offering clarifying information and noting how Garcia never asked a follow-up.

‘I hate this,’ Clinton declared after the long pause. ‘But since there was no follow-up question, he’s never, the president, never, this is 20-something years ago, never said anything to me to make me think he was involved in anything improper.’

Bill Clinton told congressional investigators that he once spoke to Donald Trump about Jeffrey Epstein, and that the Republican described at the time how he and Epstein had a falling out over a real estate deal

Infamous sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and associate Ghislaine Maxwell at the White House with Bill Clinton

Clinton and Epstein in a photo released by the Department of Justice 

Trump knew that Clinton had flown on Epstein’s private jet when they spoke in the early 2000s, the Democrat testified

Clinton described a conversation he had with Trump about Epstein in the early 2000s – his only discussion with the Republican on the topic. 

‘It was on his golf course,’ the former President began. 

Clinton said he and Trump were playing in a celebrity golf tournament for a mutual friend, Joe Torre, the former general manager of the New York Yankees. 

The charity event was an annual affair that Trump would offer up his golf course for, the Democrat said. 

‘And the day I was there, he would typically, Donald Trump, would come out and play a few holes with us, and he somehow knew I had flown on Jeffrey Epstein’s aircraft,’ Clinton testified. 

‘And he said, you know, we had some great times together over the years, but we fell out all because of a real estate deal. And he said, I’m sorry, it happened. That’s all.’

Hours later, Clinton again clarified again that Trump didn’t do anything wrong as far as he knew. 

‘You know, as I said earlier, the only conversation I had with President Trump about this was in the early 2000s, and I have no information who had that he did anything wrong.

Clinton was grilled by lawmakers after photos in the newly released Epstein files showed him swimming with Maxwell and lounging in a hot tub with an unidentified woman.

Asked about others in the hot tub, Clinton said: ‘I don’t think there’s anybody in the hot tub. I don’t even – I had forgotten that there was anybody in the hot tub, but it was big.’ 

Clinton said the photo was from a hotel where their group was staying during a work trip for his charitable foundation, adding that a member of his Secret Service detail was present at the pool.

The former president denied knowledge of Epstein’s crimes, stating: ‘There’s nothing that I saw when I was around him that made me realize he was trafficking women.’ 

Asked whether he felt that Epstein and Maxwell fooled powerful people, he responded: ‘I really don’t know. I’ve thought about it a lot, but if you can figure it out I’d like to know.’

Trump and Clinton at a golf tournament in 2000

President Trump has said that he does not like to see Clinton investigated in the congressional Epstein probe. However, Trump ordered Attorney General Pam Bondi to investigate Clinton’s ties to Epstein in November

A painting of Bill Clinton in a dress seen in Jeffrey Epstein’s home in an image released by the Department of Justice on December 19, 2025

Trump has also defended Clinton during the Congressional investigation.

‘I don’t like seeing him deposed, but they certainly went after me a lot more than that,’ Trump said last week. ‘Look, I like him, and I don’t like seeing him deposed.’

Trump told NBC News in early February: ‘It bothers me that somebody is going after Bill Clinton.’

The statement stood in stark contrast to a November Truth Social post in which Trump called on Attorney General Pam Bondi to probe Clinton’s ties to Epstein. 

‘I will be asking A.G. Pam Bondi, and the Department of Justice, together with our great patriots at the FBI, to investigate Jeffrey Epstein’s involvement and relationship with Bill Clinton, Larry Summers, Reid Hoffman, J.P. Morgan, Chase, and many other people and institutions, to determine what was going on with them, and him,’ Trump wrote on November 14.