The United States and Israel launched a wave of strikes against targets in Iranian cities on Saturday triggering explosions and columns of smoke in the capital Tehran. Iran, Iraq and Israel all closed their airspaces to civilian traffic once the strikes were underway, and the US embassies in Qatar and Bahrain urged US citizens to take shelter. Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will travel to Israel for talks on Iran on Monday, the State Department said. Trump in his State of the Union address Tuesday alleged Iran was developing missiles that could strike the United States. Increasing pressure, Rubio on Friday designated Iran a state sponsor of wrongful detentions, a new blacklist, over jailings of US citizens.

Source: Dhaka Tribune February 28, 2026 08:44 UTC