MARCH 2, 2026

Saudis threaten to target Iranian oil facilities if Tehran mounts ‘concerted’ strike on Aramco

By AFP

A concerted attack by Iran on Saudi oil infrastructure could trigger a military responsefrom the kingdom, a source close to the Saudi government tells AFP.

Saudi Arabia would target “Iranian oil facilities if Iran mounts a concerted attack on Aramco,” the source tells AFP, referring to the state oil giant.

Earlier today a drone hit a Saudi refinery, causing a fire and forcing some operations to be shut down.

The ₿itcoin Academy

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🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia has shut down Aramco’s Ras Tanura, its largest oil refinery, following an Iranian drone strike.

Begun the attack, Ras Tanura processed 550,000 barrels of crude oil per day.

Mar 2, 2026 Today, 2:16 pm

https://x.com/BTC_Prep/status/2028443846754042089?s=20

LIVE UPDATE arrow right icon FROM THE LIVEBLOG OF MONDAY,

MARCH 2, 2026

Report: Top Iranian official looking to return to nuclear talks with US

Today, 3:33 am

• Ali Larijani, the secretary of Iran’s National Security Council, is seeking to return to the negotiating table with the United States, less than two days after the start of a coordinated assault on Iran by the US and Israel, the Wall Street Journal reports, citing US and Arab officials familiar with the matter.

• According to the report, Larijani reached out to the US through Omani mediators to see about resuming negotiations.

• More from today’s Liveblog:

B-1 heavy bombers flew from US to carry out strikes in Iran

WATCH: Pentagon holds live briefing on progress of the war against Iran

Qatar suspends natural gas production after Iranian attacks

https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/report-top-iranian-official-looking-to-return-to-nuclear-talks-with-us/

Iran has made themselves an enemy of almost all countries of the Middle East and more. Are they still trying to conquer the world?

LIVE UPDATE MONDAY,

MARCH 2, 2026

IDF says it killed Hezbollah intelligence chief in overnight strike

Hezbollah’s intelligence chief was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Beirut overnight, the IDF announces.

The IDF says it can now confirm that its overnight strike in theLebanese capital killed Hussein Makled,“who served as the head of Hezbollah’s intelligence headquarters.”

https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/idf-says-it-killed-hezbollah-intelligence-chief-in-overnight-strike/

LIVENOWUPDATED 11MIN AGO

Hegseth vows swift victory at Pentagon briefing as Iran strikes enter third day

Final three Beit Shemesh missile strike victims identified as teen siblings Yaakov, Avigail and Sarah Biton * 19 wounded in Beersheba missile impact;Air Force bombs dozens of targets in Tehran* ‘Fake news’: Netanyahu’s office dismisses Iran army claims PM’s fate unclear after purported Jerusalem missile attack

(KEK “Fake News” is an actual phrase in our Lexicon, thanks to PDJT!)

lexicon

/lĕk′sĭ-kŏn″/

noun

A dictionary.

A stock of terms used in a particular profession, subject, or style; a vocabulary.

"the lexicon of surrealist art."

The morphemes of a language considered as a group.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition • More at Wordnik

https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog-march-02-2026/

U.S. Central Command

@CENTCOM

CENTCOM Update

TAMPA, Fla. – As of 7:30 am ET, March 2,four U.S. service members have been killed in action. The fourth service member, who was seriously wounded during Iran’s initial attacks, eventually succumbed to their injuries.

Major combat operations continue and our response effort is ongoing.

The identities of the fallen are being withheld until 24 hoursafter next of kin notification.

7:26 AM · Mar 2, 2026

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1.4M

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https://x.com/CENTCOM/status/2028446849078530280?s=20

Call for Mighty Prayers to God and his Angels to keep all US soldiers along with all other countries troops alive that are allies. Ongoing

The Strait of Hormuz crisis explained: What it means for global shipping 1/2

PUBLISHED MON, MAR 2 20266:06 AM ESTUPDATED 2 HOURS AGO

KEY POINTS

• Shipping giants have suspended operations through the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz following U.S. and Israel strikes on Iran.

• The Middle East conflict has stoked fears of prolonged disruption to global trade via key maritime corridors.

• Maersk, MSC, Hapag-Lloyd and CMA CGM have all issued fresh guidance amid the deteriorating security situation.

The escalating war in the Middle East has ratcheted up fears of prolonged disruption to global trade via key maritime corridors like the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.

Container shipping giants have suspended operations through the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz and rerouted vessels around the southern tip of Africa, following U.S. and Israel strikes on Iranover the weekend.

Danish shipping company Maersk said in a statement that it would suspend all vessel crossings in the Strait of Hormuz until further notice, warning that services calling ports in the Arabian Gulf may experience delays.

Located in the gulf between Oman and Iran, the Strait of Hormuz is recognized as one of the world’s most important oil choke points. In 2023, oil flows through the waterway averaged 20.9 million barrels per day, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, accounting for about 20% of global petroleum liquids consumption.

Maersk, widely regarded as a barometer of global trade, said the situation in the Middle East had also prompted it to pause future trans-Suez sailings through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait until further notice.

This waterway is a narrow maritime pinch point that sits between the Horn of Africa and the Middle East, linking the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean. The Bab el-Mandeb Strait was estimated to account for 12% of seaborne oil trade and 8% of liquefied natural gas (LNG) trade in the first half of 2023.

Maersk said all sailings on the Middle East-India to Mediterranean and Middle East-India to east coast U.S. services would be rerouted around the Cape of Good Hope.

Peter Sand, chief analyst at Xeneta, said higher container shipping rates should be factored in for the Middle East region at least for as long as the conflict persists, adding there is “no real alternative” to ocean freight.

https://www.cnbc.com/2026/03/02/strait-of-hormuz-crisis-us-iran-israel-war-shipping-trade-

>>24329250

2/2

“The risk of geopolitics has shown its ugly face with higher frequency and more severity over the past years than ever before,” Sand told CNBC’s “Squawk Box Europe” on Monday.

“I think it’s fair also to say there is a little bit of fatigue also in the industry because you draw 10 contingency plans only to tear them all up because there is a new twist and a new angle to it.”

Even if oil tankers are only temporarily blocked from the Strait of Hormuz, it can ratchet up global energy prices, raise shipping costs and create significant supply delays.

The Strait of Hormuz is also key for global container trade. Ports in this region such as Jebel Ali and Khor Fakkan are transshipment hubs that serve as intermediary points in global networks.

Alongside Maersk, German container shipping firm Hapag-Lloyd

said over the weekend that all vessels transiting through the Strait of Hormuz would be suspended, citing the safety and security of its crews.

France’s CMA CGM said Saturday that it had instructed all of its vessels inside the Gulf and bound for the region to proceed to shelter. Passage through the Suez Canal has also been suspended until further notice, CMA CGM said, with vessels rerouted around Africa via the Cape of Good Hope.

MSC, the world’s largest container shipping company, said Monday that it had ordered all vessels operating in the Gulf region to proceed to designated safe areas, adding that it would closely monitor further developments.

‘Extremely cautious’

Amrita Sen, founder and director of market intelligence at Energy Aspects, said on Monday that the key question is what happens to the Strait of Hormuz.

She estimated that approximately 15 million barrels of oil and approximately 80 million tons of LNG traversed the waterway last year.

“We don’t think that’s very likely,” Sen told CNBC’s “Europe Early Edition” when asked whether Iran would seek to shut off the strait completely.

(https://www.cnbc.com/2026/03/02/strait-of-hormuz-crisis-us-iran-israel-war-shipping-trade-oil.

HEZBOLLAH

IDF strikes in Beirut after Hezbollah enters fray and fires rockets, drones at north3/2/26

No reports of injuries or damage in Israel; terror group says attacks are ‘revenge’ for Khamenei’s killing; Lebanese PM condemns ‘irresponsible act’; IDF says Hezbollah ‘destroying Lebanon’

Rockets and drones launched from Lebanon set sirens blaring across northern Israel in the early hours of Monday, as the Hezbollah terror group entered the fray to assist its backer, Iran, with its relentless attacks against the Jewish state.

The terror group’s attacks —which it said were in retaliation for the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khameneiin the opening minutes of the joint Israeli-US assault on Iran on Saturday — were met with an immediate response from Israel, with waves of airstrikes across Lebanon, including multiple strikes in the capital, Beirut, and the Dahiyeh suburb, a Hezbollah stronghold.

The IDF charged that Hezbollah, having initiated conflict when warned by Israel and implored by the Beirut government not to do so, was “destroying the state of Lebanon.”

Sirens were activated in the northern city of Haifa and surrounding areas shortly after 1 a.m., and the Israel Defense Forces confirmed not long after that the source of the rocket fire that set off the alarms was not Iran, but Lebanon. It then stated that Hezbollah was behind the attack, and Hezbollah acknowledged responsibility soon after. (How convenient that Lebanon is now included with Iran…Israel goal was to destroy it… their own false flag?)

The military said that one rocket was intercepted by air defenses, and at least two others were allowed to fall in open areas.

Alerts warning of a drone attack also sounded in the Upper Galilee shortly after, with air defenses shooting down atleast two suspected drones, according to military sources.

At least three more rockets launched from Lebanon struck open areas in northern Israel at around 3 a.m., without setting off sirens, “according to protocol,” the military said.

There were no reports of injuries or damage as a result of the attacks.

https://www.timesofisrael.com/idf-strikes-targets-in-beirut-after-hezbollah-enters-fray-fires-at-northern-israel/

MARCH 2, 2026

Top US general says ‘air superiority’ established over Iran, confirms Israel was first to strike on Saturday

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen.Dan Caine confirms that Israel was the first to strike Iran on Saturday and that the US then followed.

“This was a daylight strike based on a trigger event conducted by the Israeli Defense Forces, enabled by the US intelligence community,” Caine says during a press conference at the Pentagon alongside Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

It is believed that the initial Israeli strike targeted and killed Iran Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, though US President Donald Trump has been taking credit for the strike.

Caine says that the US strikes, dubbed Operation Epic Fury, followed months and years of preparations and came after Trump gave a final “go-order” at 3:38 p.m. eastern time on Friday.

The US army’s cyber units were the first to operate by disrupting Iran’s ability to see what was coming and respond accordingly, Caine says.

One hundred US aircraft began striking Iran in a single wave, and 1,000 targets were hit in the first 24 hours, while Israel launched hundreds of its own strikes, the US army chief adds.

B-2 bunker buster bombers — the same ones used to strike Iran’s nuclear sites last year — also participated in the strikes, Caine confirms.

“This is not a single overnight operation. The military objectives that CENTCOM and the Joint Force have been tasked with will take some time to achieve, and in some cases will be difficult and gritty work,” Caine says. He adds that the United States is still sending additional troops to the Middle East, even after a massive military buildup.

He also says that US forces have now achieved air superiority over Iran.

Strikes by American forces “resulted in the establishment of local air superiority. This air superiority will not only enhance the protection of our forces, but also allow them to continue the work over Iran,” Caine adds.

(https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/top-us-general-says-air-superiority-established-over-iran-confirms-israel-was-first-to-strike-on-saturday/

(=¥Israel doing their thing, “they were first”!==)

Jonathan Karl

@jonkarl

More on the call — from Trump!

10:32 PM · Mar 1, 2026

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124.4K

https://x.com/jonkarl/status/2028312453717577920?s=20

Steve Eisman says investors should ignore U.S.-Iran war, will be long-term ‘positive’

PUBLISHED MON, MAR 2 2026

Steve Eisman of “The Big Short” famesaid investors should ignore the U.S.-Iran war as it could be a long-term positive for markets.

In fact, when the investor was asked Monday by CNBC’s Joe Kernen on “Squawk Box”whether he would change anything because of the conflict, he responded with, “Not a single trade.”

“I think long term, this is very, very positive,” Eisman said. “People react because of what’s happening, oil prices are obviously up. But if it goes well, two months from now, prices will be back to where they were.”

The stock market was in turmoil Monday after the U.S. in a joint attack with Israel attacked Iran over the weekend and killed the country’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, a strike that triggered retaliatory attacks from Tehran.

Historically, geopolitical conflicts have little lasting effect on stocks. In data going back to 1980, the S&P 500 on average is unchanged the day after such an event, according to Barclays’ trading desk. Studies show stocks tend to recover within a month after the start of a conflict.

But sharply higher oil prices, and the potential for the conflict to spread across the region, could pressure the stock market for longer this time. Stocks were already close to record highs ahead of the conflict, but the pace of the bull market had begun to slow on concerns about AI’s overall impact on the economy.

In expressing his own views on the conflict, “The Real Eisman Playbook” podcast host and former Neuberger Berman money manager said he’s supportive of Trump’s actions against a regime he called a “death cult.”

However, he also acknowledged the conflict may take longer than expected.

“This is going to take time,” he said.

(HTTPS://WWW.CNBC.COM/2026/03/02/STEVE-EISMAN-SAYS-INVESTORS-SHOULD-IGNORE-US-IRAN-WAR-WILL-BE-LONG-TERM-POSITIVE.HTML

NBC Sports

@NBCSports

==National Champ at 17! 🏆

Cooper Lutkenhaus claims his FIRST U.S national title in the 800m in 1:46.68. 🙌==

NBC and Peacock

2:16 PM · Mar 1, 2026

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40.7K

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https://x.com/NBCSports/status/2028187519959851410?s=20

NBC Sports

@NBCSports

==National Champ at 17! 🏆

Cooper Lutkenhaus claims his FIRST U.S national title in the 800m in 1:46.68. 🙌==

with video. Anons pay attention to the 17

NBC and Peacock

2:16 PM · Mar 1, 2026

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40.7K

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https://x.com/NBCSports/status/2028187519959851410?s=20

Fox News

@FoxNews

SEC HEGSETH: "It turns out the regime who chanted 'Death to America' and 'Death to Israel' was gifted death from America and death from Israel."

"This is not a so-called regime change war, but the regime sure did change and the world is better off for it today."

8:18 AM · Mar 2, 2026

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324K

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https://x.com/FoxNews/status/2028460000356540436?s=20

Iran supreme leader’s wife killed in US-Israeli airstrikes - state media

1 hour ago

Updated: 14:39 GMT

Mansoureh Khojasteh Bagherzadeh, the wife of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, was killed after falling into a coma following US-Israeli airstrikes, state media reported on Monday.She had reportedly been in a coma since the attacks at the start of the airstrikes on Saturday.

https://www.iranintl.com/en/202603024483

Iran 'hell-bent on prophetic Islamist delusions' cannot have nuclear weapons, Hegseth says

1 hour ago

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Monday that “crazy regimes like Iran, hell-bent on prophetic Islamist delusions, cannot have nuclear weapons,”as he defended a major US military operation against Tehran ordered by President Donald Trump.

Speaking at a news conference, Hegseth said the operation, launched two days ago under Trump’s direct orders, was “the most lethal, most complex and most precise aerial operation in history.”

He accused Iran’s leadership of waging what he called a decades-long war against the United States through proxy forces and attacks on US targets in the Middle East.

“We didn’t start this war, but under President Trump, we are finishing it,” Hegseth said.

“If you kill Americans, if you threaten Americans anywhere on Earth, we will hunt you down without apology and without hesitation, and we will kill you,”he added.

Hegseth said Trump had drawn a clear line after years of what he called Iranian belligerence and reiterated that Washington would not allow Tehran to obtain nuclear weapons.

https://www.iranintl.com/en/202603026693