Iran-US war latest developments intensified on Tuesday after Donald Trump declared it was “too late” for negotiations with Iran following joint US-Israeli strikes, as the Middle East crisis deepened across multiple fronts.
The US president wrote on Truth Social that Iran’s “air defence, Air Force, Navy, and Leadership is gone” and claimed Tehran had sought talks only after suffering heavy military losses. “They want to talk. I said ‘Too Late!’” he posted, framing the strikes as decisive and signalling no immediate path to diplomacy.
Meanwhile, Israel expanded its offensive, confirming it had struck Iran’s Presidential Office in Tehran and escalated bombardments in both the Iranian capital and Beirut.
The Israeli military said “numerous munitions” were dropped on the compound, which had been used by former supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as well as the Supreme National Security Council.
The four-day conflict has already caused significant civilian casualties. Iran’s Red Crescent reported at least 787 people killed since Saturday, while the US-based Human Rights Activists in Iran (HRANA) said 176 children were among the dead. The figures could not be independently verified.
Israeli forces have also advanced into southern Lebanon, ordering evacuations in more than two dozen villages near the border. Lebanese officials cited incursions along parts of the frontier, though Israel said its troops were operating “in a defensive manner” to prevent attacks on civilians and strategic sites.
The regional fallout has widened. The US embassy in Riyadh was reportedly struck in a drone attack, prompting heightened security warnings across Gulf states. American diplomatic staff in Oman were instructed to take cover amid fears of further Iranian retaliation.
Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva cast doubt on the prospect of talks with Washington. “For the time being we are very doubtful about the usefulness of negotiation,” he told reporters, suggesting the diplomatic window may be closing from both sides.
Economic consequences are beginning to surface. Russian grain exports to Iran have stalled, according to sources cited by Reuters, amid logistical disruptions caused by the strikes. Iran, which faced a poor harvest and dry weather this year, is a major buyer of Russian wheat.
Tourism analysts warned that the US-Israeli war against Iran could cause international arrivals to the Middle East to fall between 11 and 27 per cent this year. That would equate to as many as 38 million fewer visitors and up to $56bn in lost tourism revenue, reversing earlier projections of growth.
In the UK, the government confirmed plans for a charter flight from Oman in the coming days to assist British nationals seeking to leave the region. More than 130,000 UK citizens have registered their presence in the Middle East as airspace closures continue to complicate evacuations.
Russia’s state nuclear energy company Rosatom said it had “no contact” with Iranian nuclear officials, after Tehran accused the US and Israel of striking a nuclear facility. The UN’s nuclear watchdog, however, said no nuclear sites had been impacted.
Elsewhere, the Israeli military reported that an Iranian missile fell in central Israel, as search and rescue teams responded to impact sites. At least 11 people have been killed in Israel in retaliatory attacks since the weekend, according to authorities.
The conflict, which began with coordinated US and Israeli airstrikes in the early hours of Saturday, now threatens to broaden further, with diplomatic channels strained and military operations continuing across multiple theatres.
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