Hours after US president Donald Trump claimed Iran was ready for talks, Tehran said it would not "negotiate with the US" and unleashed a fresh offensive, hitting back at Israel, neighbouring Gulf states, and targets critical to the world's production of oil and natural gas.With world markets already rattled by the fighting and oil prices soaring, Saudi Arabia's Ras Tanura oil refinery came under attack on Monday from Iranian drones, with defences downing the incoming aircraft. Even successfully intercepted drones cause debris that can spark fires and injure those on the ground.While Trump said the war was likely to go on for "four or five weeks", his defence secretary said the conflict is "not endless" and that "we fight to win". The operation had a "clear, devastating, decisive mission": to "destroy the missile threat" from Iran, destroy its navy and "no nukes", he added in the Trump administration's first news briefing since Saturday's strikes.Hegseth pointed to threats from other weaponry such as ballistic missiles and drones that justified the operation.
Author: Agencies
Published at: 2026-03-02 23:54:00
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