(VOVWORLD) - Rafael Grossi, chief of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said Monday that the situation in the Middle East is very concerning.
 Damage after an attack on a school in Minab, Iran, on February 28, 2026. (Photo:Abbas Zakeri/Mehr News/WANA via Reuters) |
He urged the utmost restraint after Israeli-US strikes on Iran and retaliatory missile attacks by Iran, adding that his agency has no indication yet that any of Iran’s nuclear installations have been damaged or hit.
President Trump said Monday that Iran’s leaders want to make a deal with Washington now. He said the military campaign against Iran has "capability to go far longer" than four to five weeks and did not rule out sending ground troops into Iran.
President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen has called for a de-escalation to prevent the conflict from spreading throughout the Middle East. France is ready to defend the Gulf countries and Jordan against Iran if necessary, Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said Monday.
Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed the risk of escalation in a phone call with Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Monday. According to the Kremlin, Putin told Prince Mohammed that there is an urgent need to resolve this "extremely dangerous situation" through political and diplomatic means.
 Smoke rises after an explosion in Tehran, Iran, on March 2, 2026, following strikes by Israel and the United States. (Photo:Majid Asgaripour/WANA via Reuters) |
The Israel Defense Forces said they have hit more than 600 targets in Iran in the past two days. They said the strikes did not include any nuclear facilities. More than 2,500 bombs and missiles have been used. They said they also killed a senior Hezbollah official in Beirut and warned that Hezbollah’s leader could be next.
Iranian state news agency Fars reported that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps launched long-range missiles at a government complex in Jerusalem. Their targets included the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the headquarters of the Israeli Air Force.
At least 555 people have been killed in Iran so far by the attacks, the Iranian Red Crescent Society said. Lebanon’s Health Ministry said Israeli strikes in south Lebanon and Beirut killed 31 people last night and injured 149. In Israel, officials said 19 people were wounded in an Iranian missile strike on Beersheba.