German Foreign Ministry Summons Iranian Ambassador
The German Foreign Ministry announced that it had summoned Iranian ambassador in Berlin and has asked Tehran officials to stop attacks on countries in the region.
On March 3, the ministry announced in a message on X that it had called on Iranian leaders to "immediately end reckless attacks against countries in the region."
The German Foreign Ministry also announced that it condemns Iran's "arbitrary and disproportionate" missile and drone attacks, including attacks on civilian targets.
US President Donald Trump is hosting German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on March 3, his first meeting with a foreign leader since the United States and Israel launched strikes on Iran.
The long-planned meeting between Trump and Merz was intended to focus on the war in Ukraine and tense trade relations between the European Union and the United States, but the escalating conflict with Iran has reportedly affected the agenda.
Merz, a staunch critic of the Islamic republic's leaders, has said Berlin understands the "relief" of the Iranian people that "the rule of the mullahs is coming to an end." However, he has declined to comment on the legal legitimacy of the US and Israeli attacks on Iran.
Germany, France, and Britain have announced they will only participate in "defensive" actions alongside their allies in the Gulf region.
Prisoners From Evin Reportedly Evacuated To Unknown Location
The wife of Mustafa Mohammad Hassan, a student imprisoned at Tehran's notorious Evin Prison, announced the evacuation of Ward 209, where most political prisoners are held.
"Ward 209 of Evin Prison has been evacuated and the prisoners have been transferred to an unknown location. Other prisoners, including political prisoners and financial criminals, are still in Ward 7," he wrote on X on March 3.
"Counter-Terror Unit forces have left the prison and are stationed in surrounding buildings," he reported.
RFE/RL is unable to independently verify this report.
Hassan's wife has appealed for urgent attention, warning of a potential "humanitarian disaster" regarding the prisoners.
Hassan, a graduate student at the Philosophy of Science department at Sharif University of Technology, has been detained since early February.
On March 1, the Narges Mohammadi Foundation, named for the imprisoned Nobel Peace Prize-winning human rights activist, once again expressed deep concern about the dangerous situation of political prisoners and detained protesters who are trapped behind bars following the US and Israeli military attacks on Iran.
The foundation also referred to reports published by human rights groups saying the situation at Evin Prison has become critical, with staffing, food, and medical shortages.
"The prison management has collapsed, and the staff have evacuated the wards by locking the doors -- a situation that has disrupted prisoners' access to the prison store and basic necessities."
“In the women's ward of Evin and Ward 7 of this prison, food distribution has been stopped and only a limited amount of bread has been provided to prisoners."
The Narges Mohammadi Foundation also wrote that it has verified similar and independent reports from families of prisoners at Qezel Hesar Prison in Karaj and Lakan Prison in Rasht. The relatives reported food shortages, shop closures, and reduced access to medical care for prisoners.
Our graphics department have come up with this visualization of how oil and gas prices have been affected by the recent outbreak of hostilities in the Middle East:
Trump Says He Told Iran 'Too Late' For Talks
US President Donald Trump said it is "too late" for talks with Iran after Tehran made a bid to hold discussions amid the US-Israeli military operation.
"Their air defense, Air Force, Navy, and Leadership is gone. They want to talk. I said 'Too Late!'" Trump wrote in a social media post on March 3.
He did not say when Iranian officials had indicated they were willing to enter talks.
Satellite Images Show Destruction, Fires In Middle East Amid Ongoing Iran Conflict
Before and after images capture sites in the Middle East hit by US-Israeli and Iranian strikes.
Satellite Images Show Destruction, Fires In Middle East Amid Ongoing Iran Conflict
'We're Worried About Our Future': Afghan Migrants Flee Back Home
Fearing the recent joint US–Israeli attacks against Iran that began on February 28, Afghan migrants in the country have been fleeing back to neighboring Taliban-run Afghanistan.
There are no official figures on how many Afghans have left Iran since the onset of hostilities, but several returnees told RFE/RL’s Radio Azadi that fear and uncertainty played a role in their decision.
Emal Anwari, who fled Afghanistan's western Herat Province after the Taliban seized power in August 2021, had been working in a juice factory in Karaj.
When the conflict began on February 28, he and six family members left in the early hours of the morning.
“We spent the night in Mashhad and stayed there until around 7 a.m., then set off toward the Dogharoun border crossing," he told Radio Azadi. "Unfortunately, the border was closed, and my family and I remained on the road there until 8 p.m. When the border reopened, we were finally able to cross from Iran into Afghanistan.”
Now staying with an uncle in Herat, Anwari worries about finding work.
“Our biggest concern is how to earn a living,” he said.
Iran says it hosts more than 6 million Afghans, many without legal status.
Ezzatullah Mehran, a 27-year-old Afghan studying journalism and mass media in Tehran, has also returned.
Worried about instability, he and nearly 40 other students have left their studies unfinished.
"We're worried about our future,” he said.
Iran's War Strategy: Raise The Cost Of Conflict To Secure An Eventual Cease-Fire
- By Kian Sharifi
As the United States and Israel wage war against Iran, Tehran is widening the theater of the conflict and raising the costs for Washington in a bid to secure an eventual cease-fire, experts say.
Iran has fired hundreds of missiles and drones targeting US military bases as well as key energy and commercial sites in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Qatar -- all American allies -- since February 28.
"The objective is to increase the costs for the United States -- both directly and indirectly -- in order to convince Washington that it cannot succeed in this war," Hamidreza Azizi, a fellow at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs, told RFE/RL.
"Tehran wants to demonstrate that this is a war the United States cannot win, and that it therefore needs to bring it to an end as soon as possible."
Read more here.
France To Send Defense Systems And Destroyer to Cyprus
France plans to deploy antimissile and anti-drone systems to Cyprus following a drone attack on a British air base on the island, according to Reuters, citing the semiofficial local news agency CNA.
France will also reportedly send a destroyer in addition to the defense systems.
French President Emmanuel Macron informed Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides of the decision on March 3, the report said.
A Cypriot government source, speaking on condition of anonymity, also confirmed the report to Reuters.
The development comes after Greece offered assistance to Cyprus and deployed four F-16 fighter jets to the island hours after two attacks on the British RAF Akrotiri base on March 2,
In the first attack on the base, an Iranian-made Shahed drone struck the runway, causing limited damage. Several hours later, two additional drones were intercepted.
Senior Cypriot officials said the drone attack was likely launched by Lebanon’s Iran-backed Hezbollah militia. They stressed that the target was the base -- a sovereign British territory -- not Cyprus itself.
Britain said on March 1 that it had agreed to a US request to use its bases for “defensive” strikes against Iran. Prime Minister Keir Starmer later said UK bases in Cyprus would not be used by US bombers.
Cyprus has asked Britain to ensure the bases are used only for humanitarian purposes.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has verified through recent satellite photos that the entrance structures of Iran’s underground Natanz Fuel Enrichment Plant have been damaged.
US Embassy In Riyadh Hit By Drones
The US Embassy in Riyadh was struck by two drones on March 3, causing a "limited fire" and "minor material damage," Saudi Arabia’s Defense Ministry said, as tensions escalate in the wider Middle East.
The ministry said an initial assessment pointed to a drone attack on the diplomatic compound in the Saudi capital. Later reports said additional drones were targeting the site as Iran continued its retaliatory attacks across the Persian Gulf following US and Israeli strikes which have resulted in rocket and drone fire across the region.
Separately, Saudi forces intercepted several drones inbound toward the kingdom, the ministry added.
The Riyadh embassy building was empty at the time of the attack and no casualties were reported.