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 as both sides continued to launch air strikes four days into the conflict.
"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.
Iran's ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva also cast doubt on any talks, saying that "for the time being we are very doubtful about the usefulness of negotiation."
Satellite Images Show Destruction, Fires In Middle East Amid Ongoing Iran Conflict
With diplomacy appearing at a standstill, air-raid sirens wailed across the Middle East.
Explosions were heard in Tehran and Beirut, while Iranian drones slammed into the US Embassy in Saudi Arabia, which subsequently said it was closing a day after Washington's embassy in Kuwait did the same.
The US Embassy in Riyadh was struck by two drones, causing a "limited fire" and "minor material damage," Saudi Arabia's Defense Ministry said, as tensions escalate across the 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 that have resulted in rocket and drone fire across the region.
The Riyadh embassy building was empty at the time of the attack and no casualties were reported.
SEE ALSO: Iran's War Strategy: Raise The Cost Of Conflict To Secure An Eventual Cease-FireReports from inside Iran indicate that American and Israeli fighter jets attacked a number of military, police, and intelligence sites in various Iranian cities on March 3.
Among these places are the intelligence news headquarters for the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) in Urmia, the Revolutionary and Public Court in Urmia, the IRGC's "Unity" base in the city of Paveh, and the Najafabad missile base in the north of Isfahan Province.
Israel, meanwhile, said at least seven people were injured in the central part of the country after Iranian missiles rained down on the area, which includes Tel Aviv.
"Search and rescue forces, together with numerous emergency teams, are currently operating at the impact sites in central Israel," the military said. "The circumstances of the impact are under review."
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.
In a fiery post on social media earlier on March 3, Trump, who has said the conflict could last several weeks, warned US munitions stockpiles have "at the medium and upper medium grade, never been higher or better."
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 fighting has reverberated outside the region, with stock markets, currencies, and commodities prices reflecting concerns that the conflict may spin out of control.
The price of Brent crude oil in global markets rose to more than $82 per barrel on March 3, about $10 higher than it was before the United States and Israel launched attacks on Iran on February 28.