While You Were Sleeping: 5 stories you might have missed, March 3, 2026
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US President Donald Trump speaking during a medal of honor ceremony in the East Room of the White House in Washington DC, on March 2, 2026.
PHOTO: BLOOMBERG
Trump warns US strikes on Iran could go much longer
President Donald Trump signaled on March 2 that US strikes on Iran could go much longer than originally predicted, as his administration sought to counter criticism about conflicting messages on the war’s goals.
In his first public comments since launching the military operation, the president who long campaigned for “no new wars” laid out what he said were four key objectives for hitting Iran.
Mr Trump also said that the timeframe he initially gave could drag out, raising fears among right-wing supporters in particular of a return the Middle Eastern entanglements he once opposed.
“From the beginning we projected four to five weeks, but we have capability to go far longer than that,” Mr Trump said at the start of a medal presentation event at the White House.
Qatar downs pair of Iranian fighter jets in first for conflict
PHOTO: REUTERS
Qatar’s Ministry of Defence said its air force downed two Iranian Su-24 jets, the first crewed aircraft from the Islamic Republic known to be destroyed in combat since fighting began last week.
Many of Iran’s bombers have been destroyed on the ground during early airstrikes meant to hamper Tehran’s ability to protect itself.
Although Iran struck targets around the region with waves of drones and ballistic missiles, it hadn’t attempted an attack with air-launched weapons so far.
China urges Gulf states to unite against external interference amid widening conflict
PHOTO: REUTERS
China's foreign minister urged Gulf countries to unite to oppose external interference on March 2, after US-Israeli attacks on Iran triggered a widening conflict in the region.
China hoped that the Gulf states would strengthen unity and develop neighbourly friendship to "keep their future and destiny in their own hands", Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said in a phone call with his Omani counterpart, according to a statement released by the ministry.
In a phone call with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi on the same day, Mr Wang said he believed that Iran could maintain national and social stability as well as attach importance to the legitimate concerns of its neighbours, a separate statement showed.
India and Canada reset ties, agree on defence and energy cooperation
PHOTO: BLOOMBERG
India and Canada have opened a new chapter in their relationship with Prime Minister Mark Carney’s visit to India, launching a new defence dialogue and expanding cooperation in energy and critical minerals.
This reset in ties takes place amid growing global turbulence – and the latest threat of a prolonged conflict in the Middle East – which is redefining strategic relations between countries.
It caps Mr Carney’s efforts, since he came to power in 2025, to mend tensions over the killing of a Sikh activist on Canadian soil more than two years ago.
Melania Trump chairs UN meeting on children in conflict
US First Lady Melania Trump pressed the cause of children caught in conflict as she chaired a UN Security Council meeting on March 2 as the US-Israeli war against Iran raged.
Ambassadors from all of the Security Council’s members, including Washington’s rivals Russia and China, lined up to meet with Mr Trump, representing the US as it takes over the monthly rotating presidency of the Security Council.
She opened the meeting with a strike of a ceremonial gavel before thanking Britain for its month-long presidency, and spoke again later apparently to honour US service members killed in the war on Iran.
