The United States and Israel ⁠have discussed sending special forces ⁠into ​Iran ⁠to secure its stockpile ⁠of ​highly enriched ⁠uranium ‌at a later stage ‌of the war, ‌Axios reported on ⁠Saturday, citing four sources with knowledge of the discussions.

Thousands of protesters marched through London on Saturday calling for an end to the US and Israeli strikes on Iran.

Between 5,000 and 6,000 people turned out for the “Hands Off Iran” march, the Metropolitan Police said, with demonstrators chanting: “Stop the bombing now, now, now”.

It came as US president Donald Trump said Iran is being “beaten to hell” and warned that the country “will be hit hard today”. Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian said demands for an unconditional surrender were a “dream that they should take to their grave”.

However, he apologised for attacks on neighbouring countries in an apparent attempt to calm regional anger at Iranian attacks on the Gulf.

Formula 1 stands to lose an estimated £54m if next month’s races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia are cancelled.

The escalating conflict in the Middle East, with locations in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia among those targeted by Iranian missiles, mean rounds four and five of the 2026 campaign are in serious doubt.

In Bahrain specifically, a hotel in the capital of Manama – which usually hosts a load of F1 personnel during the race – was targeted while major airports, serving as international travel hubs, remain closed throughout the region.

Cancelling the grands prix – with Bahrain scheduled for 12 April and Saudi Arabia a week later on 19 April – therefore looks likely, with the sport unlikely to replace the races with European locations due to the difficulties and logistics of such a last-minute operation.

Two Kuwaiti border guards were killed early Sunday, authorities said, as the Gulf country was hit by a barrage of missile and drones.

In a statement, the interior ministry identified them as Lt. Col. Abdullah Imad Al-Sharrah and Cap. Fahd Abdulaziz Al-Majmoud.

It said they were killed “while performing their national duty”. The statement didn’t elaborate on the circumstances of their death.

They were the latest war-related deaths in Kuwait since the US-Israeli conflict with Iran erupted on 28 February. Two troops and a child were killed last week.

Britain’s ministry of defence said that the HMS Prince of Wales aircraft carrier is being prepared for any future deployment, after Donald Trump claimed two carriers were being readied to be sent to the Middle East.

A Ministry of Defence spokesperson told The Independent that HMS Prince of Wales is being placed on a state of “increased preparedness”, reducing the time it would take to set sail if called upon by several days.

“We have been bolstering our UK military presence in the Middle East since January, and we have already deployed capabilities to protect British people and our allies in the region, including Typhoons, F-35 jets, air defence systems and an extra 400 personnel into Cyprus.

“Since the strikes began, we’ve had British jets in the sky shooting down drones and have sent additional assets to the region to further reinforce our air defences, including more Typhoons and Wildcat helicopters with drone-busting missiles.

“HMS Prince of Wales has always been on very high readiness and we are increasing the preparedness of the carrier, reducing the time it would take to set sail for any deployment.”

It is understood that Britain’s other aircraft carrier, HMS Queen Elizabeth, has not been readied in the same way.

Israel carried out wide-ranging strikes across the Middle East on Saturday and overnight, attacking a seaside neighborhood in Beirut and key energy infrastructure across Tehran.

A strike overnight in Raouché, Beirut, killed four people and wounded 10, according to Lebanon’s health ministry.

Those killed were in an apartment in a Ramada hotel, according to the officials, who said the building was being used to house displaced people fleeing flighting in southern Lebanon.

Israel said the strike hit “key commanders” in the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps “who operated in Beirut.”

The area saw previous fighting in Israel’s 2024 conflict with Hezbollah.

The skies above Tehran were aglow with flame on Saturday night as more strikes pounded energy infrastructure there.

The Israel military said it hit fuel storage and energy complexes across the city that were in use by the country’s armed forces.

One of the storage facilities hit was near Tehran’s main oil refinery in the Shahr Rey district.

“It’s getting to a point where we feel no place is safe, and even the roads leading in and out of the city are dangerous because targets around them are attacked,” Amir, a businessman who moved his wife wife and two children to the countryside for safety, told The New York Times.