BBC News Briefing

3 March, 2026

Alex has short blonde hair and blue eyes. She is smiling and wearing a black turtleneck

Alex Binley

Hello. Iran has no navy, air force or air defences because they've all been knocked out, US President Donald Trump has said. We'll bring you the latest. In Benin, reporter Sara Wheeler takes a journey on the Black River, a vital transport artery in the West African nation. And finally, if heights leave you feeling weak at the knees, our video of a mid-air hot air balloon rescue is not one for you.

TOP OF THE AGENDA

Trump hits out at 'very uncooperative' UK and Spain

A vast pile of debris and rubble is seen next to buildings which have been reduced to shells.

The US says it has hit more than 1,700 targets in Iran since Saturday. Credit: Reuters

President Trump has hit out at the UK and Spain, saying the countries have not cooperated with the US strikes on Iran. "This is not Winston Churchill that we're dealing with," he said of UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, while also threatening to cut off "all trade with Spain". Speaking to journalists, Trump also said the strikes were launched over fears Tehran was "going to attack first", and since then, "just about everything's been knocked out". In Iran, state TV has broadcast the funerals of students killed in what authorities said was a strike on a school. Prices of essentials are also increasing and Tehran residents have told the BBC they're stocking up because of uncertainty over how long the war might continue.

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GET UP TO SPEED

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NEWS FROM THE UK

Iran: The UK government will deploy a Royal Navy warship to the Mediterranean to bolster security around RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus.

Ghetts: The award-winning rapper has been jailed for 12 years for killing a student in a hit-and-run collision in London.

Sir Elton John: A photo portrait of the singer, his husband, their sons and dogs has been unveiled by the National Portrait Gallery. Take a look.

AT THE SCENE

Benin

Benin's intricate web of languages creates bonds stronger than borders

Benin's waterways are essential for transporting goods around the country. Credit: Sara Wheeler

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From Our Own Correspondent: The west African nation of Benin, home to 14 million people, only has a few main highways, with its lush inter-connected lagoons instead providing a vital commercial artery, often navigated by small boats known as pirogues. Sara Wheeler took a trip down the Black River.

Sara Wheeler is standing on a beach and smiling. She has bobbed grey hair, some of which is blowing across her face in the wind, and she is wearing red lipstick.

Sara Wheeler, reporter

As the sun began to sink with its equatorial haste, my friend Laurent and I headed first down the river, and then by car to Ouidah. I was staying next to an impressive, if half-built, Chinese marina and elaborate hotel complex – an investment signalling, no doubt, the way forward for Benin.

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As we poled placidly south, another boatman passed us, speaking loudly to Laurent across the water. I had been pondering the intricate web of languages that connects this strip of West Africa, its bond more secure than those created by borders. I asked what the other man had communicated. "He said," Laurent replied, "that Man United are one up at the Emirates".

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