Russia said on 4 March 2026 that France’s plan to expand its nuclear arsenal is destabilising and poses a potential threat to Moscow. The statement followed remarks by President Emmanuel Macron about strengthening France’s nuclear capabilities. Macron said European allies could take part in exercises related to France’s nuclear deterrent. France and Germany set up a steering group to discuss deterrence issues.

Russia’s foreign ministry said the direction of Paris’s moves could extend the nuclear dimension of deterrence in Europe. The Kremlin said French and British nuclear forces should be taken into account in any future talks on strategic balance. Russia said it is ready for such talks after the New START treaty expires. France did not announce changes to its rules governing the use of nuclear weapons, referring instead to developing deterrence.

On Wednesday, 4 March 2026, explosions were reported in Tehran as the conflict involving Iran, the United States and Israel entered its fifth day. The Israeli military said it carried out a series of strikes on targets in the Iranian capital, citing sites linked to the Basij and internal security structures. Iran launched another salvo of ballistic missiles towards Israel, and Israeli air defences were activated.

Explosions were heard near Jerusalem as incoming missiles were intercepted. Israeli authorities said most of the incoming rockets were intercepted. Officials said that after four days of fighting, almost 800 people had been killed in Iran, 50 in Lebanon and 11 in Israel.

The Pentagon said six US soldiers were killed in a drone attack in Kuwait and identified four of them. Iranian state television reported that the mourning ceremony for Ali Khamenei was postponed due to intense strikes on Tehran.

After the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Russian authorities publicly condemned U.S. and Israeli actions against Iran. The Kremlin said Vladimir Putin described Khamenei’s killing as a “cynical violation of all norms of human morality and international law” and called for an end to military action. Russia’s Foreign Ministry issued statements criticising the start of a military operation against Iran. On 3 March 2026, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Russia had seen no evidence that Iran was developing nuclear weapons.

Dmitry Medvedev warned that efforts aimed at changing Iran’s leadership could lead to a third world war. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Iran’s membership of BRICS does not entail an obligation to provide assistance in the event of armed aggression. Russian authorities did not announce any decision to provide Iran with military support in connection with the ongoing attacks.

On 2 and 3 March 2026, Poland’s police and Border Guard carried out a nationwide operation to verify the legality of foreigners’ stay. Nearly 1,800 checks were conducted and more than 140 people were detained. Following the checks, 130 proceedings were launched to oblige individuals to return. In nearly 110 cases the proceedings concerned illegal stay, and in more than 20 cases authorities cited grounds related to a threat to state security. The operation involved more than 700 Border Guard officers from all units and a total of nearly 26,500 police officers.

In parallel, a nationwide operation targeting wanted persons resulted in 1,944 arrests of people sought on arrest warrants and orders to be brought in, including 147 foreign nationals. Among those 147 were 91 Ukrainian citizens, 14 Georgians, eight Belarusians, three Moldovans and two Russians, with 29 from other countries. Seven people were also detained on the basis of European Arrest Warrants and Interpol Red Notices, including a Brazilian citizen wanted for robbery and a Belarusian citizen wanted in an online fraud case. Police submitted 112 requests to the Border Guard for decisions ordering foreigners to return.

On 3 March 2026, U.S. President Donald Trump said he would halt all trade with Spain. He made the remark at the White House during a meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. Trump linked the threat to Madrid’s decision not to allow the Rota and Morón bases to be used for missions connected to strikes on Iran.

The Spanish government said the bases are on Spanish territory under Spanish sovereignty and that they were not used for attacks on Iran. In the days after Spain’s decision, 15 U.S. aircraft departed from Rota and Morón. Trump also criticised Spain in the context of defence spending and NATO targets. Merz said publicly that Spain is part of the European Union and cannot be carved out from EU-wide trade arrangements.

On 4 March, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez criticised Trump’s threats in a televised address. Spanish authorities did not announce any formal U.S. executive action to restrict trade.