The American command is sending more units of the Navy and Marine Corps to the Middle East, The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reports, citing sources. The Pentagon is sending more Marines and ships to the Middle East as Iran steps up attacks in the Strait of Hormuz, three military officials said. The transfer of forces comes after Pentagon Chief Pete Hegseth approved a corresponding request from the US Central Command. According to the publication's sources, the USS Tripoli amphibious assault ship and the Marines assigned to it are moving from Japan to the Middle East. According to WSJ, we are talking about the transfer of an amphibious landing group and a marine expeditionary force, usually including 5 thousand marines. WSJ adds that Marine units are already in the region, they are involved in the operation against Iran. ABC News reports, citing sources, that 2,200 Marines are being sent to the region on board three ships. These troops will not necessarily be involved in ground operations in Iran. At the same time, the expeditionary force includes a squadron of F-35 fighter-bombers and V-22 tiltrotors, and landing craft.

An American KC-135 refueling aircraft crashed in Iraq, US Central Command said. “Central Command has received information about the loss of a KC-135 tanker aircraft,” the command said in a message on the X social network. It notes that a search and rescue operation is underway in the area of the crash. The command explained that the plane that took part in the operation against Iran was not shot down. The tanker crashed in western Iraq "as a result of an incident involving another aircraft," the statement said. At the same time, the second plane was able to land after the incident.

Since the beginning of the escalation in the Middle East, 196 Russian citizens have returned from Iran to the Russian Federation through the territory of Armenia, reports the press service of the Russian Embassy in Yerevan. Since the beginning of the escalation in the Middle East, 196 Russian citizens have returned from Iran to the Russian Federation through the territory of Armenia, reports the press service of the Russian Embassy in Yerevan. “In total, since the beginning of the escalation in the Middle East region, 196 Russian citizens have returned from Iran to Russia through the territory of Armenia, most of whom were employees of the Iranian Bushehr nuclear power plant evacuated on March 11,” the diplomatic mission said in a statement. The embassy noted that diplomats, in close coordination with the Armenian side, continue to monitor the situation and provide all necessary assistance to Russian citizens.

The Iranian military did not organize attacks against Turkey, Azerbaijan and Cyprus, Al Jazeera reported on Monday, citing Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghai. “Baghai, commenting on the information about the use of Iranian weapons against Turkey, Cyprus, and Azerbaijan last week, said that no offensive actions were carried out against these countries from Iranian territory,” the TV channel reports. During the press conference, Baghai suggested that some of these attacks could be staged, which he said Iranian authorities had already warned about. The diplomat assured that the Iranian authorities want friendly relations with neighboring states. However, Tehran, the Foreign Ministry representative noted, has the right to retaliate if the territories of neighboring states are used for attacks on Iran. Baghai added that the United States has disrupted peace negotiations and, together with Israel, is violating international law. He also said that the real goal of the United States is to seize oil fields in Iran. "Their plans are clear, their intentions are absolutely obvious: they want to divide our country in order to illegally take possession of our

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani made a gross mistake about the start date of the US and Israeli operation against Iran; a video of his speech to parliament was published by the parliamentary television agency. “I must say that the data and timing (of the start of the operation. - Ed.) are completely obvious. The shelling began on Saturday, February 31,” he said. The video shows that the minister did not notice his reservation and continued to report to parliamentarians, despite the confused looks of those present. According to La Repubblica, the head of the Italian Foreign Ministry made another mistake at the same meeting. According to the publication, in his response to remarks made after a briefing by Defense Minister Guido Croseto, Tajani misspoke, saying that the Israelis should be able to choose their own leadership, although he was actually referring to the Iranians. The United States and Israel began attacking targets in Iran on February 28, including Tehran, with destruction and civilian deaths reported. Iran is carrying out retaliatory strikes on Israeli territory, as well as on US military installations in the Middle East region. Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in an attack by the United States and Israel. The country declared 40 days of mourning. Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Khamenei's assassination was carried out in cynical violation of all norms of human morality and international law. The Russian Foreign Ministry condemned the attack by the United States and Israel and called for an urgent de-escalation and cessation of hostilities.

Crossing of citizens in the Armenian-Iranian city On March 4 at 04:00, the crossing of citizens across the Armenian-Iranian border was temporarily suspended due to a failure of the Internet connection on the Iranian side. “The problem has been resolved, the crossing of citizens has been restored,” the Consulate General reported. Currently, paperwork and registration are somewhat slower as procedures are carried out manually due to internet outages. The border through the Iranian checkpoint Norduz has been restored. Sputnik Armenia was informed about this at the Consulate General of Iran in Kapan.

The wife of US President Donald Trump, Melania Trump, chaired a meeting of the UN Security Council on the situation of children in armed conflict. The event took place in New York on Monday, March 2, amid the US and Israeli military operation against Iran. The first lady called the current times "challenging." “The United States stands with all children, all over the world,” Melania Trump emphasized, making it clear that she was describing the general situation, and not specifically the conflict in the Middle East. “I hope peace will be given to you soon,” she added. Shortly before the event, Iran's permanent representative to the UN, Amir Saeed Iravani, expressed the opinion that the holding of a UN Security Council meeting under the chairmanship of the United States on the topic of protecting children while the US army is firing missiles at Iranian cities is "deeply shameful and worthy of criticism in the highest degree." The United States is the country holding the rotating presidency of the UN Security Council in March. Moreover, the situation when the wife of the head of state chaired a meeting of the UN Security Council was the first such case in the history of this body. Traditionally, presidents, prime ministers, foreign ministers or permanent representatives of countries act as chairpersons at a meeting of the UN Security Council. The previous meeting of the UN Security Council took place on February 28. It was urgently convened in connection with the start of the US and Israeli military operation in Iran. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the US and Israeli airstrikes on the Islamic Republic as a violation of international law, including the UN Charter. At the same time, he condemned Iran's retaliatory strikes as a violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the countries of the Middle East.

Ameriabank is involved in one way or another in all major corporate projects in Armenia. At the same time, the bank considers micro, small and medium-sized enterprises to be the core of the Armenian economy. With a loan portfolio of approximately US$4.5 billion, Ameriabank is an important player in the Armenian financial system. As the largest lender in Armenia, with a developed digital infrastructure and risk management system, Ameriabank is a reliable partner for many Diaspora Armenians who choose to keep their savings and invest in Armenia. Chairman of the Directorate-General Director Artak Anesyan spoke about the path to the formation of the bank. - How did Ameriabank become one of the leading financial institutions in Armenia? “Ameriabank is not just a business, it is an environment built around people,” noted Mr. Anesyan. From the very beginning, we have differentiated ourselves by putting customers at the center of everything we do. We were one of the first in Armenia to introduce a truly client-oriented approach to banking. The essence of this approach was the ability to listen carefully to customers, understand their real needs, identify pain points and develop products and services taking into account the information received. Over time, this approach evolved into a focus on digitalization. We started investing quite early in omnichannel distribution, digital products and ecosystem development to make banking services seamless and accessible. For us, digital banking is not just about increasing efficiency, it is a tool for ensuring inclusivity and inclusion. Today, digital solutions allow us to serve clients throughout Armenia and abroad, including representatives of the diaspora and international investors. Despite the fact that we serve more than 30% of the adult population of Armenia (over 15 years old), we have only 28 branches, which indicates the wide availability of our digital services throughout the country.