Hey, from CNN. I'm Afamadiki, with the five things you need to know for Tuesday, March 3rd.

The grounds of the U.S. consulate in Dubai were hit late Tuesday night by a suspected Iranian drone, as the U.S. Israeli war against Iran continues to escalate.

That's according to a source in the region. Secretary of State Marco Rubio says all personnel were accounted for as many had left before

the war began.

Here's CNN's Nick Robertson.

The assessment here in Saudi Arabia is that Iran retains control, commanding control of what it does militarily,

and it is systematically, carefully in a calibrated and calculated way,

targeting things that it believes will cause maximum panic, maximum disruption,

and maximum pressure on the White House to end the war.

Earlier today, the U.S. closed three embassies in the Middle East,

one in Saudi Arabia,

which was struck by two suspected Iranian drones, one in Kuwait, and a third in Beirut, Lebanon.

The Trump administration says it's working to secure military planes and charter flights to help stranded Americans.

Today, President Donald Trump took questions from reporters for the first time in a public setting since the conflict began on Saturday. He disputed suggestions that Israel's plans to attack Iran prompted him to launch strikes.

Might have forced their hand.

You see, we were having negotiations with these lunatics, and it was my opinion that they were going to attack first.

They were going to attack. If we didn't do it, they were going to attack first.

I felt strongly about that.

At least 780 people have been killed by U.S. and Israeli bombings across Iran,

according to the Iranian Red Crescent.

Still ahead, the verdict for a father on trial over his son's school shooting.

Here's the latest look at the markets as tensions flare in the Middle East.

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