Overnight, US President Donald Trump declined to rule out deploying ground troops to Iran. Within hours, a senior commander in Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards threatened to “burn any ship” transiting the Strait of Hormuz, a key oil and gas route.

Follow our live blog today for the latest twists in the Middle East, and how Europe is responding.

You’re reading Rapporteur on Tuesday 3 March. This is Eddy Wax, joined by Nicoletta Ionta in Brussels.

Need-to-knows: