The conflict continues to escalate as US and Israeli forces intensify their campaign against Iran. Major cities, including Tehran, remain under heavy bombardment, while Iran has widened its retaliation to Israel and US-aligned Gulf states.
Stay with us for the latest developments as the crisis unfolds across the Middle East.
[live_update time=”1:00 PM” title=”New supreme leader will be a target: Israel”]
Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz warned on Wednesday that Iran’s next supreme leader would be “a target for elimination”.
In a post on X, Katz said, “Every leader appointed by the Iranian terror regime to continue and lead the plan to destroy Israel, to threaten the United States and the free world and the countries of the region, and to suppress the Iranian people – will be a target for elimination.”
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[live_update time=”12:20 PM” title=”IRGC launches 40 missiles at US, Israel”]
The IRGC has stated that it launched more than 40 missiles during a 17th series of strikes aimed at American and Israeli positions.
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[live_update time=”12:20 PM” title=”IRGC takes ‘Strait of Hormuz’ control”]
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) asserts that it maintains full authority over the Strait of Hormuz, a critical maritime passage. This claim follows previous threats from the group to obstruct the waterway.
In response to these tensions, former US President Donald Trump indicated a readiness to utilize naval forces for the protection of oil tankers in the region. Mohammad Akbarzadeh, an official within the IRGC’s naval division, confirmed through the Fars news agency that their forces currently exercise total oversight of the strait.
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[live_update time=”12:00 PM” title=”2,000 targets hit Iran, 17 ships destroyed”]
Admiral Brad Cooper of US Central Command has claimed that American forces were in the process of destroying “the entire Iranian navy” and had already sunk 17 Iranian ships.
He said, “For decades, Iran has threatened international shipping. Today, there is not a single Iranian vessel operating in the Arabian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz, or Gulf of Oman.”
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[live_update time=”11:25 AM” title=”Israel issues evacuation orders in Lebanon”]
The Israeli military urged residents of 16 towns and villages in southern Lebanon to leave immediately, issuing what it described as an “urgent warning” ahead of planned operations against Hezbollah fighters.
“For your safety, evacuate your homes at once and move to open areas,” read a statement from Avichay Adraee, the military’s Arabic-language spokesperson, who listed the affected locations near the border.
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[live_update time=”11:25 AM” title=”Russia, China criticise US‑Israeli strikes on Iran”]
Russia and China have voiced strong opposition to the US and Israeli attacks on Iran, with Moscow saying it has seen no evidence that Tehran is developing nuclear weapons, while Beijing called for an immediate halt to the joint attacks.
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[live_update time=”11:20 AM” title=”Oil tanker sailed to UAE port via Strait of Hormuz”]
In a significant development for maritime activity in the Gulf, an oil tanker named Pola successfully navigated the Strait of Hormuz to reach a port in the United Arab Emirates.
This voyage is considered a rare event, as shipping throughout the region has been heavily disrupted by the ongoing conflict involving Iran.
Tracking data indicates that the vessel disabled its AIS tracker late on 2 March as it approached the Strait, eventually reappearing off the coast of Abu Dhabi the following Tuesday.
Industry sources report that the tanker is currently bound for the port of Jebel Dhanna, where it is scheduled to load Abu Dhabi Murban crude oil for delivery to Thailand.
The transit occurs against a backdrop of severe regional tension; Tehran’s hostilities with the United States and Israel, coupled with threats against maritime traffic in the Strait, have nearly brought Gulf navigation to a standstill.
These geopolitical pressures have also resulted in oil production stoppages in multiple countries, including Qatar and Iraq.
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[live_update time=”11:14 AM” title=”CIA station hit in Saudi Arabia”]
On Monday, a drone strike, suspected to have originated from Iran, impacted the Central Intelligence Agency’s facilities located at the US Embassy in Saudi Arabia.
While the station was hit, a source informed Reuters the following day that there is currently no evidence suggesting the CIA office was the intended target.
[live_update time=”10:02 AM” title=”650 casualties in Iranian strikes: IRGC”]
The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) announced on Tuesday that Iran’s “True Promise 4” operation resulted in more than 650 US military casualties either killed or wounded within its first two days.
According to IRGC spokesperson Brigadier General Ali Mohammad Naeini, Iranian forces struck American bases and naval vessels across the region with missiles and drones, forcing the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier to withdraw from waters near Iran.
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[live_update time=”8:50 AM” title=”Israel launches fresh strikes in Iran”]
Israel announced new airstrikes on Iranian missile launchers and a nuclear research site in Tehran, while Iran widened its retaliation with drone attacks on US diplomatic missions and disruptions to energy supplies and air travel across the Gulf.
US President Donald Trump on Tuesday warned the conflict could last for weeks, as Iran’s death toll rises to 1,000. He said that among the dead were figures Washington had considered potential future leaders of Iran.
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[live_update time=”8:30 AM” title=”Republicans offer shifting justifications”]
Senator Marco Rubio delivered a three-hour briefing to both the Senate and the House, but it appeared to have little impact on lawmakers’ views. His tone came across as defensive.
Just a day earlier, Rubio argued that the US needed to strike Iran because Israel was prepared to act regardless, and that Tehran would respond by targeting American assets in the region.
That reasoning angered many of Donald Trump’s core supporters, who had backed him on the promise of an “America First” agenda.
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[live_update time=”8:02 AM” title=”Explosions reported in Tehran”]
Iran’s Tasnim news agency has reported fresh explosions in the capital within the past hour. The development follows an announcement from the Israeli military, which said it had launched a “wave of extensive strikes” targeting launch sites, defense systems, and other infrastructure inside Iran.
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[live_update time=”7:25 AM” title=”Third wave of US attacks still to come”]
In the past 24 hours, both US President Donald Trump and Senator Marco Rubio have said that US forces have carried out several waves of attacks, with a third and larger wave still expected.
This aligns with comments made Monday by Dan Caine, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who confirmed that additional military equipment is still being deployed to the region.
The remarks suggest that the US aunched operations before its full build-up was complete, as ships, aircraft, and troops continue to arrive to support further missions.
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[live_update time=”7:10 AM” title=”US strikes on 2,000 targets in Iran”]
Admiral Brad Cooper, head of US Army Central Command (CENTCOM), announced that American forces have hit nearly 2,000 targets across Iran since operations began on Saturday. He stated that 17 Iranian ships, including a submarine, were destroyed in the strikes.
Cooper noted that more than 50,000 US troops, 200 fighter jets, two aircraft carriers, and bombers are engaged in the campaign, with additional reinforcements on the way.
In a video message posted on X, he described the effort as the largest US military build-up in the Middle East in decades.
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[live_update time=”9:37 PM” title=”Iran’s Assembly of Experts flattened by air attack”]
Iran’s Assembly of Experts flattened by air attack, local news agencies have reported.
Located in Qom, southern Tehran, the Assembly of Experts is a council of about 90 senior clerics that is tasked with electing Iran’s new Supreme Leader.
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[live_update time=”9:25 PM” title=”Iraq to cut oil production after Strait of Hormuz closure”]
Iraq’s Ministry of Oil says it will stop its production in a key oil field as the ongoing war in Iran disrupted a key waterway into the oil-rich Persian Gulf.
The widening war between Iran with the United States and Israel has ground tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz to a halt, causing crude oil prices to surge worldwide. About a fifth of the world’s oil passes through the strait, carrying oil and gas from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iraq, Qatar, Bahrain, the UAE and Iran.
The ministry cited a shortage of tankers entering the gulf, forcing them to “stop production and pumping” from the southern Rumaila fields near the city of Basra. That tanker shortage caused “storage levels at our oil warehouses rising to critical levels.”
The strait is about 33 kilometers (21 miles) wide at its narrowest point. It connects the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman. From there, ships can then travel to the rest of the world.
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[live_update time=”9:16 PM” title=”IDF orders evacuations in several Iranian locations”]
The Israeli army has issued a flurry of online warnings, directing residents near several locations in Iran to evacuate, stating that strikes were forthcoming.
It is uncertain how many Iranian citizens will receive these alerts, as internet connectivity within the country is heavily limited.
The advisories encompass a zone adjacent to an airport in the city of Karaj; another pertains to a district in western Tehran, which includes a university campus; and a third targets an industrial area within the capital.
The military claimed these sites were being targeted due to the presence of “military infrastructure,” though no further details were provided.
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[live_update time=”9:01 PM” title=”China tells Israel to stop strikes against Iran”]
Foreign Minister Wang Yi of China has called for an immediate cessation of military strikes against Iran in a call with Israel’s foreign minister, Gideon Saar.
Wang said that it was regretful that recent “significant progress” in US-Iran negotiations, which he said included provisions for Israeli security, was interrupted by military action. He warned that force cannot resolve underlying issues and will instead trigger serious long-term consequences, according to the New York Times.
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[live_update time=”8:49 PM” title=”We will continue until aggression ends: Iran’s ambassador to UN”]
Speaking to reporters in Geneva, Ali Bahreini, Iran’s ambassador to the UN, said Iran will continue its campaign of defence against Israel and the US “until the point this aggression is stopped”.
“If any base in a neighbouring country is used to attack and invade other countries, that would be a legitimate target.”
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[live_update time=”8:37 PM” title=”US warns of imminent attack in Saudi city”]
The US Embassy in Saudi Arabia has warned of an “imminent” missile and drone attack on the oil-rich eastern Saudi city of Dhahran.
“Do not come to the US Consulate” in Dhahrab, the embassy advised. “Take cover immediately in your residence on the lowest available floor and away from windows.” It did not provide further details.
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[live_update time=”8:04 PM” title=”Seven Israelis injured in Iranian missile attack”]
Seven people have been injured in multiple locations in central Israel in an Iranian missile attack, Israel media is reporting.
The incident took place in Bnei Brak and the city of Rosh HaAyin.
Citing witnesses, the channel reported that the impacts of the missile attacks and shrapnel had caused destruction to buildings and vehicles, started fires, and damaged roads in various locations.
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[live_update time=”7:54 PM” title=”European countries begin evacuating citizens”]
Austrian Foreign Minister Beate Meinl-Reisinger announced that a repatriation flight carrying Austrians would depart on Wednesday from the Omani capital Muscat. The minister said a first evacuation flight carrying “particularly vulnerable individuals” already took off Sunday.
Nearly 18,000 Austrian citizens are registered in the region, AP reports.
Lithuanian Prime Minister Inga Ruginiene also said her country will commence the evacuation of “the most vulnerable groups of Lithuanian citizens” from the United Arab Emirates and other surrounding states.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said Tuesday that Poland had prepared planes for an evacuation in case the situation in the region worsens.
He estimated there are 14,000 Polish citizens in the United Arab Emirates, and a total of 400,000 people from the EU there.
Over 480 Polish citizens have already managed to leave Israel, Jordan, and Lebanon, Tusk said.
Spain’s foreign minister says roughly 175 Spanish citizens stranded in the Middle East will return to Madrid today on a commercial flight leaving from Abu Dhabi.
“The safety of the more than 30,000 Spaniards currently in the region is our top priority,” Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares told reporters.
Albares said other flights carrying Spanish citizens home would be departing in the coming days from the United Arab Emirates and Istanbul. He aded that the government was working to secure commercial and chartered flights out of the region to do so.
There are currently more than 13,000 Spanish nationals in the UAE, Albares said, while only around 150 remain in Iran.
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[live_update time=”7:51 PM” title=”40 killed in Lebanon since Monday”]
A spokesperson for Lebanon’s Health Ministry has said that at least 40 people have been killed and 246 injured in Israeli attacks on Lebanon this past Monday and Tuesday.
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[live_update time=”7:51 PM” title=”Iran bans food exports”]
Iran has announced a ban on all exports of food and farm products, Tasnim news agency is reporting.
“The export of all food and agricultural products has been banned until further notice,” a government statement said.
“The government has prioritised the supply of essential goods for the people.”
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[live_update time=”7:40 PM” title=”Iranian missiles strike central Israel”]
Israel’s military has reported Iranian missiles have hit central Israel.
“Search and rescue forces, together with numerous emergency teams, are currently operating at the impact sites in central Israel,” the IDF said. “The circumstances of the impact are under review.”
[/live_update]
[live_update time=”7:34 PM” title=”Iran denies attacks on Oman”]
Iran has denied carrying out attacks on Oman, according to Iranian state media. Oman has been hit several times since the war began.
Earlier, Oman’s news agency reported that a fuel tank at the country’s Duqm commercial port was hit by a drone attack, before a drone crashed near the vicinity of Salalah port, and two other drones were intercepted in Dhofar governorate.
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[live_update time=”7:16 PM” title=”Iran has not come to a ‘halt'”]
Iran’s President Pezeshkian says the government remains operational despite the escalating war on the country, insisting that state functions continue across the country.
Pezeshkian said authorities are coordinating closely with provincial leadership as the situation unfolds.
“We are in direct contact with the governors. The situation is exceptional, but the country has not come to a halt,” he wrote on X.
“Ongoing activities are continuing across the country.”
Meanwhile, President Trump has ruled out talks with Iran, claiming on a social media post that Iran had asked for talks after the US-Israeli attacks had started, adding that it was “too late”.
[/live_update]
