US-Israel Attack on Iran: Latest Updates and Developments
US-Israel attack on Iran LIVE: Iran War Top Developments on March 4 Here are the latest updates According to an AFP update, new explosions have been heard overhead in Jerusalem. This comes after the Israeli military warned of incoming Iranian missiles. The blasts came about two hours after a previous salvo of missiles was detected and sirens blared. The Indian Embassy in Kuwait shared an update amid continued upheaval in the middle east. Tens of thousands have been stranded in the region as the US-Israel war against Iran continues unabated. Tehran has also launched a barrage of strikes towards Kuwait and its neighbours --- targeting US military bases and other such facilities. Here is what the Embassy of India in Kuwait has said: Due to the current exceptional circumstances, Kuwait’s Ministry of Interior has today announced the following automatic relief measures implemented electronically and exempt from related fees and fines: 1. A one-month extension of visit visas 2. A three-month additional absence period for residents currently outside Kuwait. Israel said its Air Force has dropped over 5,000 bombs during strikes in Iran since the start of the conflict --- less than five full days ago. The military also claimed that IAF fighter jets “continue to deepen air superiority throughout Iran, with an emphasis on the Tehran area.” Iran has continued its retaliatory strikes against Middle Eastern neighbors --- with blasts across the UAE and sirens blaring in multiple countries. US Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Dan Caine, however, told reporters that “Iran’s theatre ballistic missile shots fired are down 86% from the first day of fighting, with a 23% decrease just in the last 24 hours.” He added that Tehran's “one-way attack drone shots are down 73% from the opening days”. https://twitter.com/DeptofWar/status/2029193757162139762 Secretary of War Pete Hegseth declared on Wednesday that Iran "cannot outlast" the United States. He finished the briefing by declaring that “we set the tone and the tempo of this fight” but would refused to set a timeline for how much longer the conflict would continue. “The only limits we have on this is President Trump’s desire to achieve specific effects on behalf of the American people. We could say four weeks, but it could be six, it could be eight, it could be three. Ultimately, we set the pace and the tempo. When we say the throttle is going up, the throttle is going up and it’s going to stay on high,” he said. Two sources told Reuters that Qatar is set to fully shut natural gas liquefaction today. The country is the second-largest LNG exporter in the world and it won't be able to return to normal production and export levels of super-chilled gas for at least a month "Restarting natural gas liquefaction after a complete shutdown would take 2 weeks. Once restarted, Qatar would need at least another 2 weeks to reach full capacity," they added. Al Jazeera cited Hezbollah as saying it had launched a squadron of attack drones at Israel’s Haifa naval base. The group in a statement that said its fighters targeted the base at about 12:00 GMT (2:00pm local time) --- describing the attack as a response to Israeli strikes on Lebanon. The Israeli military had earlier said launches were detected crossing from Lebanon towards northern Israel. It said most of these were intercepted. “I don’t have a message for them, and they’re not really a factor here, and our issue is not with them,” Hegseth said. He insisted that the US focus was purely on ending what he called “the nuclear ambitions of Iran”. Both China and Russia have vehemently criticised the "preventive strikes" launched by Israel and the US which triggered the war. A furious Trump threatened to impose a full US trade embargo on Spain after the European and NATO ally said it would not let America use its bases for missions linked to strikes on Iran. The threats on Tuesday have prompted sharp rebuke from the European Union. "A threat to one member state is a threat to the whole European Union," EU industry chief Stephane Sejourne told reporters. European Council President Antonio Costa said he had spoken to Spanish President Pedro Sánchez "to express the EU’s full solidarity with Spain". "The EU will always ensure that the interests of its Member States are fully protected. We reaffirm our firm commitment to the principles of international law and the rules-based order everywhere in the world,” Costa wrote on X. But the US continues to fume over the situation --- with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent claiming during an interview that Trump's frustration with the Spanish government was "justified". “First of all, they have been terrible actors. They are the only NATO member not meeting their NATO requirement. That’s known as a free rider. And then it was unacceptable over the weekend that the Spanish were highly uncooperative regarding the U.S. bases and what we could do with our planes as we began executing on Operation Epic Fury,” ,” Bessent told CNBC. “Anything that slows down our ability to engage and prosecute this war in the fastest, most effective manner puts American lives at risk. The Spanish put American lives at risk,” he insisted. Sirens have been activated in Bahrain. “Citizens and residents are urged to remain calm and head to the nearest safe place,” the country’s Interior Ministry said. "We will now begin to expand inland. US forces will strike “progressively deeper into Iranian territory and (create) additional freedom of manoeuvre for US forces,” said Caine. "We are targeting Iran’s ballistic missile system to prevent them from threatening the US forces, interests and partners in the region. Second, we are destroying the navy, degrading its capacity, capability and ability to conduct operations … around the world. Third, we’re ensuring Iran cannot rapidly rebuild or reconstitute its combat capability or power and those phases will advance as the campaign continues,” he added. The deputy foreign minister of Sri Lanka told local TV that at least 80 people had been killed in the US submarine strike against an Iranian warship in the Indian Ocean. The vessel had been heading back to Iran from an eastern Indian port. The IRIS Dena had been docked in Vishakapatnam till the Milan 2026 naval exercise concluded last week. US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has also just confirmed that a torpedo from a US submarine sank an Iranian warship. He said that the Tuesday night strike on an Iranian warship was the first such attack on an enemy since World War II. “An American submarine sunk an Iranian warship that thought it was safe in international waters. Instead, it was sunk by a torpedo,” Hegseth said. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has said that Washington will roll out a series of measures to help stabilise oil shipments through the Persian Gulf. US crude oil retreated for the first session since war broke out on Saturday following his assurances. “We have a series of announcements that we’re going to be making. We began yesterday with with the announcement that DFC will provide the insurance for both the crude carriers and the cargo ships operating in around the Gulf over the weekend," he told CNBC. An Al Jazeera report quoted the Israeli Finance Ministry as saying that damage to the country’s economy from the war on Iran could reach 9 billion shekels ($2.9 billion) a week. "More forces are arriving...More waves are coming. We are just getting started. The us will use unlimited stockpile of precision gravity bombs...We are punching them while they are down," said Pentagon chief and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth. "We will now begin to expand inland," added top US General Caine. US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has just confirmed that anUS submarine struck an Iranian warship off the Sri Lankan coast on Wednesday. The US strike triggered a distress call and the Sri Lankan armed forces launched a search and rescue operation. Sri Lankan authorities said they had rescued 32 people so far and recovered several bodies from the sea. US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth is briefing reporters. Here are the key highlights from his remarks so far: The Maltese-flagged container ship Safeen Prestige was damaged by a projectile as it sailed towards the top of the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday, prompting its crew to abandon ship, shipping sources said. The vessel was hit some two nautical miles north of Oman while transiting eastbound in the Strait of Hormuz at 1109 GMT, British maritime risk management company Vanguard said. "The vessel was struck by an unknown projectile just above the waterline, resulting in a fire in the engine room. No environmental impact has been reported at this time," Vanguard said. British navy agency UKMTO reported it had received a report involving a unnamed container ship being hit by an unknown projectile and the crew abandoned the vessel with no reported injuries. Multiple US officials have now told Reuters that the American military carried out a strike against an Iranian warship off the Sri Lanka coast. Confusing reports have been coming from Sri Lanka about an incident involving an Iranian ship. Sri Lankan navy and defence ministry sources had earlier told Reuters that the vessel was struck by a submarine but later insisted there was no official explanation yet. The list of casualties and death toll has also been released --- with officials refuting initial reports that over 100 were missing and 78 killed. The latest Reuters update cited a Navy spokesperson as confirming that the ship was an Iranian military vessel. The incident reportedly took place beyond the country's waters, but Sri Lanka is committed to providing support. The navy has recovered several bodies, thought to be those of crew members. Efforts remain underway to confirm their identities and potentially save additional lives. Investigations into the details will follow. The cause of the ship's distress call is reportedly not confirmed. No aircraft or other vessels were observed in the area at the time. European Council President Antonio Costa said he had just spoken to Spanish leader Pedro Sánchez and expressed full solidarity. This came after a furious Trump claimed on Tuesday night that the US would cut trade ties with Spain — with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz supportively at his side. "I have just held a call with President Pedro Sánchez to express the EU’s full solidarity with Spain. The EU will always ensure that the interests of its Member States are fully protected. We reaffirm our firm commitment to the principles of international law and the rules-based order everywhere in the world," Costa wrote on X. Russia is prepared to divert oil to India to offset Middle East supply disruptions, with about 9.5 million barrels of Russian crude in vessels near Indian waters and able to arrive within weeks, an industry source with direct knowledge told Reuters. The source declined to say where the non‑Russian fleet cargoes were originally headed but said they could deliver to India within weeks, giving refiners rapid relief. India's top gas importer Petronet LNG Ltd has issued a force majeure notice to its supplier QatarEnergy and local buyers as its vessels are unable to reach Ras Laffan load port due to the crisis in the Middle East, it said in an exchange filing on Wednesday. The U.S.-Iran conflict has disrupted fuel shipments in the region. Transit through the Strait of Hormuz between Iran and Oman, which carries around one-fifth of oil consumed globally as well as large quantities of liquefied natural gas, has ground to a near-halt after some vessels in the area were hit. Due to the prevailing security situation and the material risks posed to maritime navigation, Petronet has issued a Force Majeure Notice to QatarEnergy for its LNG tankers Disha, Raahi, and Aseem, it said in the notice issued late Tuesday. Petronet has also issued force majeure to its customers GAIL (India) Ltd, Indian Oil Corp (IOCL), and Bharat Petroleum Corp. QatarEnergy has also issued a notice to Petronet "indicating a potential event of Force Majeure due to the hostilities prevailing in the region", the Indian company said. NATO air and missile defence systems stationed in the eastern Mediterranean destroyed a ballistic missile fired from Iran as it headed into Turkish airspace after passing Syria and Iraq, the Turkish Defence Ministry said on Wednesday. The incident marks the first time that NATO member Turkey, Iran's neighbour to the northwest, has been drawn into the expanding conflict between Iran and the U.S. and Israel that now involves several countries in the region. "We warn all parties to refrain from actions that would lead to further escalation of conflict in the region. In this context, we will continue to consult with NATO and our other allies," the ministry said, adding there were no casualties or injuries. "All necessary steps to defend our territory and airspace will be taken resolutely and without hesitation. We remind all parties that we reserve the right to respond to any hostile actions against our country," it added. "We have taken full control of Iranian skies. Will take out Iranian ballistic missiles and bunkers in the coming days," CNBC quoted US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent as saying. The Iranian government agency has said that at least 1,045 people have been killed since war broke out on Saturday. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez described the ongoing U.S. and Israeli strikes against Iran as a “disaster.” The country has remained firm about its refusal to allow America to use joint military bases in the country for attacks against Iran. A furious Trump claimed on Tuesday night that the US would cut trade ties with Spain --- with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz supportively at his side. “We are not going to be complicit in something that is bad for the world and is also contrary to our values and interests, just out of fear of reprisals from someone,” Sánchez said in a televised address. He warned that the war in the Middle East risked “playing Russian roulette” with millions of lives. Sánchez has called the US and Israeli attacks on Iran an “unjustifiable” and “dangerous” military intervention. Trump had threatened to 'end' US trade ties because the country refused to allow US to use military bases within Spain for attacks against Iran. It's not clear how Trump would cut off trade with Spain, which is a member of the European Union. The EU negotiates trade on behalf of all its 27 member states. Madrid has shared with Germany its "surprise" at remarks made by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz at the White House appearing to support U.S. President Donald Trump's threats to cut trade with Spain, Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares said on Wednesday. "I cannot imagine Chancellors (Angela) Merkel or (Olaf) Scholz making such remarks," Albares said in a TV interview with state broadcaster TVE. Merz had said on Tuesday that Spain needed "convincing" to agree to NATO's higher defence spending target of 3.5% of gross domestic product after Trump floated imposing a trade embargo on Spain over its position in the ongoing war in the Middle East. Secretary of State Marco Rubio alarmed many Americans on Monday when he said: "We knew that there was going to be an Israeli action." "We knew that that would precipitate an attack against American forces, and we knew that if we didn't pre-emptively go after them before they launched those attacks, we would suffer higher casualties," Rubio told reporters. Administration officials quickly backpedalled, insisting Trump authorized the strikes because Tehran was not seriously negotiating an accord on limiting its nuclear ambitions, and the United States needed to destroy Iran's missile capabilities. "No, Marco Rubio Didn't Claim That Israel Dragged Trump into War with Iran," White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt posted Tuesday on X. At an Oval Office meeting later with Germany's chancellor, Trump went further, saying that "Based on the way the negotiation was going, I think they (Iran) were going to attack first. And I didn't want that to happen." "So, if anything, I might have forced Israel's hand." Iranian missiles continue to target locations in multiple Gulf countries. The UAE defence ministry said it had intercepted three ballistic missiles and 121 drones. The Defence Ministry of Qatar added that it had intercepted 10 drones and two cruise missiles launched from Iran. Lebanese social affairs minister Haneen Sayed told Al Jazeera that 65,000 people have registered in shelters after being displaced by the recent Israeli strikes. He opined that perhaps 10,000 to 20,000 others had also been displaced but were “on the road” or sheltering with friends and family, and were still in the process of registering for support.
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