Here's the latest
• Deadly plane crash: All six US service members aboard a refueling aircraft were killed when it went down in Iraq on Thursday, according to the US military. The US has said the incident was “not due to hostile fire,” but an Iranian proxy group claimed responsibility. A second plane was damaged but then landed safely.
• New leader: US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Iran’s new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has been “likely disfigured,” casting doubt on Khamenei first purported message released yesterday.
• Tehran blasts: A strike killed at least one person in Tehran, where explosions were reported near large crowds marking Al Quds Day, an annual international rally in support of Palestinians.
• War on land and sea: Fresh strikes have rocked the region, including more Iranian attacks on Gulf states. Sources told CNN the White House significantly underestimated Iran’s willingness to close the Strait of Hormuz in response to US-Israeli strikes. Hegseth waved off Iran’s actions in the crucial waterway, saying there’s no “need to worry about it.”
Trump says he doesn't worry about potential threats to California or US
President Donald Trump said he doesn’t worry about potential threats on California or the United States following reports about an FBI memo that contained unverified information about a potential Iranian drone attack on the state.
“I don’t worry about it, because if you did, you wouldn’t be able to function. OK, so you can’t worry. You have to do something — and we watch everything at a level that it’s never been watched; our country has never been watched over like this,” Trump told “The Brian Kilmeade Show” on Fox Radio.
Pressed on whether the memo crossed his desk, Trump insulted California Gov. Gavin Newsom but did not address the validity of the threat.
“First we heard about it was from Gavin Newscum,” Trump said, using a nickname he often employs for the potential 2028 Democratic presidential candidate.
Newsom said Wednesday that “no imminent threat” exists. ABC News was first to report on the memo.
All six crew members aboard refueling aircraft killed in crash in Iraq, US military says
All crew members who were aboard the refueling aircraft that went down in Iraq Thursday have been confirmed dead, US Central Command announced today.
“All six crew members aboard a U.S. KC-135 refueling aircraft that went down in western Iraq are now confirmed deceased,” CENTCOM said in a post on X.
The military previously announced the deaths of four of the crew members aboard the air craft.
Zelensky says US decision to ease some Russian oil sanctions "does not help peace"
Speaking at a joint news conference alongside his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky criticized the Trump administration for easing sanctions against Russian oil.
He claimed the step could provide Moscow with “around $10 billion” to fund its war in Ukraine, saying “that certainly does not help peace.”
The Trump administration issued a new license Thursday allowing countries to temporarily purchase certain Russian oil products already at sea, in an attempt to counter soaring oil prices.
His comments reflect growing concern across Europe that Moscow could profit from the war in Iran as the global economy searches for oil beyond the Middle East, and the world turns its attention away from Ukraine.
Macron sought to reassure Zelensky that “nothing will distract us from the efforts we are making in Ukraine” and reiterated French support for Kyiv.
“The context of rising oil prices must in no way lead to a review of our sanctions policy towards Russia,” he said, adding that Moscow is “mistaken” if it believes the war in Iran will ease any pressure on it.
French soldier killed: Macron also mourned a French soldier who was killed in an attack on a military base in Iraqi Kurdistan last night.
“This is obviously unacceptable,” he said. “Faced with the ongoing war, France’s position is purely defensive, in support of its allies, and can never justify any attack against it. France will continue to demonstrate composure, calm, and determination.”
US gas prices are at a 22-month high
US gas prices edged up another 3 cents a gallon in the latest reading from AAA, taking the average price to $3.63 a gallon. Gas prices are now at a 22-month high.
The average price has climbed 65 cents since the start of fighting in Iran two weeks ago and are up 69 cents, or 23.5% in the last month.
For context: This increase in gas prices is a reaction to the war in Iran and the near-total closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial channel just off Iran’s southern coast through which 20% of the world’s oil normally passes, as well as retaliatory attacks by Iran on the oil facilities of its oil-rich neighbors such as the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, the world’s largest oil exporter.
Efforts to calm the markets have fallen flat. Dozens of countries announced earlier this week the largest release of oil from various oil reserves. The fact that oil continues to move higher indicates how little oil is available from such releases compared to what has been lost during the fighting.
Brent crude oil futures, the global benchmark, closed above $100 Thursday for the first time since 2022, when markets were roiled by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the sanctions imposed on Russian oil at that time. Even with the United States lifting some of those sanctions, Friday prices for Brent were slightly higher in early trading.
After oil and wholesale gas prices saw a one-day drop early in the week following President Donald Trump’s comment that he expects the war to end “very soon,” attacks on ships near the strait have once again sent futures sharply higher, suggesting more price increases will be coming to gas pumps nationwide. But even once oil futures start a sustained decline, it could take some time for retail gas prices to get back to pre-war levels.
These are the key takeaways from the latest Pentagon briefing and other developments
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth just gave a briefing to the media. Meanwhile, strikes continue to rock the Middle East and oil prices remain high.
Here’s what you need to know from the briefing:
- Iran weakened: Hegseth said Iran’s military capabilities had been significantly weakened by joint US-Israeli strikes. “Between our Air Force and that of the Israelis, over 15,000 enemy targets have been struck,” Hegseth said.
- US aircraft crash: Four crew members aboard a US Air Force refueling aircraft were killed when it crashed in western Iraq, the US military has said. Hegseth called the four deceased service members “heroes.”
- Strait of Hormuz: US President Donald Trump said the US would provide military escorts for oil tankers navigating the strait if necessary, a day after his energy secretary said the US Navy was not yet capable of doing so. Hegseth played down Iran’s actions in the strait. “Don’t need to worry about it,” he said.
- Supreme leader: Hegseth said that Iran’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, has been “wounded and likely disfigured,” and he cast doubt on the new Iranian leader’s first purported message. Trump said Khamenei is “damaged” but “probably alive.”
- School strike: Hegseth said that US Central Command has designated an investigating officer to lead an inquiry into a strike on a girls school in Iran that killed scores of children. He declined to comment when asked about reporting that preliminary findings of a military investigation suggest the US may have carried out the strike.
More headlines from around the region and globe:
- Strike at Tehran rally: A woman was killed in a strike during the Al Quds Day rally in Tehran, according to Iranian state media. Several explosions were reported near the massive rally, held to support Palestinians, after Israel warned it would target areas near the gathering.
- Focus on Ukraine: European leaders criticized the Trump administration for temporarily easing some sanctions on Russian oil. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said he wants to “ensure” Russia does “not exploit the war in Iran to weaken Ukraine.” French President Emmanuel Macron echoed those comments, saying Russia is “mistaken” if it believes “the war in Iran will offer it a respite.”
- Attack on Dutch synagogue: Dutch police have arrested four suspects following an overnight arson attack on a synagogue in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, in an apparent case of antisemitic violence in Europe.
- Oil prices still high: Global oil prices still traded at around $100 a barrel, despite the Trump administration taking steps attempting to bring them down.
Trump believes new supreme leader is "damaged" but "probably alive"
President Donald Trump said that he believes Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei is “damaged” but “probably alive.”
“I think he probably is. I think he’s damaged, but I think he’s probably alive in some form, yeah,” Trump told “The Brian Kilmeade Show” on Fox Radio.
The new Iranian leader was reportedly injured during the opening days of the war but has yet to be seen by the public following his appointment.
Khamenei’s purportedly issued a first message on Thursday, which was then read on Iranian state media Thursday by a female news anchor, raising questions about why he was not seen or heard.
A source familiar with the situation previously told CNN that Khamenei suffered a fractured foot and other minor injuries on the first day of the US and Israel’s bombardment campaign
In a press conference on Monday, Trump said that he was “disappointed” in Khamenei’s appointment, “because we think it’s going to lead to just more of the same problem for the country.”
Iran's security chief says Trump "doesn't understand" the Iranian nation
Iran’s national security chief Ali Larijani said today that US President Donald Trump “doesn’t understand” Iran.
Speaking to the semi-official Fars News Agency, Larijani said:
He also said that a strike on a location near the massive Al Quds Day march in Tehran was a sign of “desperation and fear” from Israel.
“Someone who is truly strong would not bomb the middle of a march. It’s clear they have run out of options,” he said.
Israel has not commented on the strikes so far today, but it said it would target Tehran earlier in the morning.
Police arrest 4 men following arson attack at Rotterdam synagogue
Four suspects have been arrested following an overnight arson attack at a synagogue in Rotterdam, in the Netherlands, Dutch police said today.
The fire broke out at the place of worship at around 3:40 a.m. local time, Rotterdam police said in a statement, in an apparent case of antisemitic violence in Europe amid the US-Israeli conflict with Iran.
Police said that the blaze was caused by an explosive device that detonated at the synagogue. The fire broke out for a short time before burning out by itself, police said, adding that no one was injured.
Police said that four suspects were arrested in the vicinity of another synagogue after a vehicle that was driving erratically drew the attention of authorities. The suspects are men aged 19, 18 and 17.
Police have called for witnesses to come forward.
Remember: It follows other recent attacks targeting Jewish communities outside of the Middle East.
In Belgium, a synagogue in the city of Liège was rocked by an explosion on Monday in what the city’s mayor described as an antisemitic attack, according to local media reports.
In Michigan in the US, a synagogue was targeted in a car-ramming attack on Thursday. Though the motive in that incident is still unknown, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said that there’s a clear “nexus” between the Iran war and the attack, adding it’s no coincidence the suspect targeted a synagogue named Temple Israel.
CNN’s Rosanne Roobeek contributed reporting.
Hegseth downplays Iran's actions in Strait of Hormuz: "Don't need to worry about it"
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth just addressed Iran’s strikes in the Strait of Hormuz, which have led to the near-full halt of oil vessels through the critical waterway.
Hegseth vowed to destroy Tehran’s present and future military capabilities.
“The only thing prohibiting transit in the strait right now is Iran shooting at shipping,” he later added.
“We’ve heard them talk about taking various measures, and we’re planning for all of them. We have a plan for every option here. … That’s not a strait we’re gonna allow to remain contested,” he added.
Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine said the US is prioritizing targeting Iran’s minelayers that could target the strait.
Yesterday, Iran’s new supreme leaders said in a purported statement that the Strait of Hormuz would remain effectively closed as a “tool of pressure.”
Hegseth says investigating officer designated to probe deadly Iran school strike
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Friday that US Central Command has designated an investigating officer to lead a command inquiry into a strike on a girls school in Iran, as questions mount about the circumstances surrounding the attack.
“So, I can report that CENTCOM has designated an investigating officer to complete a command investigation,” Hegseth announced during a Pentagon press briefing.
“The command investigation will take as long as necessary to address all the matters surrounding this incident. And the investigating officer is from outside CENTCOM and is a general officer,” he added.
When asked about reporting that preliminary findings of a military investigation suggest the United States may have carried out the strike, Hegseth declined to confirm the details.
“We’re not going to let reporting lead us or force our hand into indicating what happened in a particular situation, because the truth matters,” Hegseth said.
“But I will note to this group and to the world, there’s only one entity in this conflict between US and Iran that never targets civilians. Literally never target civilians,” he added.
The secretary’s comments come as sources briefed on early findings of the investigation told CNN that the US military may have accidentally struck the Iranian elementary school while targeting a nearby facility tied to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Germany’s chancellor calls US moves to ease Russia sanctions "wrong"
Germany’s Chancellor Friedrich Merz has criticized US moves to ease sanctions on Russia as “wrong.”
The Trump administration is temporarily allowing the delivery and sale of sanctioned seaborne Russian crude as part of efforts to temper surging oil prices, something that will also likely be a boon for the Kremlin.
Merz added he wants to “ensure” that Russia does “not exploit the war in Iran to weaken Ukraine”.
Chancellor Merz has resisted being drawn into the US and Israel’s war against Iran, a viewed echoed across European nations.
His comments have been echoed elsewhere in Europe. A spokesperson for British PM, Keir Starmer said “all partners should maintain pressure on Russia and its war chest” while the EU’s Antonio Costa, the President of the European Council, called the move “very concerning.”
Merz has been a leading voice in ensuring that European interests, namely that citizens, military and economic interests are protected.
While he said immediately after the start of the that it was “not the moment to lecture partners and allies”, he did say, following a visit to the White House last week, that he was not clear what the US plan to end the war was.
Germany has been a prominent supporter of Ukraine financially. At the forefront of the chancellor’s mind is ensuring Kyiv remains a priority. There are concerns that while Iran remains the focus for the Trump administration Ukraine could take a back seat.
Hegseth addresses refueling aircraft crash that killed 4 US service members: "War is hell"
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Friday addressed the deaths of four US service members after a refueling aircraft crashed in western Iraq, stating that “war is hell.”
“War is hell. War is chaos. And as we saw yesterday with the tragic crash of our KC-135 tanker, bad things can happen,” Hegseth said at Pentagon press conference. “American heroes, all of them. And as I have with all of them, as we have, we will greet those heroes at Dover and their sacrifice will only recommit us to the resolve of this mission.”
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine also used his remarks to address the crash, stating that the incident “occurred over friendly territory in western Iraq while the crew was on a combat mission and again, was not the result, as CENTCOM has said, was not the result of hostile or friendly fire. We’re still treating this as an active rescue and recovery operation.”
CENTOM announced in a statement Friday that rescue efforts continue for the two other crew members aboard the KC-135 Stratotanker. The circumstances of Thursday’s crash are still under investigation, CENTCOM said.
See photos of damaged US refueling aircraft
Israeli media have published a photograph of a US refueling jet that was damaged in a mid-air incident involving another aircraft that crashed killing at least four crew members.
The photograph, published by CNN affiliate KAN, showed a KC-135 on the tarmac at Ben Gurion airport in Israel with part of its tail fin missing. US Central Command (CENTCOM) said the second plane crashed in western Iraq.
Four US service members were killed in Thursday’s incident, CENTCOM said, adding that rescue efforts continue for two other personnel.
The identification marks on the plane at Ben Gurion airport, near Tel Aviv, indicate it came from Beale Air Force Base in California.
CNN’s Oren Liebermann reports:
Images show a US KC-135 aerial refueling tanker with damage to its tailfin after an incident involving two US tankers. One aircraft landed safely in Israel, while the other crashed in western Iraq, killing four crew members, US Central Command said. CNN's Oren Liebermann reports.
Hegseth says US-Israeli strikes have hit more than 15,000 targets
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Friday that Iran’s military capabilities have been significantly weakened following a sustained campaign of strikes carried out by the United States and Israel.
“Iran has no air defenses, Iran has no air force, Iran has no navy” Hegseth said during a Pentagon press briefing.
“Their missile volume is down 90%,” Hegseth said, “Their one-way attack drones yesterday down 95% and as the world is seeing, they are exercising sheer desperation in the Straits of Hormuz, something we’re dealing with,” he added.
According to Hegseth, US and Israeli forces have carried out over thousands of strikes on Iranian targets.
“Between our Air Force and that of the Israelis, over 15,000 enemy targets have been struck. That’s well over 1,000 a day,” Hegseth said.
“We’re on plan to defeat, destroy, disable all of their meaningful military capabilities at a pace the world has never seen before,” he said, adding, “Soon and very soon, all of Iran’s defense companies will be destroyed.”
Hegseth says Iran's new leader has been "disfigured," casts doubt on his statement
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said at a news briefing today that Iran’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, has been “wounded and likely disfigured,” as he claimed that Iranian leadership has been severely weakened as a result of US military operations.
The defense secretary went on to cast doubt on the new Iranian leader’s first purported message, which was read out on state television.
The Pentagon is holding a news briefing
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine are holding a news briefing at the Pentagon.
It comes as US Central Command announced at least four US service members are dead after a refueling aircraft crashed in western Iraq, in an incident that it said was “not due to hostile fire or friendly fire” but involved a second US tanker.
We’ll bring you updates as we get them.
Global oil prices hover around $100 despite US reprieve on sanctioned seaborne Russian oil
Global oil prices traded around the $100-a-barrel level Friday, shrugging off the Trump administration’s earlier decision to temporarily allow the delivery and sale of sanctioned seaborne Russian crude – a waiver aimed at mitigating a surge in prices following its attacks on Iran.
The license, posted to the US Treasury website, applies only to Russian crude and petroleum products loaded on vessels as of March 12 and authorizes those shipments through April 11.
“To increase the global reach of existing supply, @USTreasury is providing a temporary authorization to permit countries to purchase Russian oil currently stranded at sea,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent wrote on social media. “This narrowly tailored, short-term measure applies only to oil already in transit and will not provide significant financial benefit to the Russian government, which derives the majority of its energy revenue from taxes assessed at the point of extraction.”
Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, inched down 0.6% to nearly $100 a barrel. WTI, the US benchmark, edged down 1.6% to trade at more than $94 a barrel.
Crude oil prices have surged since the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, which is flanked by Iran and ordinarily serves as the conduit for one-fifth of the world’s oil output.
Trump says US would escort oil tankers through Strait of Hormuz if “we needed to”
President Donald Trump said the United States would provide military escorts for oil tankers moving through the Strait of Hormuz if necessary, while expressing hope that such action will not be required in an interview aired Friday.
“We would do it if we needed to,” Trump said in a phone interview with Fox News’ Brian Kilmeade, when asked whether the US military is prepared to escort tankers through the waterway, which has been shut amid the conflict with Iran.
“But, hopefully, things are gonna go very well,” Trump added, “We are going to see what happens.”
The president also said Iran would face a long recovery following recent military actions.
Trump said the country will take “years to rebuild,” arguing the United States has already “damaged them so badly.”
Strike on Tehran leaves 1 dead, state media reports
A woman was killed in a strike during the Al Quds Day march in Tehran today, Iranian state media reported.
Several explosions were reported in the vicinity of the massive rally held in support of the Palestinian cause.
Iranian state news agency IRNA blamed the US and Israel for the deadly strike. Israel had warned earlier on Friday that it would target sites in Iran’s capital.
Despite the warning, huge crowds of people gathered to mark Al Quds Day after Iran’s new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei called on them to do so in his purported first message that was read on state television on Thursday.
Several Iranian VIPs, including President Masoud Pezeshkian, attended the march, which was described by a top level cleric, Alireza Arafi, as “different from previous years given recent events.”
“We must thank the enemy-defying presence of the people for responding to the call of the Supreme Leader,” he said, according to Iran’s semi-official news agency Tasnim.
Polls show no significant boost for Netanyahu after Israeli strikes on Iran
The military campaign against Iran has not significantly altered Israel’s political landscape or meaningfully boosted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s reelection prospects, according to a series of polls published this week in Israeli media.
A Channel 12 survey released Thursday evening found that if elections were held today, Netanyahu’s Likud party would win 26 seats — identical to its showing in the channel’s previous poll conducted two days before the war began. The Likud party is still the largest in the Knesset, but Netanyahu’s right-wing coalition block lost one seat compared to pre-war polling and stands on 51 seats, falling short of the 61 seat majority needed to form a governing coalition.
The opposition bloc gained one seat compared to pre-war polling but still falls short of a governing majority without support from the Arab parties.
Similar trends emerged in surveys published by Maariv and Channel 13, with Netanyahu’s coalition reaching just 50-51 seats in both.
The polls are similar to those conducted after the 12-day war in June. Netanyahu experienced a temporary bump, but the polls suggest there’s been no change in the overall political landscape.
Israel is officially slated to head to the polls in October 2026, though Netanyahu may call elections earlier.
