Here's the latest
• New strikes: The Israeli military has told CNN it plans for at least three more weeks of its campaign in Iran with”thousands of targets” remaining, as both countries continued to trade blows today. Meanwhile, Gulf countries have reported more drone interceptions.
• No Iran deal: US President Donald Trump said he’s not prepared yet to reach a deal with Iran to end the war, adding US strikes “totally demolished” most of Kharg Island but “we may hit it a few more times just for fun.” Countries have responded to Trump’s call to help the US secure the Strait of Hormuz.
• Service members identified: The Pentagon has named the six US air crew who died in Thursday’s aircraft crash in Iraq. The crash remains under investigation.
• Supreme leader’s health: Iran says Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei is in “good health” and “manages the country strongly,” as questions swirl over his wellbeing. He has yet to be seen or heard since his appointment.
Iranian missile shrapnel damages building housing US diplomats in Israel, local media reports
Shrapnel from an Iranian ballistic missile damaged a building housing US diplomats in Israel, according to Israel’s Channel 12 news station.
Channel 12 showed an image with damage to the ceiling of what appeared to be a parking area. The Israeli news channel did not specify where the building was. The US embassy to Israel is in Jerusalem, and there is also a major branch office in Tel Aviv which once served as the embassy.
CNN has reached out to the State Department for comment.
Israel to continue Iran campaign for at least three more weeks, spokesperson tells CNN
The Israeli military is planning at least three more weeks of its campaign against Iran with “thousands of targets” remaining, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) military spokesperson told CNN Sunday.
According to the IDF, since the start of the Iran campaign on February 28, the Israeli Air Force has carried out roughly 400 waves of strikes in western and central Iran, focusing on dismantling infrastructure and targeting operatives of the fire, defense, and production units.
Israeli officials say the US and Israel have already struck thousands of targets since the war began.
Defrin told CNN that the IDF is “not working according to a stopwatch, or a timetable, but rather to achieve our goals.”
He added that Israel’s objective is to “weaken the Iranian regime severely.”
Fresh strikes across the Middle East as conflict enters its third week
The conflict in the Middle East has now entered its third week, and Israel has launched fresh attacks on western Iran, its military said this morning.
Meanwhile Iran’s army said it launched “powerful” drone strikes against Israeli security centers and police headquarters, adding that it was continuing its “legitimate defense” of the Iranian people.
Catch up on the latest developments here:
- Four more members of the Iranian women’s soccer squad have withdrawn their asylum requests to the Australian government after facing pressure from Tehran, two sources close to the team said.
- Iran’s foreign minister has said that his country’s supreme leader is in “good health” and “manages the country strongly,” as questions are still circulating about Mojtaba Khamenei’s wellbeing.
- Iran has been largely cut off from the internet for more than 15 days, according to internet watchdog NetBlocks, though an expert has told CNN that the shutdown is not impacting everyone in the country equally.
- The Qatar Grand Prix, originally scheduled for next month, has been postponed to November because of the escalating situation in the Middle East.
- The UK’s energy secretary has said that his country is exploring “any options” to help secure the Strait of Hormuz. See how other countries have responded.
CNN’s Sophie Tanno, Billy Stockwell, Andrew Potter, Lauren Said-Moorhouse, Christina Macfarlane, Sana Noor Haq and Alessandra Freitas contributed to this reporting.
4 more members of Iran’s women’s soccer team withdrew Australia asylum claims, sources say
Four more members of the Iranian women’s soccer squad withdrew their asylum requests to the Australian government after facing pressure from Tehran, two sources close to the team said.
Two players - Mona Hamoudi and Zahra Sarbali, as well as a staffer, Zahra Meshkekar, arrived in Malaysia Saturday and will head on to Tehran, Iranian state media reported, carrying a picture of the three together.
CNN has since learned that another woman has also withdrawn her request, with one of the sources blaming pressure from Iran for the women changing their minds. State media named the fourth woman as team captain Zahra Ghanbari, saying she was on her way back to Iran.
They were among the seven members of the Iranian women’s national football team – six players and a member of the squad’s support team – who were granted refugee visas to stay in Australia after they competed at the Women’s Asian Cup earlier this month.
The women were granted asylum after claiming a fear of persecution if they returned to their war-stricken homeland following their refusal to sing Iran’s national anthem during the opening match against South Korea. The action sparked backlash from hardliners back home, including one state media presenter who called them “wartime traitors.”
Another member left Australia earlier in the week, leaving just two of the original group.
“After telling Australian officials they had made this decision, the players were given repeated chances to talk about their options,” Australian Minister for Home Affairs Tony Burke said in a statement on Sunday.
“While the Australian Government can ensure that opportunities are provided and communicated, we cannot remove the context in which the players are making these incredibly difficult decisions,” he added.
The Asian Cup started right after the US and Israel launched air strikes on Iran, killing the Islamic Republic’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The Iranian team was eliminated from the tournament last Sunday.
This post has been updated.
Iran's supreme leader in "good health," foreign minister says
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has said that Iran’s supreme leader is in “good health” and “manages the country strongly,” as questions swirl over Mojtaba Khamenei’s wellbeing.
A week after his appointment as Iran’s supreme leader, Khamenei has yet to be seen or heard, raising questions over his health. His first purported message was read out on state television by an anchor.
A source familiar with the situation told CNN earlier this week that Khamenei had suffered a fractured foot, a bruised left eye and minor lacerations to his face on the first day of the US and Israel’s bombardment campaign two weeks ago, the same wave of strikes that killed his father and Iran’s top military commanders.
According to Iran’s state-owned IRNA, Araghchi also said the “situation in Iran is stable, and there is no rift within the government or military institutions.”
He insisted that Iran’s strikes on regional countries had not targeted civilian or residential areas, despite claims of the opposite. In Bahrain, for example, an Iranian strike hit a residential building in the capital Manama killing one woman and injuring eight others, according to the health ministry there earlier this week.
Araghchi also claimed that Iran’s diplomatic relations with Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Oman, and neighboring countries continue.
UK looking at options to secure Strait of Hormuz, energy secretary says
UK energy secretary Ed Miliband said today that the country is exploring “any options” to help secure the Strait of Hormuz.
“It’s a priority for the world that the strait is reopened. Obviously the best and simplest way to do that is to de-escalate the conflict,” he said on the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg program.
He added that the UK government was talking to allies, including the US, about the key shipping route.
Miliband would not be drawn on discussing the operational details of what the UK government is considering, instead saying “there are different ways that we could contribute” and that those options were being looked at with allies.
Trump yesterday said he hoped that several countries – China, France, Japan, South Korea, the UK and others – would help the US secure the Strait of Hormuz by sending warships to the region.
Strikes continue to pound the Middle East. Here's the latest from the region
Munitions have fallen at several locations in central Israel, authorities reported early Sunday morning, with emergency workers reporting two people needed treatment.
Police officers are “currently handling several impact sites of munitions” in the Tel Aviv district, said a police spokesperson, adding that officers “and bomb disposal experts are currently working to isolate and secure the impact sites. At this stage, there are no reported casualties.”
Earlier, the Israel Defense Forces said it had identified “missiles launched from Iran” toward Israel.
Other Middle Eastern nations also intercepted several strikes over the past day. Here’s the latest from the region:
UAE: Dubai authorities confirmed on Sunday that sounds heard over the affluent Marina neighborhood and Al Sufouh beachfront area were due to interceptions. The defense ministry reported it “engaged nine ballistic missiles and 33 unmanned aerial vehicles launched from Iran” on Saturday. On the same day, a fire broke out at a key UAE oil hub at the port of Fujairah when debris fell as a drone was intercepted.
Saudi Arabia: Defense authorities reported on Sunday that it intercepted 10 drones in the capital Riyadh and in the eastern region.
Qatar: Officials said late Saturday that it “successfully” intercepted four ballistic missiles and several drones launched from Iran.
Kuwait: Air defense systems responded to two drones targeting the southern Ahmad Al-Jaber Air Base, resulting in “material damage” within the base’s vicinity, reported Kuwait News Agency late Saturday. The civil aviation authority also reported a radar system being hit after the Kuwait International Airport was targeted by several drones.
Iraq: A drone attack hit the UAE Consulate General in Iraq’s Kurdistan region, injuring two security personnel and damaging a building, the UAE’s foreign ministry said in statement Saturday, adding that the strike was “the second time in a week.”
Bahrain: The country’s defense force said today it had intercepted and destroyed 211 drones and 125 missiles since the start of the conflict.
MotoGP postpones Qatar Grand Prix to November
MotoGP announced a reshuffle of its calendar on Sunday, with the Qatar Grand Prix — originally scheduled for next month — postponed to November 8 due to the escalating situation in the Middle East.
Carmelo Ezpeleta, CEO of MotoGP, said the decision, made in coordination with its governing body the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM), was taken “with great care and in full coordination with our partners in Qatar and across the paddock.”
The revised date means the Portuguese Grand Prix will now be held on November 22 in Portimão, while the season finale in Valencia, Spain shifts to November 29.
Separately, overnight, Formula 1 and its governing body the FIA said its Grand Prix races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia will not happen in April because of safety concerns related to the war.
Iran's internet shutdown persists — but not for everyone
Iran has been largely cut off from the internet for more than 360 hours, according to internet watchdog NetBlocks — but one expert says the shutdown is not impacting everyone in the country equally.
Some “chosen influencers” continue to have access despite a clampdown on most users by the state, the watchdog said.
Doug Madory, who studies internet disruptions, told CNN a “whitelisting system appears to allow limited access for select users while blocking the broader population.”
Iranian authorities said Friday they had arrested a 37-year-old for offering unfettered internet access through a Starlink device in Fars Province, according to state-supported media outlet ISNA. Starlink, Elon Musk’s company that offers internet via an array of satellites, has provided one way for Iranians to speak to the outside world.
While the Iranian regime’s clampdown is mostly to blame for the huge reduction in internet traffic, Madory suggests that US-Israeli strikes could also be causing disruption, potentially resulting in “failures in shared infrastructure such as fiber cuts or power outages.”
CNN’s Ibrahim Dahman contributed reporting.
"High hurdles": Countries respond to Trump's request to send ships to Strait of Hormuz
In a lengthy post on Truth Social yesterday, US President Donald Trump called on “China, France, Japan, South Korea, the UK, and others” to send ships to help the US reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran has effectively halted the passage of oil through the waterway, sparking a global energy crisis that the Trump administration is now struggling to contain amid economic fallout.
Here’s how the countries listed by Trump have reacted to his request so far:
- A spokesperson for China’s Embassy in Washington would not say whether the country is planning to deploy naval assets to the region, telling CNN that Beijing calls for an immediate cession of hostilities, and that “all parties have the responsibility to ensure stable and unimpeded energy supply.”
- A senior official from Japan’s government said that any decision to dispatch Japanese naval vessels to the Middle East to escort ships would face “high hurdles.”
- South Korea’s Presidential Office said that the country will “communicate closely with the US regarding this matter and make a decision after careful review,” Reuters reported, citing a statement from the office.
- The UK is “currently discussing with our allies and partners a range of options to ensure the security of shipping in the region,” a spokesperson for the country’s defense ministry said.
CNN’s Riane Lumer, Max Saltman, Billy Stockwell, Chris Lau and Hanako Montgomery contributed to this reporting.
While Israel’s military fights, key Netanyahu aide talks Lebanon diplomacy on Saudi Arabia visit
As Israel’s military continues striking targets across Iran and Lebanon, diplomatic moves are also taking place – though more perhaps with an eye to the future, rather than any indication of a quick end to the fighting.
Among the key figures on the Israeli side, as he has been for many years, is Ron Dermer, one of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s most trusted aides.
An Israeli source tells CNN Dermer visited Saudi Arabia in the last two weeks, where he discussed, among other issues, Israel’s campaign against Hezbollah in Lebanon, which has escalated sharply this month, as well as possible future ceasefire arrangements there. The visit, which took place after the Iran war began, was first reported by Israel’s Army Radio.
CNN previously reported Netanyahu had tapped Dermer to lead possible negotiations with Lebanon, however an Israeli official told CNN this does not mean there are concrete plans for direct talks at this time.
For its part, Lebanon’s Presidency, along with the government, is in the process of forming a negotiating delegation, for the purpose of negotiations with Israel, a source with knowledge tells CNN.
Waves of Israeli and Iranian strikes continue
Waves of Israeli attacks on Iran, and retaliatory strikes from Tehran have continued this morning.
In a statement on X, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said the Israeli army had “launched a massive wave of attacks against the infrastructure of the Iranian terrorist regime in the west of the country a short while ago.”
Meanwhile Iran’s army said it launched “powerful” drone strikes against Israeli security centers and police headquarters from early Sunday morning. adding that it was continuing its “legitimate defense” of the Iranian people.
As we reported earlier, one resident in the Iranian city of Esfahan said it was struck by a “powerful bomb” this morning.
CNN’s Laura Sharman, Diego Mendoza and Adam Pourahmadi contributed reporting,.
Middle East conflict a re-awakening of a decades-old nightmare for Kuwait
For the Persian Gulf’s oil-rich and mostly cosseted residents, Iran’s pummeling has been as unexpected as it has been terrifying. Many expats have beaten a retreat home, as Iran launched missile and drone salvos, tearing up airports, apartment blocks and oil terminals.
For the people of the tiny nation of Kuwait – just 50 miles across the sea from Iran – the conflict is a re-awakening of a decades-old nightmare when it found itself at the heart of the first Gulf War.
In Kuwait City, at the northern end of the gulf, Khalid Al-Ozaina, a sprightly 70-year-old fisherman, squints into the warming sun as he recalls Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein’s invasion of the country on August 2, 1990. “That was the last time we were banned from fishing,” he says.
Around him hundreds of pleasure boats from the fishing club he runs sit high and dry, marooned on the dock.
Wistfully he stares out over the marina’s deceptively calm waters, longing to get a rod in his hand again. “Are things as bad as they were back then?” he asks. “No they are not,” but it is “dangerous” he admits – Iran’s missiles and drones make sure of that.
Hussein’s war was so brutal its legacy became fused into Kuwait’s modern DNA, intertwining its destiny with the United States as much as with its near neighbors.
Read more on how a battle-scarred Kuwait finds itself in another war.
Beirut "ghost town" pounded by Israeli strikes
Israel has unleashed successive waves of strikes across Lebanon, claiming to target senior Hezbollah operatives, weapons and infrastructure.
CNN’s Isobel Yeung reports from Beirut’s southern suburbs
CNN’s Isobel Yeung reports from Beirut’s southern suburbs, a Hezbollah stronghold battered by Israeli airstrikes. Israel has carried out multiple waves of strikes across Lebanon, driving hundreds of thousands to flee after a week of intense bombardment.
Fresh strikes are hitting the Middle East. These are the latest headlines
New strikes pounded the Middle East on Sunday, while President Donald Trump called for countries to send warships to help the US secure the Strait of Hormuz.
Read the latest updates:
Strikes in the region: State media reported that “several points” in Iran’s Esfahan city were targeted by missiles. Video geolocated by CNN showed thick smoke over the city, but it was not clear what had caused it. One person was killed when a residential building in Lebanon was targeted. Munitions also fell at several locations in central Israel, while Gulf states reported repelling strikes in their territory.
Countries react to Trump’s call: Trump had said “hopefully China, France, Japan, South Korea, the UK, and others” will send ships to the region to help the US secure the Strait of Hormuz. South Korea said it would make a decision after “careful review.” In Japan, a government official said any decision to dispatch naval vessels to the Middle East to escort ships would face “high hurdles.” In separate responses to CNN, neither China nor the UK have confirmed participation in such a plan.
F1 calls off races: Formula 1 and its governing body the FIA said Grand Prix races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia will not happen in April because of safety concerns related to the war. F1 was due to race in Bahrain on April 12 and in Jeddah the following weekend.
Fallen troops identified: The Pentagon released the names of the six US service members who were killed after a KC-135 refueling plane crashed in Iraq.
"Everywhere shook," resident of Iran's Esfahan tells CNN following reported strikes
A resident of the Iranian city of Esfahan said it was struck by a “powerful bomb” on Sunday morning.
One man told CNN “everywhere shook” in the city and described it as “horrifying.”
Video geolocated by CNN shows thick plumes of smoke billowing over the city in central Iran.
It is not clear what caused the smoke seen in the footage.
Iranian state media said Sunday that “several points in Esfahan were targeted by missiles” from US and Israeli fighter jets.
CNN has reached out to the Israeli military for comment.
Trump's plan to escort oil tankers through Strait of Hormuz "very dangerous," analyst says
US President Donald Trump’s plan to send warships to the Strait of Hormuz to escort oil tankers targeted by Iran is a “very dangerous mission,” a foreign policy expert told CNN.
Iran has effectively blocked the narrow waterway through which around 20% of the world’s crude normally passes, sparking a global energy crisis and prompting Trump to contemplate sending in Navy vessels to restore safe passage.
On Saturday, the US president further claimed that “other countries” will be sending warships “in conjunction” with the US to secure the major route for the shipping of Middle East oil to the rest of the world, although it is unclear which countries Trump was referring to.
Trump then wrote in a post on Truth Social, “Hopefully China, France, Japan, South Korea, the UK, and others” will send ships to the region.
But Rosemary Kelanic, Director of the Middle East Program at Defense Priorities, warned: “It’s a very dangerous mission.”
She said Iran occupies the higher ground across the northern side of the strait, allowing it to launch different kinds of attack, from drones to missiles.
The narrowness of the strait heightens the risk. “Because they can attack from the shore…there’s just not enough reaction time to prevent ships from getting struck,” she said.
Context: Since the conflict began, at least 17 vessels have been attacked in and around the Persian Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf of Oman, according to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO).
At least one killed in Israeli strike on Sidon, reports Lebanese media
Lebanese state-run NNA news said at least one person has been killed in an Israeli strike targeting a residential building northeast of the port city of Sidon.
A fire broke out at the building in southern Lebanon, and ambulance crew pulled a body from the scene, NNA reported on Sunday morning local time.
Images show almost an entire wall blown out from an apartment block, with debris strewn across the ground.
CNN has reached out to Israeli military for comment.
"High hurdles" for Japan to send naval ships to Strait of Hormuz, official says
Any decision to dispatch Japanese naval vessels to the Middle East to escort ships would face “high hurdles,” a senior official from the Japanese government said on Sunday.
“While we do not rule out the possibility from a legal standpoint, this is a matter that requires careful judgment given the ongoing conflict,” Takayuki Kobayashi, the ruling Liberal Democratic Party’s policy chief, said during a live television debate on Japan’s public broadcaster NHK.
President Donald Trump had called on other countries to help keep the Strait of Hormuz “open and safe.” He wrote in a lengthy post on Truth Social that “Hopefully China, France, Japan, South Korea, the UK, and others” will send ships to the region.
In response to CNN’s requests for comment, neither China nor the UK confirmed whether they are sending warships to the strait.
Japan is bound by a pacifist constitution that limits its military involvement in ongoing wars. Just last week, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said Japan had no plans to deploy minesweepers to help clear mines from around the strait.
Trump’s post puts Japan in a difficult position before Takaichi’s summit with him this Thursday. While matters like tariffs and investments were set to dominate talks, now Trump’s escalating demands from his allies would likely set the agenda.
“Since Mr. Trump’s remarks change from time to time, I hope that, within the framework of a personal relationship of trust, they [Takaichi] will carefully determine where his true intentions lie,” Kobayashi also said during the televised debate.
South Korea to carry out "careful review of Trump's request over Hormuz, Reuters reports
South Korea will carefully review US President Donald Trump’s request for allies and other countries to send warships to help secure the Strait of Hormuz, Reuters reported, citing a statement from its Presidential Office.
“We will communicate closely with the US regarding this matter and make a decision after careful review,” the office said in a statement Sunday, according to Reuters.
For context: South Korea is among several countries named by Trump in a Truth Social Post on Saturday, as he urged other nations to send in naval vessels to help keep the important waterway “open and free” from Iranian attacks.
