Here's the latest
• On the ground: There has been no letup in strikes with the war in its sixth day. Israel says it hit Iranian missile sites while Iran carried out fresh retaliatory strikes across the region, with several injured in Abu Dhabi. A CNN team has entered Iran, the first US network to cross into the country since the war began.
• Widening conflict: There are further signs of the war spilling beyond the Middle East. Iran denied its drones struck an airport in Azerbaijan. Meanwhile, Tehran called the US torpedoing of a warship near Sri Lanka an “atrocity.” European powers are working to shore up defenses in Cyprus after a drone attack.
• Evacuations ramp up: Stranded passengers are starting to leave the Middle East as airlines schedule new services and governments rally charter flights. But many remain stuck, with travel options limited.
• Kurds targeted: Iran said it targeted “separatist terrorist groups (that) intended to enter the country’s western borders.” The statement follows reports that the CIA was working to arm Kurdish forces, with the aim of fomenting a popular uprising in Iran.
In photos: Projectile from Iran lands near Tel Aviv
Emergency workers respond after a projectile fired from Iran landed in Bareket, east of Tel Aviv, Israel, today.
US gas prices are now at their highest level in 11 months
Gas prices shot higher by another 5 cents a gallon in the latest reading from AAA, taking the average price in the US to $3.25 a gallon, the highest average price in 11 months.
This 26-cent-a-gallon increase since Friday is a reaction to the war in Iran and the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial channel through which 20% of the world’s oil passes. Gas prices have also risen after Iran launched retaliatory attacks 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.
Most of the increase has come in the last three days, although today’s 5-cent jump in prices is less than the 9-cent increase in Wednesday’s reading and the 11-cent spike in prices on Tuesday, which had been the biggest one-day increase since the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
Still, the 25-cent gain in gas prices in the last few days is the largest three-day rise since March 2022, shortly after sanctions were imposed on Russia for its invasion of Ukraine.
Diesel prices are rising even faster. The average price of diesel rose 12.8 cents to $4.17 a gallon in Thursday’s reading, taking it up 40 cents in just that last three days. While few American drivers have cars powered by diesel, the spike may be felt by the average consumer in coming weeks. Most heavy trucks use diesel, and most trucking companies have a fuel surcharge they add onto their rates. Fuel surcharges are also being put in place on ocean shipments. So, moving goods is becoming more expensive and could be passed onto consumers in higher prices.
High diesel prices could also hurt farmers, who use diesel in their farm equipment, just as they prepare for the spring planting season. And homeowners in the Northeast who use heating oil will be hurt since that is the same product as diesel.
And more prices hikes could be on the way. Wholesale gas prices, along with West Texas Intermediate oil and Brent Crude, the two benchmark readings for oil prices, were all slightly higher in early trading today.
European powers move to defend Cyprus after drone attack on island
European nations are working together to shore up defenses in Cyprus after a British airbase on the Mediterranean island was hit by a drone attack on Monday.
France cut short the deployment of its aircraft carrier strike group to the Baltic to respond to the Iranian bombing campaign, and on Thursday a source close to French President Emmanuel Macron told CNN that the country will coordinate with Italy and Greece in shoring up defenses in Cyprus.
Italy’s defense minister Guido Crosetto confirmed his country’s involvement, saying “we must reassess our assets in the region and respond to the requests of friendly countries in difficulty.”
Spain is sending its Cristóbal Colón frigate to Cyprus as part of a joint deployment with the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle and vessels from the Greek Navy, the country’s defense ministry said in a statement Thursday.
The Cristóbal Colón is Spain’s “most technologically advanced frigate,” said the ministry, which added that the deployment shows the country’s “commitment to defending the European Union and its eastern border.”
Monday’s drone attack targeted RAF Akrotiri, a key hub for UK air operations in the Middle East, and is believed to be the first attack on the British base since 1986.
US-Israeli attack hits Tehran's iconic Azadi sports complex, Iranian state media reports
Tehran’s iconic Azadi sports complex has been hit by a US-Israeli attack, according to state media.
The attack hit the complex’s indoor, multi-purpose stadium, the Azadi 12,000 Capacity Hall. It is mainly used for volleyball, wrestling and futsal.
Tehran’s Persepolis Football Club issued a statement condemning the attack, saying that sports venues symbolized peace and fair competition.
The complex was built by Iranian architecture firm AFFA for the 1974 Asian Games, which were the first Asian Games held in the Middle East.
France allows US aircraft on mainland base for non-combat purposes
France has permitted US non-combat aircraft to use an airbase on the French mainland with the “complete guarantee” that these aircraft “do not participate in any way in US operations in Iran” only in defense of regional partners, a spokesperson for the French Armed Forces told CNN Thursday.
Non-combat support aircraft have been permitted to use the Istres air base outside of Marseille in the south of France. The spokesperson added that this was a “routine procedure” with the framework of NATO.
France has not permitted US aircraft to use the country’s air bases in the Middle East region.
According to a source close to French President Emmanuel Macron, France will `also coordinate with Italy and Greece in shoring up defenses in Cyprus, which was hit by a drone attack.
European dilemma: Like other US allies in Europe, France has faced tough choices about how far to get involved in the conflict. President Emmanuel Macron said the US-Israeli attacks were “conducted outside the framework of international law” while blaming Iran for the escalation that follows.
France cut short the deployment of its aircraft carrier strike group to the Baltic to respond to the Iranian bombing campaign, with French aircraft already credited with shooting down drones in defense of Gulf allies.
Here's where Iran hit in the latest strikes
Iran has continued retaliatory strikes, using drones and missiles to hit various locations throughout the Middle East, as well as allegedly hitting Azerbaijan for the first time.
Six Pakistani and Nepali nationals were injured in an Iranian strike on Abu Dhabi, the emirate’s media office said Thursday, while Qatari air defense systems intercepted Iranian missiles over the capital Doha.
CNN journalists on the ground reported that explosions caused by missile intercepts rattled buildings as booms rang out across the city, and video shot by CNN shows smoke in the sky where the intercepts took place.
Iran launched further attacks on Israel, with a projectile landing in Bareket, east of Tel Aviv, and Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it had launched missiles at Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport.
Drone strikes in Azerbaijan reportedly injured two people and damaged an airport terminal building in the first attacks on the country since the beginning of the conflict.
Azerbaijani authorities blamed the attack on Iran, but the country’s armed forces denied launching the drones and suggested the incident may have been a false-flag operation by Israel.
Asian stocks rebound, European indexes also up
Asian stocks staged a strong recovery Thursday after steep declines the previous day, while European stocks were slightly higher. US stock futures, after rebounding Wednesday, were broadly flat Thursday morning.
South Korea’s Kospi index closed 9.6% higher after a record 12% selloff Wednesday.
One explanation for the massive declines in Seoul earlier this week is “that Korea’s equities have (recently) benefitted from extreme exuberance, perhaps speculative excess, and were due a break,” Thomas Mathews, head of markets analysis for Asia-Pacific at consultancy Capital Economics, said Thursday. “Indeed, earnings expectations had grown sky-high.”
A rebound in other Asian stock indexes was less stark after Wednesday’s smaller falls. Europe’s benchmark STOXX Europe 600 was up 0.5%, building on a bigger rise the previous day after sliding earlier in the week.
US futures signaled a mixed open on Wall Street. The Dow was on track to open 0.1% down, while S&P 500 and NASDAQ futures were little changed.
More broadly, markets have “remained very sensitive to headlines,” Deutsche Bank said in a note Thursday, noting that oil prices had fallen during the day on Wednesday after the New York Times reported that Iran had made indirect contact with the United States to discuss negotiations to end their conflict.
Likewise, Mohit Kumar, economist at Jefferies, wrote Thursday that the report had helped “set a tone for higher markets.”
Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, still ended Wednesday’s session up on the day, settling at the highest level since January 2025. It rose 2.4% in morning trade Thursday to $83 a barrel. WTI, the US benchmark, was up 3%.
In photos: Evacuations from the Middle East, seen around the world
Tearful reunions have been taking place in airports around the world as thousands evacuate from the Middle East. Many travelers spent days stranded in the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and other regional airports.
Several countries, including the UK, India, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Australia and the Czech Republic, are working to increase flights and safe border crossings from the region.
Watch CNN cross into Iran as first US network to enter country since beginning of war
A CNN team has crossed over into Iran, becoming the first US network to cross into the country since the war with the US and Iran began.
After crossing into Iran today, CNN’s Frederik Pleitgen says he and his team are now trying to make it “to the capital Tehran as fast as possible,” having a received a visa from the government to report inside the country.
“We also don’t know what the situation on the road to Tehran is going to look like, how many checkpoints there’s going to be, and of course we know at the same time there are massive combat operations,” Pleitgen says during a short report filed from the road.
Pleitgen and team are mindful that their destination Tehran “has been under almost sustained attacks with massive airstrikes going on there” and suffered extensive damage and casualties due to US-Israeli bombardment, he said.
Iran has continued to strike a host of countries across the Gulf and vowed to continue its retaliatory campaign for the forseeable.
Israel targets Iranian missile sites in overnight strikes on Tehran
The Israeli military said it carried out a wave of airstrikes overnight against targets in Tehran, including ballistic missile infrastructure and launch sites above and below ground.
In a statement published Thursday, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said the strikes hit an underground facility used to store ballistic missiles, as well as additional missile storage sites it claimed were intended to target aircraft. The IDF also said it struck several long-range ballistic missile launchers that it described as posing an “immediate threat” to Israel.
The military added that an Israeli Air Force fighter jet identified Iranian operatives preparing a loaded launcher intended for use against aircraft and struck both the launcher and the operatives.
It's day 6 of the latest Middle East conflict. Get up to speed here
As it enters its sixth day, the latest Middle East conflict continues to widen, with explosions rocking the Iranian capital Tehran again this morning as Qatar said it was intercepting a fresh missile attack.
Overnight, Israel launched another wave of attacks against Iran, as well as striking Hezbollah targets in Beirut. Iran also launched three waves of missiles towards Israel overnight, according to the Israeli military.
Here’s what to know on day 6:
- First Iranian attack on Azerbaijan: Iranian drone attacks have injured two people and damaged the terminal building of an airport near the Iran-Azerbaijan border, Azeri authorities said, the first strikes on the country since the beginning of the conflict.
- Iran targets separatist groups: Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence says it targeted “separatist terrorist groups (that) intended to enter the country’s western borders” with the support of the United States. The ministry statement, reported by the country’s state media, is believed to have been referring to attacks by Iranian forces on Iraq-based Kurdish groups.
- Warship torpedoed: Iran’s foreign minister has decried the deadly US torpedo attack on an Iranian warship as an “atrocity,” which he warned the US will come to regret. More than 80 people were killed, and a number remaining missing, after the IRIS Dena sank off the coast of Sri Lanka on Wednesday.
- US objectives: Top US officials warned on Wednesday the US will start striking deeper into Iran and the operation is still in its early days.
- Turkish interception: Iran’s military leaders claim they did not fire any missiles toward Turkey, state media reported, after NATO air defenses intercepted what Turkey said was a missile launched from Iran on Wednesday. This is believed to be the first time NATO forces have intercepted an Iranian missile traveling towards a member country since this conflict began.
- Markets: Asian stocks bounced back Thursday after steep falls the previous day. European stock indexes were slightly higher in early trade, while US futures were broadly flat.
Read more about the latest developments here.
Iraqi Kurdistan Regional Government denies reports of plan to send forces into Iran
The Iraqi Kurdistan Regional Government said on Thursday that reports of a “plan to arm and send Kurdish opposition parties into Iranian territory are completely unfounded.”
“On the contrary, we call for peace and stability in the region,” Hawramani added. “We strongly condemn the cowardly attacks targeting the Kurdistan Region, and we call on the federal government and the international community to intervene to stop these assaults and protect our land, our people, and our region.”
For context: The CIA is working to arm Iranian Kurdish forces with the aim of fomenting a popular uprising in Iran, multiple people familiar with the plan told CNN on Wednesday. The Trump administration has been in active discussions with Iranian opposition groups and Kurdish leaders in Iraq about providing them with military support, the sources said.
However, several Iraqi Kurdish parties have denied any involvement in the Iran war.
Any attempt to arm Iranian Kurdish groups would need support from the Iraqi Kurds to let the weapons transit and use Iraqi Kurdistan as a launching ground.
“[It’s] very dangerous, but what can we do? We cannot stand against America,” one senior Iraqi Kurdistan Regional Government official told CNN on Wednesday, speaking on the condition of anonymity.
This post has been updated for clarification.
Iran says it targeted "separatist groups" intending to enter country, referring to Kurds
Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence says it targeted “separatist terrorist groups (that) intended to enter the country’s western borders” with the support of the United States. The ministry statement, reported by the country’s state media, is believed to have been referring to attacks by Iranian forces on Iraq-based Kurdish groups.
Iran’s ISNA News Agency reported on Thursday that explosions have been heard at the headquarters of forces in Iraqi Kurdistan.
It comes after sources told CNN that the CIA is working to arm Kurdish forces, with the aim of fomenting a popular uprising in Iran. The Trump administration has been in active discussions with Iranian opposition groups and Kurdish leaders in Iraq about providing them with military support, multiple people familiar with the plan told CNN.
On Thursday, Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence and Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said they destroyed “a significant part of the positions and facilities of these mercenaries” and said that heavy losses were inflicted on them, likely referring to Iraq-based Kurdish groups. The Iranian ministry statement also claimed they were working in cooperation with Kurdish men in Iran and monitoring the country’s border areas.
For context: Iranian Kurdish armed groups have thousands of forces operating along the Iraq-Iran border, primarily in Iraq’s Kurdistan region. Several of the groups have released public statements since the beginning of the war hinting at imminent action and urging Iranian military forces to defect.
Meanwhile, several Iraqi Kurdish parties have denied any involvement in the Iran war.
Two injured in first drone attacks on Azerbaijan since war started
Drone attacks have injured two people and damaged the terminal building of an airport near the Iran-Azerbaijan border, Azerbaijani authorities said, the first strikes on the country since the beginning of the conflict.
The attacks took place around midday local time (3 a.m. ET), and another drone fell near a school in Shakarabad, Azerbaijan’s foreign ministry said in a statement Thursday.
The drones hit Azerbaijan’s exclave of Nakhchivan, which is separated from mainland Azerbaijan by Armenia.
“We strongly condemn these drone attacks launched from the territory of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” reads the statement.
“This attack against the territory of the Republic of Azerbaijan constitutes a violation of the norms and principles of international law and serves to increase tensions in the region,” added the ministry.
Iran’s armed forces denied launching drones at Azerbaijan and suggested the incident may have been a false-flag operation by Israel.
“Such actions by the fake Zionist regime to disrupt relations among Muslim countries through various means have a precedent, and according to investigations conducted, such an action was carried out to accuse the Islamic Republic of Iran by that regime,” the armed forces were cited as saying by Nour News.
Rising tensions: Azerbaijan and Iran are both majority Shiite Muslim nations, and millions of ethnic Azeris live in Iran.
However tensions between the two nations have risen recently as Azerbaijan has increased security cooperation with Israel.
Iran's internet blackout hits 120 hours
Iran’s internet blackout has now passed 120 hours, with connectivity in the country flatlining at around 1% of its typical levels, according to independent watchdog organization NetBlocks.
Netblocks added that Iranian telecommunications companies are engaging in “Orwellian” behavior, threatening legal action against users attempting to access the global internet.
The move has made it difficult to obtain a full picture of what’s happening within Iran.
Interception of missile attack rattles buildings in Doha's West Bay
Qatar has been “subjected to a missile attack,” the Ministry of Defence said in a post on Instagram, adding that air defense systems were intercepting the strike.
Intercepts in the skies over the capital Doha at around 11.55 a.m. local (03.55 a.m. ET) rattled buildings as booms rang out across the city, according to CNN journalists on the ground.
At least another two rounds of interceptions took place shortly after.
CNN staff in Doha did not receive an emergency alert ahead of the barrage.
Evacuations ramp up, with thousands leaving the Middle East
Evacuation flights out of the Middle East have ramped up with thousands leaving the region as the US-Israeli war with Iran continues to cause aviation chaos.
Here’s the latest on evacuation flights:
- US evacuation: The first US evacuation flight left the Middle East after the Trump administration faced backlash for not having an evacuation plan ready. More than 17,500 US citizens have returned home from the Middle East since February 28.
- US diplomats told to leave: The US authorized non-emergency staff and their families to depart several Middle Eastern countries, and Qatar authorities are evacuating residents living near the US Embassy, after Iranian strikes this week targeted US facilities across the region.
- Israel to reopen airport: Israel will begin gradually reopening its main international airport today for incoming flights. Evacuation flights have also departed other regional hubs, including Dubai and Jeddah.
- Canada evacuation: Canadian nationals in Israel will be bused to the Egyptian border. In Beirut, limited numbers are being put on planes. The government is also trying to arrange charter flights out of the UAE as the airspace begins to open, Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand said.
- European efforts: The British foreign minister said the UK is working with airlines to boost evacuations, while France, Germany, Italy and the Czech Republic have also begun arranging flights out of the region.
- Bahrain repatriation: Bahrain’s national carrier Gulf Air successfully repatriated more than 400 transit passengers, it said Thursday.
- Reunions: After days stranded in Dubai, some of the first passengers arrived home after airlines including Emirates and Virgin Atlantic resumed limited flights from the United Arab Emirates to cities such as New York, London, Paris, and Sydney.
- Rest of the world: Several countries have recommended their nationals shelter in place or leave the region. Japan said it will transport its citizens residing in Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and the UAE by land to Riyadh and Muscat, where airports remain operational. India and Australia have also repatriated some of its nationals.
New wave of explosions heard in Tehran
Explosions rocked Tehran again this morning leaving more residents unsure whether to leave or stay put, a man who fled the city told CNN.
Loud bangs were heard in the Iranian capital Thursday morning, the semi-official state news agency Tasnim reported.
The man – who fled Tehran with his wife, a doctor, a few nights ago – described the uncertainty of living under continuing attacks. “You never know what or who is a target.”
Earlier this week, a TV and radio antenna near their home was hit, shaking the entire neighborhood.
Now they are settled in a small town near Damavand, Iran’s tallest peak, he said the nights are filled with the sound of fighter jets, though no impacts have reached their area.
“A lot of friends and family are staying put in Tehran for now, because the thinking is no matter where you go, something there will be targeted,” he said.
Heading south means fearing foreign forces at the borders, while going north risks getting trapped on the congested Chalus highway, he added. “Many people are thinking it’s better to just stay where you are.”
Italy to send air defense aid to Gulf states after Iranian strikes, leader says
Italy is planning to send air defense aid to Gulf countries in the face of Iranian air strikes, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on Thursday.
“Like the United Kingdom, France and Germany, Italy intends to send assistance to Gulf countries, specifically in the field of defense and in particular air defense,” Meloni told radio station RTL 102.5.
Iran's IRGC says Strait of Hormuz only closed to ships from US, Israel and their allies
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said Thursday that the Strait of Hormuz –– one of the world’s most important shipping lanes, which has seen traffic dry up since the war began –– is only closed to ships from the US, Israel, Europe and other Western allies.
If vessels belonging to the US, Israel, Europe “and their supporters … are observed, they will certainly be hit,” the IRGC warned.
The strait has been effectively closed since the US and Israel launched their joint operation against Iran on Saturday, sending oil prices surging and threatening to upend the global economy.
