Here's the latest
• Israel says Iran officials killed: Israel says it killed Ali Larijani, Iran’s top security official and one of its most powerful decision-makers. The head of the Basij, Iran’s feared paramilitary force, has also been killed, Israel said. Iran has not yet commented.
• Trump dismisses allies: President Donald Trump said the United States should rethink its membership in NATO as he criticized allies for not helping with the Iran war or in securing the Strait of Hormuz. He also added that the US does not need help.
• Intel official resigns: A senior US counterterrorism intelligence official appointed by Trump abruptly announced he is stepping down, saying he “cannot in good conscience support the ongoing war in Iran.” Trump called his resignation a “good thing.”
• US Embassy impacted: A blast was heard close to the US Embassy in Baghdad, Iraq, as videos appeared to show air defense systems engaging a projectile close to the compound.
More than 900 people killed in Lebanon since conflict began, health ministry says
As the conflict in the Middle East continues, CNN is keeping a tally of the reported deaths in the region, though we are not able to independently verify these figures.
So far today, deaths have been reported in the United Arab Emirates, Lebanon and Iran, as Israel has claimed it killed two Iranian leaders: Ali Larijani, the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, as well as Gholamreza Soleimani, the head of Iran’s Basij paramilitary force. Tehran has yet to comment on these alleged killings.
Here’s what we know about the latest number of people killed in the region since February 28:
- Iran: Iranian authorities have not updated the country’s official death toll in more than a week, but Iran’s foreign minister said yesterday that “hundreds of Iranian civilians,” including more than 200 children, have been killed since the conflict began. The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) said yesterday that 1,351 civilians, including at least 207 children, have been killed, as well as 1,126 military personnel. Another 622 people have also died, HRANA said, but it has not yet been determined if they were civilian or military.
- Lebanon: In an update today, Lebanon’s health ministry said that at least 912 people have been killed in the country since Israel began attacking it on March 2. Of those killed, 111 were children, it said.
- Iraq: Two security sources told CNN yesterday that at least 47 people have been killed in Iraq since the conflict began, the majority of them soldiers from the Popular Mobilization Force (PMF). A French soldier was also killed in an attack on a military base in Iraqi Kurdistan on Thursday.
- Israel: At least 15 Israelis have been killed since the conflict began. This includes nine who were killed in a direct missile hit on a residential building on the city of Beit Shemesh, and two Israeli soldiers who were killed in southern Lebanon on March 8.
- US: 13 US service members have been killed since the start of the conflict, including six who died when their refueling aircraft crashed in Iraq on Thursday. A further six US service members were killed in an Iranian strike that hit a makeshift operations center in Kuwait on March 1.
- UAE: At least eight people have been killed in the UAE since the conflict broke out, including a Pakistani national who was killed by falling debris from an intercepted ballistic missile in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, the city’s media office said today.
- Kuwait: At least six people have died in Kuwait. This includes an 11-year-old girl who died from injuries sustained when shrapnel fell on a residential area on March 4.
- Oman: An Indian national died after an unmanned boat attacked the oil tanker he was working on 52 nautical miles off the Omani coast, the Oman News Agency reported. Additionally, two foreign nationals were killed in a drone “crash” in Oman’s Sohar district, the country’s defense ministry said Friday.
- Saudi Arabia: Two people were killed after a military projectile struck a residential facility in the city of Al-Kharj on March 8, the Saudi Civil Defense said.
- Bahrain: One person was killed after debris from an intercepted missile sparked a fire on a “foreign vessel” in Bahrain’s Salman Industrial City, Bahraini state media said. Separately, a 29-year-old Bahraini woman died after an Iranian strike on the capital Manama, according to Bahrain’s Ministry of Interior.
CNN’s Charbel Mallo, Eyad Kourdi, Sophie Tanno, Helen Regan, Tal Shalev, Tamar Michaelis, Kaanita Iyer, Haley Britzky, Nechirvan Mando, Aqeel Najim, Lex Harvey, Jessie Yeung, Laura Sharman, Ibrahim Dahman and Mohammed Tawfeeq contributed to this reporting.
Trucks carrying food and medical supplies are a lifeline with the Strait of Hormuz blocked
Hundreds of trucks travel in daily from Saudi Arabia to Kuwait to deliver food and medical supplies, offering a lifeline as the Strait of Hormuz remains effectively blocked. CNN’s Nic Robertson reports from the border:
With the Strait of Hormuz blocked, hundreds of trucks are delivering food and medical supplies into Kuwait each day, forming a vital overland lifeline from Saudi Arabia. CNN's Nic Robertson reports.
Trump says Ireland should be "thankful" for US action against Iran
US President Donald Trump said Tuesday that Ireland’s president – an independent politician who was not at the Oval Office meeting – should “be very thankful” that the United States took action to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.
Ireland’s president, Catherine Connolly, has condemned the war in Iran as an assault on international law, also saying that “the normalization of war can never be accepted.”
Asked about her comments, Trump replied: “He’s lucky I exist. That’s all I can say,” apparently referring to Connolly by the wrong gender.
“Because if you’re going to allow countries that are sick and demented, and they are demented, to have nuclear weapons, everybody in the whole world should be very thankful,” Trump continued. “And I’m disappointed in NATO, very disappointed. I’m disappointed in a couple of other countries too, but they should be very thankful that this group of people feels the way we do.”
For context: Ireland’s opposition parties have argued that the US and Israeli attacks on Iran are illegal under international law. Irish Taoiseach (or prime minister) Micheál Martin has stopped short of calling it illegal, although he did previously say the bombing “was not in accordance with a UN mandate.” Martin has repeatedly called for de-escalation and said that Ireland wants a peaceful resolution to the conflict in the Middle East.
On Tuesday in the Oval Office, Martin went as far as agreeing that “you cannot have a rogue state with a nuclear weapon, or the capacity for a nuclear weapon.”
Iran, NATO and a postponed trip to China: What Trump talked about in his latest remarks
President Donald Trump took questions from reporters just moments ago about the war with Iran during a bilateral meeting with Ireland’s Taoiseach Micheál Martin at the White House.
Here’s quick recap of some of the topics Trump touched on:
- On his China trip: Trump said a planned trip to China this month has been postponed amid the US war with Iran. “We’re resetting the meeting, and it looks like it’ll take place in about five weeks. We’re working with China. They were fine with it,” the president said.
- On the Iran war: Trump brushed off a warning by Iran’s deputy foreign minister that US troops on the ground would result in another Vietnam. Asked if he’s afraid of that scenario, Trump responded, “I’m really not afraid of anything.” He also again offered a vague timeline for ending war with Iran, saying “we’re not ready to leave yet, but we will be leaving in the near future.”
- On the Strait of Hormuz: Trump predicted it “won’t be too long” before the Strait of Hormuz is secure, comments that come after he announced that NATO countries will not aid in the conflict. Trump also took a swipe at French President Emmanuel Macron after France declined to join a task force to help secure the the critical waterway.
- On NATO: He said the US should rethink its membership in NATO as he criticized US allies for not helping in the war.
President Donald Trump speaks with reporters about the resignation of a Trump-appointed intelligence official named Joe Kent, who disagreed with Trump’s administration about the war with Iran.
CNN’s Lauren Kent, Pierre P. Bairin, Betsy Klein, Kit Maher and Adam Cancryn contributed to this report.
Larijani's death could delay potential off-ramps to end war, Middle East expert says
The Iranian regime could become an even more hardline body following the death of Iran’s security chief, Ali Larijani, an expert told CNN today.
Sina Azodi, program director of Middle East Studies at George Washington University, said the “death of Larijani will lead to more hardening of the regime.”
Israel announced earlier it killed Larijani, Iran’s top security official and one of its most powerful decision-makers. Iran has not commented on the claims.
Speaking to CNN’s Becky Anderson, the Middle East expert said Larijani maintained relationships across Iran’s political and military establishment.
Azodi warned that Larijani’s removal could pave the way for a more “hardliner figure,” which would “create more difficulty for establishing off ramps to end the war.”
Pregnant, displaced and caught up in war. At least 11,700 women wait to give birth in Lebanon
Just weeks before her daughter’s due date, Nour Fneish had bought everything her baby would need. Clothes and a closet to keep them, shampoo, a hairbrush, a bed. She had it all ready in her home in Maaroub, in Lebanon’s south.
Two days later, woken by Israeli bombs, she had to flee suddenly, with no chance to salvage her careful preparations.
“I was thinking about whether the baby would survive or not. Because I got very, very scared and my stomach felt like a rock. My thoughts were only on her,” the 22-year-old told CNN from a school-turned-shelter.
She’s one of at least 11,700 pregnant women displaced by the fighting and Israel’s evacuation orders for a large swathe of Lebanon’s south, per United Nations figures.
Flicking through pictures, she proudly shows off a blanket she’d had embroidered with “Mila,” the name she’d picked for her unborn child.
“Every day I look at them and wish I could have brought them with me,” she said.
Aid workers in Beirut say that mothers typically return to the shelters – schools and even a soccer stadium have been converted into temporary housing – within a day or so of giving birth. Fears of infection and meeting newborns’ basic needs are difficult to put to rest, mothers told us.
Fneish’s fear for the weeks ahead is obvious.
“Now the thing I think about the most is, God forbid, if I give birth here, how am I going to stay with her here?”
Irish PM defends UK's Starmer from Trump's criticism over war in Iran
Irish Taoiseach Micheál Martin defended the British Prime Minister from criticism by US President Donald Trump, during the leaders’ Oval Office meeting on Tuesday.
Trump said Tuesday that he is “disappointed” in British Prime Minister Keir Starmer for not sending minesweepers to the Strait of Hormuz or other support for the war in Iran. Trump repeated his criticism that “unfortunately, Keir is not Winston Churchill.”
Martin jumped in to defend the UK prime minister, saying: “Notwithstanding what has happened, the transatlantic relationship between Europe and the US is very, very important on a number of fronts, and I think we’ve had issues over the last year or two, but we settled them.”
Martin said that many European leaders engaged with the US on the recent issue of trade disputes, adding, “We’ve got a landing zone between Europe and US, and I think we can get a landing zone again.”
Trump takes swipe at Macron after France declines to join task force
US President Donald Trump took a swipe at his French counterpart Tuesday after France declined to join a task force to help secure the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran has effectively closed.
Asked about Macron’s comments by a reporter in the Oval Office, Trump said: “Well, he’ll be out of office very soon. So, we’ll have to see. I don’t know.”
France’s next presidential elections are slated to be held in April 2027.
For context: Trump has bemoaned American allies who have rebuffed his demands to send warships to help escort tankers through the Strait of Hormuz, saying they were insufficiently loyal to the US after receiving security support for decades.
Trump predicts it won't be "too long" before Strait of Hormuz is secure
A confident President Donald Trump predicted it “won’t be too long” before the Strait of Hormuz is secure, comments that come after he announced that NATO countries will not aid in his war with Iran.
“It won’t be, I don’t believe, too long. We’re knocking the hell out of the coast. It’s basically the coast and the water. And it won’t be too long,” Trump told reporters.
He did not put a timeline on the matter, and officials have not provided details on how the president plans to secure the strait.
Trump also offered praise to Middle Eastern countries: “The Middle Eastern states, including Israel, by the way, who has been terrific, the Middle Eastern states have been helping us a lot.”
Trump had been publicly calling on allies to get involved in assisting the US in securing the waterway, a critical thoroughfare for the transportation of oil.
Trump says US should rethink NATO membership and rebukes allies for not helping in Iran
President Donald Trump said the United States should rethink its membership in NATO as he criticized US allies for not helping in the war in Iran.
NATO membership, Trump said, is “certainly something that we should think about,” as he criticized US allies for rebuffing his requests for help. Addressing reporters in at the White House, Trump said that the US was not obliged to help when Russia invaded Ukraine, appearing to equate the war there with the war in Iran.
Trump said that NATO allies were supportive of the US goal of stopping Iran from getting a nuclear weapon – but they were reluctant to get involved in the war.
“Nobody wants to have Iran within nuclear because these people are crazy. They’re absolutely crazy, and they’re vicious, violent,” Trump said. “Everyone agrees with this, but they don’t want to help.”
He said the US had taken note. “We, as the United States, have to remember that, because we think it’s pretty shocking,” he said. But pressed on whether there would be any repercussions for NATO, Trump said, “Well, no, I just think that it’s not good for a partnership, when they say, ‘what you’re doing is a great thing, but we’re not going to help.’”
Trump says he's "not afraid of anything” in response to Iran’s warning on US ground troops
US President Donald Trump brushed off a warning by Iran’s deputy foreign minister that US troops on the ground would result in another Vietnam.
Asked by a reporter if he’s afraid of that scenario, Trump responded, “No, I’m not afraid of — I’m really not afraid of anything.”
Trump again offers vague timeline for ending war with Iran
President Donald Trump said Tuesday that while the US is not yet ready to end its war with Iran, “we will be leaving in the near future.”
“We’re not ready to leave yet, but we will be leaving in the near future,” he said from the Oval Office.
Trump added that he believes the US has done enough damage at this point that it would take Iran a decade to rebuild.
But pressed on whether the administration has a “day-after” plan for Iran, he declined to offer any specifics, saying only that the country has “been decimated from every standpoint.”
The president has repeatedly offered vague and conflicting timelines for ending the war, which began more than two weeks ago.
Trump says China trip postponed amid war with Iran
President Donald Trump said Tuesday that his planned trip to China this month has been postponed amid the US war with Iran.
“We’re resetting the meeting, and it looks like it’ll take place in about five weeks. We’re working with China. They were fine with it,” Trump told reporters at the White House on Tuesday, later adding it will take place in “five or six weeks.”
He said he looks forward to seeing Chinese leader Xi Jinping, adding, “He looks forward to seeing me — I think.”
Trump has said over the last few days that he may delay his trip to Beijing at the end of the month. He has urged China to help secure the Strait of Hormuz, and Xi has yet to make any public commitments on the matter.
Trump dismisses resignation of top intelligence official, says it's a "good thing" he quit
President Donald Trump said Tuesday that it’s a “good thing” senior intelligence appointee Joe Kent resigned over his objections to the war with Iran, deriding him as “very weak on security.”
“When somebody is working with us that says they didn’t think Iran was a threat, we don’t want those people,” Trump said from the Oval Office. “They’re not smart people, or they’re not savvy people.”
Trump’s remarks came hours after Kent stepped down from his role as director of the National Counterterrorism Center, writing in a resignation letter that “I cannot in good conscience support the ongoing war with Iran.”
Kent also asserted that Iran posed “no imminent threat” to the US, accusing Israel of pushing the Trump administration toward war.
Trump, who appointed Kent to the role, told reporters that he “always thought he was a nice guy.” But the president insisted that Iran did pose a threat to the US, adding of Kent that that “it’s a good thing that he’s out.”
“Iran was a threat,” Trump said. “Every country realized what a threat Iran was.”
President Donald Trump speaks with reporters about the resignation of a Trump-appointed intelligence official named Joe Kent, who disagreed with Trump’s administration about the war with Iran.
White House seeks to discredit claims from former National Counterterrorism Center director
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt issued a lengthy statement seeking to discredit Joe Kent after the director of the National Counterterrorism Center announced his resignation and claimed that “Iran posed no imminent threat” to the US.
President Donald Trump, Leavitt said in a post on X, “had strong and compelling evidence that Iran was going to attack the United States first,” adding that the evidence “was compiled from many sources and factors.”
“The Commander-in-Chief determines what does and does not constitute a threat, because he is the one constitutionally empowered to do so - and because the American people went to the ballot box and entrusted him and him alone to make such final judgments,” Leavitt said, marking the Trump administration’s first public reaction to Kent’s announcement.
She went on to criticize what she described as an “absurd allegation” from Kent that Trump “made this decision based on the influence of others, even foreign countries,” calling it “insulting and laughable.”
Other outside Trump advisers have lashed out at Kent, including former White House communications director Taylor Budowich, who called Kent a “crazed egomaniac” and a “loser,” along with right-wing activist Laura Loomer, who suggested she had been warning about Kent “for a long time now.”
US House speaker defends lack of Iran public hearings
House Speaker Mike Johnson defended the lack of public hearings on the war with Iran and suggested lawmakers relaying information is sufficient.
“We’re in the midst of a couple of weeks-long operation that’s very sensitive in its mission and scope, and you cannot go outside of the classified briefing to give to the public the information because it would adversely affect our mission,” he said when pressed by CNN on why the House has not held any hearings with top Cabinet officials about the conflict.
Johnson also criticized former Director of National Counterterrorism Center Joe Kent, who announced his resignation Tuesday, citing misgivings about the administration’s war with Iran.
Johnson called the proposition that the war is putting foreign interest over domestic interests “clearly wrong.”
“The commander in chief and his administration had a very difficult decision to make. I don’t know where Joe Kent is getting his information, but he wasn’t in those briefings clearly because the secretary of state, the secretary of war, and everyone, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Kaine, they had exquisite intelligence that we understood that this was a serious moment for us,” said Johnson, adding he is “personally convinced” had the administration not acted, there would have been “mass casualties of Americans.”
Iraq’s top judge warns of severe consequences after US embassy attack
Iraq’s top judicial official warned Tuesday about the legal consequences of targeting foreign diplomatic missions, after Iraqi security officials told CNN that two drones were fired at the US Embassy in Baghdad overnight.
At least one drone landed in the vicinity of the embassy and damaged an exterior yard, according to the officials.
No group has yet claimed responsibility, but on Monday an Iran-backed militia released a video shot by a drone showing the embassy compound. The video included a short message that read: “The American embassy is in the line of fire.”
Faiq Zaidan, president of Iraq’s Supreme Judicial Council, said in a statement that diplomatic missions , including embassies, consulates, ambassadors’ residences and mission property, are “among the most important pillars of international relations.”
“Any attack on these missions is considered a serious crime that affects the entire international order,” Zaidan warned.
The US Embassy in Baghdad and other US-linked sites have faced a series of drone and rocket attacks since the United States and Israel began a military campaign against Tehran nearly three weeks ago.
Iran-backed militias have claimed responsibility for some of the attacks, saying they were acting in support of Tehran.
Trump criticizes NATO allies for not helping with Iran war or Strait of Hormuz
President Donald Trump said today that other countries will not aid in his war with Iran, despite vowing Monday to “soon” announce “a couple” of countries that planned to help secure the Strait of Hormuz.
“The United States has been informed by most of our NATO ‘Allies’ that they don’t want to get involved with our Military Operation against the Terrorist Regime of Iran, in the Middle East,” Trump said on Truth Social.
And after repeatedly railing against countries for not offering immediate aid on Monday, Trump is now saying the US no longer needs or wants the help of NATO and “NEVER DID!”
“Because of the fact that we have had such Military Success, we no longer ‘need,’ or desire, the NATO Countries’ assistance — WE NEVER DID! Likewise, Japan, Australia, or South Korea. In fact, speaking as President of the United States of America, by far the Most Powerful Country Anywhere in the World, WE DO NOT NEED THE HELP OF ANYONE!” Trump said.
Later in the Oval Office, Trump reiterated that he was “surprised” to see that NATO allies weren’t helping.
“I think NATO’s making a very foolish mistake,” Trump told reporters. “I’ve long said that, you know, I wonder whether or not NATO would ever be there for us. So, this was a great test, because we don’t need them, but they should have been there.”
Notably, Trump did not mention China in his Truth Social post, despite specifically mentioning Beijing on Monday.
Less than 24 hours ago, Trump publicly said other countries that benefit from the Strait of Hormuz should help the US in the war with Iran. The president said he would “soon” announce “a couple” countries that have offered their help with the strait, though he did not specify which ones.
Are you struggling to afford gas as prices rise due to the war? Let us know
Rising prices at the gas pump are putting even more financial strain on many Americans’ wallets.
Why escorting tankers through the Strait of Hormuz carries high risk
President Donald Trump says the US is considering naval escorts for ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz. CNN’s Ivan Watson explains the hazards of an operation of that scale, which would restore only a fraction of global oil traffic.
The US is considering naval escorts for ships through the Strait of Hormuz, but CNN’s Ivan Watson warns the mission could be dangerous and restore only a fraction of global oil traffic.
