Here's the latest
• “Major crisis”: The IEA warned Monday the energy crisis was worse than the oil shocks in the 1970s. Iran again vowed retaliation if US President Donald Trump followed through on his Saturday threat to attack its power plants if the Strait of Hormuz was not reopened within 48 hours.
• Strikes on Israel: Dozens of people were reported injured in Iranian missile strikes across southern Israel and on Tel Aviv over the weekend. Israel’s military said Sunday it has intercepted 92% of Iran’s ballistic missiles.
• Lebanon’s fears: President Joseph Aoun slammed Israel’s attacks on infrastructure in southern Lebanon on Sunday, saying that they are a “prelude to a ground invasion” and a clear violation of international law.
• Death toll climbs: The number of people reported killed in Iran and Lebanon since the start of the conflict is now into the thousands.
Trump and Britain's Starmer discuss Strait of Hormuz in late night call
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and US President Donald Trump discussed the Strait of Hormuz crisis in a phone call late Sunday.
“They agreed that reopening the Strait of Hormuz was essential to ensure stability in the global energy market,” Downing Street said in a statement, adding that they would “speak again soon.”
The call came after Trump leveled sharp criticism at the British Prime Minister, and other European allies, for their reluctance to assist the United States militarily in its war with Iran.
Britain is one of 22 countries that have expressed a willingness to contribute to efforts to ensure safe navigation of the Strait of Hormuz, the crucial waterway that’s been effectively closed since the war with Iran broke out.
On Sunday, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said he was “absolutely convinced” that the alliance will be able to reopen the strait. Rutte argued that the secret nature of the military operation required NATO countries to take time to calibrate their response.
Relief workers help injured after strike hits residential area, Iranian Red Crescent says
Relief workers are providing aid to the injured after an air strike hit a residential area in Urmia, northwestern Iran, the Iranian Red Crescent said in a post to X.
A video posted by the organization showed rescuers wading through the rubble of collapsed buildings.
Several civilians were killed and wounded in Khorramabad, western Iran, following a separate airstrike early Monday, including a child whose body was pulled out from beneath rubble, according to Iranian state media Fars News Agency.
“If you strike electricity, we will strike electricity,” Iran's Revolutionary Guard says, as Trump deadline looms
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it will respond in kind to any attacks on the country’s power plants.
The statement, published by Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency, follows a warning from Iran’s military saying it is ready to close the Strait of Hormuz indefinitely if US President Donald Trump carries out a threat to bomb Iran’s power plants. Israeli energy and communications infrastructure and power plants of regional countries hosting US bases will also be targeted, Iran said.
The IRGC said it will retaliate by targeting Israeli power plants, “as well as those in regional countries that supply electricity, along with economic, industrial, and energy infrastructure in which Americans have stakes.”
“If you strike electricity, we will strike electricity,” it added.
US and Iran trade threats over Strait of Hormuz after Trump's ultimatum. Here's the latest
All eyes are on the Strait of Hormuz, as President Donald Trump’s 48-hour deadline ticks closer and Iran threatens to permanently close the vital trade passage. Asian stocks fell Monday as oil prices continued to rise, adding to fears of global inflation.
Here’s what to know on Day 24:
- Iran responds to Trump: Over the weekend, Trump said the US would “obliterate” Iran’s power plants if the strait isn’t reopened by Monday evening, at 7:44 p.m. ET – 48 hours from the time he posted the threat on Truth Social. Iran responded that if Trump follows through with his threat, it would close the vital waterway indefinitely and attack regional infrastructure.
- Oil crisis: Oil prices rose Sunday after Iran’s threat, with Brent crude – the global benchmark – climbing to $114.09 a barrel.
- Attacks on Lebanon: The Lebanese president condemned Israel’s attacks on infrastructure in southern Lebanon on Sunday, calling them a “prelude to a ground invasion” and in “clear violation” of international law.
- West Bank attacks: Five Israeli settlers were arrested in the occupied West Bank on Sunday evening after a second consecutive night of widespread attacks on Palestinians. Videos posted online showed settlers torching cars and buildings, with at least 10 Palestinians reported injured, according to the Palestine Red Crescent Society. Violence in the West Bank has surged since the start of the war with Iran.
- Strikes on Israel: Dozens of people were reported injured in Iranian missile strikes across southern Israel and on Tel Aviv over the weekend. Israel’s military said Sunday it has intercepted 92% of Iran’s ballistic missiles.
- Death under investigation: The Israeli military is also examining whether friendly fire killed a civilian in the northern Israeli community of Misgav Am, after initially blaming the incident on Hezbollah, Iran’s proxy in Lebanon.
International Energy Agency chief warns energy crisis worse than 1970s oil shocks
Fatih Birol, the International Energy Agency’s executive director, has said the energy crisis is “very severe” and that the global economy is “facing a major, major threat.”
The situation, he said, is worse than the two consecutive oil crises in 1973 and 1979, in which the world lost about 10 million barrels of oil per day, and the gas market crash following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Asia, he said, is at the forefront of the crisis due to its reliance on the Strait of Hormuz, the vital waterway which Iran has effectively closed.
The IEA chief said they were talking with countries including Canada and Mexico to increase oil production and release into the global market.
“We have stocks and we are incentivizing many countries with refineries to move faster than they normally do,” Birol said.
Iranian missile strikes have knocked out Qatar’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports, and while Australia could fill the gap, it cannot do it alone, he said.
“Australia alone will not be able to offset the entire lack of LNG coming from Middle East, but there will be some new LNG facilities coming to the market in from Australia and elsewhere,” Birol said.
Following the IEA’s historic release of 400 million barrels of oil to ease the markets, Birol said the organization was consulting with governments around the world and more oil could be released if necessary.
“If needed, we can put more oil in the markets, both crude oil and products,” he said. “Our stock release will help to comfort the markets, but this is not the solution. It will only help to reduce the pain and the economy.”
At least 44 energy assets in the region have been severely or very severely damaged across nine countries, Birol said. Rationing and Covid-style measures to conserve energy may be needed for some time, with poorer nations suffering the most.
Deadly strikes in Iran, 1 wounded in Abu Dhabi as countries intercept drones and missiles
One person has been wounded by falling debris in Abu Dhabi, according to authorities, as countries in the Gulf say they are intercepting drones and missiles and deadly airstrikes are reported in several Iranian cities early Monday morning.
Here’s what’s happening in the region:
- In the United Arab Emirates, an Indian national suffered minor injuries from falling debris in Abu Dhabi’s Al Shawamekh suburb following the “interception of a ballistic missile,” the government media office said. The UAE’s defense ministry said it was responding to “incoming missile and drone attacks from Iran.”
- Saudi Arabia’s defense ministry said it was responding to drones in the eastern and northern border areas of the country. Two ballistic missiles heading toward capital Riyadh were intercepted, it added.
- Kuwait’s air defenses were also intercepting “hostile missile and drone threats,” according to the country’s armed forces.
- And sirens were sounding in Bahrain, according to its interior ministry.
- Iranian state media are reporting airstrikes in multiple areas of Tehran as the Israeli military said it had launched a “broad wave of attacks” in the capital. Earlier, one person was killed and another wounded in port city Bandar Abbas in an attack targeting a Persian Gulf Broadcasting Center radio transmitter, said state-affiliated Mehr news agency. The Iranian Red Crescent said it was responding to a strike that hit a residential area in Urmia, northwest Iran. And the semi-official Fars news agency reported strikes in a residential area of Khorramabad that killed and wounded several people.
Asian markets plunge as Middle East conflict escalates
Asian stocks plummeted in the early hours of Monday, as the United States and Iran escalated threats against each other with the critical oil and gas shipping lane – the Strait of Hormuz – still effectively shut.
Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 index slid 3.5% as of 10:53 am local time, and South Korea’s Kospi plunged 4.9%. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index shed 2.7%, and Taiwan’s Taiex was down 2.2%.
Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and other East Asian economies are hugely reliant on oil and gas imports from the Gulf states, and much was shipped through the Strait of Hormuz before the war began. For now, the trio holds sufficient crude stockpiles for a few months.
Since the war began, the Nikkei 225 and the Kospi have both fallen by around 12%. The Hang Seng index and the Taiex have lost around 8% and 7% respectively.
US Department of State urges Americans abroad "to exercise increased caution"
The US Department of State today advised Americans who are abroad, especially in the Middle East, “to exercise increased caution.”
“Americans abroad should follow the guidance in security alerts issued by the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate,” the department said in a worldwide caution alert, noting that “periodic” airspace closures may disrupt travel and that US diplomatic buildings have been targeted.
The department urged Americans to enroll at step.state.gov to receive the latest security alerts and to follow the “U.S. Department of State - Security Updates for U.S. Citizens” channel on WhatsApp or @TravelGov on X.
The alert comes as the State Department has taken steps to bolster security measures amid the war with Iran. Last week, the agency ordered all diplomatic posts to “immediately” review their security postures amid the volatile situation in the Middle East “and the potential for spill-over effects,” according to a diplomatic cable sent worldwide and seen by CNN.
CNN’s Jennifer Hansler contributed to this report.
More than 80,000 civilian units in Iran damaged since war began, Iranian media says
Strikes across Iran have damaged more than 80,000 civilian units, including medical centers, schools and ambulances, Iran’s Red Crescent Society has reported according to Iranian media.
In Tehran province, strikes have affected 275 pharmaceutical, health and emergency centers, 498 schools and 17 Red Crescent centers, Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) said, citing Pir Hossein Kolivand, head of Iran’s Red Crescent society.
“Attacks on these facilities and equipment are not merely destruction of buildings or vehicles, but direct assaults on the lifelines that save human lives,” IRNA cited Kolivand as saying.
One Red Crescent aid worker from the central Iranian city of Esfahan was killed while “serving and saving lives,” Kolivand said, adding that many more have been injured.
Iran’s health minister Mohammad-Reza Zafarghandi also said today around 300 medical and emergency centers have been damaged since the war began, according to Iranian state media.
CNN cannot independently verify the figures or the circumstances of the reported damage and has reached out to US Central Command and the Israeli military for comment.
Tehran to monetize control Hormuz strait, Iranian source says
An Iranian source told CNN that Tehran is moving forward with monetizing control over the Strait of Hormuz, where Tehran controls who passes and on what terms.
“We will continue suppressing Israel and establishing a new legal regime in the Strait of Hormuz,” the source said, in apparent reference to some reports detailing payments in the range of $2 million per tanker to pass.
The source added that Trump should “accept Iran’s conditions” on ending the war, saying that he risks political suicide.
“It seems Trump, facing pressure from inside America and rising global oil prices, should get out of the trap Netanyahu set for him sooner rather than later and accept Iran’s conditions. If he doesn’t give Iran the necessary concessions, he could enter an endless path that risks gambling away his entire political career,” the source said.
Iran says will “irreversibly" destroy infrastructure if US hits power plants
Iranian officials and state media have vowed retaliation across the region if US President Donald Trump carries out a threat to bomb Iran’s power plants.
Trump said Saturday he would order the bombardment if the Strait of Hormuz was not fully open to shipping within 48 hours.
On Friday, the US president said American operations in the Middle East were beginning to wind down, but his subsequent warnings and Iran’s response suggest more civilian facilities across the region could be targeted in the week ahead.
Critical infrastructure and energy facilities in the Middle East could be “irreversibly destroyed” should Iranian power plants be targeted, Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf said in comments posted on X on Sunday. Qalibaf said regional infrastructure would become “legitimate targets” should Iran’s facilities be hit, and that its retaliation would increase the price of oil for a long while.
Iran’s semi-official Mehr News published a map of power plants in the Gulf, warning: “Say goodbye to electricity,” should Trump carry out his threat. “In the event of even the smallest attack on Iran’s electrical infrastructure, the entire region will be plunged into darkness … 70% to 80% of major power plants are along the Persian Gulf coast … all within Iran’s deterrence range,” it said.
The Nournews Agency, affiliated with Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, said Trump’s threat was not a display of strength but exposed US vulnerabilities despite its claims of energy independence.
“Any escalation would trigger Iran’s multi-layered retaliation, targeting regional assets and causing broader economic, social, and environmental crises,” it said.
In another example of the defiant rhetoric coming from Tehran, the commander of Iran’s armed forces headquarters said: “The doctrine of our armed forces has changed from defensive to offensive. New surprises are on the way.”
Tel Avivians reflect on Israel’s air defense after failed interceptions
Habima Square is right in the heart of Tel Aviv.
Hours after a suspected bomblet from an Iranian cluster missile struck a nearby street, and a day after two missiles evaded interceptors in the desert towns of Dimona and Arad, CNN found Einat, 62, and Aviad, 67, sitting in a pub, sharing a drink.
Did they still have faith in the country’s air defense system to keep them safe?
Einat admitted she did have concerns.
“It’s still better than nothing, but it’s definitely worrying,” she said.
Aviad was more sanguine.
“It doesn’t intercept cluster munitions, and it can’t intercept them,” he said, adding, “It’s Russian roulette, and living here in this country is Russian roulette.”
Both said they followed government instructions to go to hardened shelters when the sirens came.
Most of the people CNN spoke with did not want to reveal their surnames.
Jennifer Hassan Smith, 52, who was also out enjoying a drink with a companion, said Iran’s increased use of cluster munitions actually made her feel safer, because their explosive power was much lower than missiles carrying a single warhead.
“If it falls and we are in a safe room, we are totally safe,” she said.
Israel’s military says interception rates remain over 90 percent. For Orna, who didn’t want to give her age, and told CNN she preferred to spend her nights at the underground parking lot at Habima, rather than sleep at home, that level of success is good enough.
“Nothing in this world is perfect, including the air defense system. It is expected there will be occasional casualties or imperfections. The military draws conclusions and learns lessons, and I hope there will be fewer casualties in the future,” she said.
Israeli says it has intercepted 92% of Iran's ballistic missiles
Israel’s military says that it has intercepted the majority of more than 400 ballistic missiles that Iran has fired at Israel since the start of the US-Israeli war.
“We have had great interception rates — approximately 92% successful interception rate,” Israeli military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani said at a press briefing Sunday.
His comments come after Iranian missiles struck the cities of Arad and Dimona in southern Israel on Saturday night, which injured over 85 people.
The strike of Arad injured at least 84 people and several people were also wounded in the attack on Dimona.
