Here's the latest
• US military movements: The Pentagon released photos of Marines conducting a simulated amphibious assault even as President Donald Trump said it will be up to other countries to open the strait. Meanwhile, the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford is back at sea after undergoing repairs for a fire on board.
• Iran’s capabilities: US intelligence assessments have found that Iran maintains significant missile launching capability despite heavy bombardment, sources told CNN. After a major bridge in Tehran was struck, Trump warned that the US military “hasn’t even started destroying what’s left.”
• Opening the strait: The UN Security Council is set to vote Saturday on a Bahraini proposal that would authorize countries to use “all defensive means necessary” to secure the Strait of Hormuz.
• Thai ship attack: Human remains have been found on the Thai vessel struck in the Strait of Hormuz last month. Three sailors are still missing.
Pakistan hikes petrol, diesel prices by up to 55% in response to war
Pakistan’s government has hiked the price of petrol and diesel by 43% and 55% in response to the surge in global prices due to the Iran war.
The South Asian country of more than 240 million people imports most of its crude from the Gulf.
Speaking on Thursday, energy minister Ali Pervaiz Malik announced that the price hike would now make petrol around $6.25 per gallon and diesel around $7 per gallon.
Motorcycle users will receive a Rs100 (36 cents) subsidy per liter of fuel for a period of three months, capped at 20 liters per month.
A decision whether to restrict market operating hours will be announced next week, finance minister Muhammad Aurangzeb said, as authorities mull ways of reducing electricity consumption.
Pakistan has warm ties with both the US and Iran and has said it is willing to facilitate talks to end their conflict.
“There is nothing left,” says Iranian music school owner after strike hits building
The sounds of classical Persian music used to fill the rooms of the Honiak Music Academy in Tehran: the deft plucking of the setar, the ringing of the santur.
It was the pride and joy of Iranian musician Hamidreza Afarideh, who opened the school two years ago with his wife, Sheida Ebadatdoust. They had poured their hearts and money into creating a space that felt like a haven for their 250 students, who ranged in age from toddlers to the elderly.
Now, he says, it has all been “wiped out.”
An Israeli airstrike hit the building housing their music school, along with several other businesses including a maternity clinic, on March 23. The building was located on the east side of the Iranian capital, less than two kilometers (1.3 miles) from a military air base.
There was nobody in the music center at the time – Afarideh and Ebadatdoust closed the school not long after the US and Israel launched their joint attack on Iran, to protect their students and staff from relentless bombardment.
But the destruction cuts deep for the couple, who have devoted their lives to sharing the joy of music. And it reflects the devastating impact of the war on civilians – the loss of normalcy, security, livelihoods and passions – that goes far beyond the stark numbers of a death toll that rises every day.
How China is pushing for green energy as war roils global markets
China has been investing in green energy for decades, long believing its reliance on fossil fuels from the Middle East left it vulnerable.
As the Iran war shocks global oil supplies, CNN’s Mike Valerio learns more about the world’s largest wind energy generation system from a wind farm on the outskirts of Beijing.
Pentagon releases photos of Marines practicing amphibious assault
The US military on Thursday showed off photos of US Marines conducting a simulated amphibious assault, even as US President Donald Trump is saying it will be up to other countries to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
The set of eight photos released on a Defense Department website showed members of the Force Reconnaissance Platoon of the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) doing a mock recon last week, coming ashore at the US naval base on Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean.
The 31st MEU is part of the USS Tripoli Amphibious Ready Group, which CNN has reported was being deployed to the Middle East with as many as 2,400 Marines.
The Marines would likely be an important part of any US assault on islands in the Persian Gulf, including those that oversee the approaches to the Strait of Hormuz, through which 20% of the world’s oil supply usually flows.
US Central Command has said that roughly 50,000 US troops, including Marines, are already in the Middle East as part of the war with Iran.
Trump has previously threatened Iranian islands in the gulf, including its main oil transfer point on Kharg Island, but in his televised address Wednesday night he did not mention the possibility of using ground troops against Iran.
Trump issues new warning to Iran after downed bridge
Hours after posting on social media about a strike which collapsed Iran’s B1 suspension bridge Thursday, US President Donald Trump issued a new threat to Tehran, warning the US military “hasn’t even started destroying what’s left in Iran” in a post to Truth Social late Thursday.
Videos show smoke rising from the bridge which links Tehran with the western city of Karaj, and it later collapses. Eight people were killed and 95 were injured in the US-Israeli strike, reported local media.
Human remains found on Thai vessel struck in Strait of Hormuz
Human remains have been found aboard the Thai-flagged vessel that was attacked in the Strait of Hormuz last month, Thailand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement Friday.
The vessel, called Mayuree Naree, was transiting the strait on the morning of March 11 when its stern was hit, causing a fire in the engine room, according to Thai authorities.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said the ship was fired upon after “disregarding warnings and insistently attempting to illegally pass through the Strait of Hormuz,” according to the state-affiliated news agency Fars.
Twenty crew members were rescued by the Omani Navy and evacuated to the city of Khasab, but three remained missing. The 20 sailors later returned to Bangkok.
The vessel’s owner Precious Shipping PLC hired a specialized search and rescue team who carried out a detailed inspection of accessible areas of the ship, which was damaged by fire and flooded, Thailand’s foreign ministry said Friday.
“The team found human remains in the damaged area on board, but has not been able to verify or identify those remains,” the statement said. The families of the missing sailors have been notified, it added.
Homes in Iran damaged by airstrikes
Nearly 140,000 residential and commercial units have been damaged in airstrikes on Iran since the war began, according to a Thursday tally by the Iranian Red Crescent.
At least 316 health, medical and EMS (emergency medical station) facilities, 763 schools and 18 Red Crescent centers have also been damaged by US-Israel attacks, the Red Crescent said.
Sniffer dogs have participated in 693 search and rescue missions since the war began, and they have found wounded people and bodies beneath the rubble in some of the operations, the Red Crescent added.
CNN cannot independently verify these figures.
Missile and drone attacks from Iran have also caused damage to airports, energy facilities and residential homes and killed people across the Gulf.
China's top diplomat has been bashing the phones to call for ceasefire
China’s top diplomat has been busy bashing the phones to call for a joint international efforts for ceasefire and safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz in a move to position itself as a responsible peacemaker.
Foreign minister Wang Yi held four rounds of back-to-back phone calls with the European Union’s top diplomat Kaja Kallas, along with his counterparts in Germany, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain on Thursday.
It came on the same day that Trump made his first national address on Iran, where he said the war is “near completion” but also signaled he is willing to intensify military actions.
“A ceasefire is the strong call of the international community and the fundamental solution to ensuring safe navigation through the Strait of Hormuz,” Wang told Kallas.
Then in a phone call with Germany’s Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul, Wang called China and Germany “responsible major powers” who should play a “constructive” role in restoring peace.
In separate conversations with his Saudi and Bahraini counterparts, Wang called the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz a “spillover effect” of the war and said Beijing is willing to protect the interests of small and medium-sized countries.
The flurry of phone calls come after China issued its statement on “restoring peace” on Tuesday with Pakistan, which has emerged as a key mediator in the war. Their five-point initiative was Beijing’s most thoroughly articulated view to date on how the conflicts should be resolved, where the two countries called for an “immediate ceasefire,” peace talks “as soon as possible,” and lasting, UN-backed peace.
Drones hit Kuwait oil refinery, sparking fires
Kuwait Petroleum Corporation said the Mina al-Ahmadi refinery, a major oil refinery and export hub about 28 miles south of Kuwait city, was hit by drones early Friday, sparking fires at operating units, Reuters news agency reported, citing state media. No injuries were reported.
Earlier, a spokesperson for the Gulf country’s Ministry of Defense said its air defense systems were working to intercept hostile missiles and drones which had entered Kuwaiti airspace, according to state news agency KUNA.
UN Security Council is set to vote on action in the Strait of Hormuz. Here's what we know
The UN Security Council is set to vote on Saturday on a Bahraini proposal to authorize countries to use “all defensive means necessary” to secure passage through the Strait of Hormuz. If adopted, the proposal would authorize naval action in the strait.
Here’s what else you need to know on day 35 of the war.
- Iran’s capabilities: Recent US intelligence assessments offer a more nuanced picture of President Donald Trump’s sweeping assessments of military victory over Iran. Roughly half of Iran’s missile launchers are still intact and thousands of one-way attack drones remain in Iran’s arsenal, sources familiar with the intel told CNN.
- Damage in Iran: Nearly 140,000 residential and commercial units have been damaged in airstrikes on Iran since the war began, according to a Thursday tally by the Iranian Red Crescent, which cannot be independently verified by CNN. And a US-Israeli strike on a major bridge just outside Tehran killed at least eight people and injured 95 others, according to local media.
- More strikes: Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said Thursday it had attacked an Amazon cloud computing center in Bahrain in retaliation for recent “assassinations.” Also, Houthi militants said Thursday they had launched a ballistic missile attack targeting “vital objectives” in Israel’s Jaffa area.
- New images of destroyed US jet: New satellite imagery provided to CNN shows the remains of a destroyed US E-3 Sentry airborne warning and control (AWACS) aircraft after an Iranian strike on Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia on March 27.
- Oil price panic: US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer sought to tamp down concern over rising oil prices after President Donald Trump’s address to the nation, telling CNN the surge is “a temporary disruption.” Meanwhile, Asian airlines are coping with the rising price of jet fuel by raising prices and cutting flights.
- Aircraft carrier back at sea: USS Gerald R. Ford, the US Navy’s newest and largest carrier, is back at sea after undergoing repairs for a fire in its laundry spaces. The ship had been pulled from action and sent to Greece.
Aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford back at sea after fire repairs completed
The aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford, the US Navy’s newest and largest carrier, is back at sea and mission-capable after undergoing repairs for a fire in its laundry spaces, a statement from the 6th Fleet said Thursday.
“Gerald R. Ford remains poised for full mission tasking in support of national objectives in any area of operation,” said the statement released after the ship left Split, Croatia, on Thursday.
The Ford was in the Red Sea operating as part of Operation Epic Fury against Iran when the fire broke out on March 12.
Speaking to a defense forum in Washington on Tuesday, Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Daryl Caudle praised the Ford’s crew for their firefighting and getting the ship back into action two days after the blaze.
“They fought that, put it out, and started flying sorties two days after that, so I’m very proud of that crew,” he said.
But the ship was pulled from action against Iran just over a week after the fire and sent to Greece for repairs to berthing spaces that were damaged.
After repair work was done at a US base at Souda Bay on the island of Crete, the Ford went to the Croatian port for five days of rest and relaxation.
Caudle told the defense forum that the Ford’s deployment, which began when it left its Norfolk, Virgina, homeport late last June, would extend into a “record-breaking” 11th month.
Satellite images show destroyed US plane and other unsheltered aircraft at Saudi base
New satellite imagery provided to CNN by Airbus shows the remains of a destroyed US E-3 Sentry airborne warning and control (AWACS) aircraft after an Iranian strike on Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia on March 27.
The image taken on March 29 shows large portions of the center fuselage of the aircraft destroyed by the strike while its distinct rotating radar dome, normally affixed to the top of the aircraft, can be seen on the ground. Several vehicles can be seen surrounding the damaged aircraft.
In the same image, two other E-3 Sentry planes can be seen sitting out in the open at the air base, indicating they had not been moved to shelters for at least two days following the attack. One of those E-3s was located less than 1,300 meters from the destroyed E-3.
Several other aircraft including refueling tankers and E-2 Hawkeye surveillance planes can also be seen exposed in the satellite image.
CNN has reached out to CENTCOM for comment.
The AWACS enables airborne monitoring of up to 120,000 square miles of battlespace from the ground to the stratosphere, and it has been a vital component of US fighting forces for decades.
UNSC to vote on Bahrain’s proposal, which would authorize naval action in Strait of Hormuz
A draft UN Security Council resolution proposed by Bahrain would authorize countries to use “all defensive means necessary” to secure transit passage through the Strait of Hormuz, if adopted.
Two diplomats said the vote was set for Saturday morning, rather than Friday as earlier planned, according to Reuters.
A Gulf official said Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had spoken with Russian President Vladimir Putin and that there was an expectation Russia would not block the resolution. The official added the crown prince was expected to speak with “relevant” officials in China, with the expectation Beijing would also not block it.
However, in remarks to the Security Council on Thursday, China’s UN envoy Fu Cong opposed authorizing force, reported Reuters. Such a move would be “legitimizing the unlawful and indiscriminate use of force, which would inevitably lead to further escalation of the situation and lead to serious consequences,” he added.
The draft resolution, which CNN has obtained a copy of, deplores Iran’s actions as violations of international law and warns of adverse impacts on international trade, energy security, supply chains and the global economy.
It stresses that ships and aircraft enjoy a right of transit passage through the Strait of Hormuz that “shall not be impeded.”
The draft resolution would authorize member states, acting individually or through voluntary multinational naval partnerships that notify the Security Council in advance, to use defensive measures in the strait and adjacent waters – including within the territorial waters of littoral states bordering the strait – to secure transit passage and deter attempts to close or obstruct navigation.
The authorization would last at least six months from adoption and would require quarterly reporting by participating states.
The draft calls on participating states to coordinate their actions and ensure operations comply with international humanitarian law and applicable international human rights law, while respecting third states’ navigation rights.
It also stresses the authorization would apply only to the Strait of Hormuz and would not establish customary international law.
Sources: Iran still has significant missile capabilities, according to US intelligence
Roughly half of Iran’s missile launchers are still intact and thousands of one-way attack drones remain in Iran’s arsenal despite the daily pounding by US and Israeli strikes against military targets over the past five weeks, according to recent US intelligence assessments, three sources familiar with the intel told CNN.
Roughly half of Iran's missile launchers are still intact and thousands of one-way attack drones remain in Iran's arsenal despite US and Israeli strikes against military targets, according to recent US intelligence assessments, sources say. CNN's Jim Scuitto reports.
The US intelligence assessment total may include launchers that are currently inaccessible, such as those buried underground by strikes but not destroyed.
Thousands of Iranian drones still exist — roughly 50% of the country’s drone capabilities — two of the sources said the intelligence indicated. The intelligence, compiled in recent days, also showed a large percentage of Iran’s coastal defense cruise missiles were intact, the sources said, consistent with the US not focusing its air campaign on coastal military assets though they have been hitting ships.
Those missiles serve as a key capability allowing Iran to threaten shipping traffic in the Strait of Hormuz.
The intelligence offers a more nuanced picture of Iran’s continuing capabilities compared to sweeping assessments of military victory offered publicly by President Donald Trump and administration officials.
Iran war jet fuel shock hits Asia’s airlines
Before the conflict, an economy class ticket on Cathay Pacific from Sydney to London would cost about $1,370.
It now costs more than $2,000 thanks to yet another fuel surcharge – and on some days, it’s over $3,500.
Before the US-Israeli war with Iran started, the global airline industry had forecast record profits of $41 billion for 2026.
But with the price of jet fuel more than doubling, carriers are under pressure and scrambling to cope.
Carriers ranging from Air New Zealand to Vietnam Airlines have started cutting flights.
Korean Air is shifting to “emergency management mode” to deal with the supply crunch.
And the Philippines’ President Ferdinand Marcos has said grounding planes is a “distinct possibility.”
To secure its own supply, China has banned exports of jet fuel.
China’s airlines are also finding opportunity during the crisis, adding thousands of flights to Europe thanks to the country’s ability to bypass the Middle East and access Russian airspace.
Nevertheless, China’s carriers remain exposed to the Iran energy shock.
Earlier this week, local carrier Colorful Guizhou Airlines disclosed a plan to hike fuel surcharges by five times for domestic routes starting April 5.
China’s three biggest state-owned carriers – Air China, China Eastern and China Southern Airlines – are all reporting cautious outlooks for the year.
In its annual report on Monday, China Eastern Airlines said: “The impact of geopolitical conflicts will persist and the overall momentum of global economic growth will remain insufficient.”
According to HSBC, fuel made up 35–38% of the operating expenses for the three Chinese airlines in the first half of the year.
As Iran has effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, Asia is vulnerable as the region relies more heavily on oil and gas that transit the strait than other parts of the world.
So while Iran maintains its iron grip on the strait, expect higher fuel costs around the world from Asia to the US, and expect airlines to pass that on to consumers.
Lebanon’s migrant workers face another displacement with “nowhere to go,” expert says
Migrant workers in Lebanon are being displaced for a second time and have access to little support as resources run thin, according to Amy Pope, the director general of the International Organization for Migration.
“People who worked and lived in houses (in Lebanon), and once their house is destroyed, they have nowhere to go,” Pope told CNN’s Christina Macfarlane.
Her comments come as Israeli strikes have displaced over 1 million people across Lebanon, and as Israeli officials state their ambitions to expand further into the south of the country, up to the Litani River, home to around 600,000 people.
Sudanese migrants who fled their home country now face a similar fate in Lebanon. CNN’s Nada Bashir reports:
Sudanese migrants fled their home country to escape war, only to be met with a similar fate in Lebanon due to Israeli attacks from the war in Iran. CNN's Nada Bashir reports.
Pope also warned that mass displacement could cause tensions to rise in an already fragile country.
“The longer that goes, the more resources are strained, the more tensions are fueled — and particularly in a country where the balance between communities is so important — when that is destabilized, it leads to increasing community tensions and it leads to increasing risk of violence.”
Gas prices are increasing the most in states Trump won
Pain at the pump is not just a problem for higher-cost blue states like California.
The top seven states experiencing the biggest gas price hikes over the past month are all ones that President Donald Trump won in the 2024 election, according to AAA data reviewed by CNN.
The average price for a gallon of regular gas has spiked over the past month by the most in these states:
- Utah: +$1.46
- Arizona: +$1.37
- Florida: +$1.35
- Idaho: + $1.30
- Kentucky: +$1.27
- Nevada: +$1.24
- Tennessee: +$1.23
By comparison, the national average for regular gas has increased by $1.08 a gallon over that span to $4.08 a gallon, according to AAA.
That’s not to say those Trump states are paying the most for fuel.
The highest gas prices are still in reliably blue states, including California ($5.89 per gallon), Hawaii ($5.55), Washington ($5.37) and Oregon ($4.97), AAA has found.
A CNN poll released Wednesday showed that 76% of Americans disapprove of Trump’s handling of gas prices.
Looking ahead to a big US travel weekend: Time is running out to prevent significant pain at the pump when summer driving season kicks off late next month.
Bob Yawger, commodity specialist at Mizuho Securities, cautions that if the timeline to resolve the energy crisis gets further delayed, gas prices could be flirting with $4.50 or even $5 per gallon this Memorial Day.
Many Americans hit the road during the long holiday weekend, which is May 22 through May 25 this year.
Pakistan’s solar boom blunts the impact of energy crisis
Iran’s chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz has sparked a global energy crisis. In Pakistan, however, many are enjoying a buffer against soaring fuel prices, thanks to the country’s reliance on solar energy.
CNN’s Ivan Watson explains how Pakistan’s clean energy revolution has helped absorb some of the war’s price shocks:
Pakistan is experiencing a rapid, grassroots clean energy revolution thanks to affordable Chinese solar panels. CNN's Ivan Watson explains how this solar energy boom has become an important buffer against the global energy crisis sparked by the US-Israel war with Iran.
