Here's the latest
• Military and leaders targeted: President Donald Trump said Iran’s air force and navy had been “knocked out,” and the US military said it destroyed 17 Iranian ships and nearly 2,000 targets. A source said Israel struck a compound of group that chooses Iran’s new supreme leader, while Iranian state media said the building was evacuated before the attack.
• Scramble to evacuate: The US has closed embassies in three countries, reduced its regional diplomatic staffing and warned Americans to leave. The United Arab Emirates said it opened safe air corridors with its neighbors as countries rush to evacuate stranded nationals.
• Oil trade rocked: As war poses growing risks to the global economy, Trump ordered US “insurance and guarantees” for ships traveling through the Gulf and suggested the navy would escort tankers through the Strait of Hormuz “if necessary.”
France says Rafale fighter jets deployed to protect its UAE military bases
France has deployed Rafale fighter jets over the skies of the United Arab Emirates to protect its military bases there, foreign minister Jean-Noël Barrot said Tuesday.
“They conducted airspace security operations over our bases,” Barrot told CNN affiliate BFMTV. Barrot did not elaborate on the missions flown by the jets, or whether they have been involved in shooting down any drones or missiles that might threaten the bases.
France has been critical of the US-Israel attack on Iran, with President Emmanuel Macron saying the operation took place “outside the framework of international law, which we cannot approve.”
But with the conflict rapidly expanding across the Middle East, it has moved more military assets into place by deploying its nuclear-powered aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle and its escort frigates to the Mediterranean.
Iran will hold 3-day farewell ceremony for Ayatollah Khamenei, state media reports
Tehran’s Imam Khomeini Mosalla prayer ground will host supporters of the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in a three-day ceremony from Wednesday night, according to state media.
The announcement comes as Israel and the US continue to launch airstrikes on Iran, including Tehran. Israel on Wednesday said it launched what it described as a new “broad wave” of strikes against Iran, targeting launch sites, aerial defense systems and other infrastructure.
Israel struck a leaders' compound in Iran's holy city. Why does this matter?
As Iranian clerics gather to select a new supreme leader to replace the killed Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, they’re doing so virtually – unable to convene in person in Qom, one of Iran’s holy cities, after Israel bombed their compound.
The strike on Monday, which Israel confirmed the following day, is significant both symbolically and practically.
The facility belonged to the Assembly of Experts, a group of 88 senior clerics that’s elected by the Iranian public every eight years. They’re responsible for choosing a new supreme leader – the highest political authority in Iran. Until they do so, those powers are being shared by a three-person council.
Khamenei did not officially declare a successor. His son Mojtaba Khamenei is among a handful of clerics tipped as likely successors – but it’s unclear where they are, or even if they are alive.
Qom itself is deeply symbolic. It is considered a holy city, home to Iran’s largest and most famous Shia seminary. Ali Khamenei studied at the Qom Seminary, as did several of Iran’s former presidents, making it a major religious hub with deep ties to the clerical regime.
The city also played a key role in the 1979 Iranian Revolution, which overthrew the monarchy and created the current Islamic Republic.
The first protests broke out in Qom in 1978, with thousands demonstrating against the royals after a newspaper editorial disparaged the then supreme leader – sparking a nationwide movement that ultimately reshaped the country’s identity and power brokers.
Any new leader appointed by Iran is a target, Israeli defense minister says
Any new leader appointed by Iran’s ruling clerics would be “an unequivocal target for elimination,” Israel warned on Wednesday, as top Iranian officials gather to choose a successor to the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
“Any leader appointed by the Iranian terrorist regime will be an unequivocal target for elimination – the Prime Minister and I have instructed the IDF to prepare and act by all means necessary to carry out the mission as an integral part of the objectives of Operation ‘Lion’s Roar,’” said Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz.
An elected body of senior clerics has been gathering virtually to select a new Supreme Leader after Khamenei was killed in the initial US-Israel strikes on Saturday. Khamenei did not leave an officially declared successor.
Both Israel and the US have claimed that their strikes would create the conditions for the Iranian people to establish a democratic government and restore peace to the region. At the same time, US President Trump has floated a similar outcome to Venezuela – where US forces seized the president but left much of the administration in place.
Israel says its overnight strikes hit command centers of Iran's feared domestic security apparatus
The Israeli military said it carried out another wave of airstrikes in Tehran, targeting what it described as command centers used by Iran’s feared internal security forces and the Basij militia.
Both featured heavily in the bloody crackdown on mass anti-government protests that rocked Iran for several weeks beginning late last year.
The Israeli Air Force had “completed an additional wave of strikes targeting command centers throughout Tehran,” including sites linked to the Basij, a paramilitary force, and other internal security bodies, the Israel Defense Forces said in a statement.
It said the military dropped “dozens of munitions” on those command centers.
It described the sites as hubs used by Iran’s leadership to “maintain control throughout Iran.”
A illustration released by the IDF said the four targets were all located in Tehran. Two were what it described as Basij command centers; the other two were an “internal security command center” and a “riot suppression headquarters.”
Iran continues strikes overnight as war enters a fifth day
Strikes and attacks continued across the Middle East on Wednesday morning as the widening conflict entered a fifth day.
Here’s what we’re seeing:
Iran: Iranian state media reported explosions in several parts of the country, including west of the capital Tehran, as Israeli military says it has launched what it described as a new “broad wave” of strikes against the country. Israel said its strikes hit “Basij and internal security command centers.” A photo geolocated by CNN shows a large plume of dark smoke near the Iranian city of Esfahan.
Israel: Israeli air defenses were working to intercept missiles launched from Iran, the military said. In its north, the Israeli military said it also detected several rockets crossing from Lebanon and intercepted most of them. A medical response group said there was a “fall” in Beit Shemesh, near Jerusalem. It was unclear whether the projectile was a rocket or debris from an intercept.
Lebanon: An airstrike in Aramoun, south of the capital Beirut, killed at least six people, the country’s health ministry said. Another strike hit a residential building in Baalbek, killing at least five people, state media reported. Israel ordered evacuations for more than a dozen Lebanese villages and towns, warning strikes were imminent.
Qatar: The Defense Ministry said an Iranian ballistic missile struck Al Udeid Air Base, the largest US military installation in the Middle East, but did not cause any casualties.
Saudi Arabia: The kingdom intercepted and destroyed two cruise missiles near the city of Al Kharj, the defense ministry said. Saudi Arabia also intercepted and destroyed nine drones that entered its airspace, according to state media.
Kuwait: The health ministry said an 11-year-old girl was killed “when shrapnel fell on a residential area.” The military intercepted “several hostile aerial targets,” with debris landing on a home and causing injuries, according to the defense ministry, reported in state media.
United Arab Emirates: A ship was struck by an “unknown projectile” off the coast of Fujairah, the UK Maritime Trade Operations said. It’s the latest ship to be struck in or around the Persian Gulf, and the vessel was not seriously damaged, UKMTO said.
Smoke seen rising over Beirut suburbs
A large black plume of smoke could be seen in the southern suburbs of the Lebanese capital Beirut on Wednesday morning, according to footage from Reuters news agency.
It comes after the Israeli military issued an “urgent warning” for residents to evacuate in the city’s southern suburb of Dahieh, particularly the Haret Hreik neighborhood.
How the war's disruption of the oil trade is posing growing risks to the global economy
The war in the Middle East is posing growing risks to the global economy, with oil and natural gas prices soaring as stock markets tumble.
The Middle East is a major producer of oil and natural gas, but its energy exports have been largely cut off from the rest of the world by an effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran has vowed to attack ships that attempt transit through the strait, usually a conduit for around a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas production each day.
The Islamic Republic has also attacked energy infrastructure across the region, prompting several producers to halt output and increasing the risk that global supplies could be throttled.
Markets are feeling the strain. On Tuesday, the price of gasoline in the US had its largest one-day increase since 2005, when Hurricane Katrina hit. Asian markets also plummeted in early Wednesday trading, since many countries in the region source the majority of crude oil and sizable portion of gas from the Gulf states.
Inflation could rise and economic growth slow around the world if the conflict in the Middle East drags on, economists have warned.
On the ground, that translates to chaos.
Myanmar’s ruling military junta announced a fuel-rationing system due to the disruption on Wednesday. Private cars with even-numbered plates will only be allowed to drive on even dates, with the same going for odd-numbered plates on odd dates, according to Reuters.
In Thailand, authorities have urged residents not to panic buy and hoard fuel, and have encouraged government employees to work from home to save on fuel.
US President Donald Trump attempted to calm nerves on Tuesday, ordering US “insurance and guarantees” for ships traveling through the Gulf, and suggesting the navy would escort tankers through the strait “if necessary.”
But if the conflict drags on, this chokehold could fuel a humanitarian crisis in the Middle East, according to the UN’s humanitarian chief, Tom Fletcher. He warned that “food prices will soar, health systems will be squeezed, and basic supplies will tighten in countries that rely on imports.”
Iranian soccer player fights back tears ahead of match in Australia
Iranian soccer player Sara Didar became emotional and seemed to fight back tears at a press conference a day ahead of her team’s Asian Cup match against hosts Australia.
“We’re all concerned and sad at what has happened to Iran and our families in Iran and our loved ones, but I really hope it’s very good for our country, to have good news ahead and I hope that my country would be strongly alive,” the 21-year-old striker was quoted as saying by Reuters on Wednesday.
The team’s coach Marziyeh Jafari said: “Iranian Australians here support us, we are so happy to have a country that all the people are united and supportive, and we really love them also as well and we’ll do our best to make them proud.”
She added that the team was full of “concerns” about their loved ones back home but that they were aiming to do their best and focus on Thursday’s second group-stage match in Gold Coast.
The players were respectful but quiet while the anthem was played before their opening match against South Korea on Monday, which they lost 3-0.
State Department orders non-emergency personnel to leave 2 missions in Pakistan
The US State Department has ordered non-emergency US staff in its consulates in Pakistan’s Lahore and Karachi to leave Pakistan with their families “due to safety risks.”
There is no change to the status of its embassy in the capital Islamabad, it said.
“Following the onset of hostilities between the United States and Iran on February 28, there has been an ongoing threat of drone and missile attacks from Iran and significant disruptions to commercial flights,” the US Embassy and Consulates in Pakistan said on its website.
It also cited a “risk of terrorist violence, including terrorist attacks and other activity in Pakistan.”
Clashes in Pakistan left at least 22 people dead and more than 120 injured as crowds protested the death of Iran’s supreme leader. Ten people died and at least 50 people were wounded in Karachi after protesters stormed the heavily fortified US consulate compound earlier this week.
Why isn't Beijing doing more about the US taking out two China allies?
In quick succession, US President Donald Trump has taken out two of Beijing’s closest allies: Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
The former is now in shackles in a New York detention facility after being snatched from Caracas by US special forces in an extraordinary overnight raid. The latter was killed in a daring daylight bomb drop in the center of Tehran in a joint US mission with Israel.
In the aftermath, China has responded with anger – condemning the capture or killing of a sovereign leader and the apparent US attempt at regime change while reaching out to Iran express its friendship. But China has done little more than look on as its geopolitical rival shakes up the rules of engagement.
For Chinese leader Xi Jinping, it comes down to hard-nosed pragmatism – and other, higher priorities, including the stability of US-China relations.
US military bases across country ordered to step up security
US Northern Command, which oversees the defense of North America, has ordered military installations to put in place 11 additional “force protection” measures to strengthen security, the command said.
The additional measures were ordered “based on world events” to “enhance vigilance” and protect personnel and installations, the command said in a statement to CNN.
The added steps set a minimum level of security across installations, though local commanders can impose steps to increase security, a spokesperson told CNN.
Six US service members have been killed, four of whom have been identified, since the conflict began over the weekend, after US and Israeli strikes on Iran.
Israeli strike hitting residential building in Lebanon kills 5
An Israeli strike hit a four-story residential building in the Lebanese city of Baalbek Wednesday morning, killing at least five people and wounding 15 others, according to Lebanese state media.
Response teams were working to rescue families from under the rubble, Lebanon’s state National News Agency (NNA) reported.
CNN cannot independently confirm the report and has reached out to the Israeli military for comment.
It comes as Israeli bombardments in Lebanon continued Wednesday morning.
Earlier, Lebanon’s Ministry of Health reported an airstrike in Aramoun, south of the capital Beirut, killed at least six people.
NNA also reported strikes on a hotel in Hazmieh, close to Beirut, and in southern Lebanon.
The Israeli military published a new evacuation order for more than a dozen Lebanese villages and towns, warning strikes were imminent Wednesday morning. The list includes places mostly in southern Lebanon, where Israel’s military have been targeting Hezbollah positions.
Photo geolocated by CNN shows plume of smoke near Esfahan
A photo geolocated by CNN shows a large plume of dark smoke near the Iranian city of Esfahan.
Hours before, the Israeli military said it had launched what it described as a new “broad wave” of strikes against Iran, targeting launch sites, aerial defense systems and other infrastructure. The photo has not appeared online before Wednesday morning.
Iranian state media reported explosions in several parts of the country Wednesday morning, including west of the capital Tehran.
Here's how governments are trying to evacuate citizens from the Middle East
Despite regional travel being paralyzed, foreign nationals have been urged to leave the Middle East. Several countries are now working to evacuate stranded nationals.
- US: The US is working to assist Americans who want to leave the Middle East, including over 1,500 that asked for help, with a push to secure military aircraft and charter flights. Americans in Israel have “very limited options” to leave the country, said US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, warning that the US embassy was not in a position to assist. US President Donald Trump said there had been no evacuation plan for Americans in the Middle East before they launched the strikes.
- UAE: The United Arab Emirates said it had opened safe air corridors with its neighbors to facilitate the return of its citizens and help visitors leave.
- Europe: Several European nations have begun evacuating their citizens. British foreign minister said the UK is working with airlines to boost evacuations, while France arranged two flights on Tuesday. Italy and the Czech Republic have also begun arranging flights out of the region.
4 US troops in war with Iran identified
The Pentagon has identified four of the six US service members who were killed in an Iranian drone strike on Sunday.
The Pentagon has identified four of the six US service members who were killed in an Iranian drone strike on Sunday. The two other soldiers who were killed in the strike on Sunday have not yet been identified.
The US and Israel are aiming to destroy Iran's leadership and military. Here's the latest
US President Donald Trump said strikes targeted another set of Iranian leaders. A source told CNN Israel struck a compound belonging to a group responsible for electing Iran’s next supreme leader, though Iranian state media has said that the building was evacuated before the attack.
Trump also said Iran’s air force and navy had been “knocked out,” and the US military said it destroyed 17 Iranian ships and nearly 2,000 targets.
The war — which Trump has warned could last over a month, with the “big wave” yet to come — has disrupted global travel, stranded foreign nationals, and spiked global commodity prices.
Here are the latest developments:
- US facilities targeted: The US has closed embassies in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Lebanon, after several were hit with Iranian strikes. A CIA station in Saudi Arabia, and a US military base in Qatar – the largest in the Middle East – were also hit. Non-emergency US government personnel in several Middle Eastern countries have been ordered to leave.
- Stranded nationals: Countries are rushing to evacuate stranded nationals, with much of the region’s airspace closed. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the State Department is actively working on efforts to assist Americans who want to leave the Middle East, including over 1,500 that asked for help. Trump said there had been no evacuation plan for Americans in the Middle East before they launched the strikes.
- European involvement: The UK is deploying a warship after an attack on a military base in Cyprus. UK Prime Minister Starmer has consistently stated that the UK will not join the US and Israel in any offensive action, but some have expressed concern that it could be drawn into another Iraq-style conflict as British interests are directly targeted. France is deploying an aircraft carrier and escort frigates to the Mediterranean. France has also deployed fighter jets, air defense systems and airborne radar assets to protect allied airspace.
- Iran death toll soars: More than 1,000 people, including children, have been killed in Iran since the war began, according to US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency.
- Economic woes: Oil and natural gas prices are jumping while stock markets are tumbling. The Middle East is a major producer of both oil and natural gas, but its energy exports have now been largely cut off from the rest of the world by an effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Trump ordered US “insurance and guarantees” for ships traveling through the Gulf, and suggested the navy would escort tankers through the strait “if necessary.” Asian markets plummeted in early Wednesday trading.
- Attacks on Lebanon: Israel has ordered residents in dozens of villages and towns to evacuate in southern Lebanon, as it launches attacks on the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah. The order came hours after Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu instructed the military to “advance and seize additional strategic high ground” in Lebanon, where forces have unleashed a wave of attacks this week.
GOP leaders refuse to call US military action in Iran a war
House Speaker Mike Johnson and other GOP lawmakers refused to call the US military action in Iran a war when pressed by CNN’s Manu Raju.
House Speaker Mike Johnson and other GOP lawmakers refused to call the US military action in Iran a war when pressed by CNN's Manu Raju.
"Unacceptable" that Americans are stranded in the Middle East, Buttigieg says
Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg tells Kaitlan Collins it “makes no sense” the Trump administration didn’t have a plan to evacuate American citizens following the attacks on Iran.
