Here's the latest
• On the ground: A mourning ceremony for Iran’s slain supreme leader has been postponed, according to a state-affiliated news agency, as Israel said it has begun a tenth wave of strikes in Iran while also bombarding Lebanon. More than 1,000 people have been killed in Iran since the war began, according to US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA).
• 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.
• Global market reaction: Asian stocks fell sharply today, with a record selloff in Seoul, as investors fretted about rising oil prices in a region heavily exposed to Middle East imports. Meanwhile, European stocks were up and US markets were set to open slightly higher. Oil prices also climbed.
Turkey says NATO destroyed Iranian missile headed towards its airspace
NATO air defense systems shot down an Iranian missile that was traveling towards Turkey’s airspace, the Turkish Presidency Communications Director said Wednesday.
“A missile launched from Iran, passing through the airspace of Iraq and Syria, and heading toward our airspace from the Hatay region, has been destroyed by NATO air defense systems,” the director said in a statement.
A fragment of a preventive missile fell in an open area in southern Turkey, with no loss of life or injuries reported, it said.
This is believed to be the first time NATO forces have intercepted an Iranian missile traveling towards a member country’s airspace since the conflict in the Middle East broke out over the weekend.
Iran's latest internet blackout stretches to 100 hours
Iran’s latest internet blackout has now lasted for 100 hours, according to cybersecurity watchdog NetBlocks, as the war enters its fifth day.
“Metrics show internet connectivity flatlining at 1% of ordinary levels as the regional conflict escalates,” NetBlocks said.
Internet shutdowns have previously been a go-to tactic for the regime, with a previous period of inactivity recorded in January for several weeks during anti-government protests.
Such blackouts hinder the flow of information from within Iran to the outside world.
Khamenei mourning ceremony postponed
The mourning ceremony for Iran’s slain Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, which was set to begin Wednesday evening, has been postponed, according to state-affiliated Fars news agency.
“Previously it was announced that starting at 10pm on Wednesday night and for three nights mourning would begin, however due to the anticipated presence of millions of people and the need to provide the proper infrastructure the program has been postponed,” it said.
No updated timeframe was given on when the official ceremony will take place.
Three days of national mourning, including gatherings in Tehran squares, however, will continue, according to the head of the Islamic Propaganda Coordination in Tehran, Hojjatoleslam Seyed Mohsen Mahmoudi.
Gulf Arab states import 85% of their food. The Iran war threatens those lifelines
To understand why shipping disruptions from the Iran war matter beyond oil, start with a simple fact: the arid Gulf Arab states can barely grow their own food.
Six Gulf Arab nations – Oman, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait – import about 85% of their food. That figure rises to more than 90% for cereals. Even Oman, the most self-sufficient of them, still imports the vast majority of its food.
It’s not hard to see why. Summer temperatures regularly hit 50°C (122F) and annual rainfall averages below 100mm in most areas. Large-scale farming has never really been an option.
The Strait of Hormuz is best known as the world’s most important oil chokepoint. But it’s also a lifeline for the Gulf’s food imports. Around 138 ships pass through it every day under normal conditions, according to the Joint Maritime Information Center, carrying not only oil and gas but also a large share of the region’s imported food.
Since the US-Israeli war with Iran began and Tehran retaliated, tanker traffic through the Strait has slowed sharply. Lloyd’s List, a shipping intelligence publication, reports that around 200 ships are stranded at anchor. Most major carriers have suspended Middle East bookings entirely.
For Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain and Qatar, there is little workaround. Most maritime food shipments must pass through Hormuz. Airspace closures across several Gulf countries could further compound the disruption.
Gulf governments have spent years trying to reduce that vulnerability and have sought to reassure the public about the stability of supplies since war began. Most have large emergency grain and food reserves that could last several months.
Israel says residents of southern Lebanon should evacuate amid operations against Hezbollah
The Israeli military advised residents of southern Lebanon to evacuate on Wednesday, as it expands its operations against Hezbollah.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said residents should move to the area north of Litani River, which runs 20 to 30 kilometers (12 to 20 miles) north of the Israeli border. “Anyone located near Hezbollah operatives, facilities, or weapon is putting their life at risk,” the IDF said on X.
There was a further Israeli air strike on southern Beirut early Wednesday. And an Israeli strike on a four-story building killed at least four people and wounded six others in the eastern Lebanese city of Baalbek, according to state news agency NNA.
Israel launched airstrikes and a limited ground incursion on Monday after Hezbollah fired rockets and missiles across the border in support of Iran.
Lebanese Foreign minister Youssef Raggi repeated Wednesday the government’s “determination to proceed with the decision to restrict weapons” in the country, essentially demanding that Hezbollah disarms.
Israel is bombarding Iran and Lebanon, as Tehran continues retaliation. Catch up here
It is now the fifth day of conflict in the Middle East, and Israel is continuing to bombard both Iran and Lebanon, with more than a thousand civilians reported to have been killed in the Islamic Republic since Saturday.
Tehran is also continuing its strikes on its neighbors, having launched drones and missiles towards several Gulf countries in retaliation for the US and Israel’s attacks.
Catch up on the very latest here:
- Four of the six US service members who were killed in an Iranian strike on a Kuwaiti port on Sunday have been identified.
- At least five people have been killed by an Israeli strike on a four-story residential building in the Lebanese city of Baalbek this morning, according to Lebanese state media.
- Israel has said that it hit command centers of Iran’s domestic security apparatus in strikes on Tehran overnight.
- Smoke has been seen near Beirut’s international airport this morning, as well as near the Iranian city of Esfahan.
- The US State Department has ordered non-emergency US staff in the cities of Lahore and Karachi to leave Pakistan “due to safety risks.”
- Israel has warned that any new leader appointed by Iran’s ruling clerics would be “an unequivocal target for elimination.”
- Iran’s foreign minister has accused US President Donald Trump of bombing his country “out of spite.”
- France has deployed Rafale fighter jets over the skies of the United Arab Emirates to protect its military bases there, its foreign minister has said.
- China’s foreign minister has told his Israeli counterpart that he is calling for an end to Israel’s military action on Iran, according to a statement from China’s foreign ministry.
CNN’s Helen Regan, Haley Britzky, Taylor Romine, Hanna Park, Eugenia Yosef, Teele Rebane, Rhea Mogul, Jessie Yeung, Jerome Taylor, Tim Lister and Sophie Tanno contributed to this reporting.
Iranian ship sinks off Sri Lanka's coastline
An Iranian ship has sunk off Sri Lanka’s coastline, a Sri Lanka navy spokesperson said Wednesday, according to Reuters.
Search and rescue operations are ongoing, the spokesperson said.
According to Sri Lanka’s foreign minister, at least 30 people have so far been rescued from the ship.
The cause of the sinking is not yet known. The US military has, meanwhile, been targeting Iranian ships in the Middle East, with the commander of US forces in the region saying yesterday that 17 Iranian vessels have so far been destroyed.
Here's how global markets are reacting to the Middle East war
Global stock markets diverged starkly Wednesday, as falls across Asia contrasted with a much more sanguine response from investors in Europe and the United States.
Asian markets plunge
Asian stocks fell sharply, with a record selloff in Seoul, as investors fretted about rising oil prices in a region heavily dependent on imports from the Middle East.
South Korea’s Kospi plunged 12%, following a 7% decline Tuesday. The index was hit particularly hard by a selloff in chip companies “after some bumper gains for a handful of big chip (names) this year,” Neil Wilson, a strategist at Saxo, wrote in a note Wednesday.
Elsewhere in the region, Japan’s Nikkei closed 3.6% down and Taiwan’s TSEX 50, also heavily exposed to chipmakers, dropped 4.1%. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng finished the session 2% lower, while China’s Shanghai Composite fell almost 1%.
Asian economies rely heavily on Middle East oil shipped via the Strait of Hormuz, partly controlled by Iran. Shipping through the waterway has effectively ground to a halt, cutting off the vast majority of the Gulf’s energy exports from the rest of the world. Last year, more than 80% of crude oil shipped through the strait was bound for Asia, according to an International Energy Agency analysis of Kpler data.
Worries about disruptions to global energy supply prompted US President Donald Trump Tuesday to order “insurance and guarantees” from the US government for ships traveling through the Gulf. Trump also said the US navy would escort tankers through the Strait of Hormuz “if necessary.”
Oil prices, US stocks climb
Despite the intervention, oil and natural gas prices continued their climb Wednesday.
Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, rose 1.5% in morning trade to $82.6 a barrel. WTI, the US benchmark, posted a 0.74% increase to $75.
In Europe, stock markets in London, Frankfurt and Paris moved into positive territory, having closed sharply lower Tuesday. US futures also pointed to a slightly higher open, as American investors continued to shrug off the potential economic consequences of the war.
“US (investors) are more focused on what Trump would do, but underestimate Iran’s reaction function,” Mohit Kumar, an analyst at Jefferies, wrote in a note Wednesday. But he added: “We remain in the more cautious camp and are not ready to buy the market.”
Economists have warned that a prolonged conflict in the Middle East could drive up inflation and slow economic growth around the world. The United States, as a net exporter of oil, would be less exposed than Europe and Asia, however.
US Senate expected to vote later today on advancing Iran war powers resolution
The US Senate is set to vote today on whether to consider a resolution that would limit President Donald Trump’s ability to continue military action in Iran without congressional approval amid the rapidly escalating conflict that began with US and Israeli strikes.
The resolution, co-sponsored by Virginia’s Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine, is intended to rein in the president’s war powers and will be a test of loyalty for some of the GOP’s far-right flank, who have for years championed Trump’s promise of keeping America out of foreign wars.
“Everybody’s got to declare whether they’re for this war or against it,” Kaine said. “Nobody gets to hide and give the president an easy pass or an end-run around the Constitution.”
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York said Tuesday he left a classified briefing with administration officials “more concerned than reassured.”
“If the case for war were strong, it would be consistent,” Schumer said. “Instead, the rationales change by the hour.”
The Senate resolution and a similar bill being voted on in the House this week face unlikely paths through the Republican-controlled Congress.
In pictures: Israel's strikes on Lebanon continue into Wednesday
These are the latest images we’re seeing today from Lebanon, as Israeli bombardments continued through the morning.
Earlier, Lebanon’s Ministry of Health reported an airstrike in Aramoun, south of the capital Beirut, killed at least six people.
Lebanon’s state National News Agency also reported strikes on a hotel in Hazmieh, close to Beirut, and in southern Lebanon.
Conflicting reports emerge over timeline for Iran's next supreme leader
Conflicting accounts from the group that is expected to select the successor to Iran’s slain Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei are emerging as US-Israeli bombardment intensifies over Tehran
Ahmad Khatami, a senior member of the Assembly of Experts – a body of 88 senior clerics who will select the next supreme leader – was cited as saying by semi-official Tasnim news agency on Wednesday that the Assembly was “close to conclusion.”
Separately, state-affiliated Fars news agency cited an unidentified source on Wednesday as saying security measures for an Assembly of Experts meeting to select the new leader are at the highest level.
Meanwhile, Ayatollah Hosseini, another member of the Assembly of Experts, said that “the duration of the process of selecting a new leader is unclear.”
He added that “given the current conditions, it is unclear how this will be done.”
It comes after US President Donald Trump said Tuesday that strikes targeted another set of Iranian leaders and after Israeli strikes targeted the group’s compound in the holy city of Qom.
Israeli F-35 shoots down Iranian fighter jet over Tehran
An Israeli F-35 fighter jet shot down an Iranian YAK-130 fighter jet over Tehran, according to the Israeli military, marking the first time the fifth-generation stealth jet has downed a manned enemy aircraft.
The last time the Israeli Air Force engaged in air-to-air combat was in 1985, according to Israeli media, when an F-15 downed two Syrian MiG-23s over Lebanon.
The Iranian Air Force is made up of aging Soviet and American fighter jets. The YAK-130 “Mitten” is a subsonic two-seat trainer and light combat aircraft that is no match for the modern F-35I.
It comes as US-Israeli strikes escalate over Iran and Lebanon on day five of the war with Iran.
Elevation of late Supreme Leader's son would signal "continuation of regime," expert says
Replacing Iran’s slain Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, with his second son, Mojtaba Khamenei, would mean the continuation of the regime, according to one Middle East expert.
Speaking to CNN’s Rosemary Church about the significance of the potential appointment of Mojtaba Khamenei to the top position, Maha Yahya, director of the Beirut-based Carnegie Middle East Center, said, “The signal it would send is a continuation of the regime.” A body of 88 senior clerics, known as the Assembly of Experts, will select Khamenei’s successor.
“The regime is still holding together and we see that,” the analyst added, “We see that very clearly there have been no cracks, no leaks, nothing. It’s holding together and it’s holding together quite well.”
Yahya explained that as a successor, Mojtaba Khamenei would likely intensify the regime, as he is considered more of a “hardliner” than his father, who was killed in US-Israeli strikes on Saturday. If he is appointed, she added, the move would be considered a signal from the regime that US-Israel military pressure is “not going to get us to shift position.”
Yahya noted that Iran’s strategy has been to hit potential threats to its regime economically, something she said it has maintained since the conflict began on Saturday.
“Iran’s strategy, from day one, has been to really increase the cost on everyone,” Yahya explained, “It’s targeting energy infrastructure, which is affecting Europe and other parts of the world. It’s targeting civilian infrastructure.”
China calls for "immediate cessation" of military actions against Iran
China’s foreign minister called for an end to Israel’s military action on Iran during a phone conversation with his Israeli counterpart, according to a statement from China’s foreign ministry.
Foreign Minister Wang Yi stressed China’s stance of settling international and regional issues through “dialogue and consultation,” during the call with Israel’s Gideon Sa’ar, a statement from the ministry on Tuesday night said.
“The recent negotiations between Iran and the US had been making notable progress, which also took into account Israel’s security concerns,” the statement said. “Regrettably, this process has been disrupted by military strikes.”
The statement stressed that China opposes the strikes launched by Israel and the US against Iran. “The use of force cannot truly solve problems. Instead, it will create new ones and leave severe aftereffects.”
China relies heavily on Gulf Arab states for its energy imports, which are now under threat due to the ongoing war.
Iran's foreign minister says Trump bombed his country "out of spite"
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has accused US President Donald Trump of bombing Iran “out of spite.”
In a post on X Wednesday, Araghchi said: “When complex nuclear negotiations are treated like a real estate transaction, and when big lies cloud realities, unrealistic expectations can never be met.”
“The outcome? Bombing the negotiation table out of spite,” he added. “Mr. Trump betrayed diplomacy and Americans who elected him.”
How Iran strikes have damaged US military sites
Satellite images and videos show the extent of the damage to US military facilities in the Middle East from Iranian attacks. CNN’s Tamara Qiblawi reports
Smoke rises near Beirut's international airport
A plume of smoke could be seen rising from Beirut’s southern suburbs Wednesday morning near the country’s main airport, video from Reuters news agency shows.
The Beirut-Rafic Hariri International Airport is operational, but most international flights have been canceled, the airport’s arrivals board shows. One flight from Lebanon’s main carrier Middle East Airlines (MEA) landed at 8:25 a.m. local time, according to the airport’s website.
The Israeli military previously issued an “urgent warning” for residents to evacuate in the city’s southern suburbs, particularly the Haret Hreik neighborhood.
MEA pilots have continued to fly from Beirut, even during the Israel-Hezbollah conflict in 2024.
Israeli military says it has begun 10th wave of strikes on Tehran
The Israel Defense Forces have begun “broad scale strikes targeting Iranian terror regime targets in Tehran,” it said in a statement Wednesday morning.
This marks the tenth such wave of attacks since the latest conflict began on Saturday, according to the IDF. Earlier Wednesday, it said its overnight strikes had targeted what it described as command centers used by Iran’s feared internal security forces and the Basij militia.
“They hit quite hard last night, it was a bad night,” one resident in northern Tehran told CNN. “I don’t know where exactly they hit, but it felt like we could hear explosions from around us.”
They added that they wanted to get out of the city and flee into the mountains. “But we also don’t know where military assets are so its hard to tell where it is going to be safe,” the resident said.
Iranian state media reported explosions in several parts of the country Wednesday morning, with one photo geolocated by CNN showing a large plume of dark smoke near the city of Isfahan.
Displaced families in Beirut are sheltering in a school
CNN’s Matthew Chance reports from a school in Beirut that has turned into a shelter for displaced families as Lebanon gets dragged into the war with Iran.
CNN's Matthew Chance reports from a school in Beirut that has turned into a shelter for displaced families as Lebanon gets dragged into the war with Iran. At least 50 villages and settlements have been ordered by Israel to be evacuated in the southern part of the country.
How disruption of the oil trade poses 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.”
