Here's the latest
• War timeline: The US will not relent in its war with Iran until “the enemy is totally and decisively defeated,” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said, adding this will be done on the US’ timeline. His remarks came after President Donald Trump made contradictory statements on when the war will end.
• Trump on new leader: Trump said he doesn’t believe Mojtaba Khamenei, whom Iran has tapped to succeed his father, the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, can “live in peace.” The new supreme leader has yet to release a video message or written statement.
• New strikes: Israel launched a “broad wave” of strikes in the Iranian capital of Tehran overnight. One resident told CNN of “constant shelling” while another said “it felt like one of the worst nights so far.” More than 1,700 people have died in the Middle East since the conflict started.
• Oil crisis: The world’s top oil exporter has warned there could be “catastrophic consequences” for the world’s markets should the Iran war continue to disrupt access to the Strait of Hormuz.
Witkoff: Russian officials told Trump they didn't share intel on US military with Iran
Russian officials told President Donald Trump in a call Monday that they “have not been sharing” intelligence on the location of US military assets, according to envoy Steve Witkoff.
CNN has reported Russia is providing Iran with intelligence about the locations and movements of American troops, ships and aircraft, according to multiple people familiar with US intelligence reporting on the issue.
“Yesterday, on the call with the president, the Russians said that they have not been sharing. That’s what they said. So, you know, we can take them at their word. But they did say that,” Witkoff said during an interview with CNBC today.
The same sentiment, Witkoff added, was communicated in a separate call that he held earlier Monday with Jared Kushner and Russian official Yuri Ushakov.
“Yesterday morning, independently, Jared and I had a call with Ushakov, who reiterated the same. … Let’s hope they’re not sharing,” he said.
Witkoff indicated that he and Kushner would travel to Geneva for trilateral talks with Russian and Ukrainian officials “sometime next week.”
Witkoff downplays US concerns with Israel, says he will travel there as soon as next week
Trump special envoy Steve Witkoff downplayed reports of disagreement between the US and Israel after canceling a planned visit to the country this week, suggesting that he and Jared Kushner would likely travel next week instead.
“The visit that that we were intending to do was less about smoothing out differences, because I don’t really think there are many differences. It was much more about coordination, understanding where they were,” Witkoff said during an appearance on CNBC today.
Witkoff said the trip was canceled “for other reasons having nothing to do” with concerns about Israel’s weekend attacks on Iranian oil facilities. CNN reported that while the US was aware that Israel planned to target some Iranian fuel depots, some inside the administration were surprised at the scope of the attacks.
Witkoff said that he and Kushner will “probably make that trip next week” but suggested that a date has yet to be set. He also indicated that there will be a trilateral meeting with Russia and Ukraine “sometime next week.”
Iran says it arrested dozens of alleged spies linked to US and Israel
Iran’s intelligence authorities have arrested 30 people, including a foreign national, accused of spying and working with foreign adversaries, the state news agency IRNA reported Tuesday.
The suspects were detained by Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence and described by officials as “spies, operational and media mercenaries” linked to what they called the “American and Zionist enemy,” according to IRNA.
Iranian officials said one of those detained was a foreign national, whose nationality was not disclosed, accused of spying for two Gulf states on behalf of the United States and Israel, IRNA said.
The suspect was arrested in the northeastern province of Khorasan Razavi, where authorities alleged he had been collecting military and security information and passing it to the two Gulf countries, which then shared it with Washington and Israel, according to the outlet.
Officials alleged that another of those detained was linked to a militant group operating along Iran’s southeastern border, gathering intelligence on the positions and movements of military and security forces as well as on defense facilities, IRNA reported.
How the war with Iran could push countries toward clean energy
The spiraling energy crisis stemming from the US and Israel war on Iran is wreaking havoc on global oil and gas markets, spiking prices and sending shockwaves across economies.
It’s too soon to tell how long the situation will last, but experts say the long-term effect could be to push more countries to double down on renewable energy. Solar and wind energy can be produced domestically, and is far less sensitive to shockwaves from wars and other geopolitical disruptions than oil and gas.
China, the world’s second largest economy, has built wind and solar power at an astonishing clip, and invested in electric vehicles and batteries. Both factors could give it more breathing room in the current situation. Pakistan and India have also seen an incredible growth in solar power and electrified vehicles.
Europe, which is heavily reliant on oil and gas imports, may also look to accelerate its renewables. “Europe is facing the biggest wake-up call to electrify since the full invasion of Ukraine,” said Ana Maria Jaller-Makarewicz, lead energy analyst, at the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis.
However, the picture is nuanced. The crisis may push countries, especially in Asia, to rely more on domestic coal supplies in the short-term. If high energy prices lead to inflation it could also make building clean energy infrastructure more expensive.
Iranians recall heavy bombing in Tehran overnight. Here's the latest from the region
People in the Iranian capital Tehran struggled to sleep through fierce bombing overnight, as regional violence spurred by the US-Israeli military assault on Iran catapulted the wider region into economic uncertainty — with civilians, including children, bearing the greatest cost of the violence.
Elsewhere, officials in Persian Gulf nations reported a fresh barrage of deadly strikes. And pressure is mounting on the White House to explain footage showing a US Tomahawk missile attack in southern Iran that killed at least 168 children last month.
Here’s what you need to know.
- Single deadliest attack: US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth claimed US efforts to avoid civilian casualties aren’t “appreciated enough” on Tuesday, as questions swirl over US military involvment in the single deadliest attack of the fighting so far at a girls’ elementary school in southern Iran. The US-Israeli offensive has killed more than 1,200 civilians in Iran, according to the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA).
- Israeli ground raids in Lebanon: Israeli forces are pushing deeper into southern Lebanon with “targeted raids,” the military said. it comes after the Israeli military assault in Lebanon following Hezbollah projectiles into Israel spread toward a handful of Christian villages on the southernmost tip, killing an eminent priest who vowed to stay with his congregation through the attacks. At least 486 people in Lebanon have been killed since March 2, according to the health ministry there.
- Strait of Hormuz: Washington and Tehran traded barbs over the crucial waterway, which has essentially been non-functional since the US and Israel bombed Iran on February 28. Trump sought to allay fears of tanker operators and threatened to hit Iran harder if the military tries to halt the flow of oil, eliciting Tehran’s promise that armed forces were “waiting”’ for US naval ships in the strait.
- Mojtaba Khamenei: Iranians were called to the streets to pledge allegiance to their new supreme leader this week. But nearly two days after he was inducted, Mojtaba Khamenei — the son of the slain Ali Khamenei — is nowhere to be seen. Even so, the wider body politic has survived with little suggestion in the war posture.
- US military spending: US forces burned through more than $5 billion worth of munitions in the first two days of the US-Israeli strikes on Iran, according to two people familiar with an assessment the Pentagon provided to Congress on Monday, prompting concerns over budgets on the growing offensive.
European countries are shoring up Mediterranean defenses. Here are the key developments
Since the US and Israel’s war with Iran began at the end of last month, European leaders have paid close attention to the goings on in Cyprus, an island in the eastern Mediterranean Sea which is a member of the European Union and is home to two sovereign British military bases.
In recent days, several countries including the UK, France, Italy, Greece, Spain and the Netherlands have announced that they will be sending defensive military equipment to the region.
Here’s a look at how things have developed in relation to Cyprus since the start of the conflict on February 28:
- February 28: Two missiles were “fired in the direction of Cyprus,” British Defense Secretary John Healey said the next day.
- March 2: The UK’s defense ministry said it was responding to a suspected drone strike at its RAF Akrotiri airbase – a key hub for British air operations in the Middle East. Another two drones were intercepted while heading towards the base later in the day, a Cypriot government spokesperson said.
- March 3: British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced that his country would be sending helicopters with counter-drone capabilities and the Royal Navy’s HMS Dragon warship to the region.
- March 4: The UK confirmed that the drone that struck its military base was not launched from Iran. Cyprus determined that the drone came from Lebanon, a deputy government spokesperson told state media.
- March 5: A source close to French President Emmanuel Macron told CNN that the country would coordinate with Italy and Greece in shoring up defenses in Cyprus. Spain also announced it was sending its Cristóbal Colón frigate to the area.
- March 9: In a visit to Cyprus, Macron said his country will deploy eight frigates, two amphibious helicopter carriers and an aircraft carrier to the eastern Mediterranean and Red Sea as a defensive measure. The Dutch government also announced it would be sending a frigate to the Mediterranean.
CNN’s Christian Edwards, Laura Sharman, Tim Lister, Michael Rios, Chris Liakos, Jack Guy, Joseph Ataman, Barbie Latza Nadeau, Pierre Bairin and Michael Rios contributed to this reporting.
US State Department says most of its Middle East charter flights are less than half full
The US State Department said Tuesday that most of its charter flights out of the Middle East are less than half full, suggesting that US citizens are arranging their own way out of the region or are staying put.
“At this time, seats available on the Department’s charter options are significantly greater than the demand from Americans in the region. Many Americans continue to depart on commercial options,” Assistant Secretary of State for Global Public Affairs Dylan Johnson said in a statement.
“Most Americans who have requested assistance have declined assistance when offered, opting either to remain in country or book more convenient commercial flight options,” Johnson added.
The State Department has not provided specific details for the number of charter flights that have departed, the number of Americans who have been on board those flights, or the countries from which they have departed.
Instead, Johnson said that the State Department “has completed over two dozen charter flights” and evacuated thousands of Americans from the Middle East.
He also said the State Department task force had, as of Tuesday, “directly assisted over 27,000 Americans abroad, offering security guidance and travel assistance.”
“Over 40,000 American citizens have safely returned to the United States from the Middle East since February 28,” he said. That number is based on Department of Homeland Security data, a senior State Department official previously said. It encompasses all Americans who are said to have come back to the US from the region, including those who made their own arrangements.
Analyst: Oil tanker passage through the Strait of Hormuz is essential for the economy
As the war with Iran escalates in the Middle East, the Strait of Hormuz, the world’s most important energy chokepoint, remains blocked.
Clayton Seigle, a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, tells CNN’s Wolf Blitzer why reopening the passage is critical for the global economy.
US military burned through more than $5 billion worth of munitions in first 2 days of war
The US military used more than $5 billion worth of munitions in the first two days of the war against Iran, according to two people familiar with an assessment the Pentagon provided to Congress on Monday.
The huge sum, $5.6 billion, is raising more concerns on Capitol Hill about how quickly the US Defense Department is burning through advanced weapons systems, including long-range precision guided munitions that were used extensively in the first several days of the war, as CNN has reported.
The US and its allies are also expending a significant number of air defense munitions to shoot down incoming Iranian ballistic missiles and drones, of which Tehran has a “huge stockpile,” Arizona Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly has said.
Kelly said senators would continue to ask briefers behind closed doors today about the per-day cost of the conflict to the US.
Multiple congressional sources told CNN that the ongoing war means the administration will likely soon need to ask Congress for supplemental funding to produce more munitions. “That’s the next big fight,” said one congressional aide.
CNN military analyst Cedric Leighton explains how Iran is employing asymmetric warfare strategies to counter superior military power:
Iran may not possess the same military arsenal as the United States and Israel, but it is employing asymmetric warfare strategies to counter their superior military power. CNN military analyst Cedric Leighton explains.
CNN’s Lauren Fox contributed to this report.
White House to hold press briefing today as war with Iran continues
The White House will hold a press briefing this afternoon, press secretary Karoline Leavitt said.
The briefing will be at 2 p.m. ET, according to Leavitt’s social media post. It follows Trump’s roughly half-hour press conference last night that largely focused on the war with Iran.
Satellite provider restricts images of Iran war
Planet Labs, a leading commercial provider of real-time satellite imagery, announced on Monday that it would further restrict access to photos of the conflict with Iran.
The company, which has contracts with the US defense department and other American allies, said that imagery of Iran and surrounding states – including Persian Gulf states such as the UAE – would only become available to subscribers 14 days after it is captured. Images of Iran’s neighbors had already been restricted to release after four days.
Western satellite providers often restrict the release of imagery of conflict zones, including Ukraine and Gaza, to prevent adversaries from using it to monitor the battlefield.
“This measure is intended to prevent adversarial actors from using recent data for immediate Battle Damage Assessment,” Planet Labs said, “and is rooted in our commitment to ensuring the safety of allied and NATO-partner personnel and civilians on the ground.”
Satellite imagery has proven to be a critical tool for journalists covering the conflict.
Last week, CNN and others used satellite imagery from Planet Labs to determine that a deadly airstrike on an elementary school in southern Iran was conducted nearly simultaneously with strikes on an adjacent Revolutionary Guards base. The image was available to journalists just five days after the incident.
That determination, along with other evidence, led weapons experts to assert that the United States was almost certainly responsible. President Donald Trump has suggested, without evidence, that Iran used a US-manufactured Tomahawk missile to attack the school. The US Central Command has said it is investigating.
Planet Labs has extensive contracts with the US defense department, most recently winning a contract that could be worth up to $151 billion, according to a press release.
Oil could hit $150 a barrel despite Trump's reassurances, expert warns
The US-Israel war with Iran has triggered the biggest oil disruption in history, as the critical Strait of Hormuz remains effectively closed, with some experts estimating oil could hit $150 per barrel by the end of March.
Amena Bakr, head of Middle East Energy and OPEC+ Insights at analytics firm Kpler, told CNN’s Becky Anderson, “If we see a continuation of the strait being obstructed like this … oil prices could easily climb up to that level.”
Although oil prices fell below $100 following President Donald Trump’s mixed signaling on when the conflict would end, Bakr advised caution as a number of Middle Eastern oil exporters have halted production due to security threats in the strait.
Bakr said the president’s recent reassurances that vessels passing through the strait would be assisted by US naval ships has done little to motivate the use of the key transportation route.
“We’re not seeing vessels become suddenly, overnight, a lot braver. And crossing the strait just because Trump told us that he’s pretty close to ending the conflict,” she added, “that hasn’t restored confidence in the market.”
More members of Iranian soccer team seek asylum as most of squad leaves Australia
Seven members of the Iranian women’s soccer team have remained in Australia, while the rest of the squad has now left the country for Iran, a source has told CNN Sports.
Earlier on Tuesday, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese confirmed five players had been granted humanitarian visas, amid fears over their safety should they return to Iran.
Now, a source close to the squad has told CNN Sports that another two members of the team – a player and a member of staff – have also sought asylum in Australia.
Meanwhile, the rest of the team is now believed to have left the country, heading back to Iran. It’s not yet clear which route they will take or when they will arrive.
For context: The Iranian women’s soccer team is in Australia after playing in the Women’s Asian Cup. There are fears the squad will face punishment back in Iran after staying silent during the national anthem last week.
What Hegseth and Caine said on the US' plans for the war with Iran
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine held a Pentagon briefing a short while ago, where they discussed the US’ ongoing war with Iran.
Catch up on what they said during the press conference, below:
- Iran’s leaders are “desperate and scrambling” as the war enters its second week, Hegseth said.
- The US will end its war with Iran “on our timeline” and will not relent until “the enemy is totally and decisively defeated,” he told reporters.
- Hegseth also warned Russia to not get involved in the war.
- Iran’s new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei should “heed the words” of US President Donald Trump and “not pursue nuclear weapons,” Hegseth said.
- The strike that struck a primary school in Iran will be “thoroughly” investigated, the defense secretary said, adding the US has “attempted in every way possible to avoid civilian casualties.”
- Hegseth also said the American public voted against getting “dragged in” to seemingly endless military quagmires in the Middle East, but said the end of the current war with Iran is still being determined by Trump.
- The US military recently dropped “dozens of 2,000-pound” penetrating weapons on Iranian missile sites that are deeply buried underground, Caine told reporters.
- The US is “looking at a range of options” regarding the possibility of escorting vessels through the Strait of Hormuz, a key waterway for global oil shipments that’s been effectively shut down by the war, Caine said.
CNN’s Zachary Cohen contributed to this reporting.
Stocks are mixed as investors watch Washington and Tehran
US stocks opened little changed Tuesday as investors brace for another volatile day in markets.
The Dow fell 97 points, or 0.2%, and the S&P 500 edged lower by 0.1%, while the Nasdaq rose 0.2%.
It’s been a week of whiplash: US stocks closed higher Monday, clawing back earlier losses, after President Donald Trump told CBS the war with Iran is “very complete.” Oil prices, which earlier had smashed through $100 per barrel, swiftly tumbled on Trump’s comments.
US crude oil Tuesday morning traded at $89 per barrel, down 6% on the day. Brent crude, the international benchmark, traded just below $92 per barrel, down 7%.
Traders are keeping a close eye on comments from Washington and Tehran for clues on the potential length of the conflict. The president in the afternoon Monday struck a different tone than earlier in the day, telling House Republicans in Florida that “we haven’t won enough.”
While oil prices were lower, they pared some losses and fluctuated Tuesday morning. US crude oil is still up roughly 33% since the war with Iran began.
A report from Bloomberg News that a major oil refinery in the United Arab Emirates halted operations after a drone strike added to market jitters.
While US stocks were lower, markets in Europe and Asia were stronger after recent weakness. The STOXX Europe 600 was up 1.8%, while Japan’s Nikkei 225 gained 2.9%.
Death toll rises in the Middle East, as at least 1,245 reported killed in Iran
The number of reported deaths across the Middle East region is rising. Nearly 1,250 civilians have been killed in Iran since February 28, according to the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA).
In the last 18 hours, people have been reported killed in Iran, Iraq, Israel and Bahrain.
- Iran: At least 1,245 civilians have been killed in Iran since the US and Israel began attacking the country, HRANA said as of 4 p.m. ET yesterday. The total includes 194 children. Another 189 members of the military have also been killed during this time, HRANA said.
- Lebanon: At least 486 people have been killed in Lebanon since Israel began strikes on the country last week, the country’s health ministry said yesterday. Two Israeli soldiers were also killed in southern Lebanon early Sunday morning, according to the Israeli military.
- Iraq: 18 members of Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces have been killed in strikes on the country, the Iran-backed militia has said. Another three Iranian Kurdish fighters and one security member of the Kurdistan Regional Government have also been killed in the conflict, the groups and KRG confirmed to CNN.
- Israel: At least 12 people have been killed by strikes in Israel since the war began, according to Israel’s emergency services Magen David Adom. Nine of these people were killed in a direct missile hit on a residential building on the city of Beit Shemesh, MDA said.
- Kuwait: At least 12 have been killed in Kuwait, including six US service members, two Kuwaiti service members, and two Kuwaiti security personnel, according to CENTCOM, Kuwait’s army and the country’s interior ministry.
- UAE: At least six people have died in the United Arab Emirates as a result of Iranian attacks, its defense ministry said today. Those killed were of Emirati, Pakistani, Nepalese and Bangladeshi nationality, it said.
- Saudi Arabia: Two people were killed after a military projectile struck a residential facility in the city of Al-Kharj, Saudi Civil Defense said. A US service member has also died from their injuries after an attack on US troops in Saudi Arabia on the second day of the war.
- 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 last Monday. Separately, a 29-year-old Bahraini woman died after an Iranian strike on the country, according to Bahrain’s Ministry of Interior.
- Oman: An Indian national was killed after an unmanned boat attacked an oil tanker he was working on, 52 nautical miles off the Omani coast, the Oman News Agency reported.
CNN’s Charbel Mallo, Lauren Kent, Nechirvan Mando, Aqeel Najim, Haley Britzky, Ruba Alhenawi, Jessie Yeung, Sophie Tanno, Mostafa Salem, Abbas Al Lawati, Tal Shalev, Dana Karni, Oren Liebermann, Tamar Michaelis, Michelle Velez, Hanna Park, Rhea Mogul, Mohammed Tawfeeq, Piper Hudspeth Blackburn, Antoinette Radford, Eyad Kourdi and Ayushi Shah contributed to this reporting.
US targeting underground weapons storage in strikes, Joint Chiefs chairman says
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Gen. Dan Caine said the US military recently dropped “dozens of 2,000-pound” penetrating weapons on Iranian missile sites that are deeply buried underground, underscoring the Pentagon’s current focus on hitting targets located below the surface.
Caine and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth both reiterated that destroying Iran’s ability to launch and produce missiles is a top US military priority. Caine also made a point to note the US is targeting Iran’s military industrial base, including underground facilities.
While Caine said the US is making progress toward eliminating Iran’s missile capabilities, it remains unclear how the Pentagon plans to address another key threat: the country’s underground nuclear facilities, particularly those suspected of housing highly enriched uranium.
CNN previously reported that destroying Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium cannot be achieved through airpower alone, and the Trump administration has discussed possibly using ground forces to extract the material from its underground storage locations.
Multiple current and former officials told CNN such a mission would require a large ground force, beyond a small unit of US special forces.
Hegseth says US voted against getting "dragged" into wars, but leaves Iran timing to Trump
Americans’ disgust with the seemingly endless military quagmires in the Middle East over the past two decades prompted them to vote for a “different approach” by electing President Donald Trump, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said at the Pentagon on Tuesday.
But he also said the end of the current war with Iran, which is on its 11th day and so far has cost seven American service members their lives, is still being determined by Trump.
“I understand those concerns, because I’ve heard from a lot of people who went through — I went through — 20 years of those wars myself, worried about getting dragged in, worried about mission creep, worried about nation building or democracy expansion, that’s never the perspective the president has pursued on this” he said.
“Just because previous presidents and previous secretaries have decided to just pour more resources and more people in toward some unguided end state doesn’t mean that the way the world needs to look today,” he added.
“In fact, the American people voted for a different approach. But what the president also stated from the beginning is Iran can’t have a nuclear weapon.”
Why the UAE is being targeted by Iran's retaliatory strikes
More than 1,700 missiles and drones have been fired toward the United Arab Emirates since the war began, according to the country’s defense ministry, with over 90% of them having been downed by interceptors, fighter jets and helicopters.
The UAE has been the target of more projectiles than any other country, seemingly even more than Israel. Several have landed on homes, offices and roads in densely populated urban areas, killing four people — all civilians.
Iran cites Abu Dhabi’s decades-long strategic alliance with Washington as a justification for the attacks. Designated a “major defense partner” by the US last year, the UAE has made clear who it trusts for its security.
“By striking the UAE, Iran is not only targeting a key US partner but also signaling that a country hosting millions of expatriates and serving as a major node in global finance, aviation, and trade cannot be insulated,” Sanam Vakil from think tank Chatham House told CNN.
Read more about why the UAE is being targeted by Iran.
Hegseth says US efforts to avoid civilian casualties aren't "appreciated enough"
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the strike that struck a primary school in Iran will be “thoroughly” investigated, adding the US has “attempted in every way possible to avoid civilian casualties.”
Videos have shown that the strike, which killed at least 168 children and 14 teachers, was caused by a US Tomahawk missile, and analyses have suggested the missile was launched by the US.
“No nation takes more precautions to ensure there’s never targeting of civilians than the United States of America, from the boat strikes in the Caribbean — where every single strike is assessed — to this campaign here,” the secretary said.
“And frankly, that’s a point that just isn’t appreciated enough,” he added.
He accused Iran, meanwhile, of targeting civilians “indiscriminately.”
“That’s how terrorist regimes fight. They target civilians, we do not, and I can tell you this: This administration, and this Pentagon, focuses on that very, very closely.”
Watch the latest CNN reporting on the school strike:
