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• Follow the latest updates on the war with Iran here.
What we know so far
• Iran deal impasse: US President Donald Trump said he’s not prepared to reach a deal with Iran to end the war and questioned if supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei, who hasn’t been seen in public, is alive. Trump also urged countries to help the US secure the Strait of Hormuz by sending warships to the Middle East.
• Strikes pound region: Munitions have fallen at several locations in central Israel, said authorities. Meanwhile, Gulf countries continued intercepting strikes in the region, with Kuwait International Airport suffering damage.
• Service members identified: The Pentagon named the six air crew who died in Thursday’s KC-135 refueling aircraft crash in Iraq. It said the incident is still under investigation.
• F1 calls off races: Grand Prix races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, initially slated for April, have been called off due to the conflict.
Strikes continue to pound Middle East
The UAE, Qatar and Saudi Arabia intercepted several strikes over the past day, while Kuwait suffered damages at its airport.
Here’s the latest from the region:
UAE: Dubai authorities confirmed on Sunday that sounds heard over the affluent Marina neighborhood and Al Sufouh beachfront area were due to interceptions. The defense ministry reported it “engaged nine ballistic missiles and 33 unmanned aerial vehicles launched from Iran” on Saturday.
Saudi Arabia: Defense authorities reported on Sunday that it intercepted seven drones in the capital Riyadh and in the eastern region.
Qatar: Officials said late Saturday that it “successfully” intercepted four ballistic missiles and several drones launched from Iran.
Kuwait: Air defense systems responded to two drones targeting the southern Ahmad Al-Jaber Air Base, resulting in “material damage” within the base’s vicinity, reported Kuwait News Agency late Saturday. The civil aviation authority also reported a radar system being hit after the Kuwait International Airport was targeted by several drones.
Iraq: A drone attack hit the UAE Consulate General in Iraq’s Kurdistan region, injuring two security personnel and damaging a building, the UAE’s foreign ministry said in statement Saturday, adding that the strike was “the second time in a week.”
Munitions “impacts” reported at several locations in central Israel
Munitions have fallen at several locations in central Israel, authorities reported early Sunday morning, with emergency workers reporting two people needed treatment.
Police officers are “currently handling several impact sites of munitions” in the Tel Aviv district, said a police spokesperson, adding that officers “and bomb disposal experts are currently working to isolate and secure the impact sites. At this stage, there are no reported casualties.”
Earlier, the Israel Defense Forces said it had identified “missiles launched from Iran” toward Israel.
In a separate statement, Fire Battalion Chief Shay Castro said firefighters were “responding to a fire incident in central Israel following the latest barrage. Several vehicles are on fire and there is damage to a nearby building.”
“Firefighters are working to extinguish the blaze and are conducting searches to rule out trapped individuals,” the statement added.
“Following the rocket fire toward the State of Israel,” Magen David Adom staff were treating two people in Holon, to the south of Tel Aviv, a spokesperson for the emergency response body said.
F1 calls off races, fallen troops identified and more headlines on the conflict
Upcoming Formula 1 Grand Prix races in the Middle East have been called off, with the conflict in the region now in its third week.
More on this and other updates:
F1 calls off races: Formula 1 and its governing body the FIA said the Grand Prix races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia will not happen in April because of safety concerns related to the war. F1 was due to race in Bahrain on April 12 and in Jeddah the following weekend.
Fallen troops identified: The Pentagon released the names of the six US service members who were killed after a KC-135 refueling plane crashed in Iraq. The incident is under investigation, the agency added.
Iran deal impasse: US President Donald Trump said he is not prepared to reach a deal with Iran to end the war, while declining to say what terms would be acceptable to him. He also raised doubts about the status of new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, noting that he has not appeared publicly since assuming power.
China, UK respond: Trump said that “hopefully, China, France, Japan, South Korea, the UK, and others” will send naval assets to free up shipping lanes in the Strait of Hormuz. In responses to CNN, neither Beijing nor London confirmed whether they are sending warships to the strait.
IRGC’s warning: Iran’s Revolutionary Guard issued a warning urging the United States to move American industrial plants out of the region and telling civilians to evacuate areas close to facilities in “which Americans are shareholders” to avoid any “harm,” according to Iranian state media.
Rally outside White House: Protesters against the regime in Tehran rallied in front of the White House to voice their support for Trump’s strikes on Iran. Several protesters who once lived in Iran told CNN they see the strikes as an opportunity to help topple the Islamic regime that has ruled the nation since 1979.
US Navy extends warship’s service: The USS Nimitz, one of the largest warships in the world, is being kept in service until March 2027, nearly a year longer than originally scheduled. The extension comes as the US remains at war with Iran. Plans for future deployments of the ship remain unclear.
Pentagon names the 6 service members killed in Iraq plane crash
The Pentagon on Saturday identified the six air crew who died in an aircraft crash in western Iraq on Thursday.
They are 33-year-old Maj. John A. Klinner of Auburn, Alabama; 31-year-old Capt. Ariana G. Savino of Covington, Washington; 34-year-old Tech. Sgt. Ashley B. Pruitt of Bardstown, Kentucky; 38-year-old Capt. Seth R. Koval of Mooresville, Indiana; 30-year-old Capt. Curtis J. Angst of Wilmington, Ohio; and Tech. Sgt. Tyler H. Simmons, 28, of Columbus, Ohio.
The crew members were aboard a US Air Force KC-135 Stratotanker refueling aircraft when it crashed in western Iraq on Thursday, the US military said, adding that the incident was “not due to hostile fire or friendly fire.”
The Pentagon said Saturday the incident is still under investigation.
Trump says he's not ready to make a deal to end war, questions whether new leader is alive
President Donald Trump said Saturday he is not prepared to reach a deal with Iran to end the war, while declining to say what terms would be acceptable to him.
“Iran wants to make a deal, and I don’t want to make it because the terms aren’t good enough yet,” Trump told NBC News during a phone interview, adding that any agreement would need to be “very solid.”
When asked what those terms might include, the president declined to provide details. “I don’t want to say that to you,” he said.
Trump also raised doubts about the status of Iran’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, noting that he has not appeared publicly since assuming power.
“I don’t know if he’s even alive. So far, nobody’s been able to show him,” Trump said.
“I’m hearing he’s not alive, and if he is, he should do something very smart for his country, and that’s surrender,” the president added, then describing reports of Khamenei’s death as “a rumor.”
Trump declined to name a specific Iranian figure he would support as a future leader, saying only, “We have people that are living that would be great leaders for the future of the country.”
The president also addressed his decision to temporarily ease some sanctions on Russia’s oil sector as global energy prices surge.
“I want to have oil for the world. I want to have oil,” Trump said, adding that the sanctions, originally imposed after Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, would “go back as soon as the crisis is over.”
Asked about potential assistance in the conflict from Ukraine, Trump said the “last person we need help from is Volodymyr Zelensky.”
The Ukrainian president previously offered to help the US repel Iranian drones, using his military’s experience fending off Russian drones. Zelensky said Tuesday that Ukraine was sending teams to Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to share their knowledge.
US Navy aircraft carrier's service being extended 10 months
The USS Nimitz, one of the largest warships in the world, is being kept in service until March 2027, nearly a year longer than originally scheduled.
“USS Nimitz’ (CVN 68) service life has since been extended to March 2027. Accordingly, the U.S. Navy plans to inactivate the ship in 2027,” a US Navy official told CNN in a statement.
The ship had been set to be decommissioned in May 2026, according to a US Navy official.
Some background: USS Nimitz’s extension comes as the US remains at war with Iran. President Donald Trump said Friday he believes US Navy escorts for oil tankers through the critical Strait of Hormuz will happen “soon.” USS Nimitz wrapped a nine-month deployment last December during which the ship completed four transits of the Strait of Hormuz as part of the US Fifth Fleet.
The ship, the oldest American aircraft carrier in active service, departed Naval Base Kitsap in Bremerton, Washington, last week en route to Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia, for what was planned to be its last trip. Plans for future deployments of the ship remain unclear.
Anti-regime protesters walk to White House in support of Trump's strikes on Iran
Anti-regime protesters rallied in front of the White House today to voice their support for President Donald Trump’s strikes on Iran.
Several protesters who once lived in Iran told CNN they see Trump’s strikes as an opportunity to help topple the Islamic regime that has ruled the nation since 1979.
The Iranian people will “finish this regime” if Trump continues to “put the pressure from the skies,” said Cyrus Kian, a protester who said he spent the first 25 years of his life in Iran. Gratefulness toward Trump for his strikes on Iran was a common sentiment at the protest, with some of those in attendance sporting red “Make Iran Great Again” hats.
“The president did say that help was on the way,” said Reza Mousavi, a volunteer for DC Protests for Iran, the organization behind the protest. “He did make a promise and he stood by it.”
In addition to calling for an end to the current Iranian regime, the protesters outside the White House voiced their support for Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of Iran’s last Shah, as the nation’s next leader.
Marzieh Mirzasalehi, a volunteer at the protest who said she left Iran in 2007, said, “We want our Shah coming back to Iran because he’s the only one who can help build and make Iran great again.”
Many protesters held combined American-Iranian flags and posters showing Pahlavi standing alongside Trump.
Formula 1 calls off April races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia
Formula 1 and its governing body FIA said the Grand Prix races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia will not happen in April because of safety concerns related to the Iran war.
Both countries have been struck during Iran’s response after the United States and Israel launched a wave of attacks on Iran.
The announcement was made early Sunday morning in Shanghai ahead of the Chinese Grand Prix.
F1 was due to race in Bahrain on April 12 and in the Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah on April 19.
China and the UK respond after Trump says he hopes they send ships to Strait of Hormuz
After US President Donald Trump said Saturday that “hopefully, China, France, Japan, South Korea, the UK, and others” will send naval assets to free up shipping lanes in the Strait of Hormuz, both China and the UK have responded to CNN’s requests for comment.
Neither confirmed whether they are sending warships to the strait.
A spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Washington would not say whether the country is planning to deploy naval assets to the region, telling CNN that China calls for an immediate stop to hostilities, and that “all parties have the responsibility to ensure stable and unimpeded energy supply.”
“As a sincere friend and strategic partner of Middle Eastern countries,” the statement concluded, “China will continue to strengthen communication with relevant parties, including parties to the conflict, and play a constructive role for deescalation and restoration of peace.”
Likewise, a spokesperson for the British Ministry of Defense said that the UK is “currently discussing with our allies and partners a range of options to ensure the security of shipping in the region.”
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard warns US to move industries from region
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard issued a warning Saturday urging the United States to move American industrial plants out of the region and telling civilians to evacuate areas close to facilities in “which Americans are shareholders” to avoid any “harm,” according to Iranian state media.
The statement comes as tensions in the region continue to escalate following a series of strikes over the past two days targeting Iranian infrastructure. Iranian state media reported that several civilian workers were killed in attacks on non-military factories in Iran.
Iranian officials have repeatedly threatened retaliation after what they describe as US attacks on the country’s oil and energy facilities. Earlier Saturday, Iran’s foreign minister warned that Tehran would respond to strikes on its energy sector by targeting infrastructure tied to American companies or interests across the region.
The latest warning from the Revolutionary Guard suggests that facilities connected to US businesses, even indirectly through shareholders, could become potential targets if the conflict intensifies.
CNN visits Beirut "ghost town" pounded by Israeli strikes
Israel has unleashed successive waves of strikes across Lebanon, claiming to target senior Hezbollah operatives, weapons and infrastructure.
CNN’s Isobel Yeung reports from Beirut’s southern suburbs:
CNN’s Isobel Yeung reports from Beirut’s southern suburbs, a Hezbollah stronghold battered by Israeli airstrikes. Israel has carried out multiple waves of strikes across Lebanon, driving hundreds of thousands to flee after a week of intense bombardment.
Israeli strikes in Lebanon have killed at least 826 people, including 106 children, according to the country’s public health ministry. Israeli evacuation warnings have displaced hundreds of thousands more.
CNN’s Tal Shalev, Catherine Nicholls and Sophie Tanno contributed to this report.
Our latest headlines: Israeli strikes, Iranian demands and a big oil shipping problem
Israel says it killed two more senior Iranian officials today, completing 400 waves of airstrikes on targets in western and central Iran since the war began two weeks ago.
Here’s what else you should know:
• Oil chokepoint: President Donald Trump reiterated his call for other countries to help secure shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. Tehran’s moves to hinder the flow of traffic through the vital waterway has had ripple effects throughout the global economy. But Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi claimed in an MS Now interview that the strait is only closed to vessels from the US and Israel.
• Status of Iran’s supreme leader: Araghchi also pushed back on US claims that Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei is wounded and disfigured from the initial wave of US and Israeli attacks last month. Khamenei has remained in the shadows since his appointment.
• Russia’s backing of Iran: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia has supplied Iran with intelligence and drones that have been used to attack US military bases in the Middle East.
• Revisiting a dark history: For many Lebanese people who grew up during their country’s 1975-90 civil war, the latest strikes across the Middle East are reviving childhood traumas they thought were long buried.
• Iran demands reparations: Mohammad Mokhber, an adviser to Iran’s supreme leader, said in a social media post that Iran deserves “compensation” from the US and Israel for damages it’s incurred during the course of the war. It’s been a common refrain from Iranian leaders, with both President Masoud Pezeshkian and the newly-appointed supreme leader calling for reparations in recent days.
• Iraqi government condemns embassy strike: Two drones hit the US Embassy in Baghdad today, a security official told CNN, although the extent of damage or any injuries is still unknown. The Iraqi prime minister decried the attack, saying it exposes Iraq to “serious consequences” and the country will “continue to pursue those involved in this condemned and unacceptable act.”
CNN’s Dana Karni, Andrew Carey, Charbel Mallo, Helen Regan, Alejandra Jaramillo, Billy Stockwell, Alessandra Freitas and Tala Alrajjal contributed to this report.
Israel says two senior Iranian officials killed as it completes 400 waves of airstrikes on Iran
Israel says it has killed two more senior Iranian intelligence officials as it continues its targeting of Iran’s security leadership.
In a statement, the Israeli military said Abdollah Jalali-Nasab and Amir Shariat were killed in an airstrike in Tehran on Friday.
It said the two men had been in charge of the Intelligence Directorate of the Khatam al-Anbiya Emergency Command, and said their deaths marked “another significant blow to the regime’s command and control structures.”
An Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)-affiliated Telegram account later confirmed Jalali-Nasab’s death in a post, but did not comment on Shariat’s condition.
Israel says it has now completed 400 waves of airstrikes on targets in western and central Iran since it started the war two weeks ago. Strikes elsewhere in Iran have been carried out by the United States.
On Saturday alone, Israel said it had hit more than 200 targets, including dozens of missile launchers, as well as air defense systems and weapons storage sites.
On Friday, it said it had struck Iran’s main space research center, which, it said, carried out work on military satellites used for surveillance and directing fire on locations across the region.
Trump reiterates push for global effort to secure Strait of Hormuz
President Donald Trump on Saturday reiterated his call for other countries to help secure shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical energy chokepoint.
“The United States of America has beaten and completely decimated Iran, both Militarily, Economically, and in every other way, but the Countries of the World that receive Oil through the Hormuz Strait must take care of that passage, and we will help — A LOT!” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
He added that the US will coordinate with the countries “so that everything goes quickly, smoothly, and well” and that this “should have always been a team effort, and now it will be.”
The president’s post comes shortly after he claimed that other nations would join the United States in sending naval forces to help reopen the strategic waterway.
Some context: The Strait of Hormuz is one of the world’s most critical shipping lanes for oil, and tensions around the waterway have intensified amid the war with Iran. Trump administration officials have said reopening the route to commercial shipping remains a key priority.
Iran’s foreign minister on Saturday denied claims that Tehran had fully closed the Strait of Hormuz, instead saying the passage was blocked only to vessels with ties to the US and Israel.
“It is only closed to American, Israeli ships and tankers, and not to others,” Abbas Araghchi said.
UN chief calls on Israel and Hezbollah to "stop the fighting"
UN Secretary-General António Guterres has called on Israel and the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah to “stop the fighting” as the conflict between the two parties escalates.
During a visit to the Lebanese capital, Beirut, Guterres issued a plea to both sides: “Stop the fighting. Stop the bombing. There is no military solution.”
Israel has raised the prospect of a major ground operation into Lebanon, amid the mass displacement of Lebanese citizens. Guterres said the Lebanese people “did not choose this war,” but were “dragged into it.”
The UN chief joins other world leaders advocating for peace, including French President Emmanuel Macron who earlier today urged Israel to hold direct talks with Lebanon while calling on the Israeli military to “abandon any large-scale offensive and stop its massive strikes.”
Macron also called on Hezbollah to “immediately halt its reckless escalation.”
Separately, the UN’s peacekeeping mission in Lebanon told CNN it launched an investigation after a position in Mais el-Jebal came under fire and a peacekeeper was injured on Friday.
Asked for comment, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) told CNN that “fire conducted by” Israeli troops who had perceived a threat “deviated from its trajectory, which led to a hit on a UN position in the area.”
“The IDF regrets the incident and is taking all possible measures to avoid harming UN forces in the area,” the IDF added. “The incident is under investigation.”
Iranian foreign minister denies US claims that new supreme leader was "disfigured"
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Saturday pushed back on claims from US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth that Iran’s newly named supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, was wounded and disfigured.
“There is no problem with the new supreme leader,” Araghchi said in an interview with MS Now. “He is performing his duties according to the constitution, and he will continue to do that.”
Strait of Hormuz: The foreign minister also denied claims that Iran had fully closed the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most critical oil shipping routes, instead saying the passage was only blocked to vessels with ties to the US and Israel.
“It is only closed to American, Israeli ships and tankers, and not to others,” he said.
Regional attacks: Commenting on the ongoing strikes by US and Israeli forces against Iran, Araghchi vowed retaliation for the US military strike on Kharg Island, which handles most of Iran’s oil exports, and said that Iran’s armed forces will strike any energy infrastructure tied to American companies in the region.
Araghchi claimed the strikes were launched from UAE territory, specifically from Ras al-Khaimah and a location near Dubai, which he described as “highly dangerous” and “unacceptable” given the proximity to civilian populations.
“Our armed forces have already answered that they would retaliate if our oil and energy infrastructure are attacked,” Araghchi said.
Foreign assistance: Asked about Russian and Chinese military support, Araghchi acknowledged both nations as “strategic partners” with ongoing military cooperation but declined to provide details.
Nuclear talks: Araghchi denied ever threatening to weaponize Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile, saying he was trying to convey the scale of potential concessions Iran was prepared to make. “We were close to reach a deal,” he said. “That is the reality.”
“This is an imposed war against us,” he said. “We didn’t start this war. We are only defending ourselves.”
UAE response: Anwar Gargash, a senior diplomatic adviser to the president of UAE, said Araghchi’s comments accusing the Emirates of aggression against Iran are “part of a confused policy that has misdirected its aim, lost its compass, and forsaken wisdom.” In an X post, he said that Araghchi has “condemned his own country” and “entrenched its isolation.”
Gargash mentioned that the UAE made “sincere efforts” to mediate and avoid a war between the US and Iran. He added that the UAE “continues to prioritize reason and logic, maintaining restraint and seeking an exit for Iran and the region, but noted that “the UAE has the right to self-defense in the face of this terrorist aggression.”
Hezbollah is an "obstacle" to peace in Lebanon, justice minister says
Lebanese Justice Minister Adel Nassar said Hezbollah’s failure to cooperate with the Lebanese government and the group’s decision to launch rockets toward Israel has given Israel the “pretext” to start a war against the country.
Hezbollah is acting as if it wants a front position in the regional war between Iran and the US and Israel, while “the interest of Lebanon and all the people of Lebanon is to stay away of regional conflicts,” Nassar told CNN’s Christiane Amanpour.
Lebanon should be a “model of peace for the world,” Nassar said, not “dragged into the wars of the others.”
Remember: Hezbollah is an Iranian-backed Islamist movement with one of the most powerful paramilitary forces in the Middle East. The group emerged from the rubble of Israel’s 1982 invasion of Lebanon, when Israeli forces took almost half of Lebanon’s territory.
Longtime Netanyahu aide Dermer will lead any Lebanon talks, Israeli official tells CNN
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has tapped long-time aide and one-time ambassador to the United States, Ron Dermer, to lead any possible negotiations with Lebanon, two Israeli sources told CNN.
Last week, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun called for talks between his country and Israel, after a sharp escalation in hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah, the Iran-backed militant group.
There has been no official response from Israel to Aoun’s initiative.
An Israeli official told CNN the fact that Netanyahu has handed Dermer this new responsibility does not mean there are concrete plans for any talks at this time.
“We acknowledge the Lebanese government’s appeal for diplomacy, but they have not shown the capabilities, or the will, to disarm Hezbollah, and stop it from firing towards Israeli communities. Israel wants to finish the job in Lebanon,” one of the Israeli sources told CNN.
At least 17 vessels attacked in the Middle East in last two weeks, UK agency says
Since the conflict in the Middle East began two weeks ago, at least 17 vessels have been attacked in and around the Persian Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf of Oman, according to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO).
At least one person - an Indian national - has been killed as a result of the attacks, according to UKMTO and India’s Embassy in Oman.
Take a look at what we know about these attacks below:
- March 1: Two tankers were struck by projectiles in the Strait of Hormuz, and another was struck while docked at Bahrain, UKMTO said. A fourth tanker - the MKD VYOM - was struck in the Gulf of Oman, killing one person. A fifth vessel was also attacked when a projectile detonated in close proximity to it in the Persian Gulf, UKMTO said.
- March 3: Two vessels were struck with projectiles while they were anchored in the Gulf of Oman, UKMTO said. A drone was also sighted near a bulk carrier there, which “impact(ed) water nearby,” it added.
- March 4: There were explosions onboard two vessels in the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf, UKMTO said. A projectile also detonated approximately 1 nautical mile from a third vessel while it was drifting in the Persian Gulf, it said.
- March 6: A tug vessel in the Strait of Hormuz was struck by projectiles, UKMTO reported.
- March 7: An offshore drilling rig in the Persian Gulf was struck by a drone, causing injuries and the evacuation of personnel, UKMTO said.
- March 10: A vessel in the Persian Gulf was struck by a projectile, causing possible structural damage, UKMTO said.
- March 11: A container ship in the Strait of Hormuz - the Mayuree Naree - was struck by a projectile, UKMTO said. Three other vessels in the Persian Gulf were also struck by projectiles, it said.
- March 12: A container ship in the Persian Gulf was struck by a projectile that caused a fire onboard, UKMTO said.
CNN’s Eyad Kourdi contributed to this reporting.
