Here's the latest
• War timeline: US President Donald Trump said the US is considering “winding down” military efforts in the Middle East. But officials said thousands more US troops are heading there. A senior Iranian official said that Tehran doesn’t believe Trump’s claim.
• Oil markets: The US lifted sanctions on 140 million barrels of Iranian oil as the Trump administration sought to lower gas prices. Ambassador Mike Waltz, speaking at a CNN town hall, defended the move, describing it as “very temporary.”
• Berating allies: Trump called NATO allies “cowards” for not helping the US secure the Strait of Hormuz. He also downplayed prospects of a ceasefire.
• Indian Ocean base targeted: Iran launched missiles at Diego Garcia, a joint US-UK military base that’s around 2,370 miles from Iran’s coast, but they did not hit the facility, according to a US official.
Struggling with rising gas prices? Share your story
US gas prices are skyrocketing, hitting a nationwide average of $3.91 per gallon yesterday, according to AAA. That’s the highest average price for a gallon of regular gas since October 13, 2022.
Putin tells Iranian leadership Moscow remains "loyal friend"
Russian President Vladimir Putin has told Iran that Russia remains “a loyal friend and reliable partner to Iran during this difficult period.”
In a message to mark Nowruz, the Persian New Year, Putin wished the people of Iran “strength to overcome these severe trials with dignity,” according to the Kremlin. His message was addressed to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei and President Masoud Pezeshkian, according to the Kremlin.
CNN reported earlier this month that Russia is helping Iran with advanced drone tactics to hit US and Gulf nation targets in the Middle East, according to a Western intelligence official. Russian intelligence-sharing with Iran has until now been reported as general assistance with targeting, but specific tactical advice is a new level of support.
CNN has also reported that 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.
Much of the intelligence Russia has shared with Iran has been imagery from Moscow’s sophisticated constellation of overhead satellites, one of the people said.
Russia and Iran have a strategic partnership, and the Iranians provided the Russian military with Shahed drones early in the conflict with Ukraine. Russia has also assisted Iran with its civilian nuclear program.
Fragments fall over central Israel after Iranian missile attack
First responders are searching parts of central Israel where fragments fell onto the streets following an Iranian missile attack, according to Israeli emergency services.
Pictures released Saturday morning by Magen David Adom (MDA) show bricks and debris strewn across a parking lot and a car covered in leaves, in Rishon LeZion city, as teams in hard hats survey the scene.
“At this stage, no casualties are known,” MDA said.
Search and rescue teams were sent to the scene, according to the Israeli military (IDF).
“A short while ago, the IDF identified missiles launched from Iran toward the territory of the State of Israel,” it said on Telegram, some 15 minutes earlier.
South Korea signals willingness to contribute to efforts to reopen Strait of Hormuz
South Korea has signaled it is willing to participate in international efforts to ensure safe and free passage through the Strait of Hormuz, its foreign ministry said.
Disruption at the strait is directly hitting South Korea’s energy supply and economy, the ministry said, with the country capping fuel prices and shifting toward coal and nuclear power in response.
“Participation in the joint statement is significant in confirming our willingness to contribute to the efforts of the international community to ensure safe and free passage in the Strait of Hormuz,” the ministry said Saturday in a statement.
The United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Japan had released a joint statement on the strait, condemning Iran’s attacks on commercial vessels in the Gulf and the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz. They added that they are ready to contribute to “appropriate efforts to ensure safe passage through the Strait.”
Bahrain and Canada also expressed willingness to join the pack.
For context: US President Donald Trump had called on allies to send warships and minesweepers to help secure the Strait of Hormuz in an effort to calm global oil markets, but none have made firm commitments yet. He later lashed out at NATO allies for not helping the US and called them “cowards” for not helping secure the strait.
Iran targets US-UK base in Indian Ocean with ballistic missiles
Iran launched intermediate-range ballistic missiles at Diego Garcia, a joint US-UK military base, Friday morning local time, according to a US official.
Iran fired two missiles at the facility located in the Indian Ocean around 2,370 miles (3,810 kilometers) from Iran’s coast, but neither of them struck the base, the official said.
Diego Garcia — a key airfield for the US’ heavy bomber fleet — has long served as a crucial overseas US military staging post for operations far from home.
CNN has reached out for comment from the White House, Pentagon and the UK Ministry of Defense, as well as US Indo-Pacific Command, which counts the base at Diego Garcia among its areas of responsibilities.
Iran’s semi-official Mehr news agency said on Saturday that Iran had “fired two ballistic missiles at the military base of the oppressors in Diego Garcia.” It described the move as “a significant step by the Islamic Republic of Iran in threatening the interests of the United States and its allies beyond the borders of West Asia.”
The news agency did not say whether the targeting had been successful.
Some background: Diego Garcia is part of the Chagos Islands, an archipelago more than 1,000 miles (1,609 kilometers) northeast of Mauritius. The UK took over the islands along with Mauritius in 1814 after the defeat of Napoleon.
Mauritius gained independence in 1968, but the Chagos Islands remain under British control.
Hoping to stave off Soviet military influence in the region, the US and UK built a major base on Diego Garcia in 1971.
The island has helped launch two invasions of Iraq, served as a vital landing spot for bombers that fly missions across Asia and has been linked to US rendition efforts.
Earlier this year, US President Donald Trump accused the UK of “stupidity” over its plan to hand over ownership of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius.
Under the terms of a treaty, the UK will transfer sovereignty over all the Chagos Islands to Mauritius. The UK will pay Mauritius $136 million each year for a 99-year lease on the military base at Diego Garcia, meaning the UK and US can still use the facility.
This post has been updated with additional information.
More than an energy route — Strait of Hormuz feeds 100 million people
Oil and liquefied natural gas tankers moving through the Strait of Hormuz carry around 20% of the world’s supply. But for countries on the Persian Gulf, the waterway is more than just an energy route – it’s a lifeline for more than 100 million people.
Now, as the United States and Israel’s war with Iran chokes this vital stretch of water, it’s also straining food supply into the region.
Thriving in this harsh climate takes effort. With summer temperatures topping 50 degrees Celsius (122 Fahrenheit) and little cultivatable land, much of the Gulf Arab states’ drinking water comes from the sea via desalination plants. Most of their food, however, must come from abroad.
Saudi Arabia imports more than 80% of its food, the United Arab Emirates around 90%, and Qatar about 98%. In Iraq, too, the bulk of food imports pass through the Strait of Hormuz, despite the country’s access to two major rivers.
In total, the majority of the food shipments to the region pass through the strait, a passage that is now all but blocked due to attacks on commercial ships in the area.
With the waterway effectively closed, food shippers are scrambling to find alternative routes – routes that are costlier and logistically strained, and that cannot fully replace lost flow, raising the prospect of higher prices and reduced choice for consumers.
US and Israel destroy entrances to Iranian underground complexes, CNN investigation finds
The US and Israel have tried to put a large number of Iran’s munitions, including its missile launchers, out of commission by bombing the entrances to underground facilities, a CNN investigation has found.
CNN reviewed satellite images of 32 of Iran’s missile bases, most of which are buried inside mountains, and found all had been hit by airstrikes, usually targeted at tunnel entrances, surface buildings or road junctions. At least 77% of the 107 tunnel entrances CNN analyzed had been bombed.
The satellite images also captured at least 15 destroyed missile launchers at the bases. A rapid-fire aerial campaign by the US and Israel seeks to disable the underground cities, where Iran planned to reload missile launchers in safety, before driving them out to fire at US positions and allies in the Middle East, experts say.
The US and Israel lack the arsenal to “entirely collapse these facilities, and that’s precisely why they’re built into mountains,” said Ankit Panda, a security expert at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
Iran’s missile and drone launches have nosedived by more than 90% since the start of the war, but experts warn they appear to be able to sustain attacks on strategic targets, such as ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz.
Estimates from before the war suggested Iran had thousands of ballistic missiles, but just a few hundred launchers capable of firing them. This presented a bottleneck, which has been tightened by the US and Israel’s campaign.
CNN’s analysis saw evidence of repairs at some of the destroyed tunnel entrances. At one base north of Isfahan, satellite imagery showed construction equipment digging out a blocked entrance less than 48 hours after its bombardment.
Here's what we know on day 22 of the war
As the war enters its fourth week, the Trump administration granted a temporary license for Iran to sell around 140 million barrels of crude oil to calm jittery markets.
In the Middle East, Gulf states continue to intercept missiles and drones and Iran unsuccessfully targeted a joint US-UK military base in the Indian Ocean, a source told CNN.
Here are the main headlines:
- Sanctions removed: The Trump administration granted a temporary license on Friday night allowing Iran to sell 140 million barrels of oil sitting on tankers — enough to satisfy global demand for roughly a day and a half, according to the US Energy Information Administration.
- Military efforts: Trump said the US is considering “winding down” military efforts in the Middle East in a social media post Friday, though a senior Iranian source told CNN there has been no “reduction in military activity” in the region. Earlier that day, Trump told reporters that he believes the US has “won” its war with Iran. But thousands more US Marines and sailors are heading towards the Middle East.
- Strait of Hormuz: Bahrain has become the first regional country to signal willingness to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz, joining EU nations, Japan and Canada, its state media reported Friday.
On the ground
- Indian Ocean: Iran launched intermediate-range ballistic missiles at Diego Garcia, a joint US-UK military base, Friday morning local time, according to a US official. The missiles were fired at the Indian Ocean facility – around 2,370 miles from Iran’s coast – but neither of them struck the base, the official said.
- Gulf states: Tehran warned the UAE it will strike the port city of Ras al-Khaimah if Iranian islands in the Gulf continue to come under attack. Kuwait and Saudi Arabia intercepted missile and drone strikes overnight, defense officials said.
- Israel and Lebanon: The Israeli military said early Saturday that Iran launched more missiles towards its territory. It also reported striking Hezbollah targets in Beirut overnight.
Former Iranian prisoner recounts his experience with the IRGC
Professor and human rights advocate Kian Tajbakhsh says that a popular uprising in Iran is unlikely at the moment, but remains possible. “Regime change in Iran will depend on the balance between fear and anger,” he says.
How rising gas prices are impacting the average US household
Gas prices have climbed swiftly since the start of the war, fueled by the effective closing of the Strait of Hormuz that cut off 20% of the world’s oil supply. Prices hit a nationwide average of $3.91 per gallon on Friday, up 93 cents from February 28, when the conflict began.
Collectively, the figures are staggering. Drivers have pumped nearly $4.5 billion more into their gas tanks since the US and Israel first attacked Iran, estimated Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, an online price tracker.
A household with two cars is spending an average of $20 to $40 a week more on gas than prior to the conflict, De Haan said.
“This is money that is not being funneled into the rest of the economy because Americans are leaving it behind at the pump,” he said.
It’s unknown when the war – and attacks on the Middle East’s energy hubs – will end. If gas prices top $4 a gallon and remain there for six months, the typical household will spend about $600 more on fuel during that period, said Scott Hoyt, senior director at Moody’s Analytics. In total, its spending will increase by $750 because higher gas prices will cause other items to become more expensive.
And the spike will hit lower-income Americans even harder because they tend to spend a larger share of their household budgets on energy, he said.
Read more about how rising gas prices are impacting Americans here.
CNN’s Tami Luhby contributed to this report.
Here are key lines from Ambassador Waltz at CNN town hall last night
US Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz took questions Friday night from CNN’s Dana Bash and a studio audience in New York about the administration’s war with Iran.
He defended President Donald Trump and, at times, seemed to struggle to respond to some concerns.
Here are some of the key headlines from the CNN town hall:
The war against Iran still comports with the “America First” platform Trump used to successfully run for office, Waltz said. He said the president is “seeking to end wars all over the world. In this case, this is the ultimate endless war in the sense that it’s been going on for 47 years.”
Waltz argued Trump gave diplomacy a chance before deciding “enough was enough” and resorting to military action against Iran.
Trump has “all options” at his disposal in the conflict, including US forces deploying inside Iran, Waltz said. Degrading the country’s nuclear facilities from the air or sea remains the “preferred option,” he said.
The administration’s decision Friday to lift sanctions on millions of barrels of Iranian oil is “very temporary” and necessary to “defeat the Iranian strategy of driving energy prices so high,” Waltz said.
A college student who also works as a waiter asked Waltz how the war, funded by his taxes, is helping him. The ambassador highlighted other Trump policies on housing and taxes, saying the president has to “make tough decisions” when it comes to a “genocidal, terroristic regime.”
Why the US eased sanctions on 140 million barrels of Iranian oil
Trump administration officials are making a desperate push to secure every available barrel of oil amid a worsening energy crisis — even if it means lifting sanctions on the very country that they’re fighting against.
But three weeks into war with Iran, the administration is running out of options to contain the skyrocketing price of oil and gas.
Trump officials now privately estimate that the higher prices triggered by the war could linger for months, especially as fighting in the Middle East intensifies and passage through the Strait of Hormuz remains nearly impossible, three people familiar with the internal discussions said.
The US has already exhausted all of its go-to policy levers for alleviating the supply shock rippling through the global economy, those people said.
The Trump administration has already agreed to release hundreds of millions of barrels from its strategic reserves, eased some sanctions on Russian oil and taken steps domestically to accelerate crude flows throughout the US. Yet those actions have done little to slow the surge in prices around the world.
Officials are now going even further by temporarily removing sanctions on barrels of Iranian oil that are currently at sea, a move that will allow allies badly in need of supply to purchase them.
The optics of such a move are discomfiting: As the US tries to decimate the Iranian regime militarily, it will simultaneously be allowing the regime to benefit financially. It’s a tacit acknowledgement of the intense economic and political pressure that Iran has put on the US by closing the Strait of Hormuz.
