&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "US-Israel-Iran war highlights: Oil tanker traffic through Strait of Hormuz down 90%: Kpler")
US-Israel-Iran War LIVE: The US and Israel launched coordinated airstrikes on Iran on February 28, with Israel calling the campaign Operation Lion’s Roar and Washington naming it Operation Epic Fury. Both described the assault as preemptive, carried out amid rising tensions and ongoing nuclear talks between Tehran and Washington. The strikes came eight months after a brief but intense 12-day confrontation between Israel and Iran.
Iran responded with missile attacks on Israel and targeted US military bases in Qatar, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain. On March 1, it was confirmed that Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in the joint strikes, along with several senior Iranian figures. Tehran has since escalated its retaliation, warning that US bases in the region would be treated as American territory. Gulf states have cautioned against further escalation, even as Washington and Tel Aviv signal that operations could continue for weeks.
The conflict is widening, with Iran-aligned groups joining the fight. International leaders have condemned the US-led action, while several European allies voiced support for Washington. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi held calls with key leaders, including Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu, urging restraint and dialogue. The United Nations has called for an immediate ceasefire, as both Donald Trump and Iranian officials indicate potential openness to talks.
Stay tuned to WION for all the LIVE updates and analysis on the US-Israel-Iran War
Oil tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has dropped by 90 percent following the outbreak of US-Israeli attacks on Iran, energy market intelligence firm Kpler said Wednesday on X. Iranian military officials claim they have fully blocked passage through the strategic waterway, which handles about a fifth of the world’s crude oil supply. However, Kpler reported that some vessels are still attempting the journey. "Unlike several other vessel segments where movements have largely ceased, some tankers are still travelling east and west through the strait, with a number of voyages occurring under AIS blackouts," said Kpler Principal Freight Analyst Matt Wright, referring to the marine traffic tracking system.
Iranian media report an attack on an army base in the city of Baneh in Iran’s Kurdistan province in the country’s northwest.
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth reverted to his past talking points about “fake news” while touting the US military’s accomplishments. He suggested that the press prominently cover service member casualties to “make the president look bad,” an incendiary claim that injected partisan politics into a wartime Pentagon press conference.
The Israeli military said anti-tank fire in south Lebanon injured two of its soldiers on Wednesday, after Hezbollah said it had struck two Israeli military vehicles.
Pete Hegseth during a press conference on Wednesday said that US would use precision gravity bombs which they have in unlimited stockpile. The US can sustain this fight easily. We will decide when to end the fight, on our terms.
Sirens were sounded again in Israel on Wednesday after simultaneous launches from Lebanon and Iran. Interception trails were seen over the Tel Aviv area and loud explosions were heard. Iran has fired regular salvoes of missiles and drones at Israel, though most of the incoming fire has been intercepted
Turkish officials said Wednesday that a missile fired from Iran toward Turkish airspace was intercepted and destroyed by NATO air defense systems. According to a statement from Turkey’s Defense Ministry, the ballistic projectile was detected traveling through Iraqi and Syrian airspace before heading toward Turkey. NATO air and missile defense assets deployed in the eastern Mediterranean engaged the missile promptly and neutralized it before it could pose a threat.
Iranian state media reported that the planned state funeral for Ali Khamenei, originally scheduled for Wednesday evening in Tehran, has been postponed due to expectations of an exceptionally large public turnout. “The farewell ceremony for the martyred Imam has been postponed. A new date will be announced later,” state television said on Wednesday, following Khamenei’s reported death in U.S.-Israeli strikes over the weekend.
The United Arab Emirates and Qatar separately said Wednesday they had intercepted drone and missile barrages as Iran pressed its campaign targeting its neighbours into a fifth day.
Iran's Revolutionary Guards said Wednesday they had total control of the Strait of Hormuz, a key waterway for global energy transit, as Israel launched a new wave of strikes on the Iranian capital.
Israeli military spokesperson tells residents of southern Lebanon to move immediately to the north of the Litani River
Saudi Arabia intercepted a drone attack in targeting its massive Ras Tanura refinery, the defence ministry said Wednesday, following an earlier hit on the complex along its Gulf coast this week.
Chinese shipping giant Cosco, which operates one of the world's biggest oil tanker fleets, said it is suspending from Wednesday services to and from Gulf countries including the UAE, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Kuwait.
Iran still retains a substantial capability to launch missiles at Israel despite ongoing US and Israeli strikes, military officials said.
Hezbollah said it launched an attack targeting the headquarters of Israel Aerospace Industries, one of Israel’s largest defence contractors.
Kuwait's military said it detected incoming projectiles on Wednesday and was working to intercept them, with Iran pressing its campaign targeting Gulf states into a fifth day.
"The armed forces are currently dealing with a wave of missiles and drones that have been detected in the airspace of the State of Kuwait, and are carrying out their missions to confront and intercept them," the army said in a statement as an AFP reporter said sirens sounded in Kuwait City.
Mohammad Mokhber, a senior aide to Iran’s late Supreme Leader, said Tehran has no contact with the United States and ruled out any negotiations with Washington.
Speaking to Iran’s Mehr news agency, Mokhber said Iran “has no contacts with the Americans in any form and there would be no negotiations with Washington”.
Mokhber, a longtime senior figure within Iran’s leadership who previously served as first vice president, made the remarks as tensions remain high following the escalating conflict between Iran, the United States and Israel.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez hit back on Wednesday at US President Donald Trump's criticisms of Madrid's refusal to let US planes use its bases to attack Iran. "The position of the government of Spain can be summed up in four words: no to war," he said in a televised address, a day after Trump threatened to sever all trade with Spain. "We will not be complicit in something that is harmful to the world and contrary to our values and interests, simply out of fear of retaliation."
An explosion hit northeastern Tehran on Wednesday, reported AFP citing its journalist. Iranian state television has also confirmed a powerful explosion, without providing further details.
An AFP journalist in Tehran saw a cloud of smoke rising in the northeast of the city and heard the roar of military aircraft in the sky at around 11:15 am (0745 GMT).
The IDF in its latest statement said that since Hezbollah joined the conflict on Monday, Israeli forces have struck over 250 targets in Lebanon, including 100 in the past day. The targets included senior terror operatives, rocket launchers, weapons depots, and headquarters belonging to Hezbollah and other terror groups.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said Wednesday he believed that Israeli-US strikes on Iran were not consistent with international law.
"It would appear, prima facie, not to be consistent or to be inconsistent with international law," Carney told a gathering at the Lowy Institute in Sydney.
Amid Iran's criticism that the US might be dragged into the war on Israel's insistence, US President Donald Trump on Tuesday (Mar 3) denied all such claims and suggested that if anything, the opposite could be true and that he felt Iran was going to attack first. Speaking at a press conference in the Oval Office alongside visiting German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Trump said that the US was negotiating with “lunatics” and he might have “forced” Israel into this war.
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After Saudi Arabia and Oman, the United States has now granted non-emergency staff in Cyprus to leave for the US amid security concerns.
A drone was shot down on Wednesday near Baghdad's international airport, a day after a similar attack on the facility. Citing two security sources, AFP reported that "a drone was downed near Baghdad airport, with no casualties or material damage reported."
The airport includes a military base that hosts a US diplomatic facility and previously housed US-led coalition troops.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has said it now has “complete control” of the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most critical oil shipping routes. Iranian officials warned that any vessel attempting to pass through the strategic waterway could be targeted.
"Currently, the Strait of Hormuz is under the complete control of the Islamic Republic's Navy," said Guards Navy official Mohammad Akbarzadeh in a statement issued on Fars news agency.
Will the US back militias to topple Iran’s regime? Reports say President Donald Trump is weighing support for armed groups inside Iran amid the reported rise of Mojtaba Khamenei.
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Israel’s military on Wednesday (Mar 4) said that Iran had launched missiles toward the country for the second time in less than two hours. “Defense systems are operating to intercept the threat,” it added.
US President Donald Trump is weighing whether to support armed groups seeking to overthrow Iran’s ruling establishment, though no final decision has been made on providing weapons, training or intelligence assistance, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal.
The report said Trump has held discussions with Kurdish leaders and other regional figures. However, US officials told the outlet that the administration has yet to settle on a concrete strategy or identify a clear successor to lead Iran if the regime collapses.
Speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump said he would prefer “somebody from within” Iran to emerge as a future leader, though he acknowledged that many potential power brokers had already been killed during the conflict. “Most of the people we had in mind are dead,” he said.
Trump has also floated what he called the “Venezuela model,” in which a successor from within the existing system maintains stability after the removal of the top leader, according to the report.
According to the US State Department, America has authorised non-emergency US government employees and their families to leave Saudi Arabia and Oman due to safety risks.
The department "authorised non-emergency US government employees and US government employee family members to leave" Saudi Arabia and Oman "due to safety risks," the US embassies in Riyadh and Muscat said in advisories on their websites.
The Lebanese Ministry of Health, in a statement, said that the “martyrdom toll from the occupation's airstrike” on a four-storey residential building in the city of Baalbek in eastern Lebanon has risen to 8.
An Israeli strike hit a hotel in the Beirut suburb of Hazmieh on Wednesday, Lebanese state media reported, the first recent such attack on the predominantly Christian area.
The state-run National News Agency said that "an Israeli airstrike targeted a hotel in Hazmieh" adding that "ambulances were dispatched to the scene".
Trump said the US Navy could begin escorting oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz if required.
"If necessary, the United States Navy will begin escorting tankers through the Strait of Hormuz, as soon as possible. No matter what, the United States will ensure the FREE FLOW of ENERGY to the WORLD," he said in a post on Truth Social.
The United States Department of Defense on Wednesday (Mar 4) identified four of the six US Army Reserve soldiers killed in a drone strike in Kuwait earlier this week, as the conflict between Washington, Tel Aviv and Tehran continues to escalate.
A Control Room has been set up in the Ministry of External Affairs in view of the current situation in West Asia and the Gulf region. The Control Room can be contacted from 9 am to 9 pm at:
1800118797 (Toll Free)
+91 11 2301 2113
+91 11 2301 4104
+91 11 2301 7905
Emergency contact numbers of Indian Embassies in the region are:
Bahrain: +973 39418071
Iran: +98 9128109115 / +98 912810910 / +98 912810910 / +98 932179359
Iraq: +964 771 651 1185 / +964 770444 4899
Israel: +972 54 7520711 / +972 54 2428378
Jordan: +962 770 422 276
Kuwait: + 965 65501946
Lebanon: +961 76860128
Oman: +968 98282270 (Whatsapp) / 80071234 (Toll free)
Qatar: +974 55647502
Ramallah, Palestine: +970 592916418
Saudi Arabia (Riyadh): +966 11 4884697 / 800 247 1234 (toll free)
Saudi Arabia (Jeddah): +966 126648660 / +966 12 2614093
United Arab Emirates: +971 543090571 (Whatsapp) / 800 46342 (Toll free)
Three US F-15E fighter jets that went down over Kuwait on Tuesday were reportedly shot down by a Kuwaiti Air Force F/A-18 Hornet in a suspected friendly fire incident, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal.
President Donald Trump threatened to cut trade ties with Spain after Madrid refused to allow US aircraft to use its bases for strikes on Iran.
Spain’s government said any use of its bases must comply with the United Nations Charter.
The United States said it has organised charter flights to help Americans leave the Middle East.
Flights have been arranged from Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, with officials saying that they "will continue to secure additional capacity as security conditions allow."
Taking to Truth Social, US President Donald Trump claimed that since the launch of Operation Epic Fury, “more than 9,000 Americans have safely returned home from the Middle East.” He also shared a link for Americans in the Middle East who are looking for a way to return to the US.
French President Emmanuel Macron said France is sending its flagship aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle to the eastern Mediterranean as the conflict widens.
The carrier was pulled from a North Atlantic mission.
According to Lebanon, Israeli strikes on towns south of its capital, Beirut have killed at least six people. In a statement, Lebanon's health ministry said that "the Israeli enemy’s attacks on the areas of Aramoun and Saadiyat" killed six people and wounded eight others "in a preliminary toll".
Aramoun and Saadiyat are both towns outside of Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah's traditional strongholds.
In a statement on his website, US Senator Tim Kaine said that Americans don't want POTUS Donald Trump to “drag us into unnecessary forever wars”
“Americans want President Trump to lower prices—not drag us into unnecessary forever wars. Yet he has unilaterally launched strikes at Iran without congressional authorization, failed to articulate a clear strategy, and callously said he doesn’t ‘have the yips about boots on the ground,’” said Kaine, a member of the Senate Armed Services and Foreign Relations Committees.
“The Senate will vote on our bipartisan War Powers Resolution tomorrow, and every senator will have to go on the record to declare whether it is in our best interest to send our sons and daughters into conflict against Iran. I pray that my colleagues will vote to end this dangerous and unnecessary war that has already resulted in the loss of six service members and injured others. We owe it to those in uniform, their families, and all Americans to not make the same mistakes that we made in Iraq and Afghanistan.”
The US Senate is poised to vote Wednesday at 4 p.m. ET on a war powers resolution aimed at limiting President Donald Trump’s authority to continue military actions against Iran without explicit congressional approval. The measure, led by Democrats including Sen. Tim Kaine with support from Senate leaders Chuck Schumer and Adam Schiff, would require Trump to come to Congress for authorisation if he wants to keep US forces engaged in hostilities.
A drone strike caused a fire near the US consulate in Dubai.
Witnesses reported hearing a loud bang before seeing flames. Police cordoned off surrounding roads as emergency teams responded. The incident comes as Iran intensified its targeting of US diplomatic missions in the Gulf.
Israel’s military said it launched a "broad wave of strikes" targeting sites in Iran.
The announcement came after Iran fired three separate missile barrages at Israeli territory. Earlier, Israel said it had struck an underground nuclear facility where it claimed scientists were "covertly" working on key nuclear weapons components.
Qatar announced that it had broken up two spy cells allegedly linked to Iran’s Revolutionary Guards.
Authorities said 10 suspects who "admitted during the investigation their links to the Revolutionary Guards and having been instructed to conduct espionage and sabotage activities," were arrested. Qatar hosts a major US military base and has faced Iranian strikes since the conflict escalated.
A loud explosion was heard in Beirut shortly after midnight Wednesday, according to AFP citing journalists on the ground.
The blast comes as Israel and Hezbollah exchange strikes and rocket fire. The latest round of fighting began after Hezbollah launched rockets toward Israel following the reported killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Wednesday (Mar 4) called for the "rapid de-escalation" of the Middle East war unleashed by US-Israeli strikes on Iran.
"Resolution of this crisis will require commitment to a broader political solution, and diplomatic engagement is essential to avoid a wider and deeper conflict," Carney told reporters in Sydney.
"Innocent civilians must be protected, and all parties must commit to finding enduring agreements to end both nuclear proliferation and terrorist extremism," he said.
The United States military has struck nearly 2,000 targets inside Iran so far, marking what officials describe as one of the largest buildups of American firepower in the region in decades.
Admiral Brad Cooper, head of US Central Command, said Tuesday (Mar 3) that American forces had used more than 2,000 munitions in the campaign. "We've already struck nearly 2,000 targets with more than 2,000 munitions. We have severely degraded Iran's air defenses and destroyed hundreds of Iran's ballistic missiles, launchers and drones," Cooper said in a video message.
He added that the first 24 hours of the operation were "nearly double the scale" of the opening day of the 2003 Iraq war. Strikes into Iran, he said, are continuing 24/7.
According to an Iran International report, Mojtaba Khamenei, son of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has been selected as Iran’s new Supreme Leader by the Assembly of Experts, citing informed sources.
According to the report, the 56-year-old cleric was chosen to take charge of the country following deliberations within the powerful body responsible for appointing the Supreme Leader.
Mojtaba is the second eldest son of the late leader and has long been viewed by political observers as a potential successor, though his possible elevation had remained a subject of speculation until now.
