US-Israel Iran War Live Updates

As the United States considers disengaging from the Iran conflict, it is simultaneously striving to maintain its influence over the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial maritime route through which 20 percent of the world’s oil supply was previously transported before the outbreak of war.
A recent development has exposed the evolving approach of President Donald Trump, who initially pledged to safeguard the waterway’s freedom of navigation, only to later encourage other nations, particularly in Asia, to take the initiative in re-establishing passage through the strait.
Trump has also stated that the US imports “almost no oil through the Hormuz Strait” and therefore does not require control over the vital waterway.

Since the start of the US-Israeli military campaign against Iran in late February, Bahrain’s armed forces have successfully intercepted a total of 429 drones and 188 missiles, demonstrating their ability to counter aerial threats.

Following a high-level diplomatic call between British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Kuwait’s Emir Sheikh Mishal al-Ahmad Al Sabah, the UK has decided to dispatch the Rapid Sentry air defence system to Kuwait in a show of solidarity. This move comes in the wake of a brazen drone attack on the Mina al-Ahmadi oil refinery port.

The B1 bridge, a pivotal component of the ambitious Tehran-Karaj connectivity project, was initially designed to bridge the Iranian capital with the city of Karaj to its west.
This infrastructure undertaking was earmarked as one of the most complex and costly projects in the country, requiring significant time and resources.
The bridge came under attack yesterday, coinciding with the Day of Nature celebrations, when families typically venture outdoors and some were in the vicinity of the targeted area. The assault resulted in a minimum of eight fatalities and 95 injuries.
Karaj has also been grappling with the aftermath of multiple energy infrastructure attacks, which led to prolonged blackouts in the city over the past few nights.
The strike on the B1 bridge was a double-tap attack, comprising two separate strikes on the same target.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has denounced an alleged Israeli operation against desalination and power facilities in Kuwait, labeling it a reprehensible act of aggression.
The IRGC’s Public Relations Division has accused Israel of deliberately targeting civilian infrastructure, sparking outrage from the Iranian military unit.
In a strongly worded statement, the IRGC denounced the Israeli strike as a stark illustration of the regime’s ruthless and lawless nature, vowing to retaliate against key American military installations and Israeli security hubs in the region, including those in occupied Palestinian territories.

The United Arab Emirates has been plagued by a relentless barrage of attacks since the outbreak of this conflict, with each new day bringing fresh incidents.
The UAE government issued an urgent warning this morning, confirming that it was responding to a fresh wave of missile and drone strikes. According to the Ministry of Defence, the sonic booms heard overhead were a result of intercepted missiles.
One of the attacks resulted in a fire at the critical Habshan gas processing facility after debris rained down on the site.
Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia successfully downed six drones, while Kuwait suffered damage from drone attacks.
Bahrain was also hit with air raid sirens this morning, as multiple GCC countries faced yet another wave of aggression.
Iran’s warnings continue to escalate, with Tehran explicitly stating that if the US targets its regional interests, it will unleash retaliatory strikes against US or US-linked infrastructure in GCC nations.

In a long-awaited move, the African Union has expressed its support for the five-point plan devised by Pakistan and China to facilitate a peaceful resolution to the conflict in the region, encompassing an immediate halt to hostilities and the reopening of maritime trade routes.

In a bid to alleviate the strain of an energy crisis exacerbated by the Iran conflict, Islamabad’s Interior Minister, Mohsin Naqvi, has revealed that public transportation in the city will be provided at no cost to commuters, effective Saturday. Naqvi disclosed on social media platform X that the Ministry of Interior will cover the expenses of approximately Rs 350 million for this public assistance program.

According to Neil Atkinson, a seasoned energy expert and former senior official at the International Energy Agency, the world remains far from recovery following the Hormuz Strait crisis. Even a swift reopening of the critical waterway would not immediately restore normal energy flows, he cautioned.

Atkinson pointed out that numerous tankers currently stranded on either side of the Strait could potentially resume their journeys if free movement were to resume immediately. However, the analyst emphasized that production facilities in key oil-producing nations such as Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Kuwait, and Abu Dhabi have been forced to shut down, which could take several days or even longer to fully recover.

The expert also highlighted the significant disruption to liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports from Qatar, warning that recovery in this sector could take weeks, even under the most optimistic scenario. Atkinson underscored the far-reaching implications of the crisis, noting that oil plays a crucial role in various industries worldwide. “Everything, to a greater or lesser extent, relies on oil,” he observed.

Furthermore, Atkinson sounded the alarm on the long-term risks to global food production, citing the potential impact of fertilizer shortages. He warned that the lack of availability of fertilizers could have a ripple effect on food yields, emphasizing the severity of the problems at hand.

A warning has been issued by Israeli military authorities to evacuate the area surrounding the Sohmor and Mashghara bridges in eastern Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley. The bridges are set to be the focus of an impending Israeli military operation aimed at disrupting the flow of reinforcements and military supplies into the region.