US-Israel Iran War Live Updates

A sudden spike in Brent crude prices saw the commodity rebound from a mid-week dip below $100 a barrel, reaching a high of $106.29, a 5 percent increase. Meanwhile, West Texas Intermediate also experienced a notable surge, jumping more than 4 percent to a peak of $104.29.

According to Trita Parsi, executive vice president at the Quincy Institute, Trump’s recent primetime address lacked originality, instead serving as a recap of his past statements.
Parsi observed that Trump’s speech closely mirrored his tweets from the past 30 days, presented in a seemingly chronological sequence.
However, the absence of new information in the speech inadvertently exposed the fact that Trump does not possess a well-defined plan.

The sudden shift in investor sentiment was sparked by President Trump’s inflammatory comments, which appear to have derailed the fragile momentum towards a potential resolution in the crisis. The MSCI Asian Pacific Index took a hit, declining by approximately three-quarters of a percent in early trading, following Trump’s threat to propel Iran back to a bygone era. Just hours prior, Iran had made a bold move by directly addressing the US, issuing a letter that conveyed its peaceful intentions and self-defence stance. This conciliatory gesture had provided a glimmer of hope, contributing to a boost in Wall Street stocks overnight. However, the current market turmoil suggests that investors are once again adopting a risk-averse approach, with uncertainty resurfacing and energy prices on the rise. Brent Crude is currently trading at around $104 per barrel, having previously dipped below the psychologically significant threshold of $100. The market’s volatility underscores the need for a swift resolution to the crisis, which could potentially lead to a rapid rebound in market performance, given the recent record gains in Asian markets.

Indonesia has become the latest nation to denounce Israel’s draconian legislation, which metes out the death penalty to Palestinians but spares Jewish Israelis convicted of identical offenses.
A scathing rebuke was issued by Indonesia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which took to social media to express its outrage at the policy.
“This discriminatory law is a flagrant affront to the principles of justice and universal humanitarian norms,” the ministry stated.
“The legislation constitutes a grave breach of international human rights and humanitarian law, specifically the Fourth Geneva Convention and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which enshrine the fundamental right to life and the right to a fair trial,” the ministry emphasized.

At dawn, Hezbollah’s combatants claimed responsibility for a barrage of rockets that struck Israeli military positions in the al-Malikiyah and Yeroun settlements at 6:10am local time.
The group also asserted that its operatives had successfully deployed a swarm of attack drones against the Even Menachem settlement at 6am.

A Marine Corps veteran and Democratic congressman has expressed deep concern over the US president’s approach to Iran, warning that it puts American troops in harm’s way while failing to achieve its intended objectives.

Congressman Seth Moulton, a vocal critic of the president’s policies, told MSNBC that Trump’s strategy in Iran is marked by a staggering lack of understanding and foresight. Moulton described the president’s address as “pathetic” and “weak,” highlighting the high stakes involved in the situation.

The congressman pointed out the irony of Trump boasting about tearing up the Obama-era deal while simultaneously trying to negotiate a new one. Moulton also noted that the president’s claim that regime change was never on the table contradicts his own actions, which have led to the replacement of an ailing 86-year-old leader with a younger, more hardline figure.

Moulton further criticized Trump’s assertion that the US had to bomb Iran for an additional two to three weeks to achieve a goal that had supposedly been accomplished just months prior. The congressman expressed his inability to comprehend the president’s thought process, stating that he is not a child psychologist.

Authorities in Abu Dhabi have issued a statement confirming that a recent missile interception near the Khalifa Economic Zones Abu Dhabi (KEZAD) area resulted in minimal destruction and no reported casualties.

The United States’ stance on the current conflict has been met with widespread approval in Israel, as it appears to solidify the country’s war-like status for the foreseeable future, at least several weeks ahead.
This development aligns with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s own assessment of the situation, which he shared just a couple of days ago. According to Netanyahu, Israel has reached the midpoint in its list of targets for the ongoing air campaign, a strategy that has expanded to encompass the broader infrastructure of Iran, including civilian targets such as power plants and factories that are crucial to the country’s functioning.
It seems Israel is committed to severely crippling Iran’s capabilities, a goal that aligns with Trump’s assertion that the country should be returned to a primitive state. The Israeli government is likely to welcome Trump’s justification for the conflict, which centers on the October 7 attacks on Israel. Furthermore, Trump’s statement that an Iranian nuclear capability would have led to Israel’s demise by now echoes a commonly held view among hawkish Israeli figures, including Netanyahu, who has long been a vocal advocate for this perspective.

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has posted a cryptic message on X, stating “Back to the Stone Age”, a phrase previously employed by Trump in a warning to Iran.

Breaking news from the Israeli Defense Forces: two urgent alerts have been issued, signaling incoming projectiles fired from Iranian soil, heading straight for Israel.
According to Channel 12, the anticipated strikes have set off air raid sirens throughout northern Israel, with one of the missiles reportedly equipped with a fragmentation warhead.