Live updates: Iran attacks Israel and US bases as war intensifies
Iran launched new attacks Thursday on Israel, American bases and countries around the region, threatening that the United States would "bitterly regret" torpedoing an Iranian warship in the Indian Ocean, according to the Associated Press.
The AP reported that a religious leader on Thursday called for "Trump’s blood." Israel has launched its own attacks, saying it has struck 80 targets in Lebanon linked to the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militant group over the past 24 hours.
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Motorists drive along an expressway as plumes of smoke rise after a strike in Tehran on March 5, 2026. (Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP via Getty Images)
The AP also reported that Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi accused the U.S. Navy of committing "an atrocity at sea" for sinking the Iranian frigate IRIS Dena in the Indian Ocean, which killed at least 87 Iranian sailors. "Mark my words: The U.S. will come to bitterly regret (the) precedent it has set," he said on social media.
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US releases explosion footage as Hegseth claims submarine sank Iranian warship
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said a U.S. submarine sank what he described as an "Iranian warship" in the Indian Ocean on March 4.
The war has killed more than 1,000 people in Iran, more than 70 in Lebanon and around a dozen in Israel, according to officials in those countries.
It has disrupted the supply of the world’s oil and gas, snarled international shipping and stranded hundreds of thousands of travelers in the Middle East.
Here’s the latest from Thursday.
US Embassy in Pakistan issues a security alert ahead of possible protests on Friday
12:05 p.m. ET: According to the Associated Press, the security alert did not explain the cause of the possible demonstrations, but comes days after Pakistani protesters supportive of the Iranian government attempted to storm a U.S. consulate, leading to violent clashes in Karachi and elsewhere that left 22 people dead. The embassy’s warning Thursday restricts the movement of its personnel nationwide.
Trump wants to be involved in picking the next Iranian leader
11:55 a.m. ET: President Donald Trump, in an interview with the news outlet Axios, said he wants to be involved in selection of Iran’s next leader and called Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s son an "unacceptable" potential pick, according to the Associated Press.
"Khamenei’s son is unacceptable to me," Trump said of Mojtaba Khamenei, the 56-year-old son of the supreme leader killed on the first day of the war. Trump added, "We want someone that will bring harmony and peace to Iran."
The AP noted that Trump also criticized Khamenei’s son, who is believed to be under consideration to serve as the next supreme leader, as "a light weight.’
"I have to be involved in the appointment, like with Delcy in Venezuela," said Trump, referring to the acting president in the South American country.
Delcy Rodriguez took power in January after Trump ordered a U.S. military operation to capture Nicolás Maduro and whisk him to the U.S. to face federal drug conspiracy charges.
Around 20,000 Americans have left the Middle East, State Department says
11:15 a.m. ET: The Associated Press reported that around 20,000 Americans left the Middle East, and nearly all of them made their own way out of the region without government assistance, according to the State Department.
The department said it is arranging charter flights for private citizens who want to leave. The first departed Wednesday and several more were expected Thursday, although officials did not say where they would depart.
Earlier, the department asked Americans in Bahrain, Israel, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to fill out an online form for information about the flights.
Officials said they have responded to requests for information from more than 10,000 Americans in the region but did not say how many want to leave. Americans seeking help were urged to contact an emergency task force at +1-202-501-4444.
Iran awaits announcement of a new leader
10:30 a.m. ET: The Associated Press reported that some disagreements are starting to come to light from private discussions over who will be Iran’s next supreme leader.
Rumors have circulated around the possibility of Mojtaba Khamenei succeeding his father as supreme leader as he’s close with the all-powerful Revolutionary Guards.
A member of parliament and firebrand cleric, Hamid Rasaee, wrote Thursday that the killed supreme leader’s son was "an outstanding seminarian" as well as a trusted advisor to his father and an "overseer of many of the country’s affairs." He also called Khamenei an ayatollah, a rank he may not possess.
A reformist-aligned cleric, Rahmatollah Bigdeli, condemned what he called Rasaee’s "ignorance and bias".
The U.S. and Israel-Iran war has impacted an additional 14 countries across the region and beyond
8 a.m. ET: According to the Associated Press, the U.S. and Israel-Iran war has impacted an additional 14 countries across the region and other areas, including the following:
- Lebanon
- Syria
- Qatar
- Bahrain
- The United Arab Emirates
- Jordan
- Saudi Arabia
- Kuwait
- Iraq
- Turkey
- Cyprus
- Sri Lanka (off coast)
- Oman
- Azerbaijan
Rising death toll in Iran
7:05 a.m. ET: The Associated Press reported that the death toll in Iran from the ongoing war with the United States and Israel has reached at least 1,230 people, an Iranian government agency said Thursday.
The Iran’s Foundation of Martyrs and Veterans Affairs offered the toll.
Iranian warship sunk by US had participated in India-hosted naval exercises
6:50 a.m. ET: Indian authorities told the Associated Press that an Iranian warship that was sunk by a U.S. submarine near Sri Lanka had participated in naval exercises hosted by India before heading out into international waters in the Indian Ocean on its way home.
According to the AP, the sinking of the ship Wednesday underscored the spread of the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran. It also ignited a debate in India about maritime security in the Indian Ocean — a region where New Delhi maintains a significant naval presence.
The Indian government has not yet publicly commented on the incident but opposition leaders questioned its lack of response, the AP added.
Last 2 names of 6 US soldiers killed in Kuwait identified
The Pentagon on Wednesday released the identities of the last two names of the six U.S. soldiers who were killed during an attack in Kuwait: Maj. Jeffrey O'Brien and Robert Marzan.
O’Brien, a resident of Waukee, Iowa, was commissioned into the Army Reserve as a Signal Corps Officer in 2012. He deployed to Kuwait in 2019.
The Pentagon said Chief Warrant Officer 3 Marzan, 54, of Sacramento was at the scene when a drone strike hit the command center in Kuwait and is "believed to be the individual who perished at the scene," according to the statement. A medical examiner will confirm identification, the Pentagon said.
The other soldiers identified Tuesday by the Pentagon were: Sgt. Declan Coady, 20, of West Des Moines, Iowa,; Sgt. 1st Class Nicole Amor, 39, of White Bear Lake, Minnesota; Capt. Cody Khork, 35, of Winter Haven, Florida; and Sgt. 1st Class Noah Tietjens, 42, of Bellevue, Nebraska.
Senate votes down Iran war powers resolution
Senate Republicans voted down an effort Wednesday to halt President Donald Trump’s war against Iran, demonstrating early support for a conflict that has rapidly spread across the Middle East with no clear U.S. exit strategy.
The legislation, known as a war powers resolution, failed on a 47-53 vote tally. The vote fell mostly along party lines, though Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky voted in favor and Democratic Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania voted against.
The war powers resolution gave lawmakers an opportunity to demand congressional approval before any further attacks are carried out. The vote forced them to take a stand on a war shaping the fate of U.S. military members, countless other lives and the future of the region.
US and Israel attack Iran
The backstory:
On Saturday, the U.S. and Israel launched strikes on Tehran, and President Donald Trump said the U.S. was starting major combat operations against Iran.
The strikes killed the country’s leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and several other high ranking officials, throwing its leadership into question and raising the risk of regional instability.
Big picture view:
Trump said there were four objectives for the operations:
- Destroy Iran’s missile capabilities
- Wipe out its naval capacity
- Stop the country from obtaining a nuclear weapon
- "Ensure that the Iranian regime cannot continue to arm, fund and direct terrorist armies outside of their borders."
This is the second time in eight months that the Trump administration has attacked the Islamic Republic during talks over its nuclear program.
The Source: Information for this article was taken from The Associated Press and previous reporting by FOX Local. This story was reported from San Jose, California and Washington, D.C.