THE TIMES OF INDIA | Mar 12, 2026, 08:16:36 IST
US-Israel-Iran War News Live Updates: The conflict involving Iran, Israel, and the United States has rapidly escalated into one of the most dangerous crises in the Middle East in years. The war began on February 28, when US and Israeli forces launched coordinated air strikes across Iran, killing the country’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei and triggering a broader regional confrontation.
Since then, Iran has responded with missile and drone attacks targeting Israeli positions and shipping routes in the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial global energy corridor through which roughly a fifth of the world’s oil supply passes. The disruption has shaken global markets, sending oil prices sharply higher and prompting emergency releases from strategic reserves by major economies.
Iranian officials have warned the conflict could turn into a prolonged war of attrition capable of devastating the global economy. Tehran says it still maintains control over the Strait of Hormuz and has threatened to target economic infrastructure linked to the United States and Israel. Iranian forces have also targeted commercial vessels in the Gulf, further escalating tensions and raising fears of a wider maritime crisis.
US President Donald Trump has vowed to “finish the job,” arguing that most major Iranian military targets have already been struck, including mine-laying vessels and other naval assets. However, Israeli officials say the campaign is far from complete and that they still have a broad list of targets inside Iran.
The conflict has also spread beyond the immediate battlefield. The Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah has launched attacks from Lebanon into Israel, prompting Israeli air strikes in Beirut and eastern Lebanon. Hundreds have been killed and hundreds of thousands displaced.
Meanwhile, diplomatic tensions have intensified at the United Nations Security Council, which has demanded Iran halt attacks on Gulf states. With fighting entering its second week, fears are growing that the conflict could expand further and severely disrupt global trade, energy supplies, and regional stability.
US Iran war: Bahrain warns residents to stay indoors
Bahrain’s ministry of interior has urged citizens and residents of Hidd, Arad, Qalali and Samaheej to “remain in their homes, close windows and ventilation openings” due to the fire in Muharraq Governorate, reported Aljazeera.
The ministry said the measure was a “precaution against potential effects of smoke” from the fire.
Earlier, Bahrain said it was responding to an Iranian attack on fuel tanks in its Muharraq Governorate.
US Iran war: Qatar condemns Iranian attack on Oman’s Salalah port
Qatar’s ministry of foreign affairs has strongly condemned the “Iranian drone attack targeting the port of Salalah in the Sultanate of Oman, which caused damage to several fuel tanks at the port”.
In a statement, the ministry described the attack as a “blatant act of aggression and a flagrant violation of international law and its principles” as well as a “dangerous escalation”. The ministry also noted that Iran’s targeting of Oman came after “its tireless efforts to de-escalate tensions in the region,” describing the incident as an “unacceptable attack” on Oman’s “role as a mediator and its efforts to promote calm.”
The ministry reiterated Qatar’s full solidarity with Oman and “its support for all measures taken by the Sultanate to preserve its sovereignty, security, and stability,” the statement added.
Middle East crisis: Trump threatens to destroy Iran’s ‘electricity capacity’
While speaking to reporters Trump added,
- “The main thing is we have to win this. Win it quickly, but win it… Most people say it’s already been won. It’s just a question of when, when do we stop? We don’t want to let it regrow.”
- “We can hit sections of Tehran and other places but if you do it, it’ll be almost impossible for them to rebuild their country. And we don’t want that. But we can hit electric, we could take apart their electric capacity within one hour and it would take them 25 years to rebuild it. So ideally, we’re not going to be doing that.”
Middle East crisis: Trump says US ‘looking strong at the straits’
The US president has spoken to reporters in Maryland about the war in Iran.
Here’s some of what he said:
“We have very good news on the war front. Namely, they are absolutely being destroyed. Iran is being absolutely decimated.”
“They (Iran) are pretty much at the end of the line. Doesn’t mean we’re going to end it immediately. But they are. They’ve got no navy. They’ve got no Air Force. They’ve got no anti air traffic, anything. They have no systems of control. We’re just riding free range over that country.”
“And now we’re going to look very strongly at the straits.The straits are in great shape.”
US Iran War: One killed in attack on oil tankers off Iraq, rescue operation ongoing
An attack on two oil tankers near Iraq left at least one crew member dead, as Iran presses ahead with efforts to disrupt global energy markets, AFP reported citing authorities.
Farhan Al-Fartousi of Iraq’s General Company for Ports told state television that one crew member was killed and 38 others rescued, while “the search continues for the missing.”
He did not specify the nationalities of the crew or who was responsible for the attack, which occurred about 50 kilometres (31 miles) off the coast.
Iraq’s government media cell told the national news agency INA that “two tankers were subject to sabotage.”
Israel Iran War: Lebanon health ministry says at least 7 dead in new attack on central Beirut
Lebanon said an Israeli strike along the seafront in central Beirut killed at least seven people early Thursday, just hours after another attack hit the heart
of the capital.
“The Israeli enemy strike on Ramlet al-Bayda in Beirut led to an initial toll of seven dead and 21 wounded,” the health ministry said in a statement, referring to a beach area where some displaced people have been sleeping out in the open after the latest conflict erupted between Israel and Hezbollah.
Iran War: Iran targets ships, Dubai airport and oil facilities as economic concerns mount
Iran fired at commercial ships on Wednesday and targeted Dubai International Airport, escalating its effort to bottle up the oil-rich Persian Gulf as global energy concerns mounted and US and Israeli air strikes continued to pound the Islamic Republic.
“Two drones fell in the vicinity of Dubai International Airport a short while ago, resulting in minor injuries to two Ghanaian nationals and one Bangladeshi national, and moderate injuries to one Indian national,” the Dubai Media Office said. “Air traffic is operating as normal.”
Iran’s response to the surprise Israeli and US bombardment that began 12 days ago has disrupted trade routes, squeezed supplies of fuel and fertiliser leaving the Gulf, and threatened air traffic across one of the world’s busiest aviation corridors. Both sides appear entrenched, hoping to outlast the other.
Israel Iran War: Hezbollah says launched missiles at Israeli military intelligence base in Tel Aviv suburbs
Lebanon’s Hezbollah said it fired missiles at an Israeli military intelligence base in the suburbs of Tel Aviv, the Iran-backed group’s latest claim as part of a major operation against Israel announced hours earlier.
Hezbollah fighters “targeted the Glilot base (the headquarters of the 8200 Military Intelligence Unit)… in the Tel Aviv suburbs with a barrage of advance missiles,” the group said in a statement.
Earlier, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said they had conducted a joint missile operation with their ally Hezbollah against targets in Israel.
Iran War: Iranian state media reports drone hits Dubai building
Iranian state media reported that a drone struck a building in Dubai. State broadcaster IRIB said a “precision-guided drone” hit a tower in the city.
Dubai’s media office said on X that authorities were responding to “an incident involving a drone that fell on a building in the vicinity of Dubai Creek Harbour.”
Iran War News: Guards say carried out ‘integrated’ missile attack with Hezbollah on Israel
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said shortly after midnight on Thursday that they had conducted a joint missile operation with their Lebanese ally Hezbollah targeting sites in Israel.
In a statement reported by the Fars and Tasnim news agencies, the Guards said the “joint and integrated operation” combined Iranian missile strikes with missiles and drones launched by Hezbollah.
According to the statement, the operation targeted more than 50 locations across Israel, including military bases in Haifa, Tel Aviv and Beersheba.
The Guards also said they aimed strikes at US bases at Al-Kharj in Saudi Arabia and Al-Azraq in Jordan. Warning alerts were issued in Saudi Arabia but no damage was reported, according to AFP correspondents, while Jordan said there had been no strike on its territory.
Israel Iran War: Israeli military says strikes 10 Hezbollah targets in Beirut
The Israeli military said it had struck 10 Hezbollah targets in southern Beirut, including an intelligence headquarters and several command centres, after the Lebanese militant group and Iran claimed to have carried out joint strikes on Israel.
“Over the past hours, the IDF has begun a wide-scale wave of strikes targeting terror infrastructure belonging to the Hezbollah terrorist organization across Lebanon,” the Israeli military said, adding it hit “dozens of launchers” as well as intelligence and command sites in south Beirut.
US Iran War: Trump says Iran near point of defeat
President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that Iran was close to defeat but warned that US forces could intensify their strikes to the point where the
country would be “almost impossible” to rebuild.
“They are pretty much at the end of the line,” Trump told reporters in Washington.
He added: “We can hit sections of Tehran and other places that if you do it, it’ll be almost impossible for them to rebuild their country, and we don’t want that.”
Israel Iran War: Saudi defence ministry says intercepted drone headed to Shaybah oil field
Meanwhile, a widening conflict in Iran has disrupted oil tanker traffic, put refineries in the crosshairs and rattled investors concerned about the ripple effects of surging energy prices.
In response, the International Energy Agency said Wednesday it would release the largest amount of emergency oil reserves in its history, pledging to make 400 million barrels available from member nations’ stockpiles. The move signaled a shift in governments’ response to the war’s disruption of global oil flows, after earlier hesitation among world leaders to draw on strategic reserves.
War between Iran, Israel, and the United States erupted after US-Israeli air strikes on February 28 killed Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei. Iran retaliated with missile and drone attacks, particularly around the strategic Strait of Hormuz, disrupting shipping and sending global oil prices soaring.
Tehran has warned the war could become a prolonged conflict capable of damaging the world economy, while US President Donald Trump insists Washington must “finish the job,” claiming most Iranian targets have already been hit.
The fighting has spread regionally, with Hezbollah launching attacks on Israel from Lebanon, prompting Israeli retaliation. The war has already caused heavy casualties, mass displacement, and major disruption to energy markets and aviation.
As tensions rise and diplomatic efforts stall at the United Nations Security Council, fears are mounting that the conflict could widen further and trigger a major global economic shock.
