Live updates: Israel vows to 'intensify and expand' Iran attacks; Trump delays Strait of Hormuz deadline
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Despite Trump's claims of progress in peace talks, oil prices spiked again this morning after Wall Street had its worst day of the war.
What to know
- TRUMP EXTENDS HORMUZ DEADLINE: President Donald Trump has extended by 10 days his deadline for Iran to reopen the key Strait of Hormuz trade route or face U.S. strikes on its power plants. Trump said talks to end the war are going "very well," though Tehran insists it is not negotiating.
- ISRAEL TO 'INTENSIFY' ATTACKS: Israeli strikes on Iran will "will intensify and expand," because the Islamic Republic had not heeded warnings “to stop firing missiles at Israel’s civilian population,” Defense Minister Israel Katz said today.
- SCHOOL STRIKE: The United States should conclude an investigation into a deadly strike on an elementary school in southern Iran "as soon as possible," the United Nations' human rights chief said today.
- DEATH TOLL: Over 3,000 people have been killed across the Middle East as the war continues in its fourth week. In Iran, Israeli and American strikes have killed more than 1,900 people, according to the country’s deputy health minister. At least 1,100 people have been killed in Lebanon, and 18 have died in Israel. Thirteen U.S. service members have been killed, and two more died of noncombat causes.
- INSIGHTS AND ANALYSIS: Get exclusive analysis and insight into the Middle East conflict by becoming an NBC News subscriber.
Photos reveal damage to Iraqi air base following U.S.-Israeli airstrike
Photos have revealed the extent of destruction to Iraq's Habbaniyah military base after it was hit by an airstrike that killed seven members of the army on Wednesday, according to a statement from the country's defense ministry.
Iraq has said that it will file a complaint with the United Nations Security Council regarding the attacks on its territory.
Iraqi soldiers inspect the site of the health center in the Habbaniyah military base yesterday. Ahmad al-Rubaye / AFP via Getty Images
A family member mourns over the coffin of Ahmed Al-Jubouri, a member of Iraq's Ministry of Defense who was killed. Qassem al-Kaabi / AFP via Getty Images
An Iraqi soldier stands guard at the site of a destroyed healthcare center. Ahmad al-Rubaye / AFP via Getty Images
Iraqi officers visit a soldier who was injured in the strikes. Ahmad al-Rubaye / AFP via Getty Images
More than 1 million, including 300,000 children, displaced in Lebanon, U.N. says
More than 1 million people, including over 300,000 children, have been displaced in Lebanon due to Israeli strikes, the United Nations’ refugee agency said in a statement today.
They are “fleeing continued Israeli strikes,” the statement said, adding that the children deserved “more than survival” and “they deserve a childhood.”
A displaced child at a temporary encampment in Beirut yesterday. Murat Sengul / Anadolu via Getty Images
Israel will 'intensify and expand' strikes on Iran, defense minister says
Israel’s strikes on Iran will “intensify and expand,” the country’s defense minister said today.
Israel Katz said attacks would ramp up because the Islamic Republic had not heeded warnings “to stop firing missiles at Israel’s civilian population.”
“The fire has continued — and therefore, IDF strikes in Iran will intensify and expand to additional targets and domains that assist the regime in developing and deploying weapons against Israeli civilians,” Katz said.
Ukraine and Saudi Arabia sign deal on defense cooperation, Zelenskyy says
Saudi Arabia and Ukraine have signed an agreement on defense cooperation, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said today in a post on X.
“We are ready to share our expertise and systems with Saudi Arabia and to work together to strengthen the protection of lives,” Zelenskyy said, adding that the deal laud out the foundation for future contracts, technological cooperation and investment.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Jeddah last year. Anadolu via Getty Images file
“Now into the fifth year, Ukrainians are resisting the same kind of terrorist attacks — ballistic missiles and drones — that the Iranian regime is currently carrying out in the Middle East and the Gulf region. Saudi Arabia also has capabilities that are of interest to Ukraine, and this cooperation can be mutually beneficial.”
Ukraine has already offered its expertise and drone technology to countries in the Middle East that have been hit by Iranian strikes.
And Zelenskyy has previously said that more than 200 of Ukrainian experts have gone to the region to share their knowledge and help his country's allies.
Iranian drones and missiles struck port, Kuwait says
Iranian drones and cruise missiles struck a port in the northwestern part of the Gulf, Kuwait's Ministry of Public Works said in a statement today.
While damage was reported, no casualties were recorded, the statement said, adding, “Emergency procedures in place for such cases have been activated in coordination with the relevant authorities.”
Thai cargo ship reportedly runs aground after Iran attack
A Thai-flagged cargo ship that came under attack from Iran in the Strait of Hormuz and was abandoned by its crew has run aground, Iranian media reported Friday.
Smoke rising from the Thai bulk carrier Mayuree Naree near the Strait of Hormuz earlier this month. Royal Thai Navy via AFP - Getty Images
Thailand’s Foreign Ministry said Friday that the Iranian and Omani authorities were able to reach the Mayuree Naree on a rescue mission as three sailors remain unaccounted for. The ship came under attack March 11.
The semiofficial Tasnim and Fars news agencies, believed to be close to Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, reported that the ship ran aground near the village of Ramchah on Qeshm Island.
Oil prices continue to rise as Trump’s extended Iran deadline fails to calm markets
Oil prices continued to spike this morning, with international Brent crude oil once again surpassing $110 per barrel. For the day so far that’s up another 3%.
U.S. crude oil prices are also continuing to climb and prices nearly hit $97 per barrel, up more than 2% for the day.
Those moves come despite the Truth Social announcement late yesterday from President Trump, in which he said he would give Iran more time to reopen the Strait of Hormuz before striking its power infrastructure.
Vessels tied to U.S. allies barred from entering Strait of Hormuz, Iran says
Vessels from countries or ports considered to be U.S. allies are barred from entering the Strait of Hormuz, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said in a statement provided to state-run Student News Network
Three container ships from different countries attempted to transit the strategic waterway but were turned back, the statement said.
“The IRGC Navy announced that the Strait of Hormuz is closed and any movement through it will face a strong response,” the statement added.
U.S. should conclude probe into deadly Iran school strike, U.N. rights chief says
The United States should conclude its investigation into a fatal strike on an Iranian primary school at the start of U.S.-Israeli attacks last month and publish the findings, the United Nations rights chief said Friday.
The aftermath of a strike on a school in Minab, Iran on Feb. 28. Abbas Zakeri / Mehr News via Reuters
“Senior U.S. officials have said the strike is under investigation. I call for that process to be concluded as soon as possible, and for its findings to be made public,” Volker Türk told the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva during an urgent debate called by Iran.
“There must be justice for the terrible harm done,” he added.
Mothers of Israeli soldiers call for a stop to the war in Lebanon
In a letter Friday to the Israeli military’s chief of staff, Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, mothers of soldiers called for an end to the further ground offensive into Lebanon.
The group, Parents of Combat Soldiers, includes 600 military parents. The letter said the military was receiving orders from politicians who are ready to “sacrifice” its children, and urged Zamir to focus on a political solution. “Four soldiers have already been killed in Lebanon, how many more will sacrifice their lives in vain?!” said the letter.
82,000 civilian buildings have been damaged in Iran, U.N. says
Attacks on Iran have damaged 82,000 civilian buildings, including hospitals, residential units and the homes of 180,000 people, across 20 of Iran’s 32 provinces, the International Organization for Migration said on Friday.
Vahid Salemi / AP
Vahid Salemi / AP
Australia defends its efforts in Iran war after Trump criticism
Australia’s prime minister defended his country’s efforts in the Iran war, after Trump accused the U.S. ally of not doing enough.
Speaking at a cabinet meeting yesterday, Trump called out Australia specifically while complaining about the perceived lack of support from U.S. allies, particularly in the face of Iran's blockade of the Strait of Hormuz oil trade route. “Australia was not great. I was a little surprised by Australia,” he said.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said his country had been “constructive” in its response to the war despite not being consulted about it beforehand, sending a military surveillance plane that is playing a “critical role” in supporting Gulf states under Iranian attack.
“There is no request being made to Australia that has not been agreed to,” he told reporters.
Malaysia says Iran is allowing its ships to transit the Strait of Hormuz
Iran is allowing Malaysian vessels to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, the Malaysian prime minister said.
“We are now in the process of releasing the Malaysian oil tankers and the workers involved so that they may continue their journey home,” Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said in a televised address yesterday, according to Reuters.
The address came after Ibrahim held talks with the leaders of Iran, Egypt, Turkey and other regional countries about efforts to end the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran.
“But it is not easy, as Iran feels it has been deceived repeatedly and finds it difficult to accept steps toward peace without a clear and binding security guarantee for their nation,” he said.
Rubio tries to sell Iran war to skeptical allies at G7 meeting
Secretary of State Marco Rubio is in France meeting his Group of Seven foreign minister counterparts today, after President Trump criticized NATO countries over a reluctance or refusal to take part in the Iran war.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, left, and France's Foreign Affairs Minister Jean-Noel Barrot during a G7 Foreign Ministers' meeting in Cernay-la-Ville, France, today. Alain Jocard / AFP via Getty Images
Rubio will have a hard time trying to sell the other top diplomats from G7 countries on the U.S. strategy for the Iran conflict, to which almost all nations have raised objections. On his arrival at the meeting venue at a historic 12-century abbey in Vaux-de-Cerney outside of Paris, Rubio posed for a group photo with his fellow foreign ministers but none of them spoke.
‘We don’t sleep’: Sailors stranded in Persian Gulf as rockets fly over their heads
What was supposed to be an uneventful first voyage transporting oil across the Persian Gulf has turned into a nightmare for a 28-year-old sailor from India, who has spent the past month stuck as his ship sits idled by the Iran war.
“We don’t sleep at night. We stay up on deck because you never know what might happen next,” said the sailor, who asked not to be named for fear of reprisals from authorities and his employer.
Elke Scholiers / Getty Images
He was speaking to NBC News from Iraqi waters minutes after an air attack Tuesday afternoon, which he says landed on Iran just a few miles away. He and the three other crew members on the small oil vessel are among 20,000 sailors stranded on hundreds of ships in the Persian Gulf, according to the U.N.’s maritime agency.
Iran’s ‘Tehran toll booth’ forces some tankers to pay millions to leave Strait of Hormuz
Call it the world’s most dangerous toll booth.
Iran is forcing oil tankers to take a new route in the Strait of Hormuz through a narrow passage controlled by its Revolutionary Guard, with some ships charged millions of dollars to transit, according to maritime data shared with NBC News.
The new system — dubbed “the Tehran toll booth” by shipping industry experts — indicates Iran remains firmly in control of the critical waterway despite intense strikes on the country, and may be looking to cement that control over the longer term.
