U.S. has finished attacking targets in Iran, CENTCOM says

Kuwait has reopened its airspace hours after Iranian attacks prompted a temporary closure.

The reopening comes after "the dissipation of the conditions" that had triggered the earlier closure, Kuwait's Directorate General of Civil Aviation said in a statement. 

Kuwait International Airport is back to normal operations and flights have resumed "with ongoing monitoring and immediate evaluation of any new developments that may arise, and taking the necessary measures at the time." the directorate said.

It said it continues to monitor the situation to ensure safety.

Two people were reportedly killed by an Israeli drone strike in the Lebanese city of Sidon. Video showed several vehicles on fire and emergency crews working to extinguish the flames.

Around 3,500 people have died in 100 days of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah.

Video shows fiery aftermath of Israeli attack in southern Lebanon

01:02

Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., who was briefed yesterday by the head of Central Command, Adm. Brad Cooper, on Iran, reiterated today that he does not believe the country’s regime will make a deal with Trump, and he said the only option left for Trump is to determine whether to expand the conflict to obtain the rest of Iran’s nuclear materials.

“I’m not sure that it will do any good in terms of destroying their weapons to do more bombing. We can destroy their civilian infrastructure, but I think the blockade is doing a pretty good job,” Kennedy said. “And the president’s got a very hard decision to make, and it really, really boils down to this: Is he going to send in troops or not? That’s the bottom line.”

Kennedy said that he does not support sending troops to retrieve the nuclear materials and that if Trump decides that is the way forward, he would need to brief Congress.

“Before the president sends in troops, we all need to sit down and talk about it,” Kennedy said.

The U.S. State Department tonight told people to take shelter as projectiles flew over Jordanian airspace.

"Reports indicate missiles, drones, or rockets are in Jordanian airspace," the U.S. Embassy in Jordan said in a statement.

The embassy said it will continue reviewing the situation.

Kuwaiti officials said the country is temporarily closing its airspace and diverting flights to alternative airports following attacks from Iran.

The closure, which started at 4:50 a.m. Thursday local time, is "a precautionary measure aimed at preserving the safety and security of air navigation and passengers," Kuwait's Directorate General of Civil Aviation said in a statement.

Kuwait’s army said it is intercepting “hostile aerial targets.”

Earlier today, Iran launched attacks on U.S. military targets in Kuwait and Bahrain, the Revolutionary Guard said, according to Iranian state TV.

Kuwaiti airspace will reopen and flights will resume "immediately upon confirmation that the situation has ended and the causes of danger have been eliminated, based on the assessment of the relevant competent authorities," the directorate general said in its statement.

Before today's U.S. strikes against Iran, Hegseth said that Trump is prepared to make a deal and that Iran “would be wise to take it.”

The strikes tonight will advance U.S. military interests and enhance the nation’s diplomatic position, he said.

“If we need to negotiate with bombs, we’ll negotiate with bombs, and we’re very good at it. Nobody better in the world," Hegseth said at U.S. Central Command headquarters at the MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida. "We’re in lockstep with the White House, in lockstep with the negotiating team to make sure we set the conditions, and the targets tonight are meant to do that.”

If combat operations restart, U.S. war capabilities, including the ability to sense, see and "get into networks," have "only been vastly improved," he said.

Central Command said it completed additional self-defense strikes against multiple Iranian targets today. 

"U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) forces completed additional self-defense strikes against multiple targets in Iran, June 10, at the Commander in Chief’s direction," CENTCOM said on X. “CENTCOM forces launched strikes on Iranian military surveillance capabilities, communication systems, and air defense sites across Iran. U.S. Marine Corps, Air Force, and Navy assets fired precision munitions on Iranian targets that posed a threat to U.S. forces and international commercial ships transiting regional waters.”

CENTCOM said the strikes were in response to Iran’s “unwarranted and continued aggression.” 

Iran’s military has launched attacks on U.S. bases in Bahrain and Kuwait, according to Iranian media.

The U.S. Fifth Fleet in Bahrain was hit with “various types of destructive drones,” the state-owned IRIB news agency said on Telegram. The drone attacks by Iran's army targeted communication antennas and radar installations, the news agency said.

Separately, the Revolutionary Guard said in a statement that it struck and "destroyed" 18 U.S. military targets in Bahrain and Kuwait, according to the semiofficial Tasnim news agency.

The Revolutionary Guard hit targets at the Ali Al-Salem and Ahmad Al-Jaber air bases in Kuwait, as well as Sheikh Isa air base in Bahrain, according to the statement.

Trump told a Fox News reporter over the phone from the Situation Room that “the bombing will stop shortly.”

Fox News chief foreign correspondent Trey Yingst said on tonight's broadcast that Trump told him he spoke with top Iranian officials directly this evening and that they asked the U.S. to stop its bombing campaign.

Trump said 49 Tomahawk missiles were used to hit targets in Iran, some as close as 40 miles from the capital, Tehran. Fighter jets are also operating over Iranian skies, taking out radar systems and air defense systems in the southwestern part of the country, Yingst said, citing Trump.

Asked what will happen if Iran doesn’t sign an agreement put forth by American negotiators, Trump said, “We’ll bomb the 'S' out of them tomorrow night,” according to Yingst.

Yingst said Trump told him, “We’ve hit them hard tonight.”

Central Command said tonight on X that the Strait of Hormuz is open after the Revolutionary Guard said it is closed and announced it had attacked two oil tankers.

"CLAIM: Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claims that the Strait of Hormuz is closed," CENTCOM wrote. "TRUTH: Commercial ships are continuing to transit in and out of the Strait of Hormuz tonight."

Ships anchored in the Strait of Hormuz near Musandam, Oman on Monday.  Reuters

Iran's Revolutionary Guard navy said it attacked two oil tankers that tried to transit through the Strait of Hormuz.

"In accordance with the order closing the strait and the prior warning issued, 2 non-compliant oil tankers that attempted to transit the Strait of Hormuz were struck," the Revolutionary Guard said on X.

Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya military command headquarters said the Strait of Hormuz is closed for all marine traffic, according to a statement posted on Telegram by the state-owned IRIB news agency.

"Following the continued provocations of the criminal United States and in light of the beginning of attacks by that country’s invading military against certain areas in southern Hormozgan Province, the Strait of Hormuz is, from this moment, declared closed to all vessels, including oil tankers and commercial ships, due to insecurity in the region, and any transit will be targeted," the statement read.

Explosions, reportedly the result of U.S. attacks, were heard in several locations in Iran, according to Iranian media. 

Strikes were reported in Bandar Abbas, Minab and Qeshm Island, according to the Iranian semiofficial Mehr news agency.

The Islamic Republic News Agency said explosions caused by projectiles occurred in Qeshm Island and Hana, areas described as military in nature, citing a source from the Hormozgan governorate.

The IRIB News Agency said that at 12:45 a.m. a point in Kergan Minab was targeted by “enemy projectiles” five times and that a point in the city of Sirik in the Hormozgan province was also targeted by “enemy projectiles.” 

Most of the areas where attacks were reported are near the Strait of Hormuz.

U.S. Central Command said it has carried out new attacks on Iran.

"U.S. Central Command forces began launching additional self-defense strikes today at 5:15 p.m. ET against multiple targets in Iran at the Commander in Chief’s direction. The strikes are in response to Iran’s unwarranted and continued aggression," it said on X.

An anti-U.S. mural in Tehran on Wednesday. Majid Asgaripour / via Reuters

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the U.S. military will be attacking Iran tonight in comments to reporters at Central Command headquarters at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida.

"CENTCOM, Central Command will be busy tonight because President Trump said we will be hitting Iran hard and we will be," Hegseth said.

He added, "We will hit them hard on our terms, on the targets that improve the environment for us to operate in and undermine the capabilities that Iran wants to have."

Hegseth also said the U.S. military has been “protecting commercial shipping going through the Strait of Hormuz, as the president announced, to the tune of over 100 million barrels that have moved through and more in the middle of the night protected by the United States in a way that Iran can’t stop."

The State Department announced today that the U.S. is imposing sanctions on 13 people and entities who it said sought to source and purchase weapons for the Iranian military. 

The U.S. government said the individuals and entities were based in Iran, Belarus and China, including Hong Kong. They are accused of seeking to source and buy weapons, including man-portable air-defense systems, on behalf of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

“The United States continues to maintain maximum pressure on Iran and take actions to deny the IRGC and the government of Iran access to the resources that sustain their destabilizing activities,” Tommy Pigott, a State Department spokesperson, said in a statement. “The United States continues to use all available tools, to expose, disrupt, and counter Iran’s destabilizing activities and to stop Iran from efforts to reconstitute its proliferation-sensitive programs.”

The Treasury Department also announced today that it sanctioned nine people and entities that have facilitated weapons procurement for the Iranian military. They included people based in China and Hong Kong, as well as a company based in Hong Kong, according to a statement. The statement said they operated “within Iran’s clandestine banking network that attempted weapons procurement-related transactions.”

The Treasury Department said it will continue to “aggressively target the overseas procurement and financial networks that sustain Iran’s weapons production and proliferation capabilities, which threaten Americans and U.S. partners and allies around the world.”

U.S. Central Command said today that U.S. military forces disabled an oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman after it disabled another yesterday after the tanker “violated the ongoing blockade by attempting to transport oil from Iran.”

CENTCOM said it disabled the Palau-flagged tanker Settebello in the Gulf of Oman when a U.S. aircraft fired precision munitions into the ship’s engine room “after the crew repeatedly failed to comply with directions from American forces.”

Since the blockade began April 13, U.S. forces have disabled eight “non-compliant vessels,” redirected 134 ships that complied with directions from U.S. forces and allowed 42 ships that were carrying humanitarian aid to pass through, CENTCOM said.

The U.S. military has been coordinating with the commercial shipping industry to provide support, advice and coordination for the safe and swift transit of their vessels through the Strait of Hormuz, according to a U.S. official.

The U.S. has helped coordinate more than 200 transits to date, including those of ships moving in and out of the strait, the official said. 

The effort has supported moving more than 100 million barrels of oil through the strait and out to the global economy over roughly the past month, the official said.

Trump alluded to the operation at the White House earlier, saying that “every night, we’ve been taking out oil” via the strait, citing the destruction of Iran’s radar capacity.

Trump later said on Truth Social that "this wildly successful effort is because the UNITED STATES of AMERICA CONTROLS the Strait of Hormuz — NOT Iran."

Iran’s president said today that threatening to target critical infrastructure was “a sign of helplessness” after the country said earlier that U.S. strikes hit two concrete water storage reservoirs.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian wrote on social media that such critical infrastructure “constitutes the lifeline of the people.”

“Threatening to target it, from transportation networks to the electricity and water sectors, is not a display of strength but a sign of helplessness in the face of the will of a nation,” he said.

Pezeshkian said the country would rely on its specialists, national unity and solidarity and “will remain steadfast in the face of any pressure or threat.”

U.S. Central Command said earlier it had launched precision attacks on military infrastructure in response to the downing of a U.S. helicopter.

The IDF said that over the past 24 hours, it struck Hezbollah infrastructure and killed members of the group in the area of Tyre and other areas of southern Lebanon.

The Israeli military said that in one attack, it struck a weapons cache held by Hezbollah, with secondary explosions at the site.

Israel's war with Hezbollah has caused a huge humanitarian crisis, displacing more than 1.2 million people in the country, or 1 in 5, according to the U.N. Refugee Agency.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said today that Iran “would be unwise to challenge us further.”

“President Trump is seeking a deal, but not just a deal, a great deal on behalf of the American people, so that Iran never gets a nuclear weapon,” he told troops at the U.S. military base at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba.

The price of oil spiked to the highest levels of the day after Trump said he planned to hit Iran again "very hard" today.

The price of U.S. crude oil rose 3.5%, to more than $91 per barrel. International Brent crude rose almost 3%, to more than $94.

Meanwhile, stocks fell to their lowest levels of the day. The S&P 500 fell 1%, and the Nasdaq fell 1.4%.

Trump reiterated that he wants to reach a diplomatic deal with Iran despite the military action that has resumed.

"We want to deal that is meaningful. We want a deal that works. We don't want to just have a Barack Hussein Obama deal, JCPOA, the worst deal that was a path to a nuclear," Trump said about the Iranian nuclear deal negotiated under the Obama administration that Trump withdrew from in his first term.

Trump said that the U.S. plans to continue attacking Iran “very hard” in the wake of the downing of an American helicopter over the Strait of Hormuz.

“Well, we’re going to be attacking them, attacking them very hard,” Trump said when asked by NBC News what he meant this morning when he wrote in a Truth Social post that Iran has to pay the price for the helicopter.

Trump claimed that Iran shot down the helicopter and then said that a “bomb” was “lodged in the helicopter,” but said “it didn’t explode.”

“We hit ‘em hard yesterday and we’re going to hit ‘em hard again today,” he said.

A U.S.-backed resolution passed by the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog that called for Tehran to declare its remaining enriched uranium stocks and let inspectors verify them was “devoid of professionalism expected from a technical body,” Iran said in a statement today.

Iran questioned how the IAEA could “be trusted when instrumentalized by warmongers, and decapacitated in a way that is not even able to express a simple concern over the most extensive unlawful armed attacks — unprecedented in its history- on peaceful safeguarded nuclear facilities of a member State?”

“The resolution hypocritically expresses support for a diplomatic solution, while the U.S. simultaneously engages in further acts of aggression including against Iranian civilian infrastructure and promotes confrontation,” Iran said.

“Iran will protect its inalienable rights including in response to this flawed resolution,” it added.

Two people are missing after a fire broke out in the engine room of a tanker northeast of Sohar, Oman, the British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center said today.

It did not say what might have caused the blaze or provide further details on those unaccounted for.

Authorities were still investigating the matter, but no environmental impact had been reported, according to the organization, which is run by the Royal Navy and helps to protect commercial shipping in high-risk areas.

The U.N. nuclear watchdog’s 35-nation Board of Governors passed a U.S.-backed resolution today telling Iran to declare its remaining enriched uranium stocks and let inspectors verify them, which could complicate Washington’s talks with Tehran.

The move came within hours of the U.S. and Iran trading military strikes after President Donald Trump said Iran had downed a U.S. Apache helicopter near the Strait of Hormuz.

Israeli and U.S. attacks in June of last year destroyed or badly damaged Iranian uranium-enrichment plants but much of the enriched uranium they produced, including material close to weapons-grade, is thought to have survived.

Iran still has not informed the International Atomic Energy Agency of the fate of that material, or let IAEA inspectors return to the bombed sites to check. The U.S. led the push for the resolution, but Iran has called it “whitewashing military aggression,” since inspectors had access before the strikes.

Israeli attacks on Syria and Lebanon also threaten Turkey, the country's president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, warned today.

Calling for an end to Israeli aggression, Erdogan told lawmakers from his ruling AK Party that he wanted “everyone to know ​that if the ⁠rights of Turkey and Turkish Cypriots are violated in the Eastern Mediterranean, our response will be very clear and ​very strong,” according to Reuters.

Urging world powers to ⁠take a clearer stance, Erdogan said Israel was ⁠emboldened by the “silence of international community.”

“Pulling Israel back to within the bounds of ‌the rule of ​law has become a shared duty ‌not just for certain countries, ​but for all of humanity,” he added.

Mourners carry one of the four coffins of members of the al-Hariri family, a woman, her daughter and her two sons, killed in Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon, during their funeral today in Busra al-Harir, in Syria's southern Daraa province. Ghaith Alsayed / AP

A team of investigators will be sent to Lebanon next week to assess possible violations of international law in the war between Israel and Hezbollah, the U.N.'s human rights chief announced today.

Volker Türk said the probe would look at potential "violations by all parties," according to Reuters, adding the investigation would document its efforts and a report was expected to follow.

It comes as Israel ramped up its operations in southern Lebanon, issuing an evacuation warning in the city of Tyre.

Cars burn after an Israeli airstrike today in the southern port city of Sidon, Lebanon. Mohammed Zaatari / AP

Around 1 million people have been displaced within Lebanon amid Israel's offensive, which it says aims to root out the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group.

The Kremlin is “extremely concerned” by the latest round of fighting between the U.S. and Iran, according to Maria Zakharova, the spokesperson for Russia's Foreign Ministry.

Accusing the U.S. and Israel of unprovoked aggression against Iran, Zakharova said Moscow was calling on “both sides to exercise restraint and to immediately cease military attacks.”

Her comments came after Trump issued a fresh threat against Iran, warning it would pay a price after failing to reach a peace deal to end the war the U.S. and Israel began in late February.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's ruling Likud party has said he will run in the country's upcoming elections after President Trump cast doubts on whether he would seek re-election.

“Prime Minister Netanyahu will run in the upcoming elections — and with God’s help, he will win,” the party said in a statement, according to The Times of Israel.

It comes after Trump told ABC News he didn't know whether Netanyahu would run in the upcoming elections, which are due to take place before Oct. 27.

“I don’t know, he’s had an amazing career,” the president said, according to a post on X by ABC News correspondent Jonathan Karl, who spoke to Trump by phone. According to Karl, he continued: “Does he want to continue? Because, you know, he’s a wartime prime minister. We will very shortly win the war one way or the other, and you know he’s a wartime prime minister.”

According to Karl, Trump added: "That's okay, just like I'm a wartime president."

A coalition of North American and European nations, along with Australia, have issued a joint statement condemning what they described as "Iranian threat activity" in their regions.

In the statement, the countries came together to condemn "lethal plotting and other malign actions" in their regions by Iran.

"We stand united in our determination to protect our countries and our people against these threats," they said, adding: "The Islamic Republic of Iran must halt these actions now."

The signatories condemned threats against "Iranian dissidents, journalists and Jewish and Israeli communities and interests," as well as a "recent campaign of attacks across Europe targeting Jewish communities, Iranian journalists, and U.S. interests," claimed by pro-Iranian Islamist group Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya "and supported by their intermediaries."

The signatories said the relationship between the Iranian security services and international and local criminal groups was "long-standing" and that the use of such groups was "deplorable."

The joint statement was released by the governments of the U.S., U.K., Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, New Zealand, North Macedonia, Norway, Portugal and Sweden.

A Qatari delegation arrived in Tehran today for talks, including on the latest diplomatic efforts aimed at ending the war with the U.S. and Israel, Iranian state media reported.

The delegation was reported to have arrived prior to Trump's comments today threatening that Tehran would pay for failing to reach a peace deal with Washington amid ongoing negotiation efforts.

Iran’s semiofficial ISNA news agency said regional developments and bilateral issues would be discussed during the talks following the Qatari delegation's arrival, with the discussions sure to center around Trump's latest threat.

Trump told Fox News in a phone interview that he was close to ordering new strikes against Iranian power plants and bridges, Fox News reporter Trey Yingst said on “Fox & Friends.”

“He says the bully of the Middle East is dead, and he told me, 'I may keep going,'” Yingst said.

“The president said they had a chance to sign a deal and survive, indicating again that he may order new strikes against the Iranian regime in response to their dragging their feet at the negotiating table again,” Yingst added.

Trump also detailed the incident that led to the U.S. military helicopter going down near Oman earlier this week. The president said that an Iranian drone lodged between the two U.S. pilots, adding that the drone did not explode. Yesterday he said Iran "shot down" the helicopter.

A U.S. official told NBC News an Iranian drone collided with the Apache, causing it to crash.

Majid Asgaripour / via Reuters

Majid Asgaripour / via Reuters

Majid Asgaripour / via Reuters

Atta Kenare / AFP via Getty Images

Iranians were pictured in Tehran today among displays of nationalism, as the country traded new strikes with the U.S.

The price of oil, after trading flat all morning, sharply rose 2% after Trump wrote on Truth Social that Iran has been too slow to negotiate a deal to end the war and will "pay the price."

U.S. crude oil rose past $90, while international Brent rose to more than $93 per barrel.

The United States announced it retaliated to Iran’s downing of a U.S. Army Apache helicopter by attacking Iranian air defense, ground control stations and surveillance radar sites near the Strait of Hormuz. Iran claims it returned fired with 21 attacks against U.S. military targets across the Middle East.

01:49

After the U.S. struck Iran and it responded overnight, stock futures were down sharply in early trading. S&P 500 futures were set to drop about 1%, Nasdaq 100 futures were tumbling 1.3% and Dow futures fell 460 points.

European markets were also lower in late morning trading. Germany's flagship DAX stock index was down 0.8%, while the United Kingdom's FTSE benchmark was down 0.6%. Spain's IBEX index also fell 0.5%.

Meanwhile, the price of oil, which has been volatile in recent days, was flat.

Trump's threat that Iran will have to "pay the price" after taking "too long" to agree to a peace deal has cast fresh uncertainty on negotiations to end the war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

The president's post on Truth Social this morning, in which he proclaimed that the "Bully of the Middle East is DEAD," marks a dramatic shift in tone from the optimism he expressed just days ago when he said a deal with Tehran was only days, if not hours, away.

“We’re in the final throes of what will be a very, very good deal,” Trump said yesterday morning of talks to end the war that the U.S. and Israel began in late February.

It's unclear whether the president's latest threat constitutes a shift in position over the delay and the downing of a U.S. military helicopter, or whether it is simply his latest bid to force concessions from Iran in negotiations.

Iran has taken "too long" to agree to a deal "that would have been great for them" and will now "have to pay the price," President Trump said in a Truth Social post just now.

His comments came after the U.S. and Iran traded attacks after the president accused Tehran of downing a military helicopter.

"Iran is all talk and no action," Trump said in the post, calling the Islamic Republic's military a "complete and total mess."

"The Bully of the Middle East is DEAD!!!" he wrote in the post.

The U.S. airstrikes on Iran yesterday targeted Iranian ground control stations and surveillance radar sites that help it launch missiles and drones, as well as its air defense systems at Iranian coastal military sites along and in the Strait of Hormuz, a U.S. official said.

The roughly 20 targets were at sites in Qeshm Island, Goruk, Bandar Abbas, Jask and more.

Most were locations that the U.S. has targeted before.

Iran launched multiple missiles and drones last night, targeting locations in Bahrain, Jordan and Kuwait, according to a U.S. official, and many of the missiles were targeting U.S. personnel and bases housing Americans.

Most were intercepted, according to ongoing assessments. The U.S. official said they had no reports of harm to any U.S. personnel and were not aware of any damage to U.S. locations at this time.

The U.S. military struck approximately 20 targets inside Iran in retaliation for an Iranian drone that struck a U.S. Apache helicopter, causing it to crash. 

Around 20,000 Iranians have lost access to drinking water after two reservoirs were reportedly struck in U.S. strikes, according to the Iranian judiciary’s official news agency, Mizan.

The news agency reported the development after Abdolhamid Hamzehpour, CEO of Hormozgan Province Water and Wastewater Co., said two concrete water storage reservoirs had been hit in Sirik county.

Mizan reported that with high temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius, or 104 degrees Fahrenheit, conditions for residents had "become extremely difficult and critical."

Hamzehpour had earlier told state-run IRIB news agency that teams were working to implement alternative measures to ensure access to drinking water.

Oil stockpiles in some of the world’s wealthiest countries have fallen to their lowest levels since 2003, according to the U.S. Energy Department’s forecasting arm.

The Energy Information Administration said in a news release yesterday that oil inventories in the 38 wealthy nations that make up the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, including the U.S., Canada, Japan, Israel, France, Britain and South Korea, were at their lowest levels in more than two decades.

It further warned that global oil inventories were expected to fall by 6.3 million barrels per day this quarter and by another 7.6 million in the third quarter.

The EIA said global oil demand in 2026 was falling by 1.1 million barrels per day compared with last year, but was expected to increase by 2.5 million in 2027 as oil prices decline and oil production in the Middle East gradually rises.

Ripple effects from the Iran war are increasing the risks of acute hunger for millions of people around the world, acting World Food Program Executive Director Carl Skau has warned.

“In many places, we’re already taking from the hungry to give to the starving,” Skau said in an interview with CNN, with the prolonged closure of the Strait of Hormuz amid the war sending energy prices — and in turn, the cost of food around the world — soaring.

"When the price of food goes up 20-30%, well, they eat 20-30% less," he said of communities that WFP serves. The organization had warned in March that 45 million more people would face acute hunger by July if the price of oil remained above $100 a barrel, with Skau saying the WFP was now seeing the impact of the continued rise in fuel prices on the ground in countries such as Afghanistan, Somalia and Sri Lanka.

The WFP also relies on donations from governments to operate, with a drop in donations, including from its top donor, the United States, also having a devastating impact on its operations around the world.

Kuwait's military said this morning that it had intercepted "hostile aerial targets" as Iran launched attacks targeting U.S. sites in the region in response to American strikes.

"The General Staff of the Kuwaiti Army announces that Kuwaiti air defense systems are currently intercepting hostile aerial targets in accordance with approved operational procedures," the military said in a post on X this morning.

It urged residents to follow security and safety instructions issued by authorities and to obtain updates from official sources.

China is “deeply concerned about the current situation in Iran,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said today before he called for a diplomatic resolution of the dispute.

All parties should “remain calm and exercise restraint,” he told reporters at a regular news briefing, adding that they should “stop escalating tensions.”

Iran will "need to assess the situation" after overnight U.S. strikes before it can move forward with peace talks, the country's Foreign Ministry spokesperson said today.

“Diplomacy does not occur in a vacuum,” Esmail Baghaei told the hard-line Student News Network, before accusing the U.S. of harming the diplomatic process "through contradictory messages, repeated shifts in its positions and demands and continual violations" of its ceasefire with Tehran.

He also accused Israel of “undermining the process” through its ramped-up military operations in Lebanon. Israel has said it is rooting out the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group based in its northern neighbor.

Smoke rises following an Israeli airstrike in Tyre, Lebanon, yesterday. Kwant Haju / AFP via Getty Images

Baghaei said that in order to move forward with any negotiations, there must be “at least a minimal environment in which diplomacy can function.”

Two water storage tanks were hit by U.S. strikes launched in response to the downing of an American military helicopter, Iran has said.

In a statement posted on X this morning, Iran’s consulate in Mumbai, India, said the strikes on Sirik county, in Iran’s southern Hormozgan province, had cut off access to drinking water for local residents.

“Targeting civilian water infrastructure raises serious humanitarian concerns,” it said.

In separate comments, Abdolhamid Hamzehpour, the CEO of Hormozgan Province Water and Wastewater Co., said that critical water distribution infrastructure in Sirik county had been “targeted,” including two reservoirs key to supplying drinking water to the county.

He told the state-run IRIB news agency that teams were working to implement alternative measures to ensure a stable water supply.

Bahrain's military said this morning it had "confronted, intercepted and destroyed" a number of aerial attacks from Iran.

Calling the attacks "heinous," the General Command of the Bahrain Defense Force said in a post on X that Iran had continued "its systematic hostile approach" using missiles and drones to attack Bahrain.

It said that its own weapons and military units were "at the highest levels of readiness and are on high alert to protect the Kingdom."

No injuries were reported in connection with the attacks.

The Israeli military issued fresh evacuation warnings in southern Lebanon this morning, ordering residents of the villages of Ghassaniyeh and Houmine al-Faouqa to flee the area.

The Israel Defense Forces did not give a clear reason for targeting the two villages, but said that it had been "compelled to act" against Hezbollah.

"To ensure your safety, you must evacuate your homes immediately and stay away from the villages and towns for a distance of no less than 1000 meters to open areas," it warned residents.

Children fleeing Tyre in southern Lebanon after Israel's evacuation warning yesterday. Mahmoud Zayyat / AFP via Getty Images

Dogs sit in the trunk of a vehicle waiting in traffic in Tyre, after Israel's evacuation warning yesterday. Mahmoud Zayyat / AFP via Getty Images

The two villages are the latest areas to be evacuated following a ramping up of Israeli operations in southern Lebanon.

Iran's Foreign Ministry condemned the U.S.'s military strikes this morning, accusing Washington of using the downed Apache helicopter "as a pretext" to launch the attacks.

The ministry said it believed the attacks were a "flagrant violation" of the United Nations charter, adding that Iranian armed forces struck U.S. bases and assets in the region in response.

It comes after the U.S. launched strikes on Iran after Trump accused Tehran of shooting down a military helicopter, with both soldiers onboard rescued by an unmanned boat.

Iran has not taken responsibility for the incident. The Iranian Foreign Ministry said Tehran would "not hesitate to exercise its inherent right of self-defence, including by targeting the origin of attacks and bases and logistical facilities used to support operations against Iran."

A cargo vessel has reported exchanging fire with an armed craft off the Yemen coast, the British military has said.

The incident unfolded southwest of Balhaf, Yemen, according to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Centre, an organization run by the British navy that helps protect commercial shipping in high-risk areas. It said the cargo vessel reported being approached by a craft with at least six armed people onboard before an exchange of fire broke out.

The craft ultimately turned away, it said, adding that authorities were still investigating the matter. As of early today, there were no reports of injuries related to the incident.

The UKMTO noted that vessels are advised to transit with caution and report any suspicious activity.

Iranian forces have targeted "a number" of American bases in the Middle East in response to U.S. strikes after Trump said a military aircraft had been downed by Iran, Khatam al-Anbiya, the operational headquarters of the Revolutionary Guard said this morning.

Revolutionary Guard footage claims to show missiles fired at U.S. military bases, in this still image taken from a video released today.  WANA / via Reuters

Khatam al-Anbiya said it had launched the attacks "in response to the aggression of America’s terrorist military against areas in southern Iran under the false pretext of its helicopter crash." As of this morning, Iran had not claimed responsibility for shooting down the helicopter.

Khatam al-Anbiya vowed that there would be further “devastating and more wide ranging strikes” to follow if the U.S. continued to attack Iran.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi did say yesterday in a post on X that U.S. forces are putting themselves at risk by being in the region, but he did not mention any Iranian role in downing the helicopter.

Kuwait’s army said on X that “air defense systems are currently engaging hostile aerial targets.”

The Revolutionary Guard launched drones at the Ali Al-Salem base in Kuwait a short time ago, according to Iranian state TV.

The Revolutionary Guard said in a statement that its naval forces had carried out 21 attacks against "America's air and naval bases in the region" and shot down an MQ-9 Reaper drone over the city of Jam, according to the state-owned IRIB news agency.

The Guard also said in the statement that it used long-range missiles to target F-35 jet hangers at the Al Azraq military base in Jordan.

The Revolutionary Guard fired rockets at the Al Azraq base in Jordan, the semiofficial Fars new agency reported on Telegram.

"The Revolutionary Guards minutes ago fired rockets at the Al Azraq American base in Jordan," it said.

Bahrain’s Interior Ministry told people on social media to seek shelter.

"The siren has been sounded. Citizens and residents are urged to remain calm and head to the nearest safe place," it said.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said a short while ago that it had launched drones at the U.S. 5th Fleet headquarters in Bahrain.

U.S. Central Command said minutes ago that the strikes against Iran in response to a downed helicopter are over.

An image shared to X by CENTCOM yesterday, illustrating a post on the Iran strikes statement. @CENTCOM / X

“CENTCOM forces struck Iranian air defense, ground control stations, and surveillance radar sites near the Strait of Hormuz with precision munitions from U.S. Air Force and Navy fighter jets,” it said in a statement.

“The operation was a proportional response to recent attacks on U.S. forces and international commercial ships transiting regional waters,” CENTCOM said.

"U.S. forces remain vigilant and postured to defend against unjustified Iranian aggression," it said.

Iran has launched drones at U.S. military targets in Bahrain and Kuwait in retaliation for U.S. attacks on Iran today, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said, according to state TV.

"Early this morning, the war-mongering American regime attacked several points in Jask, Sirik, and Qeshm under false pretenses, damaging a telecommunications tower in Sirik and destroying two water tanks in the Bemani district of the city," the Guard said in a statement. "In response to this evil move by the enemy, the fighters of the Revolutionary Guards Navy launched a drone attack on the Fifth Naval Fleet in Bahrain and the Ali Al-Salem base in Kuwait at 2:30 a.m."

Clashes continue, the Guard said in the statement, and it said that if the U.S. attacks continue, "heavier responses are on the way."

Explosions have been heard on Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz, the semiofficial Mehr news agency reported.

"The sound of explosions have been heard on Qeshm Island several times," the agency posted on Telegram. "Before this, the sound of explosions were heard in Bandar Abbas, Sirik and Jask."

A second wave of attacks was carried out on Jask, a city on Iran's southern coast near the Strait of Hormuz, according to the semiofficial Mehr news agency.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said this afternoon that he was notified before about today’s strikes in Iran, which he called “proportional and limited.”

Johnson said the strikes were “against unjustified Iranian aggression” and “targeted strikes to their radar, missile and command and control sites.”

Iranian state television IRIB reported that two water reservoirs in the Bemani district near the Strait of Hormuz were struck, disrupting drinking water.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said after the U.S. attacks today that Iran will not leave any attack "unanswered."

"Despite its defeats on the battlefield, the U.S. opted to test our determination. Our Powerful Armed Forces will leave no attack or threat unanswered," Araghchi wrote on X. "Leave our region if you want to be safe. History of the Persian Gulf has many chapters on dire fates of intruding outsiders."

Senators briefed by the commander of U.S. Central Command were left with the impression that an Iranian drone struck the U.S. Apache helicopter lost off Oman, some of them told NBC News.

Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., who left the briefing early, said it was intentional.

“They still have some missiles and launchers and drones left, and I think they’re trying to show us that they’re the tough guys,” he said.

The classified briefing was held with senators tasked with appropriating funds for the Defense Department this afternoon. CENTCOM commander Adm. Brad Cooper briefed senators for around 90 minutes.

The Iranian semiofficial Mehr news agency reported that Jask and Kouhe Mobarakeh have been struck by "enemy" projectiles.

The strikes against Iran today follow the shooting down of a U.S. Army Apache helicopter overnight, according to Trump and the military.

The Army AH-64 Apache went down at 7:33 p.m. ET yesterday while it was patrolling regional waters near the coast of Oman, U.S. Central Command has said.

The two crewmembers were safely rescued and were stable, Central Command said in a statement. It said the cause of the incident was under investigation.

Trump said on social media today that the helicopter, was shot down and he vowed retaliation.

“I have just been informed by our Great Military that last night the Iranians shot down one of our highly sophisticated Apache Helicopters while patrolling over the Strait of Hormuz,” Trump said in the post.

Trump added that “the United States must, of necessity, respond to this attack.”

Iranian state television reported that a strike by a projectile in Sirik “has been confirmed but the exact location has not been determined.”

Sirik is in southern Iran along the Strait of Hormuz.

“Some sources report hearing explosions and air defense activity in Bandar Abbas, Qeshm and Sirik,” state television said.

U.S. Central Command said today that new attacks had been launched against Iran in retaliation for the downing of a U.S. Army Apache helicopter.

Vessels in the Strait of Hormuz. Amirhosein Khorgooi / via Reuters

“U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) forces began launching self-defense strikes against Iran at 5 p.m. ET today at the Commander in Chief’s direction, in response to yesterday’s downing of a U.S. Army Apache helicopter. The mission is a proportional response to unjustified Iranian aggression,” CENTCOM wrote on X.