- Live Updates En español: conflicto en Medio Oriente
- Live Updates Primaries in Texas, North Carolina and Arkansas
Live Updates En español: conflicto en Medio Oriente
Live Updates Primaries in Texas, North Carolina and Arkansas
Watch CNN's live coverage as the war spirals in the Middle East
• US consulate in Dubai hit: The US consulate in Dubai was struck by a suspected Iranian drone, according to a source in the region. The US had earlier closed embassies in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Lebanon and warned Americans to leave some countries in the region.
• New strikes: US President Donald Trump said most of Iran’s military installations have been “knocked out” and that new strikes today targeted Iranian leadership. Israel also struck a compound belonging to a group responsible for electing Iran’s next supreme leader, an Israeli source told CNN.
• Iran death toll: At least 780 people have been killed by US and Israeli bombing across Iran, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported, citing the Iranian Red Crescent.
• Oil markets roiled: The price of gasoline in the US just had its largest one-day increase since 2005, as vessels have effectively stopped going through the critical Strait of Hormuz. Oil continued to rise and stocks fell.
The US consulate in Dubai was struck late Tuesday night by a suspected Iranian drone, according to a source in the region.
Videos geolocated and verified by CNN show a black plume of smoke rising over the consulate building, visible from a considerable distance.
In a post on X, the Dubai Media Office later announced that the fire, caused by a “drone-related incident,” had been extinguished and no one had been hurt.
The Israeli military said it struck a “covert” underground compound that it claimed Iranian scientists were using to develop “necessary capabilities” for nuclear weapons.
The scientists began using the “Minzadehei” compound in northeastern Tehran after Israel damaged key Iranian nuclear sites during Operation Rising Lion in June, the Israel Defense Forces said.
The IDF added that the strike removes a key component in Iran’s ability to develop nuclear weapons.
Spain has defended its role in NATO after US President Donald Trump criticized the country’s defense spending and threatened to cut trade with it.
In a statement, Spain said that it “fulfills its commitments and makes a prominent contribution to the defense of European territory.” It described itself as “a reliable partner” for 195 countries, including the United States.
Spain said that if the Trump administration wanted to review the trade relationship, “it must do so with respect for the autonomy of private companies, international law, and the bilateral agreements between the European Union and the US.”
Spain added that it would work for free trade and economic cooperation between countries, based on mutual respect and compliance with international law, “because what the public asks for and deserves is more prosperity, not more problems.”
Americans living in the Gulf tell CNN that they are frustrated by the US government’s response in the region, with some saying they prefer to stay in their adopted home while others are heeding the warning to leave.
In the United Arab Emirates in particular, several Americans tell CNN that they have more confidence in Abu Dhabi’s leadership than Washington’s.
Kiran Ali, the creator of a WhatsApp group chat with 800 American women living in Dubai, says the overwhelming sentiment from members is trust in the UAE, “coupled with a bit of (a) disturbed feeling towards the US for not fronting money for evacuation, for not doing more to make sure US citizens are safe.”
She said that the US State Department’s call to immediately evacuate the region, despite airspaces being broadly closed, conflicts with the guidance it continues to give on the phone to shelter in place.
Other Americans living in the UAE tell CNN they prefer the uncertainty of missile interceptions to the risk of their kids experiencing a mass school shooting in the US.
“The cynic in me knows that my daughter has more of a chance of being hit by a bullet in the US than a drone in Dubai, so we feel very comfortable about seeing this through,” one man said.
An American man living in Dubai, says he managed to leave the UAE via its land border with Oman, and was able to book a seat on a flight to Sri Lanka after searching for hours for a flight abroad. He said the State Department’s evacuation order “felt late.”
An American woman living in Saudi Arabia says today’s attack on the US embassy in Riyad motivated her to try to fly back to the US via Africa and Europe.
They both said they wanted to return back to the Gulf as soon as possible.
Steve Witkoff, who has led US-Iran diplomatic negotiations in recent months, has not spoken with the Iranians or an interlocutor in the days since the US and Israel launched strikes in Iran, a senior Trump administration official said today.
The comments reflect that the Trump administration has moved on from diplomatic efforts, at least for now, while carrying out military strikes in Iran.
“This is a military action, and it’s got to run its course,” the official said.
Witkoff has not spoken with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in the days “since this thing went kinetic” the official said, which is notable given the two have had numerous back-and-forth conversations over the past year as the Trump administration tried to negotiate a nuclear deal.
The official also disputed reports that Witkoff has spoken with Iran’s top national security official, Ali Larijani, adding that Witkoff has never had a conversation with him.
Roughly a dozen countries have reached out to the Trump administration in recent days to see if they can aid the United States’ efforts in the war, the official said. The official emphasized that none of those conversations have included direct or indirect talks with the Iranians.
Trump posted this morning that the Iranians “want to talk. I said ‘Too Late!’”
Travel chaos continues as major airlines shutter their Middle East services
The Trump administration on Tuesday said it is working to secure military aircraft and charter flights to assist the scores of US citizens trapped in the Middle East.
Trump officials took to social media to assure those stranded days after the US and Israel launched its operation against Iran, prompting retaliatory attacks on countries throughout the Middle East.
“The State Department is actively securing military aircraft and charter flights for American citizens who wish to leave the Middle East,” Dylan Johnson, Assistant Secretary of State for Global Public Affairs, posted on X.
“We’ve been in direct contact with nearly 3,000 Americans abroad. American citizens should call 1-202-501-4444 for assistance with departure options,” he wrote.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the State Department “is actively working on plans to help Americans in the Middle East return home.”
