US-Iran war LIVE Updates: Iran says enemy will get ‘unforgettable lesson’

The United States is sending around 2,500 Marines and at least one amphibious assault ship to the Middle East as American and Israeli strikes continue against Iranian targets. The deployment, including elements of the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit and USS Tripoli, is intended for crisis response missions such as civilian evacuation, embassy protection, and disaster relief.

US vice president JD Vance said it is “not totally clear” whether the United States or Israel was responsible for the strike that injured Mojtaba Khamenei, Iran’s new supreme leader.

He confirmed that Khamenei has been hurt, but added that the precise extent of his injuries is unknown.

The comments were made to reporters while the vice president was traveling to North Carolina on Friday.

A Lebanese Red Cross paramedic was killed in an Israeli airstrike while assisting wounded civilians during the ongoing conflict in Lebanon.

Other medics were also wounded during the strike, according to aid organizations.

Humanitarian workers linked to the Red Cross and Red Crescent have also been killed this year in conflicts in Sudan and Gaza

In a joint statement, they urged all parties in conflicts to safeguard aid workers and medical teams.

“When humanitarian workers are protected, so is our shared humanity,” the organizations said, warning that the lives of aid workers and civilians depend on it. (AP)

El Al will operate six special non-stop flights from Tel Aviv to New York starting Monday to help Americans leave Israel.

The flights were arranged in coordination with the United States Department of State and the US Embassy in Israel.

The flights aim to assist thousands of US citizens stranded after return flights were canceled due to the war.

The US Department of State is offering rewards of up to $10 million for information on key leaders inside Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Iran’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei.

Other officials named include Ali Larijani, a top national security figure, and Esmaeil Khatib, Iran’s intelligence minister.

The appeal was issued through the State Department’s Rewards for Justice programme.

Authorities urged anyone with information on IRGC leaders or its branches to submit tips through encrypted platforms.

Lebanon PM Nawaf Salam spoke after meeting António Guterres to launch a humanitarian appeal of more than $300 million for Lebanon.

The Lebanese prime minister said Lebanon did not choose the war, amid escalating conflict along the Israel-Lebanon border.

Salam criticized Hezbollah’s rocket fire into Israel, saying no group should hold the entire nation hostage.

He said more than 500 Hezbollah military positions and weapons depots in southern Lebanon have been dismantled.

The statement aimed to push back against Israeli accusations that Lebanon has failed to act against Hezbollah.

German chancellor Friedrich Merz spoke during military exercises in Norway alongside Jonas Gahr Støre and Mark Carney.

The German chancellor warned that the world is witnessing “a dangerous escalation.”

Merz accused Iran of “indiscriminately” carrying out attacks on countries across the Gulf region.

He said the longer the conflict continues, the more uncertainty it creates globally.

“With every day this war lasts, more questions are coming up, more than can be answered yet,” Merz said.

“And one thing becomes increasingly clear, we need a convincing plan on how this war can come to an end.”

Iran Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei according to the IRNA state news agency said:

He said, “If the path of negotiations had not been pursued, we would have owed it to the people, the region, and the international community. It might have been said that ‘you did not go to negotiate, and if you had negotiated, the US would have been convinced, an agreement would have been reached, and war would have been avoided. But that did not happen.’”

​“Now, what is important to us is to show the enemy that you cannot start a war whenever you want and then call for a ceasefire whenever you want. Our armed forces are very determined to give the enemy a decisive and unforgettable lesson,” Baqaei noted.

Israeli Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin said the Israeli Air Force struck an Iranian intelligence directorate while senior Iranian officials were present.

The strikes also targeted command centres, missile production facilities and storage sites in Iran.

The Israel military said operations are continuing and intensifying in both Iran and Lebanon.

Israel plans to deploy more combat troops to its northern border in the coming days amid rising tensions.

Defrin said that despite the long-term degradation of the capabilities of Hezbollah and Iran, the security threat still remains.

Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun said Israel has not responded to his proposal to start negotiations between Lebanon and Israel.

Aoun suggested that Israel halt attacks on Hezbollah while international logistical support helps the Lebanese army take control of Hezbollah’s weapons and depots in southern Lebanon.

The Lebanese president made the remarks during a meeting with António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations. (AP)

UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric warned shipping disruptions could raise costs of food, medicine and other lifesaving supplies,

Citing UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher, the spokesperson said the UN is urging safe passage for humanitarian cargo.

Fletcher told the United Nations Security Council that disruptions are already affecting Gaza.

A missile fired from Iran struck central Israel, with dramatic visuals showing the moment of impact.

A huge ball of smoke was seen rising from the strike site minutes after the missile hit the area.

The attack comes amid the ongoing Iran–Israel conflict, which has seen repeated missile and drone exchanges between the two sides.

The Chinese government said the Red Cross Society of China would provide $200,000 to support and express condolences to the parents of students who were killed in a missile strike on an elementary school in Iran, according to AP.

Speaking at the daily Foreign Ministry briefing in Beijing, spokesperson Guo Jiakun condemned the attack, stating, “Attacking schools and harming children is a … serious violation of international humanitarian law and crosses the bottom line of human morality and conscience.”

He added that the financial assistance would be delivered through the Iranian Red Crescent Society.

Israeli strikes have claimed at least 773 lives since March 2, the Lebanese health ministry stated on Friday, as Israel promised that Lebanon will pay an “increasing price” in damage to infrastructure.

“The total number of martyrs from March 2 to March 13 reached 773, and the number of wounded reached 1,933” including 103 children, the ministry said in its daily update, according to AFP.

Chinese zinc smelters are experiencing interruptions in the supply of raw materials from Iran, adding to existing pressure after deliveries from a significant new mining project in Russia fell short of expectations.

Iran and Russia primarily export zinc concentrates, partially processed zinc ore, to processing facilities in China, as Western sanctions have limited their access to alternative global markets.

Amid the ongoing conflict in Iran, Chinese purchasers have reportedly been notified that shipments of zinc concentrates scheduled to depart from the port of Bandar Abbas have been suspended, according to sources familiar with the situation who requested anonymity due to the sensitive commercial nature of the information, reported Bloomberg.

Alluding to concerns among American voters as the Middle East conflict continues, the US president said the country’s economy and daily life would soon return to normal after the military strikes on Iran, according to AP.

Speaking in an interview with Fox News host Brian Kilmeade, Trump expressed confidence that the situation would stabilise quickly, saying, “This will bounce right back when it’s over, and I don’t think it’s going to be long.”

When asked about the possible timeline for the end of the war, he replied, “When I feel it — when I feel it in my bones.”

The United Nations issued a flash appeal for $325 million on Friday to assist Lebanon struggling with the humanitarian consequence of a conflict that has witnessed more than a seventh of its population flee their homes, according to Reuters.

“Solidarity in words must be matched by solidarity in action,” said UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, who announced the campaign from Beirut.

Thousands of people on Friday gathered in Tehran on the occasion of Youm-e-Quds day and held protest marches condemning the killing of the Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in the joint US-Israel strikes on February 28, reported ANI.

Visuals shared by the state broadcaster, Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), showed large crowds taking to the streets carrying Iranian flags and portraits of Khamenei while chanting slogans condemning the US and Israel and expressing support for Iran

During a conversation with Fox, Trumps said he was not focused on operation to take Iranian Uranium, “but at some point we might be”.

Pentagon considered deploying additional warships to escort tankers through Strait of Hormuz, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said on Friday that Israel had not replied to his proposal for direct negotiations aimed at ending the ongoing conflict with Hezbollah, reported AFP.

Lebanon became involved in the wider Middle East war last week after the Iran-backed Hezbollah launched attacks on Israel following the killing of Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in joint US–Israeli strikes.

On Friday, Israel intensified its military operations in Lebanon by striking several locations, while Hezbollah responded by carrying out new attacks on Israeli forces.

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Friday that Iran’s new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei was injured and likely disfigured, raising doubts about his capacity to lead the country following nearly two weeks of coordinated US and Israeli strikes, reported Reuters.

Since an Israeli attack at the outset of the conflict reportedly killed several members of his family, including his father and wife, no photographs of Khamenei have been made public.

His first remarks since the escalation were delivered through a statement read by a television presenter on Thursday, in which he pledged to maintain the closure of the Strait of Hormuz and urged neighbouring nations to shut down US military bases on their soil or face potential retaliation from Iran.

Stating that Iran has not officially closed the strategically important Strait of Hormuz despite disruptions to maritime movement due to the ongoing tensions in West Asia, Dr Abdul Majid Hakeem Ilahi, the representative of Iran’s Supreme Leader in India, said his country had never intended to block the passage, although some vessels were still able to transit through the route.

In an interaction with ANI, he also urged world leaders to exert pressure on US President Donald Trump to bring an end to the conflict involving Iran.

He further noted that rising global oil prices were causing hardship for people in many parts of the world.

“Iran has not closed the Strait. It remains open; however, due to current conditions and circumstances, ships are unable to pass through the Hormuz. Otherwise, Iran never wanted the Strait to be closed or blocked. Some (ships) are still passing through,” he told ANI.

“Those who initiated this war are the very ones who must stop it… Many people across the world are suffering due to this war. World leaders must unite and exert pressure on the President of the United States, urging him to put an immediate stop to this unjust war,” he added.

Responding to a question shouted during Friday’s briefing about reports of newly deployed Iranian sea mines in the Strait of Hormuz, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said that although such claims had been widely discussed and reported, there was no definitive evidence to confirm them, as per AP.

Earlier in the week, the United States said its forces had destroyed more than a dozen Iranian vessels allegedly involved in laying mines. Iran, in turn, warned that it could move to block oil exports from the region and declared that it would not permit any shipments of crude to reach its adversaries.

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz on Friday mentioned Lebanon will endure rising damage to its infrastructure as Israel hits Hezbollah, after the military annihilated a bridge over the southern Litani river, reported AFP.

“This is just the beginning and the Lebanese government and the State of Lebanon will pay an increasing price in damage to Lebanese national infrastructure used by Hezbollah terrorists due to terrorist activity and launches at the State of Israel,” Katz staed at a meeting with army top brass.

The United States and Israel have hit over 15,000 targets since the start of the Iran war late last month, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth mentioned on Friday, according to AFP.

“Between our air force and that of the Israelis, over 15,000 enemy targets have been struck. That’s well over 1,000 a day,” Hegseth said, adding that Friday would mark the maximum volume of strikes yet in the campaign.

The Chinese government said the Red Cross Society of China would provide $200,000 to support and express condolences to the parents of students who were killed in a missile strike on an elementary school in Iran, according to AP.

Speaking at the daily Foreign Ministry briefing in Beijing, spokesperson Guo Jiakun condemned the attack, stating, “Attacking schools and harming children is a … serious violation of international humanitarian law and crosses the bottom line of human morality and conscience.”

He added that the financial assistance would be delivered through the Iranian Red Crescent Society.

Iran promised on Friday to inflict what its foreign ministry spokesman called as an “unforgettable lesson” on its “enemies” in the United States and Israel, as the Middle East conflict continues, according to AFP.

“We cannot accept that they talk about dialogue and ceasefire every now and then and after that we face the repetition of these crimes and war. Our armed forces are very determined to firmly teach the enemy an unforgettable lesson,” Esmaeil Baqaei stated.

In conversation with Fox News, US President Donald Trump commented on the Strait of Hormuz and said the outcome remained uncertain and that developments would unfold in due course

He also cautioned that the United States was likely to intensify military pressure on Iran in the coming week, indicating that further strong action could be taken as tensions continued to escalate.

“Going to be hitting them very hard over the next week,” he said.

Iran’s hard-line judiciary chief, Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejehi, was speaking to a state television reporter during a public demonstration when a strike hit near Tehran’s Ferdowsi Square, according to AP.

His security personnel quickly formed a protective ring around him, but he responded by raising his fist and declaring that Iran “under this rain and missiles will never withdraw”.

A powerful explosion was reported in a residential neighbourhood in eastern Tehran following a new round of airstrikes carried out by the Israeli Air Force against what it described as infrastructure linked to Iran’s ruling establishment, according to Iran’s state broadcaster Press TV.

In a post shared on X, the broadcaster released visuals from the scene showing several injured individuals being taken to hospitals for treatment.

The development came after the Israeli Air Force announced on Friday that it had concluded multiple waves of strikes aimed at facilities associated with the Iranian regime.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has issued a stern warning to Iran’s new supreme leader, Ayotallah Mojtaba Khamenei, stating that Jerusalem is not “waiting” but “initiating, attacking”.

“Even now it can be said with certainty: This is no longer the same Iran. This is no longer the same Middle East. And this is also not the same Israel. We are not waiting, we are initiating, we are attacking. And we are doing so with a force the like of which has not been seen before,” Netanyahu said, according to ANI.

Turkey’s defence ministry announced on Friday that NATO forces had shot down a ballistic missile launched from Iran after it entered Turkish airspace, marking the third such episode since the start of the Middle East conflict.

“A ballistic munition launched from Iran and entering Turkish airspace was neutralised by NATO air and missile defence assets deployed in the eastern Mediterranean,” a ministry statement said.

“NATO remains vigilant and stands firm in its defiance of all allies,” said NATO spokesperson

Israel has announced that it is preparing to broaden its military incursion into southern Lebanon to confront Iran-backed Hezbollah fighters, a move that could deepen the humanitarian crisis and intensify regional instability during the ongoing conflict involving Iran, according to Bloomberg.

Lebanese officials have appealed for an immediate ceasefire and expressed willingness to engage in direct talks with Israel. However, they also admitted that they have been unable to disarm the militant group despite a truce reached in November 2024.

On Thursday, Israel stated that due to Beirut’s inability to address the situation, it would step up its military operations. The campaign has already resulted in hundreds of deaths and forced nearly one million people to flee their homes, following heavy overnight exchanges of fire between the two sides on Wednesday.

Indonesia announced on Friday that the April summit of the D-8 grouping of Muslim-majority developing nations, which includes Iran, has been postponed because of the ongoing war in the Middle East, as per AFP.

Authorities did not provide a revised schedule for the event, which had been planned as a four-day gathering culminating in a leaders’ summit on April 15.

Global stock markets moved lower on Friday, while oil prices once again climbed past the $100-per-barrel mark, as worries persisted about the ongoing conflict involving Iran and its potential disruption to crude oil and gas supplies.

US stock futures weakened, with both the S&P 500 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average futures slipping by 0.3%.

In early European trade, the UK’s benchmark index dropped 0.7% to 10,235.29. Germany’s main index fell 1% to 23,345.90, and France’s key market gauge declined 1.2% to 7,887.18.

Across Asia, Japan’s Nikkei 225 slid 1.2% to 53,819.61, led by notable losses in technology stocks, including a 4.5% fall in shares of a major investment firm.

South Korea’s Kospi index declined 1.7% to 5,487.24.

Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index dropped 1% to 25,465.60, while mainland China’s Shanghai Composite fell 0.8% to 4,095.45.

Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 inched down 0.1% to 8,617.10. Meanwhile, Taiwan’s Taiex traded 0.5% lower, and India’s Sensex recorded a sharper fall of 1.8%.

US President Trump informed G7 leaders in a virtual meeting on Wednesday that Iran is “about to surrender,” according to Axios citing three officials from G7 countries explained on the contents of the call.

According to the report, Trump told allies that he “got rid of a cancer that was threatening us all”, while stating about the outcome of Operation “Epic Fury” on the G7 call Wednesday morning. Trump said that “nobody knows who is the leader, so there is no one that can announce surrender,” Axios reported.

US President Donald Trump has told advisers he would support killing of Iran’s new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei if the leader refuses to comply with American demands, including halting Tehran’s nuclear programme, according to The Wall Street Journal.

EAM Jaishankar on Friday said he held another call with Iran FM and discussed bilateral issues amid Strait of Hormuz closure. “Discussed bilateral matters as also BRICS related issues,” he said on X.

The Israeli military on Friday cautioned that it would hit two areas in the Iranian capital Tehran, Villa and Moniriyeh, and informed residents to evacuate.

“In the coming hours, the IDF will operate in these areas, as it has in recent days across Iran, to strike military infrastructure belonging to the Iranian regime. Dear citizens, for your safety and well-being, we ask that you immediately evacuate the marked area,” the army posted on its Persian-language account on X.

Australia has told non-essential officials posted to Lebanon to leave due to the “deteriorating security situation” in the region, Foreign Minister Penny Wong said on Friday.

Wong said a small number of officials would remain in the country to provide consular support to Australians.

Saudi Aramco offered ​2 million ‌barrels of its flagship Arab ​Light crude ​for late March loading ⁠at the ​Red Sea ​port of Yanbu, traders said, its ​fourth oil ​tender since the U.S.-Iran ‌conflict ⁠disrupted exports from the Middle East.

Two people killed by drone debris in Oman, state media reported

Explosions rattled buildings in Dubai and a large cloud of smoke hung over a central area of the financial hub on Friday, AFP correspondents report.

Sirens could be heard coming from the direction of Sheikh Zayed Road, the United Arab Emirates city’s main artery

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, the ideological arm of the country’s military, warned on Friday that any new protests against the authorities would be met with a stronger response than in January, when several thousand people were killed.

“The evil enemy, failing to achieve its field battle goals, is once again pursuing the instillation of fear and street riots,” the Guards said in a statement broadcast on TV, promising “a stronger blow than on January 8” in the event of new unrest.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in a post on X, said his country is attacking Iran and its proxies with force.

“I stood by the clear objectives of the campaign: striking the terror regime in Iran, continuing the fight against its proxies, and ensuring Israel’s security and future. We’re not waiting. We’re initiating, we’re attacking, and we’re doing it with force,” he stated.

Iran’s semi-official Mehr News Agency has reported that more explosions have been heard in the capital, Tehran.

Oman’s state news agency has said that two people were killed after the downing of a drone in Sohar province. The drone was shot down over the al-Awahi industrial area, causing injuries in addition to the two deaths of expat workers. Another drone was also downed in Sohar province, it said.

Saudi forces intercepted a drone targeting Riyadh’s Diplomatic Quarter housing foreign embassies, the Saudi Defense Ministry said.

The “hostile drone” was downed during an “attempt to approach the Diplomatic Quarter,” the ministry said in a post on X.

Drone attack wounds at least six French soldiers at base in Iraq’s Makhmour, says Erbil governor