Trump: We’ll blow Iran to pieces tomorrow too if they don’t agree to a deal

Live updates

06:02 - Reuters: The Revolutionary Guard announced an attack on Al Azraq air base using 12 ballistic missiles

06:01 - Kuwait announced the closure of its airspace following the Iranian attack

05:37 - Alerts were activated in Metula and Misgav Am following launches from Lebanon

05:20 - Reuters: Kuwait and Bahrain announced air threats in their territory, alarms were heard in the area

05:16 - The Revolutionary Guard: We hit 18 important targets at American bases across the Persian Gulf

04:11 - U.S. Central Command: "We completed a series of attacks against targets in Iran". U.S. Central Command said its forces had completed another wave of strikes against targets in Iran. The strike was carried out against Iran’s military surveillance capabilities, communications systems and air defense sites across Iran, using precision munitions.

04:07 - The Revolutionary Guard: We attacked American bases in Bahrain and Kuwait in response to U.S. hostility

03:58 - Alerts were activated in Bahrain after the American wave of attacks, an explosion was heard in Karaj, Iran

03:24 - Iranian source: "Any American aggression will be met with a decisive response". The Iranian news agency Tasnim reported, citing an informed source, that in response to President Trump’s statements, any American "aggression" would be met with a "decisive military response," not "political extortion."

02:59 - Wall Street Journal report: Trump told aides to relay a message to Qatar that the strikes were a response to the downing of the Apache. The Wall Street Journal says Trump told senior aides to pass a message to Tehran through Qatar that the strikes were a response to the downing of the Apache helicopter, and not the resumption of a full-scale war. Military pressure will only intensify until Iran yields to the conditions set by the president. Trump insists the crisis with Iran is under control, but American officials say Trump did not anticipate that the months-long ceasefire would collapse, and certainly did not expect to see Iran launching missiles and drones without restraint, inflation surging to a three-year high, and fuel prices rising, erasing recent wage gains.

02:56 - Trump to Fox: "At least 49 Tomahawk missiles were launched at Iran". The president said the closest target to Tehran was about 60 kilometers from Iran’s capital. He emphasized that this was "the most devastating ceasefire in history."

02:44 - The U.S. military updates: "Contrary to Iranian claims, the Strait of Hormuz is open to commercial shipping"

02:40 - President Trump: "We’ll blow Iran to pieces if they don’t agree to a deal tomorrow"

02:29 - President Trump to Fox News: "The Iranians asked me to stop the bombing, we’ll stop soon". The American president updated Fox on the halt to U.S. Air Force strikes and stressed that Israel was not involved at all in the overnight attack. In addition, Trump said that "the options for another strike on Iranian soil are still on the table."

02:22 - An American official to Fox News: The U.S. military continues to strike in Iran

02:07 - Iranian television reports the activation of air defense systems in Tehran

02:03 - Report: President Trump will not attend the opening game of the U.S. national team at the World Cup. The host nation’s first match is scheduled for Friday, when it will host Paraguay at the stadium in Los Angeles. The president of Paraguay is expected to attend the game. Replacing President Trump at the match will be U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

01:56 - Immediately after the announcement of the closure of the strait, a report said the Revolutionary Guard attacked two ships that tried to pass through

01:47 - Iran’s armed forces: "The Strait of Hormuz is declared closed to all types of vessels". The Supreme Operations Headquarters of the Iranian Armed Forces: "From this moment on, due to the insecurity in the region, the Strait of Hormuz is declared closed to all types of vessels, including oil tankers and commercial ships, and all movement will be affected." The Iranians claim that any vessel trying to pass will become a target for attack

01:29 - Media in Iran: American ships in the Strait of Hormuz area were attacked using missiles and drones

01:18 - New York Times report: The Qatari delegation left Tehran without progress in the negotiations. The Times reports that the chances of a breakthrough in the talks have decreased, after the Qatari mediation delegation that arrived earlier in Tehran left Iran without progress in the discussions on the agreement.

01:17 - Iranian media report that Iran attacked American ships near the Strait of Hormuz using missiles and drones

00:59 - Tasnim: Petrochemical plant in Asaluyeh was attacked from the air. The Tasnim news agency reports that the petrochemical plant in southern Iran was attacked by the U.S. Air Force

00:56 - Reports of explosions in the port city of Kargan in southern Iran

00:54 - An American official: All the targets under attack are in southern Iran and include Iranian army command systems. An American official now says that the targets being attacked are in southern Iran and include air defense systems, radars and command and control units for drones.

00:48 - In Israel, the situation is being closely monitored, but there are currently no new instructions from the Home Front Command

00:40 - The U.S. military announced it had launched "defensive" strikes against targets in Iran: "The strikes are a response to Iran’s unjustified and ongoing aggression"

00:36 - An American official: The strikes on Iran have begun

00:31 - Reports of explosions across Iran continue, bursts were heard in the city of Minab and in Erbil in northern Iraq

00:21 - Reports in Iran of air defense systems being activated in Tehran

00:04 - An Iranian military source to the Tasnim news agency: We proved to the Americans that any new adventure or stupidity will be met with an immediate response. A military source in Iran told Tasnim moments ago: "Last night we proved to the Americans that any new adventure or stupidity will be met with an immediate response from Iran, and that the Iranians will not allow an attack without a response. Iran’s military forces are fully prepared tonight as well, and if the Americans carry out an aggressive action, they will once again be answered with heavy blows." The source stressed: "Iran will target new objectives from the interests of this terrorist regime, in the event of an American action. The Americans’ concept of ‘controlled escalation’ and taking the initiative is stupid. And Iran will not hesitate to impose new considerations on the Americans."

00:03 - Report: Air defense systems in Iran were activated in the Fars area in the south of the country

First published on N12