Door attendants US Air Force Master Sgt. Christina Jiminez and Senior Airman Ang Dingrin close the doors of transfer vans containing the remains of U.S. Army Reserve Soldiers, Indianola, Iowa, Capt. Cody Khork, 35, of Winter Haven, Fla., Chief Warrant Officer 3 Robert 4, Robert 4. 1st Class Nicole Amore, 39, of White Bear Lake, Minn., Sgt. 1st Class Noah Tietjens, 42, of Bellevue, Neb., and Sgt. Declan Cody, 20, of West Des Moines, Iowa, was killed in a drone strike at a command center in Kuwait, after the U.S. and Israel launched its military operation against Iran, Saturday, March 7, 2026, while returning from a crash at Dover Air Force Base, Del.
Julia DeMarie Nikhinson/AP
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Julia DeMarie Nikhinson/AP
As the Iran war enters its 12th day, uncertainty grows over when it will end — amid continued attacks and a mounting human toll.
Iranian and Lebanese health officials and Israeli officials reported more than 1,200 deaths in Iran, 570 in Lebanon and 12 in Israel. The Pentagon said seven US soldiers were killed.
The Pentagon said on Tuesday that approximately 140 US soldiers were injured by Iranian missile and drone strikes. Eight of those injuries were considered severe, while most were described as minor. Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said many of the injuries occurred at US bases in countries neighboring Iran.
Here are other important updates on the conflict.
US attacks Iranian minelaying ships near Strait of Hormuz
The US military said on Tuesday it had destroyed 16 mine-laying vessels near the Strait of Hormuz. The announcement comes after President Trump warned Iran to “immediately” remove any mines placed in the strait.
“If Iran has laid any mines in the Strait of Hormuz and we have no reports of them doing so, we want them removed immediately!” He wrote in Satya Social. “If mines are placed for any reason and they are not immediately removed, the military consequences for Iran will be on a scale never seen before.”
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the US would not allow what he called “terrorists” to hold the Straits hostage.
Roughly one-fifth of the oil consumed globally passes through the narrow waterway between Oman and Iran. The Iran war has effectively closed the strait to tanker traffic and rolled markets.
A cargo ship collided in the Strait of Hormuz
UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), a British group that monitors maritime security, said on Wednesday that a commercial cargo ship was hit by an unidentified projectile while crossing the Strait of Hormuz.
The UKMTO said the crew were being evacuated from the vessel after a distress call was made.
Strikes and interceptions across the Gulf
Two drones crashed near Dubai International Airport on Wednesday, injuring four people, officials in Dubai said. Three of them sustained minor injuries and one sustained moderate injuries. Meanwhile, flight operations continued as usual. The UKMTO reported that the vessel had been hit by an unidentified projectile in waters northwest of Dubai, but said the crew was safe.
Saudi Arabia’s defense ministry said it had intercepted and destroyed six ballistic missiles fired at Prince Sultan Air Base, which hosts US forces, and destroyed drones headed for the kingdom’s eastern region.
Kuwait’s National Guard said it shot down eight drones and said its forces were on high alert in coordination with the army, police and other agencies.
Israel says it hit Hezbollah sites in Lebanon and foiled drone launch team in Iran
Israel’s military said it had completed another wave of strikes in Beirut’s southern suburbs, which it described as command centers and weapons storage sites belonging to Hezbollah. It said it hit a Hezbollah command post in the Tire region of southern Lebanon.
Separately, the Israeli military He said he was hit A drone launch force in western Iran on Monday, minutes before launching drones towards Israel.
The UN says about 700,000 people have been displaced in Lebanon
The United Nations says some 700,000 people are now displaced in Lebanon, including a large number of children, after Israeli attacks and evacuation orders pushed people out of southern Lebanon and parts of Beirut. UN agencies have warned that the scale of the displacement has strained shelters and basic services, and that health facilities are under severe pressure.
At the Sports City football stadium on the outskirts of Beirut, around 800 people now live in tents without access to clean bathrooms and showers.
Samar Safair, who works with the nonprofit Makhzoumi Foundation, told NPR resources have been stretched.
“We cannot cater for half a million displaced people,” he said.
Safah said organizations like hers have been hit hard by President Trump’s cuts to international humanitarian aid, making it difficult to provide essential services to those in need in Lebanon.
-Hadeel al-Shalchi
Netanyahu tells Iranians to “seize the moment.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a direct appeal to Iranians on Tuesday, calling the war a “once in a lifetime” opportunity to remove the country’s clerical leadership.
In a lengthy post on X, Netanyahu urged the Iranians to “seize the moment,” saying Israel and the United States were hitting the regime’s targets and “creating the conditions” for the Iranians to act.
He wrote that Iran’s leaders had “run away”. He said Israel was focused on the regime’s goals and that its military was doing its best to “not harm the Iranian people.”
“We will create the conditions to realize your destiny in the coming days,” he wrote. “Your dreams will come true. When the time is right, and that time is fast approaching, we pass the torch to you. Get ready to seize the moment!”
Sen. Chris Murphy says brief descriptions of the war are “absurd and incomplete”.
Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn. , who attended another classified briefing on the Iran war on Tuesday and accused the Trump administration of shutting down the briefings because “Trump cannot defend this war publicly,” he said.
In a post on X, officials told lawmakers that destroying Iran’s nuclear program and “regime change” were not among the war goals. He said the briefings mostly focused on how the US military was “destroying a lot of missiles and boat and drone factories.” He argued that officials could not explain what prevented Iran from rebuilding those capabilities.
Murphy criticized the lack of a plan to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, warning that the situation could become a “war without end”.
Other Senate Democrats have expressed similar concerns after classified briefings, saying the administration has not set clear goals, urging more public transparency.
Two more members of the Iranian women’s football team took refuge in Australia
Australia’s Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said two more members of Iran’s women’s soccer delegation – a player and a staff member – were granted humanitarian visas overnight, making a total of seven team members allowed to stay.
Burke said the two reunited with five teammates who made the same decision earlier this week.
“They are safe here,” he wrote in a post on X. “They are welcome here in Australia.”
The women sought protection after refusing to sing Iran’s national anthem at a match in Australia when the war broke out, fearing reprisals. The women were later branded “traitors” on Iranian state television, raising concerns about their safety if they return home.
Rebecca Roseman contributed to this report from Paris. Hadeel al-Shalchi contributed from Beirut.
