Thick smoke rises from an oil storage facility from the US-Israeli strike late Saturday, Sunday, March 8, 2026, in Tehran, Iran.
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Wahid Salemi/AP
The U.S. military says it has hit more than 5,000 targets in Iran and damaged or destroyed more than 50 Iranian ships so far, as President Trump proposed progress in the 11-day-old war — sending mixed signals about whether the fighting is winding down.
“The war is very much over,” Trump said in a phone call with CBS News Monday.
But at a later event with Republican lawmakers in Miami, he struck a more open tone, saying the US had yet to achieve a “final victory”. In response, he said, he focused on keeping the oil flowing Wild fluctuations in oil prices Concerns have been expressed around the world.
“I will not allow a terrorist regime to hold the world hostage and try to cut off the world’s oil supply,” he said on Monday. “And if Iran does anything to do that, they will be hit much, much harder.”
In a late-night post on social media, Trump echoed that warning, saying it would be “twenty times harder” if Iran tried to disrupt global energy supplies.
Meanwhile, Iran launched drones and rockets across Gulf states on Tuesday, while Israel’s military said it carried out strikes against the financial infrastructure of Iran-backed group Hezbollah in Lebanon.
More than 1,200 people have died in Iran, nearly 500 in Lebanon and 11 in Israel, according to figures from Iranian and Lebanese health officials and Israeli officials. Seven US soldiers have died in combat so far, the Pentagon said.
These are some other important updates:
Trump sends mixed signals about when the war will end
In a phone call with CBS News on Monday, Trump suggested the war may be almost over, saying Iran’s military capabilities have been largely destroyed.
At a later press conference, Trump’s first since the war began, he said the US campaign had made “vast progress” and warned Iran against disrupting global energy supplies.
But at a separate event with Republican lawmakers in Miami, he struck a more open tone, saying the US had not yet “won enough” and had yet to achieve a “final victory”.
Trump intensified his warnings about the Strait of Hormuz, saying in a post on social media late Monday that if Iran did anything to stop oil flowing through the Strait of Hormuz, the US would respond “twenty times harder” than it has ever done.
Trump’s warning came as markets were rattled by fears of supply disruptions. Oil prices briefly touched around $120 a barrel on Monday, before falling again after Trump suggested the war might end soon.
Israel strikes Lebanon
Israel said it carried out a new wave of attacks in Lebanon targeting properties and storage facilities belonging to the al-Qard al-Hasan Association, which is linked to the militant group Hezbollah. The Israeli military said it finances weapons purchases and pays Hezbollah salaries.
Iran continues to attack neighboring Gulf countries
Iran’s missile and drone strikes across the Gulf continued on Tuesday. Saudi Arabia’s defense ministry says it has intercepted and destroyed two drones over the kingdom’s oil-rich eastern region.
Meanwhile, Kuwait’s National Guard said it shot down six drones in the northern and southern regions of the country.
The United Arab Emirates condemned what it called a drone strike targeting its consulate general in Iraq’s Kurdistan region, saying it caused material damage but no injuries.
NATO boosts Turkey’s air defenses
Turkey’s defense ministry said the US Patriot air defense system has been deployed to its Malatya province as NATO takes steps to bolster Turkey’s air defenses amid missile threats from Iran.
Malatya is also home to the Kuresik NATO radar base, which last week helped detect an Iranian ballistic missile aimed at Turkey.
Iran has denied that Turkey was specifically targeted.
Trump said he was disappointed with the choice of the new supreme leader, not saying whether he would be a target
Trump said on Monday that he was disappointed that Iran had named Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of slain Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as its new supreme leader, arguing that it was “more of a problem” for the country.
Asked whether the new leader had a “target on his back,” Trump said it was “inappropriate” to respond.
In an interview with CNN on Monday, Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Saar refused to rule out assassination plans targeting Khamenei, saying Israel would not reveal the steps of the operation in advance.
“We never announce our operational actions in war or anything like that,” Saar told CNN. “You’ll have to wait and see.”
Iranian women’s soccer players granted humanitarian visas in Australia
Australia has granted humanitarian visas to five members of Iran’s women’s soccer team, seeking protection from fear of reprisals for refusing to sing Iran’s national anthem at a match. The women, who were visiting Australia for a tournament when the war broke out, were later branded “traitors” on Iranian state television, raising concerns about their safety if they returned home.
The announcement comes after Australian rights groups and President Trump called on the Australian government to help women.
On Tuesday, Australian police said the five women had been transferred to a “safe place” after making asylum requests.
It was not immediately clear whether the other 21 team members would return to Iran.
