Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei issued his first statement on the war on Thursday, saying Iran should close the Strait of Hormuz and keep attacking its Gulf Arab neighbors as leverage. Khamenei also called on people in Gulf countries to “shut down” U.S. bases, saying promised U.S. protection is “nothing more than a lie.”
Khamenei did not appear on camera. Israeli intelligence assessed that he was likely wounded in the war’s opening
salvo, which he said also killed his wife, one of his sisters, his niece and his father, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
As American and Israeli strikes pound the Islamic Republic and Iran attacks Persian Gulf shipping and energy infrastructure with no sign of an end to the war, oil prices have soared back above $100 a barrel.
U.S. President Donald Trump promised to “finish the job,” even as Iran is “virtually destroyed.” The first week of war cost the United States $11.3 billion, according to the Pentagon. The U.N. refugee agency says up to 3.2 million people in Iran have been displaced, and authorities in Lebanon say 800,000 have been forced from their homes as Israel’s military destroys buildings linked to Iran-backed Hezbollah militants.
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The U.S. military said Thursday that American forces have now struck more than 6,000 targets since the operation against Iran began Feb. 28, including 30-plus minelaying vessels. It's aiming to prevent Iranian threats from closing oil tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.
The war in Iran has ground tanker traffic through the chokepoint to a halt and oil prices have been swinging sharply. The Islamic Republic vowed to prevent "even a single liter' of oil from reaching its enemies and their allies.
The 1920s law is often blamed for making gas more expensive. It requires goods shipped between U.S. ports to be moved on U.S.-flagged vessels, and is designed to protect the American shipbuilding sector.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement that temporarily waiving the requirement could “ensure vital energy products and agricultural necessities are flowing freely to U.S. ports.” The action has not been finalized, she said.
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the U.S.-Israeli military strikes, followed by Iran’s retaliatory attacks, have caused “immense suffering” and pushed the region to a breaking point.
“And as always, the most vulnerable are being hurt first and worst,” Guterres said. “De-escalation and dialogue are the only way out.”
He made the comments in the Turkish capital where he received the country’s peace prize on behalf of global U.N. staff.
U.S. Ambassador Mike Waltz told the U.N. Security Council that Iran is the only country without nuclear weapons to produce and accumulate uranium enriched up to 60%, which is near weapons-grade.
The United Kingdom’s acting ambassador, James Kariuki, said there is “no credible civilian justification” for Iran possessing more than 400 kilograms (about 880 pounds) of highly enriched uranium, adding the stockpile erodes confidence in the peaceful nature of Iran’s nuclear program and led to the “snapback” of U.N. sanctions last September.
But Russia’s U.N. Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia accused the U.S. and its allies of whipping up “hysteria” about Iran seeking a nuclear weapon to justify “yet another military venture against Tehran” and escalate tensions.
China’s U.N. Ambassador Fu Cong said Iran has repeatedly reaffirmed it does not seek nuclear weapons and that its “sincerity should be taken seriously.”
The apartment building is in a busy residential and commercial district in central Beirut, close to the prime minister’s office, the U.N. building and foreign embassies.
The strike came soon after Israel’s Arabic-language spokesperson issued a warning on X for residents to evacuate 300 meters (1,000 feet) away from the building, which it said was near a Hezbollah target. This was the first strike in central Beirut of the current conflict that came with a warning.
The building didn’t immediately collapse after an initial strike. As people approached after the first hit, an Israeli drone launched a warning strike to disperse the crowds again ahead of a second anticipated strike.
Sen. Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin told reporters during a teleconference Thursday that she’s demanding Republican Majority Leader John Thune hold public hearings with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Americans deserve to know why Trump decided to attack Iran, but she said the president has been unable to articulate a clear reason, let alone an exit strategy.
She and five other Democratic senators have filed war powers resolutions to block the U.S. military campaign, which she called unauthorized, “illegal” and “a war of choice.”
Brig. Guy Foden said a number of drones hit a base in Erbil in northern Iraq that houses both British and American troops, and that several U.S. personnel were injured.
Another officer, Lt. Gen. Nick Perry, said there were no British casualties in Wednesday night's attack, and that U.S. casualties were “nothing too serious.”
“The Iran National Soccer Team is welcome to The World Cup,” Trump wrote on his social media site Thursday, “but I really don’t believe it is appropriate that they be there, for their own life and safety.”
This appears to depart somewhat from the message he relayed Tuesday evening at the White House to FIFA President Gianni Infantino, who later publicly said that Trump assured him the Iranian players and coaches would still be welcome.
The White House did not immediately clarify Thursday what the president meant by “their own life and safety,” such as whether he anticipated threats against them while in the United States. Iranian leaders said this week that it’s “not possible” for the country to participate in this year’s World Cup.
Israel’s military said it began the strikes Thursday after warning residents of a large swath of southern Beirut to evacuate north earlier in the day.
The vast majority of the 47,000 Americans who left the region did so commercially without taking one of the roughly 50 free charter evacuation flights for Americans, the department said.
About 32,000 Americans in the region reached out for either security information or travel assistance and all were then contacted by phone, text or email, but most who were offered charter seats preferred to arrange their own travel or to remain in the Middle East, the department said.
“We’ve been aware of that information," Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom said. "It’s all about a posture of preparedness for worst-case scenarios.”
The FBI warned police departments before the war that Iran could try to strike the state.
“Iran allegedly aspired to conduct a surprise attack using unmanned aerial vehicles from an unidentified vessel off the coast of the United State Homeland, specifically against unspecified targets in California, in the event that the US conducted strikes against Iran,” the alert said, according to ABC News.
The FBI alert said it had no additional information.
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The U.S., which holds the Security Council presidency this month, had been pushing for a meeting on sanctions that were reimposed on Iran last September because of growing concerns over its nuclear program.
It received support from 10 other members of the council, who voted in favor of holding the meeting amid ongoing conflict in Iran after U.S. and Israel launched a war on Feb. 28. Iran’s two allies on the Security Council, Russia and China, were opposed, and Pakistan and Somalia abstained from Thursday’s vote.
Russia’s U.N. Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia argued that reimposing the sanctions would be a “flagrant violation.”
The investment bank said early Thursday that the Iran war could have a sustained, if modest, impact on the U.S. economy, with inflation and unemployment higher and growth slower.
Goldman now thinks the Federal Reserve won’t cut its key interest rate until September, and its forecasts suggest Americans will keep seeing higher costs for gas, utilities and potentially groceries as they prepare to vote in this year’s elections.
Before this war began, Goldman forecast that inflation would cool as the impact of Trump’s tariffs fades. The bank now expects the Fed’s preferred inflation measure to end this year at 2.9%, remaining above the Fed’s target of 2%.
And that’s based on average oil prices rising 40% to $98 a barrel in March and April. Should the war cause oil prices rise to an average $110 over those two months, inflation would hit 3.3%, Goldman economists estimate.
The U.S. Navy said the fire Thursday on USS Gerald R. Ford originated in the main laundry area.
“The cause of the fire was not combat-related and is contained,” the Navy said in a post on X. “There is no damage to the ship’s propulsion plant, and the aircraft carrier remains fully operational.”
Two sailors are receiving medical treatment “for non-life-threatening injuries and are in stable condition,” the post continued.
The world’s largest aircraft carrier has been operating in the Red Sea for the last few weeks as part of U.S. operations in Iran.
A Foreign Ministry statement said the attacks in Lebanon have led to a humanitarian crisis and constitute a violation of international law.
Turkey also accused Israel of expanding its “destructive” policies in Gaza into Lebanon.
“We will continue to stand in solidarity with the Lebanese people and state,” the statement read.
The army announced the decision in the high-profile case at a time when much of the country’s attention is focused on the war with Iran.
Leaked video of the abuse was aired last year by Israel’s Channel 12 and purported to show the soldiers sodomize the Palestinian detainee from Gaza at the notorious Sde Teiman prison facility.
Hard-line ultranationalists were furious that the soldiers were arrested. Members of Netanyahu’s government were in uproar, leading to the resignation of the military’s top legal official, who had filed the indictment and authorized the leak.
Israel has long been accused of failing to hold its soldiers accountable for crimes committed against Palestinians. The allegations have intensified during the war in Gaza. Israel says its forces act within military and international law and says it thoroughly investigates any alleged abuses.
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Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara told reporters that the Japanese government is paying “serious attention to the situation surrounding the Strait of Hormuz.”
Mitsui O.S.K. Lines confirmed Thursday that a Japanese-flagged container ship One Majesty sustained damage to its stern a day earlier while anchored in the Persian Gulf, however all crew members were safe and the ship had no fire, flooding or oil leak.
A Mitsui-operated oil tanker took minor damage from unidentified falling objects last week while in the Gulf of Oman. Mitsui says the damage is under investigation and it's not known whether the ships were attacked.
Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper condemned Iran’s “reckless attacks,” which included hits on Saudi oil facilities and the U.S. Embassy in Riyadh.
She is due to discuss ways of ensuring “continuity of oil supply” with regional partners as Iran attacks shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
Khamenei said he, like the Iranian public, only learned about being selected as supreme leader from Iranian state television.
He did not mention his location in the statement as well as he’s likely in a secure, secret location to avoid a threatened Israeli operation to kill him. Minutes after the speech ended, the sound of airstrikes again boomed across Iran’s capital.
Khamenei acknowledged in his speech the death of his father, signaling he was there in the aftermath and saw his father’s body. Khamenei also confirmed his wife, one of his sisters, his niece and the husband of his other sister also were killed in the airstrike.
“I had the honor of seeing his body after his martyrdom,” Khamenei said of his father. “What I saw was a mountain of steadfastness, and I was told that the fist of his intact hand had been clenched.”
The Israeli military’s Arabic-language spokesperson, Avichay Adraee, said on X that Lebanese residents should move north of the Zahrani River, which at its midpoint is about 35 miles (56 kilometers) away from the border with Israel.
Over 800,000 people in Lebanon have been displaced over the past 10 days in the latest conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, part of the wider Iran war.
The defense minister, Israel Katz, said military operations in Lebanon would expand. He held a security assessment with military officials Thursday in the army’s headquarters in Tel Aviv, after the largest attack yet by Hezbollah in the Iran war, and warned that Israel “will take the territory and do it ourselves.”
In a video statement released by his office, Katz said he and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu instructed the military to "restore calm and security to the northern communities.”
Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei’s remarks suggested Iran may open up new fronts in the war if it continues. That likely would signal a return by Iran to the militant attacks the United States has blamed on it in the past, including the 1983 U.S. Marine Barracks bombing in Beirut and others.
“One point I must emphasize is that, in any case, we will obtain compensation from the enemy,” Khamenei said. “If it refuses, we will take from its assets to the extent we deem appropriate, and if that is not possible, we will destroy its assets to the same extent.”
When Ali Khamenei took over from the late Grand Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, he did not immediately make a public speech in person, instead waiting until after a 40-day mourning period. However, Mojtaba Khamenei finds himself and the Iranian government he leads in perhaps its most-desperate fight since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Khamenei acknowledged in his speech the death of his father, signaling he was there in the aftermath and saw his father’s body. Khamenei also confirmed his wife, one of his sisters, his niece and the husband of his other sister also were killed in the airstrike.
Top Iranian security official Ali Larijani responded on X Thursday to US President Donald Trump’s threat to target electricity sites in Iran.
Larijani wrote that destroying Iran’s electricity would quickly create a regional blackout, and the darkness “would provide a good opportunity to hunt fleeing American soldiers in the region.”
Another sailor is missing after the “maritime incidents” involving foreign-flagged vessels, India’s shipping ministry said Thursday. Rajesh Kumar Sinha, an official with the ministry, said four other Indian sailors were wounded but remain in stable condition.
“It’ll happen relatively soon, but it can’t happen now,” Wright said in an appearance on CNBC. “We’re simply not ready.”
Wright said the U.S. is currently focusing military assets “on destroying Iran’s offensive capabilities and the manufacturing industry that supplies their offensive capabilities.”
Secretary Chris Wright offered the assessment as oil prices surged in morning trading in the U.S. after more oil tankers were attacked by Iran and the critical Strait of Hormuz remains effectively closed.
“We’re in the midst of a significant disruption in the short term to fix the security of energy flow for the long term,” Wright added.
He added the world will face “short term pain to solve long term problem” as the U.S. and Israel try to “defang” Iran.
The emergency controls Thursday are in response to global market turmoil caused by the war. Government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis said the measures take immediate effect through June 30, capping profit margins mostly at 2025 levels.
The controls affect retail and business sales of gasoline and diesel, as well as a list of household products including food, cleaning supplies and personal hygiene items.
Marinakis separately announced a government working group to study the feasibility of adopting microreactor technology. Earthquake-prone Greece has previously avoided investing in nuclear power but now views emerging modular technology as safer and a potential complement to renewable energy for price stability and decarbonization.
Some commercial ships near or in the Strait of Hormuz and Persian Gulf have declared themselves as China-linked since the Iran war began, marine traffic data show, as their operators apparently try to reduce risks of being targeted in attacks.
At least eight vessels in or near the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman changed their declared destination signals to short messages such as “CHINA OWNER” or “CHINA OWNER&CREW,” according to data on the ship tracking platform MarineTraffic analyzed by The Associated Press.
“The main goal of vessels publicly identifying themselves as ‘Chinese’ while transiting the Gulf or the Strait of Hormuz is primarily to reduce the risk of being attacked rather than to facilitate passage through the strait itself,” said Ana Subasic, a trade risk analyst at data and analytics firm Kpler, which owns MarineTraffic.
Iran and affiliated groups have generally avoided targeting ships linked to China, Subasic said, given China’s relatively neutral stance and stronger economic ties with Iran.
Thailand’s Foreign Ministry conveyed its “strongest protest” to the Iranian ambassador in Bangkok after a Thai cargo ship was struck and set ablaze in the Strait of Hormuz. Thailand requested a statement of apology from the Iranian authorities.
The deputy permanent secretary for foreign affairs, Sirilak Niyom, also requested clarification of facts surrounding the incident, according to the ministry’s statement. The ambassador, Nassereddin Heidari, “expressed his condolences and gave assurances to promptly convey Thailand’s protest to the capital,” the statement said.
A search is still ongoing for three crew members while 20 others were rescued on Wednesday without serious injuries but might need psychological support, Thai officials said.
The Israeli military said Thursday it struck a nuclear facility in Iran in recent days.
Israel had destroyed the “Taleghan 2” site in an airstrike in October 2024. Earlier this year satellite photos raised concerns that Iran was working to restore the facility.
In a statement, the Israeli military said it hit the facility again in recent days.
