U.S. attacks Iranian mine-laying vessels near Hormuz on Day 12 of war : NPR
Gate Attendants U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Christina Jiminez and Senior Airman Awng Dingrin close the doors of the transfer vans containing the remains of U.S. Army Reserve Soldiers Maj. Jeffrey O’Brien, 45, of Indianola, Iowa, Capt. Cody Khork, 35, of Winter Haven, Fla., Chief Warrant Officer 3 Robert Marzan, 54, of Sacramento, Sgt. 1st Class Nicole Amor, 39, of White Bear Lake, Minn., Sgt. 1st Class Noah Tietjens, 42, of Bellevue, Neb., and Sgt. Declan Coady, 20, of West Des Moines, Iowa, who was killed in a drone strike on a command center in Kuwait after the United States and Israel launched a military campaign against Iran, during the victims’ return Saturday at Dover Air Force Base, Del.
Julia Démarée Nikhinson/AP
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Julia Démarée Nikhinson/AP
The war in Iran entered its 12th day as uncertainty grew over its end – amid continued attacks and a growing human toll.
Iranian and Lebanese health officials and Israeli authorities reported more than 1,200 people killed in Iran, 570 in Lebanon and 12 in Israel. Seven American soldiers died, according to the Pentagon.
The Pentagon also said Tuesday that about 140 U.S. troops were injured by Iranian missile and drone strikes. Eight of those injuries were considered serious, but most were described as minor. Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said many of the injuries occurred at U.S. bases in countries neighboring Iran.
Here are other major updates on the conflict.
To access specific coverage areas, use the links below:
Iranian mine-laying ships | Attack on a ship in the Strait of Hormuz | Strikes in the Gulf | Israel attacks Hezbollah | Lebanon | Netanyahu to Iranians | Senate Democrats | Iranian women’s football team
US attacks Iranian mine-laying ships near Strait of Hormuz
The US military announced on Tuesday that it had destroyed 16 mine-laying ships near the Strait of Hormuz. The announcement comes after President Trump warned Iran to “immediately” remove all mines placed in the strait.
“If Iran has planted mines in the Strait of Hormuz, and we have no reports that this has been the case, we want them removed IMMEDIATELY!” he wrote about Truth Social. “If, for whatever reason, mines are placed and they are not removed immediately, the military consequences for Iran will be on a level never seen before.”
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also said the United States would not allow what he called “terrorists” to hijack the Strait.
About a fifth of the oil consumed globally passes through the narrow waterway between Oman and Iran. The war in Iran effectively closed the strait to tanker traffic and disrupted markets.
Cargo ship struck in the Strait of Hormuz
UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), a British group that monitors maritime safety, said on Wednesday that a commercial cargo ship was hit by an unidentified projectile while passing through the Strait of Hormuz, sparking a fire on board.
The UKMTO said the crew were being evacuated from the ship after making a distress call.
Strikes and interceptions across the Gulf
Dubai authorities said two drones fell near Dubai International Airport on Wednesday, injuring four people. Three of them were slightly injured and one was slightly injured. Air traffic, for its part, continued normally. The UKMTO also reported that a ship was hit by an unknown projectile in waters northwest of Dubai, but said the crew was safe.
The Saudi Defense Ministry said it intercepted and destroyed six ballistic missiles launched toward Prince Sultan Air Base, which hosts U.S. troops, and destroyed drones heading toward the kingdom’s eastern region.
The Kuwaiti National Guard said it had shot down eight drones and said its forces were on high alert, in coordination with the army, police and other agencies.
Israel strikes Hezbollah sites in Lebanon, claims to have thwarted Iran drone launch team
The Israeli military said it carried out a new wave of strikes in Beirut’s southern suburbs, targeting what it described as command centers and weapons storage sites belonging to Hezbollah. It also said it struck a Hezbollah command post in the Tire region of southern Lebanon.
Separately, the Israeli military said it struck a drone launch team in western Iran on Monday, minutes before the drone launch toward Israel.
The UN estimates that nearly 700,000 people have been displaced in Lebanon
The United Nations says nearly 700,000 people are now displaced in Lebanon, many of them children, after Israeli strikes and evacuation orders pushed people out of southern Lebanon and parts of Beirut. UN agencies say the scale of displacement has strained shelter and basic services, and have warned that health facilities are under severe pressure.
At the Sports City football stadium on the outskirts of Beirut, around 800 people are now living in tents, without access to clean toilets and showers.
Samer Safah, who works with the nonprofit Makhzoumi Foundation, told NPR that resources are limited.
“We cannot accommodate half a million displaced people,” he said.
Safah also said that organizations like his have been severely affected 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 made a direct appeal to the Iranians on Tuesday, calling the war a “unique opportunity” to topple the country’s religious leaders.
In a lengthy post on
He wrote that Iran’s leaders were “on the run.” He said Israel was focused on the regime’s targets and its military was doing its best “not to harm the Iranian people.”
“In the coming days, we will create the conditions for you to seize your destiny,” he wrote. “Your dreams will come true. When the time is right and that moment is fast approaching, we will pass the torch to you. Be ready to seize the moment!”
Senator Chris Murphy says war briefings are ‘incoherent and incomplete’
Sen. Chris Murphy, Democrat of Connecticut, said he attended another classified briefing on the Iran war on Tuesday and accused the Trump administration of keeping the briefings closed because, he said, “Trump can’t defend this war in public.”
In an article on He said the briefings focused primarily on how the U.S. military was “destroying a lot of missile and boat and drone factories.” He argued that officials could not explain what had prevented Iran from rebuilding these capabilities.
Murphy also criticized what he said was a lack of planning to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, warning that the situation could become an “endless war.”
Other Democratic senators expressed similar concerns after classified briefings, saying the administration had failed to set clear goals and calling for more public transparency.
Two more members of the Iranian women’s football team granted asylum in Australia
Australian Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said two more members of Iran’s women’s football delegation – a player and a staff member – were granted humanitarian visas overnight, bringing the total to seven team members allowed to stay.
Burke said the two reunited with five teammates who made the same decision earlier this week.
“They will be safe here,” he wrote in a message on X. “They are welcome here in Australia.”
The women had sought protection for fear of reprisals after refusing to sing the Iranian national anthem during a match in Australia when war broke out. The women were later branded “traitors” on Iranian state television, fueling concerns about their safety if they returned home.
Rebecca Rosman contributed to this report from Paris. Hadeel Al-Shalchi contributed from Beirut.
