US Iran news highlights: US Senate backs Trump's Iran strikes; Tehran says over 1,000 killed

US Iran news LIVE updates: Mojtaba Khamenei, a son of Iran's late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has long been considered a contender to the post of the country's next paramount ruler.

Born in 1969 in the city of Mashhad, some 10 years before the 1979 Islamic Revolution that would sweep Iran, Khamenei grew up as his father agitated against Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, AP reported.

US Iran news LIVE updates: Saudi Arabia intercepted a drone attack in targeting its massive Ras Tanura refinery, the defence ministry said Wednesday, following an earlier hit on the complex along its Gulf coast this week.

"Initial estimates indicate that the attack was carried out by a drone and did not result in any damage," the ministry said in a statement posted on X.

US Iran news LIVE updates: The United States and Israel hit Iran's capital and other cities in multiple airstrikes on Wednesday, the fifth day of the war with Iran.

With fighter jets roaring overhead, those still in Tehran looked anxiously to the skies. One man, who ran a clothing shop, told Associated Press he didn’t know what to do.

“If I leave the city, how am I supposed to earn money and survive?” said the man, who spoke on condition of anonymity, fearing reprisals. “I just hope the Arabs do not get involved. If they do, their missiles won’t be as precise as these.”

US Iran news LIVE updates: Airlines around the globe are suspending more flights to additional destinations across the Middle East as the scope of the war expands during its fourth day.

The disruptions since Iran’s first retaliatory strike are spreading across the region, leading to more than 12,300 flights being canceled, including at major transfer hubs such as Dubai and Doha, Bloomberg reported citing Flightradar24.

Tens of thousands of passengers are stranded, so many carriers are running special evacuation flights.

US Iran news LIVE updates: Saudi Aramco's Ras Tanura, which houses its largest domestic refinery, was struck again on Wednesday by an unknown projectile, four sources told Reuters.

It was not immediately clear what was struck at the complex, which was shut on Monday due to a drone attack.

US Iran news LIVE updates: Iran is close to choosing a new Supreme Leader to replace Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, a member of Iran's Assembly of Experts, tasked with choosing the new leader, was cited by Reuters as saying.

"The Supreme Leader will be identified in the closest opportunity, we are close to a conclusion, however the situation in the country is a war situation," Ayatollah Ahmad Khatami said.

US Iran news LIVE updates: Iran on Wednesday said that the members of the Assembly of Experts are tasked with chosing the new supreme leader after the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. It also said that they were ‘close to a decision.’

Meanwhile, Mojtaba Khamenei, a senior Iranian cleric and son of the late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei is widely viewed within the establishment as a potential successor and prospective next supreme leader.

US Iran news LIVE updates: Iran , on Wednesday announced a three-day farewell for Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed during the joint military operation by the United States and Israel.

As per reports, the ceremony will be held at Tehran's Imam Khomeini prayer ground. Citing Hojjatoleslam Mahmoudi, head of ⁠Iran’s Islamic Propagation Council, state media reported that the farewell ceremony ‌would continue for three days. It will begin at 10 pm local time.

US Iran news LIVE updates: Kuwait army on Wednesday informed that the armed forces are dealing with a wave of missiles and drones that have been detected in the airspace of the State of Kuwait, “where they are carrying out their tasks in confronting and intercepting them,” an X post by the forces said.

“The General Staff affirms full readiness to deal with all threats to ensure the protection of the country's territories and airspace, as well as the safety of citizens and residents,” it added further.

US Iran news LIVE updates: Mojtaba Khamenei, a senior Iranian cleric and son of the late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, has survived a recent assault on Iran, two Iranian sources told Reuters.

He is widely viewed within the establishment as a potential successor and prospective next supreme leader.

US Iran news LIVE updates: A drone struck the headquarters of an Iranian Kurdish opposition group in Iraq’s Kurdistan region on Wednesday, according to security sources.

There were no immediate details on casualties or the extent of the damage.

US Iran news LIVE updates: Iran has no intention of negotiating with the United States and is prepared to continue the war in the Middle East for as long as necessary, Mohammad Mokhber, a senior aide to the late supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, told state television.

“We have no trust in the Americans and no basis for negotiations with them,” Mokhber said, adding that Iran can continue the conflict “for as long as we want.”

US Iran news LIVE updates: Iran’s judiciary chief warned that anyone who “says or does anything” in support of the US-Israeli airstrike campaign would face consequences, signaling a potential crackdown as tensions rise after the strikes.

US Iran news LIVE updates: Israeli F-35 shoots down Iranian fighter jet over Tehran, military says

US Iran news LIVE updates: The Israeli military said its air force has begun a new round of large-scale strikes targeting what it described as Iranian regime sites in the capital, Tehran.

In a statement, the military said it had started “broad-scale strikes targeting Iranian terror regime targets” in the city, indicating an expansion of its ongoing military operations against Iran.

Heavy explosions have been heard in east Tehran, according to state media.

As many as eight repatriation flights are scheduled to land in India's Mumbai on Wednesday. These flights, operated by Emirates, Air India, SpiceJet and the Royal Jordanian, are bringing home Indians from conflict-ridden Middle Eastern countries, including Dubai, Fujairah and Amman.

US Iran news LIVE updates: The United States on Wednesday ordered non-emergency staff at two of its consulates in Pakistan to leave the country and authorised personnel at missions in Saudi Arabia, Cyprus and Oman to depart as regional tensions escalate following US-Israeli strikes on Iran.

The US State Department directed non-emergency government employees and family members of personnel at the US consulates in Lahore and Karachi to leave Pakistan due to “safety risks,” the US embassy in Pakistan said in a statement.

There was no change to the status of the US embassy in Islamabad, the statement added.

The department also authorised non-emergency US government employees and their family members to leave Saudi Arabia, Oman and Cyprus citing similar safety concerns.

US Iran news LIVE updates: France’s foreign minister said French Rafale fighter jets have already intercepted and neutralised Iranian drones that were targeting the United Arab Emirates.

The minister said the aircraft acted to counter the incoming drones, highlighting France’s involvement in efforts to protect regional allies amid the escalating conflict in the Middle East. Further details on the number of drones or the location of the interceptions were not immediately provided.

US Iran news LIVE updates: US President Donald Trump said the United States will ensure the safe passage of oil from the Middle East to prevent a potential energy crisis triggered by the ongoing war with Iran, which continues to unsettle the region and global markets.

Trump said on Tuesday that the US International Development Finance Corporation would provide insurance “at a very reasonable price” to help maintain the flow of energy and commercial trade through the Gulf. He added that the US Navy could begin escorting oil tankers through the strategic Strait of Hormuz “as soon as possible” if required.

“No matter what, the United States will ensure the FREE FLOW of ENERGY to the WORLD,” Trump wrote on social media.

US Iran news LIVE updates: Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz on Wednesday warned that whoever is chosen as Iran’s next supreme leader would be considered “a target for elimination.”

Katz made the remarks in a post on X, saying any leader appointed by Iran’s ruling establishment who continues policies aimed at destroying Israel or threatening the United States and its allies would be targeted.

“Every leader appointed by the Iranian terror regime to continue and lead the plan to destroy Israel, to threaten the United States and the free world and the countries of the region, and to suppress the Iranian people — will be a target for elimination,” he wrote.

The statement comes after Israel targeted a building on Tuesday linked to Iran’s Assembly of Experts, the body responsible for selecting the country’s next supreme leader. Israel said it killed 86-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in a strike on Saturday, an attack that triggered the ongoing conflict.

US Iran news LIVE updates: Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said they launched more than 40 missiles at US and Israeli targets as part of retaliatory strikes amid the escalating conflict in the region.

The Guards said the missiles targeted military and strategic sites linked to the United States and Israel, describing the attack as a response to recent strikes on Iranian territory.

The development marks a further escalation in hostilities as Iran and its adversaries continue to exchange attacks across the region.

US Iran news LIVE updates: Iranians will begin bidding farewell to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei from 22:00 on Wednesday at Tehran’s Imam Khomeini Musallah, state media reported.

The public mourning ceremony will allow people to pay their respects at the large prayer complex in the capital, Tehran.

Authorities said the farewell gathering will begin late Wednesday night as the country prepares for further mourning events.

US Iran news LIVE updates: Israel said it had struck dozens of targets across Iran, including security-related sites in Tehran, as hostilities between the two countries intensified.

The Israeli military said the strikes targeted locations linked to Iran’s security infrastructure in the capital as well as other sites across the country.

The latest attacks come amid an escalating conflict between Israel and Iran, with both sides carrying out strikes that have heightened fears of a broader regional confrontation.

US Iran news LIVE updates: A drone was shot down near Baghdad’s international airport on Wednesday, a day after a similar incident targeted the facility, according to two security sources.

“A drone was downed near Baghdad airport, with no casualties or material damage reported,” an Iraqi security source said. Another security source in Baghdad also confirmed the incident.

The airport complex includes a military base that hosts a US diplomatic facility and had previously housed troops from the US-led coalition.