US Iran War LIVE Updates: Iran retaliates US strikes; Trump aides push for de-escalation before midterms

Iran war LIVE updates: In a post on Truth Social, US President Donald Trump said that he is not trying to “force” Iran to bargaining table and that he likes US' position now much better.

“I’m not trying to force Iran to the bargaining table, as ABC Fake News reported. I couldn’t care less if they sign a worthless, to them, agreement. I like our position now much better, with almost total control of the Hormuz Strait, and their economy totally collapsing. They are just playing out the inevitable. When are the Iranian people going to rise up and fight?” he wrote.

Iran war LIVE updates: Iranian hackers have in recent weeks targeted US water systems as well as telecommunications, energy and other critical infrastructure, NBC News reported Wednesday citing four people familiar with government and industry cyberthreat intelligence.

The attempted attacks were aimed at internet-connected automated systems but have so far failed to cause any disruption, according to the report.

Iran war LIVE updates: As the midterms approach and the Trump administration braces to see how the Americans have fared with the US' war with Iran, the President's aides are attempting to avoid the war from escalating, news agency Reuters reported citing four people familiar with the discussions.

However, the renewed strikes already pose a threat to this approach.

The sources, requesting anonymity, told Reuters that US officials may consider intensifying military operations against Iran after the November 3 election but return to an all-out conflict is not on the cards, at least for now.

“We are keeping the pressure on Iran. But November is a priority,” Reuters reported a White House official as saying.

Iran war LIVE updates: After an arduous deployment in West Asia amid US-Iran war, the USS Abraham Lincoln arrived at a port in Thailand on Wednesday.

Associated Press journalists saw the aircraft carrier, which has around 5,000 service members aboard, as it entered Laem Chabang port in Chonburi province. The arrival came shortly after the destroyer USS Frank E. Petersen Jr. passed through the area.

The Lincoln spent over 250 consecutive days at sea — a record for the carrier.

Iran war LIVE updates: Stocks were under pressure while bond yields stayed elevated as an escalation in the conflict between the US and Iran kept fueling an advance in oil prices, leaving the prospect of interest-rate hikes this month in play.

Brent crude hovered near $95 a barrel after the US carried out its second round of attacks against the Islamic Republic in three days, prompting retaliation by Tehran. Bonds fell in Europe and Asia, while 30-year Treasury yields were around 5.28%, near the 19-year high hit before Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent expanded a buyback program to contain long-term borrowing costs.

S&P 500 futures fell 0.1% after three straight sessions of losses. European stocks dropped 0.4%, while their Asian counterparts fell the most in two weeks. The dollar and gold barely budged. (Bloomberg)

Iran war LIVE updates: Iranians have been the victims of decisions taken by their own government and repeated episodes of mass repression, France’s UN ambassador and Security Council president for September, Jérôme Bonnafont, said on Tuesday.

Speaking to reporters while outlining the council’s agenda for the month, Bonnafont said the Iranian people had borne the consequences of choices made by their authorities over several years.

“They are the victims of the choices made by the Iranian authorities for years now, with these episodes of mass repression,” he said.

Bonnafont also said Iran’s nuclear programme would remain a key focus of discussions at the UN Security Council this month.

Iran war LIVE updates: Two crew members were killed aboard the SIDR vessel while it was transiting the Strait of Hormuz on Monday, Saudi Arabian shipping company Bahri said on X.

The company said both victims were Filipino nationals.

Iran war LIVE updates: Iranian military spokesperson Ebrahim Zolfaghari on Wednesday shared an image showing two tankers on fire after they struck naval mines while crossing the Strait of Hormuz, leaving them unable to continue their voyage.

In a post on X, he reiterated Iranian claims that the route the vessels were passing via had been declared illegal by Iran.

“This route has already been declared illegal by Iran. The explosions damaged both vessels and left them unable to continue moving. Iran has made its position clear: unauthorized passage through the Strait will carry consequences.”

Iran war LIVE updates: Iran launched a fresh wave of attacks on US targets across the Middle East on Wednesday, escalating tensions following an extensive American bombardment and a deadly strike on a wedding ceremony in southern Iran that killed four, including a four-year-old boy

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said they targeted US bases in Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Bahrain and Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan region, marking the heaviest exchange between the two sides in weeks.

The escalation came after US President Donald Trump warned of “much harder and higher” attacks if Tehran retaliated against the American strikes.

(With inputs from AFP)

Iran war LIVE updates: Iranian military spokesperson Ebrahim Zolfaghari said on Wednesday that US President Donald Trump does not want to continue launching strikes against Iran and is instead calling on the Iranian people to rise up.

He added that Iran targeted US bases across Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Iraq and the United Arab Emirates overnight in response to US strikes and warned that the conflict could potentially continue until a new president takes office in Washington.

Iran war LIVE updates: A survivor injured in a US strike on a wedding ceremony recalled the attack, describing the moment as “horrific," Press TV reported.

Iran war LIVE updates: Three Basij paramilitary fighters were killed in US strikes on Iran’s Lavan Island, Al Jazeera reported, citing Iranian state media.

Iran war LIVE updates: Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said two tankers struck naval mines in the Strait of Hormuz and were forced to stop their voyages, according to a statement, AFP reported.

In a statement, the Guards said the oil tankers sought "at the urging of the US military to transit via an illegal route" in the strait before "striking mines and exploding", adding that they "are currently on fire."

Iran war LIVE updates: Iran’s parliament Speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, on Wednesday branded the United States “Satan” following a deadly strike on a wedding ceremony in southern Iran.

Iranian officials said at least four people were killed and dozens injured in the late-night attack in Kuhestak. Ghalibaf said children were among those killed and families were torn apart.

He also referenced other deadly incidents during the early stages of the Middle East war, including a strike on a school in Minab.

“If a power acts like Satan, picks targets like Satan, and kills like Satan, it’s Satan,” Ghalibaf wrote on X, accusing the United States of shielding Israel, which he described as a “junior Satan.”

Iran war LIVE updates: Two people were killed after the very large crude carrier Sidr, run by Saudi Arabia’s Bahri shipping company, was hit while sailing northeast of Khasab, Oman on August 31, Reuters reported.

Iran war LIVE updates: US attack on Iranian Gulf island kills three paramilitary personnel: Iran Guards, AFP reported.

Iran war LIVE updates: Iran's Revolutionary Guards said on Wednesday that four personnel were killed in a US attack on the western province of Kermanshah.

"Four fighters of the IRGC Aerospace Force in Kermanshah province were martyred in an attack by the US regime," the Guards said in a statement carried by Fars news agency, using their acronym.

-AFP

Iran war LIVE updates: Bahrain intercepted an Iranian aerial attack early Wednesday, as Tehran continued to fire on allies of the United States in the Gulf region despite threats from President Donald Trump to escalate American military attacks.

Bahrain, which hosts an important U.S. naval base, said its air defense systems intercepted incoming fire from Iran, accusing Iran of “attacks targeting civilians” in a statement issued by its military.

-AP

Iran war LIVE updates: Pakistan on Wednesday expressed concern over escalating tensions between the United States and Iran and said that the Islamabad remains positive that parties will return to the table for dialogue, Reuters reported.

Iran war LIVE updates: Iran on Wednesday said it attacked US military targets in UAE, Kuwait, AFP reported.

Iran war LIVE updates: The Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps have claimed it carried out drone strikes on US bases in the United Arab Emirates.

“In response to the targeting of innocent civilians since dawn today, dozens of army kamikaze drones have targeted the radar systems and locations of US forces at the al-Dhafra and al-Minhad bases in the UAE,” state media quoted an IRGC statement as saying.

However, there is no confirmation from the UAE regarding the alleged Iranian attack.

Iran war LIVE updates: Kuwait on Wednesday said an Iranian drone attack caused a fire in a residential complex in the capital, but no casualties were reported. Authorities also added that the fire was extinguished and brought under control.

"A fire that broke out in a residential complex in the Capital Governorate has been brought under control. The complex had been targeted by a hostile drone launched as part of the nefarious Iranian aggression," Kuwait's official KUNA news agency said, quoting a fire department spokesman.

Iran war LIVE updates: Oil prices surged to a near-six-week high after the US and Iran exchanged strikes overnight, intensifying the Middle East conflict and renewing concerns over inflation.

Brent crude went up two per cent to $96.6 a barrel, triggering a drop in Asian markets and lifting global bond yields on worries of a near-term US rate hike, which could make emerging markets less attractive for global investors.

Iran war LIVE updates: Indian stock market indices Sensex and Nifty dropped sharply on opening on Wednesday, reacting to the international developments - the major escalation in the Iran-US conflict. While Sensex was down by nearly 700 points in the opening minute, Nifty plummeted 200 points.

In pre-opening trade, Sensex was at over 540 points down - at 76,397.24, while Nifty was down over 203 points - at 23,852.05.

Among the 30 Sensex firms, Only Sunpharma was in green in opening trade.

Iran war LIVE updates: IRGC Political Deputy General Javani called on Arab countries hosting US bases to expel US forces from their territories, warning that otherwise, Iran would deliver a firm response against any point in the region from which aggression against Iran is initiated, Press TV reported.