Live updates: US military says it fired on a tanker trying to transport oil from Iran

Edited By  BRIDGET BROWN, CURTIS YEE, MICHAEL WARREN and AISHA I. JEFFERSON

• The U.S. launched airstrikes Wednesday against Iran, and President Donald Trump said more are coming, as Tehran fired back at countries in the region. The U.S. military said it had fired on a tanker trying to transport oil from Iran in violation of its blockage on Iranian ports, the eighth merchant vessel disabled in the waters off Iran. Trump wouldn’t say if he planned to follow through on threats he made earlier in the war to attack bridges and utility plants in Iran. He urged Iran to sign a deal with the U.S.

Trump says he ordered US military mission to help oil tankers navigate Strait of Hormuz

By COLLIN BINKLEY, KONSTANTIN TOROPIN

The president said on social media that he ordered the U.S. military last month to execute “a secret mission to support Oil Tankers and other Commercial Ships” through the strait. He claimed the effort helped get more than 100 million barrels of oil through the strait, though there was no immediate confirmation of that figure.

It was not immediately clear what role the military played. When asked about the secret mission, Capt. Tim Hawkins, a spokesman for U.S. Central Command, said, “U.S. forces continue to communicate and coordinate with commercial vessels seeking to freely and safely transit.” He did not offer details on the specific military support being offered to vessels.

1:47 PM EDT

UN chief warns escalating attacks and rhetoric risk ‘full war’ in Iran and Gulf region

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told the U.N. Security Council on Wednesday that the ceasefire in the Gulf region “is more like a lesser fire,” as the world has witnessed in the last 48 hours, with the downing of a U.S. helicopter, U.S. retaliatory attacks on Iranian targets, and the Iranians firing at U.S. bases and facilities in the Gulf.

“The world needs to see a complete ceasefire, with navigational rights and freedoms restored … and serious negotiations on the nuclear issues – ensuring that Iran’s nuclear program is exclusively peaceful,” he said.

Guterres also called for full implementation of the ceasefires in Lebanon and Gaza and an end to settler violence in the West Bank, now averaging six attacks a day.

He said, “It’s time to get serious about the only credible way forward” – moving toward a two-state solution where Israel and Palestine live side-by-side in peace.

1:32 PM EDT

GCC condemns Iranian strikes on Gulf states and Jordan

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

The Gulf Cooperation Council, or GCC, condemned Iranian air attacks on Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan on Wednesday, saying the “new heinous Iranian aggression” doesn’t create stability or build relations.

“The Council affirms that these hostile acts do not serve any understanding or rapprochement, but rather distance peoples from one another, undermine the foundations of trust, sow discord, and close the doors of dialogue to which the GCC states have always called,” the GCC said in a statement on the sidelines of a meeting it held in Bahrain’s capital of Manama.

The GCC blamed Iran for destabilizing the region and impacting international navigation and energy supplies through these “hostile acts.”

The ministerial council said GCC states remain committed to diplomacy and good-neighborly relations, but questioned how future ties could be built while the attacks continue.

1:20 PM EDT

Treasury sanctions Chinese and Hong Kong-based people and companies for supporting Iran

By FATIMA HUSSEIN

The U.S. Treasury imposed sanctions on nine people and firms allegedly associated with supporting Iran’s weapons procurement program.

Among those hit with sanctions is Hong Kong‑based firm Mustad and its leadership, who are accused of acting as an intermediary to facilitate transactions that would help Iran procure weapons.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a statement that his agency is “disrupting the foreign procurement networks that support the Iranian military’s efforts to acquire weapons.”