Middle East crisis live: Trump says US destroyed Iranian mine-laying vessels and vows action if any found in strait of Hormuz

Multiple outlets are reporting that the US military used $5.6bn in munitions during the first two days of strikes against Iran, according to an assessment the Pentagon provided to congressional committees on Monday.

Members of Congress, who may soon have to approve additional funding for the war, have expressed concern about how quickly the conflict is burning through US military stocks – including long-range precision guided munitions that were used heavily in the first few days of the war – at a time when the defense industry was already struggling to keep up with demand.

There are also concerns that the US and its allies are expending a significant number of air defense munitions to shoot down incoming Iranian ballistic missiles and drones, of which Tehran has a large arsenal.

Indeed Donald Trump met with leading US weapons manufacturers at the White House on Friday – and said they had agreed to “quadruple Production of ‘Exquisite Class’ Weaponry” – as the Pentagon worked to replenish supplies.

His administration has not provided a public assessment of the cost of the conflict it launched on 28 February alongside Israel.

Lawmakers have clamored for more information, including public testimony from officials about issues including how the conflict might affect the US military’s readiness to defend the country.

Arizona Democratic senator Mark Kelly told CNN that senators would continue to ask briefers behind closed doors today about the per-day cost of the conflict to the US.

Several congressional aides have told Reuters and CNN that they expect the White House to soon submit a request to Congress for additional funding to produce more munitions for the war. Per Reuters, some officials have said the request could be for $50bn, but others have said that estimate seems low.

Russia’s consulate in the Iranian city of Isfahan was damaged in shelling earlier this week, Russia’s foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Tuesday.

An attack on a diplomatic representation was a “blatant violation” of international conventions and all sides should observe the “inviolability of diplomatic sites”, she said.

“On March 8, in the Iranian city of Isfahan, as a result of an attack on the governor’s administration of the province of the same name located nearby, the Russian consulate was damaged,” Zakharova said in a statement on the ministry’s website.

“Windows were shattered in the office building and residential apartments, and several employees were thrown by the blast wave. Fortunately, there were no casualties or serious injuries.”

Vladimir Putin discussed the conflict with Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian on Tuesday, the Kremlin said. Putin has called for a halt to all hostilities.

• The Israeli military said it had begun an “additional wave” of strikes on targets in Tehran. It followed the IDF saying earlier that it had struck key command centres of the Iranian armed forces in Tehran and Tabriz.

• It comes as Iran’s UN ambassador accused the US and Israel of deliberately targeting civilians – saying that almost 10,000 civilian sites have been hit in the country, including about 8,000 residential homes, and the death toll has reached more than 1,300 people. Amir Saeid Iravani said “populated residential areas” and “critical civilian infrastructure” had been hit in attacks he described as “horrific crimes”.

• Donald Trump said the US has hit and “completely destroyed” 10 inactive mine-laying vessels, warning that more would follow. US Central Command added that it “eliminated” 16 Iranian mine-laying vessels near the strait of Hormuz. The updates came shortly after the US president initially said there had been “no reports” of Iran placing mines in the strait, but warned that if it had, they must be moved “IMMEDIATELY” or Iran would face military consequences “at a level never seen before”. US officials earlier told CBS News that Iran may be preparing to deploy naval mines in the strait to further disrupt the crucial shipping lane. According to CNN, a few dozen mines have been laid in recent days.

• White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed that the US Navy has not escorted an oil tanker through the strait of Hormuz, after the US energy secretary Chris Wright said it had happened in a swiftly deleted X post. Leavitt also said that the US military is “drawing up additional options” to keep strait open.

• Leavitt also said that the US and Israel’s war won’t end until Iran’s “complete and unconditional surrender” and when Trump decides his objectives have been met and determines that Iran does not pose a direct threat. She told reporters that the US military is “making tremendous strides towards achieving our military objectives”, and is now moving to “dismantle Iran’s missile production infrastructure”.

• Meanwhile, the Trump administration is reportedly considering the deployment of special forces into Iran to secure its stockpile of highly enriched uranium (HEU), which experts say could be used to make at least 10 nuclear warheads. The US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, has told Congress that “people are going to have to go and get it”. Here’s our story.

• The United States reportedly asked Israel to halt strikes on Iran’s energy infrastructure, marking the first time the US has reined in its ally since they went to war 11 days ago. It comes after an Israeli bombing of fuel storage facilities blanketed Tehran – a city home to some 10 million people – in toxic black smoke and acid rain over the weekend, raising urgent health warnings for ordinary Iranians.

• Russia denied sharing intelligence with Iran on US military assets in the Middle East, Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff said. It follows reports on Friday that Moscow was providing Tehran with targeting information that included locations and movements of US warships and aircraft in the region. “Yesterday on the call with the president, the Russians said that they have not been sharing,” Witkoff said when asked if Washington thought Moscow had shared intelligence about the location of US military assets with Tehran. “We can take them at their word. But they did say that. And yesterday morning, independently, Jared [Kushner] and I had a call with [Kremlin aide Yuri] Ushakov who reiterated the same.”

• Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi dismissed repeated claims from the Trump administration that Iran was planning a preemptive or preventive strike against the US or its military forces as “a sheer and utter lie”. “The sole purpose of that lie is to justify Operation Epic Mistake, a misadventure engineered by Israel and paid for by ordinary Americans,” Araghchi said in a post on X – riffing on the US’s name for the military operation, Operation Epic Fury.

• Approximately 140 US service members have been wounded since the start of the US-Israeli war on Iran, according to the Pentagon, eight of them severely.

Further to Trump’s comments earlier, US Central Command has said in a post on X that it “eliminated” 16 Iranian mine-laying vessels near the strait of Hormuz on Tuesday.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in the last hour that it had begun an “additional wave” of strikes on targets in Tehran.

In a post on its Farsi page on X, the IDF said:

The Israeli Defense Forces have now launched a massive wave of attacks against the infrastructure of the Iranian terrorist regime in Tehran.

It comes after the Israeli military said earlier today that it had struck key command centres of the Iranian armed forces in Tehran and Tabriz.

Al Jazeera reported that explosions were heard in Tehran shortly after the latest IDF announcement.

Damien Gayle

The satellite imaging company that journalists had used to conduct investigations of US responsibility for bombing a girls’ school in Iran in the first day of attacks on the country has announced it will delay its imagery from the region.

American satellite company Planet, which provides high resolution satellite data to the New York Times, BBC and other organisations, said it would put a two-week delay on publishing images taken of the Middle East.

Journalists had used the service to verify claims made by both sides in the conflict in the Persian Gulf, but notably to track attacks on hospitals, ports and other civilian infrastructure.

Wim Zwijnenburg, who monitors environmental harms arising from conflict, said the delay would seriously impact his work.

It’s really put a lot of constraints on many of us who are trying to follow what’s happening.

It makes it difficult to do proper assessments and now we have to rely on Sentinel 1 and Sentinel 2 data, and that’s much coarser.

Iran’s UN ambassador earlier accused the US and Israel of deliberately targeting civilians – saying that almost 10,000 civilian sites have been hit in the country, including about 8,000 residential homes, and the death toll has reached more than 1,300 people.

Amir Saeid Iravani said “populated residential areas” and “critical civilian infrastructure” had been hit in attacks he described as “horrific crimes”.

He said 9,669 civilian sites had been destroyed, including nearly 8,000 residential homes, along with commercial centers, medical and pharmaceutical facilities, and schools and educational institutions.

Iravani also said there were heavy strikes on fuel storage facilities in Tehran and other cities on the nights of 5 and 7 March, which released large quantities of hazardous and toxic pollutants into the atmosphere, increasing the risk of respiratory harm and environmental contamination. (You can ready our story below).

Medical centers in Tehran have been placed on high alert and residents have been advised to stay indoors, he said.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy said earlier that his military experts are on their way to the Gulf nations to share their expertise on intercepting and shooting down drones.

In a post on X, the Ukrainian president said:

Ukraine has the greatest experience in the world in countering attack drones, and without our experience it will be very difficult for the Gulf region, the entire Middle East, and partners in Europe and America to build strong protection.

The United States and its allies in the Middle East have been seeking Ukraine’s expertise in countering Iran’s Shahed drones, which have been used in Russia’s full-scale invasion for the last four years.

Zelenskyy said on Monday he had dispatched interceptor drones and operators to protect US bases in Jordan last week, one of 11 countries that had asked Kyiv for help.

“Those now seeking Ukraine’s help must continue to assist our own defence – first and foremost, our air defence,” he said.

In a swift turn of events, Donald Trump has said that the US has hit and “completely destroyed” 10 inactive mine-laying vessels, warning that more would follow.

It comes not long after the US president initially said there had been “no reports” of Iran placing mines in the strait, but warned that if Iran had placed mines in the crucial waterway, they must be moved “IMMEDIATELY” or Iran would face military consequences “at a level never seen before”.

US officials earlier told CBS News that Iran may be preparing to deploy naval mines in the strait to further disrupt the crucial shipping lane. According to CNN, a few dozen mines have been laid in recent days.

Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi has dismissed repeated claims from the Trump administration that Iran was planning a preemptive or preventive strike against the US or its military forces as “a sheer and utter lie”.

In a post on X, Araghchi – riffing on the US’s name for the military operation, Operation Epic Fury – added:

The sole purpose of that lie is to justify Operation Epic Mistake, a misadventure engineered by Israel and paid for by ordinary Americans.

Approximately 140 US service members have been wounded since the start of “Operation Epic Fury”, according to chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell.

The vast majority of these injuries have been minor, and 108 service members have already returned to duty. Eight service members remain listed as severely injured and are receiving the highest level of medical care.