U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Tuesday will be the most intense day yet of U.S. strikes inside Iran as the Islamic Republic, its firepower diminished, vowed to fight on. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meanwhile said "we are breaking their bones" and said the war's aim is a popular overthrow of Iran's government.
U.S. President Donald Trump, for his part, has sent contradictory signals about how long the war could last, causing wild swings Monday in financial and fuel markets. The U.S. stock market and oil prices were holding relatively steady Tuesday.
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf dismissed any suggestion Tehran has sought a ceasefire. Another top Iranian security official, Ali Larijani, appeared to threaten Trump himself, writing on X that "Iran doesn't fear your empty threats. Even those bigger than you couldn't eliminate Iran. Be careful not to get eliminated yourself."
Here is the latest:
Indonesians fleeing Iran arrive in Jakarta
"The situation was terrifying," evacuee Zulvan Lindan said. "The blasts were so powerful that the embassy's windows shook."
As many as 22 Indonesians arrived late Tuesday as evacuations continue, according to Indonesia's foreign minister, who welcomed the group at Soekarno Hatta international airport. They traveled from Tehran to Azerbaijan's capital of Baku before securing flights home, said Sugiono, who like many Indonesians uses a single name.
Roughly 329 Indonesian nationals were in Iran, many of them students based in the city of Qom, and evacuating them required navigating rapidly shifting conditions and logistical constraints, Sugiono said.
Indonesian officials said they will continue communicating with citizens who have opted to remain in Iran, and that more evacuations will depend on updated security assessments.
Israelis set up a memorial for US soldiers killed in Kuwait
Some people walking by the memorial in Tel Aviv's Dizengoff Square paused in silence, and some brought flowers to lay in front of photos of the six soldiers. A sign said "For the American heroes, your courage and dedication will not be forgotten."
"Both of the countries are fighting together against a common enemy, and I think it's really beautiful to see the solidarity between the people," said Tel Aviv resident Gili Klein, whose boyfriend and several friends are currently serving in the Israeli military.
The Army Reserve soldiers were working in logistics when a drone hit their command center in Port Shuaiba, Kuwait, one day after the U.S. and Israel launched their military campaign against Iran.
In time of Iran war, Americans unite in aggravation over gasoline prices
The cost of the Iran war is aggravating Americans across the political spectrum. That's the message from Associated Press interviews Monday with people at gas stations and beyond in five states. The national average gas price was $3.48 a gallon on Monday, up from $2.90 just before the war, according to tracking by AAA.
Electric vehicle owners expressed renewed gratitude for their vehicle choice. But Trump voter Francisco Castillo wasn't happy as he fueled his son's Ford pickup truck in Iowa. The factory worker said he voted believing Trump would strengthen the economy. "He said he was going to bring gas down, but the war in Iran is now making everything worse."
A Quinnipiac poll over the weekend found about half of registered voters oppose the U.S. military action against Iran while about 4 in 10 support it, and three-quarters were concerned about the war raising fuel prices.
Rights organization: Allow freedom of expression in Bahrain, Qatar
Rights activists are calling on the governments of Qatar and Bahrain to halt a crackdown on protests and freedom of expression amid dozens of arrests.
People were arrested in both countries for sharing "misleading" opinions and information online, or in Bahrain in response to protests or critical posts, according to DAWN, a Washington-based rights organization that Saudi journalist Jamal Kashoggi founded before he was killed in Turkey.
"Freedom of expression does not disappear when the bombs start falling," said Omar Shakir, the executive director of DAWN. "Wartime is precisely when people most need to speak freely to share information, question decision-making, express dissent, and hold authorities to account."
Israel's air force strikes a southern suburb of Beirut
Israel's military had warned people it would attack several areas south of Beirut, saying the Hezbollah militant group is active there.
Tuesday's strike came a day after more than a dozen other strikes hit Beirut's southern suburbs, mainly targeting buildings housing offices of Hezbollah's financial arm, known as al-Qard al-Hasan.
The Israeli military spokesman said shortly after the first strike on Tuesday that the air force has began attacks on Hezbollah infrastructure south of Beirut.
Christians evacuated from Lebanese border town and mourn compatriot
Dozens of residents from a Christian Lebanese border village have been evacuated, gathering at a church in Beirut's outskirts to hold funeral prayers for a compatriot killed in an Israeli strike.
The United Nations peacekeeping mission in southern Lebanon, known as UNIFIL, helped almost 100 residents leave Alma al-Shaab early Tuesday, the last group of residents who for days tried to stand their ground amid the ongoing bombardments between Israel and the Hezbollah militant group.
"The situation was difficult, we were sleeping in the church the entire time," said evacuee Joe Sayyah. He said the strike that killed Sami al-Ghafri was the turning point that made them decide to leave. "Sami was hit in front of his house, which is 40 meters away from the church."
Over 600,000 people have been displaced as Israel asked residents across southern Lebanon to flee northward. In Christian villages like Alma al-Shaab, residents insisted they have nothing to do with this war and no military activity is taking place from their areas.
Iranian security official threatens Trump
Iranian security official Ali Larijani wrote a message on X after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to attack Iran "TWENTY TIMES HARDER" if Tehran stopped oil flowing through the Strait of Hormuz.
Larijani wrote: "The sacrificial nation of Iran doesn't fear your empty threats. Even those bigger than you couldn't eliminate Iran. Be careful not to get eliminated yourself."
Iran has been accused of plotting attempts to kill Trump in the past.
Revolutionary Guard official makes oil threat
A spokesman for Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard has threatened to not allow "a single liter of oil" to leave the Persian Gulf.
Ali Mohamad Naeini has made the comment in a statement.
He says Iran "will not allow the export of even a single liter of oil from the region to the hostile side and its partners until further notice."
"Their attempts to reduce and control oil and gas prices will be temporary and ineffective," he said. "Trade in wartime conditions is subject to security considerations."
UK military warns of possible ship attack off Abu Dhabi
A ship likely came under attack in the Persian Gulf off the coast of the United Arab Emirates' capital, a center run by the British military says.
The possible attack on the bulk carrier would expand the radius of ongoing assaults against shipping by Iran during the war.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center reported the incident, saying a captain aboard the vessel reported seeing "a splash and heard a loud bang in close proximity of a bulk carrier."
Russia's mediation offer remains 'on the table'
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov says Russia remains ready to help broker an end to the war in the Middle East.
Following Russian President Vladimir Putin's call on Monday with U.S. President Donald Trump, Peskov said that Russia's mediation offers "are still on the table."
He told reporters that "Russia is ready to provide assistance to the best of its ability and will be happy to do so."
New attacks on Tehran
Israel's military says it has launched new airstrikes targeting Iran's capital, Tehran.
Witnesses reported hearing several explosions in the city as the Israelis began their airstrikes.
Bahrain reports missile and drone attacks
The Persian Gulf country was attacked with three missiles and a drone as Iran keeps up its strikes in the Middle East, authorities said.
One strike hit a residential building in Bahrain's capital, Manama, killing a 29-year-old woman and wounding eight others, the Interior Ministry said.
Iran has repeatedly hit Bahrain, which hosts the U.S. 5th Fleet.
G7 nations mulling use of emergency oil stocks
The group of industrial nations on Monday held off releasing oil stocks to bring down prices but are picking up the issue again with more discussions between their energy ministers on Tuesday, according to France.
France, which currently holds the G7's rotating presidency, wants "to advance on that question, with one objective, which is to bring down prices," government spokeswoman Maud Bregeon told broadcaster France Televisions.
"France is working on that for a very simple reason: If you put volume back into the market, you can have an impact on the lowering of prices," Bregeon said.
French Finance Minister Roland Lescure said the G7 ministers will meet Tuesday afternoon by video call.
"It's a process, we are working on it," Lescure said. "All options are on the table."
Israel targets Hezbollah's financial arm
The Israeli military said Tuesday it had completed a series of strikes targeting Hezbollah's financial arm, al-Qard Al-Hasan.
Israel says Hezbollah uses al-Qard al-Hasan to finance its military activities.
Israel targeted several of the group's branches in southern and eastern Lebanon last week.
Saudi Arabia oil giant Aramco reports 2025 profit down from 2024
Saudi Arabia's oil giant Aramco reported 2025 profits of $104 billion, down from the year before as the Iran war has seen its fields and facilities targeted.
Aramco released its annual results Tuesday. It planned to brief investors later in the day as the war that began Feb. 28 has seen Iranian drones and missiles target its facilities.
Aramco, formally known as the Saudi Arabian Oil Co., reported profits of $110 billion in 2024.
Aramco said its 2025 revenues were $445 billion, down from $480 billion in 2024.
United Arab Emirates lowers volume on missile alerts at night
The United Arab Emirates will lower the volume of missile alerts sent to mobile phones in the overnight hours.
The UAE's National Emergency Crisis and Disasters Management Authority made the announcement late Monday night, saying that the loud blaring alarm would sound on phones from 9 a.m. until 10:30 p.m.
A standard text message chime would sound from 10:30 p.m. until 9 a.m., it said.
The blaring klaxon had sounded in the middle of the night since the war began Feb. 28. The change in the alerts signals how Gulf Arab states are trying to adjust to the idea of the war grinding onward as there's no immediate sign of an end to the conflict.
Egypt hikes fuel prices as oil prices soar
Egypt hiked fuel prices by up to 17% on Tuesday as the war in the Middle East sent prices of oil soaring.
According to the Petroleum Ministry the cost of a liter of diesel, which is heavily relied on for public transport, increased by more than 17%. The price of the 92-octane gasoline rose by 15% and 95-octane gasoline increased by 14%.
The war has hit Egypt hard. The most populous Arab country, Egypt depends heavily on imported fuel. The Egyptian pound fell to a record low, trading at over 52 to the US dollar on Monday.
To mitigate impact of the war, the government announced a series of measures, including reducing official overseas trips and tightening fuel consumption across sectors.
Iran's Revolutionary Guard say they will determine the end of the war
The paramilitary Revolutionary Guard said on Tuesday that the end of the war will be determined by Iran.
Spokesperson Ali Mohammad Naini said in a statement published in various Iranian state media and apparently in response to Trump's remarks Monday that "Iran will determine when the war ends."
Trump vows to hit Iran back harder if it stops oil tankers
The U.S. president pledged aggressive action against Iran if it continues to block the shipment of oil in the Strait of Hormuz.
"If Iran does anything that stops the flow of Oil within the Strait of Hormuz, they will be hit by the United States of America TWENTY TIMES HARDER than they have been hit thus far," Trump posted on social media. "Additionally, we will take out easily destroyable targets that will make it virtually impossible for Iran to ever be built back, as a Nation, again - Death, Fire, and Fury will reign upon them - But I hope, and pray, that it does not happen!"
The president said his threat was a "gift" to China, among other nations, because it relies on oil from the Middle East.