US-Israel vs Iran War News Live Updates: Black rain after oil refinery strike makes Iran ‘last stop before hell’, say citizens
US-Israel vs Iran War News Live Updates: The conflict in the Middle East escalated to a ferocious new level on Tuesday as US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth announced the “most intense day of strikes” inside Iran since the war began eleven days ago. The US strike on an oil refinery in Iran has led to “black rain”, which has toxic compounds, leading WHO to issue a warning.
Even as the Pentagon ramped up its aerial campaign, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pivoted the war’s rhetoric toward total victory, declaring that the objective is now the popular overthrow of the Iranian government.
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In the latest development in the war, the US claimed to have hit 16 Iranian mine-laying ships near Strait of Hormuz.
Developments in Israel
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a message directed at the Iranian public on social media, saying Israel intended to “create the conditions for you to grasp your destiny.” The statement reflects the position he has repeatedly voiced since Israel and the United States launched their campaign against Iran — that the conflict could create an opportunity for Iranians to challenge their leadership.
“We are breaking their bones,” Netanyahu told health officials in Jerusalem, asserting that the campaign aims to empower the Iranian people to “cast off the yoke of tyranny.” In Tehran, the mood remains one of fierce defiance. Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf dismissed any rumours of a ceasefire, vowing to “punch the mouth” of the aggressors to end the cycle of negotiation.
Meanwhile, a man who had been injured in an Iranian missile strike on Monday later died from his wounds at a medical centre near Tel Aviv. His death raises the number of fatalities in Israel since the war began to 14, including two members of the Israeli military.
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What are the current developments? Here are 5 updates
- Pentagon escalation: Defence Secretary Hegseth confirmed Tuesday is the peak of the US air campaign, noting that Iranian missile fire reached its lowest volume in 24 hours. US President Donald Trump told CBS News he believes the war is “very complete, pretty much”, and that he expects it to end “very soon”. However, he later told House Republicans that “we haven’t won enough”, creating confusion about the US timeline and strategy.
- Gulf under fire: Intercepts were reported over Qatar and the UAE.
- Maritime terror: The UK military warned of a probable attack on a bulk carrier off the coast of Abu Dhabi, signalling an expansion of Iran’s naval targeting.
- Energy chokehold: The Revolutionary Guard (IRGC) vowed that “not a single liter of oil” will leave the Persian Gulf, directly defying President Trump’s earlier threats of massive retaliation.
- Global fallout: Israel’s military said it conducted strikes against the financial infrastructure of the Iran-backed organisation Hezbollah in Lebanon. As per NPR, the death toll in Lebanon rose to 570, with more than 750,000 people displaced by the fighting.
One Week of War: Key Events — Feb 28 to March 9, 2025
Chronology of the U.S.-Israel attack on Iran and its escalating regional fallout
U.S. and Israel launch coordinated attack on Iran — war begins
American and Israeli forces strike Iran in a coordinated military operation. Iranian counter-attacks begin almost immediately across multiple theatres.
Day 1 · War Begins
Missile hits Minab primary school — 175 schoolgirls & staff killed
A strike on a primary school in Minab, southern Iran, kills 175 schoolgirls and staff on the war’s first day — the single deadliest civilian attack of the opening week, per Iranian Red Crescent Society.
Civilian Deaths · Iran
Iranian missile strikes Sweida, Syria — 4 killed
An Iranian missile hits a building in the southern Syrian city of Sweida, killing four people, according to Syrian state news agency SANA.
Regional Spillover · Syria
Iranian missile hits Beit Shemesh near Jerusalem — 9 civilians killed
Nine of Israel’s 11 civilian deaths in the first week come from a single Iranian missile strike on Beit Shemesh, a city near Jerusalem, per Israel’s Magen David Adom ambulance service.
Civilian Deaths · Israel
Iran strikes Gulf states hosting U.S. military bases — 15 killed
Iranian missiles and projectiles hit UAE (4 dead), Saudi Arabia (2), Bahrain (2, incl. Manama residential building), Kuwait (6, incl. a child), and a tanker off Oman’s coast (1) — drawing all U.S. base-hosting nations in the Gulf into the conflict.
Gulf Escalation · 5 States Hit
U.S. airstrike kills Islamic Resistance in Iraq commander
A commander of the Iran-backed Islamic Resistance in Iraq — an umbrella group of armed factions — is killed in a strike on his vehicle, per Reuters sources. Iraq’s overall death toll stands at 15.
Targeted Strike · Iraq
Hezbollah re-enters conflict; IDF reports first soldier deaths
Lebanon’s Hezbollah resumes attacks on Israel in solidarity with Iran. Israeli strikes in Lebanon kill at least 486. Two Israeli soldiers are killed in southern Lebanon — the first IDF fatalities since hostilities with Hezbollah resumed.
Lebanon Front · 488 Killed
U.S. submarine sinks Iranian warship off Sri Lanka — 104 killed
The Iranian army reports 104 deaths after a U.S. submarine sinks an Iranian warship in waters off Sri Lanka’s coast. These deaths are additional to the Red Crescent Society’s 1,230+ toll for Iran.
War at Sea · Indian Ocean
Confirmed death toll reaches 1,770+ across 11 countries
More than ten days after the war began, confirmed deaths span Iran, Lebanon, Iraq, Israel, the U.S., Kuwait, Syria, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Oman. Reuters has not independently verified the figures.
Toll Update · March 9
The Indian Express Global Desk is providing minute-by-minute updates, including exclusive satellite analysis of the strikes in Tehran and real-time tracking of shipping disruptions in the Red Sea and Persian Gulf.
Live Updates