Trump says US will escort tankers through Strait ‘if necessary’: Live

Donald Trump has said the US will escort vessels across the Strait of Hormuz ‘if necessary’.

The strait, a vital shipping route which sees 20 per cent of the world’s oil pass through it, has been forced close by Iran as it seeks retaliation against Israel, the US and its allies.

Its closure has seen oil and petrol prices spike worldwide.

Iran has threatened to set ships ‘ablaze’ if they continue through the passage and claimed an attack on a ‘US allied’ vessel on Monday.

In a post on his social media platform Truth Social, Trump said: ‘If necessary, the United States Navy will begin escorting tankers through the Strait of Hormuz, as soon as possible. No matter what, the United States will ensure the free flow of energy to the world’.

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US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Tuesday that about 9,000 Americans have evacuated the Middle East.

‘To all American citizens in the Middle East: your safety and security is our number one priority,’ he wrote on X.

Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has reportedly been appointed Iran’s new Supreme Leader.

Mojtaba Khamenei, 56, Khamenei’s second oldest son, has strong links to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, and was chosen by Iran’s Assembly of Experts ‘under pressure from the Revolutionary Guards’, according to Iranian opposition outlet Iran International.

Mojtaba, who was sanctioned by the US in 2019, is not a high-ranking cleric and has no official role in the regime.

Satellite images show the damage done to Iran’s presidential complex in Tehran.

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The United States Department of War shared footage of it’s strikes against Iran’s Navy.

‘REMINDER: The United States has DEVASTATED Iran’s Navy,’ the department wrote.

US secretary of state Marco Rubio has confirmed that a drone hit the parking lot at the US Consulate in Dubai.

A huge plume of smoke was seen rising from the building, which local authorities said was targeted by Iran.

At a press conference, Mr Rubio said: ‘As I came in, I also saw the media reports about Dubai’s consulate. The last update I had with seconds before getting before these cameras was that a drone unfortunately struck a parking lot adjacent to the to the Chancery building, and then set off a fire in that place.

‘All personnel are accounted for. As you’re aware, we began drawing down personnel from our diplomatic facilities in advance of this.’

He added: ‘But our embassies and our diplomatic facilities are under direct attack from a terroristic regime’

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he spoke with the President of the United Arab Emirates and the Amir of Qatar today.

‘Today I spoke with leaders of countries currently under attack from Iran – the President of the United Arab Emirates and the Amir of Qatar. We will continue this diplomatic engagement with the broader Middle East and Gulf region,’ he wrote on X.

‘Ukraine stands in solidarity with all those who are resisting the spread of war and violence. For decades, the Iranian regime has invested in destroying the lives of its neighbors and others wherever it could reach. It was on that very foundation that they became accomplices of Russia in the war against Ukraine.’

Israel says it has destroyed around 300 Iranian missile launchers in strikes since Saturday.

The IDF said in the last 24 hours it has continued to strike hundreds of targets across Iran and Lebanon.

They said: ‘As part of the defensive effort, the Israeli Air Force continues to conduct successive waves of strikes against the Iranian regime’s ballistic missile arrays and air defense systems.’

The US Consulate building in Dubai is up in flames after reportedly being struck by an Iranian drone.

Videos posted to social media on Tuesday evening showed a huge plume of smoke rising from the building, which local authorities said was targeted by Iran.

No one was injured in the strike, the Dubai Media office said, and the fire has since been extinguished.

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Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it struck a secretive Iranian nuclear site outside of Tehran earlier today.

‘The covert “Minzadehei” compound was used by a group of nuclear scientists who operated to develop a key component for nuclear weapons,’ the IDF wrote on X.

‘Using intelligence, the IDF tracked the activities at this new location, removing a key component of the Iranian regime’s capability to develop nuclear weapons.’

Footage shared on social media appeared to show smoke rising near the US consulate in Dubai on Tuesday.