Iran War News Live Updates: US Navy To Escort Tankers Through Strait of Hormuz; Four US Soldiers Killed

A total of 164 tourists from Maharashtra stranded in the United Arab Emirates due to the US-Israel-Iran conflict have returned home in two flights, a Shiv Sena functionary said. Two aircraft carrying 76 and 88 tourists landed in Mumbai on Tuesday night.

These included 84 students from the Pune-based Indira School of Business Studies and residents from Thane, Ahilyanagar and Pune.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has justified the attack on Iran saying that Iran is 'run by lunatics, religious fanatics lunatics' and says world will be safe if Iran's clerics 'no long have access to weapons.'

"It was the right decision and the world will be a safer place when these radical clerics no longer have access to these weapons. You see how they're using them now. Imagine how they would use them a year from now if they had more of these," he said.

Ministry of Civil Aviation is continuously monitoring the evolving airspace situation in parts of West Asia and its impact on international flight operations. 

Till date, 1,221 flights by Indian carriers and 388 flights by foreign carriers have been cancelled due to the ongoing situation.

Indian carriers have undertaken calibrated adjustments to their schedules, with long-haul and ultra long-haul operations being progressively resumed through alternative routings that avoid restricted airspace.

Special arrangements are being made to facilitate the movement of stranded passengers, with airlines deploying additional capacity where required and coordinating closely with foreign aviation authorities and Indian missions abroad to ensure safe and orderly passenger movement. A total of 24 flights are being operated by Indian carriers today. In addition, Emirates and Etihad have operated 9 flights from the Gulf in the last 24 hours.

Just In: Iran says that they have complete control of Strait of Hormuz.

In a development highlighting polarisation in the UN Security Council, the monthly programme of work for the US Presidency of the powerful UN organ could not be adopted after Russia and China raised objections concerning Iran.

The United States, a veto-wielding permanent member, assumed the Presidency of the 15-nation UN Security Council for the month of March.

However, the US-drafted programme of work for its monthly presidency of the Council could not be adopted after the other veto-wielding permanent members Russia and China raised objections pertaining to the 1737 Sanctions Committee concerning Iran.

"Russia & China objected to the adoption of the US-drafted UNSC PoW (Programme of Work) for March," Russia’s Permanent Mission to the UN said.
 

(Source: PTI)

Randhir Jaiswal, official Spokesperson, Ministry of External Affairs, said that a special control room has been set up in the Ministry of External Affairs in view of the current situation in West Asia and the Gulf region. The control room can be contacted from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.

French President Emmanuel Macron ordered France's nuclear-powered aircraft carrier to move from the Baltic Sea to the Mediterranean to help protect allied assets during the ongoing war in the Middle East.

Macron said the Charles de Gaulle will be escorted by its air wing and its escorting frigates. In a pre-recorded speech aired on French TV, Macron added that Rafale fighter jets, air-defence systems, and airborne radar systems have been deployed over the past few hours in the Middle East.

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani spoke on Iran and the Middle East situation, criticising the Iranian government’s repression while warning against the consequences of regime-change wars in the region.

He said, "The Iranian government has engaged in systematic repression of its own people, even killing thousands of Iranians who were seeking to express the most basic forms of dissent earlier this year. It is a brutal government. I have also said that while I may be a young mayor, I am old enough to remember the devastating consequences of our country pursuing a war with the intent of regime change in that very same region not that many years ago."

In a post on X, the official spokesperson for Saudi Arabia said that two cruise missiles in Al-Khurj were intercepted and destroyed.

Sonal Varma of Nomura told NDTV Profit that the escalating geopolitical situation is likely to disrupt supply chains through FY26, adding pressure to India’s external balances, with the current account deficit expected to hover around 1% of GDP. She cautioned that Brent crude rising above $85 per barrel would significantly strain oil marketing companies (OMCs) and amplify macro‑vulnerabilities.

While India still retains some fiscal buffers, Varma noted that shocks of this nature tend to be stagflationary, simultaneously hurting growth and pushing up inflation. She also highlighted India’s heavy dependence on energy imports routed through the Strait of Hormuz, making the economy particularly sensitive to any prolonged disruption in the region.

Nifty Falls 3% To 24,141 In Pre-Market; Sensex Down 1,700 Points

• Nifty fell 3% to 24,141 in pre-market indications.
• Sensex slipped about 1,700 points to 78,511 ahead of the open.
   

Asian shares fell further on Wednesday after the global sell-off for stocks hit Wall Street, with South Korea's benchmark plunging 8%, while oil prices climbed even higher.

Worries over the widening war with Iran have hammered most world markets. Higher oil prices and how much they might worsen inflation are among the central fears for investors. More spikes for oil prices may grind down the global economy and sap corporate profits.

The Kuwait Army issued a statement on behalf of the official spokesperson of the Ministry of Defense.

The official spokesperson of the Ministry of Defense, Brigadier General Saud Abdulaziz Al-Otaibi, stated that at dawn today (Wednesday), several hostile aerial targets were detected and intercepted within the airspace of the State of Kuwait, where they were engaged and destroyed. As a result, debris fell from the interception operation onto one of the residential homes in the country, leading to human and material injuries.

Confirming the continued performance of the armed forces in carrying out their duties, and taking all necessary measures to protect its lands, people, and residents, in a manner that ensures the preservation of its sovereignty, security, and stability.

The US Army condoled the death of four U.S. Army Reserve Soldiers on Wednesday in a post on X. "It is with heavy hearts that we announce the deaths of four U.S. Army Reserve Soldiers supporting Operation Epic Fury on March 1. "We honor our fallen Heroes, who served fearlessly and selflessly in defense of our nation." said Lt. Gen. Robert Harter, Chief of Army Reserve.

In a tent camp in Gaza's southern area of Khan Younis, Palestinians have been closely following news about the widening war and growing increasingly worried about its potential impact on their lives. Palestinians in the camp were preparing simple meals to break their fast during the second week of the holy month of Ramadan. Haunted by memories of scarcity last year during months of Israel's blockade, many fear that border crossings could again close.

Donald Trump said the US Navy will begin escorting oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz, after Iran moved to block the chokepoint from where 20% of global oil supplies pass through.

He has also ordered the United States Development Finance Corporation (DFC) to provide, at a very reasonable price, political risk insurance and guarantees for the financial security of all maritime trade, especially energy, traveling through the Gulf. This will be available to all Shipping Lines.

US President Donald Trump warned on Tuesday that the US is initiating a "third wave" of military strikes against Iran. This follows the elimination of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, during the initial phases of Operation Epic Fury. 

Ahead of a bilateral meeting in the Oval Office with the German chancellor Friedrich Merz, Trump said that "everything's been knocked out" in Iran.

"As you know, 49 people were taken out in the first hit. And I guess there was another hit today on the new leadership, and it looks like that was pretty substantial also. So they're getting hit very hard, and we'll see what happens," he said.