US-Israel-Iran War Live: 232 US troops injured in Middle East conflict, 13 killed since Iran war

Capt. Tim Hawkins, the spokesman for US Central Command, told The Associated Press that 232 service members have been injured in the Middle East. That’s 30 more than a previous military tally of roughly 200 from Monday. Hawkins said 207 of the 232 injured have already returned to duty. The number of service members that are considered seriously wounded has remained at 10. Since the war in Iran began, 13 US service members have been killed.
 

The Department of the Treasury on Friday designated a network of 16 individuals and entities led by what it called is Hezbollah financier and former public investment official Alaa Hassan Hamieh. The treasury said these individuals and companies — located in Lebanon, Syria, Poland, Slovenia, Qatar, and Canada — have been involved in numerous economic projects and are estimated to have enabled the diversion of over $100 million since 2020.

The British government gave authorisation on ​Friday for the US ‌to use military bases in Britain to carry out ​strikes on Iranian ​missile sites that are attacking ⁠ships in the Strait ​of Hormuz.

British ministers met on ​Friday to discuss the Iran war and Iran's blocking of the Strait ​of Hormuz, according ​to a Downing Street statement. "They confirmed ‌that ⁠the agreement for the U.S. to use UK bases in the collective ​self-defence ​of ⁠the region includes U.S. defensive operations to ​degrade the missile ​sites ⁠and capabilities being used to attack ships in ⁠the ​Strait of Hormuz," ​the statement said.
 

Israeli warplanes carried out an airstrike on a house in southern Lebanon where ambulance crews and residents had gathered after an earlier attack. Paramedics and civilians were wounded in both strikes, according to the National News Agency.

The Israeli military said its air force carried out two waves of airstrikes in Tehran and central Iran, hitting dozens of military sites overnight and this morning. It said weapon factories, ballistic missile development facilities, and storage sites were targeted, adding Iran has been launching missiles from central regions after its western capabilities were largely degraded.

Bahrain’s Ministry of Interior has urged citizens and residents to remain calm and move to the nearest safe place after warning sirens were activated.

The Israeli military said its air force carried out two waves of airstrikes in Tehran and central Iran, targeting dozens of military sites overnight and this morning. It said weapon factories, ballistic missile development facilities, and storage sites east of Tehran were hit, adding Iran has recently been launching missiles from central regions after its western launch capabilities were largely degraded.

Saudi Arabia’s Defence Ministry said it intercepted and destroyed two drones in the country’s Eastern Province.

Nato has pulled its security advisory mission out of Iraq and relocated several hundred personnel involved in the effort to Europe. The move came after a series of attacks from Iran on other troops at British, French and Italian bases in northern Iraq.
 

The US military is deploying thousands of additional soldiers to the Middle East, according to three US officials. One official said the USS Boxer and a Marine Expeditionary Unit are departing from the US west coast three weeks ahead of schedule as part of the buildup.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei said the nation had thwarted enemy plans through resilience, citing key dates when people showed opposition to “global arrogance.” He thanked citizens and officials for their unity and participation, saying Iran’s strength extends beyond military power.

Iran’s Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, has named the new Iranian year as one focused on a “resistance economy” in the shadow of national unity and national security, according to state TV. He also praised the armed forces’ “resounding triumphs” and warned that enemy attempts to instil fear had failed

China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi told French presidential adviser Emmanuel Bonne that both countries should work together to resolve the Middle East crisis. He stressed that despite the difficulties, dialogue and negotiation remain the right way forward and called for joint efforts to achieve that goal.

Donald Trump slammed Nato allies and called them cowards over their lack of support for the US-Israel war against Iran.

"Without the USA, Nato is a paper tiger! They didn’t want to join the fight to stop a Nuclear Powered Iran. Now that fight is militarily won, with very little danger for them, they complain about the high oil prices they are forced to pay, but don’t want to help open the Strait of Hormuz, a simple military maneuver that is the single reason for the high oil prices. So easy for them to do, with so little risk. Cowards, and we will remember!" Trump posted on Truth Social.

Two Indian-flagged liquefied petroleum gas tankers are preparing to sail through the Strait of Hormuz in coming days after a pause in voyages with no crude oil tankers leaving the waterway in the past 24 hours. The two tankers were currently anchored in Gulf waters, according to data from Kpler and shipping sources cited by Reuters news agency.

The Israeli military said it killed Esmail Ahmadi, a senior intelligence figure within Iran’s Basij forces, in a strike on Tehran earlier this week. The army described Ahmadi as the head of Basij intelligence and accused him of playing a central role in planning operations and suppressing anti-government protests in Iran.

Iran’s top military spokesman General Abolfazl Shekarchi has warned that parks, recreational areas and tourist destinations worldwide will not be safe for Tehran’s enemies. In a statement published by Iranian state television, he said such locations “anywhere in the world will no longer be safe” based on intelligence available to Iran.

International Energy Agency chief Fatih Birol said it could take up to six months to restore oil and gas flows from the Gulf, warning the world may be facing the most severe energy crisis in history, in an interview with the Financial Times.

Switzerland has halted approvals for weapons exports to the United States, citing its neutrality amid the ongoing Israeli-US war on Iran. The government said exports of war materiel to countries involved in the international armed conflict with Iran cannot be authorised for the duration of the conflict.

Ukraine has deployed interceptor units to protect critical and civil infrastructure in five Middle Eastern countries, Ukraine's security council secretary Rustem Umerov said after a visit to the region.