Middle East crisis live: US says nearly 2,000 targets hit in Iran war; Trump says navy may escort tankers through Strait of Hormuz | US-Israel war on Iran

Hello, welcome to our live coverage of the Middle East crisis as we enter the fifth day.

The US military said the number of attacks carried out on Saturday in the first 24 hours of its war against Iran Almost double the “shock and awe” attacks on Iraq in 2003, It has been stated that nearly 2,000 targets have been hit in Iran so far.

Adm. Brad Cooper of U.S. Central Command did not provide a figure for the number of strikes carried out in the first 24 hours of the war or say whether he included Israeli strikes.

He said the attacks were carried out “as part of the largest buildup of firepower in the region in a generation.”

Cooper also said the US had sunk “the entire Iranian navy” and had already destroyed 17 Iranian ships. “For decades, the Iranian regime has been harassing international shipping. “Today, there is not a single Iranian ship sailing in the Persian Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz or the Gulf of Oman.”

President Donald Trump said Tuesday that the U.S. Navy could begin escorting oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz if necessary; This was one of the administration’s most aggressive steps yet to control rising energy prices caused by the war.

Here’s a summary of other recent developments:

• Donald Trump has sought to counter a growing anti-Israeli backlash in Congress and among his own Maga supporters by rejecting claims that he was forced to attack Iran because Israel had already decided to do so. “No. I may have pushed them,” Trump told reporters when asked if Israel pushed him to take military action.

• The Iranian Red Crescent said at least 787 people have been killed since the conflict began. The worst mass casualty incident in a US-Israeli military offensive so far was a direct attack on a girls’ primary school in Minab on Saturday, killing 168 people. You’ll feel the devastation through our visual guide here.

• Israel announced that it had launched a “wide wave of attacks” against Iran. It targets launch sites, defense systems and additional Iranian infrastructure.

• Global oil and gas prices have soared as the US-Israeli war against Iran halted energy exports from the Middle East. Tehran is attacking ships and energy facilities, shutting down transportation in the Gulf and forcing production to halt from Qatar to Iraq.

• The conflict caused turmoil in global markets. Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 continued to fall on Wednesday, falling about 1.7% in early trading. The Kospi, which fell 7.2% in Seoul on Tuesday, fell another 3.1% at the opening. However, Wall Street looks likely to open flat in New York, according to pre-market trading data.

• At least 30,000 people have been displaced in Lebanon following heavy Israeli air strikes on the country, according to the United Nations.

• Trump also said he was disturbed by British prime minister Keir Starmer, who disagreed with the US-Israeli attack on Iran but allowed US forces to use UK bases. The US President said, “I am not happy with England.” “It took us three or four days to decide where we could land,” Trump said. Referring to Starmer, he added: “The person we are dealing with is not Winston Churchill.”

• Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Wednesday called for a rapid de-escalation of the conflict sparked by US-Israeli attacks on Iran. We call on all parties to respect the international rules of engagement.

We will bring it to you as soon as we receive it at the latest.