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ABC News

Trump calls Strait of Hormuz 'something that we don't need'

PHOTO: Royal Oman Police Coast Guard patrol boat surveys the area as the traffic is down in the Strait of Hormuz, amid the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran, in Muscat, Oman, March 12, 2026.
2:23
Benoit Tessier/Reuters
US bombs vital oil hub Kharg Island
By Kevin Shalvey, Meredith Deliso, Jon Haworth, Nadine El-Bawab
Last Updated: March 12, 2026, 2:11 PM

President Donald Trump announced "major combat operations" against Iran on Feb. 28, with massive joint U.S.-Israel strikes attack targeting military and government sites, officials said.

Iranian state television confirmed that Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was among those killed in Tehran on the first day of strikes. His son Mojtaba Khamenei was chosen on Sunday to succeed him.

Iran is responding to the operation with missile and drone attacks targeting Israel, regional U.S. bases and multiple Gulf nations. Israel is also intensifying its long-running strike campaign against the Iran-backed Hezbollah militia in Lebanon.

(Read previous Iran live updates here.)

Watch special coverage on Nightline, "War with Iran," each night on ABC and streaming on Disney+ and Hulu.

Key Headlines

  • IRGC declares it continues efforts to 'pursue and kill' Netanyahu
  • CENTCOM calls Iranian claims US targeted Gulf countries a 'lie'
  • War with Iran ‘will certainly’ end in next few weeks: Secretary Wright
  • Pentagon identifies 6 Air Force airmen killed in KC-135 refueling aircraft crash
  • Trump repeats calls for other countries to help with Strait of Hormuz
Here's how the news is developing.

Mar 12, 2026 2:11 PM

1st purported message from new supreme leader read on state TV

The first purported message from Mojtaba Khamenei, the newly installed supreme leader of Iran, was read on state TV on Thursday.

Khamenei did not appear in the address, which was read by a woman.

The message said that the “key is to overcome our enemy,” and he said attacking neighboring countries was necessary because they’re cooperating with the U.S.

PHOTO: In this July 18, 2024, file photo, Iran's new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, the second son of late Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, attends a meeting in Tehran, Iran.
Majid Khahi/WANA via Reuters, FILE
In this July 18, 2024, file photo, Iran's new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, the second son of late Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, attends a meeting in Tehran, Iran.
Majid Khahi/WANA via Reuters, FILE


He said several of his family members were killed besides his father, including his wife, his sister and his sister’s child.

He also vowed to avenge the "martyrs," including those killed in the strike near an Iranian girls' elementary school.

Mojtaba Khamenei was chosen on Sunday to replace his father, Ali Khamenei, the former supreme leader, who was killed on the first day of the U.S.-Israeli strikes.


Mar 12, 2026 1:12 PM

Energy secretary says US 'not ready' to escort oil tankers through Strait of Hormuz yet

Energy Secretary Chris Wright told CNBC that the U.S. Navy is “not ready” to escort oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz, but he said it could happen by the end of the month.

"It will happen relatively soon, but it can't happen now,” Wright said. “We're simply not ready. All of our military assets right now are focused on destroying Iran's offensive capabilities and the manufacturing industry that supplies their offensive capabilities.”

PHOTO: Oil tankers and cargo ships line up in the Strait of Hormuz as seen from Mina Al Fajer, United Arab Emirates, March 11, 2026.
Altaf Qadri/AP
Oil tankers and cargo ships line up in the Strait of Hormuz as seen from Mina Al Fajer, United Arab Emirates, March 11, 2026.
Altaf Qadri/AP


In an interview on CNN, Wright was asked if the U.S. can declare victory without the Strait of Hormuz being reopened.

“No, the Strait of Hormuz needs to be and will be reopened. The U.S. military is there for the -- is there to solve a long-term problem,” he said, pinning the blame on the Iranian regime.

-ABC News’ Emily Chang


Mar 12, 2026 12:52 PM

New supreme leader to issue 1st message, state media says

Mojtaba Khamenei, the newly installed supreme leader of Iran, is expected to issue a "strategic" message on Thursday, Iranian state media reported.

PHOTO: A mourner holds a poster depicting Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, right, the successor to his late father Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, left, as supreme leader,  in Tehran, Iran, Wednesday, March 11, 2026.
Vahid Salemi/AP
A mourner holds a poster depicting Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, right, the successor to his late father Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, left, as supreme leader, during the funeral procession for senior Iranian military officials and civilians killed during the U.S.-Israel campaign in Tehran, Iran, Wednesday, March 11, 2026.
Vahid Salemi/AP

Khamenei was chosen on Sunday to replace his father, Ali Khamenei, the former supreme leader, who was killed on the first day of the U.S.-Israeli strikes.

-ABC News' Joe Simonetti



Mar 12, 2026 11:22 AM

Israel prepares to expand military activity in Lebanon, minister says

Israel's military is preparing to expand activity in Lebanon, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Thursday.

"I warned the Lebanese president that if the Lebanese government does not know how to control the territory and prevent Hezbollah from threatening the northern communities and firing at Israel -- we will take the territory and do it ourselves," Katz said in remarks at a military operations center in Tel Aviv.

PHOTO: A woman looks out from a damaged house, following projectile barrages towards Israel from Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon, amid an escalation between Hezbollah and Israel and the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran, in central Israel, March 12, 2026.
Shir Torem/Reuters
A woman looks out from a damaged house, following projectile barrages towards Israel from Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon, amid an escalation between Hezbollah and Israel and the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran, in central Israel, March 12, 2026.
Shir Torem/Reuters

"The prime minister and I instructed the IDF to prepare to expand IDF activity in Lebanon and restore peace and security to the northern communities," Katz added.

An Israeli military official told ABC News on Thursday that more than 200 rockets were fired toward Israel from Lebanon, where the Israel Defense Forces are targeting Hezbollah infrastructure and members.

-ABC News' Jordana Miller and Dana Savir


Mar 15, 2026 1:40 AM

Pentagon identifies 6 Air Force airmen killed in KC-135 refueling aircraft crash

The Pentagon identified the six service members killed when a U.S. KC-135 refueling aircraft crashed in western Iraq on Thursday.

Three of the Air Force airmen were assigned to the 6th Air Refueling Wing, MacDill Air Force Base in Florida.

  • Maj. John A. Klinner, 33, of Auburn, Alabama
  • Capt. Ariana G. Savino, 31, of Covington, Washington
  • Tech. Sgt. Ashley B. Pruitt, 34, of Bardstown, Kentucky

The other three airmen were assigned to the 121st Air Refueling Wing at Rickenbacker Air National Guard Base in Columbus, Ohio.

  • Capt. Seth R. Koval, 38, of Mooresville, Indiana
  • Capt. Curtis J. Angst, 30, of Wilmington, Ohio
  • Tech. Sgt. Tyler H. Simmons, 28, of Columbus, Ohio

The crash, which involved another KC-135 tanker, is still under investigation.

The aircraft was lost while flying over friendly airspace in western Iraq March 12 during Operation Epic Fury, according to U.S. Central Command.


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