President Trump says the US Navy will escort tankers through the Strait of Hormuz "if necessary", after shipping traffic almost entirely halted through the key sea passage following Iran's threats to "set fire" to ships
Meanwhile, Trump tells reporters at the White House "everything's been knocked out in Iran"
He also criticises Prime Minister Starmer and the UK's initial response to US-Israeli strikes on Iran, saying "this is not Winston Churchill we're dealing with"
Elsewhere, Israel says it has carried out new attacks on Iran's "leadership compound" on Tuesday - BBC Verify assesses videos of the aftermath - with the IDF saying it also targeted infrastructure in Tehran with strikes
The US says it has hit more than 1,700 targets in Iran since it began its military operations on Saturday. Tehran has retaliated with a wave of attacks across the region - here's why the US and Israel attacked Iran
The number of people killed in Iran so far has reached 787, the Red Crescent says, while Tehran residents tell BBC Persian they are worried about the availability of groceries
The UK will send helicopters with counter-drone capabilities and air defence destroyer HMS Dragon to Cyprus, after attacks on a British base there. France is planning to send a frigate and further air defences to the island too
On Saturday, Dubai issued an emergency alert to people's phones as Iranian strikes landed on the city.
Britons who experienced the strikes have been speaking to the BBC, describing hearing "bang, after bang, after bang" and the confusion that followed.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) says that it has killed the commander of Iran's Quds Force in Lebanon, Daoud Ali Zadeh, in a strike in Tehran.
"Fighter jets struck in the heart of Tehran, targeting Daoud Ali Zadeh, a senior official in the Quds Force and commander of the Lebanon Corps," IDF spokesperson Brig Gen Effie Defrin says.
The Quds force is one of the branches of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
"He attempted to attack Israel from Lebanese territory, and we struck and eliminated him on Iranian soil," Defrin adds.
Zadeh was "the highest-ranking Iranian commander responsible for Lebanon", the IDF says in a statement, accusing him of "guiding Hezbollah and other proxies' firepower capabilities".
"Israel will not allow Iranian elements that prevent Lebanon’s recovery and strengthen Hezbollah to establish themselves in Lebanon," the IDF says.
By Richard Irvine-Brown
BBC Verify has been looking into the situation in Lebanon, where a new verified video shows a large plume of smoke engulfing a major road in the southern coastal city of Sidon, following a reported Israeli strike.
Israel has been attacking Lebanon in response to rockets and drones that were fired by the Iran-backed armed group Hezbollah.
Features in the video were checked against satellite and street-view mapping, which confirm it was filmed at a commercial area in the north of the city on the Beirut-Saida Highway.
Meanwhile, video from Beirut posted on SnapChat earlier today shows a shop on fire toward the south of the capital, around 1.5 miles (2.4km) from the airport.
We do not know the cause of the fire, but there is what appears to be a hole in the facade of one shop and scattered debris, which is consistent with the aftermath of an explosion.
Image source, X
Adam Goldsmith
Live reporter
Image source, EPA/ShutterstockSlovakians have been arriving home on repatriation flights from the Middle East
Croatia is sending four planes to evacuate citizens from Dubai. According to its foreign ministry, the flights will arrive in Dubai on Wednesday after around 300 Croatians who live in the United Arab Emirates, and several hundred more tourists have asked to return home.
In Slovakia, citizens are arriving home as repatriation flights touch down from Jordan; one passenger says he saw missiles flying around them while they were in the skies.
Passengers arrived in Prague on Tuesday morning, as two flights carrying Czech nationals touched down from the Middle East.
Image source, ReutersCzech citizens stepped off a repatriation flight in Prague this morning
As we heard from Emmanuel Macron earlier, France also already has repatriation flights under way, with two expected to arrive in Paris this evening.
UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper says over 100,000 Brits have registered their presence in the Gulf region, and she told MPs on Tuesday that some Britons will be repatriated on a Government charter flight from Muscat in Oman.
Meanwhile, Germany's Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said on Monday that the country would send planes to evacuate tourists stranded in the Middle East.
In a new update on the Telegram messaging app, the Israel Defence Forces says it has destroyed approximately 300 missile launchers in Iran and struck several targets in Lebanon.
"In the past 24 hours, hundreds of fighter jets and aircraft have been striking hundreds of targets simultaneously in Iran and Lebanon," the Israeli Defense Forces says in a statement, adding that 4,000 munitions have been deployed in Iran since the start of the operation over the weekend.
"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 defence systems," the IDF adds.
Image source, ReutersMore now on reports of a drone strike near the US consulate in Dubai.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirms a drone struck a parking lot adjacent to the consulate building.
"As I came in, I also saw the media reports about Dubai's consulate. The last update I had with seconds before getting 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," he says.
"All personnel are accounted for. As you're aware, we began drawing down personnel from our diplomatic facilities in advance of this," Rubio adds.
He says: "But our embassies and our diplomatic facilities are under direct attack from a terroristic regime".
The consulate is located in a heavily populated part of the city - close to the British embassy and Saudi consulate.
The US State Department says it is "facilitating charter flights from the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan" for American citizens.
In a statement, it says that "in the past several days, over 9,000 American citizens have safely returned from the Middle East", including "over 300 from Israel".
Commercial aviation options remain available in Saudi Arabia, UAE, Oman, and Egypt, it adds, and the State Department "is actively helping American citizens book those tickets".
Earlier Dylan Johnson, US Assistant Secretary of State for Global Public Affairs, said that the State Department was "actively securing military aircraft and charter flights" for American citizens wanting to leave the Middle East.
Daniel Bush
Washington correspondent
Iran possessed “11 bombs-worth” of enriched uranium at the start of the war, and could have turned it into weapons-grade nuclear material in as little as one week, senior Trump administration officials say.
Speaking to reporters in a call on Tuesday, officials say Iran’s stockpile consisted of 10,000kg of enriched uranium, of which roughly 460kg was enriched to 60%.
That material could have been enriched to the 90% threshold generally considered to be weapons-grade in “one week to ten days,” one official says.
The officials say that Iran had also tested weapons “casements” and “detonators,” which the US officials say was evidence that Tehran would have been able to quickly take weapons-grade uranium and turn it into a weapon to be used against adversaries.
The update offers the most detailed account, since the start of the war, of the administration’s assessment of Iran’s nuclear program.
It comes as US President Donald Trump and other senior administration officials make the case that the war was necessary to eliminate Iran’s ability to develop nuclear weapons.
Trump has repeatedly said that the US strikes on Iran last year “obliterated” the country's nuclear program.
But there is still enriched nuclear material at all three sites, a senior administration official said on Wednesday.
A fire broke out after a drone strike near the US Consulate in Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates, the city's government media office has confirmed .
The fire has been successfully contained, it says. "Emergency teams responded immediately. No injuries have been reported."
Videos posted to social media show large flames and plumes of smoke erupting from the building.
Earlier on Tuesday, Iran struck the US Embassy in Saudi Arabia.
Watch: Fire breaks out near US consulate in Dubai after drone strike
Donald Trump says "if necessary, the United States Navy will begin escorting tankers through the Strait of Hormuz, as soon as possible".
The US-Israel war with Iran has almost entirely halted shipping traffic passing through the sea passage, which passes between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman.
It's one of the most important routes in the world for global oil and gas supplies, with almost 20 million barrels of oil passing through a day.
Trump says he has also instructed a federal agency to provide "political risk insurance and guarantees for ALL Maritime Trade" through the Gulf.
"No matter what, the United States will ensure the FREE FLOW of ENERGY to the World," he says.
By Richard Irvine-Brown and Shayan Sardarizadeh
A video of several large explosions at a major Iranian military complex in the capital Tehran this morning has been verified.
The footage, checked by BBC Verify, shows huge amounts of smoke and at least one explosion, while the sound of other blasts can be heard at the site of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) command centre, north of Sepah Square.
We have confirmed the exact rooftop from which the video was filmed by matching visible landmarks, like distant tower blocks and nearby rooftop furniture, to satellite imagery.
By timing the delay from seeing the explosions to hearing them, we can estimate they happened around 800 to 900m (2,600 to 3,000ft) away from the person filming - further indication the IRGC facility was hit.
Image source, X
Ghoncheh Habibiazad
Senior reporter, BBC Persian
As strikes continue on the Iranian capital, it seems like the opinion of some of those that I've been speaking to is changing.
Milad, a resident of Tehran, says he's "tired and confused" as to what might happen next.
Meanwhile Shahram says he counted 30 explosions today, and the smoke "filled the air inside" their house.
He adds: "What do you think will be the end of this? When will it end? I just want prosperity. And peace, for all of us.
"It’s scary. Really scary."
The internet is still down for most people, but some have managed to connect momentarily. NetBlocks, an organisation that monitors internet connectivity, says the current blackout in Iran has lasted for more than 84 hours.
Sarah Jalali
BBC Monitoring
Image source, IRINNIranian state TV has broadcast the funerals today of students killed in what Iranian authorities have said was a US-Israeli strike on a school in southern Iran on Saturday.
Coffins draped in the flag of the Islamic Republic could be seen being carried through a large crowd.
The broadcast was accompanied by a voiceover recounting the grief of mothers and fathers who had lost their daughters.
It was also claimed that more than 160 graves have been prepared for those killed in the strike.
The girls’ school is near an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) base which has previously been targeted.
US Central Command said it was looking into reports of what happened while the Israeli military said it was “not aware” of any operations in the area.
Hugh Schofield
Paris correspondent
France is sending its only aircraft-carrier, the Charles de Gaulle, to the eastern Mediterranean in response to the deepening crisis.
President Macron made the announcement in a short address to the nation. He also said France was sending a frigate equipped with air-defence systems to Cyprus.
France has defence agreements with the UAE, Kuwait and Qatar, all of which have been targeted by Iran. President Macron said France would stand by its partners.
Macron says France needs to "stand alongside our friends and allies in the region", adding that the country's "responsibility is strictly defensive".
"We are aiming to restore peace as quickly as possible," he says.
Macron says France has agreed to send additional air defences to Cyprus, including a French frigate - a warship - which will arrive off the coast of Cyprus this evening.
"We are co-ordinating with our European allies and partners in order to ensure that the security of the eastern Mediterranean is ensured," he adds.
We've just been hearing from French President Emmanuel Macron, who says he agrees with the leaders of Germany and the UK that a rapid resolution of the conflict in Iran is desirable.
The French leader then says he hopes the Iranian people will be able to make their own decision about the country's fate.
Macron says the French military is working to protect its own national interests in the region and is enhancing security at its embassies.
Nearly 400,000 French nationals are in the region in short or long-term stays, Macron adds, and says repatriation flights are under way - two will arrive in Paris this evening.
By Tom Edgington
During Donald Trump's White House news conference with German Chancellor Merz earlier, the US president criticised London Mayor Sadiq Khan, saying he was a “terrible mayor”.
He went on to claim Sharialaw was operating in Britain, saying “you have Sharia courts adjudicating law”.
Sharia law is an Islamic legal system and Sharia councils do exist in the UK. There were an estimated 85 across the UK in 2009, according to the UK-based think tank Civitas, external.
However, most of their work deals with religious marriage arbitration and they may also rule on financial matters but the UK government has previously been clear that their rulings are "not legally binding".
British Justice Minister Sarah Sackman told MPs in September that Sharia law “forms no part of the law of England and Wales”.
She went on to say that when people choose to put themselves before such councils, it is “part of religious tolerance which is an important British value”, external.
Last month, the government said “there are no Sharia law courts”, external, when specifically asked how many operate in the UK.
It’s not the first time the US president has made a claim like this. In September he was criticised for saying London wants to "go to Sharia law", in an address to the United Nations.
Guy Hedgecoe
Reporting from Madrid
The government of Spain has responded to US President Donald Trump’s threat to “cut off all dealings” with the country, by underlining its significance and reliability on the international stage.
“Spain has been terrible,” Trump said earlier today, in reference to the refusal by the left-wing government of Pedro Sánchez to allow the United States to use its military bases to attack Iran. Madrid has said the attacks are an “unjustified and dangerous military intervention”.
Trump also repeated criticism of Spain’s decision not to join Nato allies in raising defence spending to five percent of GDP, in line with his demands.
“So we’re going to cut off all trade with Spain,” Trump said, adding "we don’t want anything to do with Spain”.
A Spanish government source pointed out that Spain is “a key member of Nato” and that it fulfils its commitments.
They also said that if Washington wants to review its trade relationship with Spain “it should do so while respecting the autonomy of private companies, international legality and bilateral accords between the EU and the United States”.
Chris Mason
Political editor
Image source, ReutersOoodles of diplomatic energy have been expended on the unlikely relationship between the human rights lawyer and the real estate magnate turned reality TV star.
It was a political double act that long appeared unlikely and, for a while at least, appeared much stronger than many would have anticipated. It looks rather less strong tonight.
President Trump’s belittling and mocking tone – comparing, deeply unfavourably, Starmer with the UK’s most celebrated wartime leader, Winston Churchill – is a remark that will wind and wound.
Precedent suggests noisy bust ups with President Trump don’t always mean a relationship is doomed – these moments can blow over. And history reminds us big stand offs between London and Washington.
The UK resisting American pressure to send troops to Vietnam, for instance, didn't banish relations to a perpetual deep freeze.
But 80 years to the week since Winston Churchill first used the phrase ‘the special relationship’ to describe the UK and America’s friendship, another page in the contemporary chapter of its history is written.
Watch: It's the "stickiest" moment in US-UK relations, says Chris Mason
Image source, UK MODAn image of one of the F-35s shared by the Ministry of Defence
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has shared new images and video footage on its website of British F-35 jets, which it says have shot down hostile drones over Jordan, Iraq and Qatar.
The MoD says it's the first time British F-35s have shot down targets during an active operation.
An F-35 is a fighter jet, designed to be incredibly difficult to detect or track.
UK forces are "actively defending partners across the region as part of co-ordinated defensive action", it says.
