Iran war live updates: U.S. closes embassies in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait

The U.S. closed its embassies in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.

The X account of the U.S. embassy in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, cited a drone “attack on the facility” for the closure there.

“Due to ongoing regional tensions, the U.S. Embassy in Kuwait will be closed until further notice,” that embassy’s X account said.

“We have canceled all regular and emergency consular appointments.  We will communicate when the embassy returns to normal operations.”

— Dan Mangan

The Dow Jones Industrial Average continued to sink lower Tuesday morning, falling more than 1,000 points, or 2.1%, and heading for its worst trading day since April 2025.

— Kevin Breuninger

The U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem said overnight that it “is not in a position at this time to evacuate or directly assist Americans in departing Israel.”

The message came hours after the U.S. State Department on Monday urged Americans to “DEPART NOW” from 14 countries in the Middle East — including Israel — “due to serious safety risks.”

The Jerusalem embassy’s official X account said that Israel’s tourism ministry is running shuttles to the Taba Border Crossing between Israel and Egypt, but that it “cannot make any recommendation (for or against)” that option.

“If you choose to avail yourself of this option to depart, the U.S. government cannot guarantee your safety,” the embassy said.

— Kevin Breuninger

More than 1 million people are caught in travel chaos as another 1,900 flights were canceled in and out of the Middle East on Tuesday, according to aviation-data firm Cirium.

Displaced customers and crews include travelers who were using major Middle East hubs like Dubai, one of the biggest airport hubs in the world, to get to other destinations as far-flung as Paris and Beijing.

— Leslie Josephs

The national average price of gasoline in the U.S. rose 12 cents per gallon on Monday, marking the largest spike in four years, GasBuddy chief petroleum analyst Patrick de Haan said on X.

GasBuddy’s live-ticking average before 9 a.m. ET on Tuesday showed U.S. gas prices above $3.08 per gallon.

De Haan said in another X post that he does not currently foresee gas prices hitting $4 per gallon “anytime soon, even based on poor outcomes with the current situation.”

“If thinking changes, I’ll post here,” he added.

— Kevin Breuninger

The UAE reaffirmed its right to self defense on Tuesday, stressing that any threat to Emirati sovereignty represents a threat to the wider Gulf.

Reem Al Hashimy, the country’s minister of cooperation, said in a news conference in the capital Abu Dhabi, that the Gulf Cooperation Council operates as “one system,” and that an attack on any member state endangers the entire region.

All six members of the GCC, the Arab monarchies of Kuwait, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman and the United Arab Emirates, have all come under fire from Iranian missiles and drones since Saturday.

Hashimy added that the UAE will not accept actions that compromise its sovereignty or security, warning that such escalations carry global consequences. Hashimy emphasized that the country maintains the full right to defend itself and stands firmly with GCC partners in responding to regional threats.

— Emma Graham

Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy said his country will explore how to help the United Arab Emirates protect itself from attacks by Iran.

The UAE has been one of several countries across the Gulf that have come under missile and drone fire as Iran retaliates following the U.S. and Israeli strikes which started on Saturday.

Amazon Web Services said late Monday two of its data centers in the United Arab Emirates and a facility in Bahrain were damaged by drone strikes, taking the facilities offline.

Other facilities and infrastructure in the UAE have also been damaged.

Zelenskyy said he discussed the situation with UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

“I expressed my condolences over the lives lost as a result of Iran’s insane strikes,” Zelenskyy said in a post on X.

“The President noted that the Iranian regime is targeting not only military facilities but virtually everything – residential buildings, shopping malls, even mosques,” Zelenskyy said.

“We discussed how we can help in this situation and support the protection of lives. It was agreed that our teams will work on this. Protecting lives is a shared priority for everyone in the world.”

— Azhar Sukri

The Israeli military said it has “dismantled” the Iranian regime’s leadership compound and killed the leaders there.

“This command headquarters was one of the most heavily secured assets in Iran. The compound that housed the regime’s most senior forum was struck by the IAF overnight using precise intelligence,” the Israel Defense Forces said in a post on X.

— Azhar Sukri

The U.S. dollar edged higher on Tuesday morning, building on gains seen the previous day as investors weighed the impact and potential duration of the U.S.-Iran war.

As the war entered its fourth day, the U.S. dollar index — which measures the greenback against a basket of major currencies — was almost 1% higher.

A broad de-dollarization trend has dented the value of the dollar over the past year, with the dollar index losing more than 7% over the last 12 months. Historically, the dollar — the world’s reserve currency — has been widely viewed as a stable asset.

“A market that had jumped into the “de-dollarisation” trend in substantial ways can get caught out quickly when you reintroduce a terms-of-trade shock,” strategists at Mizuho EMEA said in a note this morning.

“You start to see a scramble for USD liquidity — not because people suddenly love the dollar, but because in stress the world still settles in USD, funds in USD, hedges in USD and ultimately buys energy in USD (with the US now a net-exporter too),” they added. “We’ve spent the past year watching FX correlations fly out the window thanks to the de-dollarization narrative, well this is the kind of moment that snaps it all back.”

— Chloe Taylor

Russian President Vladimir Putin is trying to de-escalate tensions in the Middle East as much as possible, the Kremlin said Tuesday.

“Putin will certainly make every effort to facilitate at least a minor easing of tensions,” Putin’s press secretary Dmitry Peskov said in comments reported by state news agency TASS.

“In this regard, we discussed with virtually all of our interlocutors yesterday that Putin will convey his deep concern regarding the strikes on their infrastructure to our colleagues in Iran, taking advantage of the dialogue we maintain with the Iranian leadership,” Peskov added.

It’s the first public comment the Kremlin has made on the U.S. and Israel’s attacks on Iran, a close economic and military ally of Moscow’s, after four days of relentless strikes on the Islamic Republic’s leadership and military sites.

Analysts told CNBC that Iran’s most powerful allies, Russia and China, were unlikely to come to the regime’s rescue, despite their “strategic partnerships.”

Read more here: Why Iran should not count on allies Russia and China to come to its aid

— Holly Ellyatt

Oil prices rose further on Tuesday, as missile strikes across the Middle East continued and Iran reportedly closed the Strait of Hormuz, a shipping route critical to the global transportation of oil and other goods.

At 5 a.m. ET, global benchmark Brent crude oil futures jumped 5.4% to $81.96, touching a 1-year high after gaining more than 7% on Monday.

Front-month West Texas Intermediate oil futures were 5.8% higher at around $75.55, touching on their highest prices since mid-2025.

— Chloe Taylor

The cost of hauling crude oil from the Middle East to China has soared to record levels as the U.S.-Israel war on Iran dramatically expands across the region.

The benchmark freight rate for the Very Large Crude Carriers (VLCCs) used to ship 2 million barrels of oil from the Middle East to China climbed to $423,736 per day, data from LSEG showed on Monday, reflecting an increase of more than 94% from the previous session.

The dramatic move comes as shipping traffic grinds to an effective halt in the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz, amid fears of prolonged disruption to global trade.

For more, click here: Oil supertanker rates hit all-time high as Iran pledges to close the Strait of Hormuz.

— Sam Meredith

European stocks traded sharply lower on Tuesday, as the intensifying conflict in the Middle East continued to weigh on global investor sentiment.

By 9:35 a.m. in London (4:35 a.m. ET), the pan-European Stoxx 600 was 2.7% lower, extending Monday’s steep losses that saw the index close down 1.6%.

On Tuesday morning, stocks across sectors were being sold off, with bank shares down 3.8%, insurance stocks, down 4.2%, and mining stocks, down 3.9%, leading losses. Even the Stoxx Aerospace and Defense index, home to the region’s biggest defense primes, shed 2.5% after ending Monday’s session in positive territory.

— Chloe Taylor

Israel’s military said on Tuesday it has deployed additional forces to southern Lebanon to protect Israeli residents near the border.

“The [Israel Defense Force] is working to create an additional layer of security for the residents of the north, through extensive attacks on the infrastructure of the terrorist organization Hezbollah, in order to thwart threats and prevent attempts to infiltrate the territory of the State of Israel,” a spokesman said in a statement.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said he and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had authorized the military to “advance and seize additional controlling areas in Lebanon to prevent firing on Israeli border settlements.”

In a statement on X, Katz said: “The [Israeli Defense Force] continues to operate with force against Hezbollah targets in Lebanon.”

— Azhar Sukri

South Korean defense stocks pared gains, but still saw massive spikes on Tuesday after the country’s markets returned from a public holiday, as the Iran war fueled interest in defense names globally.

Heavyweight Hanwha Aerospace, which is South Korea’s largest defense manufacturer, saw shares surge nearly 25%, before moderating to about a 20% gain, while Korea Aerospace Industries gained more than 12%, but cut those to 3%.

Shares in air defense systems maker LIG Nex1 soared 30%, while electronic warfare systems manufacturer Victek and anti-aircraft missile components’ maker Firstec saw shares rise about 29.3% and 18%, respectively.

— Lim Hui Jie

The U.S. State Department has issued evacuation orders for non-emergency U.S. government personnel and their family members in Bahrain, Iraq and Jordan.

This was due to “security concerns,” with the State Department travel risk at level 3 for both Bahrain and Jordan, and at level 4 for Iraq, which indicates “do not travel.”

This comes after reported retaliatory strikes on U.S. bases in Bahrain and drone attacks on hotels housing U.S. troops by Iranian-backed militia in Iraq.

— Lim Hui Jie

Iran’s ISNA news agency reported Tuesday that a member of the Assembly of Experts said appointing a successor to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei “won’t take long.”

Under Iran’s constitution, the supreme leader is appointed by the Assembly of Experts, an 88-member clerical body elected by the public every eight years. Candidates are first vetted by the Guardian Council, which tightly controls who can run.

When the position becomes vacant, the Assembly convenes to deliberate and select a successor. The decision requires a simple majority vote.

In the interim, a provisional three-member leadership council assumes the supreme leader’s duties until a replacement is formally appointed.

— Lee Ying Shan

The Israeli military said it was conducting simultaneous targeted strikes against military targets in Tehran and Beirut, the authorities said in a X post on Tuesday.

The U.S. and Israeli war against Iran widened to Lebanon on Monday after the Lebanese Hezbollah militia fired missiles and drones into Israel.

— Anniek Bao

The closure of the Strait of Hormuz by Iran is sending shockwaves across global energy markets, with Asia expected to face the maximum pain.

A prolonged closure of the Strait would likely lead to a further surge in oil prices, with some analysts seeing oil crossing $100 per barrel. Global benchmark Brent was last up 2.6% at around $80 per barrel —almost 10% higher since the conflict broke out.

About 20% of global liquefied natural gas exports that come from the Gulf are also at risk.

“In Asia, Thailand, India, Korea and the Philippines are the most vulnerable to higher oil prices, due to their high import dependence, while Malaysia would be a relative beneficiary since it is an energy exporter,” Nomura wrote in a note on Monday.

Read the full story here.

— Lee Ying Shan

President Donald Trump said Tuesday that the U.S. has a “virtually unlimited supply” of munitions as the war with Iran escalates.

He added that the stockpiles “at the medium and upper medium grade” have never been higher or better. It was not immediately clear what weapon grades Trump was referring to.

‘Wars can be fought “forever,” and very successfully, using just these supplies (which are better than other countries finest arms!),” Trump said in a post on Truth Social.

He added that “Much additional high grade weaponry is stored for us in outlying countries.”

Earlier, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar denied reports that their inventories of Patriot interceptor missiles were running low.

The two countries had requested assistance to counter aerial threats such as missiles and drones, Bloomberg reported, citing people familiar with the matter.

“These assertions are unfounded and misrepresent the UAE’s high level of preparedness, technological sophistication, and operational readiness,” the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.

Qatar’s International Media Office also said it is “well-stocked” with Patriot interceptor missiles.

— Victor Loh

Amazon‘s cloud computing unit confirmed three of its data centers in the Middle East were damaged by drone strikes, taking the facilities offline.

The company posted in an update to its Amazon Web Services health dashboard that two facilities in the United Arab Emirates were “directly struck” by drones on Sunday, causing extensive damage. A site in Bahrain was damaged due to a drone strike that occurred nearby.

“These strikes have caused structural damage, disrupted power delivery to our infrastructure, and in some cases required fire suppression activities that resulted in additional water damage,” the company wrote.

AWS encouraged customers to consider migrating workloads to other regions as the situation in the region remains “unpredictable.” It also said expected a prolonged recovery “given the nature of the physical damage involved.”

— Annie Palmer

U.S. President Donald Trump told NewsNation that details of Washington’s response to the attack on the U.S. Embassy in Riyadh, and for the deaths of American military personnel in the Iran conflict, would be revealed “soon,” according to a reporter from the outlet who shared excerpts of the interview on X on Monday.

Trump also said that boots on the ground won’t be necessary, according to the reporter’s post.

Saudi Arabia’s defense ministry said earlier that the U.S. embassy had been hit by drones, causing a small fire and minor material damage.

— Vinay Dwivedi

The U.S. Embassy in Saudi Arabia’s capital city Riyadh was hit by two drones on Tuesday morning, according to the Middle Eastern country’s Defense Ministry.

The drone attack resulted in a “limited fire and minor material damage” to the building, according to the defense authority.

The U.S. Embassy in Saudi Arabia has issued a warning for people in Jeddah, Riyadh and Dhahran to hide in a shelter and limited nonessential travel to any military installations in the region.

“We recommend American citizens in the Kingdom to shelter in place immediately,” the embassy said in a post on X.

— Anniek Bao