The Thailand-flagged cargo ship Mayuree Naree is seen engulfed in smoke in the Strait of Hormuz, March 11, 2026.ROYAL THAI NAVY/Handout/REUTERS
What to know as the U.S. and Israel’s war with Iran escalates
- Suspected Iranian drones hit at least three ships in and around the Strait of Hormuz overnight, continuing attacks that have paralyzed traffic through the vital shipping lane despite a stern warning from President Trump.
- U.S. officials have told CBS News that Iran may be preparing to deploy naval mines in the Strait, and the Pentagon said the U.S. had destroyed 16 mine-laying boats near the strategic waterway.
- Drones hit Dubai’s airport overnight, wounding four people, the government said, adding that the major aviation hub was still operating. The UAE said it was intercepting Iranian drones and missiles, too, as Iran warned it would start targeting U.S.-linked banks across the Mideast.
- Approximately 140 U.S. service members were wounded in the first 10 days of the war with Iran, the Pentagon said Tuesday, as Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said the U.S. and Israel were “winning” the war and rapidly meeting their objectives.
- Regional war” has engulfed the Middle East- A senior Qatari official, who has worked for years in the Gulf state’s ministry of foreign affairs, told CBS News on Wednesday that the Middle East has, “for all intents and purposes,” been engulfed in a regional war that governments in the region warned about for years. Dr. Majed Al-Ansari, an adviser to the Qatari prime minister and the official spokesperson for the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told CBS News that Gulf states had warned for years that, left unchecked, escalations that first hit Syria, and then Gaza and Lebanon, risked spiraling into something much bigger. Iran, he said, has targeted seven Gulf countries since the U.S. and Israel launched their assault on the Islamic Republic on Feb. 28, pulling countries into a war they never wanted to be a part of.
- “Never been happier”- US Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said U.S. allies in the Persian Gulf have “never been happier” to have an American military presence in their countries. “They understand who supports them and who supports their growth and prosperity, and they’re starting to realize that the terror regime of Iran has to end.”
- Iran’s strikes- Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed responsibility for an attack earlier Wednesday on the Thailand-flagged bulk carrier Mayuree Naree off the coast of Oman, saying the vessel had ignored IRGC warnings and tried to transit the Strait of Hormuz.
- The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center, run by the British military, said earlier that the vessel was hit by a projectile about 10 nautical miles off Oman’s coast in the strait. Iranian IRGC strikes-
More evacuations in Lebanon– Israeli military issues further evacuation orders for areas in southern Lebanon
The Israeli military issued new evacuation orders for residents in six areas of southern Lebanon on Tuesday, claiming activities being carried out by the Iran-backed group Hezbollah were “forcing” the Israeli army “to take action against it.” Residents have been ordered to move to locations north of the Litani River. “Anyone present near Hezbollah elements, their facilities, and their combat means is endangering their lives,” an IDF spokesperson said. “Any home used by Hezbollah for military purposes will be subject to targeting.”
Destruction is seen in front of the building where at least four people were injured in an Israeli strike on a residential building in the Aisha Bakkar area of central Beirut, Lebanon, March 11, 2026.Adri Salido/Getty
