Iran live updates: Saudi Arabia says 2 of its airports were damaged in strikes

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

Delegations from the U.S. and Iran entered negotiations in June aimed at a war-ending deal based on a memorandum of understanding signed by both countries.

Those talks broke down as the U.S. and Iran continued to exchange strikes, with the strategic Strait of Hormuz as the primary flashpoint. Trump then said in August that the U.S. would launch a "crushing economic operation" to force Tehran into submission.

A military spokesperson for the Saudi-backed Yemeni Armed Forces claimed it has gained back control of the key area surrounding Red Sea waterway and the Bab Al Mandab.

The Houthis refute these claims and insist they have "forced them to retreat without making any gains."


This is a disputed conflict zone with a daily battle underway, it's hard to say who has actual control of the area, it is clear that there is an information war underway with both sides claiming to have control to this key geographic point.

Mocha (Al-Mukha) is an important entry point and strategic port city to the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, a crucial maritime chokepoint connecting the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and the Suez Canal.

-ABC News' Desiree Adib

Two Saudi Arabian airports in the cities of Jazan and Najran were targeted in ‌two overnight strikes Monday evening, injuring three people and causing material damage, the Saudi aviation authority said on Tuesday.

The attacks came after Saudi Arabia and its allies in Yemen's internationally recognized government launched a military campaign to reclaim Houthi-controlled territory.

Saudi Arabia's General Authority of Civil Aviation said it was assessing the damage at the King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz International Airport and Najran International Airport and taking measures to ensure the safety of passengers and staff and the security of the kingdom's civil aviation system.

Saudi Arabia did not identify who was responsible for the attacks, but this follows a Houthi announcement of attacks on Saudi oil facilities, airports and military bases on Monday.

President Donald Trump doubled down on his threats to "annihilate" Iran, reportedly telling Time Magazine that it's "possible" that the U.S. would resume attacks on the country after the U.S. midterms.

Asked during an interview with the magazine, which was published early Thursday, how he can call himself the president of "peace" while also threatening to destroy Iran, Trump argued that "annihilating" the country would create global peace.

"Because by annihilating Iran, we've created peace in the world," Trump said, according to a transcript published by Time. "With Iran, I don't think you could ever have peace."

-ABC News' Devin Garbitt

President Donald Trump said on Wednesday, "We're going to have that war won very quickly, one way or the other."

"We lost 18," he said, referring to the number of U.S. servicemembers who have died in the war with Iran. "And we have very soon, you'll see things happening very soon."

"But we have a nation that's been virtually destroyed -- their economy is no good, they have 300%-plus inflation. Their Navy is gone, their Air force is gone, their anti-aircraft equipment is gone," Trump said.

He said the U.S. has "virtually total control of the Hormuz Strait."

"And in fact, in the last three days, more oil has come out of the Hormuz Strait than at any time in the history of the Hormuz Strait," Trump claimed.

-ABC News' Emily Chang

The U.K. Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) Centre said on Wednesday that it received a report that an oil tanker was struck by an unknown projectile in the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday.

-ABC News' Victoria Beaule

President Donald Trump's administration on Tuesday announced new sanctions on several entities and individuals accused of supporting Iranian arms procurement networks, an effort the State Department said would support Operation Economic Outcast -- the U.S. economic pressure campaign against Tehran that Trump described as an "economic D-Day."

State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said in a statement, "Over the last year, Iran has continued its attempts to procure arms and related materiel, expanding its destabilizing activities in violation of the restored UN measures. Today's sanctions target these activities and third-country entities that further Iran's defense industry and proliferation activities."

Pigott also said that the State Department will offer rewards of up to $15 million for "information leading to the disruption of the financial mechanisms of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps" and its branches.

-ABC News' Shannon K. Kingston

The Iranian Foreign Ministry on Tuesday condemned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to the United Arab Emirates, warning of "very dangerous consequences" of Israeli "presence in the region."

"All countries in the region must be wary of the consequences ... of such a presence, which threatens the collective peace and security of the region," the ministry said, as quoted by Iranian state media outlets.

"Regional governments are expected to understand their responsibility for regional peace and stability," the statement added.

-ABC News' Will Gretsky

President Donald Trump said Tuesday that the war with Iran would be "over with very soon," but did not offer any details.

"Iran will not have a nuclear weapon. And they're failing very badly, very badly. That'll be over with very soon. It'll be over with very, very soon," Trump said.

"They will not have a nuclear weapon. And oil prices are going to be tumbling down, just like they were before I had to make that little excursion to the Islamic Republic of Iran," Trump said.

Trump's remarks come after he rejected a ceasefire proposal from Iran over the weekend, telling reporters "that deal would not be acceptable."

"'I'm rejecting their deal. They want to make a deal where we open the Strait immediately because they're losing so badly," Trump said.

"We're winning tremendously -- we have total control of the Hormuz Strait," he said on Saturday.

-ABC News' Nicholas Kerr and Michelle Stoddart

Qatar is continuing its role as a mediator between Iran and the U.S., Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesperson Dr. Majid bin Mohammed Al-Ansari said Tuesday.

"The State of Qatar continues its meetings and exchange of messages between the parties to build common ground that brings viewpoints closer and leads to a peaceful solution," he said. "It affirms its continued role in mediation and support for efforts aimed at de-escalation and restoring full freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz."

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) Centre reported that a vessel was "struck by a suspected unknown projectile" on Monday evening in the Strait of Hormuz.

The attack caused a fire aboard the vessel, UKMTO said, which was extinguished with no casualties or environmental impact reported. The vessel, it added, was still underway.

Click here to read the rest of the blog.