Iran news and live updates: Pete Hegseth declares America ‘didn’t start this war but we’re finishing it’

That’s a wrap of our live coverage today.

Thanks for following along as we brought you the latest from the escalating Middle East War.

Join us tomorrow as we continue our rolling coverage of the events as they happen.

Here are some of the key moments to be across, or scroll down to see a recap of the events in more detail.

• The United States and Israel launched coordinated airstrikes on Iran, killing Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and multiple senior Iranian military and political figures.
• President Donald Trump said operations would continue “until all of our objectives are achieved,” and warned there could be further casualties.
• The US has confirmed a fourth service member has died from their injuries after a missile hit a command centre.
• Israeli military said it killed a Hezbollah intelligence chief in Beirut.
• US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth addressed the media, saying “We didn’t start this war but under President Donald Trump we are finishing it”.
• Israeli rescue services confirmed 15 people were injured by Iranian strikes in Beer Sheba.
• The US confirmed fighter jets were shot down by ‘friendly fire’ over Kuwait.
• A Saudi Arabian oil refinery in the country’s east was attacked by drones, forcing it to shut down temporarily.
• Qatar’s defence ministry reported Iranian drones have attacked two of the country’s power plants.
• Iran has responded by launching hundreds of missiles and drones at Israel and targets across the Persian Gulf.
• Iranian state media reports more than 100 people were killed in a missile strike on a girls’ school in southern Iran, one of the deadliest incidents of the campaign.
• Hezbollah has entered the conflict, launching rockets and drones from Lebanon into northern Israel.
• Israel has carried out retaliatory strikes on Beirut’s southern suburbs, a Hezbollah stronghold. Explosions have also been reported in Tel Aviv.
• The UK has authorised the use of British bases for US defensive operations.
• Australia has ruled out participating in military action.
• Oil prices have surged amid concerns about disruption to the Strait of Hormuz, a key global shipping route.
• Widespread airspace closures across the Middle East have led to flight cancellations and significant travel disruption.
• Australia has confirmed it has 36 days worth of petrol stockpiled amid concerns over the security of supplies.
• Iran’s security chief has declared the country will not negotiate with the US amid ongoing strikes on Tehran.
• Israel has since escalated strikes on Lebanon, with 31 reported dead in the country’s south.

US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth has confirmed the four US service members died when a missile hit a command centre.

“This only stiffens our resolve to ensure we do this properly,” he said.

US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth just spoke at a press conference.

He said the operation Epic Fury, started under direct orders of Donald Trump, was to stop Iran’s nuclear weapon ambitions.

“We didn’t start this war but under President Donald Trump we are finishing it,” he said.

He said the Iran regime was “gifted death from America and death from Israel”.

“This is not a so-called regime change war but the regime sure did change and the world is better off for it.”

He paid tribute to the four US service members who have been killed.

“The absolute best of America,” he said.

“May we prosecute the remainder of this operation in a manner that honours them, no apologies, no hesitation, epic fury.”

The Israel Defence Forces have just released a statement stating a strike it undertook in Beirut killed a Hezbollah chief.

“The IDF now confirms that in a precise strike in Beirut last night (Sunday), the terrorist Hussein Makled, who served as the head of Hezbollah’s intelligence headquarters, has been eliminated,” the statement reads.

A fourth service member has been killed in the Middle East, according to the US Central Command.

The service member “succumbed to the injuries” they sustained during Iran’s inital attacks.

One of the world’s top natural gas producers, QatarEnergy, said it will halt the production of liquified natural gas following Iranian attacks on some of its facilities.

In statement, the state-owned firm said the Ras Laffan and Mesaieed sites were hit by millitary strikes.

No timeline has been issued to advise when production will be restored.

Two “unmanned” drones have been intercepted while heading to British air base RAF Akrotiri located in southern Cyprus.

The intercept comes after a drone struck the air base on Sunday night, causing minor damage.

According to the BBC, the Cypriot interior minister has requested a mandatory evacuation of the nearby town of Kourion, less than 15 minutes north of the airbase.

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam says Hezbollah’s military activity, which has included firing missiles into Israel, is “illegal” and that only the Lebanese state can decide whether the country enters a war with Israel.

Prime Minister Salam says Hezbollah, which is backed by the Iranian regime, should hand over its weapons to the government and that the militant groups’ activity is banned in Lebanon.

Hezbollah say they launched strikes against Israel to ‘avenge’ the killing of Ayatollah Khamanei, before Israel responded with its own strikes.

31 people were killed and 149 wounded in Lebanon as a result of the Israeli strikes.

15 people have been injured by Iranian missile strikes in the southern Israeli city of Beer Sheba, according to Israeli rescue services.

The rescue service says the injuries are minor but searches for victims are ongoing.

Shipping numbers through the Gulf of Hormuz has plummeted 70 per cent since the US and Israel launched their attack on Iran, according to ship-tracking platform MarineTraffic.com.

The Gulf is partially owned by Iran.