U.S.-Iran strikes live updates: Explosions heard as retaliation targets U.S. military bases

Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., who’s main a struggle powers decision to limit Trump’s military actions in Iran, known as on Congress to reconvene on Monday — sooner than scheduled for subsequent week — to take up his measure.

“Trump says his aim is to topple the Iranian regime, however the American individuals are bored with regime-change wars that price us billions of {dollars} and danger our lives. we do not need to be at struggle with a rustic of 90 million folks within the Center East,” Khanna stated in a video posted to X on Saturday.

Home Minority Chief Hakeem Jeffries on Thursday introduced he would compel a vote on the struggle powers decision introduced by Khanna and Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky. Massie is a Republican who steadily clashes with Trump.

In an announcement Saturday, Jeffries reiterated that dedication however didn’t present timing.

The Home isn’t due again in session till Wednesday.

The measure introduced by Khanna and Massie would compel the administration to hunt congressional approval earlier than partaking in any additional exercise in Iran. 

“I’m against this Conflict. This isn’t “America First.” When Congress reconvenes, I’ll work with @RepRoKhanna to power a Congressional vote on struggle with Iran,” Massie posted to X on Saturday. “The Structure requires a vote, and your Consultant must be on document as opposing or supporting this struggle.”

—Justin Papp

Market watchers are paying shut consideration to the creating information in Iran, and a few consultants say coordinated strikes from the U.S. and Israel might carry heavier market penalties than newer geopolitical conflicts.

Markets have been accustomed to absorbing current geopolitical and financial shocks, together with Trump’s announcement of a hike in U.S. tariffs on all imports to fifteen%, as effectively as the administration’s current seize of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in an analogous weekend military motion.

“This has undoubtedly greater ramifications than Venezuela,” stated Florian Weidinger, CIO at Santa Lucia Asset Administration. 

“Venezuela was … solely actually related for individuals who care about that individual heavy crude,” Weidinger instructed CNBC. The nation’s heavy, bitter crude could be difficult to extract.

“That is why it is a greater danger. You’d anticipate oil to tick up a bit extra violently subsequent week as a results of that,” he added.

About 13 million barrels per day of crude oil transited the Strait of Hormuz in 2025, roughly 31% of world seaborne crude flows, in accordance with information from market intelligence agency Kpler.

In June, when Israel struck Iranian nuclear websites, equities bought off sharply on the open, then recovered as soon as it grew to become clear the strait was not disrupted.

“That’s the sample markets will reference on Monday,” stated Kenneth Goh, director of personal wealth administration at UOB Kay Hian in Singapore. He including that there might be a flight to security with a strengthening of the U.S. greenback, Japanese yen, and a rush into gold. 

Learn CNBC’s full article right here.

— Lee Ying Shan

Trump, in a 2:30 a.m. ET video posted to his official Reality Social account, aired his rationale for ordering an assault on Iran.

The video message, during which Trump spoke from behind a podium carrying a white hat saying “USA,” comes after explosions have been heard in a number of cities within the Center East and Israel launched a daylight assault on Iran’s capital.

“Our goal is to defend the American folks by eliminating imminent threats from the Iranian regime, a vicious group of very exhausting, horrible folks,” Trump stated within the video message.

The president known as the Iranian regime the “no. one state sponsor of terror,” referring to allegations of the regime’s hyperlinks to different terrorist assaults, together with Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 assault in Israel.

Trump additionally emphasised Iran’s nuclear capabilities, saying the regime can by no means have a nuclear weapon. Negotiations on Iran’s program have been ongoing between officers in Geneva, Switzerland, this week.

“They rejected each alternative to resign their nuclear ambitions, and we won’t take it anymore. As an alternative, they tried to rebuild their nuclear program and to proceed creating long-range missiles that may now threaten our excellent pals and allies in Europe, our troops stationed abroad, and will quickly attain the American homeland.”

—CJ Haddad

Former Georgia Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who had a public falling-out with Trump earlier than leaving workplace halfway by means of her time period, in a put up to X on Saturday questioned the president’s dedication to the “America first” messaging that was central to his reelection marketing campaign.

“We stated ‘No Extra International Wars, No Extra Regime Change!’ We stated it on rally stage after rally stage, speech after speech. Trump, [Vice President JD] Vance, mainly all the admin campaigned on it and promised to place America FIRST and Make America Nice Once more,” Greene wrote.

Greene was a staunch ally of Trump for many of her political profession. However the pair clashed over the Trump administration’s dealing with of information associated to the disgraced intercourse offender Jeffrey Epstein and international coverage.

Greene introduced she would resign in November and left workplace in early January.

“Now, America goes to be power fed and gasoline lighted all of the ‘noble’ causes the American ‘Peace’ President and Professional-Peace administration needed to go to struggle as soon as once more this 12 months, after being in energy for less than a 12 months. Head-spinning, however maga,” Greene wrote.

—Justin Papp

Home Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., on Saturday stated “Iran is going through the extreme penalties of its evil actions.”

“President Trump and the Administration have made each effort to pursue peaceable and diplomatic options in response to the Iranian regime’s sustained nuclear ambitions and improvement, terrorism, and the homicide of Individuals — and even their very own folks,” Johnson posted to X.

Johnson famous in his put up that Secretary of State Marco Rubio was on the Hill this week to transient Home and Senate leaders on the evolving state of affairs in Iran.

In an announcement on Saturday, Home Minority Chief Hakeem Jeffries known as Iran a “dangerous actor” that “have to be aggressively confronted for its human rights violations, nuclear ambitions, help of terrorism and the menace it poses to our allies like Israel and Jordan within the area.” However, like different Democrats, he questioned the constitutionality of launching such an assault with out Congress’ blessing.

“The framers of america Structure gave Congress the only energy to declare struggle as the department of presidency closest to the American folks,” Jeffries stated.

“Donald Trump failed to hunt Congressional authorization previous to hanging Iran. As an alternative, the President’s determination to desert diplomacy and launch an enormous military assault has left American troops weak to Iran’s retaliatory actions,” Jeffries continued.

—Justin Papp

Whereas most Democrats who’ve weighed in are questioning the constitutionality of Trump’s assault on Iran, Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., joined Republicans in cheering it.

“Operation Epic Fury. President Trump has been keen to do what’s proper and essential to provide actual peace within the area. God bless america, our nice military, and Israel,” Fetterman, typically a dissenting voice throughout the Democratic caucus, posted to X.

Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark, a member of the Senate Armed Providers Committee, posted on X that “the butcher’s invoice has lastly come due for the ayatollahs,” referring to the Supreme Chief of Iran.

“A nuclear-weapons program. Hundreds of missiles. State sponsorship of terror. Iran has waged struggle towards the U.S. for 47 years: the hostage disaster, the Beirut Marine barracks, Khobar Towers, roadside bombs in Iraq and Afghanistan that killed or maimed 1000’s of American troopers, the tried assassination of President Trump,” Cotton wrote.

Senate Majority Chief John Thune, R-S.D., in an announcement on Saturday thanked Secretary of State Marco Rubio “for offering updates on these points all through the week” and stated he regarded ahead to the administration briefing all senators on the assault.

“Regardless of the dogged efforts of the president and his administration, the Iranian regime has refused the diplomatic off-ramps that may peacefully resolve these nationwide safety issues. I commend President Trump for taking motion to thwart these threats,” Thune stated.

—Justin Papp

President Trump urged Iranians to “take over your authorities” in an eight-minute deal with following U.S. and Israeli fight operations within the area.

“To the good, proud folks of Iran, I say tonight that the hour of your freedom is at hand,” he stated, in a video posted to the White Home’s social media early Saturday morning.

“Keep sheltered, do not depart your private home, it’s extremely harmful exterior, bombs can be dropping all over the place. After we are completed, take over your authorities. It is going to be yours to take. This can most likely be your solely likelihood for generations.”

— CJ Haddad

Emirates, Lufthansa, Qatar Airways, United Airways and others suspended flights to Center East locations attributable to airspace closures and the assaults on Iran.

Some flights have been compelled to return to their origin airports or diverted, together with a United flight from Newark to Tel Aviv that landed in Athens.

Airways have been periodically halting flights to the area for years as conflicts and related safety issues come up. Airspace closures there typically power carriers to take longer routes to skirt the realm, which requires them to make use of extra gasoline.

— Leslie Josephs

Democrats known as for a briefing and questioned the constitutionality of one other military motion with out congressional approval.

“The Structure is obvious: the choice to take this nation to struggle rests with Congress, and launching large-scale military operations — significantly within the absence of an imminent menace to america — raises critical authorized and constitutional issues,” Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., rating member on the Senate Choose Committee on Intelligence, stated in an announcement. 

“Congress have to be totally briefed, and the administration should come ahead with a transparent authorized justification, an outlined finish state, and a plan that avoids dragging america into one more pricey and pointless struggle,” Warner stated.

Each the Home and the Senate have been anticipated to take up struggle powers resolutions within the coming week, which might have restricted Trump’s skill to have interaction militarily in Iran. The difficulty doesn’t break cleanly alongside partisan traces, and passage in both chamber was unsure.

Trump drew related complaints from Democrats in early January after a focused operation to take away Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, about which lawmakers stated they weren’t briefed beforehand.

The Structure grants Congress main authority to declare struggle. The Conflict Powers Decision, handed in 1973 in response to the Vietnam Conflict, limits the president’s skill to take military motion unilaterally and requires the president to seek the advice of with Congress when troops are deployed.

“For months, I’ve raised hell about the truth that the American folks need decrease costs, no more struggle —particularly wars that are not licensed by Congress, as required by the Structure, and haven’t got a transparent goal,” Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., who launched an Iran struggle powers decision, stated in an announcement. “These strikes are a colossal mistake, and I pray they don’t price our little children in uniform and at embassies all through the area their lives.”

— Justin Papp