Iran-US war latest: Trump delivers unhinged swear-filled threat to deliver ‘beating’ to Tehran after attack on US bases

The US military announced it intercepted multiple ballistic missiles launched by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard in an attempted surprise attack on US forces in the Middle East.

The US Central Command confirmed that all Iranian missiles were successfully intercepted, stating US forces remain vigilant.

The interception followed a meeting between president Donald Trump and Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House.

Trump was expected to make a final decision on a ceasefire in Iran after his discussions with Netanyahu.

Iraqi prime minister Ali Faleh al-Zaidi has called an emergency meeting of the national security council today after US and Saudi Arabia launched air strikes this morning.

Iraq’s Popular Mobilisation Forces said at least eight members were killed in a joint Saudi-US strike on its sites across Iraq.

Saudi Arabia and the US military said this morning that they launched a joint strike targeting Iran-backed militias in Iraq.

Donald Trump has just launched an expletive-ridden threat against Tehran, after it launched a “surprise” attack against US bases.

“We’re going to beat the f***** s*** out of them,” the US president told Fox News.

“We’ll be hitting them hard. They’re going to get a beating,” he added.

The US military announced on Tuesday night that it intercepted Iran’s latest “surprise attack” by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps after Trump’s meeting with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday.

A man who fears persecution in Iran has spent 15 years in the UK battling a failed asylum claim, homeless and unable to lead a normal life, after repeated refusals by the Home Office to allow him to stay.

In the more than a decade he has been trapped in the asylum system, Mostafa Rahmani has not been allowed to work or been housed in Home Office accommodation – forced to depend on the kindness of friends to get by.

Mr Rahmani, now 41, he arrived in the UK from Iran in 2011 as a 26-year-old student looking to learn English. He came on a student visa, but claimed asylum a few days after arrival when he says Iranian security forces turned up at his family’s home in Tehran looking for him. He said that he had taken part in anti-government protests in 2011.

The Independent’s social affairs correspondent Holly Bancroft reports:

Yemen’s Houthi group this morning claimed to have shot down a Saudi reconnaissance drone over the Saada governorate.

Yahya Saree, a spokesperson for the Iran-backed group, said the “Karayel” type drone was targeted “while it was carrying out hostile actions in the airspace of Saada governorate”. It was brought down with an “appropriate weapon”, he said.

Earlier, the Houthi allegedly fired missiles at the Saudi oil tanker NCC Ghazal, forcing it to turn back.

Iran is reportedly expected to receive within weeks a first shipment of up to 400 Chinese-made shoulder-fired air-defence missile launchers.

The purchase, valued at $60-70m, is one of Tehran’s largest-known efforts to strengthen its short-range air defences since the outbreak of its war ⁠with the US and Israel, which exposed gaps in Iran’s ability to protect military sites and strategic infrastructure.

The contract covers the purchase of between 300 and 400 man-portable air defence systems (MANPADS), including Chinese-made QW-12 and FN-16 missiles, Reuters reported, citing sources.

The deal was signed with Zhongqing Baoshang International Investment. Sources told Reuters the Hong Kong-based company was acting as an intermediary between the Iranian side and the Chinese supplier.

Iraqi prime minister Ali al-Zaidi has called off a planned meeting with Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman in Jeddah on Thursday after pro-Iran Iraqi militia attacks on the kingdom, the Reuters news agency is reporting.

The attacks prompted a response from Washington and Riyadh, which jointly struck back at the Iran-backed groups in Iraq overnight.

Donald Trump held separate White House meetings with Volodymyr Zelensky and Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday, as Washington struggled to accomplish its goal of ending the major conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East.

The Ukrainian president and Israeli prime minister were both in Washington to attend the funeral of Republican senator Lindsey Graham, who died last month.

While details on the closed-door meetings remain sparse, Zelensky was expected to press Trump on his promise to grant Ukraine a licence to produce Patriot interceptor missiles to strengthen Kyiv’s air defences.

Ukraine has continuously requested Patriot air defence systems since the early months of Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022.

Speaking to reporters afterwards, the Ukrainian president confirmed that Trump had agreed to grant Ukraine licences to produce Patriot interceptor missiles domestically.