Iran-US war live updates: Trump promises more strikes on Iran as conflict spirals in Middle East

The Kuwaiti army said a navy soldier was killed on Monday during an “operation” by the Gulf country’s armed forces.

The army did not provide details on the circumstances of the soldier’s death.

The war in the Middle East continued to escalate Monday, with multiple countries dragged into the growing conflict between the US, Israel and Iran.

The US and Israel has continued to pound Iran following the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei over the weekend, with president Donald Trump warning the worst is yet to come.

“We haven’t even started hitting them hard,” he told CNN. “The big wave hasn’t even happened. The big one is coming soon.”

Here’s how Monday unfolded, on the third day of the burgeoning crisis in Iran:

Alexander Freeman, partner and shipping specialist at British law firm Hill Dickinson, said the crisis is already having an impact on trade.

“We are now seeing the practical effects of a de facto closure of the Strait of Hormuz, despite the absence of any lawful shutdown under international law,” he told The Independent.

He assessed that trade may be unsafe even if permissible, meaning transit times could increase by up to two weeks as ships re-route from Asia to Europe and the US around the Cape of Good Hope.

He added: “With hundreds of vessels now stranded or rerouting, war‑risk premiums rising sharply, and insurers reassessing their exposure, the allocation of risk is shifting hour by hour.

“Given the increasing difficulty of establishing effective communication with ports and counterparties in the region, and the prospect that certain port nominations may now fail safe‑port warranties, the industry faces a rapidly evolving legal landscape in which contractual rights, operational judgments, and insurance considerations must be continually reassessed.”

The widening hostilities across the Middle East is putting civilian lives in grave danger, according to Mirjana Spoljaric, the president of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

In a statement shared this afternoon, Ms Spoljaric said: “The scale of major military operations flaring across the Middle East risks embroiling the region – and beyond – into another large-scale armed conflict that will overwhelm any humanitarian response.

“Without urgent steps to de-escalate the situation and respect the rules of war, further civilian lives will be lost.”

She stressed the obligation to uphold the rules of war and avoid civilians and civilian infrastructure, like schools.

“Medical personnel and first responders, such as the Red Cross and Red Crescent National Societies, must be protected in all circumstances and be able to carry out their work safely. All parties must allow and facilitate safe and unrestricted access for impartial humanitarian assistance to reach those in need.”

Former MI6 chief Sir John Sawers says that the US and Israel appear to have entered a “war of choice” – after Donald Trump said it was the “last, best chance” to strike Tehran.

“It’s always dangerous to use military force when you’re not clear what it is that you want to achieve,” he tells Sky News.

“We’re now in a great deal of uncertainty about what will happen. I don’t, myself, expect a chance of regime [where] some bunch of liberals come to power in Tehran. I think that’s far-fetched and fanciful.”

He suggests the regime still holds physical power in the military and police, able to put down dissent should it emerge. There remains no real opposition or militia, he adds.

He suggests a more pragmatic – but still authoritarian – regime could emerge, adding: “In some ways, where we are now that is the most desirable outcome.”

The regime could otherwise spawn a more hardline regime, targeting western targets. Otherwise, a regime could collapse into a “failed state”, with nothing to take its place.

Keir Starmer said he did not believe that an attempt to remove Iran’s leadership through aerial bombardment without a land invasion would work, which was one reason the UK did not join U.S.-Israeli strikes against Iran.

“This government does not believe in regime change from the skies,” Starmer told lawmakers on Monday, emphasising that military action needed a lawful basis and a “viable thought-through plan, with an objective that can be achieved.”

“They’re the principles that I applied to the decision not to get involved in the offensive strikes of the U.S. and Israel.”

Sir Keir Starmer on Monday hit back at Donald Trump and defended his decision not to allow British military bases to be used by the US for the first wave of strikes against Iran.

The prime minister granted permission on Sunday for the US to use UK bases to target Iran’s missile launchers and stores to help protect countries targeted by Tehran. But the US president said he was “very disappointed” in Sir Keir over his initial refusal to allow the US to use the UK-US Diego Garcia base on the Chagos Islands as part of the operation.

If you have been affected while in the region and would like to have your story heard, get in touch:

james.reynolds@independent.co.uk

Nato’s Mark Rutte says that it was “really crucial” that Trump took this action in comments to German TV.

He supports Trump’s rhetoric, saying the attacks are “really important” as they degrade Iran’s capacity to get its hands on nuclear and ballistic missiles.

He says there are “absolutely no plans” for the wider Nato bloc to get involved in the crisis, however.