Image source, Reuters

General Dan Caine, chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, takes over.

He also pays tribute to the four crew killed in the KC-135 crash over western Iraq, and thanks all service members for their "dedication".

Caine says there has been a fire on board an aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R Ford, but that he believes the crew on board will "be okay".

The US continues to attack ballistic missile and drone capabilities, and "destroying" the Iranian navy and its ability to "attack commercial vessels", he adds.

Hegseth turns now to the "tragic crash" of KC-135 refuelling plane, which went down over western Iraq.

This morning, US Central Command (Centcom) said that "four of the six crew members on board the aircraft have been confirmed deceased".

"American heroes, all of them," he says.

Their "sacrifice will only recommit us to the resolve of this mission", he adds.

Hegseth says Iran's leadership is hiding and America's will is "unshakeable, our options maximised and our capabilities still building".

President Trump holds the cards, he says. "He'll determine the pace, the tempo and the timing of this conflict."

He says today, the US will launch "yet again, the highest volume of strikes that America has put over the skies of Iran".

Hegseth says Iran's new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, is "wounded" and "likely disfigured" (as our international editor wrote earlier, we do not have proof this is the case).

Referring to a written statement from Mojtaba read aloud on Iranian state TV yesterday, Hegseth questions why there was no footage or audio of him.

"I think you know why," he adds.

The defence secretary says Motjaba is "scared" and "injured", claiming he is "on the run" and "lacks legitimacy".

Image source, Pentagon

Continuing, Hegseth says Iran has no air force, air defence, or navy, and that their missile launchers are being destroyed .

Iran's missile volume is down 90%, and their one-way attack drones down 95%, he adds.

"But it's not just that Iran doesn't have a functioning air force, or their entire navy is at the bottom of the Persian gulf, or their missile force is shrinking daily, even more importantly, they also don't have the ability to build more," he says.

He adds that very soon all of Iran's defence companies "will be destroyed".

"We're shooting down and destroying what missiles they have in stock, and more importantly, ensuring they have no ability to build any more."

Iran is exercising "sheer desperation" in the Strait of Hormuz - the world's busiest oil shipping channel - but that's "something we're dealing with", he says.

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth begins speaking to the press assembled in the Pentagon.

The US is "decimating the radical Iranian regime's military, in a way the world has never seen before", he says.

He says Iran's military has been made "combat ineffective".

He says the combination of the US and Israeli airforces is "unbeatable", and that their intelligence is getting "better and more refined".

As a reminder, we'll bring you the key lines - and hit watch live above to follow.

Hegseth and US military chief to give updatepublished at 11:54 GMT 13 March

11:54 GMT 13 March

Tom Bateman
US State Department correspondent, in the Pentagon

Image source, EBU

I’m in the Pentagon press briefing where the room is filling up with reporters waiting for Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth and the chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Dan Caine.

I expect we’ll get a bit more detail on the news that broke last night of a US military refuelling plane that crashed in western Iraq. Officials have confirmed four of its six crew members were killed.

More broadly, watch to see how much we hear from Hegseth or Caine about the Strait of Hormuz.

This is turning into the critical strategic pressure point for Trump as Iran effectively closes it, driving up global oil prices.

The administration’s already said it’s not yet ready to start naval escorts for tankers. If or when it does, it will be a dangerous and complicated move with no guarantees of success.

Hegseth and Caine will be speaking at around 12:00 GMT (08:00 EDT). Watch live at the top of this page.

There is no evidence the Iranian regime is crumblingpublished at 11:38 GMT 13 March

11:38 GMT 13 March

Jeremy Bowen
International Editor

Image source, Reuters

There was an expectation from the Americans that once the supreme leader was killed on the first day of the war there would be a fairly rapid disintegration in Iran. But there is no evidence that the Iranian regime is crumbling.

Donald Trump is a man who believes in strong leadership. Maybe his theory was there would be a Venezuela-style event after Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed.

If that is the case it shows an alarming lack of knowledge about how the Iranian regime is structured.

Iran has a long history of defiance and hatred against the Americans and the Israelis.

The Israelis have explicitly said they will try and kill the new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei.

We do not have proof that he was wounded, perhaps grievously, in the attack that killed his father, wife, and a sister.

It is surprising that since Tehran is trying to build up a cult of his personality they did not take the opportunity to come up with some fresh material about how he is.

Meanwhile, concerns grow among Gulf countries that the Americans have left them with a terrible mess to clear up.

The Israel Defense Forces says Iranian missiles have been launched towards its territory.

"The IDF identified that a short time ago, missiles were launched from Iran toward the territory of the State of Israel. Defense systems are operating to intercept the threat," it says in a statement.

It comes after Israel launched further strikes towards Tehran earlier this morning.

The easing of oil sanctions - temporary or not - is welcome news for Russiapublished at 11:34 GMT 13 March

11:34 GMT 13 March

Steve Rosenberg
Russia editor

Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, thousands of international sanctions have been imposed on Moscow.

That’s why the easing of oil sanctions - however limited and temporary - is welcome news for the Kremlin. And timely.

Four years of war on Ukraine and four years of sanctions have put enormous strain on Russia’s economy.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent says the 30-day waiver for countries to purchase sanctioned Russian oil stranded at sea is "a narrowly tailored, short-term measure".

The Russians will be hoping for longer-term sanctions relief. But the 30-day exemption is a start.

"Without considerable volumes of Russian oil, stabilising the market is impossible," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists today.

But Friday's edition of the Izvestia newspaper claimed "Russian oil alone would not be able to stabilise the global market. In the current situation the problem is the scale of the shock [to the market]".

Bethany Bell
Germany reporter

Image source, Reuters

Germany’s Chancellor Friedrich Merz says the easing of sanctions on the use of Russian oil is "wrong”.

Speaking on a visit to Norway, Merz says "we believe it is wrong to ease sanctions now".

"There is currently a problem with prices, but not with supply," he says. "And in that respect, I would like to know what other factors led the US government to take this decision.”

He says Germany will not be "deterred or distracted" from its support of Ukraine by the Iran conflict.

Oil rig fire reported off coast of UAE, maritime security firm sayspublished at 11:16 GMT 13 March

11:16 GMT 13 March

Barbara Plett Usher
Reporting from Doha

A merchant vessel has reported a fire on an oil rig off the coast of the United Arab Emirates, according to a maritime security company.

The cause of the fire north-west of Dubai’s Jebal Ali port is being investigated, says Ambrey, noting that there’s been no damage to any ships or injuries to crews.

The incident is a reminder of continuing insecurity for oil production and exports in the region, with attacks on ships and ports.

Yesterday two oil tankers were set ablaze in Iraq's territorial waters near Basra Port.

Iran claimed the attack, saying it used an underwater drone. Other reports described the weapon as a drone boat, an unmanned speedboat carrying explosives

Either way Iran continues to be able to wreak havoc with shipping, even though US officials say its regular navy has largely been destroyed.

Image source, Reuters

The price of oil climbed back up to above $100 a barrel on Thursday as a result of the ongoing conflict, including threats to shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, the world's busiest oil shipping channel.

The US has loosened sanctions on the purchase of Russian oil and petroleum already loaded onto vessels at sea, in an attempt to reduce the global economic impact.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the temporary 30-day waiver would "not provide significant financial benefit to the Russian government", which said it had about 100 million barrels of oil currently in transit.

The Kremlin followed by saying Russia sees US actions as "trying to stabilise energy markets" and therefore both countries' interests are aligned.

But UK energy minister Michael Shanks told the BBC earlier that the UK would not loosen sanctions on Russian oil "at all", warning Vladimir Putin would be given an opportunity to invest more in the Ukraine war.

Image source, EPA

The Kremlin says Russian and US interests coincide after the Trump administration loosened sanctions on the purchase of Russian oil as a result of the conflict with Iran.

Oil prices have spiked in recent days as the war has escalated in the Middle East.

In a statement transcribed by Reuters, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov says that Russia sees "the United States taking action in an attempt to stabilise energy markets; in this regard, our interests align".

UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper has been speaking on her visit to Saudi Arabia (see our last post).

Russia and Iran are attempting to "hijack the global economy" as traffic through the Strait of Hormuz is restricted by attacks, she says.

Iran's new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei yesterday vowed to block shipping in the channel, in retaliation for ongoing US-Israeli strikes on his country. Overnight the US temporarily eased sanctions on the purchase of Russian oil.

Cooper says the links between Russia and Iran have been seen "over an extended period of time", adding that both countries show connections in their "approach" and "tactics".

"We see it in terms of the way these two states try to support each other and try to benefit together from attempting to hijack the global economy," she says.

Avoiding criticism of the US announcement on sanctions, Cooper calls that decision a "specific, targeted issue".

Frank Gardner
Security correspondent

Yvette Cooper has visited an Air Defence unit of the British Army operating in the Saudi desert.

She tells the BBC the detachment of soldiers from the Royal Artillery is part of the UK’s ongoing defence commitment to Saudi Arabia and its Gulf Arab neighbours.

The deployment, codenamed Operation Crossways, began in 2022 but has become more vital as Iran launches daily attacks against its Arab neighbours using drones, cruise and ballistic missiles.

The UK Defence Attache to Riyadh, Brigadier Ben Wilde, says Iran is primarily targeting US forces in the region, rather than British ones, as well as going after economic targets.

Explosion seen near pro-establishment rally in Tehranpublished at 10:18 GMT 13 March

10:18 GMT 13 March

Image source, Telegram

By Shayan Sardarizadeh and Ghoncheh Habibiazad

Footage verified by BBC Persian and BBC Verify show an explosion in the Iranian capital Tehran near a pro-establishment rally marking Quds Day.

Iran observes Quds Day on the last Friday of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. The event was established in 1979 by the founder of the Islamic Republic, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, as a demonstration of support for the Palestinian cause and opposition to Israel.

In one of the videos filmed near Tehran’s central Enghelab Square people can be heard shouting “Allahu Akbar” and “Death to America” while a plume of smoke can be seen in the background.

Footage also shows marchers holding photographs of Iran’s new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) earlier issued an evacuation warning for an area close to where the rally was taking place.

Iranian state media is reporting that huge explosions have been felt in central Tehran.

Thousands of Iranians are taking part in a march for Quds Day, which is in support of Palestinians.

Some of the explosions were reportedly heard not far from where the demonstration is taking place.

BBC Persian has verified multiple videos of the aftermath of the explosions that are circulating on social media.

A missile launched from Iran has been destroyed by Nato "assets", according to Turkey's defence ministry.

"A ballistic munition launched from Iran and entering Turkish airspace was neutralised by Nato air and missile defence assets deployed in the eastern Mediterranean," the ministry says in a statement posted on X.

It says that "all necessary measures are being taken decisively" towards threats against the country and its airspace.

In a post on X on Friday morning, US Central Command (Centcom) says that "four of the six crew members on board the aircraft have been confirmed deceased".

Centcom says the circumstances are being investigated and that the "loss of the aircraft was not due to hostile fire or friendly fire".

The identities of those killed will be withheld for 24 hours until next of kin can be notified.

Centcom said on Thursday evening that the KC-135 refuelling plane had gone down in "friendly airspace" and a second aircraft involved in the incident landed safely.