Live updates: Iran confirms security chief killed amid launch of more strikes
Israel’s defense minister told the Associated Press on Wednesday that the military killed Iranian Intelligence Minister Esmail Khatib.
The AP reported that the attacks came hours after Iranian state media confirmed Israel’s military killed top Iranian security official Ali Larijani in an overnight strike, as well as Gen. Gholam Reza Soleimani, the head of the Revolutionary Guard’s Basij force, known for its role in suppressing protests.
People react at the site of an Israeli airstrike in Beirut's Bashoura neighborhood on March 18, 2026. (Photo by Ibrahim Amro / AFP via Getty Images)
Iran launched strikes against Israel and neighboring Gulf countries on Wednesday, with explosions heard in the United Arab Emirates and Qatar and interceptions reported in Saudi Arabia.
RELATED: Top Iranian officials killed as strikes continue in the Middle East
The U.S.-Israeli war with Iran has killed at least 1,300 people in Iran, more than 900 in Lebanon and 14 in Israel, according to officials in those countries. The U.S. military says 13 U.S. service members have been killed and about 200 wounded.
Here are the latest updates from Wednesday.
CIA director doesn’t confirm that Iran could have threatened US with a missile in 6 months
11:45 a.m. ET: The Associated Press reported that CIA Director John Ratcliffe told legislators at a Senate hearing Wednesday that an unencumbered Iran could have developed missiles with a range of 1,864 miles that could strike Europe.
Ratcliffe also said Iran would have developed the ability to threaten the U.S. if it had continued to work on its booster technologies.
According to the AP, the CIA director did not directly answer a question from Republican Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas regarding whether Iran could have had a missile to threaten the U.S. "in as few as six months."
Ratcliffe told Cotton he was "right to be concerned." But the CIA director did not provide a time frame for when Iran could have threatened Europe or the U.S. with a missile.
Days after launching the war, Trump administration officials told congressional staff in private briefings that U.S. intelligence did not suggest Iran was preparing to launch a preemptive strike against the U.S.
US national intelligence director avoids saying whether she warned Trump about fallout from attacking Iran
11 a.m. ET: The Associated Press reported that U.S. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard dodged when asked by senators during a hearing about whether she had warned President Donald Trump about the possibility of Iran attacking other Gulf nations and threatening ships in the Strait of Hormuz.
"I have not and won’t divulge internal conversations," Gabbard said in response to questions from Democratic Sen. Mark Warner. "I will say that those of us within the intelligence community continue to provide the president with all of the best objective intelligence available to inform his decisions."
According to the AP, Warner was frustrated with Gabbard’s lack of a clear response and pointed to Trump’s remarks that suggest he did not expect Iran to launch an attack on other Gulf nations or close the Strait of Hormuz, which is vital for oil exports from the region.
Top counterterrorism official Kent resigns over Trump’s Iran war
Dig deeper:
Joe Kent, Director of the U.S. National Counterterrorism Center, has resigned from the Trump administration, according to the Associated Press.
Kent said he "cannot in good conscience" back Trump’s war in Iran.
RELATED: Who is Joe Kent? Trump counterterrorism admin, veteran resigns over Iran war
Iran "posed no imminent threat to our nation, and it is clear that we started this war due to pressure from Israel and its powerful American lobby," Kent posted on social media Tuesday.
Kent is a former political candidate with connections to right-wing extremists who was confirmed to his post last July on a 52-44 vote, the AP noted.
Energy supply concerns grow
Big picture view:
Iran’s grip on the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world’s oil is transported, is sparking concerns about tightening energy supplies.
A few ships have crossed through the strait, and Iran has said the waterway technically remains open — just not for the United States, Israel and their allies. About 20 vessels have been struck.
With oil prices rising, Trump has demanded that roughly a half-dozen countries send warships to ensure ships can pass through the strait but said he has not gotten any support.
The Source: Information for this article was taken from The Associated Press and previous reporting by FOX Local. This story was reported from San Jose and Washington, D.C.