Iran’s top security official has dismissed US President Donald Trump’s threats after he vowed to strike Iran “twenty times harder” if it continues to block the strategic Strait of Hormuz in retaliation for US-Israeli attacks.

Ali Larijani branded Trump’s threats “empty,” writing on Telegram: “Even those greater than you could not eliminate the Iranian nation. Be careful not to be eliminated!” 

A new wave of US-Israeli strikes has killed at least 40 people in Tehran, with the overall civilian death toll in the conflict on the Iranian side exceeding 1,300.

At the same time, Trump did not rule out new talks with Tehran while reiterating his criticism of Mojtaba Khamenei, who was elected as the supreme leader following the killing of his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has threatened to assassinate anyone who takes the post.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, who held a phone call with Trump on Monday, said the escalating conflict risks entirely choking off the region’s oil exports through the now “de-facto closed” Strait of Hormuz. But will the Iran war make Russia richer?

• The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps continues to block the Strait of Hormuz – but has reportedly promised full freedom of passage to any Arab or European country that expels US and Israeli ambassadors.

• Global oil prices briefly surged to nearly $120 per barrel on Monday before slipping back below the $100 mark. Trump has dismissed the spike as “a very small price to pay” for the war against Iran.

• As of Tuesday, the US-Israeli attacks have killed over 1,300 Iranian civilians, according to official data from Iran.

• The deadliest attack yet was a strike on a girls’ school in Minab in southern Iran that killed 168 children, with horrific footage emerging from the scene.

• US media outlets have said, citing available footage and analysis, that the school was hit by a US Tomahawk missile. Trump has dismissed the reports, insisting that Tehran is to blame.

• The US-Israeli strikes on oil facilities near Tehran have produced a “black rain” of toxic oil and soot, with residents reporting breathing difficulties. Online images and footage show thick smog over the capital, as Iran’s Red Crescent Society warns that the rain could be “highly dangerous and acidic.”

• US Central Command says eight service members have died in operations linked to the attacks on Iran, which has put its death toll in the hundreds.

• At least 13 Israelis have been killed in the crossfire so far. Iran’s retaliatory strikes on US bases in the region have killed at least four in the UAE, one in Bahrain, six in Kuwait, and two in Saudi Arabia.

Follow our live coverage for continuous updates. You can also read our previous updates here and here.

https://www.rt.com/news/634333-us-israel-iran-war-live-updates/

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