Live updates: Hegseth says Tuesday will be the ‘most intense day of strikes inside Iran’

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Tuesday during a news briefing that today will be the most intense day yet of U.S. strikes inside Iran. 

Early Tuesday, Iran fired drones towards Saudi Arabia and Kuwait early as President Donald Trump sent mixed messages about how long the war could last.

Trump on Monday said that the "excursion" in Iran will be "short-term" and laid out plans to implement oil-related sanctions to alleviate price hikes. 

RELATED: Trump says 'excursion' in Iran will be 'short-term'

But hours later, Trump threatened in a social media post that the U.S. will dramatically increase attacks if Iran tries to close the Strait of Hormuz, the Associated Press reported. 

Prices of oil began to slowly fall and stocks in the United States rose on hopes that the war with Iran may not last much longer.

Here’s the latest from Tuesday: 

Senators are expecting a report on Iran school strike

12:36 p.m. ET: According to the Associated Press, U.S. Senators emerged from a classified briefing stating there is an ongoing Department of Defense investigation into a strike that killed 165 people at a girls school near an Iranian military base.

"They have a timeline in which they want to be able to provide us with a full report," said Republican Sen. Mike Rounds, who sits on the Senate Armed Services Committee.
"We are a nation that does not target civilians," he added.

The AP noted that mounting evidence points to U.S. culpability for the Feb. 28 strike, but Trump has repeatedly claimed Iran was responsible for the blast.

US House speaker says Iran war is ‘limited in scope’

12:35 p.m. ET: The Associated Press reported that House Speaker Mike Johnson said the operation in Iran is "by design limited in scope and mission."

Speaking to reporters Tuesday in Florida, the Republican said he thought the mission "is being achieved."

"It’s nearly completed," he said.

He also characterized rising gas prices in the U.S. as a "temporary blip." He said it will take "a couple of weeks for gas prices to come back down."

The first 2 days of Iran war cost the US $5 billion in munitions alone

12:30 a.m. ET: The Associated Press reported that an estimate the Pentagon sent to Congress does not appear to include other war-related expenses besides munitions, according to a person who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the private briefing.

According to the AP, the tally is higher than previous estimates by outside analysts, and the daily amount is expected to fluctuate. The war is currently in its 11th day.

The Trump administration has said it may seek supplemental war funds from Congress, but several lawmakers have insisted they would refuse to approve any more money for the Pentagon.

The annual Defense bill sent some $838 billion to the Pentagon earlier this year and the Defense Department was provided $150 billion in extra funds last year as part of Trump’s big tax breaks bill that became law.

Witkoff says Russians told Trump on Monday that they were not sharing intelligence with Iran

12:25 p.m. ET: The Associated Press reported that President Donald Trump's envoy said during an interview Tuesday on CNBC that the issue was raised during a call Trump had with Putin and the Russians told the president they were not sharing intelligence.

"We can take them at their word," Steve Witkoff said.

State Department says more than 40,000 Americans have returned to US from the Middle East since start of Iran war

12:20 p.m. ET: According to the Associated Press, the vast majority of Americans have returned commercially without government assistance.

The State Department said in a statement obtained by the AP on Tuesday that it has organized more than two dozen charter flights that have carried thousands of U.S. citizens from various Mideast countries to either the United States or Europe but that most of the more than 27,000 who have sought help "have declined assistance when offered, opting either to remain in country or book more convenient commercial flight options."

"At this time, seats available on the department’s charter options are significantly greater than the demand from Americans in the region," it said, adding that those charter flights "continue to operate with less than 40% occupancy on average."

State Department authorizes up to $40M in emergency funds to pay for evacuation charter flights for Americans

12:19 p.m. ET: The Associated Press reported that with transportation disrupted by the Iran war, the U.S. State Department approved using the $40 million from a fund normally reserved for emergencies involving diplomatic and consular staff, according to two U.S. officials who weren’t authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

The State Department confirmed the use of the emergency funds but declined to specify the amount.

"We have sufficient funding to cover our efforts to date," it said in response to a query from The Associated Press. "The administration will work with Congress should additional funding be necessary."

Under federal law, private Americans are obligated to reimburse the government for such transportation but Secretary of State Marco Rubio waived that requirement last week.

About half of Americans worry about US safety as the Iran war continues, polls show

12:15 p.m. ET: Citing new polling, the Associated Press reported that many Americans worry Trump’s recent military decisions have made the U.S. less safe.

Roughly half of voters in Quinnipiac and Fox News polls said the U.S. military action in Iran makes the U.S. "less safe," while only about 3 in 10 in each poll said it made the country safer. A CNN poll found about half of U.S. adults thought the military action would make Iran "more of a threat" to the U.S., while only about 3 in 10 thought it would lessen the danger.

In that same CNN poll, about 6 in 10 U.S. adults said they trusted Trump "not much" or "not at all" to make the right decisions about the U.S. use of force in Iran.

More people oppose than support the US military action, polls show

11:30 a.m. ET: Americans are divided along party lines on U.S. military action against Iran, according to polls conducted since the war began, with most polls showing opposition is higher than support.

About half of registered voters — 53% — oppose U.S. military action against Iran, according to a Quinnipiac Poll conducted over the weekend. Only 4 in 10 support it, and about 1 in 10 are uncertain.

A recent Fox News poll found opinions more evenly divided.

Voters are worried about gas prices, a new poll shows

11:15 a.m. ET: The Associated Press reported that oil prices may already be alarming voters, a new poll suggests

A Quinnipiac poll conducted over the weekend found roughly 7 in 10 registered voters are "very" or "somewhat" concerned that the war will cause oil and gasoline prices to rise. Only about one-quarter of voters are "not so concerned" or "not concerned at all."

The highest levels of concern are driven by Democrats and independents, but about half of Republicans are also at least somewhat concerned about the war increasing gas prices.

Caine: No request for tanker escorts through Strait of Hormuz yet

9 a.m. ET: The Associated Press reported that Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, says the military is considering options to ensure the Strait of Hormuz is open for tanker traffic but has not yet been asked to escort tankers through the narrow passage.

Speaking at a Pentagon news briefing, Caine said military leaders are looking at "a range of options" and would present them to Trump if asked.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth noted President Donald Trump’s threat on Monday to increase strikes on Iran by 20 times if it stops the flow of oil through the Strait. He also said Iran’s decision to target its neighbors was a desperate move that would only drive other Middle East nations toward the U.S., the AP reported. 

"I can’t say that we anticipated necessarily that’s exactly how they would react," Hegseth said.

Iran is firing off fewer ballistic missiles, drones since U.S. campaign began

8:45 a.m. ET: Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, says the number of ballistic missiles fired off by Iran continues to go down since the first day of the U.S. military’s campaign against Iran.

Speaking at a Pentagon news briefing, Caine said missile attacks have fallen 90% and one-way attack drones have decreased 83% since the war began.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the numbers show U.S. strikes are making progress by wearing down Iran’s defenses and its ability to strike its neighbors and U.S. forces.

"That is strong evidence of degradation," Hegseth said of the numbers.

Hegseth says Tuesday will be the "most intense day of strikes inside Iran"

8:15 a.m. ET: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told reporters Tuesday morning from the Pentagon that "today will be yet again our most intense day of strikes inside Iran."

The Associated Press reported that Hegseth’s statement came shortly after he said that "the last 24 hours have seen Iran fire the lowest amount of missiles they have fired yet."

Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said at the same news conference that the U.S. military is moving into the 11th day of its operation against Iran, the AP noted. 

Operation Epic Fury news conference

7:22 a.m. ET: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Air Force General Dan Caine will hold an on-camera press briefing at 8 a.m. ET in the Pentagon Press Briefing Room.

Iranian security official threatens Trump

7:20 a.m. ET: The Associated Press reported that Ali Larijani wrote a message on X Tuesday after President Donald Trump threatened to attack Iran "TWENTY TIMES HARDER" if Tehran stopped oil flowing through the Strait of Hormuz.

RELATED: Seventh fallen US soldier identified as Sgt. Benjamin Pennington, 26, of Kentucky

Larijani wrote: "The sacrificial nation of Iran doesn’t fear your empty threats. Even those bigger than you couldn’t eliminate Iran. Be careful not to get eliminated yourself."

Accordign to the AP, Iran has been accused of plotting attempts to kill Trump in the past.

7th fallen soldier returns to US

Vice President JD Vance and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth joined the grieving family of a Kentucky man who was the seventh U.S. service member to die in combat during the Iran war as his remains were brought back to the U.S. Monday evening.

The dignified transfer, which honors U.S. service members killed in action, took place at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware. 

Army Sgt. Benjamin N. Pennington, 26, of Glendale, Kentucky, died Sunday after being wounded during a March 1 attack on the Prince Sultan Air Base, Saudi Arabia, a Pentagon statement said.

The Pentagon also released the names of the other soldiers who were killed after a drone strike in Kuwait earlier this week:  

• Sgt. 1st Class Nicole Amor, 39, of White Bear Lake, Minnesota.
• Capt. Cody Khork, 35, of Winter Haven, Florida.
• Sgt. Declan Coady, 20, of Des Moines, Iowa.
• Chief Warrant Officer 3 Robert Marzan, 54, of Sacramento
• Maj. Jeffrey O’Brien, 45, of Waukee, Iowa.
• Sgt. 1st Class Noah Tietjens, 42, of Bellevue, Nebraska.

All six were assigned to the 103rd Sustainment Command based in Des Moines, Iowa. 

Trump disappointed after Iran names new leader

On Monday, the president shared he was disappointed with Iran's newest leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, son of the country’s late supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamene.

Khamenei was named the successor on Sunday. 

He had long been considered a contender, even before an Israeli strike killed his father at the start of the war, and despite never being elected or appointed to a government position.

Iran’s powerful paramilitary Revolutionary Guard answers to the supreme leader, and now the younger Khamenei will have the central say in war strategy.

The 88-seat Assembly of Experts, a group of clerics, selects Iran’s supreme leader.