US-Iran war LIVE: ‘High chances of casualties’ after US-Israeli strikes hit Iran’s Mahshahr Petrochemical Zone

US Iran war LIVE updates: The Iranian Students’ News Agency (ISNA) reported that there are “high chances of casualties” after US-Israeli strikes hit Iran’s Mahshahr Petrochemical Zone in southern Khuzestan province.

Several explosions were heard at the hub, and smoke was seen rising from the area, as per reports.

US Iran war LIVE updates: Several explosions were heard at the Mahshahr Special Petrochemical Zone in Iran’s southwestern Khuzestan province, Fars news agency reported.

Smoke was seen rising from the region where the explosions occurred, Al Jazeera reported.

Further details are awaited.

US Iran war LIVE updates: Iran’s Fars news agency reported that “advanced modern” air defence systems used by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps shot down a United States MQ-1 drone over Isfahan province.

Earlier on Friday, Iran shot down two American military aircraft, an F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jet and an A-10 attack plane.

US Iran war LIVE updates: Pakistan on Saturday rejected media reports that its initiative to facilitate talks between the US and Iran to end the ongoing conflict in West Asia had hit obstacles after initial exchange of peace proposals.

Speculation emerged after a senior official of the Foreign Ministry briefed a select group of journalists on Pakistan’s efforts to find a negotiated settlement of the ongoing conflict.

Foreign Office spokesperson Tahir Andrabi in a statement rejected the media reports as “baseless” and a “figment of imagination”.

“We have noted several reports in the media, including on social media, citing so-called official government sources regarding the ongoing conflict in the region.”

US Iran war LIVE updates: The Israeli military has released a statement listing the sites it claims to have targeted in Tehran on Friday.

It said its air force struck “regime aerial defence sites, including an IRGC aerial defence site where missiles intended to target aircraft were stored”.

It also said it carried out a strike on a “military site responsible for safeguarding the regime’s weapons research and development facilities” and added that a location storing ballistic missiles was hit.

The military said that other weapons production, research and development facilities were also targeted.

US Iran war LIVE updates: Iranian and American forces raced each other Saturday to recover a crew member of the first US fighter jet to go down inside Iran since the start of the war.

Tehran said it had shot down the F-15 warplane, while US media reported United States special forces had rescued one of its two crew members, with the other still missing.

An Iranian television reporter on a local official channel said anyone who captured a crew member alive would “receive a valuable reward”.

The US military has announced the loss of several aircraft during Iran operations, including a tanker that crashed in Iraq and three F-15s shot down by Kuwaiti friendly fire.

US Iran war LIVE updates: A fire broke out early on Saturday at storage facilities belonging to foreign oil companies west of Iraq’s Basra after a drone strike, security sources told news agency Reuters.

US Iran war LIVE updates: Iran shooting down two American military aircraft marks a highly rare strike on US forces, something not seen in more than 20 years. It also indicates that the Islamic Republic still has the capacity to respond, despite US President Donald Trump saying it has been “completely decimated.”

Iran shot down a US F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jet on Friday. One service member has been rescued, while efforts are still underway to locate a second, according to US officials. Iranian state media also reported that a US A-10 attack aircraft went down after being hit by Iranian air defence systems.

The last time a US fighter jet was lost in combat was during the 2003 US invasion of Iraq, when an A-10 Thunderbolt II was shot down, said retired Air Force Brig Gen Houston Cantwell, a former F-16 pilot.

“The fact that this hasn’t happened until now is an absolute miracle,” said Cantwell, who served four combat tours and is now a senior resident fellow at the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies. “We’re flying combat missions here, they are being shot at every day.”

US Iran war LIVE updates: Several explosions were heard coming from northern Tehran in Iran, news agency AFP reported.

Earlier on Friday, Iran shot down a US F15-E Strike Eagle fighter jet, with one service member getting rescued and the search still underway for a second, American officials say. Iranian state media also said a US A-10 attack aircraft crashed after being hit by Iranian defence forces.

US Iran war LIVE updates: Amidst the ongoing maritime blockade of the Strait of Hormuz to hostile vessels, a senior Iranian legislator has suggested that Tehran could further escalate pressure on its adversaries by targeting the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, another of the world’s most critical maritime chokepoints.

Raising the stakes regarding global supply chain vulnerabilities, Ghalibaf questioned the extent of the world’s reliance on the passage. He asked, “What share of global oil, LNG, wheat, rice, and fertiliser shipments transits the Bab el-Mandeb Strait?”

The Speaker further suggested that specific nations and corporate entities might be particularly exposed to such a strategic move. “Which countries and companies account for the highest transit volumes through the strait?” the post continued, implying that the Islamic Republic is evaluating the most impactful ways to exert leverage.

US-Iran war LIVE: Pakistan’s attempt to position itself as a mediator in the West Asia conflict has hit a setback, with Iran refusing to engage with any US-led delegation in Islamabad, according to a report by the Wall Street Journal.

Iran has also termed the list of US demands as “unacceptable,” dimming prospects of an early resolution to the crisis.

Islamabad had sought to play a diplomatic role by facilitating communication between Washington and Tehran.

US-Iran war LIVE: Dubai authorities said a “minor incident” involving falling shrapnel on the facade of Oracle’s building in Dubai Internet City has been resolved.

The debris fell after a successful aerial interception, and no injuries were reported, they added.

US Iran war LIVE updates: Four US military planes had gone down during the Iran war before Friday’s search and rescue operation – three fighter jets hit by friendly fire over Kuwait and a refuelling tanker plane that crashed in Iraq following an incident with another US aircraft.

The KC-135 refuelling aircraft crashed in Iraq while supporting operations in Iran. All six crew members aboard the aircraft died. US officials attributed the crash to an unspecified incident involving two aircraft in “friendly airspace,” and said the other plane landed safely.

Separately, three US F-15E fighter jets were mistakenly targeted by friendly Kuwaiti fire. All six crew members ejected safely.

US Iran war LIVE updates: A French-owned and a Japanese-owned vessel are among a handful of ships to have transited the war-torn Strait of Hormuz, maritime tracking data showed Friday.

The passage, a vital route for oil and liquified natural gas, has been virtually blocked by Tehran since US-Israeli strikes on Iran triggered conflict throughout the Middle East.

Both ships made the crossing on Thursday, according to tracking company Marine Traffic.

US Iran war LIVE updates: A second US Air Force plane crashed in the Persian Gulf region on Friday, reports said. A video posted by the Consulate General of Iran in Mumbai showed the exact moment the US aircraft, an A-10 warplane, was struck by Iran.

US Iran war LIVE updates: Authorities in Dubai said on Saturday no fire or injuries were reported from debris falling on the facade of a building in the city’s Marina area following an aerial interception, according to a post on X by the emirate’s media office.

US Iran war LIVE updates: Authorities in the UAE said they responded to an incident after debris from an aerial interception fell onto the facade of a building in the Dubai Marina area.

No fire or injuries were reported, the Dubai Media Office said in a statement. Further details are awaited.

US Iran war LIVE updates: The first plane, a two-seat US F-15E jet, was shot down by Iranian fire, officials in both countries said.

The second plane, an A-10 Warthog fighter aircraft, was hit by Iranian fire and crashed over Kuwait, with the pilot ejecting, two US officials said.

Two Blackhawk helicopters involved in the search effort for the missing pilot were hit by Iranian fire but made it out of Iranian airspace, the two US officials told Reuters.

US Iran war LIVE updates: The Israeli military said Saturday it detected missiles fired from Iran, as Tehran pressed on with its retaliatory fire on the country after a US-Israeli bombing campaign began at the end of February.

“Defensive systems are operating to intercept the threat,” the Israeli military said on Telegram.

US Iran war LIVE updates: Loud explosions were heard in Lebanon’s Beirut on Saturday, AFP reported, as the Israeli military said it had begun striking “Hezbollah infrastructure” in the Lebanese capital.

The report said that at least two explosions were heard within half an hour, and smoke was reported billowing from one of them.

The Israeli military said on Telegram it “has begun striking Hezbollah infrastructure sites in Beirut”.

US Iran war LIVE updates: US President Donald Trump said the loss of a US military aircraft will not affect diplomatic talks with Iran, NBC News reported.

Rejecting suggestions that the incident could disrupt negotiations, he said, “No, not at all. No, it’s war. We’re in war.”

US Iran war LIVE updates: A second US Air Force aircraft crashed in the Persian Gulf region on Friday, the New York Times reported. This came as the United States was already running search-and-rescue efforts after Iran brought down a fighter jet in a separate incident.

The report said the A-10 Warthog went down near the Strait of Hormuz around the same time Iran shot down a US F-15E fighter jet, citing US officials. The pilot was rescued safely.

A US official said one of the two crew members from the F-15 jet has been found.