LIVE | Trump to allies who refused to collaborate in Middle East: 'WE DO NOT NEED THE HELP OF ANYONE!'

The Israeli military said Tuesday that it would hunt down Iran's new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei.

"We don't know about Mojtaba Khamenei, we [haven’t heard] him, we [haven’t seen] him, but I can tell you one thing: we will track him down, find him, and neutralize him," military spokesman Brigadier General Effie Defrin told reporters.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards confirmed Tuesday the death of the commander of the Basij paramilitary force, Gholamreza Soleimani, announced in the morning by Israel.

Israel reported that the powerful secretary of the High National Security Council, Ali Larijani, and General Soleimani, head of the Basij militia, which is in charge of maintaining order in Iran, were killed in overnight bombings. Iran has not yet confirmed Larijani's death.

Several loud explosions were heard Tuesday afternoon in the Iraqi capital Baghdad, AFP journalists reported, and a security official reported a drone and rocket attack on the U.S. embassy.

At a restaurant in the city, one witness told AFP he saw explosions in the sky caused by gunfire from embassy air defenses intercepting the projectiles.

Another witness saw fire at the embassy from his balcony, and a security official also reported a fire that he said was caused by a drone.

Trump accused NATO of making an "absurd mistake" in the Strait of Hormuz. The president also claimed that British Prime Minister Starmer made a "big mistake" by not supporting the United States in Iran.

The president's position came after he lashed out at NATO allies who refused to participate in the offensive against Iran or the operations to secure navigation through the Strait of Hormuz.
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​"I am not surprised by their action, however, because I always considered NATO, where we spend Hundreds of Billions of Dollars per year protecting these same Countries, to be a one way street — We will protect them, but they will do nothing for us, in particular, in a time of need," the president said after assuring that most of the allies had refused to participate in the conflict in the Middle East.

President Donald Trump declared Tuesday that a top U.S. counterterrorism official who resigned in protest over the war on Iran was "very weak on security" and that it is "a good thing" he resigned.

Joseph Kent, director of the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC), resigned Tuesday, saying he "cannot in good conscience support the ongoing war in Iran."
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For her part, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard supported President Donald Trump and stated that the Republican, as Commander-in-Chief, "he is responsible for determining what is and is not an imminent threat, and whether or not to take action he deems necessary to protect the safety and security of our troops, the American people and our country".

Donald Trump again lashed out at Atlantic Alliance allies who refused to participate in the offensive against Iran or operations to secure shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.

"I am not surprised by their action, however, because I always considered NATO, where we spend Hundreds of Billions of Dollars per year protecting these same Countries, to be a one way street — We will protect them, but they will do nothing for us, in particular, in a time of need," the president said after assuring that most NATO allies had refused to participate in the conflict in the Middle East.

Trump assured that due to "such military success" of Operation Epic Fury against both the Iranian military and leadership, "we no longer need, or desire, the NATO Countries’ assistance — WE NEVER DID!" The same is true, he assured, for Japan, Australia and South Korea.

"In fact, speaking as President of the United States of America, by far the Most Powerful Country Anywhere in the World, WE DO NOT NEED THE HELP OF ANYONE!" he added.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday that the assassination of Tehran's national security chief Ali Larijani was part of efforts to give Iranians a chance to oust their rulers.

"This morning we eliminated Ali Larijani, the boss of the Revolutionary Guards, which is the group of gangsters that actually runs Iran," Netanyahu said in a televised statement.

He said the overthrow of the clerical authorities by Iranians "will not happen all at once, it will not happen easily. But if we persist in this — we will give them a chance to take their fate into their own hand s."

The New York Stock Exchange opened higher on Tuesday despite rising oil prices due to the war in Iran, and on the first day of the U.S. Federal Reserve meeting.

In early trading, the Dow Jones index was up 0.70%, the Nasdaq went up 0.37% and the S&P 500 gained 0.46%.

British Airways announced Tuesday that it is suspending its flights to Amman, Bahrain, Dubai and Tel Aviv until May 31 "due to the continuing uncertainty of the situation in the Middle East."

Connections to Abu Dhabi, UAE, will resume on Oct. 25, as previously announced, while flights to Riyadh and Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, continue to operate as scheduled, the company said in a statement. Flights to Doha, Qatar, remain suspended until April 30.

The Israeli defense minister announced Tuesday that its army had eliminated Ali Larijani, a key figure in the Iranian regime for decades and current head of the High Security Council, and the general who commands the Islamist Basij militia.

"The chief of general staff has just informed me that Larijani, secretary of the High National Security Council, and Gen. Gholamreza Soleimani, head of the Basij, Iran's central repressive apparatus, were eliminated last night," Minister Israel Katz said in a video message.

Larijani is a key player in the Islamic republic and one of its ideologues.  Larijani threatened U.S. President Donald Trump last week, warning him to be careful “not to be eliminated.”

"Iran is not afraid of your empty threats. Others more powerful than you tried to eliminate the Iranian nation and did not succeed. Be careful not to be eliminated!" Larijani wrote on X in response to earlier threats by the Republican leader.

The Pentagon said Monday that approximately 200 U.S. service members have been injured since the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran broke out.

The "vast majority" of those injuries have been "minor" and more than 180 troops have returned to duty, Central Command (CENTCOM) spokesman U.S. Navy Capt. Tim Hawkins told The Hill in a statement.

Oil prices jumped more than 5%, after several countries dismissed U.S. President Donald Trump's call to support reopening the Strait of Hormuz, as Iran continued its attacks on its Gulf neighbors.

A barrel of West Texas Intermediate (WTI), the U.S. market benchmark, was up 5.16% to $98.32, after falling 5.3% the day before. North Sea Brent, the global market benchmark, was up 4.67% at $104.88 a barrel, after falling 2.8% on Monday.

The Israel Defense Forces resumed bombing Tehran and Lebanon, while Iran and its proxies responded with fresh barrages on Gulf countries and the Jewish state.

An E.U. foreign ministers meeting in Brussels ruled out the idea of sending the European Aspides maritime traffic protection mission to the Strait of Hormuz, said the bloc's diplomatic chief, Kaja Kallas.