Trump calls Strait of Hormuz 'something that we don't need'

The State Department says it is now aware of more than 40,000 American citizens who have returned to the U.S. since Feb. 28 and that its 24/7 task force has helped more than 27,000 Americans abroad.

The department’s figure on charter flights stands at “over two dozen,” which have “safely evacuated thousands.” It says these operations are continuing for the time being even though demand is lessening and flights are operating at a 40% capacity.

British Airways announced on Tuesday that it is canceling all of its flights to and from Amman, Jordan; Doha, Qatar; Dubai, UAE; Tel Aviv and Bahrain until later this month.

The airline cited "continuing uncertainty of the situation in the Middle East and airspace instability."

The airline also canceled all of its flights to Abu Dhabi until later this year.

A new Ipsos poll found that 43% of Americans disapprove of the U.S. strikes on Iran, while 29% approve of them. Another 26% are unsure.

The polling, which ran from March 6 to 9, found that 64% say that President Donald Trump has not explained the objectives of the war clearly.

As a result of the U.S. military action in Iran, 67% think gas prices will get worse over the next year, including 85% of Democrats, 73% of independents and 44% of Republicans, the polling found. Nearly half of the respondents think the conflict will have a mostly negative impact on their own personal financial situation.

Americans are also more likely to think U.S. military involvement in Iran will go on for an “extended period of time,” 60%, rather than “end pretty quickly in a matter of weeks,” 36%.

Nine Iranian drones were able to make it through air defenses in the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday, the UAE Ministry of Defense said in a post on X.

Twenty-six drones and eight ballistic missiles were intercepted on Tuesday, according to the ministry.