World News Today Live Updates: Probes Iran wedding strike that analysis shows was likely direct hit by US munition
JD Vance said that the United States was investigating a deadly strike on an Iranian wedding earlier this week.
· The Indian Express · JoinUS Vice President JD Vance pushed back on calling the ongoing conflict with Iran a “war,” even as fighting between the two countries continues six months after it began. Speaking at a White House briefing, Vance said the situation does not amount to a war because there is no active shooting right now, though he acknowledged tensions have flared at times. His remarks come as President Trump appears to be looking for a way to wind down a conflict that has weighed on his administration.
Key Updates
- No war, says Vance. Asked whether the conflict would end before the November midterms, Vance said he wouldn’t call it a war since there was no active shooting at the moment. He added that major combat only lasted six weeks after the fighting between the US and Israel started on February 28.
- Wedding strike under investigation. Vance confirmed the US is looking into a missile strike that hit a wedding in Kuhestak, Iran, killing at least five civilians. He said the US is investigating but questioned Iran’s account of the incident, saying he remains “extremely skeptical” of it given what he called Iranian state media’s poor record on reporting the conflict.
- No talks until shipping attacks stop. Vance said Washington will not restart negotiations with Tehran until Iran halts attacks on commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz. He said Iran simply needs to stop, calling it that straightforward.
- Iran strikes Kuwait and UAE. Iran said it carried out attacks on bases in Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates, framing them as retaliation for what it called US crimes against the Iranian people.
- Kuwait condemns the attacks. Kuwait denounced the repeated strikes on its territory, calling them a clear breach of its sovereignty and a direct threat to its security and stability.
Follow the latest world news and major international developments here. This live blog is a rolling curation of the day’s key global stories, with updates added as events unfold and the news agenda changes. The headline, introduction and Top Developments section will be refreshed throughout the day to reflect the stories that matter most at that moment.
Live Updates
Sep 4, 2026 09:10 AM IST
Nepal flood losses estimated at $2.56 billion, official says
Property, housing and infrastructure worth at least $2.56 billion (387.5 billion Nepalese rupees) was damaged in the Nepal's catastrophic floods last week, the country's disaster authority chief told Reuters on Friday.
The estimated cost of early recovery in the first four months to build roads, temporary shelters, provide drinking water and electricity would be around $52.6 million (7.95 billion Nepalese rupees), Dharma Raj Upreti, chief of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority said.
Sep 4, 2026 07:52 AM IST
Iran oil minister says industry continues to bypass US blockade
Iran's oil industry is still finding ways around the blockade imposed by US forces, according to Oil Minister Mohsen Paknejad. Speaking to the semi-official ISNA news agency, Paknejad said Tehran has managed to keep exporting oil despite the restrictions, though not without setbacks.
Key Points
Mixed success getting past the blockade. Paknejad said Iran faced restrictions on moving oil past the blockade line, adding: "In some cases we managed to get through, and in some cases that was not possible."
Reaching customers far from the Gulf. He said Iran has used workaround measures to sell and deliver oil to buyers located, in his words, "perhaps thousands of kilometers" from the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman.
Production up after the 12-day war. Paknejad said Iran raised its oil output by roughly 70,000 barrels per day following the 12-day war.
Sep 4, 2026 06:30 AM IST
US airlines weigh safety system to prevent midair collisions ahead of legal mandate, provider says
Some airlines are not waiting for a US legal mandate to look at outfitting planes with an additional system to avert midair collisions, according to the CEO of Acron Technologies, which retrofits Airbus jets with the equipment.
Acron, which has equipped American Airlines' single-aisle Airbus planes with the Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast In platform, is talking with most US carriers and could see another order by year's end, Acron CEO Alan Crawford said on Thursday.
Sep 4, 2026 06:28 AM IST
Eric Trump mocked after showing off new passport featuring Trump’s face
Eric Trump has posted a video showing his new US passport, which carries an image of his father on its cover. The document, called the “patriot passport,” includes President Trump’s own signature and a “250” stamp marking the country’s 250th anniversary, celebrated on July 4 this year. The special edition was created to commemorate the anniversary and is limited to 250,000 applicants.
Eric Trump shared the video on X, holding the passport up to the camera for viewers to see, but the reveal quickly drew mockery online, with critics accusing the design of promoting a “cult of personality” and questioning why Trump’s image appears on the document at all. Read more
Sep 4, 2026 06:11 AM IST
Israeli attacks on southern Lebanon continue
The Israeli military has attacked Wadi al-Salouki in the Bint Jbeil district, which sits south of the Litani River in southern Lebanon, reports the Lebanese government’s National News Agency.
The agency also reported that the Israeli military has been bombing al-Mansouri, a municipality in the coastal Tyre district, in addition to bombarding the outskirts of Nabatieh district’s al-Fawqa and Doha Kfar Remman with artillery shelling.
Sep 4, 2026 05:31 AM IST
US probes Iran wedding strike that analysis shows was likely direct hit by US munition
US Vice President JD Vance said that the United States was investigating a deadly strike on an Iranian wedding earlier this week that an analysis published by Reuters showed likely resulted from a direct hit by a US munition.
An explosion that ripped through a wedding celebration in southern Iran on Tuesday likely resulted from a direct hit by a US munition and not a ricochet off another target, according to an analysis on Thursday by weapons experts who reviewed images and video verified by Reuters.
Sep 4, 2026 04:57 AM IST
Iran war is not a war, US VP Vance says
US Vice President JD Vance said he would not categorise the Iran war as a war, despite continuing clashes with Tehran six months after the start of the conflict, AFP reported.
Vance's comments came amid growing signs that President Donald Trump is trying to draw a line under the conflict that has bogged down his administration.
"I wouldn't call it a war. Right now, there is no active shooting," Vance told a White House briefing when asked if the war would be over by US midterm elections in November.
Vance added that "I recognise there have been places where this has flared up" but said major combat operations only lasted for six weeks after the US-Israel war started on February 28.
"But when you ask when will this end, you're asking me a question like when will the Iranians stop shooting at ships? I think the reality is I don't know the answer to that question. You would have to ask the Iranians," he said.
After several weeks of calm, fresh clashes began with US raids on Sunday, deepening the impasse in the six-month war, as Iran maintains a stranglehold on the strategic Strait of Hormuz.
Vance insisted that the United States would not reopen talks with Iran until it ended attacks on commercial shipping.
Sep 4, 2026 04:53 AM IST
US hits Cuba with new sanctions as island's crises multiply
The United States imposed fresh sanctions on Cuba on Thursday, targeting officials and companies tied to the island's government in a move aimed at deepening its economic and energy troubles. The new measures come as blackouts across Cuba grow longer and more frequent, leaving many residents without power for days at a time.
Key Points
Who's affected. The sanctions hit Fidel Ernesto Castro, grandson of former President Raúl Castro, along with Cuba's Oil Industry Supply Import Company, known as Abapet, which handles imports of equipment needed to keep the country's power grid running. Experts say the goal is to knock out critical machinery and worsen Cuba's energy crisis, forcing the government to seek costlier workarounds that would drive up inflation.
Growing hardship on the ground. Outages across Cuba now last more than 24 hours a day in many areas as the aging power grid deteriorates and fuel supplies run low, a situation that worsened after President Trump threatened tariffs on countries supplying oil to the island. Sanctions expert Brett Erickson said the pressure is designed to create enough civilian hardship that Cubans are pushed toward ousting their own government.
Sharp exchanges between officials. Cuban officials condemned the move, with Deputy Prime Minister Oscar Pérez-Oliva Fraga calling the US embargo "genocide" and Cuba's ambassador in Mexico accusing Washington of trying to make life unbearable for ordinary Cubans. Secretary of State Marco Rubio defended the sanctions on social media, saying they target a "corrupt" network benefiting Cuba's elite while ordinary citizens struggle.
Sep 4, 2026 04:50 AM IST
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