Pete Hegseth says US ‘knows exactly what Russia and China are doing’ amid claims they are supporting Iran – live updates

By JAMIE BULLEN, LIVE COVERAGE EDITOR

Updated: 14:40 EDT, 31 March 2026

Pete Hegseth has said the US knows ‘exactly’ what roles Russia and China are playing in the Iran war amid claims both countries are supporting Tehran.

The US Defense Secretary insists Washington will confront Moscow and Beijing ‘where necessary’ as he provided an update on the war in a Pentagon briefing today.

Asked about reports of the countries providing support to Tehran during the conflict, Hegseth said: ‘As far as Russia and China, we know exactly what they’re doing, what they are or are not doing.

‘We don’t have to air publicly what all of that is, but where necessary, we’re addressing it, we’re mitigating it or we’re confronting it head on.’

Russia has been accused of providing Iran with the locations of American assets to attack and sharing advanced drone tactics.

While China is said to be providing military co-operation, according to Iranian foreign minster Abbas Araghchi.

Follow the latest updates on the US-Israel war with Iran 

Hegseth – We know what Russia and China are doing for Iran

The US ‘knows exactly’ what China and Russia are doing in regards to the Iran war, Pete Hegseth has claimed today.

Hegseth told a Pentagon briefing that Washington will ‘address’ and even ‘confront’ both Moscow and Beijing ‘where necessary’.

It comes amid claims both nations are supporting Tehran in its war against the US and Israel.

Asked about reports of Russia and China aiding Iran, Hegseth said: ‘As far as Russia and China, we know exactly what they’re doing, what they are or are not doing.

‘We don’t have to air publicly what all of that is, but where necessary, we’re addressing it, we’re mitigating it or we’re confronting it head on.’

Russia has been accused of passing Iran the locations of American assets to attack and sharing advanced drone tactics.

While China is said to be providing military co-operation, according to Iranian foreign minster Abbas Araghchi.

Day 32 of the Iran war: Everything you need to know

Here’s all the latest developments on the US-Israel war with Iran:

Donald Trump told countries including the UK ‘go get your own oil’ as he challenged nations to get supplies straight from the Strait of HormuzFears are growing the UK faces a jet fuel shortage in days as the ‘last shipment’ from the Middle East arrives in the next 48 hoursTrump also lashed out at France describing the nation as ‘very unhelpful’ over the Iran war amid claims Emmanuel Macron blocked US planes from French airspaceThe President has reportedly signalled to aides he is willing to leave the Iran war without reopening the Strait of Hormuz Pete Hegseth has said the US ‘knows exactly’ what China and Russia are doing amid claims the countries are supporting IranHegseth told a Pentagon briefing the US would ‘much prefer’ a deal to end the war with Iran’s leadershipAn Iranian drone has stuck a fully loaded Kuwaiti tanker anchored at Dubai portIran’s Revolutionary Guards have claimed an Israeli-owned ship has been struck in the Persian Gulf and US marines have been targeted with drones in the UAEIsrael’s emergency services say eight people have been injured after an Iranian missile strike in central IsraelIsraeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the war on Iran had achieved more than half its aims without putting a timeline on when it would endItaly denied US bombers access to an air base in Sicily last week after pilots apparently failed to ask for permission to landChina has expressed its ‘gratitude’ after ships pass Strait of Hormuz

Stick with us for the latest developments throughout the day.

People should not face daily dangers caused by Iranian-backed terrorists, says US ambassador to UN

Speaking of heightened tensions in the Middle East for nearly one month now, the US ambassador to the United Nations told a meeting of the Security Council on Tuesday that the citizens should not face the daily dangers posed by Iran.

‘The suffering in this region is immense and has gone on for far too long. Parents, children, and grandparents… should not face the daily dangers caused by Iranian-backed terrorists,’ the US ambassador Michael Waltz said on Tuesday.

‘People in this region deserve a different future, one defined by security and economic opportunity and normal life, not by rockets, tunnels and the constant threat of escalation and retaliation,’ Waltz said.

Narges Mohammadi in ‘critical’ health condition in Iranian prison, representative says

Iranian human rights activist and Nobel Laureate Narges Mohammadi is in critical condition and may have experienced what could be a heart attack, according to a representative.

Last week, Mohammadi was found unconscious and with her eyes rolled back while in bed in Iran’s Zanjan Prison, according to an update posted to her foundation’s website.

This lasted for more than an hour, and despite indications that she’d suffered a heart attack, Mohammadi wasn’t allowed to transfer to the hospital or let her visit a specialist, the statement added.

Mohammadi’s lawyers and sister visited her in the prison for the first time on Sunday, after over 100 days of detention, and saw her looking very unwell, according to the representative.

The Free Narges Coalition Steering Committee said: ‘Narges Mohammadi’s life is in imminent danger, and we call on Iranian authorities to heed our warning and provide the medical care that she urgently needs, by granting her an immediate medical furlough. The violation of the ‘principle of separation of crimes’, housing Mohammadi with violent offenders despite her critical heart disease and recent physical trauma and injuries, coupled with wartime conditions and explosions now directly threatening prisoners’ lives and well-being, are exacerbating this threat to her life. Furthermore, we call for the immediate release on humanitarian grounds of all jailed human rights defenders, writers, and journalists; under these dangerous conditions, their safety can only be guaranteed by their removal from prisons and other detention zones, and Iranian law has provisions for their temporary release during wartime.’

Since her arrest in December, 2025, Mohammadi has reported experiencing headaches, nausea, and ‘decreased vision in both eyes,’ according to her foundation, which reports that her arrest was violent and she was subjected to ‘repeated blows to her head.’

Tehran signals willingness to end conflict and seeks guarantees

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Tuesday his country had the ‘necessary will’ to end the ongoing war with Israel and the United States, but was seeking guarantees that the conflict would not be repeated.

‘We possess the necessary will to end this conflict, provided that essential conditions are met – especially the guarantees required to prevent repetition of the aggression,’ Pezeshkian said in a phone conversation with the president of the European Council, according to a statement from his office, reiterating a key demand of Tehran’s.

Kuwaiti oil tanker blaze contained after drone attack

Authorities in Dubai said on Tuesday morning they had ‘contained’ a fire on a Kuwaiti oil tanker after it came under apparent attack from an Iranian drone.

Officials said there was ‘no oil leakage and no injuries reported’ after response teams contained the fire.

Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC) said early on Tuesday that the Al-Salmi tanker was struck while anchored at the port in the United Arab Emirates, causing damage to the vessel and a fire on board, and had warned of a possible oil spill in the surrounding waters.

UN says initial findings show roadside blast killed Lebanon peacekeepers

A roadside explosion appears to have struck the convoy of two Indonesian peacekeepers killed in southern Lebanon, the UN peacekeeping chief said today, citing initial findings of an investigation.

The two peacekeepers with the UNIFIL force were killed yesterday near Bani Hayyan in south Lebanon, and two other soldiers were wounded.

Another Indonesian soldier was killed overnight Sunday into yesterday when a projectile exploded near one of the group’s positions.

‘UNIFIL is conducting investigations to determine the circumstances of these reprehensible developments,’ Jean-Pierre Lacroix, the head of UN peacekeeping, told a UN Security Council meeting on Lebanon.

Israel’s UN ambassador, Danny Danon, blamed the deaths of the three peacekeepers on Hezbollah. 

He charged that the group launches rockets from villages next to UN positions, ‘putting peacekeepers directly in the line of fire.’

Asked about Danon’s statement, UNIFIL spokesperson Kandice Ardiel said: ‘We invite them to share their evidence with our investigative team.’

Iraqi police ‘chasing vehicle in which foreign journalist was taken’

Iraqi police sources have said they are chasing a vehicle in which a foreign journalist was taken, Reuters reported.

Police sources said she was taken by force by four men in civilian clothes.

The search is focused on the eastern part of the capital where the kidnappers’ vehicle was headed, police sources added.

Putin speaks by phone with UAE president

Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed ‘serious concern’ about the ongoing war to his Emirati counterpart, Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, during their phone conversation on Tuesday.

The Kremlin readout of the call said they emphasised ‘the importance of a swift cessation of hostilities and intensification of political and diplomatic efforts towards a peaceful resolution of the conflict, while respecting the legitimate interests of all states in the region, with which Russia traditionally maintains friendly and mutually beneficial relations.’

UN says Israel’s death penalty law would be a ‘war crime’

The United Nations rights chief has slammed the Israeli parliament’s approval of a ‘deeply discriminatory’ new death penalty bill, warning that applying it in the occupied Palestinian territory ‘would constitute a war crime’.

The new law, which would make the death penalty the default punishment for Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied West Bank found guilty of intentionally carrying out deadly attacks deemed ‘acts of terrorism’ by an Israeli military court, ‘is patently inconsistent with Israel’s international law obligations’, Volker Turk said in a statement.

“Its application to residents of the occupied Palestinian territory would constitute a war crime,” he said.

Kuwait says five ballistic missiles and seven drones intercepted over past 24 hours

The Kuwaiti army on Tuesday said air defences had dealt with five ballistic missiles and seven drones over the past 24 hours.

‘During the past 24 hours, the armed forces detected and dealt with 5 hostile ballistic missiles and 7 hostile drones within Kuwaiti airspace, and they were dealt with according to the procedures followed,’ the army said in a statement on X.

Israel gives more information on four soldiers killed in Lebanon

In an update Tuesday evening, the Israeli military said soldiers from the Nahal reconnaissance unit engaged in close combat after militants opened fire on them overnight in southern Lebanon.

With support from aircraft and tanks, the militants were killed, according to the statement.

The IDF first announced the four soldiers’ deaths at around 6.22am local time.

Additionally, one soldier was severely wounded and another moderately injured.

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Pete Hegseth says US ‘knows exactly what Russia and China are doing’ amid claims they are supporting Iran – live updates