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Trump said at a news conference following a House Republican policy retreat that the U.S. Operation in Iran is ahead of its initial timeline "by a lot."

"We're winning very decisively, we're way ahead of schedule," he said. 

When asked whether that means the war will end this week, he said, "No," but added, "very soon." Trump is currently taking questions from reporters.

"I think you’ll see it's going to be a short-term excursion," Trump said while discussing the Iran war in an address to House Republicans at their annual policy retreat in Doral, Fla. "Short term," he repeated.

Trump boasted about the U.S. Military's capabilities and said later that the U.S. And Israel are "crushing the enemy," adding, "it's going to be finished pretty quickly."

On the other hand, as his remarks continued, he also said the U.S. "will not relent until the enemy is totally and decisively defeated." 

"We’ve already won in many ways, but we haven't won enough," he said. 

Trump is expected to hold a press conference at 5:30 p.m. ET.

Reuters

Australia on Tuesday agreed to provide visas to five Iranian women's soccer players to stay in the country, after U.S. President Donald Trump urged Canberra not to send them back to Tehran due to concerns over their safety.

Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke told reporters the other members of the team were welcome to stay in Australia. The team is in Australia for the Asian Cup tournament.

Trump said on Monday he had spoken to Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese about the Iranian women's soccer team after reports that five players had sought asylum in Australia.

Israeli strikes rattle Hezbollah stronghold in Beirut

This is Susan Ormiston reporting from Beirut, where earlier today the morning dawned with urgent orders for residents of the southern suburbs to leave. 

The IDF telegraphed it would hit "financial infrastructure," specifically the Al-Qard al-Hasan, a Hezbollah-affiliated non-profit financial institution that provides interest-free loans and, according to Israel, finances Hezbollah's military activities. 

Within the hour an airstrike tore into one of its branches; in the next hour we were minutes away from a second strike on another branch. This video shows what we saw. 

Black rain fell on Tehran after U.S.-Israeli attacks on oil facilities Sunday.

Residents reported having trouble breathing the air as the rain, mixed with oil, fell all around them.

"Something like a black monster has swallowed the sky over Tehran," a teacher in Tehran told Time Magazine, saying the air was unbreathable. "It’s as if all the cars and the street pavement have been coated in black paint."

Iran's Red Crescent Society warned residents that the rain following the strikes could be contaminated with toxic chemicals that could burn skin and cause severe lung damage.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said in a post on X that the attacks amounted to "intentional chemical warfare."

"The aggressors are releasing hazardous materials and toxic substances into the air, poisoning civilians, devastating the environment, and endangering lives on a massive scale," Baghaei said.

Something strange is happening. Suddenly, markets are reversing course and oil prices are dropping. The Nasdaq, Dow Jones Industrial Average and S&P500 have all closed in the green, and the price of Brent crude has come back down to less than $90 US a barrel. WTI crude, which is produced in the U.S., is currently priced around $85 US a barrel.

Why? The market is likely reacting to a social media post from CBS News senior White House correspondent Weijia Jiang. The reporter wrote on Monday afternoon that she'd just spoken to President Trump by phone, and that he told her the war in Iran is "pretty much" complete.

We'll wait and see what Trump says about this during his 5:30 p.m. ET address.

It's not just gas prices that are on the rise. Canadian farmers are set to pay more for fertilizer.

The average cost of urea — a widely-used type of fertilizer — has increased rapidly since the U.S.-Israeli offensive against Iran brought war to a region critical to its global supply.

About one-third of global urea fertilizer exports passes through the Strait of Hormuz, where Iran's military threats have effectively shut down the shipping corridor.

While the spike hasn't yet affected food prices like the oil supply disruption immediately translated on gas pumps, experts say its impact could be felt in coming months if the conflict and its spillover effects persist.

Even though Canada produces its own fertilizer supplies, buyers here are still subject to global commodity prices. It's similar to the current spike in international oil prices having impact on Canada's own crude and gasoline prices.

I'm Reham Al Azem, reporting from the Syrian-Lebanese border.

At the Jdeidet Yabous crossing — the main border point between Lebanon and Syria — Syrians arriving from Lebanon describe fleeing after days of heavy Israeli strikes.

Cries of women and children could be heard at the crossing, with some saying they were cold and terrified after the strikes they experienced while fleeing. Some arrivals appeared exhausted and struggled to stand after the long journey.

Syrian Civil Defence crews are transporting the injured and providing first aid, while distributing water, dates and snacks to those arriving. Many are reaching the border shortly before the evening Iftar meal during Ramadan.

The International Organization for Migration says about 50,000 Syrians crossed back into Syria during the first week of March as fighting escalated in Lebanon.

Syrian border authorities say around 65,000 Syrians have returned from Lebanon through the Jdeidet Yabous and Jousieh crossings in recent days.

Fuel prices are skyrocketing, and big logistics companies are feeling the impact. Danish shipping giant Maersk introduced a surcharge to cover those costs, as did its competitor MSC.

The German company Hapag-Lloyd announced today that it will soon do the same, imposing an Emergency Fuel Surcharge (EFS) that will cover "the extraordinary costs" not covered by the Marine Fuel Recovery (MFR) charge. The surcharge will first be imposed on non-U.S. Bookings starting March 23 before it's applied to U.S. Bookings on April 8.

It's not uncommon for ocean carriers to introduce these kinds of surcharges during times of crisis. Plenty of international airlines do it too — Japan Airlines, Malaysia Airlines and Emirates did it when Russia's invasion of Ukraine sent energy prices soaring in 2022.

At least 486 people have been killed and 1,313 others injured since Israeli attacks on Lebanon began exactly one week ago, the Lebanese Health Ministry said today.

In an earlier update yesterday, the ministry said the total death toll included 83 children.

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