Israel has launched wide-ranging attacks on Tehran’s infrastructure as the week‑long Middle East conflict widens, as U.S. President Donald Trump encourages Iranian Kurdish forces in Iraq to attack Iran.
Israel on Friday (6 March) said it had started a "broad-scale" wave of attacks against infrastructure targets in Tehran, as Gulf cities came under renewed bombardment by Iran.
The seven-day war has now seen Iran target Israel, the Gulf states, southern Cyprus, Türkiye and Azerbaijan, and spread to the Indian Ocean off Sri Lanka where a U.S. submarine sank an Iranian naval ship.
On the possibility of the Iranian Kurdish forces entering Iran, Trump told Reuters on Thursday: "I think it's wonderful that they want to do that, I'd be all for it."
Iranian Kurdish militias have consulted with the United States in recent days about whether, and how, to attack Iran's security forces in the western part of the country, according to three sources with knowledge of the matter.
The Iranian Kurdish coalition of groups based on the Iran-Iraq border in the semi-autonomous region of Iraqi Kurdistan has reportedly been training to mount such an attack in hopes of weakening the country's military.
Trump, speaking with Reuters in a telephone interview, also said the United States must have a role in deciding who will be the next leader of Iran after airstrikes killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei last week.
"We're going to have to choose that person along with Iran. We're going to have to choose that person," he said.
U.S. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Thursday that the U.S. was not expanding its military objectives in Iran, despite what Trump said about choosing the country's next leader.
"There's no expansion in our objectives. We know exactly what we're trying to achieve," he said.
Hegseth and Admiral Brad Cooper, who leads U.S. forces in the Middle East, said during a briefing about operations that the U.S. has enough munitions to continue its bombardment indefinitely.
"Iran is hoping that we cannot sustain this, which is a really bad miscalculation," Hegseth told reporters at Central Command headquarters in Florida.
"Our munitions are full up and our will is ironclad," he said.
The Pentagon earlier this week said the military campaign, known as Operation Epic Fury, is focused on destroying Iran's missiles, missile production and navy, while not allowing Tehran to have a nuclear weapon.
Cooper said the U.S. had now hit at least 30 Iranian ships, including a large drone carrier that he said was the size of a World War Two aircraft carrier.
He added that B-2 bombers had in the past few hours dropped dozens of 2,000 penetrator bombs targeting deeply buried ballistic missile launchers, and that bombings were also targeting Iran's missile production facilities.
Iran's ballistic missile attacks had decreased by 90% since the first day of the war, while drone attacks had decreased by 83% in that time frame, he said.
In Iran, at least 1,230 people have been killed, according to the Iranian Red Crescent Society, including 175 schoolgirls and staff killed at a primary school in Minab in the country's south on the first day of the war.
Another 77 have been killed in Lebanon, its Health Ministry says. Thousands fled southern Beirut on Thursday after Israel warned residents to leave.
Russia has delivered a large shipment of humanitarian aid to Iran, as ongoing conflict damages health infrastructure and leaves civilians in urgent...
Central Asia’s energy systems are becoming increasingly vulnerable as countries depend heavily on single power sources while facing mounting ...
A marine drone struck a Turkish crude oil tanker that had departed Russia, causing an explosion in the Black Sea near I...
There’s little indication that recent developments between the United States and Iran have shifted either side’s core positions, accord...
An industrial area near one of Russia's biggest oil refineries was damaged in a Ukrainian drone attack, a R...
Petrol price spikes triggered by the war in Iran are boosting used electric vehicle sales across Europe, online car platforms told Reuters, in an early sign that pain at the pump is pushing consumers away from combustion engines.
Both the United States and Iran are giving conflicting messages about trying to end the conflict in the Middle East as the rest of the world battle with the consequences of the war. Welcome to AnewZ's coverage of the tensions in the Middle East.
Iran has rejected a U.S. proposal to end the war, insisting any ceasefire will occur only on its own terms and timeline, according to a senior political-security official speaking to state-run Press TV on Wednesday.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has said it is unfair for people around the world to shoulder the cost of U.S.–Israeli attacks on Iran, warning that Spanish firms have already lost €100 billion ($116 billion) in less than a month as a result of the conflict.
Both the United States and Iran are giving conflicting messages about trying to end the conflict in the Middle East as the rest of the world battle with the consequences of the war. Welcome to AnewZ's coverage of the tensions in the Middle East.
Afghan authorities say Pakistani jets entered northern Afghanistan, while Pakistan insists its actions target terrorism, highlighting continued strain after a temporary Eid ceasefire ended.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen resigned on Wednesday after her coalition suffered a heavy election defeat, triggering negotiations over who will form the next government.
Iran is not seeking war but will only accept a settlement that ensures a permanent end to the conflict, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has said, as tensions between Iran, Israel and the United States continue to fuel fears of a wider regional escalation - latest on the Middle East conflict.
A drone has flown into Estonian airspace from Russia. It happened early on Wednesday morning and slammed into a chimney at a local power station, the Baltic country's Internal Security Service told public broadcaster ERR.
Russia has delivered a large shipment of humanitarian aid to Iran, as ongoing conflict damages health infrastructure and leaves civilians in urgent need of care.
Central Asia’s energy systems are becoming increasingly vulnerable as countries depend heavily on single power sources while facing mounting climate pressures, a new report by the Eurasian Development Bank (EDB) warns.
A marine drone struck a Turkish crude oil tanker that had departed Russia, causing an explosion in the Black Sea near Istanbul's Bosphorus strait on Thursday, Türkiye's transportation minister said.
There’s little indication that recent developments between the United States and Iran have shifted either side’s core positions, according to political analyst James Dorsey who spoke to AnewZ on the Daybreak programme.
At least 24 people have died after a passenger bus plunged into the Padma River while attempting to board a ferry in Bangladesh, officials confirmed on Thursday. The accident happened on Wednesday at the Daulatdia ferry terminal in Rajbari district, around 100 km (62 miles) from Dhaka.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment