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.
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Trump reportedly lashed out at Netanyahu on Monday over Israel's escalation in Lebanon, describing the Israeli leader as "crazy" and warning that further military action would deepen Israel's international isolation, according to a report by Axios.
The United Nations (UN) added Israel and Russia to a blacklist of parties suspected of committing conflict-related sexual violence on Friday (29 May). The move prompted Israel to announce it would sever ties with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
The U.S. and Iran have reportedly agreed an outline deal to extend their fragile ceasefire for 60 days, although the agreement still requires President Donald Trump’s approval and previous breakthroughs have failed to hold.
The U.N. human rights office said Israeli forces may be committing unlawful killings near the military armistice line in Gaza, after data showed that roughly a third of verified Palestinian deaths since the October truce occurred close to the boundary area.
Okinawa lost transport links and suffered widespread power outages on Monday (1 June) as Severe Tropical Storm Jangmi brought destructive winds and heavy rain to Japan's south-western islands.
Competing narratives continue to shape perceptions of the war in Ukraine, with Russian leadership suggesting a possible end phase while Ukrainian officials warn of renewed large-scale attacks and ongoing escalation risks.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has held talks with Lebanese President and Israeli Prime Minister on efforts to ease tensions between Israel and Lebanon. According to a U.S. official, Washington has proposed a plan aimed at achieving a gradual de-escalation of hostilities.
Unsealed records from the U.S. Department of Justice have renewed scrutiny of lawyer Robert Amsterdam after documents revealed communications between his law firm and Jeffrey Epstein's office. The disclosures have drawn attention because of Amsterdam's prominent role in Armenia.
When Armenians vote on 7 June, they will be voting in an election shaped by months of political change and a rapidly deepening relationship with the European Union. The result may not only determine who governs Armenia but also the future direction of the country's geopolitical alignment.
Baku has once again become a focal point for international energy diplomacy, investment and strategic cooperation, as Baku Energy Week brings together policymakers, industry leaders and investors from around the world.
A launch ceremony marking the commissioning of the modernised Baku-Tbilisi-Kars (BTK) railway line was held at Akhalkalaki station in Georgia on 2 June, bringing together senior officials from Azerbaijan, Georgia and Türkiye.
Baku Energy Week has opened in Azerbaijan, bringing together global energy leaders to discuss energy security, green energy and regional cooperation, underscoring the country's growing strategic role in Eurasian connectivity.
When Armenians vote on 7 June, they will be voting in an election shaped by months of political change and a rapidly deepening relationship with the European Union. The result may not only determine who governs Armenia but also the future direction of the country's geopolitical alignment.
Kazakhstan is open to expanding its oil export routes through Azerbaijan and advancing joint energy infrastructure projects across the Caspian region, Energy Minister Yerlan Akkenzhenov told AnewZ in an exclusive interview in Baku.
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