U.S. and Israel vow more strikes as Trump attends dignified transfer of fallen troops

Iran's Mission to the United Nations has maintained that the country is only targeting U.S. military bases and assets, blaming impacts on unintended targets on U.S. interception.

"With regard to strikes on non-military sites, our preliminary assessment indicates that some of these incidents may have resulted from interception by U.S. electronic defense systems, which may have diverted the projectiles from their intended military targets," the mission said on X.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said his country's regional neighbors are "brothers" as he downplayed its retaliatory strikes as an obligation not intended to undermine Iran's connections to other Middle Eastern states.

"The enemy wants us and neighboring countries to be in war and tries to create differences between us and other countries," he said during a visit to a hospital. "We consider neighboring countries our brothers and we must have good relations with them."

At the same time, Pezeshkian said, Iran must respond to attacks.

"Responding to an attack does not mean we want conflict with that country or want to upset its people. We are forced to respond," he said.

The Israel Defense Forces is launching a new wave of strikes against Iran, targeting military infrastructure, it said in a statement.

It also indicated that Iran launched missiles that targeted locations on Israeli soil. Israel and its automated defense systems were working on intercepting the munitions, the IDF said.

Officials, including Israel's Home Front Command, asked residents of targeted areas to find a "protected space" and seek shelter. It sent a precautionary alert to the cellphones of people living in those areas, Israel Defense Forces said.

Israel unleashed strikes on "key commanders" of a proxy fighting group for Iran based in Lebanon, the Israel Defense Force said.

The IDF said in a statement that the targets are leaders of Lebanon Corps, described as a group under the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' elite Quds Force.

Reports of casualties have not been confirmed by NBC News.

The IDF did not provide information about the specific location of the attack.

Video shows the Ramada Plaza Hotel in Beirut after it was struck by munitions, but it's not clear if this was the location of the Israeli attack.

Countries in the Middle East friendly to the United States are continuing to defend against munitions, including what the spokesperson for Kuwait's defense ministry describes as "hostile drones."

Col. Saud Abdulaziz Al-Otaibi, spokesperson for the ministry, said in a statement posted to X that airborne debris from its battles against the drones have damaged civilian buildings in the country.

"Kuwaiti air defenses continue to engage a wave of hostile drones that have breached the country’s airspace," Otaibi said.

He continued, "Some civilian facilities have sustained material damage as a result of debris and shrapnel falling from the interception operations."

A spokesperson for Saudi Arabia's defense ministry said overnight that Saudi forces foiled an alleged attempt to strike Riyadh's diplomatic quarter. No casualties were reported, and there was no damage, the spokesperson said in a statement.

Human Rights Watch said in a statement today that the U.S. and Israel should investigate the bombing of a school in Iran as a war crime. 

“The United States and Israel should immediately assess their responsibility for this attack and make the findings public,” the international organization that reports human rights abuses said. 

“The responsible party should fully account for the civilian harm and hold those responsible accountable, including prosecuting anyone responsible for war crimes,” the statement continued. 

Airstrikes hit Shajareh Tayyebeh, an elementary school in the town of Minab on the first day U.S. and Israel began strikes in Iran, leaving at least 168 dead. 

Trump told reporters today that the U.S. is not responsible for that bombing, and pointed blame towards Iran, contradicting preliminary findings from the Trump administration that a U.S. munition may have been involved in the strikes, sources have told NBC News.

Trump administration officials told members of Congress that Israel was not responsible for the bombing, according to two U.S. officials.

An investigation into the strike is ongoing.

Motorists filling up or just getting what gas they can afford in the village of Hastings-on-Hudson, about 24 miles north of New York City, considered the cost of war in the Middle East today.

The average price for a gallon of gas in the United States has gone up roughly .10 cents in two weeks, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. That data has Tuesday — four days into the war that started Feb. 28 — as an endpoint.

Gas price tracker GasBuddy says that price as of today is up .58 cents compared to one month ago.

Gas prices skyrocket rapidly as war with Iran rages

01:44

Callum Delaney called the cost of a gallon in Hastings-on-Hudson "ridiculous, absolutely ridiculous."

The motorist said filling up will cost more than $110. Asked if the attack on Iran is worth it, the driver said, "I don't really know, to be honest. War, to me, it's not right."

Janalyn Pomeroy, also gassing up, said "every single penny adds up" but the pump price is part of the cost of being American.

"For me to make the sacrifice here so that other people can have rights," she said, "yeah, I can do that sacrifice in my own wallet."

Trump said today he has “no indication” that Russia is sharing intelligence with Iran, contrary to reports from sources with knowledge of the matter that say Russia has.

When asked whether he has any indication of Russia assisting Iran, Trump old told reporters on board Air Force One that, “I have no indication of that whatsoever.” 

“If they are, they’re not doing a very good job, because Iran is not doing too well,” the president continued. 

Four sources with knowledge of the matter told NBC News that Russia is giving intelligence to Iran on the location of U.S. forces in the Middle East. 

Reporters also asked U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff whether he has communicated to Russia that they should not share intelligence or other kinds of assistance with Iran.

“Strongly said that,” Witkoff replied.

China’s foreign minister reiterated Beijing’s calls for an immediate halt to military action and a return to dialogue, saying the war with Iran “does no one any good.”

“Seeing the Middle East engulfed in flames, I want to say that this is a war that should not have happened,” Foreign Minister Wang Yi said at a news conference in Beijing on the sidelines of China’s annual legislative session. “It is a war that does no one any good.”

Wang also rejected the “abuse of force” and violations of international law.

“The law of the jungle must not return and rule the world,” he said. “Willful use of force does not prove one’s strength.”

The New York Police Department tonight said it lost one of it own to an unspecified medical episode in Kuwait during deployment as part of Operation Epic Fury.

The officer was identified as Sorffly Davius, who started at the depeartment in 2014, the NYPD said in a statement. He also served as a major in the 42nd Infantry Division in the U.S. Army National Guard, it said.

"Today, and always, we keep his family in our thoughts and prayers," the department said on X. "May we never forget Officer Davius’ sacrifice and may his memory be a blessing."

Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Police Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch said in a joint statement the officer died on Friday.

"His career was defined by service — to his country and to New York City," the pair said. "Our thoughts are with Officer Davius and his entire family as they mourn his loss. May his memory be a blessing."

Gov. Kathy Hochul said the loss left her devastated as she's been in contact with the officer's wife. She described Davius as a devoted husband and father.

"We’re continuing to pray for the safety of all who protect us, at home and abroad," the governor said.

After previously offering limited commentary on U.S. operations in Iran, Vice President JD Vance today posted to social media about the dignified transfer of six U.S. service members who were killed in Operation Epic Fury.

"Today, Usha and I joined President Trump and the First Lady in honoring the ultimate sacrifice made by six American heroes who were returned to their families at Dover," Vance said in a post on X.

"We owe our eternal gratitude to the men and women of our Armed Forces," the post continued. "Please keep them all in your prayers."

Satellite imagery from Planet Labs shows the aftermath of a series of airstrikes on Tehran’s Mehrabad International Airport overnight on Saturday.

Planet Labs PBC

Planet Labs PBC

Planet Labs PBC

The images show more than a dozen aircraft destroyed, pieces of the planes scattered across the scorched tarmac.

The United States' closest ally is readying an aircraft carrier for possible deployment to the Middle East, but President Trump said today the U.S. doesn't need the help in fighting with Iran.

A U.K. defense official confirmed the Royal Navy's HMS Prince of Wales was the subject of increased readiness, but that any decision to sail to the Middle East or eastern Mediterranean has not been made. The carrier is moored in Portsmouth, England, where it was undergoing maintenance.

Speaking on Air Force One today, Trump rejected the possibility of carrier help from the U.K.

"We don't need them," he told reporters. "It's not the right time. It would have been nice to have had them two weeks ago."

In a post earlier on Truth Social, Trump referenced the reports and said, "That’s OK, Prime Minister Starmer, we don’t need them any longer — But we will remember. We don’t need people that join Wars after we’ve already won!"

On the day the war started one week ago, the United States requested access to U.K. airbases in Cyprus and on Diego Garcia, an island in the Indian Ocean, to use them to strike Iranian ballistic missile sites, according to a person familiar with the matter. U.K. officials granted the request the next day.

Trump told reporters today that the U.S. is not responsible for the bombing that destroyed an elementary school in southern Iran that left at least 168 dead.

The president’s comments contradict preliminary findings that a U.S. munition may have been involved in the strike, sources have told NBC News. 

“Did the United States bomb a girl’s elementary school in southern Iran on the first day of the war and kill 175 people?” a reporter asked Trump during a press gaggle on board Air Force One.

“Based on what I’ve seen, that was done by Iran,” the president responded.

Asked if that was true, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth told reporters that they are investigating “but the only side that targets civilians is Iran.”

Roberto Schmidt / Getty Images

Several oil depots in Iran were hit by airstrikes today, according to semiofficial news agency Fars and an Iranian oil company.

Two of the depots that Fars said were struck, the Sharan and Shar Rey facilities, are in different parts of Tehran. Video from the city showed large fires and an orange sky. One showed huge plumes of dark smoke visible from a highway.

Explosions erupt following strikes at Tehran Oil Refinery on Saturday.  Atta Kenare / AFP via Getty Images

Fars also reported a depot was hit in the nearby city of Karaj.

The National Iranian Oil Refining and Distribution Company said missiles struck several facilities in Tehran and Alborz provinces and that firefighting teams were working to put the fires out.

Netanyahu signaled that Israel’s campaign in Iran is far from over, warning that additional strikes are coming to destabilize the country’s leadership.

“We have an organized plan with many surprises to destabilize the regime and enable change,” Netanyahu said in a televised address earlier, adding that Israel still has “many more targets” in Iran.

"We are continuing with full force," Netanyahu said.

American tourist Michaela Malchiodi said she initially thought reports of the escalating conflict were “a joke” before the situation in Dubai suddenly became frightening.

Malchiodi, 23, a marketing associate, had traveled to the city for a two-week vacation. She arrived Valentine’s Day with plans to return to Florida on Feb. 28, the day the war started.

The situation escalated while she and her boyfriend were at a shopping center watching news reports of the conflict. Later, when her flight home was canceled, the couple received an emergency alert that left them fearing the worst.

“That was probably the most scary point for us,” she told NBC News. “It literally said on the Amber Alert, it was like missiles coming or something like that.”

Israeli military spokesperson Effie Defrin said the IDF has launched roughly 3,400 strikes across Iran since the start of Operation Roaring Lion a week ago, putting more than 150 Iranian air defense systems out of service.

The IDF has also dropped about 7,500 munitions on targets across Iran, Defrin said, adding that the operation has now moved into a new phase focused on expanding strikes on major regime production sites, including facilities in Parchin and Shahroud tied to ballistic and cruise missile production.

Israel's campaign in Iran "may continue for some time, but it is necessary," he said.

  Satellite image 2026 Vantor

New before-and-after satellite images taken on Feb. 27 and March 7 show damage from airstrikes at Iran’s Bushehr naval base, where a ship can be seen capsized following the strikes.

One person was killed in Dubai after falling debris from a missile that was shot down fell onto a car in the Al Barsha neighborhood, according to the Dubai Media Office.

The victim, who was not identified, is of Pakistani origin, the media office said.

The mix of joy and anxiety among the Iranian diaspora in recent days reflects the complicated emotions many feel as violence escalates in the Middle East — especially those whose families fled the theocratic regime that took power after the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

“Some people are so aggrieved at this regime that they say, ‘At any cost, come and destroy this regime even if it means destroying parts of the country,’” said Abbas Milani, director of Iranian studies at Stanford University. “Others want to get rid of the regime but not at the expense of war.”

The divisions mark a shift from earlier this year, when the diaspora appeared united in supporting Iranians protesting the government’s brutal crackdown. While many share the same goal — a free Iran — they disagree sharply on how to achieve it.

Read the full story here.

People walk under a pre-1979 Islamic Revolution Iranian flag during a demonstration in Los Angeles last month. Apu Gomes / AFP - Getty Images

Alexi J. Rosenfeld / Getty Images

Alexi J. Rosenfeld / Getty Images

Israeli police officers clashed with and arrested protesters during a small anti-war protest in Tel Aviv today.

Multiple explosions were heard in Tehran, with blasts lighting up the sky and turning it orange, according to reports from the Iranian capital.

Semiofficial news agency Mehr News confirmed explosions in the city, though it was not immediately clear what caused them or what areas may have been targeted.

Skies above Tehran 'turning orange' amid U.S. strikes

03:47

A military aircraft carrying the remains of U.S. service members killed in the Kuwait has arrived at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware, where Trump and other administration officials are attending a dignified transfer.

The C-17 aircraft carrying the transfer cases arrived at the base this afternoon, according to the pool reporter.

Dignified transfers, or the solemn return of fallen service members to U.S. soil, usually take place at Dover Air Force Base, the military's primary mortuary facility.

Mark Schiefelbein / AP

Patrick van Katwijk / Getty Images

Dutch citizens arrive at the Amsterdam Airport Schiphol from Muscat International Airport in Oman after a repatriation flight. Thousands of travelers have been stranded across the Middle East after the U.S. military started striking Iran last week.

Patrick van Katwijk / Getty Images

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the U.S. attacked a freshwater desalination plant on Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz.

"Water supply in 30 villages has been impacted," Araghchi wrote on X. "Attacking Iran’s infrastructure is a dangerous move with grave consequences. The U.S. set this precedent, not Iran."

Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf, Iran’s speaker of Parliament, said in a statement today that the country's defensive policies remain "unchanged."

"As long as American bases exist in the region, countries will not see peace," Ghalibaf wrote on X. "All officials and the people are united on this principle."

Earlier, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said the country’s temporary leadership council agreed to “no longer attack neighboring countries or launch missiles unless an attack on Iran originates from those countries.”

The attack on an Iranian primary school in southern Iran last week was "unlawful" and should be investigated as a war crime, according to a new report from Human Rights Watch.

The attack on the Shajareh Tayyebeh Primary School killed more than 170 people, including many students, according to Iranian officials. One U.S. official and one person familiar with the preliminary findings of the U.S. investigation into the attack say it looks increasingly likely that a U.S. munition was responsible for the strike.

From left: The Shajareh Tayyebeh Primary School in Minab, southern Iran, on Dec. 1, 2025, and on March 4, 2026, following a deadly U.S.-Israeli airstrike. Vantor; Planet Labs

While the school has been found to be located on an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) compound, HRW reviewed information that shows the school is walled off "and has a separate entrance to the street from the rest of the compound."

"The pattern of strikes in which distinct structures across the compound, including the school, were directly struck, as well as the entry points of the munitions visible on multiple buildings, indicate that the attack was carried out by highly accurate, guided munitions, rather than errant weapons whose guidance or propulsion systems failed or were otherwise disrupted and randomly struck the area," the organization said in the report.

An investigation into the attack is needed to assess if those responsible should have known that there was a school there that was full of children and teachers, said Sophia Jones, a researcher with the Digital Investigations Lab at Human Rights Watch.

"Those responsible for an unlawful attack should be held to account, including prosecutions of anyone responsible for war crimes," Jones said.

The United Kingdom Ministry of Defense says the U.S. is using British bases "to prevent Iran firing missiles into the region, which is putting British lives at risk."

The ministry also said British jets are continuing air operations over Jordan, Qatar and Cyrpus "in defence of British interests and allies," with additional resources, including a Merlin helicopter, on the way.

A meeting to select Iran's next leader will be held within the next 24 hours, according to the country's semiofficial news agency Fars, citing a member of the Assembly of Experts.

“The people’s representatives in the Assembly of Experts … are eagerly awaiting the conditions for holding a session and consultation to choose a new Leader,” Reza Mozaffari-Nia said.

Mozaffari-Nia also urged the public to avoid speculation and rumors while the process plays out.

The Assembly of Experts — a powerful clerical body tasked with appointing and overseeing Iran’s supreme leader — is responsible for selecting a successor when the position becomes vacant.

Qatar's Ministry of Defense said in a brief post on X that it has intercepted incoming missiles.

Over the last week, Iran has been striking oil refineries and U.S. military bases in several Gulf nations, including Qatar.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Last weekend, President Donald Trump greeted guests at a children’s charity gala inside his private Mar-a-Lago club. “Have a good time, everybody,” Trump told the crowd, clad in gowns and tuxedos. “We gotta go work.”

Then, beyond heavy, gold-plated doors and layers of security at the same estate, he watched “Operation Epic Fury” unfold from a separate space converted to a makeshift “situation room.” From there, the president, alongside his top aides and national security officials, observed B-2 bombers striking Iranian military targets and Israeli forces targeting senior Iranian leadership, ultimately killing Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The White House released photographs of the heavily curtained space, complete with rows of classified phone lines and monitors.

By the night’s end, Trump moved from war planning to a Republican fundraiser all without leaving the sprawling Palm Beach compound.

The Iran operation marks the sixth major military action Trump has directed from Mar-a-Lago during his second term, underscoring the resort’s evolution from social playground to presidential command center.

Read the full story here.

Trump said that the U.S. military has destroyed 42 Iranian navy ships over the last three days.

He made the claims while addressing heads of state from 12 Western Hemisphere countries at the "Shield of the Americas Summit" in Doral, Florida.

"That was the end of the navy. We knocked out their air force, we knocked out their communications, and all telecommunications is gone," Trump said. "I don’t know how they communicate, but I guess they will figure something out too well."

Trump also repeated the claim — without providing evidence — that Iran was getting close to developing a nuclear weapon.

"They would have had a nuclear weapon, you know, crazy, and they would have used it," he said. "So, we did the world a favor."

Kuwait announced today that it has reduced crude oil production following "ongoing aggression" by Iran against the country.

Kuwait Petroleum Corp. said threats against the safe passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz had also impacted its decision.

"KPC emphasizes that this adjustment is strictly precautionary and will be reviewed as the situation develops," it said on X. "It remains fully prepared to restore production levels once conditions allow.

Normally jammed with oil tankers and cargo ships, the Straight of Hormuz has been nearly emptied by the war, with traffic dropping around 90% last week due to the ongoing strikes by the U.S. and threats from Iran.

President Donald Trump again suggested that deaths of six U.S. service members in the Middle East were inevitable.

He addressed the deaths briefly while speaking at the “Shield of the Americas Summit” in Doral, Florida, in front of heads of state from the Western Hemisphere.

Donald Trump speaks at the "Shield of the Americas Summit" in Doral, Fla., today. Roberto Schmidt / Getty Images

"I’ll be going for Dover, very sad situation, to greet the families of the heroes coming home from Iran and coming home in a different manner than they thought they’d be coming home," he said. "But they’re great heroes in our country, and we’re going to keep it that way. When it comes to war, there’s always that."

Trump is scheduled to travel to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware to receive the bodies.

Iran has been without internet for a week now since the regime imposed a national internet blackout, internet watchdog NetBlocks said today.

"The measure remains in place at hour 168, leaving the public isolated without vital updates and alerts while officials and state media retain access,” it posted on X.

Lebanon’s Health Ministry says Israeli airstrikes on the eastern town of Nabi Chit and nearby have left 41 dead and 40 wounded.

The area witnessed intense clashes and airstrikes overnight after an Israeli force landed there and clashed with local gunmen. The Lebanese army said the dead included three Lebanese troops.

Ali Salem / AP

Ali Salem / AP

People check the damage left by Israeli airstrikes in the village of Nabi Chit, eastern Lebanon, today. Ali Salem / AP

Israel said its forces were looking for information about Israeli navigator Ron Arad, who went missing after his fighter jet crashed in Lebanon 40 years ago. The Israeli military did not find Arad’s remains in the operation.

A resident of the eastern town of Nabi Chit told The Associated Press that the force entered the town and dug up a grave in a cemetery before it left.

Vahid Salemi / AP

Vahid Salemi / AP

Vahid Salemi / AP

Thousands of Iranian pro-government supporters gathered in Tehran yesterday to protest the ongoing U.S.-Israeli military campaign.

The Israeli military has released footage of a strike on an underground bunker that was built for Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Although Khamenei was killed before he could use the bunker, senior Iranian officials were still using it, the IDF said in a statement.

IDF releases video of strike on Khamenei’s underground bunker in Tehran

00:29

A Rockwell B-1 Lancer U.S. bomber was pictured landing at RAF Fairford airbase in Gloucestershire, England, this morning.

Christopher Furlong / Getty Images

A U.S. Airforce Rockwell B-1 Lancer bomber lands at RAF Fairford today. Christopher Furlong / Getty Images

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is allowing the U.S. to use British bases, including RAF Fairford and Diego Garcia, to launch “defensive” strikes against Iranian missile sites while stating the U.K. would not join “offensive” combat.

A second Japanese national has been detained in Iran, The Associated Press reported, citing the Japanese foreign ministry.

The ministry said the second person was detained before the U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran began on Feb. 28. It did not provide further details on the timing of the detention or say whether it was related to the earlier reported detention of a Japanese journalist.

The ministry, which has not publicly identified the first person who was detained, demanded the release of both Japanese nationals. Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi told lawmakers today that they were safe and the government was “doing everything to support them, their families and others involved,” the AP said.

According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, the first person detained was Shinnosuke Kawashima, the Tehran bureau chief for Japanese public broadcaster NHK. Kawashima was arrested Jan. 20 by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and transferred to Iran’s notorious Evin Prison on Feb. 23, the New York-based group said, citing an unidentified source who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation.

President Donald Trump said in a Truth Social post this morning that "today Iran will be hit very hard."

"Areas and groups of people" in Iran are "under serious consideration for complete destruction and certain death," Trump said, citing what he called "Iran’s bad behavior."

He also responded to Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian's earlier announcement that Iran will no longer strike at neighboring countries unless they facilitate U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran.

Trump said Iran had "apologized and surrendered" to its neighbors, adding: "This promise was only made because of the relentless U.S. and Israeli attack. They were looking to take over and rule the Middle East."

He continued: "Iran is no longer the 'Bully of the Middle East,' they are, instead, 'THE LOSER OF THE MIDDLE EAST,' and will be for many decades until they surrender or, more likely, completely collapse!"

Sri Lankan navy video shows Iranian sailors rescued after a U.S. torpedo strike

00:34

Thousands of miles from Iran’s capital, Tehran, the war in the Middle East reached Sri Lanka’s southern coast.

Fishing boats and tourist traffic usually define daily life in the historic city of Galle, but survivors of the Iranian warship sunk by a U.S. submarine were being treated there after a dramatic sea rescue.

The city’s hospital is just 2 miles from the office of Dr. Chathura Welivitiya, chairman of a local aid organization.

“People are scared,” Welivitiya told NBC News in messages sent via WhatsApp. “People are now in disbelief.”

Read the full story here.

Thousands of displaced people who fled Beirut’s southern suburbs are filling the streets and public squares of the Lebanese capital.

Lebanon’s Disaster Risk Management Unit said 110,162 people have been internally displaced following Israeli evacuation warnings for areas in southern and eastern Lebanon and across Beirut’s southern suburbs, a densely populated district on the outskirts of the capital that is home to hundreds of thousands.

A displaced man who fled Israeli airstrikes in Dahiyeh, Beirut's southern suburbs, sleeps at Martyrs' Square in downtown Beirut today. Bilal Hussein / AP

Displaced people fleeing Israeli airstrikes in Dahiyeh, Beirut's southern suburbs, sleep at Martyrs' Square in downtown Beirut today. Bilal Hussein / AP

Displaced people fleeing Israeli airstrikes in Dahiyeh, Beirut's southern suburbs, sleep at Martyrs' Square in downtown Beirut today. Bilal Hussein / AP

Iran will not back down against the U.S. or Israel, an adviser to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said today.

"Countries that have not allowed their territory or facilities to be used by America or the Zionist regime have not been and will not be targeted," Moghadam Far said in a statement.

"All bases that were used as launch points for attacks against Iran were hit," he added.

Smoke and fire rise from the site of airstrikes at Mehrabad International Airport in Tehran this morning. Atta Kenare / AFP via Getty Images

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said earlier today that the country will “no longer attack neighboring countries or launch missiles unless an attack on Iran originates from those countries.”

He also rejected Trump’s call for Iran’s “unconditional surrender.”

Qatar's Interior Ministry has called on residents to stay at home today after announcing the security threat level is high, the state-run Qatari News Agency said today.

A market in Doha, Qatar, on Wednesday. Karim Jaafar / AFP via Getty Images

The warning advised people to stay away from windows and exposed areas.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said earlier the country will “no longer attack neighboring countries or launch missiles unless an attack on Iran originates from those countries.”

Azerbaijan said it had prevented several acts of “terrorist” sabotage planned by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, including ​a plot to attack a major oil pipeline running ‌through the South Caucasus to Turkey.

The targets included the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) oil pipeline, the Israeli Embassy in Azerbaijan, an Ashkenazi synagogue and the leader ​of an ancient Jewish community in Azerbaijan called the Mountain ​Jews, according to a State Security Service statement cited ⁠by the Azertag state news agency late on Friday.

Iran ​has not commented on the statement.

Qatar’s Foreign Minister Sultan bin Saad Al Muraikhi told foreign ministers from Lebanon, Cuba and other countries that Iranian missile attacks are unacceptable.

The foreign minister “stressed that the targeting of Qatari territory with Iranian ballistic missiles constitutes a blatant violation of Qatar’s national sovereignty, is inconsistent with the principles of good-neighborliness, and cannot be accepted under any justification or pretext,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement on the calls.

The foreign ministry also said that Qatar “has consistently sought to distance itself from regional conflicts and has worked to facilitate dialogue between Iran and the international community.”

The statement said the ministers Al Muraikhi spoke with “expressed their countries’ concern over regional developments, calling for de-escalation, the prioritizing of reason, and a return to negotiations and diplomatic channels to prevent further chaos.”

Nearly 24,000 American citizens have returned to the U.S. since the war began a week ago, the State Department said today, but thousands remain stranded in the Middle East.

"Several flights have safely returned hundreds of Americans to the United States with additional flights scheduled to take place over the coming days, as security conditions allow," it said.

"The Department continues to proactively call American citizens to offer charter flight or ground transport travel assistance," the statement added.

Dubai airport says it has partially resumed operations today, just hours after Emirates said all flights to and from the city had been suspended.

Majid Asgaripour / West Asia News Agency via Reuters

Majid Asgaripour / West Asia News Agency via Reuters

Mourners gathered in Tehran today for the funeral of Zainab Sahebi, a 2-year-old child who was killed in a strike amid the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran.

India has allowed an Iranian warship to dock as ⁠a humanitarian gesture, Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said on Saturday, after the U.S. sank another Iranian navy vessel off ⁠neighboring Sri Lanka.

A fisherman moves on the waters of Vembanad Lake with the Iranian ship IRIS Lavan docked at a port in the background in Kochi, India today. Sivaram Venkitasubramanian / Reuters

The Lavan docked at India’s southern ⁠port of Kochi on Wednesday, the same day a U.S. submarine struck Iranian navy frigate Dena, after an urgent request from Tehran, an Indian government source told Reuters.

President Donald Trump has said destroying the Iranian navy is one aim of the war he and Israel ⁠launched against the Islamic Republic a week ago.

The Lavan — an amphibious landing ‌vessel, according to the U.S. Naval Institute’s online news site — ‌and two other ships “were coming in for a fleet review and then they got, in a way, caught on the wrong side of ⁠the events,” Jaishankar told the annual Raisina ⁠Dialogue event.

At least 87 people were killed in the U.S. attack ⁠on the Dena in Sri Lanka’s exclusive economic zone 19 nautical miles off the coast, outside its maritime boundaries.

The war in the Middle East is "an unprovoked act of aggression," Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on X, addressing the United Nations secretary-general.

The U.N. chief said on X yesterday that it was “time to stop the fighting,” calling attacks in the Middle East “unlawful.”

"Dear Mr. Secretary General, Let’s call a spade a spade," Esmaeil Baqaei said in response. "This is not 'the fighting'; this is an ‘unprovoked act of aggression’ launched by two nuclear armed regimes against Iran."

Baqaei said Iran was in “serious diplomatic negotiations” when the U.S. and Israel attacked the country last weekend, "for a second time during the past 9 months."

"The UN shall be forthright and shoulder its legal and moral responsibilities regarding this illegal war on Iran," he said.

Iranian authorities have warned people not to photograph impact sites in the country, saying they could be treated as "enemy spies."

"Do not send images to terrorist satellite networks, otherwise we will deal with you with strong measures," Iran's Ministry of Intelligence said today, as reported by the country's Fars state-run news agency.

It claimed small number of "American-Zionist" spies were photographing locations and sending them to "terrorist satellite networks," the report added, claiming that espionage activities "are being monitored."

American makes it home for son's birthday after being stranded in Dubai

02:03

An American who was left stranded in Dubai when the war broke out has made it home just in time for his son’s first birthday party.

Cody Greene, 36, who was visiting Dubai for work, was left scrambling to find a way out of the Gulf as missile and drone attacks canceled flights across the region.

“To finally get back here is just a weight off my shoulders,” he said yesterday from his home in Tampa, Florida, after securing a last-minute flight out of the country after multiple previous cancellations.

“The flight was very tense up until we were actually like 20,000 feet up,” he said. “And then everyone realized things were OK. There was just a massive cheer and celebration when we landed.”

Cody Greene was stranded in Dubai when the war started.  Courtesy Cody Greene

Israel has launched a "broad wave" of strikes toward Iranian infrastructure in Tehran and Isfahan, the IDF said in a statement today.

Israel targeted the Iranian capital Tehran with intense overnight bombardment that woke residents and shook windows. An NBC News freelance producer in Iran reported jets passing by and huge explosions in the east of Tehran.

Iran’s escalating retaliatory campaign continued with a new round of strikes, including on Tel Aviv.

Israeli strikes have killed 16 people in Lebanon, the country's public health ministry said today.

Raids launched by Israel on the town of Nabi Sheet in Lebanon's north eastern Baalbeck district "resulted in a preliminary total of 16 citizens being martyred and 35 others being wounded," it said.

In recent days, Israel has launched a wave of airstrikes and evacuation orders in south Lebanon and Beirut, including a prominent bombardment last night.

Approximately 300,000 people have been displaced by the strikes in Lebanon and sweeping Israeli evacuation orders, according to the Norwegian Refugee Council.

Dubai airport says it has partially resumed operations today, just hours after Emirates said all flights to and from the city had been suspended.

"Please do not travel to the airport unless you have been contacted by your airline that your flight is confirmed, as schedules continue to change," Dubai airport posted on X.

Dubai International Airport on Monday. Fadel Senna / AFP - Getty Images

Emirates also said it will resume operations, "including customers transiting in Dubai."

It said earlier that flights to and from the city had been suspended until further notice amid ongoing strikes in the region.

Dubai's airport is one of the busiest in the world, welcoming over 95 million guests in 2025. It has begun running a limited number of services from Dubai in recent days following the outbreak of war.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian says the country's temporary leadership council had agreed to “no longer attack neighboring countries or launch missiles unless an attack on Iran originates from those countries.”

He blamed the loss of Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and senior military commanders for some of his country's strikes, saying in an address on state television that some attacks were carried out because the armed forces "acted independently."

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian in Tehran in February. Iranian Presidency / Anadolu via Getty Images

But Pezeshkian warned Iran's neighbors not to become "tools of imperialism," one week on from the outbreak of the war that has seen strikes across the Gulf.

"Let us set aside all disagreements, concerns and grievances," Pezeshkian said. "Today we must defend our own land to bring Iran out of this crisis with dignity."

He also rejected President Donald Trump’s call for Iran’s “unconditional surrender,” responding: "They will take their dream to the grave if they think we will surrender unconditionally."

Trump said he will attend the dignified transfer today of the six U.S. service members who were killed in Operation Epic Fury.

“I will be going to Dover Air Force Base tomorrow, with the First Lady and Members of my Cabinet, to pay our Highest Respect to our Great Warriors, who are returning home for the last time,” the president said in a post on Truth Social last night.

Trump is expected to fly up to Delaware to attend the dignified transfer after hosting and participating in the Shield of the Americas Summit in Doral, Florida, a White House official confirmed to NBC News.

Saudi Arabia’s defense ministry said that it intercepted two ballistic missiles fired at the Prince Sultan Air Base and that a drone was intercepted east of Riyadh.

The United Arab Emirates also said that it was “currently dealing with incoming missile and drone threats from Iran.”

“The Ministry of Defense confirms that the sounds heard in various areas of the country are the result of the air defense systems intercepting ballistic missiles, and fighter jets intercepting drones and loitering munitions,” the UAE’s defense ministry said on X.