US President Donald Trump demanded Iran’s “unconditional give up” on Friday, March 6, a dramatic escalation one week into the warfare he launched alongside Israel that may make it tougher to barter a swift finish to hostilities.
Trump made the remarks on social media simply hours after Iran’s president introduced that unspecified international locations had begun mediation efforts, one of many first alerts of a diplomatic initiative to finish the battle, as Israel launched contemporary assaults on Iran and Lebanon and Iran despatched missiles into Israel and Gulf states that host US army bases.
“There will probably be no cope with Iran besides UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER!” Trump wrote. “After that, and the collection of a GREAT & ACCEPTABLE Chief(s), we, and lots of of our fantastic and really courageous allies and companions, will work tirelessly to carry Iran again from the brink of destruction, making it economically larger, higher, and stronger than ever earlier than.”
Trump’s demand, and the chance that it could complicate any fast path to ending a battle that has interrupted world power provides, rattled monetary markets. European and US inventory indexes completed the day sharply decrease, and oil futures hit their highest costs since 2023, because the efficient closure of the Strait of Hormuz has constrained the movement of power provides.
Trump had informed Reuters in a phone interview on Thursday that he should have a say in deciding on Iran’s new supreme chief to interchange Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, killed on the warfare’s first day.
A White Home spokesperson mentioned consideration was already underway.
“I do know there’s numerous those that our intelligence companies and america authorities are taking a look at,” Karoline Leavitt informed reporters on Friday.
Iran’s UN ambassador, Amir Saeid Iravani, informed reporters on Friday that new management could be chosen “in accordance with our constitutional procedures and solely by the desire of the Iranian individuals – with none overseas interference.”
Israel kilos Beirut after mass evacuation order
On the bottom, Israel pursued a significant growth of the warfare in Lebanon, pounding the capital Beirut on Friday after ordering an unprecedented evacuation of the complete southern suburbs of town.
Israel mentioned the targets included a Beirut command centre utilized by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard’s navy unit, together with command centres that it mentioned have been utilized by the Hezbollah militant group.
There was no rapid remark from Iran’s Revolutionary Guard or Hezbollah.
Israel additionally launched a brand new wave of assaults on Iran, saying 50 of its warplanes had struck a bunker nonetheless being utilized by Iran’s management beneath Khamenei’s destroyed Tehran compound.
Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian posted on social media: “Some international locations have begun mediation efforts.” He didn’t determine the international locations or present additional particulars.
“Let’s be clear: we’re dedicated to lasting peace within the area, however we now have not the slightest hesitation in defending the dignity and authority of our nation,” he wrote.
Israel has prolonged its bombing to Lebanon to root out Hezbollah, the Shi’ite militia allied to Iran that has been a dominant faction in Lebanese politics because the Eighties. Hezbollah fired on Israel this week to avenge the dying of Khamenei.
“We’re sleeping right here within the streets – some in vehicles, some on the road, some on the seashore,” mentioned Jamal Seifeddin, 43, who fled Beirut’s southern suburbs and spent the night time on the streets within the downtown district. “Nobody even introduced a blanket.”
Israel has intervened in Lebanon repeatedly over a long time, most not too long ago in 2024. However the ferocity of Friday’s strikes had little precedent.
About 300,000 individuals have been displaced in Lebanon prior to now 4 days, in response to the Norwegian Refugee Council.
Inside Israel, explosions could possibly be heard as Israeli defenses activated to shoot down incoming Iranian fireplace. The UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia all reported contemporary drone and missile assaults.
The Israeli army says it has destroyed 80% of Iran’s air-defense methods within the first week of the marketing campaign and disabled greater than 60% of its missile launchers.
Russia is offering Iran with areas of US warships and plane within the Center East after Iran’s capacity to find US forces was degraded, the Washington Submit reported, citing three officers acquainted with the intelligence.
Russian missions within the US didn’t instantly reply to requests for touch upon the report.
In the meantime, Trump met with executives from seven protection contractors on Friday, who agreed to speed up weapons manufacturing, the president mentioned on social media. The administration has been pressuring contractors as Iran and different current operations have drawn down provides.
Leavitt mentioned the US has sufficient weapons stockpiles to satisfy the wants of its Iran operations, which she mentioned would take about 4 to 6 weeks to finish.
‘We’re going to have to decide on that individual’ – Trump
In insisting on the proper to assist select Iran’s subsequent chief – meant to be a senior Shi’ite Muslim cleric chosen by a panel of spiritual specialists – Trump made his most express demand for management over a rustic of greater than 90 million individuals.
Israel has mentioned overtly that it goals to overthrow Iran’s ruling system. It has been bombing elements of western Iran to help Iranian Kurdish militias who hope to use the warfare to grab cities close to the frontier, in response to three sources acquainted with Israel’s talks with the factions.
Iran has solid the warfare as an unprovoked assault and describes the killing of its chief, Khamenei, as an assassination. It says the panel that may select the brand new chief is conducting its work.
At the very least 1,332 individuals have been killed in Iran because the US and Israel launched strikes on February 28, Iravani mentioned, citing the Iranian Purple Crescent Society. The Lebanese well being ministry has reported 123 individuals killed and 683 wounded because of Israeli assaults. Iranian assaults have killed 11 individuals in Israel because the warfare began, and at least six US service members have been killed.
Two US officers informed Reuters that army investigators believed it was probably that US forces have been answerable for an obvious strike on an Iranian ladies’ faculty that killed scores of kids on the primary day of the warfare. The investigators haven’t but reached a last conclusion. – Rappler.com
