US-Israeli strikes on Iran enter second week as Trump demands ‘unconditional surrender’
Conflict widens to Gulf states and Lebanon, mediation efforts emerge amid soaring civilian casualties and economic fallout
TEHRAN— The expanding war in Iran entered its seventh day on Saturday, with the United States and Israel pressing military operations across multiple fronts, Iran launching retaliatory strikes on Gulf states, and diplomatic mediation efforts emerging even as US President Donald Trump ruled out any negotiated settlement short of Tehran’s “unconditional surrender.”
Israeli warplanes struck more than 400 targets across western Iran on Friday, including ballistic missile launchers and drone storage facilities, according to the Israel Defense Forces. The military said it has dropped more than 6,500 bombs in Iran since the conflict began, carrying out approximately 2,500 sorties in 150 waves of strikes .
Iran’s navy announced Friday that it fired a coast-to-sea missile at the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier in the Gulf region, according to a statement posted on the Iranian military’s website. The announcement followed an Iranian claim on Thursday that drones had struck the carrier, which US officials immediately rejected, saying there was no evidence the vessel was hit .
The conflict, which began Feb. 28 with US and Israeli strikes that killed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has expanded well beyond Iranian borders. Iranian forces have launched multiple waves of missiles and drones targeting US-linked facilities in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Qatar, according to officials in those countries .
Bahrain’s Defense Force announced it has destroyed 78 missiles and 143 drones targeting the kingdom since the start of the attacks. The UAE’s air defenses intercepted nine ballistic missiles and 109 drones on Friday alone, the Ministry of Defense said .
Saudi Arabia reported destroying drones headed toward its Shaybah oil field and intercepting a ballistic missile launched toward Prince Sultan Air Base, which hosts US forces .
Casualties and civilian toll
At least 1,332 Iranian civilians, including women and children, have been killed in US and Israeli air strikes since Feb. 28, Iran’s UN Ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani told reporters Friday, citing the Iranian Red Crescent Society. More than 180 children across the country have been killed and over 20 schools damaged, he said .
Thirteen healthcare facilities in Iran have been attacked, and several civilian sports and recreational facilities in Tehran and other cities were deliberately targeted on Thursday, with more than 18 female athletes killed and around 100 others injured, Iravani said .
US military investigators are reviewing an apparent strike on an Iranian girls’ school that killed at least 165 children, though no conclusion has been reached, western media reported . Two US officials told Reuters that investigators believe it was likely that US forces were responsible, but have not reached a final conclusion .
In Lebanon, Israeli strikes since Monday have killed at least 217 people and wounded 798, the Health Ministry said Friday. Two Ghanaian UN peacekeepers were critically injured in an attack on their base in southern Lebanon amid ongoing hostilities between Israeli forces and Hezbollah .
Iranian attacks have killed 11 people in Israel since the war started, and at least six US service members have been killed, according to officials .
Leadership and political fallout
Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian said in a social media post Friday that “some countries have begun mediation efforts,” without identifying them. He later spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin about the crisis .
In a prerecorded address aired by state television Saturday, Pezeshkian rejected Trump’s demand for unconditional surrender as a “dream that they should take to their grave.” He also apologized for Iran’s attacks on regional countries, insisting Tehran would halt them and suggesting they were caused by miscommunication in the ranks .
Iranian state television reported Friday that a leadership council had begun discussing how to convene the country’s Assembly of Experts, which will select the new supreme leader following Khamenei’s death .
Iravani told reporters that new leadership would be chosen “in accordance with our constitutional procedures and solely by the will of the Iranian people — without any foreign interference” .
US position and military strategy
President Trump said Friday the United States will accept no agreement with Iran short of “unconditional surrender,” posting on his Truth Social platform: “There will be no deal with Iran except UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER!” After such a surrender and the selection of a “great and acceptable leader,” Trump wrote, the US and its allies would help rebuild Iran’s economy .
Trump told Reuters in a telephone interview Thursday that he must have a say in selecting Iran’s new supreme leader, a demand he repeated Friday .
White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt told reporters Friday that Trump expects “Operation Epic Fury” to last “about four to six weeks,” and he wants to be involved in discussions about Iran’s future leadership .
Admiral Brad Cooper, head of US Central Command, said the US is now focusing on destroying Iran’s industrial capacity for ballistic missile production. He confirmed that over the past 72 hours, US bomber forces had struck nearly 200 targets in Iran .
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a television interview Friday that the “biggest bombing campaign” of the war was still to come .
Secretary of State Marco Rubio told Arab foreign ministers in calls Thursday that the US-Israeli war on Iran could last “several more weeks,” according to sources with direct knowledge cited by Axios. Rubio said the military focus is on Iran’s missile launchers, stockpiles and factories, and while the US goal is not “regime change,” Washington wants “different people running the country” .
The administration approved a new $151 million arms sale to Israel and Trump met with executives from seven defense contractors Friday, who he said agreed to accelerate weapons production .
Regional spillover and economic impact
The conflict has drawn in multiple regional actors and disrupted global energy markets. Iraqi security forces Friday seized a vehicle carrying a rocket launcher in western Baghdad after several rockets were fired near Baghdad International Airport, causing no casualties . An armed group calling itself “Guardians of Blood,” affiliated with pro-Iranian militias, claimed responsibility for an attack targeting the “US Victoria Base” at the airport .
The US Embassy in Baghdad issued a security alert warning that Iran-aligned militia groups “may seek to target hotels frequented by foreigners in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region” and urged US citizens to leave Iraq .
Qatar’s Energy Minister Saad al-Kaabi warned the Financial Times that the war could “bring down the economies of the world,” predicting a widespread shutdown of Gulf energy exports that could send oil to $150 a barrel. The price for benchmark US crude rose above $90 on Friday for the first time in more than two years .
Qatar announced a delay in the launch of additional liquefied natural gas production due to escalating tensions, and its civil aviation authority partially resumed air navigation using contingency routes at limited capacity .
Dubai International Airport, the world’s busiest for international travel, activated air defenses Saturday morning and ushered waiting passengers into train tunnels after attack alerts .
International reactions and diplomatic efforts
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned Friday that the situation in the Middle East “could spiral beyond anyone’s control,” calling for an immediate halt to fighting and a return to serious diplomatic negotiations .
Russian President Vladimir Putin urged an immediate end to hostilities in a phone conversation with Pezeshkian, reaffirming Russia’s position that force must be abandoned and political-diplomatic efforts pursued .
According to a Washington Post report citing three officials familiar with intelligence, Russia is providing Iran with information that could help Tehran locate US warships and aircraft in the region. The officials cautioned that US intelligence has not uncovered Russia directing Iran on what to do with the information .
French President Emmanuel Macron said Paris is “not waging war” in the region and will not join the US-Israeli offensive. France dispatched a helicopter carrier to the Mediterranean to bolster its aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle, which arrived in the Mediterranean Friday .
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez called the US-Israeli military action an “extraordinary mistake” that would cause price rises, rejecting Trump’s criticism of Spain’s refusal to allow US use of its bases in the ongoing assault .
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer told Bahrain’s king that four British jets being deployed to Qatar could be used to help defend the kingdom against Iranian attacks .
Military assessments and next phase
Israeli military chief Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir warned Friday that the US-Israeli campaign was entering “the next phase” and would “further dismantle the regime and its military capabilities.” The military said it has destroyed 80 percent of Iran’s air-defense systems in the first week and disabled more than 60 percent of its missile launchers .
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards spokesman Brigadier General Ali Mohammad Naeini affirmed that Iran is fully prepared for a “prolonged war” and plans to introduce advanced weaponry not yet used in the conflict . Iranian forces have launched more than 600 missiles and over 2,000 drones at US and Israeli facilities across the region since the escalation began, according to the Iranian armed forces headquarters .
China’s Global Times quoted military expert Zhang Junshe saying Iran’s adoption of asymmetric warfare tactics has made it difficult for the US to achieve a quick and decisive victory, with Tehran’s counteroffensives displaying resilience despite military inferiority .
As the conflict enters its second week, the US and Israel continue military operations aimed at degrading Iran’s military capabilities while Tehran projects defiance and pursues asymmetric retaliation. Civilian casualties mount across the region, global energy markets react with price spikes, and diplomatic mediation efforts emerge even as Washington rules out negotiations. The conflict’s expansion to Gulf states and Lebanon, combined with warnings from international leaders, raises concerns about a broader regional war with no clear endpoint in sight.
With inputs from
1 Reuters: Iran war enters second week as Trump demands unconditional surrender
2 Associated Press: Iran’s president defies US demands while apologizing for strikes on neighbors
3 BBC News: US-Israeli strikes on Iran continue as Trump issues surrender demand
4 UN News: Guterres warns Middle East situation could spiral beyond control
5 Bloomberg: Gulf states intercept Iranian missiles as oil prices surge
6 Financial Times: Qatar warns war could bring down world economies
7 Al Jazeera: Iran war enters second week with no end in sight
8 The Washington Post: Russia providing intelligence to Iran, officials say
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