Iranian General Kioumars Heydari has declared that Iran will not withdraw from the ongoing war until its objectives are fully achieved. Speaking to Iran’s semi-official Tasnim News Agency, Heydari stated that the country will continue fighting until it delivers a decisive blow to the United States. He emphasized that the duration of the conflict is not a concern for Iran.

Heydari, who serves as deputy commander of the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, said Iran’s military has gained extensive experience from its previous eight-year war and will only end the current conflict once its goals are met. He added that Iran aims to make its enemy regret and despair over its actions.

The statement, reported by Al Jazeera and Iranian media, underscores Tehran’s determination to sustain military operations despite regional tensions and growing international concern over the conflict’s escalation.

The Iranian Red Crescent Society reported that since Saturday, it has documented 1,332 attacks by US and Israeli forces across Iran. According to the organization, strikes have occurred in 636 locations, including at least 105 civilian sites. Among the civilian targets were 14 medical centers and seven Red Crescent buildings. The attacks reportedly affected at least 174 cities across the country.

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth stated at a Pentagon press conference on Wednesday that the conflict with Iran could last eight weeks. He said the United States possesses sufficient military equipment to defeat Iran. The Red Crescent’s report highlights the scale of the ongoing strikes and their impact on civilian infrastructure.

The situation has raised regional concerns, with reports of Gulf countries expressing anxiety over the risk of civil war in Iran. The broader Middle East tensions have also affected financial markets, including a sharp decline in South Korea’s stock exchange.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has claimed responsibility for an attack on a US tanker in the northern Gulf on Thursday morning. The IRGC stated that its naval forces struck the vessel, asserting control over maritime movement in the region.

According to the IRGC, military and commercial ships belonging to the United States, Israel, and their European allies will not be allowed to pass through the area. The force warned that any such vessels spotted would be targeted. The statement reiterated Iran’s earlier position that it has the right, under international law and resolutions, to regulate navigation through the Strait of Hormuz during wartime.

The report, citing Al Jazeera, comes amid heightened regional tensions, with Gulf nations expressing concern over Iran’s internal instability and the broader security situation in the Middle East.

Israel has claimed responsibility for airstrikes targeting Iran’s ballistic missile launch system in the city of Qom. According to an Israeli military spokesperson, the country’s air force carried out the attack, destroying the system that was allegedly preparing for a strike. The spokesperson, Avichay Adraee, stated on social media that Israeli forces also destroyed an air defense system in Isfahan.

The Israeli military said the strikes were aimed at weakening Iran’s defense capabilities and expanding Israel’s control over regional airspace. Israeli media reported that the army plans to continue operations in Iran for at least another one to two weeks. The announcement came five days after the start of the conflict, with Israel claiming to have dropped more than 5,000 bombs on Iran by Wednesday.

In addition to the attacks in Iran, Israel said it had launched a new round of strikes against Tehran-backed Hezbollah forces in Lebanon.

Israeli media reported that the country's military has dropped more than 5,000 bombs on Iran since the start of the conflict. The announcement came from Tel Aviv five days after the war began, with the army indicating plans to continue operations in Iran for at least another one or two weeks. Israel also confirmed launching a new round of attacks against Tehran-backed Hezbollah forces in Lebanon.

According to the reports, thousands of Iranian targets have been struck, and an Israeli Air Force official claimed that thousands of Iranian soldiers were killed. The Israel Times stated that the military briefing outlined plans to hit thousands more targets within Iran’s regime structure. AFP correspondents in Paris reported new explosions in northeastern Tehran.

The Israeli military said it attacked Tehran’s security command center, several other sites, and a missile facility in Isfahan, and claimed to have shot down an Iranian fighter jet over Tehran’s airspace.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reported that nearly 100,000 people left Tehran within the first two days following recent attacks. The agency said that escalating violence across the Middle East and other regions has displaced large numbers of people.

According to the report, Lebanon has seen around 58,000 people taking shelter in other people’s homes, on streets, or in open spaces. Meanwhile, Syrian authorities stated that on March 2, approximately 10,000 Syrians and about 1,000 Lebanese entered Syria, which is roughly three times the country’s average daily entry rate.

The UNHCR findings highlight a rapid surge in displacement linked to the latest wave of violence, reflecting the growing humanitarian pressure in the region.

Iran’s top security official Ali Larijani has claimed that more than 500 US soldiers have been killed since a war began on Saturday. He made the statement on Wednesday in a post on social media platform X. According to TRT World, the Pentagon has reported only six US military deaths since the conflict started, including four in Kuwait.

Larijani accused former US President Donald Trump of dragging the American people into what he called an unjust war with Iran, allegedly influenced by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He questioned whether the United States now prioritizes its own interests or those of Israel after the reported casualties. Larijani also warned that the martyrdom of Imam Khamenei would come at a high cost.

The war reportedly began with a joint US-Israeli attack on Iran, resulting in the deaths of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and several senior military commanders. Iranian authorities said around 1,050 Iranians have been killed in four days, including 165 schoolchildren in Minab. Larijani stated that Iran is prepared for a prolonged conflict.

Iran has announced that it will continue retaliatory attacks against the United States and Israel. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi conveyed this decision to his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan during a phone conversation, according to Al Jazeera. The Iranian Foreign Ministry stated on X that Araghchi said Iran’s armed forces would not stop until what he called the ‘enemy’s malicious activities’ cease. He added that Iran is only targeting bases used to plan and conduct attacks against it, describing the actions as consistent with international law.

The call followed Turkey’s summoning of Iran’s ambassador in Ankara after a ballistic missile flew toward Turkish airspace. Reuters reported that the missile, launched from Iran, was destroyed over the eastern Mediterranean by NATO’s air defense system. The intended target of the missile remains unclear. Turkey’s Defense Ministry confirmed that debris from the destroyed missile fell near the coastal area of Dortyol, without causing casualties.

Iran has sharply criticized US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, calling him the 'Minister of War Crimes'. The statement came from Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei, who made the remarks in a social media post citing Hegseth’s public comments. According to Baghaei, Hegseth had said that US and Israeli warplanes were flying over Tehran, bringing death and destruction from the skies.

Baghaei described Hegseth’s words as an admission of war crimes and crimes against humanity. He further stated that only a 'Nazi mentality' could coldly unleash death and destruction on another nation merely to fulfill a leader’s wishes. The comments were reported by Al Jazeera.

The exchange comes amid reports of heavy attacks on Tehran and significant civilian displacement, with the UNHCR noting that around 100,000 people left the city within the first two days of the assault.

Iran has accused the United States and Israel of carrying out recent airstrikes that damaged numerous civilian facilities across several Iranian cities. According to the Iranian Foreign Ministry, at least 33 sites, including hospitals, schools, residential areas, and markets, were targeted. The ministry’s spokesperson, Esmail Baghaei, stated on social media that civilian infrastructure such as schools and hospitals had been deliberately chosen as targets.

The list of affected locations includes residential buildings in Tehran’s Niloufar Square, hospitals in Tehran and Ahvaz, Tehran’s Grand Bazaar, the historic Golestan Palace complex south of the capital, and a primary school in Minab. Additional sites reportedly hit include residential areas in Maragheh and a sports hall in Lamard, Fars Province. Iran also claimed that civilian casualties occurred during the attacks.

Iranian officials said they have evidence of 33 targeted sites but noted that neither the United States nor Israel has yet issued an immediate response to the allegations.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has warned of 'terrorist activity' near the Iraq border, as reports emerge of a ground operation by Kurdish-Iranian militias in Iran’s northwestern region. The claim of the operation has not yet been officially confirmed by any side.

Araghchi has reportedly spoken with Bafel Talabani, leader of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, while U.S. President Donald Trump also held a conversation with Talabani earlier this week. According to Axios journalist Barak Ravid, a U.S. official said that Kurdish-Iranian militias had launched a ground offensive in northwestern Iran. However, Al Jazeera has not independently verified this information.

Despite the lack of confirmation, indications of possible military activity in Iran’s western region are reportedly increasing, suggesting heightened tensions along the Iran-Iraq border.

Iran has warned that it could target Israel’s Dimona nuclear facility if the United States and Israel attempt to change the Iranian government. The warning was issued by an Iranian military official, according to the country’s semi-official ISNA news agency, and reported by Al Jazeera. The statement specifically mentioned the Dimona site in southern Israel as a potential target.

The Dimona facility, located in Israel’s Negev desert, is widely regarded as the center of the country’s nuclear program. For many years, it has been considered a key site for Israel’s nuclear research and capabilities. The Iranian warning highlights ongoing tensions between Tehran and both Washington and Tel Aviv over regional security and political influence.

The report did not include any immediate response from Israel or the United States, leaving uncertainty about how the warning might affect future diplomatic or military developments.

The United States offered Iran a joint civilian nuclear program before launching a military attack, according to White House spokesperson Caroline Levitt. Speaking to reporters, Levitt said President Donald Trump’s negotiators engaged with Tehran in good faith, but Iran rejected the proposals. The offers reportedly included lifting economic sanctions, supplying nuclear fuel for peaceful use, and establishing a US-funded joint civilian nuclear initiative. In return, Iran would have had to dismantle its uranium enrichment infrastructure permanently.

However, Oman’s foreign minister, who mediated the talks, presented a different account. He claimed Iran had agreed to make significant concessions on its nuclear program and that the US attack occurred while negotiations were still ongoing. Observers expressed concern that the situation could heighten regional tensions.

The conflicting narratives from Washington and Muscat highlight uncertainty over the final stages of the talks and the motivations behind the US strike on Iran.

The United States has claimed that more than 2,000 targets in Iran have been struck as part of its ongoing military campaign. White House spokesperson Caroline Levitt told reporters on Wednesday that hundreds of Iranian ballistic missiles and drones were destroyed, asserting that the US and Israel have now established full air dominance over Iranian airspace. She also said that 20 Iranian naval vessels were destroyed, including a submarine sunk near the Sri Lankan coast.

International analysts cited in the report said the continuing conflict between the United States and Iran has heightened tensions across the Middle East. They warned that the situation could impact global energy prices, trade, and security conditions.

Experts in Bangladesh noted that prolonged instability in the Middle East could affect the safety of Bangladeshi expatriate workers and the flow of remittances. Rising global oil prices could also increase domestic energy costs and put pressure on the national economy.

Analysts have questioned the Trump administration’s belief that military attacks could topple Iran’s ruling establishment. According to Al Jazeera, Maha Yahya, director of the Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center, said there is no organized opposition group in Iran capable of taking control of the state. She warned that power could instead fragment among various ethnic, political, and social groups.

Yahya noted that the only declared opposition leader is the son of former Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, who lives abroad. She dismissed the idea of a Kurdish-led uprising as unrealistic. In her assessment, Iran is more likely to face internal discord and instability in the coming days.

Yahya added that even if the fighting stopped immediately, Iran’s internal situation would remain fragile, and the post-conflict government in Tehran might intensify repression against dissenters.