Iran is exporting significantly more oil than usual despite the ongoing disruption in the Strait of Hormuz, according to Associated Press journalist Inzamam Rashid. He reported that around 1,000 ships remain anchored near the strait’s entrance, including about 200 oil tankers. Rashid told Al Jazeera that the strait is one of the world’s busiest waterways, typically carrying about 20 percent of global oil supply, or roughly 20 million barrels per day. However, he noted that this normal flow has not been observed for about nine days, and most of the few tankers that managed to pass were used for Iranian oil exports.

The Joint Maritime Information Center has warned that the threat level in the waters surrounding the Strait of Hormuz is currently at a “critical” stage. The organization issued this alert based on its latest risk assessment. Rashid emphasized that under these conditions, Iran is exporting “much more oil” than before.

The situation underscores heightened tension in a key global energy corridor, with maritime security risks remaining severe.

US President Donald Trump has said that Iran’s government will eventually be removed from power by its own people, though not right away. Speaking to Fox News Radio, Trump stated that the Iranian population faces major obstacles, particularly the lack of weapons, but he believes the change will happen in time. His comments came after recent military strikes by the United States and Israel on Iran.

According to the report, more than 1,300 people have been killed in the attacks so far. Despite the conflict, there have been no major protests or signs of rebellion against Iran’s ruling system since the war began. Trump suggested that while the process may take time, public resistance could grow in the future.

The situation remains tense as the region continues to experience military and humanitarian fallout from the strikes, with other nations such as Russia reportedly sending aid to Iran.

Russia’s Ministry of Emergency Situations announced that it has sent 13 tons of humanitarian aid to Iran through Azerbaijan, according to Anadolu Agency. The ministry said in a statement on Thursday that the shipment includes medicines, which were first delivered to Azerbaijan and will then be handed over to representatives of the Iranian government. The aid was sent under the directive of President Vladimir Putin.

The ministry added that the medicines were transported to Azerbaijan using its air transport system before being transferred to Iran’s authorized representatives. The delivery comes amid heightened regional tensions following major attacks by the United States and Israel on February 28 that killed more than 1,300 people, including Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. In response, Tehran reportedly launched drone and missile strikes on Israel and U.S. military bases in Gulf countries.

The aid delivery underscores Russia’s continued engagement with Iran during a period of escalating conflict and instability in the region.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Supreme National Security Council Secretary Ali Larijani participated in the annual Al-Quds Day rally held in Tehran, according to Al Jazeera. State media photos showed Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Chief Justice Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejei also attending the event. The rally took place amid ongoing conflict and heightened security concerns.

The participation of Iran’s top officials came shortly after U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth claimed that Iranian leaders had gone underground out of fear. Their public appearance at the rally directly contradicted that assertion. Al-Quds Day is observed annually to express solidarity with Palestinians and opposition to Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories. The term “Al-Quds” refers to Jerusalem in Arabic.

During the gathering, multiple explosions were reportedly heard nearby, resulting in one death, according to the source. No further details about the cause or perpetrators of the explosions were provided.

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced that the United States would again launch the highest number of attacks on Iran. He made the statement during a Pentagon press conference on Friday, held to brief on the latest developments in the Iran war. Hegseth said Iran’s leadership was in hiding and that US capabilities were continuing to grow. He added that President Trump would determine the pace and timing of the conflict.

During the same briefing, General Dan Kane, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, remarked that the day would be the busiest for US forces. The announcement came as tensions between Washington and Tehran remained high, with both sides engaged in ongoing military operations.

The statements suggest that the United States is preparing for intensified military action in Iran, though no specific timeline or operational details were disclosed during the briefing.

Iran’s Health Ministry has reported that at least 1,444 people have been killed and 18,551 injured in attacks carried out by the United States and Israel across the country. The ministry released the figures in a statement published on Friday, according to Al Jazeera.

The attacks began on February 28 and have continued across multiple Iranian cities, including the capital Tehran. The strikes have reportedly targeted both military and civilian areas, damaging schools, hospitals, and other infrastructure. The ongoing assaults have caused widespread destruction and civilian casualties, according to the ministry’s statement.

The report did not include details about the reasons behind the attacks or any international responses. The situation remains critical as the strikes continue to affect major urban centers in Iran.

Iran has initiated the 44th phase of its military campaign named 'Operation True Promise-4', according to a statement from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The operation reportedly targets Israel-controlled areas and US military installations across West Asia. Conducted on the 23rd night of Ramadan, the strikes focused on northern Israeli cities including Haifa and Hadera.

The IRGC stated that the offensive was carried out in memory of key resistance leaders such as former Iranian General Qasem Soleimani, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, and Palestinian leader Ismail Haniyeh, among others. The statement also claimed that several US military facilities in the region were targeted, including the headquarters of the US Fifth Fleet in Manama, Bahrain.

As of now, neither Israel nor the United States has issued any official response or confirmed details regarding casualties or damage resulting from the attacks.

A Turkish-owned vessel has crossed the Strait of Hormuz with permission from Iran, according to Turkish Transport Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu, as reported by Al Jazeera. Local media said one of 15 Turkish-owned ships waiting near Iran received authorization to pass through the strategic waterway. The Turkish government had been in contact with Tehran regarding the matter.

Uraloglu told the Haberturk news outlet that the permitted ship had previously used an Iranian port. The crossing occurred amid heightened regional tensions following threats from Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps, which warned that any vessel transiting the strait could be targeted in retaliation for attacks by the United States and Israel.

The Strait of Hormuz is a critical global shipping route for oil transport, and the Iranian threats have raised international concerns about potential disruptions to global energy supplies.

Large crowds gathered across Iran on Quds Day to express solidarity with Palestinians. Demonstrations took place in major cities including Tehran, Khorramabad, Isfahan, Golestan, Yazd, Mashhad, and Zahedan. Participants carried flags and portraits of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei and his late father Ali Khamenei, according to footage shared by Iranian state media.

Reuters reported that in Tehran, demonstrators burned effigies of U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu while chanting slogans against the United States and Israel. Footage from Fars News Agency showed people striking coffins wrapped in U.S. and Israeli flags with nails. The rallies occurred amid ongoing Israeli military attacks, with Iranian state media also reporting explosions in Tehran, Isfahan, and other regions.

The events underscored Iran’s continued public support for Palestinians and opposition to Israel and the United States, coinciding with heightened regional tensions.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has issued a warning against any new anti-government protests, saying it will take even harsher measures than those used in January. The statement was broadcast on state television on Friday, signaling the government’s intent to prevent renewed demonstrations across the country.

According to the Human Rights Activist News Agency, more than 7,000 people were killed during the January protests. Iranian authorities have blamed the violence on ‘terrorists’ allegedly working for Israel and the United States. Several human rights organizations have accused Iranian security forces of deliberately firing on protesters during those events.

The report also noted that U.S. President Donald Trump has called on Iranians to rise against their government and overthrow the ruling system, adding to the international political tension surrounding Iran’s internal unrest.

Iran’s state media reported that Mansoureh Khozasteh Bagherzadeh, wife of the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, is alive but seriously injured. Earlier rumors had claimed she was killed alongside her husband in a joint U.S.-Israel airstrike in Tehran. The Fars news agency stated on March 12 that previous reports of her death were incorrect and resulted from misinterpretation of initial injury updates.

Several Iranian outlets had earlier reported that Bagherzadeh had died from her injuries, while semi-official Tasnim News said she was in a coma. Fars later clarified that the confusion arose from misreading early reports. Questions resurfaced about her condition after new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei made no mention of his mother’s death in his first public statement.

Ayatollah Khamenei, aged 86, was reported killed in the February 28 airstrike on his Tehran residence. Following his death, Iran launched missile attacks targeting U.S. and Israeli bases in retaliation.

U.S. President Donald Trump stated that he believes Iran’s newly appointed Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, is alive but seriously injured. Khamenei has not appeared in public since the start of the war in Iran. An Iranian official earlier told Reuters that the leader had sustained only minor injuries and continued to perform his official duties.

In an interview with Fox News, recorded Thursday and aired Friday morning, Trump reiterated his view that Khamenei survived but was gravely hurt. The remarks come amid heightened tensions following the outbreak of war involving Iran, the United States, and Israel.

In his first address after assuming office, Mojtaba Khamenei declared that Iran would not retreat from its conflict with the United States and Israel. He vowed to avenge the blood of martyrs and pledged to keep the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz closed.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has threatened to kill Iran’s new supreme leader, saying that neither Iran’s new Ayatollah nor Hezbollah’s leader should expect any guarantee of safety. He made the remarks during his first press conference since the start of the war, while defending Israel’s joint military operation with the United States against Iran.

Netanyahu stated that Israel’s objective was to prevent Iran from moving its nuclear and ballistic projects underground. He claimed that the attacks, which began on February 28, stopped Iran from relocating those programs. According to him, nearly two weeks of strikes have killed top Iranian nuclear scientists and inflicted heavy losses on the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the Basij forces.

The report also mentioned that Iran’s new supreme leader remains alive but seriously injured, as stated by former U.S. President Donald Trump.

U.S. officials told The New York Times that Iran began laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday, a vital maritime route through which about 20 percent of global oil supply—around 31 million barrels of crude daily—passes. The move reportedly surprised the Trump administration, even as President Donald Trump publicly claimed that U.S. forces had destroyed Iran’s navy.

According to CNN, senior Trump administration officials privately told lawmakers that they had not previously considered the possibility of Iran closing the strait in response to U.S. and Israeli attacks. A former U.S. official who served under both Republican and Democratic administrations said that planning to prevent such a scenario had long been a core principle of U.S. national security policy, expressing astonishment that the administration had not prepared for it.

The incident underscores the strategic vulnerability of the Strait of Hormuz and raises concerns about potential disruptions to global oil markets if tensions escalate further.

An Israeli airstrike on the Iranian city of Arak killed a woman and a child and injured 35 others, according to the city’s deputy governor. The attack occurred early Friday, and around the same time, loud explosions were heard in several parts of Tehran. State media reported that airstrikes were detected in two eastern districts of the capital around 5:15 a.m. local time, with residents describing their homes shaking from the blasts.

Semi-official Fars News Agency confirmed the intensity of the explosions, noting widespread alarm among residents. The incidents come amid heightened regional tensions and ongoing hostilities between Israel and Iran.

U.S. President Donald Trump commented that the war against Iran was progressing rapidly and effectively, labeling Iran a “nation of terror and hate” and saying it was paying a high price. He made the remarks at the White House on Friday.