US Issues Alert After Drone Strike In Azerbaijan Region
WASHINGTION -- The United States has warned its citizens in Azerbaijan to avoid travel to the Nakhchivan region after drones struck the autonomous exclave earlier on March 5, an incident that sharply escalated tensions between Baku and Tehran.
In a security alert issued March 5 through the US Embassy in Azerbaijan, the State Department said an “unknown number of drones” struck the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic around noon local time, hitting the terminal building at Nakhchivan’s international airport and landing near a school building.
The advisory said US government personnel are prohibited from traveling to the region and urged American citizens to closely monitor developments and seek assistance if needed.
The warning came hours after Azerbaijani authorities said the drones had crashed in the exclave bordering Iran and Armenia, prompting Baku to close airspace near its border with Iran for 12 hours as a precaution.
Azerbaijan’s president, Ilham Aliyev, condemned the incident as an “ugly act of terror” and demanded an apology from Tehran, saying those responsible must be “immediately held accountable.” Tehran denied involvement.
Tehran denied it fired the drones.
Trump Offers ‘Immunity’ to Iranian Forces Who Surrender, Urges Civilian Uprising
WASHINGTON -- US President Donald Trump called on members of Iran’s military, police, and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to lay down their arms, promising “total immunity” if they abandon the country’s ruling clerical establishment.
Speaking at the White House on March 5, Trump urged security forces to side with the Iranian public and help bring down the government that has ruled the country since the 1989 Iranian Revolution.
“I’m once again calling on all members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, the military, and the police to lay down their arms,” Trump said. “Now is the time to stand up for the Iranian people and help take back your country.”
He emphasized those who surrender would receive protection. “We’ll give you immunity,” Trump said, adding that those who defect would be on “the right side of history.”
“You’ll be perfectly safe with total immunity, or you’ll face absolutely guaranteed death. And I don’t want to see that,” he said.
Trump also appealed to Iranian diplomats stationed abroad to request asylum and assist in shaping Iran's future.
“We urge Iranian diplomats around the world to request asylum and help us shape a new and better Iran with great potential,” he said.
Claim of Heavy Military Losses
The US president claimed that Iranian military capabilities had been severely degraded during recent fighting.
“In three days, their anti-aircraft weapons are gone. They have no air force. They have no air defense,” Trump said. “All of their airplanes are gone. Their communications are gone.”
He also said roughly 60 percent of Iran’s missiles and 64 percent of its launchers had been destroyed and that the country’s navy had lost 24 ships.
“Their navy is gone,” he said.
Trump also made it clear that the US would ensure that Iran’s next leadership does not threaten regional countries or America’s interests.
“The United States will ensure that whoever leads the country next, Iran will not threaten America or its neighbors -- Israel, anybody,” he said.
He accused Tehran of previously aiming missiles at several Gulf countries, including Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.
“They were going after the entire Middle East,” Trump said. “Then we came along. We blew up their party.”
Oil Market Measures
Amid concerns about rising energy prices following US and Israeli strikes on Iran, Trump said Washington had taken steps to stabilize oil markets. These included offering political risk insurance for oil tankers passing through the Persian Gulf, which he described as a “dangerous territory.”
Further measures to ease pressure on oil prices would be announced soon, he said.
Israel Strikes Lebanon As Lawmaker Says Goal Is To 'Topple Regime' In Iran
Israel aimed a new wave of attacks at Iran and added targets in southern Lebanon on the sixth day of the joint US-Israeli campaign. Reporting from Tel Aviv, RFE/RL correspondent Ray Furlong spoke to Israelis taking shelter as air raid sirens went off, and interviewed one prominent opposition politician who said Israel's goal for a "final result" of the war is to bring down the regime in Tehran.
US House Follows Senate, Rejects Curbs On Trump's War Authority
The US House of Representatives on March 5 rejected an effort to limit President Donald Trump's authority to wage war against Iran.
The measure led by Republican Thomas Massie and Democrat Ro Khanna was defeated 212-219. It would have required Trump to obtain congressional authorization before continuing military operations against Tehran.
It came a day after the Senate rejected a similar effort, underscoring the Republican-controlled Congress's reluctance to confront Trump as US forces conduct joint air strikes with Israel on Iran.
Trump would have been able to veto the legislation, even if it had successfully passed both chambers.
A two-thirds majority in both chambers would have been required to override the veto -- an almost impossible undertaking given in the current makeup of Congress.
Under the US Constitution, Congress has the power to declare war. The 1973 War Powers Resolution was intended to prevent presidents from committing US forces to long conflicts without getting approval of Congress.
"I think passage of a war powers resolution right now would be a terrible, dangerous idea...It would empower our enemies," Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters ahead of the vote.
Chuck Schumer, who leads the Senate's Democratic minority, said, "Republicans had their chance to do something that would have been overwhelmingly popular: to say no to Trump's war."
"Instead, they enthusiastically said yes, and now they own this war with Iran just as much as Donald Trump does."
Based on reporting by Reuters and AFP
French Military Allows US Support Jets To Use Istres Air Base
The French military said US support jets have been permitted to use a French air base, saying it had "full guarantees" the aircraft were not involved in strikes on Iran.
"US aircraft providing operational support (not combat aircraft) have been accepted at the Istres air base in France," the general staff said.
"France has required that the assets involved in no way take part in the operations conducted by the United States in Iran, but strictly in support of the defense of our partners in the region. It has obtained full guarantees to that effect," it said.
The Istres-Le Tube Air Base is large facility near Istres, northwest of Marseille. US forces have in the past used the base during missions involving French and American forces.
Separately, Alice Rufo, the minister delegate to the defense minister, said, "There is no use of French bases in the Near and Middle East for American offensive action."
The comments come two days after French President Emmanuel Macron said US-Israel military operations in Iran were conducted "outside international law."
With reporting by AFP
Sri Lanka Assisting Second Iranian Vessel After US Sub Sank Warship
Sri Lanka on March 5 begun offloading 208 crew members from a second Iranian vessel off its coast, a day after 87 people were killed after a US submarine sank an Iranian warship in the region with a torpedo.
"After detailed discussions with all parties, Sri Lanka has decided to assist the Iranian vessel," Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake told a news conference in the capital, Colombo.
The ship was outside Sri Lankan territorial waters near the port of Colombo, Dissanayake said.
Dissanayake said the second Iranian vessel, the IRINS Bushehr, asked the Sri Lankan government for permission to dock at one of the country’s ports. The government decided to offload the crew and then escort the ship to port on the island nation, which is 27 kilometers from India at its nearest point.
Officials did not confirm if the ship was a naval or commercial vessel. It wasn't immediately clear if the ship crew feared attack or if there had been technical issues.
The crew included 53 officials, 84 cadets, 48 senior sailors, and 23 sailors, Dissanayake said.
Some crew members would remain on board to help Sri Lanka's navy bring the vessel to a port in the eastern part of the island, the president added.
A US submarine sank the first ship, the IRIS Dena, on March 4 some 20 nautical miles off Sri Lanka's southern port city of Galle.
IRIS Dena had participated in an India-organized naval exercise in the Bay of Bengal on February 18-25 and was returning to its home port, naval records and Sri Lankan officials said.
Sri Lankan officials said 87 sailors were killed, while military crews rescued 32 survivors. Ten remain missing, officials said. Initial reports said 60 were unaccounted for, but the number was later amended.
The attack dramatically widened the scope of the war, which began on February 28 when US and Israeli air strikes pounded Iranian sites. Iran has retaliated with missile and drone strikes at Israel, Arab Gulf allies of the United States, and other countries including Azerbaijan and Turkey.
Iranians Flee To Armenia As Air Strikes Continue
Iranians crossing the border into Armenia as they flee US and Israeli air strikes had mixed feelings when they spoke to RFE/RL, painting a picture of the frightening situation they left behind while also expressing relief over the toppling of senior leadership.
Trump Tells Reuters US To Have Role In Choosing Iran's Next Leader
US President Donald Trump said he backs Iran's Kurds in launching an offensive to help overthrow the Islamic regime and that while it's still early in the process, Washington will have a role in choosing Iran's next leader. Speaking in a phone interview with Reuters on March 5, Trump said he believes having a role in selecting Iran's next leader after Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in air strikes last weekend, would help ensure stability. "We want to be involved in the process of choosing the person who is going to lead Iran into the future," Trump said. "We don't have to go back every five years and do this again and again...Somebody that's going to be great for the people, great for the country." When asked if he backs the Kurds launching an offensive in Iran, Trump said he thinks "it's wonderful that they want to do that, I'd be all for it." He refused, however, to say if the United States would provide, or had offered, air cover for any Kurdish offensive.
'A Dangerous Situation': Azerbaijan Fears Becoming Embroiled In Widening Iran War
Fears are growing in Azerbaijan, Iran's northwestern neighbor, that the South Caucasus country could become embroiled in the US-Israeli war on Tehran that is widening in scope.
Baku accused Iran of firing drones that struck an airport and school in Azerbaijan's Nakhchivan autonomous region on March 5, calling it an "act of terror" and vowing to respond. Tehran denied it fired the drones that injured two people.
The incident has heightened concerns in Azerbaijan -- which has close military, economic, and energy ties to Israel, Tehran's archenemy -- that it could become a target of the Islamic republic's expanding response to the massive US-Israeli air campaign launched on February 28.
Iran has retaliated by firing missiles and drones at US military and diplomatic facilities and striking key energy infrastructure in the Persian Gulf. Tehran's aim, experts say, is to expand the war and increase the cost of the conflict for Washington and its allies.
To read the full report, click here.
Conflict Widens Across Middle East As US, Israel, And Iran Trade Strikes
US and Israeli forces continued to strike Iran as the conflict broadened across the Middle East, with Tehran launching attacks on neighboring countries, including Azerbaijan, and Israel pursuing a "buffer zone" in southern Lebanon.
With the United States and Israel currently engaged in a sixth day of war against Iran, the number of countries in the region to suffer Tehran's retaliatory strikes, which have targeted both military and civilian infrastructure, grew again on March 5.
Neighboring Azerbaijan, which has longstanding ties with Israel, reported attacks launched from Iranian territory on March 5.
To read the latest report in full, click here.