Tehran Under Heavy Bombardment As Attacks Intensify
Residents of Iran’s capital witnessed one of the heaviest bombardments of the past week in the early hours of March 6, according to news and reports published on social media.
Images shared on social media indicate that the attacks were particularly intense in central parts of Tehran and around major government buildings.
In addition to the city center, reports also point to attacks on other parts of Tehran in both the eastern and western areas of the city. Many witnesses in these reports mentioned hearing fighter jets and, in some cases, being able to see them in the skies over Tehran.
Some users also reported houses shaking and some localized power outages in areas near the bombed locations.
Earlier, Israel’s Chief of Staff said the military campaign against Iran was entering a new phase, while several U.S. officials -- including defense chief Pete Hegseth -- warned that the intensity of the strikes could increase in the coming days.
After Week Of Closures, Government Offices And Banks In Tehran Restricted Until Further Notice
After a week of closures, activity at government offices and banks in Tehran has been restricted until further notice.
As a week-long shutdown declared after the death of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei comes to an end, Iranian media reported that operations at government offices and banks in the capital, Tehran, will remain restricted until further notice.
Tehran’s governor announced on March 5 that, beginning on March 7, all ministries, organizations, and executive bodies located in Tehran Province will operate with 20 percent of staff present in person until further notice. All female employees will also work remotely until further notice.
According to the announcement, managerial positions in Tehran Province are exempt from remote-work arrangements and are required to be present at their workplaces. The operational units of municipalities, medical centers, military, police, and security forces are also exempt from the restrictions.
The governor also said that administrative and technical units of banks will operate with 20 percent of staff, while selected bank branches will remain open on a rotating basis.
At the same time, an official from Iran’s Central Bank said the bank has proposed postponing the due dates for checks and loan repayments and submitted the proposal to the government. Its implementation is pending government approval.
Zelenskyy Says Ukraine Ready To Help US And Gulf Countries Counter Iranian Drones
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says the United States has requested Kyiv’s assistance in countering Iranian Shahed suicide drones.
“We have received a request from the United States for special assistance in countering Shahed drones in the Middle East,” Zelenskyyt wrote on X, adding that he has “issued "instructions to provide the necessary means and ensure the presence of Ukrainian specialists who can guarantee the required security.”
According to the Ukrainian president, the country is helping its partners who "help ensure our security and protect the lives of our people."
In recent days, Zelenskyy had offered assistance and the deployment of Ukrainian specialists to leaders of Gulf countries that have been affected by Iranian drone attacks.
The relatively inexpensive Shahed drones were initially developed and produced only in Iran, but Russia now produces similar versions under the name “Geran” and uses them against Ukraine.
The US military has also recently announced the development of drones based on the same model.
Return To Sender? America's 'Shahed Clone' Included In Military Buildup Around Iran
Quieter Night In Israel As Military Chief Says War Enters 'New Phase'
- By Ray Furlong
TEL AVIV -- Israel had a quieter night after its top military commander said the war against Iran was now entering a "new phase."
Israeli Defense Force (IDF) chief Eyal Zamir said on the evening of March 5 that the next stage of the conflict would "further dismantle the regime and its military capabilities."
He also said waves of strikes had destroyed 80 percent of Iran's air defenses and 60 percent of its missile launchers, though he cautioned that "the threat has not yet been removed."
Later, at around 11 p.m. local time, sirens sounded and people took cover as a fresh ballistic missile strike was detected. The strike included a cluster warhead that caused a fire but no injuries, authorities said.
Zamir did not go into much detail about the nature of the next stage of the war, which Israel launched with air strikes on Iran nearly a week ago. Media reports here suggest it will focus on deep underground ballistic missiles bunkers.
The IDF released a video on March 6 of what it said was the destruction of Iranian ballistic missile launchers that were about to fire on Israel.
Other strikes on Israel included hits areas in the north of the country, near the border with Lebanon, and the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights.
In Lebanon, fighting continued with Tehran-backed Hezbollah. The IDF said it made fresh air strikes on March 6, hitting a drone store and command base.
The Lebanese Health Ministry said 123 people had been killed in Israeli air strikes. Tens of thousands of people have fled their homes in southern Lebanon and Beirut after warnings from Israel of forthcoming operations.
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.