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Smoke rises from the site of air strikes in a central area of the Iranian capital, Tehran, on March 6.
Smoke rises from the site of air strikes in a central area of the Iranian capital, Tehran, on March 6.

live Iran War Enters Its Second Week

Iran's leadership has been hit hard with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other senior officials killed in US and Israeli air strikes that continue to pound Tehran and other parts of the country. RFE/RL has continuing updates and analysis.

Key Takeaways:

  • 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.
  • Israel carried out heavy air strikes on Beirut on March 6 after ordering residents to evacuate the entire southern suburbs of the Lebanese capital.
  • US President Donald Trump says that he will not strike a deal with Tehran other than "unconditional surrender."
  • Iranian President Masud Pezeshkian said that several countries have begun efforts to mediate the conflict.
  • British police have announced the arrest of four people suspected of spying for Iran and monitoring locations and individuals connected to the Jewish community in London.
  • Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says the United States has requested Kyiv’s assistance in countering Iranian Shahed suicide drones.
  • The US Senate voted 53–47 to block a bipartisan resolution seeking to curb President Donald Trump’s authority to continue military action against Iran without congressional approval.
  • Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has confirmed that a US submarine sank ‌an Iranian warship off the coast of Sri Lanka as military officials said Iran is firing fewer missiles at targets around the Gulf region due to its decimated capabilities to wage war.
  • Iranian Kurdish armed groups based in Iraq have held discussions with US officials in recent days about the possibility of attacking Iranian security forces in western Iran, according to reports.
16:38 6.3.2026

US, South Korea Discuss Redeploying Patriot Missiles Amid Iran War

A Patriot missile is fired at a shooting range in South Korea's Chungcheong Province. (file photo)
A Patriot missile is fired at a shooting range in South Korea's Chungcheong Province. (file photo)

South Korea and the United States are discussing whether to redeploy some US Patriot missile defense systems currently stationed in South Korea to support operations in the ongoing war with Iran, according to Seoul’s foreign minister, Cho Hyun.

The talks follow media reports that certain Patriot units had recently been moved to Osan Air Base from other locations within South Korea.

The discussions come as Washington reviews military deployments during the Iran war.”

The potential shift has raised attention in South Korea because Patriot batteries help defend against North Korean missile threats.

Officials emphasized that any decision would take into account the need to maintain the peninsula’s defensive readiness.

With reporting by Reuters
16:18 6.3.2026

Tears Of Joy And Sorrow: Mixed Emotions In Tehran As Toll Of War Mounts

Motorists drive along an expressway as plumes of smoke rise after a strike on Tehran on March 5.
Motorists drive along an expressway as plumes of smoke rise after a strike on Tehran on March 5.

With Iran coming under daily attack from US and Israeli air strikes, the toll of the expanding war is adding up both physically and mentally for the country's 92 million people.

Tehran came under intense bombardment in the early hours of March 6, with witnesses reporting multiple explosions, particularly around major government buildings, as the United States and Israel look to weaken the Islamic republic, which has already seen Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and senior military leaders killed.

“The destruction has been very extensive. We’re experiencing very conflicting emotions," one woman who lives in the capital told RFE/RL's Radio Farda.

"One of them is happiness about the dictator being gone, and, for example, the commanders of the Revolutionary Guards and people like that -- honestly, you can’t say their deaths aren’t sweet; they really are. But, on the other hand, parts of the city that we had memories with for years are being destroyed,” she added.

Read the full article by Kian Sharifi, Roya Karimi Majd, and Vahid Pourostad here.

15:43 6.3.2026

Tehran Hit By Most Intense Strikes Of War

Iran's capital city saw the heaviest strikes witnessed so far on March 6, the seventh day of joint US-Israeli air attacks, according to social videos shared online. Verified user-generated video showed central areas of Tehran and government buildings coming under intense attacks.

Tehran Hit By Most Intense Strikes Of War Tehran Hit By Most Intense Strikes Of War
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15:41 6.3.2026

RFE/RL's graphics department has issued a map outlining the current situation in the Strait of Hormuz.

15:38 6.3.2026

Iranian Paralympian To Miss Milano Cortina Games Due To Travel Conditions Amid War

Iran's Aboulfazl Khatibi Mianaei (left) competes at the 2022 Paralympic Games in China.
Iran's Aboulfazl Khatibi Mianaei (left) competes at the 2022 Paralympic Games in China.

Two-times Paralympian Aboulfazl Khatibi, Iran's sole entrant to the 2026 Paralympic Milano Cortina Games, will not participate due to the unsafe travel conditions in the Middle East.

The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) confirmed on March 6 that Iran's National Paralympic Committee (NPC) could not find a safe route for Khatibi, a cross-country skier, to make it to Italy.

“Since the conflict began on Saturday, the IPC and Milano Cortina 2026 Organizing Committee have been working tirelessly behind-the-scenes with the NPC and national ski federation to find alternative routes for the safe passage of the Iran delegation to the Games. However, with the conflict ongoing across the Middle East, the risk to human life is too high," the IPC said.

The games' opening ceremony is set to take place later on March 6 in Verona.

15:17 6.3.2026

Trump Says Only Iran 'Unconditional Surrender' Acceptable

US President Donald Trump (file photo)
US President Donald Trump (file photo)

US President Donald Trump says that he will not strike a deal with Tehran other than "unconditional surrender."

"After that, and the selection of a GREAT & ACCEPTABLE Leader(s), we, and many of our ‌wonderful and very brave allies and partners, will work tirelessly to bring Iran back from the brink of destruction, making it economically bigger, better, and stronger than ever before," Trump said in a social media post on March 6.



15:08 6.3.2026

Report: Russia Gave Iran Intelligence On US Military Targets

The Washington Post reports that Russia has been providing Iran with intelligence on the locations of US military assets in the Middle East, citing three officials familiar with the matter.

The assistance could mark the first sign that another US adversary is indirectly involved in the conflict.

According to the report, Moscow has shared information on US warships and aircraft since the fighting began, potentially helping Iran target US forces.

Analysts say the precision of recent Iranian strikes suggests outside assistance.

14:06 6.3.2026

Iran May Hope For 'Saddam Scenario' If US Invades, Says Analyst

Iran analyst Mikhail Borodkin (file photo)
Iran analyst Mikhail Borodkin (file photo)

Iranian studies expert Mikhail Borodkin says the Tehran regime hopes that a potential US ground invasion would mirror the 1980 invasion of Iran by then-Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, which sparked an eight-year conflict.

He explained that back then Iranians rallied against the external enemy, allowing the regime, despite its lack of legitimacy, to not only to survive but also to strengthen its position.

"They hope that if a ground invasion begins, then the people will once again rally around this leadership, despite the fact that this leadership has exhausted all credit and lost all legitimacy in the eyes of the population," Borodkin told Current Time on March 6.

When asked how long the military operation against Iran could last, Borodkin said, it "could be halted the moment a government comes to power in Tehran that says it is prepared to meet the demands made by the Americans."

"But at the moment no such government exists there," he added.

12:59 6.3.2026

IDF Releases Footage Of Israeli Strikes On Khamenei Compound

The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) have released footage of strikes that it says took out Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's compound.

"The underground bunker of Iran’s former supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, was destroyed by the Israeli Air Force this morning, the Israeli military said on March 6.

Some 50 IAF fighter jets dropped around 100 bombs on the site, which the IDF says was located under Iran’s “leadership complex” in Tehran, spreading across multiple streets and including “many entry points and rooms for gatherings of senior members of the Iranian terror regime.”

“The underground bunker was built beneath the compound and was a secure emergency asset for managing the war by the leader, who was eliminated before he managed to use it,” the military sad.

NOTE: This blog entry has been amended to correct the date on which the strikes occurred.
12:29 6.3.2026

Pezeshkian: Several Countries Seeking To Mediate Iran Conflict

Iranian President Masud Pezeshkian (file photo)
Iranian President Masud Pezeshkian (file photo)

Iranian President Masud Pezeshkian said that several countries have begun efforts to mediate the conflict.

"Let's be clear: we are committed to lasting peace in the region yet we have no hesitation in defending our nation's dignity & sovereignty," he wrote in a post on X on March 6. "Mediation should address those who underestimated the Iranian people and ignited this conflict."

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