U.S. President Donald Trump says there “will be no deal” with Iran unless it surrenders unconditionally, a day after Iran’s Foreign Minister said the country was prepared to stand up to a ground invasion. Trump has also said that any new leadership of the country would have to be “acceptable” to the United States. This follows what has now been seven days of heavy U.S.-Israeli bombardment, including a new major wave of strikes by Israel targeting Iranian leadership in Tehran overnight.
You can catch up with our past coverage of ongoing operations against Iran here. Latest updates on the war are down the page of this article.
Trump’s statement was made via a post on his Truth Social social media network.
“There will be no deal with Iran except UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER!,” he wrote. “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. IRAN WILL HAVE A GREAT FUTURE. “MAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN (MIGA!).”
Trump has increasingly talked about changing the regime in Tehran in recent days, and his desire to be personally involved in that process. This comes despite pushback from other U.S. officials about regime change being an explicit goal of what has been dubbed Operation Epic Fury.
“We want to go in and clean out everything,” Trump told NBC News in a phone call on Thursday. “We don’t want someone who would rebuild over a 10-year period.”
“We want them to have a good leader,” the president added. “We have some people who I think would do a good job.”
Trump declined to offer any names, but said he was taking steps to make sure the people on his list make it through the war alive.
Trump acknowledged that Khamenei’s son, Mojtaba Khamenei, is the most likely successor, but finds that outcome unacceptable and insists he play a role in determining Iran’s next leader, Axios reported.
“They are wasting their time. Khamenei’s son is a lightweight,” Trump told Axios. “I have to be involved in the appointment, like with Delcy in Venezuela.”
Trump was referring to the Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez, who took over after the capture of dictator Nicolas Maduro in a dramatic U.S. operation in January.
Trump had also called for Iran’s unconditional surrender during the 12 Day War between Israel and Iran last year, before helping broker a ceasefire agreement between the parties.
Before Trump made his unconditional surrender demand, U.S. Navy Adm. Brad Cooper, commander of U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), laid out how destructive Epic Fury has been to Iran’s military.
“Over the last 24 hours of the operation, compared to where we were at the start, ballistic missile attacks have decreased by 90%, drone attacks have decreased by 83% since day one,” he told reporters, including from The War Zone, during a press conference at CENTCOM headquarters in Tampa, Florida, on Thursday evening. Cooper added that these attacks have also wiped out a large chunk of Iran’s Navy, destroying 20 ships so far.
Overnight, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) said it carried out a massive 50-jet raid on Tehran, targeting an underground bunker complex intended for use by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and other top leaders. Khamenei was killed elsewhere in the opening phase of what the IDF called Operation Roaring Lion.
The bunker “spanned multiple streets in the heart of Tehran and contained numerous entrances and meeting rooms” for senior Iranian leaders, the IDF explained. It was intended to be used by Khamenei as “a secure emergency command center,” but after his death, “the compound continued to be used by senior Iranian regime officials,” the IDF claimed.
The “senior commander” targeted by these Israeli air strikes was Asghar Hijazi, Times of Israel military correspondent Emanuel “Mannie” Fabian reported on X, citing Israeli defense sources.
“Hijazi is said to be the acting head of the supreme leader’s office, following the killing of Ali Khamenei,” Fabian added.
Videos emerging from Tehran showed multiple explosions and ensuing fireballs rising in the distance. Local residents described the attack as “the worst, strongest, and most horrifying ever.”
For their part, Iranian officials have been publicly rejecting the possibility of new talks and/or a ceasefire with the United States and Israel amid the ongoing conflict. Iran’s Foreign Minister Sayed Abbas Araghchi also said yesterday that his country was prepared for a ground invasion.
“Relying on its defensive capabilities and the support of the Iranian nation, the Islamic Republic defends the country’s national sovereignty and territorial integrity within the framework of its inherent right to legitimate self-defense and will respond decisively to any aggressive act,” Araghchi told his Cuban counterpart today.
Significant pressure is clearly being put on the regime in Tehran to capitulate, at least to some degree. Top Iranian leadership figures are being actively targeted, as are individuals who could step in to fill the resulting voids. What the U.S. government, as well as its Israeli allies, may actually be willing to accept in order to bring the conflict to an end remains to be seen.
We have concluded our rolling coverage in this piece.
UPDATE: 5:33 PM EST –
After a meeting with major defense contractors called as the U.S. continues to burn through munitions during Epic Fury, Trump said they were boosting weapons production.
“They have agreed to quadruple Production of the ‘Exquisite Class’ Weaponry in that we want to reach, as rapidly as possible, the highest levels of quantity,” the president proclaimed. “Expansion began three months prior to the meeting, and Plants and Production of many of these Weapons are already under way.”
In his post, Trump again asserted that there is “a virtually unlimited supply of Medium and Upper Medium Grade Munitions, which we are using, as an example, in Iran, and recently used in Venezuela. Regardless, however, we have also increased Orders at these levels.”
Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Ken Wilsbach posted a message on X praising airmen for their efforts during Epic Fury.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said “tonight will be our biggest bombing campaign” against Iran.
“We will do the most damage to the Iranian missile launchers and the factories that built them.”
UPDATE: 4:31 PM EST –
Videos have emerged on social media claiming to show attacks across Iraq.
Some purport to show an attack on Camp Victory, a facility housing U.S. forces near Baghdad’s international airport. You can see explosions followed by fireballs and smoke in the video. It is not clear who is attacking.
Another video shows a claimed strike by U.S. helicopters on an Iranian-backed militia group in Mosul. We cannot independently confirm any of these claims and have reached out to CENTCOM for more information.
There is also a video claiming to depict an Iranian drone strike on energy facilities in Basra.
The IRGC offered a threatening response to Trump’s order to have U.S. Navy vessels escort commercial ships through the Strait of Hormuz. Iran has previously claimed it had shut down the Strait, and the IRGC said it welcomes these escorts, with a reference to the American supertanker Bridgeton, which hit a mine in the Persian Gulf while being escorted by U.S. Navy warships in 1987. That incident took place in the so-called “Tanker War” that took place during the Iran-Iraq War.
Amid all the turmoil, the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle has passed through the Strait of Gibraltar and is now in the Mediterranean.
UPDATE: 3:32 PM EST –
CENTCOM released its latest Epic Fury graphic update showing targets hit and assets deployed. So far, more than 3,000 targets have been hit, including 43 Iranian ships that have been destroyed or damaged, according to the command.
The aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford has transited the Suez Canal and is now in the Red Sea, according to the Navy. Images posted on the Pentagon’s video and image distribution site show the carrier and one of its escorts, the Arleigh Burke class guided missile destroyer USS Bainbridge in the canal.
A Chinese satellite image emerged of the Ford and two of its escorts crossing through the canal. This move makes sense considering that the ballistic missile threat against Israel that the carrier strike group was helping defend against has diminished. Being in the Red Sea would provide assets needed to defend against any attacks from the Houthis of Yemen should that Iranian proxy decide to get into the fight.
The Pentagon also released photos of B-52 Stratofortress bombers that took part in Epic Fury.
There are claims that Iran struck a Patriot air defense site in the UAE, however we cannot confirm this. We reached out to CENTCOM for more details.
UPDATE: 2:18 PM EST –
Israel estimates that “Azerbaijan will soon attack Iran,” Israel’s Kan News reported.
“There may be other countries to join action against Iran and its interests in the region,” the outlet noted.
These claims come days after Azerbaijani officials vowed they would retaliate for an Iranian drone strike on their territory that wounded four people.
We cannot confirm that, however, video emerged earlier today showing Azerbaijani military equipment being moved closer to that nation’s border with Iraq.
The U.K. Defense Ministry (MoD) issued its latest update on operations in the Middle East.
Iran’s intelligence ministry said on Thursday that “separatist terrorist groups” planned to enter the country from its western borders and carry out attacks in urban and border areas, taking advantage of wartime conditions, Iran International reported. “A joint preemptive operation by the intelligence ministry and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps destroyed a significant portion of the groups’ positions and capabilities and inflicted heavy losses,” the ministry said in a statement.
UPDATE 1:07 PM EST –
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt offered an explanation of what Trump means by his unconditional surrender demand on Iran.
“When Trump, as Commander in Chief, determines that Iran no longer poses a threat to the US and the goals of Operation Epic Fury have been fully realized, then Iran will essentially be in a place of unconditional surrender, whether they say it themselves or not,” she explained.
The Army in recent days abruptly canceled a major training exercise for the headquarters element of the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, according to The Washington Post.
“This is fueling speculation within the Defense Department that soldiers specializing in ground combat and a range of other missions may be sent to the Middle East as the conflict with Iran widens,” the publication posited.
Ukraine is in talks with the U.S. and Gulf allies about replicating Kyiv’s acoustic detection network to counter Iranian attack drones, Financial Times is reporting, citing people familiar with the matter. Consisting of thousands of acoustic sensors across Ukraine, this system helps detect and track incoming Russian kamikaze drones, alert traditional air defenses in advance, and also dispatch ad hoc drone hunting teams to shoot them down.
In 2024, we reported that the U.S. Army was considering acquiring this system.
Air Force Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, posted a message on X honoring six soldiers killed in Kuwait by an Iranian drone on March 1.
“It is with profound sadness that we mourn the loss of six American heroes from the 103rd Sustainment Command U.S. Army Reserves out of Des Moines, Iowa,” Caine noted. “Major Jeffrey R. O’Brien, Captain Cody A. Khork, Chief Warrant Officer 3 Robert M. Marzan, Sergeant First Class Nicole M. Amor, Sergeant First Class Noah L. Tietjens, and Sergeant Declan J. Coady.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio told Arab foreign ministers in a series of phone calls Thursday that the war is expected to last several more weeks, Axios is reporting, citing “sources with direct knowledge of the conversations.”
Rubio said the current military focus is on Iran’s missile launchers, stockpiles and factories, the outlet reported, adding that the secretary “told the ministers the U.S. goal is not regime change — while simultaneously making clear Washington wants different people running the country.”
At least one B-1B Lancer bomber landed at RAF Fairford in the U.K. today. This is part of an ongoing buildup of U.S. forces as Epic Fury drags on.
UPDATE: 12:58 PM EST –
“The Iranian terrorist regime has attacked 12 different countries and continues to deliberately target civilians through the Middle East,” CENTCOM commander Adm. Brad Cooper has said in a new statement. “Last night, Iranian forces fired seven attack drones at civilian, residential neighborhoods in Bahrain. This is unacceptable and will not go unanswered. We will continue work with regional partners to address this threat to innocent people across the region.”
There are as-yet unconfirmed reports that U.S. B-1 bombers are headed to RAF Fairford in the United Kingdom, and that they will begin flying strikes on Iran from that base. In a press conference late yesterday, Secretary Pete Hegseth and Adm. Cooper both talked about the continued flow of U.S. forces, including bombers, to support Operation Epic Fury.
French authorities have denied that U.S. aircraft are using bases in the country to support operations over Iran, but are instead operating from them to aid in “the defense of our partners in the region.”
It has now been reported that the U.S. Navy submarine that torpedoed the Iranian frigate IRIS Dena in the Indian Ocean was the Los Angeles class USS Charlotte. Separately, another Iranian ship has now sought refuge in India. This is in addition to the IRIS Bushehr, which is now impounded in Sri Lanka.
The satellite image below is said to show the aftermath of an attack on an Iranian underground ballistic missile facility.
The video below is said to show an Iranian ballistic missile attack on Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia, though it is currently unconfirmed.
Pictures and videos showing Iranian ballistic missiles with cluster munition payloads being employed continue to appear online. Images of the submunitions themselves have also now been emerging following the use of these missiles.
The Ministry of Defense of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) says the country’s forces intercepted another nine ballistic missiles and 109 drones fired by Iran today. UAE authorities say they have now intercepted 190 ballistic missiles, eight cruise missiles, and 1,110 drones since the conflict began.
MS NOW‘s “Morning Joe” is reporting that authorities in the UAE have now frozen billions of dollars in Iranian assets held in the country.
What is said to be the first U.S. State Department-facilitated evacuation flight from Israel has arrived in Greece, according to JewishInsider.
UPDATE: 12:10 PM EST –
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) has now released a video showing a strike on the Iranian ‘drone carrier’ Shahid Bagheri, an unusual ship you can read more about here. At a press conference late yesterday, U.S. Navy Adm. Brad Cooper, head of CENTCOM, said an unnamed “Iranian drone carrier ship, roughly the size of a World War II aircraft carrier” had been targeted in “just the last few hours.” In a post on X on March 2 denying claims of an attack on a U.S. carrier, CENTCOM said “the only carrier that has been hit is the Shahid Bagheri.” It remains unclear whether the Shahid Bagheri was struck multiple times.
A video clip, taken from the shore, has now also emerged that is said to show the Shahid Bagheri on fire following a strike. The U.S. military has made clear that the destruction of Iran’s naval capabilities is a core objective of Operation Epic Fury.
U.S. Central Command continues to release other footage from ongoing strikes on targets in Iran.
Satellite imagery shows runways have cratered at Iran’s Hamadan and Dezful Air Bases in the course of ongoing U.S.-Israeli strikes.
Online flight tracking software indicates that additional U.S. Air Force aerial refueling tankers have deployed to Ben Gurion Airport in Israel. U.S. officials have now repeatedly said that additional forces are still heading to the region. A U.S. tanker force had already been positioned at Ben Gurion in the lead-up to the current conflict.
The Israel Defense Forces have shared a video taken in the cockpit of a fighter flying over Iran.
Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom David Lammy has said the country would be within its rights to take “defensive action” in response to Iranian threats, including taking “down sites [Iran] that are anticipating attacking our people.” There are no indications that British forces have struck targets in Iran yet.
Publicly available data continues to show a decline in the number of Iranian ballistic missiles and drones launched in retaliatory attacks over the course of the conflict so far.
CBS News has reported that quadcopter-type drones may have conducted surveillance of U.S. facilities in Kuwait ahead of an attack that killed six American servicemembers.
Qatari authorities say an Iranian attack struck facilities housing its naval personnel in Bahrain.
The Washington Post has reported that Russia may be providing Iran with information to help with targeting American forces in the Middle East, citing unnamed officials.
The video below is said to show the remains of an Iranian ballistic missile and its transporter-erector-launcher inside a structure following a strike.
The videos below are said to show strikes on targets in the Iranian city of Ilam.
The satellite imagery below is said to show the aftermath of Iranian attacks earlier this week on facilities in Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
South Korea’s Chosun newspaper has reported that 1,000 guidance kits for Paveway-series laser-guided bombs were moved from storage at Osan Air Base in December, possibly in support of preparation for Operation Epic Fury. However, the sourcing for the story is unclear, and it says that officials in the country have declined to comment.
South Korean media outlets are also reporting that the Cheongung-II surface-to-air missile system, which is in service in the UAE, has made its combat debut, citing members of the country’s National Assembly and unnamed military officials.
Pro-Iranian Iraqi militants claim to have launched kamikaze drones aimed at Jordanian military bases.
There are reports that ships continue to come under attack in and around the Strait of Hormuz. Maritime traffic through this highly strategic waterway continues to be at a virtual standstill due to the ongoing conflict.
Qatari Energy Minister Saad Sherida Al Kaabi has warned that all Gulf energy producers could halt production “within weeks and drive oil to $150 a barrel” if the ongoing conflict continues unabated in an interview with the Financial Times newspaper. Some oil fields are already cutting back production as available storage capacity in the country fills up as exports slow, according to The Wall Street Journal.
The U.S. government is reportedly easing sanctions on Russian oil exports to India amid disruption in global markets as a result of ongoing operations against Iran, the Financial Times has also reported.
The U.S. Embassy in Baghdad has issued a new alert saying U.S. nationals are “strongly encouraged to depart as soon as they are safely able to do so” and advising them to use overland routes given regional airspace closures. The Embassy has suspended regular consular services.
The Japan Self-Defense Forces will deploy a transport aircraft to the Republic of Maldives in the Indian Ocean as part of an effort to aid Japanese nationals in departing the Middle East.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has reported that, with regard to supporting the departure of Japanese nationals, transportation for those staying in Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates will be carried out sequentially starting as early as tomorrow onward. In light of this, the Ministry of Defense is proceeding with preparations for the Self-Defense Forces as a precaution, in preparation for unforeseen circumstances such as the inability to operate civilian charter flights,” Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi wrote on X, according to a machine translation of the post below. “The one Air Self-Defense Force transport aircraft moving to and positioning in the Republic of Maldives will be operated by pilots, maintenance personnel, and others from the Air Support Command (the Air Self-Defense Force unit that conducts air transport of supplies and air traffic control), with medical officers also on board.”
Sri Lankan authorities have released a video showing Iranian sailors from the frigate IRIS Dena being rescued after it was torpedoed by a U.S. submarine in the Indian Ocean earlier this week.
Reuters has reported that U.S. officials are increasingly of the view that American forces were responsible for a strike on a primary school for girls in Mindab, Iran, but that the investigation is ongoing. Iranian officials have said that 150 students died as a result. The school directly abuts an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) facility in Mindab, which is believed to have been the target of the strike.
Contact the author: howard@thewarzone.com