Trump demands 'unconditional surrender' as Israel hits Khamenei's bunker

Russia has provided Iran with information that could help Tehran strike American warships, aircraft and other assets in the region, according to two officials familiar with US intelligence on the matter.

The people, who were not authorised to comment publicly on the sensitive matter and spoke on condition of anonymity, cautioned that US intelligence has not uncovered evidence that Russia is directing Iran on what to do with the information.

Still, it’s the first indication that Moscow has sought to get involved in the war that the US and Israel launched against Iran a week ago. Russia has tightened its relationship with Iran as it looked for badly needed missiles and drones to utilise in its four-year war against Ukraine.

Tehran, meanwhile, has been isolated for years over its nuclear program and its support of proxy groups, including Hezbollah, Hamas and the Houthis, that have wreaked havoc in the Middle East.

Baku’s State Security Service (SSS) claims to have prevented a series of terror attacks allegedly orchestrated by Iran’s SEPAH against 4 targets in the country: the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline, the Israeli Embassy in Azerbaijan, a leader of the Mountain Jews religious community and the "Ashkenazi" synagogue, according to Azerbaijan’s media.

Authorities say explosives were smuggled into the country, including 7.7kg of C-4 and a remote-controlled bomb capable of a 300-metre blast radius. Officials also allege the group planned to assassinate a public figure in Azerbaijan.

Several individuals have been detained, with four already sentenced to six-and-a-half years in prison. An Iranian colonel was identified as a key organiser, and several Iranian nationals have been placed on the international wanted list.

The announcement comes just a day after a drone attack on the Azerbaijani exclave of Nakhchivan. President Ilham Aliyev placed the army on "full combat readiness" and instructed the armed forces to prepare response measures.

France has sent a helicopter carrier to the Mediterranean in response to the Iran war, the French military said on Friday.

"An amphibious helicopter carrier has been deployed in the Mediterranean to reinforce the presence of the French armed forces in the context of the Middle East crisis," a spokeswoman said, after France decided to deploy its flagship aircraft carrier and a frigate earlier in the week.

A similar ship was sent off the shore of Lebanon as a precautionary measure to help with repatriations if needed during the 2024 war between Israel and Lebanese militant group Hezbollah. The current conflict has already drawn in Lebanon.

On Thursday, France's Emannuel Macron spoke to Italy's Giorgia Meloni and Greece's Kyriakos Mitsotakis to coordinate the military capabilities they're sending to Cyprus, a source close to the French president said.

The three leaders also agreed to "work together to guarantee freedom of navigation in the Red Sea", the source also said.

France, Italy and Greece all participate in Operation Aspides, which aims to secure passage for commercial vessels in the Red Sea, with the first two also taking part in counter-piracy Operation Atalanta off the Horn of Africa.

An Iranian warship has docked in the southwest Indian port of Kochi, a government source in New Delhi said on Friday, after a US submarine sank another Iranian frigate and a third docked in Sri Lanka.

"IRIS Lavan... docked at Kochi on 4 March. In this context, its crew of 183 are currently accommodated at naval facilities in Kochi," the source said.

The news of Lavan's arrival in India comes after Sri Lankan authorities said a second Iranian warship was heading towards its territorial waters on Thursday, amid fears it might be targeted by US naval assets.

IRIS Dena, its sister vessel, was sunk by a torpedo just off Sri Lanka's southern coast, US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth confirmed on Wednesday.

At least 87 sailors were killed, while Sri Lankan authorities said 32 rescued sailors were still receiving medical care on Thursday.

Israel's military said Friday it had identified "simultaneous and coordinated" missile launches by Iran and Lebanese militant group Hezbollah aimed at overwhelming Israeli air defences.

Israeli army "identified yesterday simultaneous and coordinated attacks between Iran and Hezbollah, simultaneous missile launching from both Iran and Lebanon in an attempt to overwhelm our aerial defence systems," military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani told journalists.

Shoshani added that there had been no "signficant hits" on Israel in the last 24 hours.

It did not take long for the fallout of the Iran war to spill beyond the battlefield.

On Wednesday, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) declared what it called "full control" of the 39-kilometre waterway, warning it would attack any vessel attempting to pass.

US President Donald Trump swiftly pledged to deploy the Navy to escort tankers through the strait — a move that would put American forces on a direct collision course with Iranian forces in one of the world's most strategically vital waters.

And in the eye of the storm, one country is likely watching events unfold with quiet satisfaction: Russia.

Euronews' Laila Humairah brings us more:

The country likely winning from Iran’s Hormuz gambit? Russia

The world’s most critical shipping chokepoint is becoming a geopolitical battleground — and Russia may be the unlikely winner.

Iranian authorities have issued direct threats against citizens as the US-Israel strikes continue, warning that security forces will use lethal force against protesters, including minors, and "potential thieves".

On Thursday, state broadcaster IRIB aired an interview with a member of Iran's Parliamentary National Security Commission who warned parents to prevent their children from joining protests.

The former Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) member, Salar Velayatmadar, said parents who did not control their “ignorant and unaware” children who joined demonstrations or "aligned with the enemy" would face consequences, including death.

"We do not want your child to be killed, because your child is ignorant and unaware," he said.

Read more here:

Iran security forces issue shoot-to-kill orders amid growing unrest

Amid escalating tensions in Iran, two senior security officials have issued chilling threats to Iranian citizens, warning that both protesting minors and thiev…

Israel’s military said Friday that it had pummeled an underground bunker Iranian leaders had planned to use in emergencies, deploying more than 50 fighter jets and 100 munitions.

“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 Israeli army said.

Iran has spent decades constructing underground bunkers for a range of purposes and contingencies. Many of them have been targeted this week.

After strikes killed Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other leaders on Saturday, Israel’s military has continued to strike their infrastructure.

Israel’s military said its targets have included the Supreme National Security Council’s building — the meeting place for the country’s top security forum — as well as a Revolutionary Guard (IRGC) military academy.

US President Donald Trump on Friday demanded Tehran's "unconditional surrender" as the only acceptable outcome to end hostilities, while promising to help rebuild the country's economy if Iran complied and installed new leadership.

"There will be no deal with Iran except unconditional surrender," Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.

"After that, and the ​selection of a great and 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."

His intention was to "make Iran great again (MIGA)," the US president said.

The United Nations has relocated some of its personnel and their families from Tehran to Azerbaijan, local UN and government sources confirmed to Euronews on Friday.

Igor Garafulic, the UN Resident Coordinator in Azerbaijan, thanked the Azerbaijani authorities for facilitating the safe movement of staff and their families.

“I would like to express publicly our gratitude on behalf of the UN because we have received much help from Azerbaijani authorities last night, when we relocated some of our UN staff and their families working in Tehran,” Garafulic told Euronews.

“The rest of our team remained in Tehran performing life-saving duties, but it was quite a good gesture on behalf of the Azerbaijani government to welcome our UN colleagues, and for that I want to thank them.”

Explosions were heard on Friday in the Kuwaiti capital, as authorities said they were confronting missile and drone strikes on the country.

"Kuwaiti air defences are currently dealing with missile and drone attacks that penetrated Kuwaiti airspace," the defence ministry said on X, after authorities said 67 soldiers were injured in Iranian strikes over the past week.

Tehran announced earlier on Friday that it launched what it said was an attack on US bases in Kuwait, stating it would continue its strikes "in the coming hours".

Sirens were sounded in the Bahraini capital Manama on Friday as Iran pressed its drone and missile bombardment in the Gulf.

"The siren has been sounded. Citizens and residents are urged to remain calm and head to the nearest safe place," the interior ministry said in a statement on X.

Reports have since come in of several explosions heard in Manama. There is no information at this time on any damage or casualties.

Iranian forces targeted a US-owned oil tanker in the Gulf, and it was now "burning," a military spokesperson said Friday.

"An oil tanker vessel owned by the United States near the borders of Kuwait has been targeted and is burning," said Ebrahim Zolfaghari, spokesman for the military's central headquarters, according to state-run TV.

Tehran claims it has full control over the Straight of Hormuz and has threatened to strike US-flagged vessels attempting to traverse it. Some 20% of the world's oil trade passes through the region's naval bottleneck.

Some countries have begun mediation efforts to end the Iran war, but they should address "those who ignited this conflict," Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Friday.

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

Pezeshkian did not state which countries are involved in the talks, where or how they are taking place, or what is being discussed.

Pezeshkian is part of a three-man leadership council, put in place following the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in US-Israeli strikes on Saturday.

However, reports from Iran indicate that its Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) -- an elite military corps which usually answers only to the ayatollah -- have been operating independently on pre-arranged instructions following Khamenei's death.

The British ambassador to Bahrain says the UK would be part of defending Bahrain by having Royal Air Force fighter jets flying over the island kingdom as it faces attacks from Iran.

“Today, I’m delighted to tell to people that the UK will be flying RAF jets above Bahrain as a contribution to the defence of Bahrain, one of our closest allies in the whole world,” Ambassador Alastair Long said in an announcement on social media.

“This matters hugely to the UK that we are part of defending Bahrain and making sure it prevails in this terrible attack against it by Iran.”

Bahrain is among the countries that have come under daily fire from Tehran, after US-Israeli strikes on Saturday resulted in the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other top regime officials.

Greece will deploy a Patriot missile battery and two F-16 jets in the country's north to help defend Bulgaria against attacks from Tehran as the Iran war expands, Greek Defence Minister Nikos Dendias said Friday.

"A Patriot missile battery will be transferred in the coming hours .. to the north of Greece to ensure anti-ballistic coverage for a large part of Bulgarian territory," Dendias said on Greek TV.

He said Greece would provide "all possible assistance for Bulgaria's ballistic missile defence against Iran", but did not give further details on any threat.

Dendias said he had been in touch with Bulgaria's Defence Minister Atanas Zapryanov over the past two days following a formal request from Sofia for help to boost defensive coverage.

In addition, a pair of F-16 fighter jets will be transferred to an airport in northern Greece with the specific mission of offering additional aerial coverage for Bulgaria.

Greece has already deployed F-16 jets and naval assets to Cyprus following an incident involving Iran-made drones targeting the UK air base in Akrotiri.

Iran's army said on Friday it had attacked US bases in Kuwait and vowed that it would press on with further strikes.

"Over the past few hours, various types of destructive drones of the Army's ground forces have targeted American military bases in Kuwait in large numbers," the army said, according to Iranian state-run TV.

"These attacks will continue in the coming hours."

Tehran has launched a series of daily attacks on several countries in the region following US-Israeli strikes on Iran on Saturday, killing Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other top regime figures.

Although Iran claims it is only targeting US assets in the region, its drones and missiles have struck civilian and infrastructure targets in multiple incidents over the past week.

Reports from Iran indicate that its Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) -- elite military corps which usually answers only to the ayatollah -- have been operating independently on pre-arranged instructions following Khamenei's death.

Azerbaijan said on Friday it was withdrawing diplomatic staff from neighbouring Iran, a day after Iranian drones targeted an airport and a school in an Azerbaijani border exclave region of Nakhchivan.

"Azerbaijan is evacuating its diplomatic personnel from Iran. The process applies to both the embassy in Tehran and the consulate in Tabriz," Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov said on Friday.

"Work to this effect is currently under way," he added.

“At the same time, security measures are at the highest level under the control of President (Ilham Aliyev). The readiness level of the military forces is being further increased. All relevant instructions have also been given.” Bayramov added.

Thursday's attacks involved several drones that crossed from Iran into Nakhchivan.

One hit the airport and another exploded near a school. Four people were injured, according to Azerbaijan's authorities.

Azerbaijan President Aliyev accused Iran of "terrorism" and threatened retaliation, vowing that further attacks would have to face Baku's "Iron Fist".

Read more about Thursday's Iranian drone incident here:

Aliyev vows attacks on Azerbaijan ‘will face our Iron Fist’ after Iran drone strike

Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev accused Tehran of committing an “act of terror” after Iranian drones attacked its exclave of Nakhchivan, injuring four civi…

A leadership council in Iran met and discussed how to hold a meeting of the country’s Assembly of Experts, which will select the nation’s new ayatollah, Iranian state-run TV reported Friday.

The leadership council includes President Masoud Pezeshkian, judiciary chief Gholam Hossein Mohseni Ejehi and cleric Ayatollah Ali Reza Arafi.

The statement provided no timeline on the selection of the supreme leader, nor information on whether the Assembly of Experts would meet in person or remotely for the vote.

Buildings of the Assembly of Experts, an 88-member clerical panel, were hit in the Israeli-US airstrike campaign earlier this week.

Images of the aftermath have shown that the main building in Qom was largely destroyed, but there have been no verifiable reports on possible casualties among the Assembly of Experts members.

Danish shipping giant Maersk said on Friday it was suspending two intercontinental transit routes because of the Iran war.

The firm had already said it was suspending bookings in the Gulf "until further notice".

"Considering the escalating conflict affecting safe navigation in the Gulf region, we have made the decision to temporarily suspend the FM1 Service (connecting Far East to Middle East) and as well the ME11 Service (connecting Middle East to Europe)," the firm said.

Tehran claims it has full control over the Straight of Hormuz and has threatened to strike US-flagged vessels attempting to traverse it. Some 20% of the world's oil trade passes through the region's naval bottleneck.

London police say four men have been arrested on suspicion of aiding Iran by spying on the Jewish community.

The suspects, one Iranian and three dual British-Iranian nationals, have been taken into custody on suspicion of assisting a foreign intelligence service, the Metropolitan Police said.

The force said the men, ages 22, 40, 52 and 55, were arrested at addresses in and around north London shortly after 1 am (2 am CET).

The men are suspected on spying on locations and individuals, according to authorities.

Several blasts were heard over Israel's commercial hub of Tel Aviv on Friday, Israeli media reported, after the military said it had detected new missiles launched from Iran towards the country.

"A short while ago, the IDF identified missiles launched from Iran toward the territory of the State of Israel. Defensive systems are operating to intercept the threat," the military said.

South Korea say it has reached an agreement with the United Arab Emirates to purchase six million barrels of crude oil, as it aims to stabilise energy price hikes spiked by the US and Israel’s war on Iran.

Iran’s retaliatory strikes have targeted multiple Gulf states including Bahrain, Kuwait, the UAE and Qatar, and disrupted one of the world’s highest oil and gas producing and exporting regions, triggering fears of global energy crises.

In Qatar, Iranian strikes targeted northern gas field production sites, prompting Doha to fully shutter gas liquefaction to repair damages, and has warned the process could take weeks to restart and return to normal production and export rates.

Kang Hoon-sik, chief of staff for South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, said in a briefing on Friday that the emergency supplies are intended to curb fuel costs which surged this week.

Iran claims it is now in control of the crucial Strait of Hormuz, the Gulf chokepoint through which a fifth of the world's crude oil flows.

Heavily reliant on oil shipped through the strait, South Korea earlier said that it had dispatched tankers to secure alternative supplies of fuel.

Seoul is the fourth-largest importer of crude oil in the world, according to US government figures.

Approximately 70 percent of the crude oil South Korea imports passes through the Strait of Hormuz, according to the government.

Australia’s government revealed on Friday that three Australian service members were aboard a US submarine that sank Irania warship IRIS Dena earlier in week in off the coast of Sri Lanka in the Indian Ocean, killing at least 87 people.

The Australian personnel were taking part in the trilateral US, Australian and British – AUKUS – training programme.

Canberra did not detail whether its service members were involved in the firing process of the torpedo, but analysts believe it is unlikely.

Neil James, executive director of the Australian Defence Association policy think tank, says it is “reasonably rare” for Australians embedded with another nation’s military to go to war against a country such as Iran that Australia wasn’t at war with.

James said an Australian would not have fired the torpedo that sank the Iranian ship.

The semi-official Iranian ISNA news agency reported on Friday that Tehran had launched a barrage of missiles and drones targeting Israel in retaliation for its ongoing strikes on Tehran.

The agency cited no sources and provided no details into the types of missiles being used, or quantities, but said that more attacks will be launched throughout the day. 

Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez says he spoke with the Sultan of Omar, Haitham bin Tarik, and the Emir of Qatar, Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, to express his country’s solidarity in the face of what he described as “unjustifiable attacks” that their countries have suffered.

“No country should be attacked with impunity. Missiles and drones only sow fear and put innocent lives at risk. We must build the peace and security that everyone deserves,” wrote Sánchez in a post on X.

Indonesia’s foreign ministry said it began evacuating its citizens from embattled Iran on Friday amid intensifying US-Israeli attacks.

Attacks by the United States and Israel on the Islamic Republic and Iran's retaliatory strikes in the region have stranded tens of thousands of foreigners, with flights cancelled and airspace shuttered.

That includes around 329 Indonesians in Iran, most of them students in the city of Qom.

"The evacuation of Indonesian citizens in Iran will begin gradually today, and this first phase will be carried out via Azerbaijan," says Heni Hamidah, the official charged with the welfare of citizens abroad.

A first batch of 32 Indonesians are expected to arrive in Jakarta on Monday or Tuesday, she said.

"Evacuation routes will be determined based on the conditions on the ground," she added.

The ministry added that evacuations via Middle Eastern countries, where roughly half-a-million Indonesians live, were not currently being considered.

South Korea’s Foreign Minister Cho Hyun told a legislative hearing that the United States has not requested military or non-military assistance from Seoul amid its war on Iran, but declined to comment on whether Washington was seeking to move some of its assets stationed in the country to support the fighting.

Cho Hyun said he could not confirm details related to US military operations when asked by a lawmaker about a US media report that the Pentagon was seeking to relocate some Patriot anti-missile defence systems to a major airbase near the capital, Seoul.

Cho said Seoul and Washington were maintaining close communication and that the allies’ combined defence posture would not be affected by developments in the Middle East.

US Forces Korea said in a statement that it does not comment on the “movement, relocation or potential repositioning of specific military capabilities or assets” for operational and logistical security reasons.

Their statement came in response to questions from reporters that the US had moved the defence systems to Osan Air Base, where transport aircraft were also spotted, suggesting that the US was looking to move these assets outside of the country. 

Sri Lanka began transferring more than 200 sailors from an Iranian vessel on Friday after the ship sought assistance while anchored outside the country’s waters, as tensions mount in the Indian Ocean after a US submarine struck an Iranian warship earlier in the week.

Sri Lanka navy spokesman Buddhika Sampath said the sailors of the IRIS Bushehr vessel were being brought first to the port of Colombo and the ship will later be moved to an eastern port on the island.

The move by the Sri Lankan government to take over the vessel came after the US sank the Iranian warship IRIS Dena off the island nation’s coast on Wednesday, marking one of the rare instances since World War II in which a submarine sank a surface warship.

The IRIS Dena had been participating in naval exercises hosted by India before heading into international waters on its way back to Iran. At least 74 countries took part in the Indian naval drills, including the United States.

Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake said late on Thursday that authorities decided to take control of the IRIS Bushehr vessel after discussions with Iranian officials and the ship’s captain, after one of its engines failed.

“We have to understand that this is not an ordinary situation,” he said. “No civilian should die in wars. Our approach is that every single life is as precious as our own.”

The IRIS Bushehr has however been described in previous Iranian media reports as a navy logistics ship that also had a helicopter pad on it.

The Saudi Defence Ministry says it has intercepted another drone launched from Iran on Friday, this time, northeast of the capital Riyadh.

It comes after an earlier announcement where the ministry announced that it has intercepted three drones targeting the city. 

Israeli air forces carried out 26 strikes on the Dahieh neighbourhood in southern Beirut in the early hours of Friday, targeting what it claimed was Hezbollah infrastructure.

It comes after Israel warned a day prior that the Iran-backed Lebanon-based group will “face the consequences” choosing to join the war in support of Tehran, stressing that any threat on Israel or its people will not be tolerated.

“Among the targets were an executive council’s command centre and a facility storing UAVs used for attacks against Israel,” announced the IDF in a post on X.

The Israeli military says it has however taken measures to “mitigate the risk of harm to civilians” prior to the strikes. 

The UAE’s flagship carrier, Etihad Airways, says it will resume a “limited flight schedule” from Friday, operating between Abu Dhabi and a number of key destinations.

In a post on X, the Emirati airline says guests with previous bookings on flights interrupted by the war will be accommodated on these flights, but has urged travellers to only make their way to the airport if directly contacted by its representatives, or hold a valid confirmed booking on one of these new flights.

“The decision has been taken in coordination with relevant authorities following extensive safety and security assessments. Etihad continues to monitor the situation closely and will only operate flights once all safety criteria are met,” says Etihad.

All other routes remain suspended until further notice, but the airline noted that its executives are constantly reviewing the situation and are working on making more flights available soon. 

Residents of Dubai have been receiving mass text messages warning them about their social media activity.

A message attributed to Dubai police said that “photographing or sharing security or critical sites, or reposting unreliable information, may result in legal action and compromise national security and stability.”

There was no elaboration in the message.

It comes as Bahrain issued a similar, but sterner warning as the Iran war rages on across the Mideast.

The United Arab Emirates is a federation of seven autocratic sheikhdoms home to Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

The UAE, while socially liberal in many regards compared with its Middle Eastern neighbours, has strict laws governing expression and bans political parties and labour unions.

Iranian state television reported on Friday that a leadership council in the country met and discussed how to hold a meeting of the country’s Assembly of Experts, which will select the nation’s new supreme leader.

The leadership council includes President Masoud Pezeshkian, judiciary chief Gholam Hossein Mohseni Ejehi and cleric Ayatollah Ali Reza Arafi.

The statement provided no timeline on the selection of the supreme leader, nor information on whether the Assembly of Experts would meet in person or remotely for the vote.

Buildings associated with the Assembly of Experts, an 88-member clerical panel, have been attacked during the US-Israeli military campaign.

The Saudi Defence Ministry said it destroyed three drones in the eastern areas of Riyadh.

The ministry said earlier Friday that it intercepted a cruise missile over the city of Kharj.