★U.S.A.

1. Trump Says Iran Must Accept Unconditional Surrender To End War

U.S. President Donald Trump said only Iran’s unconditional surrender would end the conflict as heavy U.S. and Israeli strikes continued across Tehran. Iranian officials said hundreds have been killed since the war began. Iran has launched missile and drone attacks against Israel and Gulf states while fighting has spread to Lebanon where Israeli strikes and Hezbollah attacks have intensified.

2. U.S. Says Strikes Hit Three Thousand Targets Across Iran

U.S. Central Command said American forces struck more than 3,000 targets in Iran during the first week of the war. The command said operations also damaged or destroyed 43 Iranian naval vessels. Officials said Iran retaliated with missile and drone attacks across the region targeting multiple countries.

3. U.S. Sends Additional Carrier As Iran War Enters Second Week

The U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford entered the Middle East as the war with Iran entered its second week while the USS Abraham Lincoln remained deployed in the region. Fox News reported the USS George H.W. Bush is heading to the Middle East, which would add a third U.S. carrier presence. U.S. officials said the conflict could conclude within weeks while strikes on Iranian missile launchers and production facilities expand.

4. United States Plans Anti Drone System Deployment To Counter Iran

Two U.S. officials told the Associated Press the United States will deploy an anti drone system to the Middle East that proved effective against Russian drones in Ukraine to strengthen defenses against Iranian Shahed drones, while one defense official said current regional anti drone defenses are limited and another called the U.S. response to Iranian drones disappointing.

5. Report Estimates First Four Days Of Iran War Cost Eleven Billion

A budget analysis cited by the Wall Street Journal estimated the first four days of U.S. military operations against Iran cost about $11 billion. The estimate included deployment of more than a dozen warships and about 100 aircraft and the use of missile interceptors, bombs, and cruise missiles. U.S. officials are planning to replenish munitions stocks used during the campaign.

6. U.S. Seeks Fifteen Million Linked To Iran Oil Network 

The U.S. Justice Department filed civil lawsuits seeking to seize more than $15.3 million linked to an Iranian oil smuggling network attributed to Mohammad Hossein Shamkhani, son of former Iranian official Ali Shamkhani. U.S. officials said the network used front companies and ships to conceal Iranian and Russian oil sales and move billions in profits, with major buyers in China.

============

★IRAN

7. Iran Says Assembly Of Experts Moving To Elect New Leader

Iranian state outlet Tehran Times reported the Assembly of Experts has begun work to elect a new supreme leader following the killing of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The report said a provisional leadership council composed of President Masoud Pezeshkian, Judiciary Chief Gholam Hossein Ejeei, and cleric Alireza Arafi is overseeing the transition while the assembly conducts meetings to select a successor.

8. Strikes Hit Tehran Airport As Israel Targets Regime Infrastructure

Explosions were reported at Mehrabad Airport in western Tehran as Israel said it launched a broad wave of strikes targeting regime infrastructure in the capital. Iran continued retaliatory attacks across the region including a drone attack on Qatar and missile launches toward Israel. Satellite imagery from early March showed heavy damage to several Iranian military facilities including the Tabriz missile base, the Parchin defense industry complex, and the headquarters of Iran’s Internal Security Forces in Tehran.

9. Iran Says Countries Begin Mediation Efforts For Ceasefire

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said several countries have begun mediation efforts aimed at securing a ceasefire. In a social media post he said Iran supports lasting peace but will defend its sovereignty. Pezeshkian did not identify the countries involved in the mediation. 

10. Iranian Outlet Claims IRGC Downed American Fighter Near Basra

Iranian outlet Islam Times reported that Ali Larijani posted a video claiming Iran’s Revolutionary Guard shot down a U.S. F-15E Strike Eagle with air defenses near Basra. The report said the aircraft was targeted early Wednesday morning and shared by Larijani on social media with the message “He who sows the wind reaps the whirlwind.”

11. Azerbaijan Says It Foiled Alleged IRGC Terror Plot

Azerbaijani media reported security services foiled a plot linked to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps targeting the Baku–Tbilisi–Ceyhan oil pipeline, Israel’s embassy, and Jewish community sites in Baku. Authorities said operatives smuggled explosive devices into the country including 7.7 kilograms of C-4. Investigators identified several Iranian nationals allegedly tied to the IRGC and placed them on international wanted lists.

12. 4.1 Magnitude Earthquake Strikes West Of Bandar Abbas Iran

The U.S. Geological Survey said a 4.1 magnitude earthquake struck about 74 kilometers west of Bandar Abbas in southern Iran at a depth of roughly 10 kilometers. No immediate reports of casualties or damage were reported. 

13. Iran Guards Say They Are Waiting For U.S. Naval Escorts

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said it is “waiting” for U.S. forces expected to escort commercial ships through the Strait of Hormuz. IRGC spokesman Ali Mohammad Naeini warned the United States to remember attacks on tankers during the 1987 tanker war. The statement was reported by Iran’s Fars News Agency.

==========

★THE GULF

14. Qatar Warns War Could Halt Gulf Energy Exports Within Weeks

Qatar’s energy minister Saad al Kaabi warned the war could force Gulf energy exporters to halt production within weeks and push oil prices to about $150 per barrel. He said Qatar declared force majeure after an Iranian drone attack on the Ras Laffan gas facility and warned disruption of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz could trigger global supply shortages and economic disruption.

15. Iran Attacks Gulf States With 2,460 Drones And Missiles

A survey by Gulf Online compiling official Gulf and U.S. statements said Iran launched about 2,460 attacks against Gulf states since February 28, including roughly 620 missiles and 1,840 drones, leaving 13 people dead and 226 wounded, with the United Arab Emirates reported as the most frequently targeted country.

16. Saudi Arabia Says Air Defenses Destroy Twenty One Drones

Saudi Arabia’s defense ministry said air defenses intercepted and destroyed 21 drones targeting areas including the Shaybah oil field in the Empty Quarter and locations near Riyadh. Officials also said three ballistic missiles launched toward Prince Sultan Air Base in Al-Kharj were intercepted and destroyed during the attacks.

17. UAE Considers Freezing Billions Iranian Assets After Recent Attacks

The Wall Street Journal reported that the United Arab Emirates is considering freezing billions of dollars in Iranian assets and tightening controls on suspected financial front companies and exchange houses used to move Iranian funds, as officials review additional financial and maritime measures following recent Iranian missile and drone attacks on Emirati territory.

18. Saudi And Pakistani Defense Chiefs Discuss Iranian Attacks

Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman met with Pakistani Army Chief Asim Munir to discuss Iranian attacks on Saudi Arabia. The talks addressed cooperation under the countries’ joint strategic defense agreement and ways to counter the attacks. Saudi officials said the agreement treats an external armed attack against either country as an attack on both.

19. Starmer Tells Saudi Crown Prince Britain Ready Support Defenses

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer told Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman that the United Kingdom stands ready to support Saudi Arabia’s defenses if needed during a phone call discussing the escalating regional conflict.

20. Drone Debris Causes Fire At Fujairah Petroleum Industries Zone

UAE authorities said debris from an intercepted drone caused a fire inside the Fujairah Petroleum Industries Zone. Emergency teams contained the blaze and officials reported no injuries.

=========

★ISRAEL

21. Israel Says Strikes Destroyed Sixty Percent Of Iran Launchers

The Israeli military said strikes destroyed more than 60 percent of Iran’s ballistic missile launchers and left an estimated 100 to 200 operational launchers. The IDF said Israeli aircraft struck more than 400 targets in western Iran including launchers and drone storage sites. Since the start of operations Israeli aircraft have flown about 2,600 sorties in 150 strike waves dropping roughly 6,500 munitions.

22. Israel Says Airstrike Destroyed Underground Leadership Bunker In Tehran

The Israeli military said about 50 fighter jets launched more than 100 munitions against a large underground command bunker in Tehran used by Iran’s leadership. The IDF said the facility was located dozens of meters underground beneath residential neighborhoods and was intended for senior officials to direct operations during the war. Israeli officials said intelligence units helped locate and map the site before the strike.

23. Drones Target Hotel And U.S. Base In Erbil Iraq

Security sources said a drone struck the Erbil Arjaan by the Rotana hotel in Iraq’s Kurdistan region. Two additional drones targeted a U.S. military base near Erbil airport. Another drone targeted the Erbil headquarters of an Iranian Kurdish opposition group. Separately, a drone attack in Basra caused fires at offices and warehouses belonging to U.S. firms Halliburton and KBR.

==========

★LEBANON

24. Hezbollah Claims 116 Attacks Against Israel Since Entering War

The Alma Research and Education Center said Hezbollah carried out 23 attacks against Israel in the past 24 hours using rockets and UAVs and has claimed 116 attacks since entering the war on March 2, with most launches originating from Lebanon. Property damage was reported in Tiberias. Hezbollah said its fighters fired rockets at Israeli troop concentrations near Khiam and Nabi Sheet, struck a Merkava tank with an anti tank missile near Margaliot, launched drones at Israeli positions, detonated an explosive device against advancing forces, and reported clashes along the southern Lebanon border.

25. Reports Conflict Over Israeli Helicopter Landing Near Nabi Sheet

Hezbollah said Israeli helicopters attempted to land forces near Nabi Sheet along the Lebanon Syria border and clashes followed. The militia said its fighters engaged Israeli troops after four helicopters approached from the Syrian direction. Lebanese outlet Al Jadeed, however, said helicopter activity in the Bekaa Valley involved a Lebanese Army medical evacuation of a wounded soldier. The Israeli military did not confirm the report.

===========

★IRAQ

26. Iraq Faces Drone Attacks Targeting Bases And Oil Facilities

Iraqi security officials said drones struck a military base at Baghdad International Airport housing U.S. embassy support personnel. Security sources said another drone hit the Burjesia oil complex in Basra causing a fire after two drones were intercepted. In Erbil, two drones struck its airport which also hosts U.S.-led coalition forces. Authorities halted production at the HKN oil field after a separate drone attack caused damage.

===========

★ Disclaimer: This publication is a digest of various news sources compiled by the Early Phoenix team and edited by Rania Kisar. The items are curated, concise summaries of news items hyperlinked within each story. The items and summaries presented do not necessarily represent the views of the American Center for Levant Studies.