United News of Bangladesh

Some Iranians who initially backed the US-Israeli military strikes on Iran are now reassessing their stance as civilian suffering escalates and hopes for rapid political change fade. Residents in Tehran describe growing fear and anxiety two weeks into the conflict. Many who had hoped that strikes might topple the ruling clerical establishment now fear their cities could be reduced to ruins while the government remains in power. Sama, a 31-year-old engineer, said she once celebrated reports of the supposed death of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. “I thought the regime could not survive,” she said. But ongoing explosions and uncertainty have left her unable to sleep. Mina, a 28-year-old teacher, expressed concern over civilian casualties, citing rising displacement. The UN Refugee Agency estimates that 600,000 to one million households, or up to 3.2 million people, have been temporarily displaced. Others, including Reza, a 40-year-old engineer in Isfahan, argue that external military pressure may still be the only realistic way to challenge the government, citing years of internal repression and deadly protests. Yet even among supporters of the strikes, doubts remain about the credibility of promises for regime change. Saeed, a young protester, said uncertainty about US intentions is growing: “There is no other way but war against this regime, but is the US really serious about finishing the job?” The ongoing US-Israeli campaign, launched on February 28, continues to target multiple locations across Iran, intensifying civilian fears and prompting many to question whether the long-term cost of the conflict could outweigh potential political gains.   With inputs from BBC

Israeli air strikes hit a building less than 500 metres from a BBC reporting team in central Beirut, sending smoke plumes across the area. The strikes came after the Israel Defense Forces issued a warning that it would target a facility described as belonging to the Hezbollah. The initial warning was followed by the building being struck, producing a visible grey smoke plume. Subsequent strikes shook the windows of the building where the BBC team was reporting. No immediate information was available regarding casualties or the extent of damage from the attacks.   With inputs from BBC

Iran’s Fars News Agency has reported that Mansoureh Khojasteh Bagherzadeh is alive, contradicting earlier claims of her death. The agency, affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, said previous reports regarding Bagherzadeh’s death were false. Iran state television channel Two had reported on March 2 that she was killed at her home, while other local outlets claimed she was in a coma. Earlier reports from Iranian media also suggested that Khamenei’s daughter, grandchild and son-in-law had died. Bagherzadeh and the late Supreme Leader had six children—four sons and two daughters—according to official records.   With inputs from BBC

An estimated 3.2 million people have been displaced inside Iran since Israel and the United States launched air strikes on February 28, according to the latest figures from the United Nations Refugee Agency. Large numbers of residents are leaving Tehran and other major urban centres, seeking safety in rural areas. The displaced include many Afghan refugees, some of whom have lived in the country for decades under already challenging conditions. The US and Israeli authorities say their operations are aimed at military and security targets, but many strikes occur in densely populated areas, putting civilians at severe risk. The intensity of the ongoing Operation Epic Fury has forced thousands of ordinary Iranians—including those critical of their government—to abandon homes and livelihoods to escape the escalating violence. Meanwhile, political pressure from Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu urging Iranians to challenge their government has largely been overshadowed by the immediate struggle for survival, the report said.   With inputs from BBC

Majid Takht-Ravanchi has denied that Iran is laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz, days after the United States said it had struck vessels equipped for mine-laying operations near the strategic shipping route. Speaking to Agence France-Presse (AFP), the deputy foreign minister said Tehran has been cooperating with some countries regarding safe passage through the strait. “Some countries have already talked to us about passing the strait and we have cooperated with them,” he said. However, Takht-Ravanchi added that countries which had “joined the aggression” against Iran should not expect to benefit from safe passage through the vital waterway. He said Iran wants to ensure that war cannot be imposed on the country again, referring to previous hostilities. The Iranian official also noted that when fighting began last June, there was a cessation of hostilities after 12 days, but claimed that after several months opposing forces regrouped and resumed attacks.   With inputs from BBC

Some residents in Iran say they are relying on anxiety medication as air strikes by United States and Israel continue, creating fear and uncertainty in several cities. Speaking to BBC Persian, a woman in Karaj said the situation on the 13th day of the conflict remains largely unchanged, with tension continuing across the area. She said more security checkpoints have been set up across the city and, although the Persian New Year is approaching, many shops remain closed, leaving the normally busy streets unusually quiet. According to her, larger stores are still open and there are no major shortages of goods, but prices have increased sharply in recent days. The woman said she and many of her friends have begun taking medication to cope with the stress caused by the ongoing strikes. “The worst part is the uncertainty,” she said, explaining that residents never know where military forces or equipment might be moved, which could bring potential targets closer to residential neighbourhoods without warning. She added that a friend living nearby recently experienced a strike close to their home that shook the building, shattered windows and caused electricity outages for several hours. The continued attacks have disrupted daily routines and created widespread fear, she said, adding that even her pet cat becomes frightened during explosions and now hides in a small space she prepared inside a closet. She also expressed concern about the country’s political future, saying many people fear that despite the hardship civilians are enduring, the clerical leadership may remain in power after the conflict.   With inputs from BBC

Families and rescue workers were seen searching through rubble in Tehran after air strikes by Israel and the United States destroyed several buildings in parts of the Iranian capital. Images from the area showed residents inspecting damaged homes and collecting whatever belongings they could salvage from the debris. Rescue teams equipped with sniffer dogs were also seen combing through the wreckage in search of possible survivors. A resident of Tehran earlier told BBC Persian that daily life had been severely disrupted by the attacks. “I don’t have anything called a routine anymore. I can’t go cycling or running outside,” the resident said.   With inputs from BBC

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it has launched a “broad wave of attacks” targeting infrastructure linked to the Iran-backed group Hezbollah in southern Lebanon. In a statement late Thursday, the Israeli military said the strikes were being conducted simultaneously with operations in Beirut, the Lebanese capital. Earlier, the IDF issued an evacuation warning to residents in Beirut, particularly those living in the Bachura neighbourhood, urging them to leave the area immediately. No immediate details were available about casualties or damage following the strikes.   With inputs from BBC

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei said Tehran may use the closure of the Strait of Hormuz as leverage and continue attacks on Gulf Arab neighbors, in his first statement since taking office aired on state TV Thursday. The announcement came as Iranian strikes continue targeting commercial ships around the Strait of Hormuz and Iraq’s port of Basra. Brent crude oil surged past $100 amid concerns over disruptions to global energy trade. The UN refugee agency said up to 3.2 million people have been displaced within Iran since the conflict began. Iran’s newly appointed leader signals continued attacks The Israeli military is also striking Iran and its ally Hezbollah in Lebanon, displacing over 800,000 people, while warning Lebanese residents near the Zahrani River to evacuate. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said if Lebanon cannot curb Hezbollah attacks, Israel will “take the territory and do it ourselves.” Elsewhere, Iranian drones and missiles targeted the Gulf, Dubai, and Kuwait, causing minor damage but no casualties, while maritime operators flagged vessels as Chinese to avoid attacks. Poland is investigating a cyberattack on its nuclear research center, possibly originating from Iran. Khamenei vowed retribution, saying Iran will seize or destroy enemy assets if compensation is refused. He also confirmed the deaths of his wife, sister, niece, and brother-in-law in the recent airstrike. The conflict continues to destabilize the region and global oil markets as both Iran and Israel prepare for further escalation.

Iran’s new supreme leader released his first statement since succeeding his late father, saying Thursday that Iran would keep up its attacks on its Gulf Arab neighbors and use the effective closure of the strategic Strait of Hormuz as leverage against the United States and Israel. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, 56, who Israel suspects was wounded in the opening salvo of the war, did not appear on camera, and his statement was read by a state TV news anchor. The statement included a vow to avenge those killed in the war, including in a strike on a school that killed over 165 people. The statement signaled a willingness to continue the war that has disrupted global energy supplies, international travel and the relative safety enjoyed by the Gulf Arab states, and which has also exacted a heavy toll on Iran's leadership, military and ballistic missile program. Khamenei has not been seen in public since the start of the war. Iran's unrelenting attacks on shipping traffic and energy infrastructure in the Persian Gulf had earlier pushed oil back above $100 a barrel, as American and Israeli strikes pounded the Islamic Republic with no sign of an end to the war in sight. Iran is trying to inflict enough global economic pain to pressure the United States and Israel to halt their bombardment, which began on Feb. 28 and killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Iran's president said Thursday said its attacks would continue until Iran gets security guarantees against another assault, indicating that even a ceasefire or U.S. declaration of victory might not halt the conflict. U.S. President Donald Trump has meanwhile promised to “finish the job,” even though he claimed Iran is “virtually destroyed.” Iran-backed Hezbollah militants meanwhile launched some 200 rockets from Lebanon at northern Israel while sirens rang out and loud booms from the interception of Iranian missiles could be heard in other areas. Israel launched another wave of attacks on Tehran and in Lebanon, where 11 people were killed. The U.N. refugee agency said up to 3.2 million people in Iran have been displaced by the ongoing war. It said most have fled from Tehran and other major cities toward the north of the country or rural areas. At least 759,000 people have been internally displaced in Lebanon, it said. Israel’s military on Thursday warned residents of an even larger area of southern Lebanon to leave their homes. It said they should move north of the Zahrani River, which at its midpoint is about 35 miles (56 kilometers) away from the border with Israel. Iranian officials dismiss any notion of backing downBefore Khamenei’s statement, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, a relative moderate in Iran's Shiite theocracy, suggested online that for the war to end, the world would need to recognize Iran’s “legitimate rights,” pay reparations and offer guarantees against future attacks. In addition to attacking energy infrastructure around the region, Iran has a stranglehold on the Strait of Hormuz, the waterway leading from the Persian Gulf toward the Indian Ocean through which a fifth of the world's oil is transported. Amid speculation that the U.S. might target Kharg Island in the Persian Gulf, Iran’s main oil terminal, Iran's parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf threatened in a social media post that any attempt to take Iranian islands would “make the Persian Gulf run with the blood of invaders.” With traffic in the strait effectively stopped, the price of Brent crude oil, the international standard, rose another 9% to more than $100 a barrel, up some 38% over what it cost when the war started. Prices have swung back and forth in recent days, at one point surging to around $120 a barrel. Iran and Hezbollah launch multiple attacks on IsraelIt was a sleepless night for many Israelis as Hezbollah launched some 200 rockets at the country’s north and deeper into Israel, according to the Israeli military. “The noise was extraordinary, it was really scary,” said Naama Porat, a resident of the rural community of Klil, some 15 kilometers (9 miles) from the Lebanese border. As the sound of explosions and interceptions rang out, she dashed with her son to a shelter and spent the night there. No serious injuries were reported, but the extent of the fire shook residents of the north, who have repeatedly been told by their leaders that Hezbollah was dealt a devastating blow in 2024 during its last war with Israel. “They have stocks of weapons and it just doesn’t end. We don’t know how much and what to expect,” Porat said. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz warned Lebanon that if its government does not prevent Hezbollah from attacking, Israel “will take the territory and do it ourselves.” More than 20 killed in strikes on Lebanon and IranIsrael, meantime, hit a car in a seaside area of Lebanon's capital where dozens of displaced people have been sheltering, killing eight and wounding 31, the Lebanese Health Ministry said. The Israeli military said it was “not aware” of a strike at that location. The Israeli military said it struck a nuclear facility in Iran in recent days. Israel had destroyed the “Taleghan 2” site in an airstrike in October 2024. Earlier this year satellite photos raised concerns that Iran was working to restore the facility. The U.S. and Israel say that destroying whatever remains of Iran's nuclear program is one of the central aims of the war. They have long suspected Iran seeks nuclear weapons, while the Islamic Republic says its nuclear program is peaceful. In Tehran, security force checkpoints came under attack for the first time on Wednesday night, the semiofficial Fars news agency reported. At least 10 people were killed in the suspected drone assaults. Israel and the U.S. military did not immediately respond to requests for comment over whether they were behind the attacks. Iran fires at Gulf Arab countries and hits ship in Persian GulfIran’s latest attacks on its Gulf neighbors flouted a U.N. Security Council resolution approved Wednesday. Early Thursday, a container ship was hit with a projectile off the coast of Dubai, sparking a small fire, according to British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Center. It said the crew were safe. An Iranian attack sparked a major fire on Muharraq Island, home to Bahrain's international airport. Kuwait authorities said an Iranian drone smashed into a residential building, wounding two people, and that a drone attack on Kuwait International Airport had caused damage but no casualties. The UAE said it had activated air defenses twice to protect the futuristic city of Dubai from attacks, and firefighters extinguished a blaze at a tower after a drone hit. Saudi Arabia, meanwhile, said it shot down a drone targeting the diplomatic quarter in its capital, Riyadh, and other drones in the east, including at least one trying to target its Shaybah oil field. Following an attack on Iraq's Basra port Wednesday that killed at least one person, officials said Thursday that operations were halted at all the country's oil terminals. In the UAE, Citibank said it would close all but one of its branches due to an Iranian threat — not yet realized — to target financial institutions in the region.