Hundreds of thousands of Iranians rally in Tehran to show their support for the new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei.

In the second week of the United States-Israel war on Iran, Tehran continues to experience “some of the most intense bombardments” overnight.

US President Donald Trump said on Monday the war could be over “pretty quickly”, adding he was “not happy” with Iran’s new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei.

Hundreds of thousands of Iranians rallied in Tehran to show their support for Mojtaba, who succeeded his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Here is what we know so far.

In Iran

• Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Tuesday Iran would continue fighting as long as necessary, casting doubt on Trump’s insistence that the conflict would be over “soon”.
• The Iranian ISNA news agency is reporting that five people have been killed and several injured in a US-Israeli air strike that hit a residential building in the city of Arak, in western Iran.
• Despite ongoing bombardments, thousands of Iranians rallied in Tehran to show solidarity with Mojtaba Khamenei, which supporters described as a message of defiance against the countries attacking Iran.
• The Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson said on Monday the US intends to “partition [the] country” and “take oil”.
• Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said some countries, including China, Russia and France, have contacted Iran regarding a ceasefire, Iranian state TV reported.
• An attack on residential buildings in eastern Tehran killed at least 40 people, while earlier attacks on oil facilities blanketed the capital in toxic smoke. Iran says the war has killed more than 1,255 people and injured about 10,000.
• Iran’s parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, pledged a “harsh response” to the attacks on residential areas.
• Trump on Monday told reporters the US is “very much on top” of tracking whether Iran has activated “sleeper cells” in the country. Sleeper cells are covert operatives who live secretly inside a country and can be activated to carry out attacks.

In Gulf nations

• On Tuesday Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain reported intercepting Iranian missiles and drones.
• Saudi Arabia’s Defence Ministry spokesperson said on Tuesday the country’s military has intercepted and destroyed a drone east of al-Kharj governorate. Saudi Arabia’s Civil Defence agency says a drone has fallen on a residential site in the city of Az Zulfi in the Riyadh province, causing “limited material damage and no injuries”.
• The Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Monday that continued Iranian attacks would lead to further escalation and have a serious impact on relations between the two countries “now and in the future”.

• Bahrain: A 29-year-old woman was killed and eight people injured when a residential building in Bahrain’s capital Manama was hit, the country’s Ministry of Interior said on Tuesday. All Gulf Air flights “remain temporarily suspended as closure of Bahrain airspace continues”, the airline announced earlier today.
• United Arab Emirates: In the UAE, air defence systems are dealing with a number of missiles and drones coming from Iran.
• Kuwait: Six drones were intercepted in Kuwait on Tuesday.
• Australia to give missiles to the UAE: Australia will deploy a military surveillance aircraft to the Middle East and send missiles to the UAE, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said. He said Australia would not put troops on the ground.
• Australia has also granted visas to five Iranian female football players who could face punishment at home for not singing the national anthem before their first Asian Cup match.

In the US

• The US president made several extensive remarks on Monday, outlining the status and goals of the ongoing US military operations in Iran. He said the war would be over “pretty quickly” and “very soon”, although he clarified it would not end this week.
• According to Trump, the US has struck more than 5,000 targets, which he claimed resulted in the destruction of Iran’s navy and air force, as well as 80-90 percent of its missile launchers. He also said Iranian drone capabilities had been severely reduced, and their manufacturing facilities were under attack.
• Despite the successes, he told Republican lawmakers that the US “hasn’t won enough” and is seeking “ultimate victory”. Trump said he was “not happy” with Iran’s new supreme leader.
• He confirmed a seventh US combat death, noting that the families of fallen troops urged him to “finish the job”.
• Trump and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, discussed on Monday the war in Iran and prospects ⁠for peace in Ukraine, just hours after the Kremlin chief warned that a global energy crisis threatened the world economy.

In Israel

• The Iranian army has issued a statement saying it launched a drone attack targeting an Israeli oil and gas refinery and fuel tanks in Haifa, according to Tasnim news agency.
• The Israeli army says it has identified the launch of missiles from Iran towards Israel. In a statement, it said efforts are being made to intercept the threat.
• Trump praised the joint efforts of the two nations, stating that together they were “crushing the enemy”. He also claimed that Iran was preparing to attack Israel and would have used a nuclear weapon against the country if it possessed one.
• Ambulance workers said one man died from shrapnel wounds at a construction site near Tel Aviv’s international airport, raising the death toll from Iranian attacks to 11.

In Lebanon, Iraq, Turkiye

• Iraq’s Prime Minister Shia al-Sudani has told US Secretary of State Rubio that “Iraqi airspace, territory, and waters are not used for any military action targeting neighbouring countries or the region”.
• The IRGC’s PR office has issued a statement saying it hit the headquarters of the US army at the Harir Air Base in Erbil, in Iraq’s Kurdistan.
• The Israeli military has again ordered residents of southern Lebanon to flee their homes. In a post on X, it threatened residents living in areas south of the Litani River, warning that “air strikes are ongoing” as it operates “with great force in the area”.
• The death toll from ongoing Israeli attacks in Lebanon surpassed 486, while nearly 700,000 individuals have been displaced across the country amid continuous cross-border fire between Israel and Hezbollah.
• A Lebanese Maronite Catholic priest, Pierre al-Rahi, was killed by Israeli tank fire in the Christian village of Qlayaa. He had reportedly refused an Israeli order for the forced evacuation of the town, which is located a few miles from the Israeli border.
• Turkiye said on Monday that NATO air defences shot down a ballistic missile in Turkish airspace fired from Iran, the first such incident.

Infrastructure and energy markets

• Putin said Russia, the world’s second-largest oil exporter, is ready to work again with European customers to deal with a global energy crisis.
• President Emmanuel Macron said France and its allies were preparing a mission to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
• The bombardment of Iranian oil facilities has driven up global oil and gas prices, prompting G7 finance ministers to announce that they are prepared to release energy stockpiles to stabilise the markets.
• The conflict has heavily affected global markets, forcing Gulf states to temporarily halt oil and gas production and causing fuel prices to surge. Crude prices plunged to about $90 after Trump threatened to intensify Iran attacks if Tehran stopped the flow of oil through the Strait of Hormuz, a day after reaching almost $120 a barrel.

In the second week of the war against Iran, it has gone beyond a local conflict, with ramifications reaching the global level. This conflict, aggressively and illegally imposed by the United States and Israel, has not only disrupted diplomatic efforts but also challenged the foundations of international law.

In response to this aggression, Iran exercises its inherent right to self-defence – a strategic necessity to preserve territorial integrity and national sovereignty. For my country, this war is a war of survival, governed by limited red lines and strategic imperatives.

The need for genuine guarantees

Iran has previously experienced the imposition of war amid sensitive negotiations. Experiences from the past, such as the war with Iraq and recent diplomatic developments, indicate that without obtaining genuine and reliable guarantees, the risk of repeated acts of aggression persists.

The experience of two acts of aggression during nuclear negotiations and sanctions – in June 2025 and in February this year – underscores the importance of deterrent power and defensive readiness, making it essential that diplomacy is accompanied by operational capability.

Moreover, attacks on infrastructure – which signify the failure of aggressors’ illusions of regime change – as well as demands from opposing parties for control over leadership succession, should not be seen merely as strategic miscalculations.

Rather, they represent a deep failure to comprehend the meaning of the right of self-determination and the structures that deeply value independence. The selection of Ayatollah Seyed Mojtaba Khamenei as the third supreme leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran by the Assembly of Experts is a clear indicator of this commitment to independence.

Military dimensions of the war

From a military perspective, the presence of the US in the region is considerable. Currently, three US aircraft carrier strike groups are deployed in the area, representing approximately 25 percent of the operational US carrier fleet. While this presence is intended to demonstrate power and exert pressure on Iran, operational realities show that even with such a display, the US cannot fully secure its assets in the region.

The destruction of two major US radars in the area marks a pivotal moment in the war, highlighting Iran’s ability to counter advanced threats and manage the conflict intelligently.

Furthermore, Iran’s control over the Strait of Hormuz, a route for approximately 20 percent of global oil exports, carries direct strategic consequences, demonstrating the Iranian capacity for effective economic and geopolitical deterrence against external pressures.

Economic and energy implications

The war against Iran has profound effects on energy markets and the global economy. The closure of commercial traffic through the Strait of Hormuz caused oil prices to surge. Brent crude rose from $73 on February 27 to $107 on March 8 – more than 40 percent increase in 10 days.

Additionally, about 20 percent of global LNG production was taken offline, and oil production in several oil reserve countries in the region decreased. This situation increases pressure on global supply chains, and a prolonged crisis could have consequences even more severe than the COVID-19 pandemic on global food markets, chemical fertilisers, and other essential goods.

Market uncertainty and price volatility force countries and companies dependent on global supply chains to reconsider policies and economic structures, potentially leading to fundamental shifts in global trade and energy.

Geopolitical dimensions

Beyond military and economic dimensions, the war with Iran has broad geopolitical implications. One major consequence is the gradual emergence of rifts between the US and its Western and regional allies regarding policies towards Tehran. Divergent economic interests, differing security perspectives, and regional rivalries are likely to weaken the traditional cohesion of the Western alliance.

The US narrative of a unilateral victory in the war primarily serves domestic needs for displaying power and political legitimacy rather than reflecting on-the-ground realities. In fact, the US effort to control domestic public opinion diverges sharply from operational realities in the region.

Additionally, the roles of non-Western powers such as China, India and Russia are significant in this equation. These countries may become key variables in international diplomacy, energy markets and regional stability.

Long-term and strategic consequences

The imposed war against Iran could redefine the regional and global balance of power. Rising uncertainty in global markets, divisions among Western powers, and Iran’s increasing strategic importance in regional and energy equations all point to emerging geopolitical shifts.

This crisis demonstrates that for my country, military deterrence, proactive diplomacy, national security guarantees, and crisis management are fundamental pillars for countering complex threats. Coordinated interaction between defensive capabilities and diplomacy can prevent the recurrence of aggressive acts and enable crisis management at regional and global levels.

The imposed war against Iran represents a multidimensional crisis with military, economic, geopolitical, and human aspects. By relying on its inherent right to self-defence, Iran maintains its survival lines and has demonstrated its capability to confront advanced aggression.

Past experiences emphasise the necessity of genuine guarantees in negotiations and international diplomacy, and the role of operational deterrence. The consequences of this war range from rising oil prices and disruptions in global supply chains to fractures within Western alliances and shifts in regional power dynamics.

Ultimately, this war serves as a clear example of Iran’s approach to the importance of deterrent power, guaranteed diplomacy, and intelligent crisis management, showing that any miscalculation by opposing parties could have long-term and structural consequences for regional and global security.

The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeera’s editorial stance.

Search comes after the release of investigative files renewed attention to sex offender’s activities at the Zorro Ranch.

Investigators in the United States have begun searching the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein’s former ranch in New Mexico, authorities have said.

The search of Epstein’s Zorro Ranch on Monday came after the release of millions of investigative files raised pressure on authorities to reexamine the late financier’s treatment of women and girls at the remote property.

New Mexico Attorney General Raul Torrez last month ordered authorities to take a renewed look at Epstein after the southwestern state closed a prior investigation in 2019 at the request of federal prosecutors.

State lawmakers are also reexamining Epstein’s activities in New Mexico via a bipartisan “truth commission” equipped with subpoena powers.

“We urge the public to please stay away from the area and ground any drone activity nearby to avoid interfering with the ongoing law enforcement operation,” the New Mexico Department of Justice said in a statement.

“The New Mexico Department of Justice will continue to keep the public appropriately informed, support the survivors, and follow the facts wherever they lead.”

Epstein owned the property, located about 50km (30 miles) south of Santa Fe, from 1993 until his death in 2019 following his indictment on sex trafficking charges.

Epstein accusers, including the late Virginia Giuffre, have said they suffered abuse at the property, though the late financier was never charged with any crimes in connection with the site while he was alive.

The US Department of Justice’s latest release of files about Epstein in January contains numerous unsubstantiated – and in some cases implausible – tips related to the sex offender and his associates.

They include an email from a purported former Zorro Ranch employee who offered to provide videos of Epstein abusing minors in exchange for payment of one Bitcoin.

The anonymous sender also claimed that the bodies of two foreign girls had been buried in the hills outside the ranch on the orders of Epstein and his former girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell.

The United States and Israel’s war on Iran has caused the largest energy supply shock in decades.

The Strait of Hormuz is in effect closed, and attacks are being carried out on energy facilities in the Middle East, rattling oil markets.

From Americans filling their tanks at the pump to European factories and Asian economies, the impact is already being felt.

US President Donald Trump says the rise in oil prices is a “very small price to pay” for “safety and peace”. But investors warn that if the conflict drags on, there’s danger of stagflation.