EXPLAINER
After six days of US-Israeli assaults on Iran, the battle is escalating as regional tensions rise.
Revealed On 6 Mar 2026
The warfare between the USA, Israel and Iran has entered its seventh day, with assaults persevering with throughout Iran and different nations within the Center East.
Iran continues its missile and drone assaults throughout the Gulf as Washington and Tel Aviv declare their marketing campaign – codenamed Operation Epic Fury – is crippling Iran’s navy.
Estimates released by the Middle for Strategic and Worldwide Research (CSIS) on Thursday put the price of the primary 100 hours of Operation Epic Fury at $3.7bn, or about $891m per day. Most of this value – $3.5bn – has not been budgeted for, CSIS reported.
Here’s what has occurred up to now day:
In Iran
- Ongoing US and Israeli navy marketing campaign: The US and Israel are persevering with their navy strikes on Iran, marking the seventh day of the battle. Greater than 1,230 folks have been killed in Iran for the reason that assaults began on Saturday.
- The Israeli navy claims to have achieved “near-complete air superiority”, stating it has carried out 2,500 strikes and destroyed 80 % of Iran’s air defence programs.
- Management succession and US interference: Following the killing of Supreme Chief Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in a US-Israeli strike on Tehran on Saturday, the query over his succession stays, with stories circling that his son, Mojtaba Khamenei, might take over.
- Nevertheless, on Thursday, US President Donald Trump stated he intends to play a direct position in deciding on Iran’s subsequent chief, explicitly calling Mojtaba an “unacceptable” alternative.
- Invasion warnings: Ali Larijani, Secretary of Iran’s Supreme Nationwide Safety Council, warned that Iranian forces are “ready” for a possible US ground invasion and threatened to kill and seize 1000’s of US troops.
- Negotiations rejected: Iran’s International Minister Abbas Araghchi acknowledged there may be “no purpose why we should always negotiate with the US”, asserting that Washington can’t be trusted.
- Iran strikes:The US says Iran’s ballistic missile assaults have fallen by 90 % for the reason that first day of the battle, whereas drone assaults have dropped by 83 % over the identical interval.
In Gulf nations
- Kuwait: The US suspended operations at its embassy in Kuwait Metropolis following retaliatory Iranian strikes, as Kuwait’s air defence programs intercepted missiles and drones.
- Bahrain: An Iranian missile hit a state-run oil refinery in a Bahraini industrial city, however the ensuing fireplace was contained.
- UAE and Qatar: The UAE stated its air defences intercepted a number of Iranian missiles and greater than 120 drones. Qatar also reported being focused by a barrage of Iranian missiles and drones on Thursday after loud explosions had been heard within the capital, Doha.
- About 20,000 Individuals have left the Center East: The State Division reported that 1000’s have already left the area, primarily unassisted, however the authorities is arranging constitution flights for personal residents nonetheless trying to evacuate.
- Evacuation disruption: A French evacuation flight charted by the federal government to rescue residents stranded within the United Arab Emirates was pressured to show again mid-flight because of missile fireplace within the area.
In Israel
- Tel Aviv focused: Iran’s Revolutionary Guard introduced it had launched a mixed drone and missile assault on Tel Aviv and central areas of Israel.
- Home closures and West Financial institution violence: Amid the safety threats, Israel’s Civil Administration has closed all holy websites in Jerusalem’s Previous Metropolis and cancelled Friday prayers.
Within the US
- Navy strikes: US Central Command reported placing roughly 200 targets in Iran over the previous 72 hours, together with ballistic missile launchers and naval vessels.
- Trump’s claims: Trump stated Iran is being “demolished”, “forward of schedule and at ranges folks have by no means seen earlier than”, claiming the nation now has “no air pressure, no air defence”. The air pressure is “gone”, he stated.
- Congressional backing: The Republican-led US Home of Representatives voted 219 to 212 towards an effort to halt the warfare and require congressional authorisation for hostilities towards Iran.
- Instability denied: US Protection Secretary Pete Hegseth pushed again towards criticism, denying that the US and Israel have induced regional instability.
- Financial impression: The continuing warfare has rattled US monetary markets. Earlier within the week, the Dow Jones plummeted by greater than 1,000 factors (2.2 %) as oil costs climbed as a result of warfare.
In Iraq, Lebanon, Egypt
- Iraq navy base: Iraqi forces shot down a drone focusing on a navy base with US belongings close to Baghdad Worldwide Airport. The drone approached Victoria airbase in a single day on Wednesday however was intercepted earlier than reaching its goal, in keeping with stories.
- Iran assaults Kurdish teams: Iranian state tv, Press TV, reported early on Thursday that Tehran was placing “anti-Iran separatist forces”, referring to Iranian and Iraqi Kurdish teams believed to be primarily based in mountainous, hard-to-reach areas close to the Iran-Iraq border. It’s understood that US President Donald Trump has been in talks with a few of these teams with a view to their joining attacks against Iran.
- Escalating offensive in Lebanon: Israel is closely bombarding Lebanon and has issued evacuation warnings for Beirut’s southern suburbs and elements of the Bekaa Valley.
- Egypt’s financial warning: Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has warned that the nation is economically in a “state of near-emergency,” as the continuing Center East warfare threatens to drive up costs.
In Europe
- Europe below strain: European governments are divided over how to reply to the escalating battle within the Center East, with some deploying defensive navy belongings whereas others emphasise diplomacy.
- The UK and France have moved naval and air-defence sources to the japanese Mediterranean to assist shield allied pursuits. A drone assault hit the British Royal Air Drive base at Akrotiri on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus on Monday. Different European nations, together with Germany, Eire, Belgium and the Netherlands, have to this point targeted on diplomatic responses and haven’t introduced direct fight deployments.
- Azerbaijan: The nation halted cross-border truck site visitors with Iran and is getting ready “retaliatory measures” after an Iranian drone assault injured 4 civilians in its Nakhchivan exclave.
