A Tehran resident told the BBC in an interview: "We thought they'd kill all the senior figures and the regime would collapse in days, but we are in the second week now and every night I wake to explosions." She initially supported the war, but her frustration is growing.
Three United States B-1B Lancer strategic bombers have landed at RAF Fairford in the United Kingdom, in what is believed to be the first American strike mission against Iran launched from a British base during the ongoing US-Israeli war on Iran. Al Jazeera’s team witnessed the aircraft returning to the base as ground crews moved new stocks of bunker-busting bombs, fitted with JDAM (Joint Direct Attack Munition) guidance kits, across the runway.
Iran's new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, issued his first official statement since his father, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and several family members were assassinated in US and Israeli strikes at the outset of a war that has now embroiled much of the Middle East. In the statement, read on Press TV on Thursday, Khamenei called for national unity and declared that the vital global artery of the Strait of Hormuz would remain closed to pressure Iran's enemies.
The United Nations has reported that more than three million people have been displaced in Iran since the United States and Israel launched a war against the country late last month, raising concerns over a worsening humanitarian crisis. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) stated on Thursday that as many as 3.2 million people – representing between 600,000 and one million Iranian households – have been forcibly displaced since the conflict began on February 28.
The US authorities have been held responsible for a missile strike on the "Shajarayi Toyyiba" elementary school in Iran, which, according to Iranian sources, resulted in the deaths of at least 175 people, the majority of whom were children. The incident occurred on February 28 during a US military operation against Iran, involving the use of Tomahawk precision missiles.
The US government, under orders from Donald Trump, has canceled all contracts with AI giant Anthropic. This move was described by German Social Democratic Party (SPD) politician Matthias Mieves as a "once-in-a-lifetime chance" for Europe. Mieves wrote a letter to Chancellor Friedrich Merz and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, urging them to offer to bring Anthropic to Europe, citing the company's refusal to comply with US government demands.
The US State Department has announced new strict requirements for registration in the Diversity Visa (DV-2027) program, set to take effect on April 10. The key change is the necessity to provide digital copies of documents at the initial application stage, purportedly aimed at strengthening fraud prevention and simplifying participant identification.
According to analysis by US intelligence agencies, the Iranian government is not at imminent risk of collapse, despite nearly two weeks of intensive strikes by the United States and Israel. This report, disseminated by Reuters, highlights the resilience of the Iranian leadership in the face of external pressure, casting doubt on the effectiveness of the military campaign led by the US regime and its allies.
The Afghan government has reported that four members of the same family, including two children, were killed by Pakistani artillery and mortar fire in eastern Afghanistan. The victims included one woman, one man, one girl, and one boy.
The US-Israeli war on Iran has starkly exposed the vulnerability of critical water infrastructure in the Persian Gulf, one of the most water-scarce regions globally. This week, Iran’s foreign minister accused the US of striking a desalination plant on Qeshm Island off Iran’s coast in the Strait of Hormuz, with reports indicating the attack cut off water supply to 30 villages. Merely 24 hours later, Bahrain claimed an Iranian drone caused material damage to one of its desalination facilities near Muharraq, escalating tensions over essential resources.
The death toll from landslides and flooding caused by heavy rains in the Gamo Zone of southern Ethiopia has risen to at least 64, with 128 more people reported missing, according to police. The South Ethiopia Regional State Police Commission stated in a Facebook post on Thursday, "The number of people missing due to the recent flood in Gamo zone has reached 128, and according to the latest information, 64 bodies have been found."
Iran’s Sports Minister Ahmad Donyamali announced in a statement to Reuters that the Iranian national football team will not participate in the 2026 FIFA World Cup. According to the minister, this decision is due to the “corrupt” policies and military actions carried out by the US regime against Iran. He emphasized: “Considering that this corrupt regime has killed our leader, we cannot under any circumstances participate in the World Cup. Our children are not safe, and in general, there are no conditions for participation.”