US Iran News highlights: Trump seeks say in picking Iran's next leader after Khamenei; blasts reported in Tel Aviv

Israel Iran conflict LIVE updates: Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council Ali Larijani, on Thursday, issued a blistering rebuke of US President Donald Trump following the deadly strike on a school for girls in Minab, southern Iran, sharply criticising America's "peace through strength" doctrine and directly challenging the US narrative on freedom in Iran.

In a post on X, Larijani condemned the "mass martyrdom of innocent girls" at the hands of what he described as "American-Israeli criminals", saying the theory of "peace through strength" has been "stained with blood" by the tragedy.

Israel Iran conflict LIVE updates: The Lebanese health ministry said on Thursday that the death toll from Israeli strikes on Lebanon has risen to 102 since the country was drawn into regional war earlier this week.

The ministry added that 638 people have also been wounded since Monday, adding that the tolls were likely to increase as hospitals receive more victims.

Israel Iran conflict LIVE updates: Iranian authorities were issuing warnings to people connecting to the internet in defiance of a communications blackout that had left the Islamic republic largely cut off from the outside world, witnesses told AFP on Thursday.

Iran's internet connectivity was currently running at "around 1 percent of ordinary levels", monitor group Netblocks said on Thursday, leaving most Iranians struggling to access basic information, navigation tools or communication apps.

Israel Iran conflict LIVE updates: Residents in the Emirati capital Abu Dhabi reported hearing a series of loud explosions on Thursday, with UAE air defences responding to a missile threat as Iran pressed on with its retaliation campaign in the Gulf.

"Air defence systems are currently responding to a missile threat," the National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority said in a statement on X. Abu Dhabi residents said they heard numerous heavy explosions.

Israel Iran conflict LIVE updates: The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on Thursday announced it had completed the 12th wave of strikes in Tehran, targeting key Iranian security and military infrastructure, including the headquarters of a special unit in Alborz province.

"IDF Completes 12th Wave of Strikes in Tehran: Headquarters of the Iranian Terror Regime's Special Unit in 'Alborz' Province Attacked, Along with Basij Forces Bases and Internal Security," the Israeli Air Force (IAF) stated in a post on X.

Israel Iran conflict LIVE updates: Israel's far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich warned Thursday that a southern Beirut suburb, a stronghold of Hezbollah, will face devastation similar to Gaza after the Israeli military told residents to evacuate.

"Very soon Dahiyeh will resemble Khan Yunis," Smotrich said, referring to a southern Gaza city which has been heavily damaged by Israeli bombardments during the two-year war with Hamas.

Israel Iran conflict LIVE updates: Azerbaijan on Thursday closed part of its airspace in the south after it said four Iranian drones flew across its border.

The airspace will remain closed for 12 hours, according to a notice to airmen (NOTAM) issued by Azerbaijan, Reuters reported.

Israel Iran conflict LIVE updates: Some Western embassy staff in Riyadh were told to shelter in place, diplomatic sources told AFP on Thursday, with drone debris injuring six people in Abu Dhabi as Iran pressed attacks across the Gulf.

The war in the Middle East has engulfed the otherwise stable Gulf region as Iran retaliates to US and Israeli strikes that killed its supreme leader, launching strikes at Israel, the wider region and beyond.

Israel Iran conflict LIVE updates: British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Thursday that four additional Typhoon fighter jets would be sent to Qatar as the conflict in the Middle East escalates, insisting that the UK has the right plan for defence.

Britain's cautious response to the Iran crisis and a drone attack on its key military base in Cyprus have led to doubts among partners about its military effectiveness.

Israel Iran conflict LIVE updates: The United Kingdom said on Thursday it was "temporarily" withdrawing some staff and their dependants from its Bahrain embassy as Iran presses on with its retaliation campaign in the Gulf.

"Due to the ongoing security situation, the UK has taken the precautionary step of temporarily withdrawing some Embassy staff" and their families, it said in a statement on Instagram.

Israel Iran conflict LIVE updates: The Central Board of Secondary Education on Thursday cancelled Class 10 board exams scheduled in Middle East countries till March 11. It has also postponed the Class 12 board examination scheduled for March 7, with the mode of result declaration for affected papers to be announced later.

Countries where CBSE has postponed exams includes, UAE (Dubai and Abu Dhabi), Bahrain, Iran (Tehran), Saudi Arabia (Riyadh), Kuwait, Oman (Muscat), Qatar

Israel Iran conflict LIVE updates: The World Health Organization chief said on Thursday that it has verified 13 attacks on health infrastructure in Iran amid a U.S.-Israeli campaign, killing four health care workers and injuring 25 others.

"WHO has verified 13 attacks on health care in Iran and one in Lebanon," World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a press conference.

Israel Iran conflict LIVE updates: The Kremlin on Thursday said that Iran hasn't asked Russia for military assistance as it faces the US and Israeli attacks.

Asked whether Russia could go beyond rhetoric and offer military assistance to its ally, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov responded that "there have been no requests from the Iranian side."

He added that “our consistent position is well known, and there have been no changes to it,” AP reported.

Israel Iran conflict LIVE updates: Iran's army said on Thursday it had launched a drone attack on a US site in the Iraqi Kurdistan city of Erbil.

"The headquarters of the American aggressor forces in Erbil, Iraq, was attacked by the army's ground forces' attack drones," AFP quoted the army as saying.

Israel Iran conflict LIVE updates: Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Alliyev has said Iran must apologise after a drone injured two people in its autonomous exclave of Nakhchivan, and that those responsible must be held accountable.

“The territory of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic was subjected to fire by the Iranian state with unmanned aerial vehicles. The targets of the fire were civilian objects,” Aliyev said in a statement.

“The Azerbaijani state strongly condemns this ugly terrorist act, and those who committed it must be immediately held accountable.”

Israel Iran conflict LIVE updates: In an X post on Thursday, Prime Minister Narendra Mondi wrote that he spoke with french president Emmanuel Macron. "We discussed our shared concerns over the evolving situation in West Asia and the need for a return to dialogue and diplomacy. We will continue to engage closely and coordinate efforts towards the early restoration of peace and stability in the region,” he wrote on X.

Prime Minister Modi spoke to eight leaders of West Asia since the beginning of the military conflict, before speaking to Macron on Thursday.

Israel Iran conflict LIVE updates: More than 20,000 Israelis have returned to the country since the start of the Iran air war that began last Saturday, the Transportation Ministry said on Thursday.

Israel began to open its airspace on Thursday and allowed a handful of flights to land at Ben Gurion International Airport near Tel Aviv.

The ministry said 120,000 Israelis are currently abroad who wish to return to Israel and that the operation to repatriate them would likely take seven to 10 days.

Israel Iran conflict LIVE updates: In a phone conversation, Modi and Macron discussed West Asia and the need for a return to dialogue & diplomacy, PTI reported.

Israel Iran conflict LIVE updates: Missiles fired by the US and Israel have hit two schools in the town of Parand, southwest of Tehran, Iran’s semiofficial Fars news agency reports.

It shared photos of damage and debris in what appeared to be a classroom and said several nearby residential units also sustained damage.

Israel Iran conflict LIVE updates: Air raid sirens blared and two blasts were heard in Jerusalem on Thursday, AFP journalists reported, after Israel said it had identified missiles launched from Iran.

The blasts came shortly after Israel's air raid warning system sent out an alert to people living across central Israel.

Israel Iran conflict LIVE updates: Iran's armed forces on Thursday denied having launched a drone attack on Azerbaijan after Baku said at least two Iranian drones hit the country, wounding two people.

"The Islamic republic of Iran... denies its armed forces launched a drone toward the Republic of Azerbaijan," the general staff of the armed forces said in a statement, according to state TV, which also blamed Israel.

Israel Iran conflict LIVE updates: An Iranian government agency on Thursday said at least 1,230 people have been killed in the war.

Meanwhile, Iran launched a new wave of attacks at Israel, American bases and countries around the region, threatening that the United States would “bitterly regret” torpedoing an Iranian warship in the Indian Ocean and calling for “Trump's blood,” while Israel said it hit multiple targets in Iran.

Israel-Iran conflict LIVE updates: European Union countries will "pay the price, sooner of later" if they remain silent on the U.S.-Israeli offensive against Iran which Tehran considers a violation of international law, a spokesperson for Iran's foreign ministry told Spanish broadcaster TVE on Thursday.

Israel-Iran conflict LIVE updates: Foreign minister S Jaishankar on Thursday said that he "had a telecon with Iranian FM Seyed Abbas Araghchi this afternoon."

Israel-Iran conflict LIVE updates: The first two flights bringing home Israelis stranded abroad by the Middle East war landed in Tel Aviv on Thursday, after the airspace was closed as the US and Israel launched strikes on Iran.

The repatriation flights landed at Ben Gurion Airport, which for now remains closed for commercial traffic.

Each carried 170 passengers.