The Iran war took a dramatic turn on Thursday as President Donald Trump declared that the United States will have a role in choosing Iran’s next supreme leader — a statement that sent shockwaves through diplomatic circles and underscored Washington’s maximalist aims in the conflict now entering its sixth day.
In simultaneous interviews with Reuters and Axios, Trump acknowledged that Mojtaba Khamenei — the son of assassinated Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei — is the most likely successor to take power in Tehran. But he made clear that outcome is off the table.
“Khamenei’s son is unacceptable to me,” Trump told Axios. “He’s a lightweight.” He added that choosing a leader who would continue Khamenei’s policies would force the U.S. back to war “in five years.”
It was a remarkable statement — perhaps the most explicit declaration of regime change ambitions since the war began on February 28.
Iran’s Defiant Response: ‘We’re Ready for a Ground Invasion’
Hours before Trump’s comments, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi delivered a blistering rejection of any negotiations in an exclusive NBC News interview that laid bare Tehran’s refusal to bend.
Araghchi said Iran has not asked for a ceasefire, sees “no reason” to come to the negotiating table, and — in the most provocative statement yet from a senior Iranian official — declared that Iran is prepared to confront a U.S. ground invasion should the conflict escalate further.
The defiant posture stands in stark contrast to reports earlier this week that Iranian intelligence operatives had secretly reached out to the CIA through back channels seeking a path to de-escalation. That diplomatic window, if it ever truly existed, now appears firmly shut.
Iran also launched what it called its 20th wave of strikes on “American and Zionist targets,” with the Associated Press reporting that Tehran’s forces called for “Trump’s blood” as missiles and drones were fired at Israel, U.S. bases, and countries across the region.
According to Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency, the regime has fired more than 500 ballistic and cruise missiles, as well as 2,000 drones, since the conflict began — a staggering expenditure of military capability that raises questions about how long Tehran can sustain this rate of fire.
Israel Orders Unprecedented Beirut Evacuation
In a major escalation on the war’s second front, Israel issued the most sweeping evacuation order in the history of its conflicts with Lebanon, ordering hundreds of thousands of residents to flee Beirut’s entire southern suburbs — the Dahiyeh — a sprawling Hezbollah stronghold.
“Save your lives and evacuate your homes immediately,” the IDF said in a statement, ordering residents to flee northward.
The order was unprecedented. During Israel and Hezbollah’s most recent war, which ended with a fragile ceasefire in November 2024, warnings were limited to specific buildings targeted for strikes. This time, the entire area was placed under evacuation — a signal that something far larger may be coming.
Panic and gridlock engulfed Beirut as hundreds of thousands attempted to flee. Displaced residents gathered in Martyrs’ Square in central Beirut, many with nowhere to go.
“We are afraid,” one resident told the New York Times. “Where shall we go?”
Israel simultaneously announced it had seized “strategic areas” in southern Lebanon while ordering nearby towns to evacuate. Hezbollah, which had already carried out 13 separate attacks on March 3 alone, has shown no signs of backing down.
Senate Clears the Way for Continued Strikes
Back in Washington, Senate Republicans voted down a War Powers resolution on Wednesday evening that would have forced Trump to halt military operations against Iran without explicit congressional authorization.
The vote broke largely along party lines, with one notable exception: Senator John Fetterman, a Pennsylvania Democrat, crossed the aisle to join Republicans in opposing the measure. Only Senator Rand Paul broke from the GOP to support the resolution.
It was the eighth war powers vote Congress has taken since June 2025. All eight have failed.
The result gives Trump a free hand to continue and expand Operation Epic Fury without congressional constraint — at least for now. Democrats warned that the conflict has “no clear exit strategy” and that American casualties would continue to mount.
The Expanding Battlefield: 11 Countries Now Hit
The war’s footprint continued to grow on Day 6. Iran’s retaliatory strikes have now hit targets in at least 11 countries: Israel, the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Iraq, Jordan, Azerbaijan, and — in a particularly alarming development — as far as the Indian Ocean off Sri Lanka, where a U.S. submarine sank an Iranian warship.
The UAE reported on Thursday that its air defenses detected six ballistic missiles and 131 drones launched at the country. All but one missile was intercepted — but that one struck inside UAE territory, adding to a growing toll that has killed three people and injured 78 since the strikes began.
Gulf states are running low on interceptors, CBS News reported — a critical vulnerability that is drawing Western allies deeper into the conflict. Italy pledged air defense weapons to help Gulf nations, while France authorized American armed forces to use French military bases in the region, according to BFMTV.
The UK, meanwhile, announced it was sending additional Typhoon fighter jets to the Gulf and had already evacuated more than 2,000 British citizens from the UAE on eight flights, with eight more expected.
Russia and China: Conspicuously Absent
Perhaps the most strategically significant development this week has been what hasn’t happened. As Reuters noted in a pointed analysis on Thursday, Iran finds itself isolated and under fire as Russia and China stand aside.
Neither Moscow nor Beijing has offered Tehran meaningful military support, intelligence sharing, or even strong diplomatic cover. For Iran’s leadership — which had long counted on its eastern partners as a counterweight to American power — the silence has been deafening.
The Toll So Far
Six days into Operation Epic Fury, the human cost continues to climb:
- Iran: At least 1,230 dead, according to preliminary figures, with the Kurdish human rights organization Hengaw estimating 2,100 military personnel killed. The Iranian Red Crescent reported 201 civilian deaths and 747 injuries on the first day alone.
- United States: Six soldiers killed and several more seriously wounded in an Iranian drone attack.
- Israel: At least 11 dead from Iranian missile and drone strikes.
- Gulf States: Nine killed across the UAE, Qatar, and other targeted nations.
- Iran’s Military: The Pentagon says Iran’s navy has been “decimated” — with over 20 ships struck or sunk — and its missile capability reduced by 86%.
The U.S. has deployed more than 50,000 troops, 200 fighter jets, two aircraft carriers, and B-2 and B-1 stealth bombers to the operation, according to CENTCOM Commander Admiral Brad Cooper. Reinforcements are on the way.
What Comes Next
Day 6 has laid bare the fundamental tension at the heart of this conflict. The United States is waging war not just to destroy Iran’s military infrastructure, but — as Trump’s comments make explicit — to determine who will lead the country next. Iran, for its part, is showing no signs of capitulation, even as its military is being systematically dismantled.
With negotiations dead, Gulf interceptors dwindling, a second front opening in Lebanon, and Russia and China watching from the sidelines, the Iran war appears to be entering its most dangerous phase yet.
Trump himself summed up the situation in characteristically blunt terms: the U.S. has “more than enough capability to not only successfully execute Operation Epic Fury, but to go much further.”
The question the world is asking: how much further?