Ghoncheh Habibiazad
Senior reporter, BBC Persian

Image source, Reuters

Earlier we reported on the meeting in Paris between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Reza Pahlavi, the son of the exiled late-Shah of Iran. Here's how he fits into the current conflict.

Reza Pahlavi is the former crown prince of Iran and the eldest son of the late Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the Shah of Iran before the 1979 revolution.

He has positioned himself as a potential transitional leader of Iran and described the US-Israeli attacks launched on Iran on 28 February as “a humanitarian intervention”, with its target being the “Islamic Republic”.

US President Donald Trump has said about Reza Pahlavi on 3 March that “It would seem to me that somebody from within maybe would be more appropriate”.

In an address on 28 February, he called on Iran’s armed forces to “join the nation” rather than defend what he described as a “crumbling regime”, while urging Iranians to remain calm but ready for a “final battle”.

He also urged Iranians on Wednesday to stay in their homes while they wait for his “final call”.

Pahlavi has supported many major protests in Iran, including the recent anti-establishment unrest that began on 28 December 2025. He called for protests on two deadly nights of 8 and 9 January.

The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (Hrana) said it had confirmed the killing of at least 7,000 people during that wave of protests.

Early deliveries of oil from the US strategic reserve should reach the market by the end of the week, the US Department of Energy says, in an effort to help combat energy price rises since the start of the Iran war.

The DOE requested for an exchange of up to 86 million barrels of crude oil from the reserve, which will be released from the 172 million barrels that Washington announced earlier this week.

The oil will be released "at no cost to American taxpayers", the department said in a statement on Friday, external.

The US effort is part of the International Energy Agency's collective release, external, wherein 32 member countries unanimously agreed to make 400 million barrels of oil from their emergency reserves available to the market in response to the war in the Middle East.

BBC Verify has been tracking the wave of ship attacks causing blockages through the Strait of Hormuz – the world's busiest oil shipping channel.

Six ships were attacked in the Gulf in less than 48 hours, as reported yesterday, bringing the total of vessels since the start of the war to 18, according to reports by UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) and the maritime intelligence company Vanguard.

Iran's new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei vowed to keep blocking the channel in his first public statement on Thursday.

Since then, the US president announced the US military had "totally obliterated" every military target on Iran's Kharg Island - an Iranian island critical for its oil exports.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump said oil infrastructure had not been wiped out on the Kharg Island, but that if Iran or anyone else chose to interfere with the safe passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz, this could change.

European leaders have been responding to a US decision to temporarily ease sanctions on the purchase of Russian oil.

The waiver will allow countries to buy Russian oil that is already on vessels at sea but has not been sold due to sanctions.

The US decision is "very concerning", European Council President Antonio Costa said on Friday, as it "impacts European security".

"Weakening sanctions increases Russian resources to wage the war of aggression against Ukraine," he wrote in a post on X.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said at a news conference that the move could mean Russia gains $10bn (£7.5bn), adding: "It certainly does not help peace."

French President Emmanuel Macron, meanwhile, said alongside Zelensky that the announcement of the Strait of Hormuz's shutdown "in no way" justified lifting the sanctions.

Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney, speaking during a news conference earlier, said Canada's position is to "maintain sanctions on Russia".

At an earlier news conference, Germany's Chancellor Friedrich Merzsaid the decision was "wrong".

Iran says any attack on its oil and energy infrastructure will lead to attacks on energy infrastructure owned by oil companies cooperating with the US in the region, according to Iranian media cited by Reuters.

The warning from Iran's armed forces follows a statement from US President Donald Trump that US forces have "totally obliterated" all military targets on Kharg Island - an Iranian island critical for its oil exports.

Image source, AFP

The UAE has ordered the arrest of 10 people for publishing clips of the country's air defence systems intercepting aerial attacks, as well as fabricated clips of explosions and strikes, UAE state media reports.

According to state media, the individuals published real footage of attacks, as well as other AI videos and images on sites in the UAE. They have been referred to an "expedited trial", it adds.

Separately, Abu Dhabi Police says it has arrested 45 individuals of "various nationalities" for filming and "spreading misinformation" during attacks on the country.

It comes after a 60-year-old British man was charged last week under Dubai's cyber-crime laws after allegedly filming Iranian missiles over the city.

Radha Stirling, CEO of Detained in Dubai, said 21 people had been charged under the UAE's cybercrime laws in connection with "videos and social media posts relating to the recent missile strikes".

Images of fragments striking a tall residential building, a luxury hotel and Dubai's airport have circulated widely online.

President Donald Trump says US forces have "totally obliterated" all military targets on Iran's Kharg Island.

In this video, Mikey Kay from the BBC's Security Brief explains why the island is so critical for Tehran.

How does Kharg Island fit into the wider conflict?published at 00:40 GMT

00:40 GMT

Paul Adams
Diplomatic correspondent

Kharg Island is a tiny but strategic terminal in the northern Gulf, 22 miles off the coast of Iran. It handles much of Iran’s oil exports and tankers have been seen loading there over the past two weeks.

Posting in typically bombastic fashion on his Truth Social platform, Donald Trump said the US military had conducted what he called one of the most powerful bombing raids in the history of the Middle East, obliterating every military target on the island.

He said oil infrastructure had not been wiped out but that if Iran or anyone else chose to interfere with the safe passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz, this could change.

There has been much speculation about whether US forces would at some point attempt to take over Kharg Island, which, apart from choking off Iran’s oil exports could also provide a useful platform from which to carry out attacks against the mainland.

US media reports that amphibious ships carrying at least two thousand marines are now being sent to the Gulf have added to that speculation.

The Pentagon has declined to comment, but if confirmed the new deployments will certainly give military planners some new options.

On Thursday, President Trump rebuffed questions about the US potentially seizing Kharg Island.

In an interview with Fox News radio, Trump was asked if he had any plans to take the island given its vital role in Iranian oil exports.

"It's not high on the list," Trump said. "It's one of so many different things, and I can change my mind in seconds."

The question seemed to annoy Trump, who chided Fox reporter Brian Kilmeade.

"Who would ask a question like that and what fool would answer it?" the president said. "Let's say I was gonna do it or let's say I wasn't gonna do it, why would I tell you?"

Image source, Getty Images

Shortly before Trump posted about the US strike on Kharg Island, we also heard directly from the president when he spoke to reporters before boarding Air Force One.

Asked again how long he thinks the war will last, he said, "I can't tell you that".

"I mean, I have my own idea, but what good does it do?" he said. "It'll be as long as it's necessary. They've been decimated."

The president has previously said that the war will end if Iran offers their unconditional surrender. Asked what that means, he said it means that their navy, air force, and most of their military is "gone"

It means, very simply, that we are in a position of dominance that nobody's ever seen before," he said, adding: "Whether or not they're able to say the words."

Trump was also questioned about his goals with the war in Iran as compared to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. A reporter asked if the two share the same objectives.

"Well I think they might be a little different, I guess," he said. "But he will tell you there's never been a power like the power of the United States."

Trump just announced that the US has bombed "every military target" on Iran's Kharg Island.

But where is the island and why is it important?

Kharg Island is a small, five-mile long outcropping located about 15 nautical miles off the coast of Iran.

It's considered Iran's "oil lifeline".

While there are few residents, 90% of Iran's export crude oil passes through there. Large tankers carry oil to the island, then through the Persian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz, and then often to China, the largest consumer of Iranian oil.

If access to the island is cut off, it would seriously cripple the economy of the Islamic Republic.

Earlier this month, Axios reported that Trump was weighing sending special forces to seize the Island.

We're now hearing from US President Donald Trump, who shortly after boarding Air Force One for Florida, posted on Truth Social that moments ago, "the United States Central Command executed one of the most powerful bombing raids in the History of the Middle East and totally obliterated every MILITARY target in Iran’s crown jewel, Kharg Island".

"I have chosen NOT to wipe out the Oil Infrastructure on the Island. However, should Iran, or anyone else, do anything to interfere with the Free and Safe Passage of Ships through the Strait of Hormuz, I will immediately reconsider this decision," the president continued.

He called on Iran to lay down its weapons and "save what’s left of their country, which isn’t much".

Dan Johnson
West of England correspondent

The BBC has been speaking to a 30-year-old NHS worker based in the north of England who travelled to visit family in Iran one week before the war started. She requested that we don’t use her name for fear of reprisals.

She describes how she and others welcomed the airstrikes: “People were happy. I was in the streets and I myself, I was smiling, even though that would put my flight back home in danger."

Asked if she thinks the regime can survive long term, she says that it "can't control 90 million people, especially when more than half of them are against them, against their rules".

People in Iran "have their undercover lives", she says, adding that "people are dancing without any headscarves, people are drinking alcohol, people are living their life".

Image source, Volodymyr Zelensky / X

Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of the Iranian shah deposed in 1979, has met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Paris.

The 65-year-old claimed he is "uniquely placed" to lead a transitional government in Iran, though US President Donald Trump has expressed doubts over his suitability.

Iran and Russia have been allied for decades. The US has accused the Kremlin of aiding Tehran's war efforts in recent days, and Iranian-designed drones have been used extensively during Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

In comments released after his meeting with Pahlavi, Zelensky said: "Ukraine truly wants to see a free Iran that does not cooperate with Russia and destabilize the Middle East region, Europe, and the entire world."

In a separate post, Pahlavi said: "Few nations comprehend the cost of defending national sovereignty more than Ukraine."

The Qatari Interior Ministry has ordered evacuations for some parts of the country as a "temporary precautionary measure", which will remain in place until "danger has passed".

The warning does not specify the nature of the threat but Iran said it had launched a wave of strikes a short while ago and has previously targeted the Gulf state.

Bahrain has also asked its citizens to take shelter after alarm sirens were activated, while Saudi Arabia also said it had shut down a number of projectiles.

The Israeli military says Iran has launched more missiles and has ordered people to take shelter.

Strikes were also confirmed by Iranian state-controlled media.

It's only a few hours since a similar warning, when Iran and Hezbollah launched a joint strike.

Paul Adams
Diplomatic correspondent

It’s being widely reported in US media that the American military is sending additional forces to the Gulf, including what’s known as an amphibious ready group (ARG), with up to 5,000 Marines and sailors.

The amphibious assault ship Tripoli will join the substantial armada already operating off the coast of Iran.

It’s not clear which other vessels will accompany the Tripoli, but an ARG typically includes ships capable of carrying landing craft, as well as large numbers of helicopters.

The latest deployments suggest the Pentagon is considering an expanded range of options. These could include protecting commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and conceivably some kind of limited amphibious landing.

One possible objective is Iran’s tiny Kharg Island, in the northern Gulf.

Lying 22 miles off the Iranian mainland, Kharg is a vital oil hub, where tankers have been seen filling up with Iranian oil since the war began two weeks ago.

An American Marine unit based in Japan, as well as additional warships, are expected to be transferred to the Middle East, two US officials tell the BBC's US partner, CBS News.

Elements of an amphibious ready group and the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit are expected to be sent, they say, after the plan was first reported by the Wall Street Journal., external

The group is typically made up of 5,000 marines and sailors across several warships, though there are differing reports in US media about the size of the contingent due to be deployed.

The BBC has approached the US military and the Pentagon for comment, though future troop movements are usually not confirmed publicly.

Daniel Bush
Travelling with the vice president

US Vice President JD Vance addressed the war with Iran on Friday during a speech on the economy in Rocky Mount, North Carolina.

Vance was asked what advice he’s given Trump on the war, and how the conflict squares with his past opposition to so-called forever wars.

The vice president declined to share details on his private conversations about Iran with Trump, saying "it's important for the president of the United States to talk to his advisers without" those advisers "running their mouth".

Image source, Reuters

Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem says the group has prepared itself for a "long confrontation" with Israel, as the sides continue to strike one another.

In a televised address, he adds that Israel will be "surprised" on the battlefield.

The Iranian-backed group, based in Lebanon, has exchanging fire with Israel since 2 March, when it launched air attacks on Israel following the death of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Israel has been striking Lebanon heavily, with the military saying it is targeting Hezbollah infrastructure.