(WASHINGTON DC) – The global security situation is escalating on several fronts as tensions rise in the Middle East, Russia deepens ties with Iran and Ukrainian forces advance in southern Ukraine.
United States President Donald Trump has ruled out negotiations with Iran unless Tehran accepts unconditional surrender. The statement signals that Washington is pursuing a maximalist objective rather than a negotiated settlement.
Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social that “there will be no deal with Iran except for unconditional surrender”.
The statement followed remarks by Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, who said several countries were prepared to mediate a ceasefire.
Trump said that only after Iran surrendered and a new leadership acceptable to Washington emerged would the United States and its allies begin rebuilding the country.
“The coalition’s goal is to bring Iran out of a state of near destruction and make its economy stronger than ever before,” he wrote. “Iran has a bright future ahead of it.”
At the same time, United States officials say Vladimir Putin may be supporting Iran in the conflict by providing intelligence on the deployment and movement of American forces in the Middle East.
According to reports citing US officials, Moscow allegedly supplied Tehran with coordinates of potential targets including the positions of American naval vessels and aircraft.
If confirmed, analysts say the move would represent a significant escalation and could link Russia’s war against Ukraine with the widening confrontation in the Middle East.
Experts note that such intelligence would be valuable to Iran, which has only a limited military satellite network.
Iranian forces have used drones and ballistic missiles to target military and infrastructure sites across the region. Strikes have reportedly aimed at logistics centres, warehouses and air defence installations used by the United States and its allies.
Among the targets were American made THAAD missile defence systems located in Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
An Iranian strike also damaged the AN FPS132 early warning radar station in Doha, which is designed to detect ballistic missile launches and calculate their trajectories.
China has so far avoided direct military or intelligence support to Iran in the conflict.
Iran has also warned European countries that they could face retaliatory strikes if they assist the US Israeli coalition conducting operations against Tehran.
United States Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said Washington is monitoring reports of Russian assistance.
“We are tracking everything. Our commanders are aware of everything,” he said. “We know who is talking to whom and how that information might affect our battle plans.”
Hegseth said any activity that should not occur through official or unofficial channels would face a strong response.
Meanwhile United States Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Washington is considering temporarily easing sanctions on Russian oil in order to stabilise global supply.
He said hundreds of millions of barrels of sanctioned crude oil are currently at sea and could be released to the market.
India had previously been asked to stop purchasing Russian oil but could now receive permission to resume purchases to ease supply shortages.
Across the Middle East, Iranian missiles and drones have struck targets in Iraq, the Gulf states and other regional locations.
Many projectiles were intercepted but some caused fires, infrastructure damage and injuries.
As of 6 March, the United Arab Emirates reported 1,184 drones and 205 missiles launched toward its territory, with air defences intercepting 1,110 drones and 198 missiles.
Kuwait reported 394 drones and 212 missiles targeting the country.
Qatar said its air defences intercepted 47 drones, 113 missiles and two aircraft.
Bahrain reported intercepting 147 drones and 84 missiles.
In southern Iraq, Iranian backed militias targeted energy facilities near Basra. A drone struck the Rumaila oil field, one of Iraq’s largest oil production sites operated by BP and Iraqi state oil agencies.
Another drone hit the Baker Hughes Energy City complex near Zubair.
Further north militants launched missiles and drones at Camp Taji and Baghdad International Airport.
Iranian drones also targeted sites across the Gulf region including Prince Sultan Air Base and Al Udeid Air Base, the largest US military installation in the Middle East.
Footage from Dubai International Airport showed a drone strike near aircraft on the ground.
Witnesses were heard shouting:
• “Airport. To the airport again. Straight to the airport.”
• “Oh my God. Straight to the aircraft.”
• “Did it hit the aircraft?”
• “No, it hit next to us here actually.”
United States House Speaker Mike Johnson said the United States was not at war with Iran.
“We are not at war and we have no intention of being at war,” he said.
Johnson described the operation as limited in scope and duration and said the mission was aimed at destroying Iran’s ballistic missile capability and naval assets.
Elsewhere in the region, Azerbaijan’s State Security Service said it had prevented planned attacks organised by agents linked to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Authorities said the targets included the Baku Tbilisi Ceyhan pipeline, the Israeli embassy in Baku, a synagogue and a religious leader from the Mountain Jewish community.
Officials said Iranian agents had smuggled three explosive devices into the country.
Relations between Azerbaijan and Iran deteriorated further after Iranian Arash 2 drones struck Nakhchivan International Airport.
Azerbaijan said one drone had been directed toward a school but exploded nearby.
President Ilham Aliyev ordered the armed forces to prepare a response.
Meanwhile in Ukraine, fighting continues as Ukrainian forces press forward in the Zaporizhzhia Oblast sector.
Ukrainian officials say the counteroffensive aims to disrupt Russian logistics routes and threaten supply lines linking Russian forces to Crimea.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukrainian forces had regained about 460 square kilometres of territory since the start of 2026.
The Institute for the Study of War estimated that Ukrainian troops had retaken roughly 257 square kilometres since January.
Russian forces currently occupy about 20 percent of Ukrainian territory following the invasion launched in February 2022 by the Russian dictator Vladimir Putin.
Recent Ukrainian advances have focused on areas around 80 kilometres east of Zaporizhzhia, where eight settlements were reportedly liberated.
Elite Ukrainian units including the 82nd Bukovyna Brigade and the 95th Polissia Brigade conducted offensive operations along the Oleksandrivka axis.
Military commanders said the attack achieved tactical surprise during difficult weather conditions.
Ukraine’s counterattacks may have exploited the recent loss of access to Starlink by Russian troops after Ukrainian authorities blocked their use of the system.
Analysts observed a reduction in Russian combat operations after the disruption to satellite communications complicated command and control.
Ukraine says Russian casualties in the war reached approximately 1,270,400 soldiers between February 2022 and 5 March 2026.
According to Ukrainian estimates, Russian forces lose at least one soldier for every five metres of territory advanced.
In the Kupiansk area, Ukrainian forces reported clearing a district hospital, a college and a machine building plant previously used as Russian strong points.
Ukrainian troops captured five Russian soldiers after forcing them out of a basement position.
One captured soldier described how Ukrainian drones and smoke forced the defenders to surrender.
Elsewhere Ukrainian reconnaissance units detected a Russian armoured column advancing along a forest road in the Lyman sector.
Artillery and drone operators then struck the column, destroying several vehicles and forcing Russian troops to abandon the attack.
Separately, Ukraine secured the release of seven bank workers detained in Hungary while transporting £60 million worth of cash and nine kilograms of gold to Ukraine.
The cash transport included around £60 million, approximately 76 million US dollars, along with gold valued at several hundred thousand dollars depending on market prices.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said the workers had safely returned to Ukraine after being detained by Hungarian authorities on suspicion of money laundering.
Ukraine’s state savings bank Oschadbank said the transfer was a routine operation between Austria and Ukraine.
Relations between Ukraine and Hungary remain strained during Russia’s full scale invasion.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has opposed several European Union financial packages supporting Ukraine.
Orbán has also linked energy disputes involving the Druzhba pipeline to political disagreements with Kyiv.
President Zelenskyy criticised Hungary’s stance and said the pipeline might not resume operation for several weeks following damage caused by Russian air strikes.
“If Russians are killing Ukrainians, why should we supply oil to Viktor Orbán,” Zelenskyy said.
Meanwhile Ukrainian security services reported that drones from the Security Service of Ukraine struck an aircraft repair facility in Russian occupied Crimea.
The strike reportedly hit the Yevpatoria Aircraft Repair Plant and military positions near the Dzhankoi Air Base.
According to preliminary reports, Ukrainian drones damaged two Pantsir S2 air defence systems, a Mohajer 6 reconnaissance drone, an anti aircraft gun mounted on a truck, two fuel tankers and a ground control station.
Security officials said the operation aimed to reduce Russia’s ability to defend bases and launch attacks against Ukrainian cities.
