US President Donald Trump on Friday said the ongoing Middle East conflict would end only if Iran accepted “unconditional surrender,” as global oil prices surged amid fears of supply disruptions.
The statement came as Israel intensified air strikes in Lebanon and launched what it described as “broad-scale” attacks on Tehran. The US military said more than 3,000 Iranian targets had been struck during the first week of the US-Israeli war on Iran.
The conflict has rapidly expanded beyond the region, disrupting global energy and transport networks and raising alarm among world leaders.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for “serious diplomatic negotiations” and warned the crisis could spiral beyond control.
Russian President Vladimir Putin also urged an “immediate” ceasefire during a phone call with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, according to the Kremlin.
Despite the calls for restraint, Trump rejected fresh talks with Tehran, writing on Truth Social that there would be “no deal with Iran except UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER.”
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the United States would continue its operation until Iran no longer posed a threat to the US.
Oil prices surge
The escalating conflict pushed global oil prices sharply higher, with the Strait of Hormuz — a key route for global energy supplies — effectively blocked.
Brent North Sea crude rose to $92.69 per barrel, up 8.5 percent on the day and nearly 30 percent for the week.
Heavy strikes and rising casualties
US Central Command said more than 3,000 Iranian targets had been hit, including missile sites, naval assets, air defence systems and command centres.
Six US service members have been killed during the conflict. Trump is expected to attend a ceremony at Dover Air Force Base on Saturday to receive their remains.
Meanwhile, Israeli air strikes continued to hit Beirut’s southern suburbs, strongholds of the Iran-backed Hezbollah group. Lebanon’s health ministry said the death toll from the attacks had reached 217.
Lebanon’s Prime Minister Nawaf Salam warned that a humanitarian disaster was looming, with the Norwegian Refugee Council reporting that about 300,000 people had been displaced.
Three UN peacekeepers were also wounded when their base in southern Lebanon was struck.
Iran under heavy bombardment
Tehran faced some of the heaviest bombardment yet on Friday, according to eyewitness accounts.
Iran’s health ministry said US-Israeli strikes had killed at least 926 people, though the figure could not be independently verified.
In response, Iran has launched missile and drone attacks targeting Israel and several Gulf countries.
Qatar said nine out of ten Iranian drones were intercepted, while Saudi Arabia reported shooting down a cruise missile.
Airports in Iraq were also targeted, including facilities in Baghdad hosting US military and diplomatic sites.
Across the Gulf region, at least 13 people have been killed since the conflict began.
The violence has also caused personal tragedies. In Kuwait, an 11-year-old girl, Elena Abdullah Hussein, was killed in an attack shortly after calling her father to say she loved him.
“It was as if she was trying to say goodbye,” her father told AFP at her funeral.
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