Iran Signals 'Prolonged War' As US Strikes Go Deeper, Kurdish Groups Deny Reports Of Offensive

Iran Signals 'Prolonged War' As US Strikes Go Deeper, Kurdish Groups Deny Reports Of Offensive

TYLER DURDEN

Here are some of the most critical developments unfolding in the US-Iran conflict: 

• Iraqi Kurdistan govt statement: Not a single Iraqi Kurd has crossed the border. This is patently false.

• The U.S. Senate rejected a War Powers resolution that sought to force President Trump to end or seek congressional approval for military strikes on Iran, allowing the administration to continue operations without the restriction: CBS

• Iran says it hit US warship with missiles 600km away in Northern Indian Ocean using Ghadr 380 Talayieh missiles (1000+ range, can change course mid-flight)

• The Marsh Mclennan unit marsh risk met with the trump administration to discuss creating a government-backed insurance mechanism to help ships resume transit through the Strait of Hormuz, as threats from Iran have driven up energy prices and disrupted oil flows: WSJ

• Reports: the Houthis in Yemen are planning to attack vital targets inside Saudi Arabia using drones, as they have done in the past, and therefore, according to those sources, security around the king, Salman, and the Saudi crown prince, bin Salman, has been increased.

• Kurdish Forces in Iraq have launched a ground military offensive into Iran against Iranian govt: i24News (unconfirmed). Iran state media & various Kurdish sources deny reports.

• Netanyahu asked the White House if the Trump administration was secretly talking with Iran about a ceasefire after Israeli intelligence suspected possible communications. The White House denied any talks and said the U.S. had ignored messages sent by Iran through regional intermediaries: Axios

• Iran will target Israeli embassies if its embassy is hit: IRNA

• Iranian intelligence sends word to US on potential talks to end war, but US officials say no active negotiations: CNN reports

• Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian says no choice but to fight: Dear esteemed leaders of our friendly and neighboring countries, we have strived, with your assistance and through diplomacy, to avoid war. However, the American-Zionist military attack has left us with no choice but to defend ourselves. 

• Iran begins shift toward governing for a prolonged war:FARS/BBG

• Turkey says a ballistic ⁠missile fired Iran was destroyed by NATO systems in the ‌eastern Mediterranean Sea. Hegseth dismisses Article 5 concerns. 

• Allegations that the ballistic missile was launched "at Incirlik Air Base" - which hosts NATO nukes.

• US Secretary of State Rubio says well on their way to achieving Iran mission objectives. Did the US just blink here?

• Putin notes that oil and gas prices are rising related to Mideast crisis.

• Airline Troubles in Region Compound as Flight Cancellations Surpass 20,000

• Hegseth floats new timeline up to eight weeks while saying as long as it takes

• If US and Israel pursue a ‘regime change’ scenario in practice, final effective missiles will target Dimona nuclear reactor and all regional energy infrastructure, via Iran Nuances citing a Senior Iranian military official

• Senior Iranian Cleric Javadi Amoli: shedding the blood of Israelis and Trump is what is required of devout Shi'ite Muslims", state media

• Western officials claim Iran could be 'days' from exhausting ballistic missile supply, but Pentagon also concerned about own stockpiles

• Israel and Hezbollah are now in a ground war in southern Lebanon.

  
  

  Update(1310ET): There's been a bit of a back and forth all morning about whether Iran has reached out for potential talks with the US tend the war. Contradictory reporting has claimed there's been some kind of effort behind the scenes, but US officials are making clear that no active negotiations. Given that among the US objectives is full regime change, ending the operation now would be seen as a loss for the US-Israeli side. But Iran is not backing down, having declared via state media it is entering a prolonged war posture, and will govern the country accordingly.

  Two major developments impacting markets (also as the question of the Supreme Leader's successor lingers):

  • Iran quietly reached out to the CIA a day after the attacks began to discuss ending the conflict, the NYT reported.
  • The funeral of its late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, which was to begin later today, has been postponed.
  • U.S. War Secretary Pete Hegseth says war with Iran could last up to 8 weeks, saying U.S. and Israel expect to achieve “uncontested airspace” over the country “in under a week” and unleash “death and destruction from the sky all day long.”

  However, Iran has since denied its intelligence ministry reached out to the CIA for talks, according to semi-official Tasnim.

  
  

  In Lebanon, a government minister told Al Jazeera that 65,000 people have registered in shelters following intensified Israeli strikes, which has seen the capital of Beirut getting pummeled by Israeli jets once again.

  Across the region, escalation continues to spillover. At least ten tankers are reportedly burning in or near the Strait of Hormuz, a kamikaze drone boat strike targeted a Russian shadow-fleet LNG tanker in the Mediterranean, and an Iranian vessel sank off Sri Lanka’s coast in what local officials described as a submarine attack.

  Also, the US has closed embassies in three countries, reduced diplomatic staffing across the region, and urged Americans to leave. The UAE announced new emergency air corridors to assist evacuations, and a belated State Dept evacuation of US citizens from the region is currently underway.

  
  

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Israeli Air Force completes strikes targeting subterranean Hezbollah weapon depots

Israeli Air Force completes strikes targeting subterranean Hezbollah weapon depots, IDF says

Emanuel Fabian

The Israeli Air Force completed a wave of strikes targeting subterranean Hezbollah weapon depots and other assets in Beirut, the IDF says.

The military says that in addition to the underground weapon storage sites, it hit Hezbollah command centers, as well as a site used by Hezbollah to collect intelligence and for “propaganda purposes.”

Ahead of the strikes, the IDF issued evacuation warnings for Lebanese civilians.

IDF carries out ‘extensive’ strikes on regime targets; Iran fires missiles at Israeli towns

IDF carries out ‘extensive’ strikes on regime targets; Iran fires missiles at Israeli towns

Emanuel Fabian

The Israeli Air Force carried out “extensive” strikes against regime targets across Iran overnight and into Wednesday, as the Islamic Republic continued to fire salvos of ballistic missiles at Israeli population centers, and Israel warned that any successor to supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei would be an “unequivocal” target.

The Israel Defense Forces said Wednesday that strikes in Tehran hit dozens of command centers of Iran’s Basij paramilitary force and internal security forces, in addition to sites belonging to the Iranian army’s logistics division, missile launchers and air defense systems.

The military additionally said that since the start of the current round of fighting, airstrikes have hit some 300 Iranian missile launchers in a “systematic, round-the-clock hunt” that additionally targeted caches of ballistic missiles, in an attempt to reduce the rate of fire on Israel

Airstrikes also targeted Iranian military assets in Isfahan and Shiraz for the first time in the current campaign against Iran, the military said.

IDF Spokesman Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin said more than 20 targets were hit in those strikes, including two facilities in Isfahan where Iran stored advanced Ghadr ballistic missiles.

Defrin said that other targets included ballistic and cruise missile storage sites, as well as air defense systems, with the military estimating the strikes took out many dozens of ballistic missiles and cruise missiles.

Still, missile fire from Iran into Israel continued overnight and into Wednesday, triggering sirens across the country and sending millions running for shelter.

The Health Ministry said Wednesday that 219 people were hospitalized in Israel for physical injuries or acute anxiety over a 24-hour period as a result of the missile fire, with the vast majority of them in good condition.

Meanwhile, the military said that the IAF had shot down a Russian-made Iranian Yak-130 jet over Tehran, in the first-ever downing of a manned aircraft by an F-35.

It also marked the first time in some 40 years that the Israeli Air Force has engaged in air-to-air combat with manned aircraft — the last time IAF jets shot down a manned enemy aircraft was on November 24, 1985, over Lebanon. In that incident, an IAF F-15 downed two Syrian MiG-23 fighters.

Additionally, the air force said it had shot down more than 100 drones launched at Israel from Iran since the start of the conflict, and released footage showing some of the interceptions carried out by IAF fighter jets and helicopters.

The US also gave an update on its activities, as its military commander in the Middle East said American forces have struck nearly 2,000 targets so far in Iran as part of the largest firepower buildup in the region in a generation, and as the Pentagon named four of the six US troops killed in a drone attack in Kuwait on Sunday.

“We’ve already struck nearly 2,000 targets with more than 2,000 munitions. We have severely degraded Iran’s air defenses and destroyed hundreds of Iran’s ballistic missiles, launchers and drones,” Admiral Brad Cooper of US Central Command said in a video message.

He added that the US has destroyed 17 Iranian ships, including a submarine: “Today, there is not a single Iranian ship underway in the Arabian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz, or Gulf of Oman.”

According to Cooper, “the first 24 hours of this operation were nearly double the scale” of the first day of shock-and-awe strikes on Iraq in 2003, “and we continue with 24/7 strikes into Iran.”

Cooper also revealed that Iran has so far launched over 500 ballistic missiles and over 2,000 drones in retaliatory attacks against American targets, Israel and US-allied Arab states in the region, including the deadly attack on Sunday when a drone hit a command center in Port Shuaiba.

‘Unequivocal target for elimination’

After The New York Times reported that the son of assassinated supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is the front-runner to succeed his father as the Islamic Republic’s next head, Defense Minister Israel Katz warned Wednesday that Israel would try to kill any leader appointed by the Iranian regime.

“Any leader appointed by the Iranian terror regime to continue leading the plan to destroy Israel, threaten the US and the free world and the countries of the region, and oppress the Iranian people, will be an unequivocal target for elimination,” Katz said in a statement.

“It does not matter what his name is or where he hides,” he said.

Israel And Iran: A Prophetic Perspective

Israel And Iran: The Nations Tremble, But God Remains Sovereign

David Bowen

On February 28, 2026, the world watched as United States and Israeli forces launched coordinated strikes against Iranian leadership targets and military infrastructure. Iran responded by unleashing a barrage of rockets toward Israel and nearby U.S. military installations. As precision strikes began dismantling more than 300 Iranian rocket launch systems, scenes emerged of Iranian citizens celebrating in the streets—hoping that decades of oppression might finally be nearing an end.

The Middle East once again stood at the epicenter of global tension. But for students of Bible prophecy, the question is not merely political—it is prophetic.

To understand Iran’s posture, one must understand the Sunni–Shia divide. The core distinction lies in the question of rightful succession after the death of Muhammad—who was the legitimate leader of the Islamic community?

Iran is overwhelmingly Shia—over 90% of its population. Shia Muslims also form majorities in Yemen, Azerbaijan, Bahrain (over 60%), and Iraq (over 65%), with significant communities in Lebanon. Hezbollah, Iran’s most powerful proxy in Lebanon, is Shia.

While Shia Muslims represent roughly 10–15% of the global Muslim population, the Iranian regime has shaped a revolutionary ideology that blends theology with political militancy. It is not merely national policy—it is deeply embedded belief. This is why negotiations often stall and eventually fail. When belief and governance are fused, compromise becomes difficult.

Media Narratives and Global Pressure

Recent coverage by networks such as Al Jazeera and CNN reflects the intense global scrutiny surrounding Israel’s actions. Some reports characterized the strikes as “unprovoked,” while others emphasized the call from China and Russia for emergency United Nations Security Council meeting. Notably, emergency weekend Security Council sessions are rare—underscoring the seriousness of the moment. A Saturday emergency meeting has only occurred twice before.

Yet Scripture warns that Israel would increasingly stand isolated among the nations.

Purim Under Fire

As sirens echoed across Israeli cities, the Jewish people entered the celebration of Purim—the feast commemorating God’s deliverance recorded in the Book of Esther. Purim recalls Haman’s plot to annihilate the Jews and God’s sovereign reversal through Queen Esther and Mordecai.

Esther 9:28 declares: “These days should be remembered and observed in every generation by every family, and in every province and in every city…”

Even under threat, Israel celebrated. The same God who preserved His people in Persia still watches over His covenant nation today!

The historical irony is profound: ancient Persia—modern Iran—once sought the destruction of the Jewish people. Today, similar threats echo from Tehran with a similar ending.

A Prophetic Perspective

The prophet Zechariah wrote: “On that day, when all the nations of the earth are gathered against her, I will make Jerusalem an immovable rock for all the nations.” (Zechariah 12:3)

Jerusalem will become a “burdensome stone.” Nations that attempt to control or divide her will injure themselves.

Joel 3:1–2 adds: “I will gather all nations and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat… for they scattered my people among the nations and divided up my land.”

From a prophetic standpoint, the increasing alignment of global powers, the diplomatic pressure on Israel, and the volatility surrounding Jerusalem are not random. They fit within a broader biblical framework in which Israel becomes the focal point of global tension before the return of Christ.

This does not mean every military action fulfills prophecy directly. But it does mean that the trajectory of history is moving in the direction Scripture foretold.

The Spiritual Reality

Behind political conflict lies spiritual warfare. Ephesians 6:12 reminds us: “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers…”

The ultimate issue is not merely territorial—it is theological. The land belongs to God. The covenant with Israel remains intact. And the nations are being positioned for a climactic confrontation that Scripture calls the “Day of the Lord.”

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Iran has officially declared JIHAD against the United States and Israel

Iran has officially declared JIHAD against the United States and Israel

Iran has officially declared JIHAD against the United States and Israel. A formal religious decree has been issued citing Quran 22:39 -- granting divine permission to wage war against "Crusader aggression." What this means: This is not political rhetoric. This is a RELIGIOUS WAR DECLARATION. Every Shia militia across Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, and Yemen now has theological authorization to attack U.S. and Israeli targets Hezbollah. Houthis. Iraqi PMF. All activated under one fatwa. The document calls on the ENTIRE Islamic world to mobilize This changes everything. A political war can be negotiated. A holy war cannot.

We just entered the most dangerous phase of this conflict. If you're not paying attention - start now. Save this. Share this. This is the moment it escalated beyond return.