EconoTicker

U.S. President Donald Trump said he has not decided how long the war with Iran will last and insisted Washington is not pursuing a compromise, declaring there would be “no deal” except “unconditional surrender.”

Trump also said there is “no indication” Russia is helping Iran, comments that cut against recent reporting suggesting Moscow may be sharing targeting information with Tehran.

Asked about reports of a school being bombed, Trump blamed Iran, even as a U.S. military investigation has pointed to likely U.S. responsibility for an apparent strike on a girls’ school, according to Reuters sources.

He further claimed Iran’s ability to use missiles and drones has been significantly degraded, and repeated that the U.S. wants a post-war outcome in which Iran has leadership that does not drive the country into war.

Source: Reuters; Al Jazeera.

Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff said he has communicated to Russia that it should not send targeting information or other assistance to Iran, amid growing scrutiny in Washington over reports that Moscow may be sharing intelligence that could help Tehran track U.S. assets in the region.

Source: Reuters; Associated Press.

Rudaw reported that attacks on Iraq’s Kurdistan Region intensified again overnight, with air defenses intercepting incoming projectiles over Erbil amid ongoing explosions and fallout from debris.

Kurdistan Region authorities said the U.S.-led coalition intercepted four “suicide drones” over Erbil late Friday night, with debris falling near a hotel area and no casualties reported in that incident.

Rudaw has also quoted Erbil’s governor as saying around 100 drones and missiles have been used across the recent attack campaign, while separate reporting cited by Iran International said border areas in Erbil, Sulaimani, and Duhok provinces have been widely hit over the past day, with casualties and material damage reported.

Source: Rudaw; Kurdistan Region Counter-Terrorism Service; Iran International.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he spoke with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman about Iran and the wider Middle East, and reiterated Kyiv’s offer to help partners counter Iranian-designed Shahed drones—weapons Ukraine says it has faced for years.

Zelenskyy said Ukraine is ready to assist and expects support for Ukrainians in return. He added that Kyiv has also discussed the Iran-linked regional situation this week with leaders of Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, and the UAE, and has offered to provide specialists to help the United States counter Shahed drones.

Source: Reuters.

A drone was shot down near Erbil International Airport and crashed into a residential building in the Ankawa district, causing damage to the building and nearby cars but no casualties, according to Iraqi civil defense officials cited by Reuters.

Kurdistan Region security forces separately said coalition defenses intercepted multiple explosive drones over Erbil and that debris from one downed drone fell near a hotel, also without reported casualties.

In parallel, French President Emmanuel Macron and Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani held a phone call on the regional war, voicing concern over escalating tensions and stressing the need for international de-escalation efforts and diplomatic pathways.

Source: Reuters; Kurdistan Region Presidency; Institut Kurde de Paris (Kurdish security statement); WAM via Bernama.

Dubai’s Media Office said debris from a successful aerial interception struck the exterior of a tower in Dubai Marina, triggering a minor fire/incident that has since been contained, with no injuries reported.

The update came as UAE authorities said air-defence systems were responding to missile and drone threats linked to the wider regional escalation, urging residents to follow official safety guidance.

Source: Dubai Media Office; UAE Ministry of Defence; Reuters; Gulf News.

Turkey’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan warned Iran not to fire any more missiles toward Turkey, after NATO air defenses destroyed a missile that Ankara said was heading into Turkish airspace in recent days.

Speaking at a press conference in Istanbul, Fidan also said Turkey opposes any scenario aimed at triggering an ethnicity-based civil war in Iran, warning that such an outcome could spark new waves of migration toward Turkey.

Source: Reuters.

Israeli Air Force commander Maj. Gen. Tomer Bar said the force is operating at the “peak of its offensive capability” in the campaign against the Islamic Republic and will continue its strikes. In remarks addressed to technical and support personnel, Bar praised their performance, saying no air force in the world could have delivered what they achieved and calling it impressive at any scale, according to Iran International.

Source: Iran International.

Katyusha rockets targeted the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad on Saturday evening, and warning sirens sounded, Reuters reported, citing security sources and witnesses.

There was no immediate confirmation of casualties or damage. An Iraqi Interior Ministry source separately told Xinhua that the embassy was targeted, and explosions were heard.

Source: Reuters; Xinhua.

The Pentagon has moved to reinforce its naval posture in and around the Middle East as maritime risk spikes. USS Gerald R. Ford transited the Suez Canal on Thursday and is now operating in the Red Sea, an area where Iran-backed Houthis have previously targeted both warships and commercial vessels.

At the same time, the U.S. Navy says USS George H.W. Bush has completed its final pre-deployment certification exercise and is now “primed” for tasking—fueling expectations that U.S. carrier presence in the broader theater could expand beyond the two carriers currently in the region.

The buildup comes as shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has sharply deteriorated. The Joint Maritime Information Center (JMIC), as cited by Argus, said traffic fell about 94% from pre-war levels (e.g., 3 tankers on March 1 vs 50 on Feb 28). Reuters has separately shown daily tanker transits dropping to zero as of Wednesday (from 37 on Feb 27).

To counter the commercial freeze, the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) announced a $20 billion rolling maritime reinsurance facility, coordinated with the U.S. Treasury and CENTCOM, aimed at getting oil, gasoline, LNG, jet fuel, and fertilizer moving again through Hormuz.

Source: U.S. Naval Institute (USNI News); U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC); Reuters; Argus Media.

Azerbaijan’s Defense Ministry called Iran’s denial of involvement in a drone incident in the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic “unacceptable,” demanding that Tehran accept responsibility and issue an official apology, citing what it described as existing evidence.

Baku’s statements follow reports that drones struck or landed near Nakhchivan’s airport and close to a school, causing injuries and damage.

Iran’s armed forces, meanwhile, denied launching drones toward Azerbaijan and suggested Israel could be responsible.

Source: AZERTAC; Iran International; Al Jazeera; Reuters; Euronews.

In an interview with Axios, President Donald Trump said the U.S. should be personally involved in selecting Iran’s next supreme leader, arguing Washington played a similar role in shaping leadership outcomes in Venezuela.

Trump also signaled opposition to Mojtaba Khamenei as a successor, telling Axios that he would not accept that outcome. Separately, Reuters reported the White House said Trump is consulting advisers on what role the U.S. should play in Iran after the ongoing conflict, while U.S. intelligence is closely watching Mojtaba Khamenei’s standing.

Source: Axios; Reuters.