Azerbaijani media reported that the country’s security service has placed several operatives of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) under pursuit for allegedly preparing “terrorist acts” and has foiled their plots.

Former Iranian foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said in a leaked message the United Arab Emirates is equal to Israel and Tehran must focus on attacking the UAE while striking US and Israeli interests, according to screenshots of his remarks in a private Telegram group.

Following the killing of Ali Khamenei and dozens of military commanders, some officers have abandoned their barracks, leaving soldiers in dangerous conditions and forcing them to remain on guard duty under ongoing bombardment, multiple conscripts have told Iran International.

US Senator Ted Cruz told Iran International this week that the US-Israel military campaign aims to remove the Islamic Republic from power and diminish Tehran’s ability to “terrorize” or harm its neighbors.

Funeral plans for Iran’s former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei have been revised multiple times this week, reflecting mounting security fears, uncertainty over foreign attendance and unresolved questions about succession.

UNICEF called on all parties in the Iran conflict to protect civilians, warning that children were increasingly bearing the toll of the fighting with reports of rising casualties.

Human rights groups and families of detainees warn that wartime conditions inside Iranian prisons could trigger another tragedy like the June strike on Tehran’s Evin prison.

As war spreads across the Middle East and attention focuses on oil, the region’s most dangerous soft targets may be desalination plants.

For decades, the wife of Iran’s former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei lived almost entirely outside public view. Even her death was reported reluctantly, as though she had never been there at all.