Image source, Press Association

A US B-1 bomber has arrived today at Royal Air Force station Fairford in Gloucestershire, UK, according to the Press Association.

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer agreed earlier this week to allow the US to use British bases to launch defensive strikes on Iranian missile sites, after initially denying access.

The B-1 bomber, nicknamed "the Bone", is a long-range, multi-mission supersonic conventional bomber and the fastest bomber in the US Air Force inventory, according to Boeing.

Image source, Getty Images

Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian over the phone, according to a statement from Putin's office.

During the call, Putin expressed his condolences for the deaths of Iran's supreme leader, other government officials and civilians around the country, the Kremlin says.

Putin also reiterated Russia's stance that the hostilities must end immediately, and that a diplomatic resolution must be found, his office adds.

For his part, Pezeshkian expressed gratitude for Russia's support, and provided a detailed report of Iran's developments, says the statement.

Both countries agree to continue communications with each other, the Kremlin says.

President Donald Trump has shared an update following a meeting with leading US weapons manufacturers earlier today.

Writing on his social media platform, Truth Social, he says the defence companies have agreed to "quadruple Production of 'Exquisite Class' Weaponry".

"We have a virtually unlimited supply of Medium and Upper Medium Grade Munitions, which we are using, as an example, in Iran, and recently used in Venezuela," he writes. "Regardless, however, we have also increased Orders at these levels."

Trump previously claimed the US has a "virtually unlimited supply" of key weapons.

Mark Cancian, a former US Marine colonel with the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), says that the US could keep the current short-range level of fighting going on "almost indefinitely".

But the longer the war lasts, the list of targets also gets smaller – meaning a gradual slowing down in the tempo of operations.

READ MORE: How depleted weapons stockpiles could affect the Iran conflict

Image source, AURELIEN MORISSARD/POOL/EPA/Shutterstock

We've just seen an update from French President Emmanuel Macron, who has condemned an Israeli strike that hit a United Nations (UN) site in Lebanon earlier today.

As a reminder, two Ghanaian soldiers serving with the UN's peacekeeping mission in southern Lebanon were critically injured following the strike, according to Ghana Armed Forces.

"While the United Nations Force in Lebanon plays a key stabilization role in southern Lebanon, I strongly condemn the unacceptable attack that struck members of its contingent today," says Macron.

After speaking with Syrian President Ahmad Al-Charaa and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, he also reiterates the need to respect the "sovereignty and territorial integrity" of both nations.

"The ongoing destabilisations leave no room for terrorism. France will ensure this," vows Macron.

Qatar's defence ministry says the country was "subjected to waves of attacks" from Iran involving 10 drones, starting from dawn on Friday until the early evening.

Nine drones were intercepted and one struck an uninhabited area without causing casualties, it says in a statement on social media.

Trump signals he intends the war to continue until Tehran fully capitulatespublished at 20:26 GMT 6 March

20:26 GMT 6 March

Sarah Smith
North America editor

Image source, EPA

By insisting on “unconditional surrender’ from the Iranian regime, Donald Trump seems to be ruling out the possibility of a negotiated solution that could bring the war to a swift end.

When he first launched the attacks on Iran, Trump speculated that the conflict could be over in two or three days if Iran agreed to a deal - or could last for four to five weeks.

The president’s social media post signals that US intends to continue the war until the government in Tehran fully capitulates.

Trump is also insisting that he should have a personal say in who will become Iran’s next supreme leader.

He has said he needs to be involved in the appointment, and wrote in social media post today that “after… the selection of a Great and Acceptable leader… America will work to Make Iran Great Again”.

He said that the US had several people in mind who could take over Tehran but they have all been killed in US and Israeli air strikes.

Verified video shows drone strike in Iraq town close to Iranian borderpublished at 20:11 GMT 6 March

20:11 GMT 6 March

By Peter Mwai

We’ve verified a video of a drone strike in the Iraqi town of Koy Sanjaq, close to the Iranian border.

The video shows a delta-wing object falling from the sky and exploding close to a small lake as gunshots and the distinctive sound of a drone can be heard in the background.

The person filming the video dives to the ground at the moment of impact and then turns back to film smoke rising near the lake.

We were able to pinpoint the location from where the video was filmed by matching two nearby pylons to satellite images of the area.

Koy Sanjaq sits in the Kurdistan region of Iraq. It is reportedly home to many Assyrian families displaced from the Iraqi city of Mosul in 2014, when the so-called Islamic State seized the city from the Iraqi army.

Bernd Debusmann Jr
Reporting from Washington DC

Image source, Reuters

There's been mixed messaging coming from the White House and the wider administration on how the war in Iran ends.

A short while ago, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that the campaign could last between four and six weeks - similar to what President Trump said in the days immediately following the initial strikes last week.

Pentagon officials and Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, however, have largely declined to offer any timeline, saying that the strikes could drag on longer if the president deems it necessary so that the United States military can achieve its various objectives.

Earlier today, Trump took to social media to say that he expects "unconditional surrender" from Iran - a suggestion that Iran's government so far seems, at least publicly, unwilling to consider.

These shifting timelines are likely to prompt more questions about the administration's "day after" planning - the metrics by which they will assess success and how exactly they see the campaign progressing.

The longer the fighting continues, the more politically complicated these questions will become for Trump, who campaigned on a promise of ending the type of "forever wars" that the US found itself embroiled in during the "Global War on Terror" that began after 9/11.

Alice Cuddy
Reporting from Beirut

Schools here in the Lebanese capital Beirut have been transformed into shelters as growing numbers of people are forced from their homes.

At one housing dozens of displaced families, a mother and daughter grinned as they were told this evening that there was room for them to stay.

“We’re trying our best to carry on… we didn’t want this to happen but it’s not in our hands,” 45-year-old Hamida from the southern Beirut suburb of Dahieh told me. “God knows [how long this will go on]. Maybe longer than the last war,” she said.

Another woman who had fled from the southern city of Tyre said she stayed here during the last war between Israel and Hezbollah.

“Because of that we knew to come here straight away this time,” 65-year-old Hala al-Zein said. “Of course, everyone is afraid, but we always have to have hope - we have to have hope for our kids.”

At another school in the city, volunteers this evening prepared mattresses for displaced families.

Fifty-five-year-old Bassima was among those staying there, after fleeing from her home in Dahieh on Monday, bringing her pet bird Bulbul and a bag of essentials with her.

“We’re really overwhelmed… this is always happening and we’re getting tired but this is our destiny. Hopefully in the end something good will happen."

President of Lebanon Joseph Aoun is calling on his allies to help stop Israeli attacks on his country.

One of the latest attacks directly struck a site in southern Lebanon belonging to the United Nations peacekeeping force Unifil, with injuries caused among a Ghanaian contingent serving there, the president said in a statement.

The Ghana Armed Forces says two soldiers are critically injured and another has been traumatised by the attack, which also completely burnt down the officers' mess facility.

Image source, Reuters

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has warned "the stakes could not be higher" as he calls for an end to the spiralling conflict.

"All the unlawful attacks in the Middle East and beyond are causing tremendous suffering and harm to civilians throughout the region – and pose a grave a risk to the global economy, particularly to the most vulnerable people," he says in a post on X.

"The situation could spiral beyond anyone’s control. It is time to stop the fighting and get to serious diplomatic negotiations. The stakes could not be higher."

Tom Fletcher, who is the UN's Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief, also hit out at the "staggering amounts of money" being spent on the war "while politicians continue to boast about cutting aid budgets for those most in need".

"We are seeing an increasingly deadly alliance of technology and killing with impunity," he says.

For most Israelis, this is a just warpublished at 19:13 GMT 6 March

19:13 GMT 6 March

Hugo Bachega
Middle East correspondent in Jerusalem

In Israel, Iran has been described as an existential threat for decades and, among Israeli Jews, there’s near consensus in favour of taking military action.

Air raid sirens still sound across the country, sending people to shelters. But the intensity of the Iranian retaliation has diminished and most missiles are intercepted by the air defences.

As a reflection of that, emergency restrictions have now been relaxed.

In a sunny Tel Aviv, streets and shops were busy – a stark contrast with the situation in both Iran and Lebanon.

Domestically, there has been very little criticism of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s decision to go to war, even from his opponents, or debate about what might come next.

The Israel Defense Forces says it has identified missiles launched from Iran heading towards Israel.

"Defensive systems are operating to intercept the threat," the IDF says in a new statement.

"The public is instructed to enter a protected space and remain there until further notice. Leaving a protected space is permitted only after receiving explicit instructions."

The statement adds alerts have been sent to phones.

Image source, Getty Images

In an operational update on the Middle East, the UK Ministry of Defence says the four additional Typhoon fighter jets pledged to defend British interests in the region are scheduled to arrive in Qatar overnight.

It comes after Wildcat helicopters with anti-drone capabilities were shown arriving in Cyprus earlier today.

The MoD also says that last night its F-35 and Typhoon jets were involved in air patrols over Qatar, Jordan and the eastern Mediterranean.

Iran's attacks are pushing its Gulf neighbours to close ranks with the USpublished at 18:51 GMT 6 March

18:51 GMT 6 March

Barbara Plett Usher
Reporting from Doha

It appears that Iran’s attacks on its Gulf Arab neighbours are pushing them to close ranks with the United States.

They lobbied hard in Washington to try and prevent this war and refused to let the Americans launch air strikes from US bases on their territory.

But analysts say they are so angry at Iran’s barrage of missile and drone attacks that they are considering lifting those restrictions.

It’s unlikely though that they would themselves go on the military offensive. And their very deep concerns about the economic impact should matter to the US.

Qatar’s Energy Minister Saad al-Kaabi told the Financial Times newspaper today that the war could “bring down the economies of the world”.

He predicted that all Gulf energy exporters would shut down production within days.

Some regional states are considering a review of current and future investments because the war is straining their budgets, the Times newspaper has also reported.

It didn’t name them, but Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia have promised hundreds of billions of dollars of investment in the US.

We can bring you footage now of explosions near Tehran's Azadi Tower - one of the city's most famous landmarks.

The tower's surrounding plaza is often used as a backdrop for significant events such as national celebrations and demonstrations.

The tower is 50m (165ft) tall and located in the west of the city, very close to an airport.

Sources have told the BBC's US partner, CBS News, that Russia is providing intelligence on US positions to Iran.

It cites three unnamed sources familiar with the matter, including a senior US official it says has direct knowledge.

The Washington Post initially reported that Russia is providing intelligence on US positions, citing three unnamed officials.

Russian state media reported earlier that Vladimir Putin's spokesperson said Russia was in "dialogue" with Iranian leadership.

Reuters reports that the Kremlin declined to provide details when asked by reporters whether Moscow was helping Tehran.

Two British Wildcat helicopters have arrived in Cyprus today after Prime Minister Keir Sarmer pledged to bolster defences on the Mediterranean island.

Starmer said on Thursday the UK was sending the helicopters, which have anti-drone-capabilities, along with HMS Dragon due to arrive Cyprus in the next few weeks. The UK is also sending four additional Typhoon fighter jets to Qatar.

In images released by the Ministry of Defence, a helicopter is seen being unloaded from a Royal Air Force C-17 in Cyprus.

Image source, UK Ministry of Defence

Image source, UK Ministry of Defence

A freelance teacher in Tehran tells BBC Persian: "Many people are happy, they were expecting this for a long time."

The war has "affected my job and income", he says, but it is "worth it for a free Iran".

He says that even if were able to do virtual classes amid the internet outages, "no one has the energy or will to learn or pay for a class in this climate".

The teacher has stayed at his home in Tehran because, "on top of everything else" he "cannot endure the pain of being displaced".

There are no shortages "just yet", but he says "a period of turmoil and conflict" is "undeniably ahead".

"This is the price that any revolution or change requires," he says.

• BBC Persian is the Persian language service of BBC News, used by 24 million people around the world - the majority in Iran - despite being blocked and routinely jammed by Iranian authorities.

Ghoncheh Habibiazad
Senior reporter, BBC Persian

I received a message from a friend who I’ve known since we were six. She’s turning 28 tomorrow.

She says: "I’m in Tehran. Tomorrow is my birthday, and it’s the strangest birthday of my life.

"I’m spending a fortune just to stay connected to the internet. Every few hours there are strikes again, almost every day. My work hasn’t stopped either… I work remotely.

"At night I sleep on the floor next to my bed so if another strike hits, there’s less chance of broken glass falling on me. But strangely, I’m not really sad. I’m only sad for the civilians who are getting killed."