Tehran: Israel announced a new wave of “broad-scale” strikes on Tehran on Saturday, intensifying the escalating war in the Middle East. The development came as US President Donald Trump said the conflict would end only if Iran agrees to “unconditional surrender.”

The latest attacks mark a significant escalation in the ongoing confrontation between Israel, Iran, and the United States, raising fears of a broader regional war.

Israel targets government sites in Tehran

The Israeli military said early Saturday that it had launched a “broad-scale wave of strikes” targeting government facilities in Tehran.

Iran’s state broadcaster reported an explosion in the western part of the capital, though authorities did not immediately provide details about casualties or damage.

Amid the rising conflict, Iran launched attacks against Israel and its Gulf neighbours. Saudi Arabia said it intercepted a ballistic missile aimed at the Prince Sultan Air Base near Riyadh, which hosts U.S. military personnel.

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According to the United States Central Command, which oversees American forces in the Middle East, more than 3,000 Iranian targets have been struck over the past week.

The targets included Revolutionary Guard headquarters, command-and-control centres, air defence systems, missile launch sites, navy warships, and submarines, signalling one of the largest coordinated strikes in the region in recent years.

U.S. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth downplayed reports that Russia was sharing intelligence with Iran about U.S. troop movements.

While declining to confirm the claims, Hegseth said in an interview with CBS’s 60 Minutes: “We're tracking everything.”

Oil prices surge

The escalating war has rattled global energy markets, pushing oil prices sharply higher as fears grow over disruptions to supply and shipping routes.

The international benchmark Brent North Sea crude rose to $92.69 per barrel on Friday, jumping 8.5 per cent in a single day and nearly 30 per cent over the week.

Concerns have also intensified around the Strait of Hormuz, a critical shipping route for global oil supplies, where Iran has increased pressure amid the conflict.

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Israel intensifies attacks on Hezbollah positions

The renewed strikes on Tehran followed Israel’s intensified air raids in Lebanon a day earlier.

Israeli forces targeted Beirut’s southern suburbs, a stronghold of the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah, as well as the eastern city of Baalbek.

As tensions mount, Antonio Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations, called for urgent diplomatic efforts.

He warned of a “situation that could spiral beyond anyone's control” and urged “serious diplomatic negotiations.”

Meanwhile, Vladimir Putin, president of Russia, expressed support for an “immediate” ceasefire during a phone call with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, according to the Kremlin.

Trump rejects talks, demands Iran’s ‘unconditional surrender’

Despite calls for negotiations, Trump has rejected new diplomatic talks with Tehran.

Posting on his social platform Truth Social, the U.S. president wrote: “There will be no deal with Iran except UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER.”

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said that once Iran no longer poses a threat and U.S. objectives are met, “Iran will essentially be in a place of unconditional surrender, whether they say it themselves or not.”

Trump also pledged economic assistance for Iran if a new leader acceptable to Washington replaces Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader who was reportedly killed last weekend.

Iran has firmly rejected any foreign involvement in choosing its next leader.

Amir Saeid Iravani, Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations, said the United States would have no say in the matter.

“The selection of Iran's leadership will take place strictly in accordance with our constitutional procedures and solely by the will of the Iranian people, without any foreign interference,” he said.