The United States (US) State Department has announced a $10 million reward for information leading to Iran’s new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei besides nine other top officials, including Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni and Minister of Intelligence and Security Esmail Khatib.

 

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth claimed that Mojtaba Khamenei is wounded and "likely disfigured" following nearly two weeks of US and Israeli strikes.

 

He questioned the leader's ability to govern, noting that recent communications have been restricted to written statements.

 

“Iran has plenty of cameras and plenty of voice recorders. Why a written statement? I think you know why. His father—dead. He’s scared, he’s injured, he’s on the run and he lacks legitimacy,” Hegseth said during a briefing.

 

Meanwhile, the humanitarian cost of the escalation continues to rise as at least 2,000 people have been killed across the Middle East since the conflict began on February 28.

 

Casualties include at least 1,332 in Iran, 687 in Lebanon and 30 in Iraq. Twelve people have died in Israel, while the US military has confirmed 13 service members killed, including six in a recent aircraft crash in Iraq.

 

Further fatalities were reported in the UAE (6), Kuwait (6), Syria (4), Oman (2), Saudi Arabia (2) and Bahrain (2). One French soldier was also killed in a drone attack in Iraq’s Kurdistan region, leading President Emmanuel Macron to thank the Iraqi premier for taking measures to protect French forces.

 

Political rhetoric has intensified alongside the strikes, with President Donald Trump stating that Iran has been “totally defeated” and wants a deal he will not accept. Despite this, the IRGC launched its 44th wave of attacks.

 

Amid threats to global shipping, Trump also announced that the US will begin escorting tankers through the Strait of Hormuz “very soon.”

 

The economic and cultural impact of the war is becoming more visible as Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stated the US is now “begging” the world to buy Russian crude due to a global energy crunch. 

 

Regional powers are attempting to remain clear of the direct fighting as Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan stated that Turkiye would not be dragged into the war, even as a third Iranian ballistic missile fired toward the country was intercepted.

 

In a shift in regional dynamics, Hamas has urged Iran to avoid targeting neighbouring countries while affirming Tehran’s right to defend itself against the US and Israel.