Iran's Mojtaba Khamenei vowed revenge against the United States and Israel in his first official statement since being appointed supreme leader,U.S. President Donald Trump said the Iran war could end "very soon," characterizing the campaign as a "short-term excursion," the Iran war reportedly cost the U.S. $11.3 billion in its first six days,and Washington reportedly deployed Marines and an amphibious assault ship to the Middle East.This comes as Trump stated that the U.S. "obliterated" military targets on Iran's Kharg Island,a preliminary probe found that Washington was responsible for a strike on an Iranian elementary school,the FBI reportedly warned of a potential Iranian plan to launch drones at California,and a U.S. refueling aircraft crashed in Iraq in an incident that didn't appear to be due to hostile or friendly fire.Meanwhile, Human Rights Watch alleged that Israel used white phosphorus munitions in Lebanon, Hezbollah launched shells near Syria's Serghaya, with Damascus accusing it of targeting its army positions,and a container ship was struck in the Strait of Hormuz.In related developments, the U.N. reported that over 1,500 Palestinians were displaced from the West Bank in 2026, Israel dropped charges against five soldiers accused of sexually abusing a Palestinian detainee,and a Syrian national was charged with war crimes in the U.K.'s first such case.Elsewhere, Egypt reaffirmed its commitment to a joint Arab military force, dozens were killed in multiple drone strikes in Sudan,and North Korea fired 10 missiles amid ongoing joint military exercises between the U.S. and South Korea.

The U.S. launched trade probes into 16 economies, Canada and the U.S. resumed trade talks after a five-month pause,and Ghana and South Korea strengthened their ties during a meeting between the two nations' presidents.This comes as the FBI opened its first office in Ecuador as the two countries seek to address drug trafficking, the U.S. neared a deal with Mali to resume intelligence-collecting flights over its airspace,and passenger train services resumed between China and North Korea after a six-year suspension.Meanwhile, ex-rapper Balendra Shah won a landslide majority in Nepal's parliamentary election,Nunavut MP Lori Idlout crossed the floor to Canada's Liberal Party, marking the fourth such defection since November,and the U.K. passed a bill ending hereditary peers' right to sit in the House of Lords.In other news, the trial over the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse began in a federal court in Miami, the U.S. blacklisted the Sudanese Muslim Brotherhood as a "terrorist" group,and Algeria approved a new law criminalizing French colonial rule from 1830 to 1962.Elsewhere, Iran arrested 30 individuals accused of spying for the U.S. and Israel,eight nations issued a statement condemning Israel's closure of the Al-Aqsa Mosque during Ramadan, Australia granted asylum to several members of the Iranian women's soccer team,and the U.K. banned the annual Al Quds Day march, marking the first such prohibition since 2012.

The Senate failed to advance funding for the Department of Homeland Security amid a partial government shutdown, Georgia held a special election to replace Marjorie Taylor Greene,with Republican Clay Fuller and Democrat Shawn Harris advancing to a runoff after no candidate secured a majority of votes,and California Rep. Kiley left the Republican Party to become an independent.Meanwhile, Trump appointed Erika Kirk to the Air Force Academy Board of Visitors, the Senate confirmed Gen. Joshua Rudd's appointment as head of U.S. Cyber Command and the National Security Agency,and Ric Grenell stepped down as head of the Kennedy Center, with the center's vice president of facilities operations set to succeed him.This comes as Jim Clyburn announced his bid for an 18th term in Congress, breaking with fellow Democratic leaders Nancy Pelosi and Steny Hoyer,House Republicans were reportedly instructed to avoid discussing "mass deportations" ahead of the upcoming midterm elections,and the Pentagon barred press photographers from attending war briefings, allegedly due to "unflattering" photos of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.This comes as the FBI obtained records relating to the Arizona State Senate's 2020 audit of Maricopa County, reports emerged that Trump has been gifting Florsheim shoes to members of his cabinet,and Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey demanded a $1,745 tariff refund for every household in the state.

Australia implemented new age verification laws for adult websites and high-risk online platforms, a report found that 20% of Australian teens still use TikTok and Snapchat despite a nationwide ban on social media for those under the age of 16,and British MPs rejected a proposal to ban social media for under-16s.This comes as the U.K. launched a public consultation on plans to implement a digital ID,and Canada tabled a bill granting the government expanded access to digital information from electronic service providers.Meanwhile, Alabama's governor commuted the execution of a death row inmate just days before the scheduled date, China mandated Mandarin as the primary language of instruction in all schools under a new national unity law,and Senegal passed a bill doubling prison terms for same-sex acts to 10 years.

Three brothers were arrested in Oslo in connection with a bombing of the U.S. Embassy in the Norwegian capital, gunmen opened fire on the U.S. Consulate in Toronto, with no reports of injuries,and a suspect was killed after ramming his car into a Michigan synagogue.This comes as the Islamic Movement of the Companions of the Right claimed responsibility for an explosion that damaged a Jewish school in Amsterdam,and a bus fire killed six people in Switzerland, with authorities investigating it as a potential "deliberate act."Meanwhile, OpenAI was sued for alleged negligence in a British Columbia school shooting, the bishop of San Diego resigned amid allegations that he embezzled $270,000 in church funds,and Harvey Weinstein gave an interview from Rikers Island, discussing his ongoing legal battles, health issues and claims of innocence.In other news, the U.K. House of Commons approved a measure to cut the use of jury trials in cases where a prison sentence of less than three years is likely,and a treasure hunter was freed after serving a decade in prison for refusing to disclose the location of hidden gold.

Uber expanded its women-preference feature across the United States, the U.S. Justice Department reached a settlement in its antitrust case against Live Nation Entertainment,and Noma head chef René Redzepi announced his resignation after more than 20 years leading the Copenhagen restaurant.

The International Energy Agency agreed to release a record 400 million barrels of oil from strategic reserves to counter supply disruptions, U.S. oil prices surged over $100 per barrel for the first time since 2022,and China banned refined fuel exports covering gasoline, diesel and aviation fuel shipments.Meanwhile, Canada lost 84,000 jobs in February, marking the largest single-month decline since January 2009 outside of the pandemic, Bangladesh closed its universities to conserve electricity and fuel amid a growing energy crisis,and the U.K. announced plans to replace historical figures on its banknotes with images of wildlife.

Researchers found that daily multivitamin use slows biological aging by approximately four months in older adults,and a study showed that amphetamines double the risk of stroke — the third leading cause of death and disability across the world.

Dozens were killed during flooding and landslides in Ethiopia.

Anthropic sued the Pentagon over its ban of Claude AI, Meta acquired Moltbook — a social networking platform designed for AI agents —and French–American computer scientist Yann LeCun's new AI startup raised $1 billion in seed funding at a $3.5 billion valuation.This comes as a poll found 57% of U.S. voters believe AI risks outweigh its benefits while 34% believe the opposite, Sam Altman predicted that AI would become a metered utility like electricity, with usage-based pricing and widespread access transforming it into essential infrastructure,and 10,000 authors published an "empty" book in protest of AI firms, submitting a blank work to highlight alleged unauthorized use of their writings.Meanwhile, U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders called for a moratorium on new AI data centers,and a report warned of growing AI-driven surveillance across several African nations.

Joby Aviation began testing its first production-model air taxi,and a genomic study rewrote the evolutionary tree of sharks, suggesting that they might not be a natural biological group.

Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo scored 83 points in a victory over the Washington Wizards, becoming the second-highest scorer in a single NBA game,tight end Travis Kelce announced plans to return to the Kansas City Chiefs for a 14th NFL season,and the National Football League's Miami Dolphins released quarterback Tua Tagovailoa with a post-June 1 designation.In other news, North Korea canceled this year's Pyongyang International Marathon without an official explanation,and Iranian Sports and Youth Minister Ahmad Donyamali ruled out the country's participation in the 2026 World Cup.

A Naples museum announced a project to allow visually impaired visitors to experience its artworks through touch.