Residents of Tehran describe the "worst night" of Israeli strikes to date, while the US warns that attacks will get more intense.

TOPSHOT – Motorists drive along an expressway as plumesyy of smoke rise after a strike in Tehran on March 5, 2026. Israel pounded Tehran with fresh strikes and Iran targeted Kurdish guerilla groups in Iraq on March 5 as a spiralling war in the Middle East engulfed the entire region. (Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP via Getty Images)

TEHRAN, IRAN – MARCH 3: An Iranian flag is planted in the rubble of a police station, damaged in airstrikes yesterday, on March 3, 2026 in Tehran, Iran. The United States and Israel have continued the joint attack on Iran that began on February 28, resulting in the death of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Iran retaliated by firing waves of missiles and drones at Israel, and targeting U.S. allies in the region. (Photo by Majid Saeedi/Getty Images)

TEHRAN, IRAN – MARCH 02: A general view of Tehran with smoke visible in the distance after explosions were reported in the city, on March 02, 2026 in Tehran, Iran. (Photo by Contributor/Getty Images)

It comes as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says US strikes on Iran are about to “surge dramatically”, adding that access to the UK’s Diego Garcia base would help Washington intensify attacks

President Donald Trump says he is not considering sending troops to Iran, describing it as a “waste of time”, adding that Tehran has “lost everything they can lose”

Meanwhile the first UK-chartered plane to bring home citizens from the Middle East has landed at Stansted Airport.Maersk suspends two shipping services following ‘operational review’
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Maersk, one of the world’s biggest container shipping groups, says it has temporarily suspended its FM1 service connecting the Far East to the Middle East, as well as the ME11 service linking the Middle East to Europe, following a “risk assessment and operational review”.

“This decision has been taken as a precautionary measure to ensure the safety of our personnel and vessels while minimising operational disruption across our wider network,” the Danish company said in a statement.The war between the United States, Israel and Iran has entered its seventh day, with attacks continuing across Iran and other countries in the Middle East.

Iran continues its missile and drone attacks across the Gulf as Washington and Tel Aviv claim their campaign – codenamed Operation Epic Fury – is crippling Iran’s military.

Estimates released by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) on Thursday put the cost of the first 100 hours of Operation Epic Fury at $3.7bn, or about $891m per day. Most of this cost – $3.5bn – has not been budgeted for, CSIS reported.