Trump calls Iran 'defenseless,' demands unconditional surrender

Amnesty International called on both Iranian and Israeli authorities to uphold international humanitarian law and protect civilian lives as the conflict intensifies.

“As the number of deaths and injuries continue to rise, Amnesty International is urging both parties to comply with their obligations and ensure that civilians in both countries do not further pay the price of reckless military action,” said Agnès Callamard, the group’s Secretary General.

Continued escalation risks “devastating and far-reaching consequences for civilians across the region and beyond,” she warned.

Footage sent to Iran International shows the Lavizan area of Tehran under attack on Wednesday.

The video captures scenes of smoke consistent with Israeli airstrikes, amid ongoing military operations across the Iranian capital.

Iran is experiencing a near-total national internet blackout, the internet observatory NetBlocks said Wednesday.

The disruption follows earlier partial outages and comes amid intensifying military conflict with Israel, marked by days of reciprocal missile strikes. Live network data confirmed the extensive outage.

Iran’s UN mission in New York rejected President Donald Trump’s statement that Iranian officials proposed a visit to the White House.

“No Iranian official has ever asked to grovel at the gates of the White House,” the mission said in a post on X and condemned what it called Trump’s “cowardly threat” to target Iran’s Supreme Leader.

It warned Iran would respond to any threat or action with reciprocal measures.

The US military is prepared to execute any decision President Donald Trump makes regarding war or peace, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Wednesday amid rising tensions with Iran.

Speaking before the Senate Armed Services Committee, Hegseth declined to confirm whether strike options had been presented but emphasized readiness: “If and when those decisions are made, the Department is prepared to execute them.”