Iran flag on the pushpin and red threads on the wooden map. Travel or logistic routes. Influence in geopolitics and world economy. 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

by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Chief International Correspondent

WASHINGTON/TEHRAN/JERUSALEM (Worthy News) – U.S. President Donald J. Trump was weighing deploying special forces to seize Iran’s near-bomb-grade uranium as Israel expanded strikes on targets in Iran and Lebanon, escalating the war in the Middle East that has already left more than 1,500 people dead across the region, officials said.

The developments came after Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian threatened to step up attacks on American targets across the Middle East, declaring that Iran “will not bow” to pressure from the United States and Israel.

His remarks followed what appeared to be conciliatory comments toward Gulf neighbors after Iranian missiles struck their territory, though those statements were quickly contradicted by hard-line figures in Tehran.

He spoke as Israeli forces struck targets in southern Lebanon, Beirut and an oil storage facility in Iran’s capital, Tehran, while Iran launched missiles toward several Gulf states, widening the regional confrontation.

The escalating conflict has left more than 1,500 people dead across the region, according to officials, though the figures have been difficult to verify independently.

RISING REGIONAL DEATH TOLL

At least 1,230 people have been killed in Iran, more than 300 in Lebanon and around a dozen in Israel since the latest phase of fighting began, according to officials in those countries.

Much of the overall death toll in Iran is linked to the war involving the country’s leadership and its confrontation with Israel and the United States, though independent verification of the figures remains difficult.

Civilian casualties have also been reported as the armed conflict intensifies, including a deadly February 28 explosion at an elementary school in Iran during school hours.

More than 165 people — most of them children — were reported killed in the blast at Shajareh Tayyebeh Elementary School, according to Iranian state media.

Satellite images, expert analysis and information released by U.S. and Israeli officials suggest the explosion may have been caused by a U.S. airstrike targeting a nearby compound linked to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard.

CIVILIAN CASUALTIES SPARK CONCERN

The United States has not accepted responsibility for the strike but said it was investigating the incident.

The reported deaths triggered criticism from the United Nations and human-rights organizations.

As fighting intensified, U.S. officials expressed concern that Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium may have been moved, though its exact location remains uncertain.

The United States and Israel struck key nuclear facilities during a 12-day war last June, but uncertainty remains about the location of Iran’s near-weapons-grade uranium.

It has been nearly nine months since United Nations nuclear inspectors last verified the material’s location, according to diplomatic officials briefed on the issue.

URANIUM STOCKPILE CONCERNS

“They haven’t been able to get to it and at some point, maybe we will,” Trump said during a briefing aboard Air Force One.

“We haven’t gone after it, but it’s something we can do later on. We wouldn’t do it now.”

U.S. ally Israel continued strikes on Iranian and Hezbollah-linked targets, including an attack on an oil storage facility in Tehran that sent pillars of fire into the night sky.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed there would be “many surprises” in the next phase of the campaign.

Elsewhere, Gulf nations including Bahrain, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates reported additional Iranian missile launches toward their territory.

CONFLICT SPREADS ACROSS REGION

Some missiles struck desalination facilities supplying water to millions of residents in the region’s arid desert states.

U.S. intelligence officials believe Russia has provided Iran with information that could help Tehran target American troops and assets in the Middle East.

Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, acknowledged ongoing cooperation with Moscow.

“Military cooperation between Iran and Russia is not something new,” he said in an interview Sunday.

The conflict has also spread beyond the Middle East.

NAVAL INCIDENT NEAR SRI LANKA

Sri Lanka said it would issue temporary visas to Iranian sailors rescued after their vessel sought assistance following the sinking of an Iranian warship reportedly hit by a U.S. torpedo attack near Sri Lankan waters.

The attack on the warship IRIS Dena marked one of the rare instances since World War II in which a submarine sank a surface warship.

Officials said dozens of sailors were rescued while many others were killed in the attack.

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