As tensions between the United States, Israel and Iran entered the seventh day on Friday (March 6), US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth warned that American “firepower” over Iran could “surge dramatically” in the coming days and threatened Tehran against miscalculating Washington’s resolve.Speaking during a presser at US Central Command, Hegseth said that the leadership of Iran is mistaken if it believes that the United States cannot sustain the ongoing military campaign.“Iran is hoping that we cannot sustain this, which is a really bad miscalculation for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in Iran,” he said.“Our commitment to our mission objectives only increases as our advantages continue to increase…We have only just begun to fight and fight decisively,” Hegseth added, highlighting that the United States is ready for a prolonged confrontation if necessary.Here are the top developments:Trump says US should be involved in choosing next Iranian leaderUS President Donald Trump said that he needs to be involved in the appointment of Iran’s new leader after Israeli strike killed country’s longtime supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. “They are wasting their time. Khamenei’s son is a lightweight,” POTUS told Axios in a phone interview. “Khamenei’s son is unacceptable to me. We want someone that will bring harmony and peace to Iran, I have to be involved in the appointment, like with Delcy [Rodriguez] in Venezuela,” he said.In a separate interview, he told Politico, “I’m going to have a big impact [over Iran’s future leadership], or they’re not going to have any settlement, because we’re not going to have to go do this again.”Story continues below this ad“We’ll work with the people and the regime to make sure that somebody gets there that can nicely build Iran but without nuclear weapons,” he said.‘We are ready for a long war’, says IranIranian military said the country was ready for a “long war” amid the escalating tensions. “We are ready for a long war. Our new inventions are on the way. We haven’t used anything on a large scale. Let the enemy expect painful blows in every wave of attack.”Earlier, US President Donald Trump had said the American military virtually had an “unlimited” supply of better weapons and could fight the war “forever”.US strikes Iranian drone carrierUS Central Command (CENTCOM) said it struck an Iranian drone carrier, which was “roughly the size of a WWII aircraft carrier”.Story continues below this ad“U.S. forces aren’t holding back on the mission to sink the entire Iranian Navy. Today, an Iranian drone carrier, roughly the size of a WWII aircraft carrier, was struck and is now on fire,” CENTCOM said in a post on X.Over 500 targets hit in Lebanon, says IDFThe Israeli Defence Forces said that over 500 targets in Lebanon were hit after Hezbollah joined the conflict. The targets include top Hezbollah commanders, members of its elite Radwan Force, rocket launchers, command centers, weapon depots, as well as members of other terror groups and their infrastructure, according to The Times of Israel.Etihad to resume limited flight schedule from 6 MarchEtihad announced that it will resume a limited commercial flight schedule from 6 March 2026, that will operate between Abu Dhabi and a number of key destinations. The airline is prioritising existing bookings and will accommodate guests on these flights as soon as possible. “Etihad will resume a limited commercial flight schedule from 6 March 2026, operating between Abu Dhabi and a number of key destinations. Guests with previous bookings will be accommodated on these flights as soon as possible. Tickets are also available for sale on https://etihad.com. Guests and members of the public should not travel to the airport unless they have been contacted directly by Etihad or hold a confirmed booking on one of these new flights,” the flight carrier said in a post on X.Qatar intercepts drone targeting US airbaseThe defence ministry of Qatar said that its air defences intercepted an Iranian drone targeting the US air base in Al Udeid. This was the first ever air defence operation by Qatar.Story continues below this adUS suspends operations at embassy in KuwaitThe United States has suspended operations at its embassy in Kuwait, said the State Department. “While there have been no reported injuries to US personnel, the safety of Americans abroad remains the highest priority of the US Department of State,” it said in a statement.UAE downs 6 missiles, 125 dronesThe UAE Ministry of Defence said that the country’s air defence systems detected seven ballistic missiles, intercepted and destroyed six of them, while one missile landed inside the United Arab Emirates on Thursday (Mar 5). The ministry said that apart from this, 131 drones were detected, of which 125 were intercepted and six fell within the country’s territory.