Pezeshkian speaks with leaders of Russia and Pakistan, outlines steps to end US-Israel war on Iran

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has said the only way to end the ongoing US-Israel war on his country is through recognising Tehran "legitimate rights" and firm international guarantees against "future aggression."

In a post on social media company X, Pezeshkian said on Wednesday that he spoke to leaders of Russia and Pakistan.

"I reaffirmed Iran’s commitment to peace in the region. The only way to end this war—ignited by the Zionist regime & US — is recognising Iran’s legitimate rights, payment of reparations, and firm int'l guarantees against future aggression," he added.

Regional escalation has flared up since Israel and the US launched a joint attack on Iran since February 28 that has so far killed over 1,300 people, including Iran's then-Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, and wounded over 10,000 others, according to Iranian authorities.

Tehran has retaliated with fury, using drone and missile strikes on Israel, Jordan, Iraq, and Gulf countries that are home to US military assets.

It has also effectively shut down the crucial Strait of Hormuz, through which nearly 20 percent of the world's oil usually transits to world markets.

Damage to US bases

At least 17 US military, diplomatic and air defence sites across the Middle East have been damaged by Iranian drone and missile strikes, a New York Times analysis found on Wednesday.

At least 11 of the damaged sites are military bases or installations, representing nearly half of all such American facilities in the region.

Air defence systems have been among the costliest losses, with satellite imagery showing damage to a $1.1 billion early-warning radar near Umm Dahal, Qatar, designed to provide coverage across a 4,800-kilometer (3,000-mile) radius.

Iran has also struck components of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system, known as THAAD, according to the analysis.

A Pentagon assessment put damage to the US Navy Fifth Fleet headquarters in Bahrain, struck on February 28, at around $200 million, according to a congressional official cited by the newspaper.

Iran also targeted US diplomatic facilities, forcing temporary closures of the consulate in Dubai and embassies in Kuwait City and Riyadh. No injuries were reported in any of those strikes.

US officials told the news outlet that strikes show Iran was more prepared for the war than many in the Trump administration had anticipated.

‘War of attrition’

With the conflict now in its 12th day, Iran's Revolutionary Guard vowed to target "economic centres and banks" that it deems linked to US and Israeli interests, prompting more international firms to evacuate employees from Dubai.

The US and Israel "must consider the possibility that they will be engaged in a long-term war of attrition that will destroy the entire American economy and the world economy", Ali Fadavi, adviser to the Revolutionary Guards' commander-in-chief, told state television.

Iran said it had struck the two ships in the Gulf because they had entered the Strait of Hormuz "after ignoring the warnings" of its navy.

Yahya Rahim Safavi also reiterated Iran's longstanding threats to eradicate Israel.