In Iran’s capital city, the streets are empty, businesses closed, communications patchy at best. Panicked masses spend restless nights on the floors of metro stations as strikes boom overhead.

Iran's supreme leader on Wednesday rejected Donald Trump's demand for unconditional surrender, as the US president said his patience had run out. Ali Khamenei rebuked Trump in a recorded speech, saying that "any US military intervention" would be costly and added: "The Iranian nation will not surrender.

The Israeli military said early Thursday local time that it was conducting "a series of strikes" in Tehran and other areas in Iran.