State Department tells Americans worldwide to 'exercise increased caution'

The United Kingdom said its ministers are "working closely with international partners to develop a viable plan to safeguard international shipping in the Strait of Hormuz" without getting drawn into the wider conflict, according to a Downing Street spokesperson.

Ministers who met on Friday said they "condemned Iran’s expansion of its targets to include international shipping. They agreed that Iran’s reckless strikes, including on Red Ensign vessels and those of our close allies and Gulf partners, risked pushing the region further into crisis and worsening the economic impact being felt in the UK and around the world," according to the spokesperson.

Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei praised Iranians for their "unparalleled bravery" in a new message marking Persian New Year known as Norwruz and the Muslim holiday of Eid, according to Iranian State Media.

"The enemy thought that after a day or two, it would be the people who would overthrow the Islamic system. But with the vigilance of you, the people, the unparalleled bravery of Islam’s fighters, and the many sacrifices, the indications of desperation and destitution soon appeared in it," Khamenei said of the joint strikes on Iran by the United States and Israel last June.

The statement also read on Iranian television described "three military and secret wars" experienced by the Iranian people in the last year.

"This war took place ... with the illusion that if it martyred the head of the regime and a number of influential military figures, it would create fear and despair in you, our dear people, and cause you to leave the arena, and in this way, it would realize the dream of dominating Iran and then disintegrating it," Khamenei said.

"But in this holy month, you combined fasting with jihad and provided a vast defense line, as wide as the country, and strong fortifications, as numerous as the squares, neighborhoods, and mosques," Khamenei said.

Khamenei has not been seen since the start of the war. Israel and the U.S. have said he was injured in the war.

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said last week said that Khamenei was likely "disfigured."

Iran’s top military spokesman, Brigadier General Abolfazl Shekarchi, warned that "Iran is monitoring enemy officials, commanders, pilots and soldiers," according to the semi-official Iranian News Agency, Mehr.

He also warned "that based on information available to Iran, recreational areas, tourist destinations and leisure centers around the world would no longer be safe for them," according to Mehr.

Shekarchi criticized the repeated assassinations of Iranian officials and armed forces commanders, saying it was not a sign of enemy strength but rather reflected helplessness, desperation and malice.

President Donald Trump said on Friday that the U.S. strikes against Iran have eliminated several layers of the country’s leadership, and added that it was making it difficult to find members of the government for the U.S. to talk to.

“Their leaders are all gone. The next set of leaders are all gone. And the next set of leaders are mostly gone,” the Trump said as he spoke before a crowd of Naval Academy midshipmen who gathered in the East Room to celebrate their football team winning the Commander in Chief's Trophy.

“And now nobody wants to be a leader over there anymore. We're having a hard time. We want to talk to them and there's nobody to talk to. We have nobody to talk to. And you know what? We like it that way," Trump said.

This comes despite Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard testifying before Congress Wednesday that “the regime in Iran appears to be intact but largely degraded by Operation Epic Fury.”