US President Donald Trump has said it will be a "waste of time" currently to consider sending ground troops into Iran, NBC News reported, dismissing the Iranian foreign minister's warning that such a move will spell disaster for invaders.

"It's a waste of time. They've lost everything. They've lost their navy. They've lost everything they can lose," he told NBC by telephone, adding that Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi's earlier remark that Iran was ready for a US or Israeli ground invasion was a "wasted comment."

Trump was speaking amid reports of heavy attacks in Tehran on Friday after Israel said it was hitting "regime infrastructure" in a "new phase" of the war it launched with the United States against Iran.

He also indicated he was keen to see Iran's leadership structure removed and that "we want to go in and clean out everything" quickly.

"We don't want someone who would rebuild over a 10-year period," he said, adding that he had ideas for a new leader to replace Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, killed on Saturday in US-Israeli air strikes, but declined to name anyone.

As the conflict entered its seventh day, its regional repercussions continued – with Saudi Arabia saying it had intercepted three drones east of the Riyadh region, Qatar announcing it brought down a drone targeting a US base, and Lebanon reporting the death toll from Israeli strikes had risen to 123.

Tokyo also said on Friday that a second Japanese national was being held in Iran.

Early on Friday, Iranian media reported heavy strikes in Tehran.

The strikes came after Israel's military chief warned the US-Israeli campaign was moving to "the next phase" and would "further dismantle the regime and its military capabilities".

"We have additional surprises ahead which I do not intend to disclose," Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir said in a televised statement.

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth also announced "firepower over Iran and over Tehran is about to surge dramatically".

Iran's Revolutionary Guards said they had fired missiles towards Tel Aviv after an earlier wave of explosions that caused a blaze at a residential building in the central Israeli city.

Two near-simultaneous waves of explosions were heard in Tel Aviv late on Thursday, while rocket trails also lit up the sky in Netanya, further north. (Agencies)


Edited by Tony Sabine