Day 6: Trump Wants to Pick Iran's Next Leader, Drones Hit Azerbaijan, and the Kurdish Offensive Begins

On March 5, 2026, President Trump told Axios he needs to be personally involved in selecting Iran's next supreme leader, calling the assassinated Khamenei's son "a lightweight" and comparing the process to his role in Venezuela. It is the first explicit admission that regime change is a war aim of Operation Epic Fury.This episode tracks four developments that reshaped Day 6 of the conflict: Trump's regime change declaration, the CSIS analysis showing the first 100 hours cost $3.7 billion with $3.5 billion unbudgeted, Iranian drones striking an airport in Azerbaijan (a country not party to the war), and the launch of a Kurdish ground offensive into northwest Iran backed by CIA and Mossad coordination. Iranian Foreign Minister Araghchi told NBC News that Iran is ready for a ground invasion and has not asked for a ceasefire.Sources for this episode are available at: https://nbn.fm/war-desk/episode/ep70About War DeskWar Desk is an investigative podcast using AI assisted analysis of military intelligence, diplomatic signals, and conflict data to assess global war risk, with sources and references published on our website for verification.Subscribe to NBN's NewsletterGet new investigations, new shows, and the raw intelligence you won't find anywhere else straight to your inbox.Sign up at nbn.fm/newsletter.