March 6 (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Keir Starmer spoke to Saudi Arabia Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman after Iran's strikes on the kingdom amid a sprawling conflict in the region, Downing Street said in a statement on Friday.

"Additional British fighter jets, helicopters and a destroyer were being sent to the region, and the UK stood ready to support the defence of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia should it be needed," Starmer told bin Salman.

The two leaders also discussed greater intelligence cooperation in support of defensive operations and civilians.

March 6 (Reuters) - The United States on Friday filed two civil forfeiture complaints for more than $15.3 million used to allegedly fund an illicit Iranian oil distribution network, the Justice Department said in a statement.

The complaints by the Justice Department allege that the funds were being used by Mohammad Hossein Shamkhani to "operate multiple distribution companies" engaged in selling and shipping Iranian oil and other commodities in violation of U.S. sanctions.

US President Donald Trump is to attend the dignified transfer on Saturday of six soldiers killed in an Iranian attack on Kuwait, the White House said Friday, as the escalating war with Tehran brings home its first American dead.

The troops were killed Sunday when a drone struck a key US command center in Kuwait's southern industrial hub of Port Shuaiba, a day after the United States and Israel launched a sweeping military campaign against Iran.

By Laila Bassam, Maya Gebeily and Maayan Lubell

BEIRUT, March 5 (Reuters) - Lebanese armed group Hezbollah spent months restocking its arsenal of rockets and drones, using support from Iran and its own weapons factories to prepare for a new war with Israel, six sources familiar with the group's preparations said.

Down but not out after its devastating 2024 conflict with Israel, Hezbollah had concluded that another round of fighting was inevitable - and that this time, it could face an existential threat, according to the sources.

WASHINGTON, March 6 (Reuters) - The United States is well on its way toward controlling Iranian airspace, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Friday, adding that Washington expects the achievable U.S. objectives to be completed in four to six weeks.

Speaking to reporters at the White House, Leavitt also said Washington was looking at potential candidates to lead Iran, a day after President Donald Trump told Reuters in an interview that the United States must be involved in choosing the next leader of Iran.

By Humeyra Pamuk

WASHINGTON, March 6 (Reuters) - The United States is pressing Sri Lanka's government not to repatriate the survivors from the Iranian warship it sank this week, as well as the crew of a second Iranian ship that is in Sri Lankan custody, according to an internal State Department cable seen by Reuters on Friday.

A U.S. submarine sank the IRIS Dena warship in the Indian Ocean about 19 nautical miles off Sri Lanka's southern port city of Galle on Wednesday, killing dozens of sailors and dramatically widening Washington's pursuit of the Iranian navy.

The United States insists it attacked Iran to curb "direct threats" from the Islamic republic, but legal experts say the dangers cited by Washington do not justify war under international law.

US and Israeli forces launched a massive air campaign against Iran on February 28, with Washington saying it aimed to curb nuclear and missile threats from Tehran. Yet the war has also decapitated the country's government, and President Donald Trump is now demanding "unconditional surrender."

When blasts rolled across Dubai as air defences intercepted Iranian missiles overhead, Marion Kuria froze as a tremor ran through her building.

Then, like countless African migrants in the Gulf, she went back to work, driven by a need for income and with few alternatives to turn to.

The 36‑year‑old Kenyan, who has spent seven years in the city's retail sector, told AFP she felt the shock "in her spine".

"The anxiety was extremely high," she said.

By Pesha Magid

JERUSALEM, March 6 (Reuters) - Israel has been bombing parts of western Iran to support Iranian Kurdish militias who hope to exploit the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran to seize towns near the frontier, according to three sources familiar with Israel's talks with the factions.

The notion of an offensive by Iranian Kurdish forces based in Iraq gained attention on Friday when U.S. President Donald Trump told Reuters it would be "wonderful" if they crossed the border.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned Friday "unlawful attacks" across the Middle East and warned that the situation could spiral out of control as the conflict spreads to multiple countries.

US and Israeli forces launched a massive air campaign against Iran on February 28. Iran has retaliated with strikes against Israel and Gulf countries.

Washington said it aimed to curb nuclear and missile threats from Tehran but it has also decapitated the country's government, and President Donald Trump is now demanding "unconditional surrender."