In an extraordinary statement that mixed military triumphalism with deeply personal rhetoric, President Donald Trump declared on Friday that killing Iranian leaders was a great honor for him as the 47th president of the United States, simultaneously calling those leaders “deranged scumbags” and promising intensified strikes. The comments were published online as bombing raids on Tehran continued through the day and into the night, with residents describing an increasingly unbearable situation on the ground.
Civilian life in the Iranian capital has been shattered by weeks of near-constant bombardment. A 66-year-old retired professor described a city where buildings shake, rubble fills the streets, and people continue going to work at the risk of their lives. She pleaded with the world to intervene, describing her sick family members who could not be moved and a fuel shortage so severe that even those wishing to flee could not drive far enough to escape. A shopkeeper in central Tehran described a life of taped-up windows, sleepless nights, and a seemingly endless procession of explosions.
US and Israeli forces have now struck more than 15,000 targets combined since the war began, according to Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, who told reporters in Washington that the campaign was proceeding effectively. Israel alone reported over 200 strikes in a 24-hour period on targets including missile systems, air defences, and weapons factories. Trump announced late in the day that US Central Command had destroyed every military installation on Iran’s Kharg Island in what he described as the most powerful raid in Middle Eastern history.
The wider regional landscape has descended into chaos. Hezbollah launched rockets at northern Israel, injuring about 60 people. Israeli forces killed at least eight people in an airstrike on the Lebanese coastal city of Sidon. Saudi Arabia downed close to 50 Iranian drones. Two people were killed in Oman by drone crashes. Parts of Doha were evacuated before missile interceptions were confirmed over Qatar. Iranian authorities confirmed their forces had fired new salvoes at Israel in coordination with Hezbollah.
Iran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz through which approximately one-fifth of the world’s oil and gas flows has alarmed global markets and prompted a flurry of quiet diplomatic activity in European capitals. France and other European governments reportedly opened back-channel talks with Tehran. Trump issued a stark warning that Iran’s oil infrastructure at Kharg Island would be struck if shipping continued to be disrupted. With no negotiated settlement in sight and both sides escalating, the conflict appeared set to deepen further in the days ahead.
