Trump Issues Stark Warning as US and Israel Intensify Strikes on Iran
The United States and Israel have launched a renewed and intensive wave of attacks across Iran, marking the second day of a military campaign aimed at overthrowing the country’s government. The offensive has pushed the Middle East into a new regional conflict, with no clear timeline or outcome. Sunday’s escalation unfolded alongside increasingly heated rhetoric from both Washington and Tehran, raising the possibility of further military action in the coming days.
US president Donald Trump stated on Sunday that the United States would strike Iran “with a force that has never been seen before” if Tehran followed through on threats to retaliate after the death of the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike on Saturday. In a social media post, Trump wrote: “Khamenei, one of the most evil people in history, is dead.” He added: “He was unable to avoid our intelligence and highly sophisticated tracking systems and, working closely with Israel, there was not a thing he, or the other leaders that have been killed along with him, could do.” Trump said the objective of the campaign, which began Saturday morning with missiles and airstrikes, was regime change, and he urged “the Iranian people to take back their country”.
Explosions in Tehran and Expanding Military Action
In Tehran, a massive explosion on Sunday morning sent a plume of smoke into the sky and shook the ground. The blast appeared to occur near the country’s police headquarters, Iranian state television, Tehran’s revolutionary court, and a defense ministry building. The Israel Defense Forces stated that their air force was striking “in the heart of Tehran” and focusing on eliminating Iran’s remaining air defenses.
Amir-Saeid Iravani, Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations, told an emergency security council meeting on Saturday that hundreds of civilians had been killed or injured in the US-Israeli strikes. He said civilian neighbourhoods in multiple cities had been deliberately targeted. The joint offensive represents a new phase in US involvement in the Middle East and is the second time in eight months that the Trump administration has used military force against Iran.
Britain’s defence secretary, John Healey, described the situation as serious and worsening. “This is a really serious and deteriorating situation, [with] rising risks of increasing Iranian indiscriminate retaliatory attacks,” Healey said on Sunday morning. He accused Iran of “lashing out”.
Iranian retaliation has extended beyond Israel to civilian infrastructure and US military bases in Arab Gulf states. Witnesses reported loud blasts in Dubai and over Doha in Qatar for a second consecutive day. White smoke from missile interceptions was visible in Dubai’s skies, and dark smoke rose from its port, one of the busiest in the Middle East.
Iranian strikes overnight damaged Dubai’s Burj Al Arab hotel and its airport, which typically handles more than 1,000 flights daily. Airports in Abu Dhabi and Kuwait were also hit. Dubai International Airport, the world’s busiest international travel hub, remained closed along with several other major airports in the region, causing one of the most significant global aviation disruptions in recent years. Analysts have long cautioned that a war involving Iran could trigger global economic instability.
Air raid sirens sounded repeatedly across Israel early Sunday, with loud explosions heard in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv as Israel’s air defence systems intercepted incoming missiles.
