US President Donald Trump announced today that he intends to hit Iran “very hard next week“, signaling that the military operation will not end soon, although at the same time he postponed the possibility of regime change in Tehran for a later stage, Agence France-Presse reported, citing his interview with “Fox News“.
“The war will end when I feel the time has come“, he said.
In a post on the social network “Truth Social” Trump also suggested that the conflict would not end soon.
“We have unparalleled firepower, unlimited ammunition and all the time we need“, the US president wrote, after repeatedly stating in recent days that the military offensive would end “soon“.
The US president downplayed the issue of Russian support for Tehran.
The US will hit Iran “very hard next week“, Trump told “Fox News“.
The US president also indicated that US Navy ships may escort oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz after threats by Iranian leaders to close it, although he did not say that such operations were inevitable.
“We will do it if necessary. But you know, we hope things continue well," he added.
The United States and Israel have struck more than 15,000 targets since the start of the war against Iran on February 28, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegsett said today.
The new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei is "wounded" and possibly "disfigured," the Pentagon chief added during a press conference. He added that the US had no evidence that Tehran had mined the Strait of Hormuz.
The overthrow of power by the people of Iran is “possible“ but “may not happen right away“, Trump said in his interview with “Fox News“.
“When they (Iranian leaders and security forces) walk around with machine guns, kill people and say, “All of you protesters, we're going to get you in the streets“, I think that's a huge deterrent for people who don't have guns“, the US president said.
In January, he promised anti-government Iranian citizens that US help was “on the way“, and recently he has called on the Iranian people to take power several times.
“When "We're done - take over, it's up to you to do it. This is probably your only chance for generations to come," he said in a video statement announcing the start of the US strikes.
Trump also said it was "possible" that Russian President Vladimir Putin was "helping Iran a little bit," but added: "And he probably thinks we're helping Ukraine, right?"
"They're doing it and we're doing it," the US president added, in a tone that suggested he was not particularly bothered by Russia's support for Tehran.
Meanwhile, the military action continued. Explosions were heard in Tel Aviv, AFP journalists on the scene reported, after the Israeli army reported a missile strike from Iran.
The agency's journalists saw black smoke rising from two locations in the vicinity of the city.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Iran's ideological army, said it had fired missiles and drones at Israel, along with the Tehran-backed Lebanese group “Hezbollah“.
In a statement, the IRGC said the operation was in response to Israeli bombings earlier in the day that were carried out near the route of a pro-government march in Tehran for “Al-Quds” Day. - Jerusalem Day of Solidarity with Palestine, observed annually.
NATO intercepted a third missile that entered Turkish airspace today. Iran denied launching the previous two.
Early this morning, a US military tanker plane crashed over western Iraq. All six crew members were killed, the US military said. The military said the circumstances surrounding the incident were under investigation, but there was no indication that the crash was caused by friendly or enemy fire.
Meanwhile, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz called for an end to the war in the Middle East, stressing that it "benefits no one and causes economic damage to many people."
Asked if the Europeans could establish direct contact with Iran to demand the opening of the Strait of Hormuz, he replied: "We are doing everything possible to end this war. All diplomatic channels are being used."
Oil prices fell slightly today, with stock markets trying to recover after Washington temporarily allowed the sale of Russian oil stored on tankers to limit the sharp rise in prices, AFP noted.