The photograph shows a building damaged after a drone attack in the Seef district of Manama. Photo: AFP
TEHRAN/DUBAI:
The war between Iran and a US-Israel alliance continued with renewed intensity and growing threats, leaving the Middle East in suspense as missile and drone attacks hit targets across the region, while Iran claimed that Tehran, not Washington, would determine the end of the war.
Iranian leaders issued stern warnings, insisting that no aggression would go unanswered and promising retaliation in accordance with the “eye for an eye” principle. In a forceful rebuttal to US President Donald Trump’s claim that the war was almost over, they said Iran was not “seeking a ceasefire”.
The Speaker of the Iranian Parliament, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, took X to declare that Iran would respond quickly and proportionally to any hostile action, emphasizing that attacks on its infrastructure would trigger immediate retaliation.
“Whatever the enemy does, we will certainly respond with proportionate and immediate retaliation,” Ghalibaf said, adding that Tehran would break the cycle of repeated wars, ceasefires and negotiations imposed by its adversaries.
The secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, Ali Larijani, directly confronted threats from Trump, who had warned that cutting off oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz would cause the United States to respond “twenty times harder” and destroy targets essential to Iran’s survival.
Trump said on Truth Social that the United States has no reports that Iran has mined the Strait of Hormuz, adding that if mines were laid, “we want them removed, immediately!” If, he warned, “they are not removed immediately, the military consequences for Iran will be at a level never seen before.”
Larijani dismissed the US president’s warnings as mere “paper threats”, stating that Iran had historically endured much greater pressures and warning Trump to “be careful, lest you be eliminated”.
President Masoud Pezeshkian reinforced the nation’s resilience in a post on X, highlighting Iran’s 6,000-year-old civilization. “Through the trials of history, no power has managed to erase this historic name,” he wrote. “Aggressors have come and gone; Iran has resisted.”
Meanwhile, Iran Military Media announced a recalibration of the country’s missile strategy in response to “indiscriminate US strikes against urban centers and civilian infrastructure” and the disruption of regional air defenses.
The new approach includes continuous strikes 24 hours a day, deploying missiles with warheads weighing more than one ton, concentrating firepower, expanding the geographic reach of strikes, and aiming to inflict damage that would take years to repair.
In a further sign of increased internal security measures, Iran’s Intelligence Ministry reported the arrest of a foreign national accused of espionage on behalf of the United States and Israel, along with 30 spies, internal mercenaries and operational agents connected to the same nations and their proxies.
Meanwhile, the US military has promised an escalation of its own. Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth announced the “most intense day of attacks” to date, with the maximum deployment of fighters and bombers.
Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Iranian forces were proving no tougher than expected, despite mounting casualties and persistent resistance. Washington’s strategy has focused on degrading Iran’s weapons inventories, missile launchers and naval capabilities, and Trump reiterated that the duration of the war would be under his control.
In a post on In response, Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said: “Thank you CENTCOM for admitting that you are using our neighbors’ territory to deploy HIMARS systems against our people, apparently including a desalination plant. No one should complain if our powerful missiles destroy these systems wherever they are in retaliation.”
Iran reports at least 1,332 civilian deaths, including the tragic loss of 175 schoolchildren in Minab, plus thousands more injured. Iraq has suffered 15 deaths, the United Arab Emirates four, Saudi Arabia two, Bahrain two, Kuwait two and Oman one. Israel reported 11 deaths, along with seven American service members.
Oil markets have reacted sharply to the conflict. North Sea Brent crude fell almost 10% to $89.44 a barrel, recovering from peaks above $120. Gas prices in Europe fell, while stock markets in Paris, London, Frankfurt and across Asia recovered, reflecting temporary investor optimism.
Diplomatic efforts have emerged amid hostilities. Deputy Foreign Minister Gharibabadi confirmed contacts with China, Russia and France regarding possible ceasefire talks, but Araqchi told PBS that talks were unlikely, citing attacks despite previous rounds of negotiations.
Türkiye has also become a focal point after NATO intercepted two missiles entering Turkish airspace. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called President Pezeshkian to emphasize that the airspace violations were unjustified, while Iran expressed its willingness to form a joint investigation into the incidents.
The scope of the conflict has extended to civilian and industrial targets throughout the Gulf. The United Arab Emirates reported drone and missile attacks on its Ruwais industrial complex and its consulate in Iraqi Kurdistan, causing fires and damage but no casualties.
The refinery has since been closed as a precaution. Iranian strikes also hit Bahrain’s capital Manama, killing one person and wounding others in a residential building, while other Iranian drone strikes targeted opposition groups northeast of Erbil in Iraq.
UK forces have launched air raids to protect the UAE, intercepting drones over Jordan and Bahrain and deploying helicopters and warships to strengthen regional security.
Iran accused Israel of killing four of its diplomats in a weekend attack on a Beirut hotel, describing the attack as deliberate and calling on the UN to take note. Israel claimed responsibility, saying the attack targeted commanders of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard’s Quds Force.
So far, the United Arab Emirates has reported detecting 253 ballistic missiles, 1,440 drones and destroying multiple cruise missiles, while Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait have recorded dozens of incoming missiles and drones.
