A renewed military offensive by United States and Israeli forces struck multiple targets across Iran late Monday and early Tuesday, with reports indicating significant civilian infrastructure damage including residential buildings, educational facilities, and power grids. The escalation coincides with former President Donald Trump’s explicit threat targeting Iran’s entire population through his Truth Social platform.
Trump declared that US forces would “take out easily destroyable targets that will make it virtually impossible for Iran to ever be built back, as a Nation, again” if Iranian authorities interfere with oil tanker navigation through the Strait of Hormuz. Maritime traffic through this critical choke point has dramatically decreased since the initiation of joint US-Israeli operations.
Eyewitness accounts from Tehran describe catastrophic scenes at strike locations, with one resident reporting “a huge disaster” and the recovery of numerous civilian casualties, including children, from bombed residential complexes. Iranian media additionally confirmed damage to a school and surrounding homes in Khomeyn city, following what evidence suggests was a US-orchestrated attack on a girls’ elementary school in Minab last month that killed over 160 people, predominantly young students.
Dylan Williams of the Center for International Policy characterized the campaign as “a war against the people of Iran,” noting that AIPAC, the pro-Israel lobbying organization, amplified Trump’s threatening social media post. Iranian officials responded with defiance, with Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf vowing to “strike the aggressor in the mouth” to prevent further aggression.
Diplomatic prospects appear increasingly remote according to Kamal Kharazi, foreign policy adviser to Iran’s supreme leader, who told CNN that Trump’s pattern of deception had eliminated opportunities for negotiation. Kharazi indicated conflict resolution would require sufficient international economic pressure to guarantee cessation of hostilities.
With oil prices surging and creating administration concerns, an anonymous senior Iranian source warned that Tehran controls “the screw of the global oil price” and would continue fighting until Trump acknowledges defeat, suggesting prolonged energy market instability.