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Iran fired ballistic missiles at Israel on Thursday morning shortly after US President Donald Trump claimed American war goals were reaching completion and that Tehran's military capabilities had been depleted.
He staunchly defended his handling of the month-old, US-Israeli war on Iran in a prime-time address, saying the American military was nearing completion of its mission while also reinforcing his threats to bomb the Islamic Republic “back to the Stone Ages”.
He delivered his 19-minute speech against a backdrop of high global oil prices and his own low approval ratings.
Crude prices rose strongly after Mr Trump's address, highlighting persistent fears about supply disruptions. Global stock indices declined, reflecting growing concerns over inflationary pressures and slower economic growth, as higher energy costs weigh on corporate margins and consumer spending.
Mr Trump said the US military would continue striking Iran “extremely hard” over the next two to three weeks, and talks would continue at the same time. The often conflicting signals that Mr Trump has issued throughout the conflict have only added to confusion, with the president one moment calling for a diplomatic settlement and in the next threatening to rain further destruction on Iran amid a continuing US military build-up in the region.
“Tonight, Iran’s navy is gone, their air force is in ruins, their leaders, most of them … are now dead. Their command and control of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps is being decimated as we speak,” he claimed.
“Their ability to launch missiles and drones is dramatically curtailed and their weapons factories and rocket launchers are being blown to pieces, very few of them left,” he added.
No injuries were reported in the Iranian strike on Israel. Tehran has also pressed on with its almost daily attacks on Gulf states despite international condemnation.
Mr Trump's comments were not clear about whether US military operations could end before Iran reopened the Strait of Hormuz, as he had previously indicated.
He also touted US military success in the conflict and said Iran had been “right at the doorstep” of obtaining a nuclear weapon. Iran still has a stockpile of highly enriched uranium that could be processed to bomb grade, but it is believed to have been mostly buried by US-Israeli bombing in June.
In a letter posted on X, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian also addressed the American people. In it, he questioned which American interests were being served by the US-Israeli bombing of Iran that has so far killed more than 1,300 people, according to Iranian authorities.
“Was there an objective threat from Iran to justify such behaviour?” he asked. “Does boasting about bombing a country 'back to the Stone Ages' serve any purpose other than further damaging the United States' global standing?” He also rejected the portrayal of Iran as a threat.
Iran has kept up daily attacks since February 28 when Israel and the US began their strikes. While Iranian officials have maintained that their campaign is aimed at US interests and military bases, the scale and pattern of strikes, which have hit energy sites, airports and economic infrastructure across the Gulf, belie that claim.
On Thursday Iran warned it would continue with its attacks until the US and Israel face “permanent regret and surrender”, the spokesperson for the Khatam Al Anbiya central military headquarters said in response to Mr Trump, according to the semi-official Tasnim news agency.
