Washington/Tehran: The US administration signalled the possibility of further US airstrikes on Iran following what it described as a large-scale joint offensive with Israel, even as Tehran warned of retaliation and regional tensions escalated sharply.
US "Secretary of War" Pete Hegseth said American forces had begun "Operation Epic Fury", calling it the "most lethal" and "most complex" aerial campaign in US history and indicating that missile infrastructure, naval assets and military production facilities in Iran would remain targets.
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"The Iranian regime had their chance, yet refused to make a deal - and now they are suffering the consequences. For almost fifty years, Iran has targeted and killed Americans, always seeking the world's most powerful weapons to further their radical cause. Last night, unlike any previous president, President Trump began dealing with this cancer," he wrote in X.
Also, he stressed that the US would destroy the Iranian Navy and wouldn't "tolerate powerful missiles targeting the American people."
"We will not tolerate powerful missiles targeting the American people. Those missiles will be destroyed, along with Iran's missile production. The Iranian navy will be destroyed. And, as President Trump has said his entire life, Iran will never have a nuclear weapon. The United States did not start this conflict, but we will finish it. If you kill or threaten Americans anywhere in the world - as Iran has - then we will hunt you down, and we will kill you," he added.
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The statement came after Trump claimed that Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei had been killed in the strikes. Trump warned that "heavy and pinpoint bombing" would continue through the week, framing the operation as an effort to dismantle Iran's nuclear and missile capabilities.
US officials said the initial wave of attacks hit Revolutionary Guard command centres, air defence systems, missile launch sites and military airfields. Israel said it had also targeted senior security leadership, including top commanders of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
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Iran responded with missile and drone attacks on Israel and on US military facilities in the Gulf, including bases in Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar. Air defence systems were activated across the region, while commercial flights were disrupted and several countries reported intercepting projectiles.
Civilian casualties were reported in multiple locations inside Iran, including strikes near residential areas and a school, though US officials said they were assessing those claims. Israeli emergency services reported at least one death from Iranian missile fire in the Tel Aviv area.