As the conflict entered what promised to be an even more destructive week ahead, President Donald Trump declared on Friday that every Iranian military asset anywhere in the world was a legitimate target for US and Israeli forces. Calling Iranian leaders “deranged scumbags” and promising dramatically harder strikes, Trump announced that Kharg Island’s military infrastructure had been completely obliterated and warned that oil facilities would be next if Iran continued to disrupt Strait of Hormuz shipping. The declaration left no ambiguity about Washington’s escalatory intentions.
The most recent 24-hour period had already been extraordinarily violent. Israel confirmed over 200 individual strikes in Iran alone, targeting missile launch systems, weapons production sites, and air defence networks. US forces conducted the major Kharg Island operation, which Trump described as one of the most powerful raids in the history of the Middle East. Combined US and Israeli forces have now struck more than 15,000 targets since the war began. Iran’s new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei was described by Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth as wounded, disfigured, and hiding underground after issuing only a written statement.
Iran continued its own offensive on every available front. Saudi Arabia intercepted close to 50 Iranian drones in a single day of intensive defensive operations. Qatar issued Doha evacuation warnings before confirming a missile interception. Two people died in Oman when drones crashed in an industrial zone. Debris from an intercepted Iranian projectile struck a building at the Dubai International Financial Centre. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards simultaneously announced new coordinated salvoes against Israel with Hezbollah, framing the operations as part of the annual al-Quds Day observance.
Lebanon has been devastated by the conflict, with over 600 killed and 800,000 displaced. Eight more died in an Israeli strike on Sidon Friday. Hezbollah fired rockets at northern Israel, injuring about 60 Israelis. Israel’s defence minister warned Lebanon of escalating costs for Hezbollah’s military use of its national infrastructure. Iran has reported over 1,300 deaths since the conflict began with the killing of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The United States has lost 13 service members, including six in a tanker aircraft crash in Iraq. France lost a soldier to a pro-Iranian militia drone in Iraq.
Tehran residents described a city of constant explosions, power cuts, fuel shortages, and trapped civilians unable to flee. A retired professor begged the world to intervene before the city was entirely destroyed. A shopkeeper counted six explosions in one hour and described taping newspapers over her windows as fragile protection. European governments sought diplomatic back-channels with Tehran for Strait of Hormuz shipping safety. With Trump promising a harder week ahead and Iran showing continued resistance despite enormous damage, the war showed every sign of entering its most destructive phase yet.