Trump escalates the rhetoric from the White House
Donald Trump used a 19-minute address from the White House, his first since the war in Iran began, to claim that the military mission is nearly done and to promise more pressure if diplomacy fails. The targets, he said, are “close to being completed” and the work is “almost finished.”
He told Americans that the U.S. would strike Iran hard in the next two to three weeks and that the country would be pushed back “to the Stone Age.” If no diplomatic agreement is reached, he added, Washington could go after Iranian power plants. His message was plain enough, which is convenient when the message itself is a threat.
Trump also praised what he called rapid, decisive battlefield victories over the past four weeks and said the U.S. is systematically dismantling the regime’s ability to threaten America or project power beyond its borders. He said the campaign, launched under the name Epic Fury, would continue until all objectives are reached.
He insisted that regime change was not the goal. But he also said that “it happened because all the leaders are dead” and that the new ones are more reasonable. That is one way to describe political continuity.
The president also tried to calm fears about the economic fallout. He said gasoline price increases would be short-lived and argued that the United States is in strong economic shape. He thanked regional allies including Israel, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Kuwait, while pointing at countries that depend on oil moving through the Strait of Hormuz.
“We do not import it and we will not import it,” he said, adding that the U.S. does not need it. According to Trump, countries that rely on Hormuz should deal with the problem themselves. He also said the strait would reopen naturally once the war ends.
Tehran responds with threats and claims of retaliation
Earlier, Trump had written on Truth Social that Iran should make a deal before it is too late and before “nothing remains of what could become a great country.” He posted the message alongside an image of a collapsed Iranian bridge and said the bridge would never be used again.
Iran’s military answered with a promise of “devastating” attacks on the United States and Israel after Trump’s threats.
At 18:44, the Revolutionary Guards said they had hit Amazon’s cloud computing center in Bahrain in what they described as their first attack on a technology company accused of espionage and terrorism. According to the IRGC, the site was destroyed and Amazon is withdrawing from the region. The Guards also warned that if attacks continue, the next companies they have already named will face much harsher punishment.
Later, Iran also said it had targeted steel and aluminum facilities linked to the United States in Gulf countries. The Revolutionary Guards framed those strikes as a warning: if Iranian industries are hit again, Tehran’s response will be tougher.
Hormuz, oil markets and the wider regional ripple effect
Iran and Oman are reportedly working on a protocol to monitor transit through the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian deputy foreign minister Kazem Gharibabadi said the route should be supervised and coordinated by both countries. He said the new requirements would not mean restrictions, but would instead be aimed at safer passage and better services for ships. Teheran has also approved plans to introduce a transit fee.
The prospect of disruption in the strait has pushed governments and markets into full alarm mode. Four top economists consulted by the World Economic Forum warned that the economic consequences of the war could be unprecedented and that, if the conflict drags on, the shock could reach levels comparable to the Covid crisis.
Russian president Vladimir Putin and Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman also spoke by phone and agreed to cooperate through OPEC+ to help stabilize the global oil market. The Kremlin said both men expressed serious concern about the worsening military and political situation, the civilian toll and the destruction of strategic infrastructure.
Calls for de-escalation multiply
UN secretary-general António Guterres warned that the world is on the edge of a broader war that could engulf the Middle East and have serious consequences globally.
“The conflict is already being felt everywhere,” he said. Guterres pointed to the impact on freedom of navigation, warning that when Hormuz is choked, “the poorest and most vulnerable in the world cannot breathe.” He said the cycle of death and destruction must stop.
In Beijing, Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi said the U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran violate international law. He made the comments after phone calls with his counterparts in the EU, Germany and Saudi Arabia. Wang also said the UN Security Council should prevent further escalation.
Pechino separately called for an immediate end to the hostilities after Trump’s latest remarks.
French president Emmanuel Macron, speaking during a state visit to Seoul, said Trump cannot keep contradicting himself from one day to the next. He called any military operation to force open Hormuz unrealistic, saying it would take too long and expose ships to the coastal capabilities of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, including ballistic missiles and other risks.
Macron also accused Trump of weakening NATO by creating daily uncertainty over Washington’s commitments. “Too much is being said, and everything is confused,” he said. “We all need stability, calm, a return to peace. This is not a show.”
British prime minister Keir Starmer and Italian premier Giorgia Meloni also spoke on the phone, with Downing Street saying both stressed the urgent need for de-escalation in the Middle East. Their conversation took place alongside a virtual ministerial meeting hosted by London on the Hormuz file.
Air strikes, drones and casualties continue
The British RAF said its air-defense units shot down several Iranian drones in the Middle East while protecting allied countries in the Gulf. The UK defense ministry said the RAF Regiment operated in a high-risk area amid heavy Iranian activity in response to U.S. and Israeli airstrikes. Typhoon and F-35 jets, along with Wildcat helicopters, also flew multiple missions in the region.
Iranian news agency Fars reported that Mohammadali Fathalizadeh, commander of a special unit within the Revolutionary Guards’ ground forces, was killed in yesterday’s attacks. The unit had previously fought in Syria.
In Lebanon, the health ministry said 27 people were killed and 105 wounded in the last 24 hours in Israeli strikes. Since the war began, Lebanon’s death toll has reached 1,345, according to the ministry. Haaretz reported that a member of the municipality of Zebdin in southern Lebanon was killed together with his family in an early-morning strike on a four-story building. Power outages were also reported in parts of southern Lebanon after air raids.
The death toll in Iran is also mounting. The human rights NGO Hrana said at least 1,606 civilians have been killed since Israeli and U.S. air raids began on February 28, including at least 244 children. Hrana said the figure reflects only incidents that were recorded and verified in its database.
Security fears spread beyond the front line
The U.S. embassy in Baghdad warned American citizens to leave Iraq immediately, saying pro-Iranian militias could launch attacks in central Baghdad within 24 to 48 hours. The embassy said Iran and aligned militias have already carried out widespread attacks against U.S. citizens and U.S.-linked targets across Iraq, including in the Kurdistan region.
The warning said potential targets could include Americans, companies, universities, diplomatic facilities, energy infrastructure, hotels, airports and other places seen as associated with the United States, as well as Iraqi institutions and civilian sites. The mission in Baghdad remains open, but the embassy strongly discouraged visits to either the Baghdad embassy or the consulate in Erbil.
Vienna says no to U.S. overflight requests
Austria said it has refused all U.S. requests to use its airspace for military overflights since the conflict began, citing its neutrality. The Austrian government told AFP that such requests had been rejected from the start.
Defense ministry spokesman Col. Michael Bauer said, “There were indeed requests, and they were rejected from the outset.” He added that when it concerns a country at war, the answer is no.
Iran insists on its own version of events
Iran’s ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency, Reza Najafi, told AFP that Tehran has not resumed uranium enrichment after the U.S. and Israeli attacks on nuclear facilities in June 2025. He dismissed U.S. accusations as a lie, calling them “a very big lie, like the others.”
Tehran also said that Mojtaba Khamenei is in perfect health after the strikes and argued that not appearing in public during wartime is standard practice. The foreign ministry said the absence of public appearances does not indicate any problem.
Separately, the Iranian human rights lawyer and activist Nasrin Sotoudeh was arrested at her home, according to a post by her daughter Mehraveh Khandan. Security forces reportedly seized laptops and mobile phones, and the family was not told where Sotoudeh is being held.
Sotoudeh’s last comment on the war was blunt: a government that spent half a century shouting death slogans against this or that country has now put its own people at risk of death. Which, sadly, is a fairly efficient summary of where things stand.
