Kamal Ghorui
US President Donald Trump has said he is prepared to escalate US military action against Iran dramatically following coordinated American and Israeli strikes, warning he could “go long and take over the whole thing” if Tehran attempts to rebuild its nuclear or missile programmes.“I can go long and take over the whole thing, or end it in two or three days and tell the Iranians: ‘See you again in a few years if you start rebuilding [your nuclear and missile programs],’” Trump told Axios in a five-minute phone interview from Mar-a-Lago. In a separate video address announcing what he called “major combat operations”, he urged Iranians to “seize control of your destiny” and rise up against the Islamic leadership that has ruled since 1979, adding: “When we are finished, take over your government. It will be yours to take. This will be probably your only chance for generations.”The strikes, launched jointly by the US and Israel during the holy month of Ramadan, targeted Revolutionary Guard command facilities, air defence systems, missile and drone launch sites and military airfields, according to US officials. Early attacks appeared to hit near the offices of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, who has not been seen in public since the operation began.Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed there were “growing signs that Khamenei is no longer around” and said strikes had targeted his compound. In a televised address, Netanyahu said Israel had eliminated senior IRGC commanders, nuclear officials and other regime figures, and promised to hit “thousands of targets of the terror regime” in the coming days. He thanked Trump for his “historic leadership”, calling him “a leader who keeps his word”.Earlier, Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, told NBC News that Khamenei and President Masoud Pezeshkian were alive “as far as I know”, describing the attack as “unprovoked, illegal and absolutely illegitimate”.Iranian state media, citing the Red Crescent, said at least 201 people were killed and more than 700 injured. In southern Iran, local officials reported dozens killed, including at a girls’ school allegedly struck in the fighting. The US military said it had suffered no casualties and only minimal damage at regional bases despite “hundreds of Iranian missile and drone attacks”.Tehran retaliated with missiles and drones targeting Israel and US installations in Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar, while air defences were activated across the region. The United Nations Security Council convened an emergency meeting, and the International Atomic Energy Agency said it was monitoring the situation and had seen no evidence of radiological impact.
