Pete Hegseth, the US Defense Secretary, on Tuesday (local time) said that Tuesday will be the most intense day yet of strikes inside Iran as the latter vowed retaliation, AP reported.
Hegseth made these remarks at the Pentagon. Speaking to reporters, he said, “Today will be yet again our most intense day of strikes inside Iran.” His statement came shortly after another statement, in which he said that Iran, in the last 24 hours, has fired the least amount of missiles so far.
At the same briefing, Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said US military operations against Iran had entered their 11th day.
“We are breaking their bones”: Israeli PM
Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said “we are breaking their bones,” adding that the aim of this war is a popular overthrow of Iran’s government.
Netanyahu said the goal is to encourage Iranians to free themselves from what he described as oppressive rule, adding that such a change ultimately depends on the Iranian people.
Iran chooses new supreme leader
The developments come a day after Iran announced a new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s son, to take his position, after he was killed in an airstrike on 28 February, the day the US and Israel targeted Iran’s military and naval forces.
US President Donald Trump had consistently maintained that Khamenei’s son’s appointment is “unacceptable” to him, adding that he would like to be part of the process of appointing someone who could work with the US after Iran’s “unconditional surrender.”
Hours after Mojtaba’s appointment was announced, Trump said that he is “not happy.”
Iranian security official threatens Trump
According to a AP report, Iranian security official Ali Larijani threatened Trump, saying, “The sacrificial nation of Iran doesn’t fear your empty threats. Even those bigger than you couldn’t eliminate Iran. Be careful not to get eliminated yourself.”
Larijani’s remarks came after Trump threatened to attack Tehran “TWENTY TIMES HARDER” if it stopped oil flowing through the Strait of Hormuz.
US-Israel, Iran war
The conflict in the Middle East has now escalated and entered its 11th day with no signs of easing off so far. The US launched strikes days after Washington and Tehran concluded the third round of talks regarding the latter’s nuclear program. The conflict has plunged the Gulf region into a wider confrontation, with Iran attacking US military bases and Israel in retaliation.
The conflict has sent shock waves through the aviation sector, with hundreds of flights canceled over the past 11 days amid airspace restrictions in the Middle East. Additionally, global energy markets were sent for a toss after Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) announced the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, an arterial corridor in the Middle East that accounts for nearly 20% of the world’s oil supply.
On Monday, Trump hinted that the conflict could end soon; however, it remains to be seen when it will actually happen.
