Dubai: US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said Tuesday will be the most intense day yet of US strikes inside Iran as the Islamic Republic, its firepower diminished, vowed to fight on. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, meanwhile, said we are breaking their bones and said the war’s aim is a popular overthrow of Iran’s government.
Our aim is to bring the Iranian people to cast off the yoke of tyranny; ultimately, it depends on them, Netanyahu said.
US President Donald Trump, for his part, sent contradictory signals about how long the war could last, causing wild swings Monday in financial and fuel markets.
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf dismissed any suggestion that Tehran has sought a ceasefire.
Here is the latest
Hegseth says Tuesday will be the most intense day of strikes inside Iran
Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth told reporters Tuesday morning from the Pentagon that today will be yet again our most intense day of strikes inside Iran.
Hegseth’s statement came shortly after he said that the last 24 hours have seen Iran fire the lowest amount of missiles they have fired yet.
Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said at the same news conference that the US military is moving into the 11th day of its operation against Iran.
Qatar intercepts a missile attack
Qatar’s Defence Ministry reported that it has intercepted an incoming missile.
Qatar had warned the public to stay inside Tuesday afternoon out of concern for an incoming Iranian attack.
Also, the United Arab Emirates said that its air defences had been activated to intercept incoming fire from Iran.
An Iranian security official threatens Trump
Iranian security official Ali Larijani wrote a message on X after US President Donald Trump threatened to attack Iran TWENTY TIMES HARDER if Tehran stopped oil flowing through the Strait of Hormuz.
Larijani wrote 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.
Iran has been accused of plotting attempts to kill Trump in the past.
Revolutionary Guard official makes an oil threat
A spokesman for Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard has threatened not to allow a single litre of oil to leave the Persian Gulf.
Ali Mohamad Naeini has made a comment in a statement.
He says Iran will not allow the export of even a single litre of oil from the region to the hostile side and its partners until further notice.
Their attempts to reduce and control oil and gas prices will be temporary and ineffective, he said. Trade in wartime conditions is subject to security considerations.
UK military warns of possible ship attack off Abu Dhabi
A ship likely came under attack in the Persian Gulf off the coast of the United Arab Emirates’ capital, a centre run by the British military, it says.
The possible attack on the bulk carrier would expand the radius of ongoing assaults against shipping by Iran during the war.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations centre reported the incident, saying a captain aboard the vessel reported seeing a splash and heard a loud bang in close proximity to a bulk carrier.
Russia’s mediation offer remains on the table’
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov says Russia remains ready to help broker an end to the war in the Middle East.
Following Russian President Vladimir Putin’s call Monday with US President Donald Trump, Peskov said that Russia’s mediation offers are still on the table.
He told reporters that Russia is ready to provide assistance to the best of its ability and will be happy to do so.
New attacks on Tehran
Israel’s military says it has launched new airstrikes targeting Iran’s capital, Tehran.
Witnesses reported hearing several explosions in the city as the Israelis began their airstrikes.
Bahrain reports missile and drone attacks
The Persian Gulf country was attacked with three missiles and a drone as Iran keeps up its strikes in the Middle East, authorities said.
One strike hit a residential building in Bahrain’s capital, Manama, killing a 29-year-old woman and wounding eight others, the Interior Ministry said.
