U.S. President Donald Trump on Saturday threatened to intensify military strikes on Iran, while Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian vowed the country would never surrender despite a new wave of U.S. and Israeli air raids that set part of a Tehran airport ablaze.
Israel confirmed some of its largest attacks since the aerial bombardment of Iran began last week, targeting a military academy, an underground command centre, and a missile storage facility. Pre-dawn images showed flames and thick smoke rising from Mehrabad International Airport, one of the main airports serving the Iranian capital.
“Today Iran will be hit very hard!” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform, warning that additional targets previously spared could now face “complete destruction” due to what he described as Iran’s “bad behavior.”
Pezeshkian responded defiantly in a speech broadcast on state television, rejecting Trump’s earlier demand for “unconditional surrender.”
“Iran’s enemies must take their wish for the unconditional surrender of the Iranian people to their graves,” the Iranian leader said.
Despite sustained strikes on its military infrastructure over the past week, Iran demonstrated it could still retaliate, launching missiles and drones across parts of the Middle East. Air raid alerts and explosions were reported over Jerusalem, while projectiles were detected in cities including Dubai, Manama, and near Riyadh.
Saudi Arabia said it intercepted a ballistic missile aimed at an air base hosting U.S. forces. The United Arab Emirates reported intercepting 15 ballistic missiles and 119 drones, although video footage showed one projectile crashing into Dubai airport, causing an explosion near airport buildings and parked aircraft.
Jordan also accused Iran of targeting key facilities within its territory using missiles and drones over the past week, according to military spokesman Mustafa Hayari.
Pezeshkian issued an apology to Gulf states hosting U.S. military bases, saying they would only become targets if their territories were used to launch attacks on Iran.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards also reported firing on the oil tanker Prima as it attempted to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, a vital global shipping route that Tehran has effectively closed during the conflict.
The war, now entering its second week, began after joint U.S. and Israeli strikes last Saturday killed Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei. The conflict has since expanded across the region, affecting Lebanon, Cyprus, Turkey, and Azerbaijan, and even extending to waters off Sri Lanka where U.S. forces reportedly sank an Iranian warship.
Inside Iran, residents report mounting infrastructure damage and growing anxiety as security forces increase their presence in major cities.
“I don’t think anyone who hasn’t experienced war would understand it,” a 26-year-old teacher in Tehran told AFP anonymously. “When you hear the bombs, you have no idea where they will hit.”
Iran’s health ministry said Friday that 926 civilians had been killed and about 6,000 injured, though the figures could not be independently verified.
Meanwhile, Israel has intensified strikes in Lebanon, repeatedly targeting Beirut’s southern suburbs, an area where the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah holds influence. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz warned Lebanese President Joseph Aoun that Lebanon would pay a “very heavy price” if Hezbollah was not disarmed.
Lebanon’s health ministry said at least 217 people have been killed in Israeli air strikes over the past week, prompting Prime Minister Nawaf Salam to warn that a humanitarian disaster could be imminent.
The conflict’s impact has extended beyond the battlefield. Global stock markets have declined while crude oil prices have surged, amid warnings from analysts that the war could last for weeks.
Trump has dismissed renewed diplomatic talks with Tehran, stating on Friday that “there will be no deal with Iran except UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER.” He also suggested Washington could help rebuild Iran’s economy if a new leader acceptable to the United States replaces the late supreme leader.
Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations, Amir Saeid Iravani, rejected the idea, insisting Iran’s leadership would be determined solely by its constitutional process without foreign interference.
International calls for restraint have begun to emerge. Russian President Vladimir Putin urged an “immediate” ceasefire during a phone call with Pezeshkian, according to the Kremlin.
The United States has also confirmed that six American service members have been killed during the conflict, with Trump expected to attend a transfer ceremony for their remains at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware.
