Israel launched a fresh wave of airstrikes on Tehran and several other Iranian cities early Monday, just hours after President Trump suggested the possibility of regime change in the Islamic Republic. The escalation follows a weekend of coordinated U.S. and Israeli attacks that have pushed the conflict into a more volatile phase.
The Israeli military said it had identified new missile launches from Iran as its jets struck targets in central Tehran and the northwestern city of Tabriz. Sirens sounded across central Israel, although authorities later declared it safe for residents to leave shelters.
The strikes came one day after U.S. bombers and submarines attacked Iran’s key nuclear facilities at Fordo, Natanz, and Isfahan. While Trump claimed that the nuclear enrichment sites had been “obliterated,” Pentagon officials struck a more cautious tone, saying the damage was “severe” but that a full assessment would take time.
“The most significant damage took place far below ground level,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, likely referencing Fordo, a heavily fortified site buried deep in a mountainside. The U.S. military used bunker-buster bombs and submarine-fired cruise missiles in what officials described as a tightly coordinated operation.
Despite the high-profile nature of the attacks, top U.S. officials acknowledged they did not know the current location of Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile. Rafael Mariano Grossi, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said it appeared that Iran had removed sensitive nuclear materials before the strikes, though their new location remains unknown.
Iran has condemned the attacks in the strongest terms. Speaking at a press conference in Istanbul, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the United States had launched “a dangerous war” and warned that Iran would defend its people and interests “by all necessary means.” He did not specify whether Iran planned to retaliate against U.S. forces in the region.
The escalation drew widespread alarm from global leaders. U.N. Secretary General António Guterres, speaking at an emergency meeting of the Security Council, warned that the region risked “descending into a rathole of retaliation after retaliation.”
American military and intelligence officials reported signs that Iran-backed militias in Iraq and Syria were preparing to attack U.S. installations. More than 40,000 American troops and civilian personnel are currently stationed across the Middle East.
In Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu thanked President Trump for the U.S. strikes and said the Israeli military was “very close” to achieving its goals of neutralizing Iran’s nuclear and ballistic capabilities.
Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations, Amir Saeid Iravani, accused the United States of endangering its own security to “safeguard Netanyahu.” He called the attacks “a fabricated and absurd pretext” for war and condemned Washington for launching strikes while claiming to prevent nuclear proliferation.
As tensions escalated, global markets reacted with caution. Oil prices rose modestly on Sunday evening, reflecting trader anxiety over potential disruptions to supply routes, particularly in the Strait of Hormuz.
With diplomacy hanging by a thread and both sides signaling readiness for further action, the conflict appears poised to enter an even more dangerous phase. Whether the latest strikes lead to de-escalation or a broader war may hinge on Iran’s next move.
