In some of his most transcendent rhetoric yet, President Donald Trump implied on Friday that the military campaign against Iran carried a sense of divine purpose, calling it a great honor to be killing Iranian leaders as the 47th American president at a moment when Iran had been killing innocents for 47 years. He described Iranian leaders as “deranged scumbags” and promised a dramatic escalation in strikes in the coming days. The comments were made as bodies were being counted across Iran, Lebanon, Israel, Oman, and Iraq.
Iran has officially reported over 1,300 deaths since the war began with the Israeli killing of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Lebanon has counted more than 600 killed and 800,000 displaced. Israel has reported 12 deaths on its side. Thirteen US service members have died in the conflict, including six killed in a tanker aircraft crash in Iraq on Friday. A French soldier was also killed in Iraq by a pro-Iranian militia drone on the same day. Two people died in Oman in drone crashes. The total regional death toll continues to rise with every passing day.
US and Israeli forces have struck over 15,000 combined targets since the war began. Israel alone confirmed more than 200 strikes in the most recent 24 hours. Trump announced that US Central Command had obliterated every military installation on Kharg Island, Iran’s primary oil export hub, calling the operation one of the most powerful bombing raids in Middle Eastern history. He warned that the island’s oil infrastructure — and by extension Iran’s economic lifeline — would be struck next if Iran continued to disrupt Strait of Hormuz shipping.
The Gulf states continued to face Iran’s daily barrage. Saudi Arabia intercepted close to 50 Iranian drones. Qatar ordered Doha evacuations before a missile interception. Two died in Oman. Dubai’s financial district sustained building damage. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards launched new coordinated strikes on Israel with Hezbollah as part of al-Quds Day. Iranian state media showed senior officials including the foreign minister walking in Tehran’s streets amid the bombing, projecting an image of continuity despite the devastation.
Tehran’s residents painted a far bleaker picture than the official messaging. A 66-year-old retired professor described a city of shaking buildings, rubble, sick relatives who could not be moved, and fuel too scarce for escape. A 42-year-old shopkeeper described constant explosions, taped-up windows, and sleepless nights. Iran’s new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei was described by US officials as wounded, disfigured, and hiding underground. European governments sought quiet diplomatic channels with Tehran for Strait of Hormuz access. Trump’s warnings about striking Iran’s oil infrastructure left global energy markets in a state of deep and persistent uncertainty.