US President Donald Trump warned on Saturday that bombing of Iran could intensify further, while Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian declared his country would never surrender despite a fresh wave of US and Israeli airstrikes that set part of Tehran’s airport on fire.
Israel said it had carried out some of the most extensive attacks since the aerial campaign began a week earlier. The strikes targeted a military academy, an underground command centre and a missile storage site. Images taken before dawn showed flames and thick smoke rising from Mehrabad International Airport in Tehran, one of the capital’s two main airports.
“Today Iran will be hit very hard!” Trump posted on his Truth Social media platform.
“Under serious consideration for complete destruction and certain death, because of Iran’s bad behaviour, are areas and groups of people that were not considered for targeting up until this moment in time.”
Iranian President Pezeshkian struck a defiant tone in a speech broadcast on state TV in which he appeared to address Trump’s demand on Friday for “unconditional surrender”.
Iran’s enemies “must take their wish for the unconditional surrender of the Iranian people to their graves,” Pezeshkian replied.
Iran also hit back on Saturday, demonstrating that it retains the ability to launch missiles and drones despite the relentless targeting of its military infrastructure over the last seven days.
There were air raid alerts and explosions heard above Jerusalem as well as Gulf cities Dubai, Manama and near Riyadh – where Saudi Arabia intercepted a ballistic missile fired at an air base housing US military personnel.
The UAE said it had intercepted 15 ballistic missiles and 119 drones on Saturday, but video footage showed one projectile crashing into Dubai airport, the world’s busiest for international traffic in usual circumstances.
An explosion took place next to an airport building and parked planes close to a passing train, mobile phone footage authenticated by AFP showed.
Jordan also accused Iran of “targeting vital installations” inside the country with 119 missiles and drones over the last week, according to military spokesman Mustafa Hayari.
Pezeshkian issued an apology to his Gulf neighbours, which host major US military bases, saying that they would only be targeted if their territories were used as launch sites for attacks.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards also said they had fired at the oil tanker Prima in the Gulf as it attempted to cross the narrow Strait of Hormuz, a key chokepoint for global shipping that Iran has effectively closed.
Rising human toll
The war entered its second week after joint US-Israeli airstrikes last Saturday killed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, triggering a widening regional confrontation.
Fighting has since expanded beyond Iran to include Lebanon and has affected countries such as Cyprus, Turkey and Azerbaijan. Clashes have also extended to waters near Sri Lanka, where US forces reportedly sank an Iranian warship.
Inside Iran, infrastructure and residential areas have suffered growing damage, and residents of Tehran say anxiety is rising as security forces increase their presence in the city.
“I don’t think anyone who hasn’t experienced war can truly understand it,” a 26-year-old teacher told AFP anonymously. “When the bombs fall, you never know where they will land.”
Iran’s health ministry said on Friday that at least 926 civilians had been killed and about 6,000 injured since the conflict began, although those figures could not be independently verified.
Meanwhile, Israel has expanded airstrikes in Lebanon, repeatedly hitting and ordering evacuations in the southern suburbs of Beirut, an area strongly influenced by the Iran-backed group Hezbollah.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz warned Lebanese President Joseph Aoun that Lebanon would face severe consequences if Hezbollah was not disarmed.
Lebanon’s health ministry reported that Israeli strikes have killed at least 217 people over the past week. Prime Minister Nawaf Salam warned that the country could soon face a humanitarian crisis.
Global repercussions
The conflict’s impact is also being felt worldwide. Global stock markets have fallen while oil prices have surged amid fears of prolonged instability and disruption to energy supplies.
Trump has rejected renewed diplomatic talks with Tehran and reiterated that the only acceptable outcome would be Iran’s “unconditional surrender.”
He also suggested the United States could help rebuild Iran’s economy if a new leader “acceptable” to Washington replaces Khamenei.
Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations, Amir Saeid Iravani, rejected that notion, saying the country’s leadership would be chosen according to its constitution and the will of its people without outside interference.
Although Iran has launched retaliatory strikes across the Middle East, its allies China and Russia have largely stayed out of the conflict despite their ties with Tehran.
Russian President Vladimir Putin called for an immediate ceasefire during a phone conversation with Pezeshkian, according to the Kremlin.
Meanwhile, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said Washington was not concerned by reports that Russia might be providing Iran with intelligence about US troop movements.
The conflict has already claimed the lives of six American service members. Trump is expected to attend a transfer ceremony for their remains at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware on Saturday.
With inputs from agencies
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