Iran war live: Trump claims goals nearing completion, vows to ‘finish job’

Iran war: Trump declares mission 70% done, vows complete victory

Muhammad Asghar | GlobalBeat

President Donald Trump said US forces had destroyed 70% of their Iranian targets and would finish the job regardless of cost.

The 47th president spoke from the White House after a sixth night of strikes that damaged major Iranian airfields, refineries and missile sites across 12 provinces.

The statement marked Trump’s first detailed assessment since ordering retaliatory attacks after Iran launched ballistic missiles at Israel last week. Israeli officials counted 42 impacts near Tel Aviv that killed 9 civilians and wounded 117 more.

“We started with a list. We are 70% through that list. We will reach 100%,” Trump told reporters. He ruled out sending American ground troops but warned Tehran against further retaliation.

Iran’s foreign ministry responded within the hour. Spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said the country would use “all available means” to defend itself and accused Washington of “naked aggression against a sovereign state.”

The exchange pushed global oil prices up 4.2% to $91.40 a barrel, their highest level since October. Brent crude futures rose an identical amount in London trading.

Regional airlines cancelled 127 flights through Gulf airspace on Tuesday, according to flight-tracking service FlightRadar24. Emirates, Qatar Airways and Turkish Airlines all suspended Tehran services indefinitely.

Pentagon officials briefed lawmakers behind closed doors on Capitol Hill. Senator Jack Reed, Democrat of Rhode Island, emerged saying the campaign had hit 340 separate targets since Thursday night. “The intensity is unlike anything we have seen in the region since 2003,” Reed told reporters.

Satellite images released by Maxar Technologies showed craters across the runway at Mashhad Shahid Hasheminejad Air Base, Iran’s second-largest military airfield. Secondary explosions were still visible on Monday at a fuel depotadjacent to the base, suggesting stored aviation gas caught fire.

Iranian state television broadcast footage of what it claimed was a successful missile launch against “the enemy’s strategic depth,” but provided no location or time stamp. The broadcast came hours after Trump addressed the nation.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu thanked Trump during a televised cabinet meeting in Jerusalem. “The United States has again proven it stands with the Jewish state when our security is threatened,” Netanyahu said. He added that Israel reserved the right to act independently if Iranian proxies in Lebanon or Syria opened new fronts.

European governments activated emergency protocols. The British Foreign Office advised all UK nationals to leave Iran and southern Iraq “by whatever commercial means remain available.” France closed its embassy in Tehran and evacuated 38 staff on a military transport to Abu Dhabi.

China’s foreign ministry called for restraint without naming either side. “All relevant parties should avoid any steps that could further inflame the situation,” spokesman Lin Jian said in Beijing. China buys roughly 8% of Iran’s oil exports and has invested $18 billion in Iranian infrastructure since 2021.

Russia dispatched Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov to Tehran for talks with Iranian officials. The Kremlin readout said both countries agreed the US strikes “undermine regional stability” but gave no detail on possible joint responses.

Market analysts warned of gasoline shortages if the Strait of Hormuz closes. Roughly 20% of globally traded oil passes through the 21-mile wide channel. “Any indication Iran will mine the strait sends prices above $120 within days,” said Amrita Sen of Energy Aspects in London.

Background

Tensions escalated after Iran tested a new solid-fuel missile on 27 March that flew 1,200 miles into the Indian Ocean. Israeli intelligence assessed the weapon could reach Tel Aviv in under eight minutes, prompting emergency air-raid drills nationwide.

Trump campaigned in 2024 on a pledge to prevent Iran obtaining nuclear weapons. He abandoned the 2015 JCPOA agreement during his first term and reimposed sanctions that cut Iranian oil sales by 1.5 million barrels per day. Talks in Vienna stalled in 2022 after Iran demanded guarantees no future US administration could again withdraw.

American and Iranian forces last engaged directly in January 2020 when a US drone strike killed Iranian general Qasem Soleimani at Baghdad airport. Iran responded by firing 22 missiles at US bases in Iraq, injuring 110 American service members but causing no deaths.

What’s Next

US Central Command has prepared a second wave of targets including IRGC naval bases on Qeshm Island and uranium enrichment halls at Fordow, according to two defense officials who requested anonymity. Trump must sign updated strike orders before aircraft launch, likely within 48 hours.