Iran vows prolonged conflict as U.S.-Israeli strikes intensify

2026-03-02 - 18:44

Iranian officials said Monday that Tehran had prepared for a prolonged confrontation and would continue targeting U.S. bases across the region, as fighting with the United States and Israel entered its third day and expanded across multiple fronts. Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, said Iran had “prepared itself for a long war” and was ready to endure a sustained conflict. “We will firmly defend ourselves and our civilization, regardless of the costs, and we will make our enemies regret their miscalculations,” he wrote on X. He added that Iran had not initiated wars in the past 300 years and that its armed forces act only in self-defense. Ebrahim Azizi, head of the Iranian parliament’s national security committee, said Tehran would continue striking U.S. bases in the region and suggested that countries seeking a resolution should expel American forces from their territory. Iranian state television reported that an 11th wave of missile attacks had targeted U.S. intelligence centers and military support facilities in the Gulf region. Iranian media also reported a powerful explosion near the Isfahan nuclear facility and a nearby air force base. Authorities in Iran’s Kurdistan province said 20 locations had been struck in recent hours, killing 23 people and wounding others. Iranian state television earlier reported that Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei had been killed in U.S.-Israeli strikes, while the official IRNA news agency said senior officials, including Ali Shamkhani and Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commander Mohammad Bagher, were also killed. There was no independent confirmation of those reports. The escalating rhetoric and exchanges of fire followed large-scale U.S. strikes inside Iran. U.S. Central Command said it had hit more than 1,000 targets, including what it described as Revolutionary Guard headquarters, as well as command centers, naval assets, and ballistic missile sites. A U.S. official cited by Axios said B-1 bombers carried out overnight raids on missile facilities and command-and-control centers. The chairperson of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said the operation would not end quickly and that further losses were expected. He added that U.S. strikes had secured air superiority and that additional forces were continuing to deploy to the Middle East. U.S. Central Command said four American service members had been killed since the start of the conflict after a critically wounded soldier died of his injuries. It also said three U.S. F-15E fighter jets were shot down by friendly fire over Kuwait during active operations. All six crew members ejected and were rescued in stable condition, and an investigation is under way. Iran has continued launching ballistic missiles at targets across the region. Israeli emergency services said 15 people were wounded in Beersheba after an Iranian missile strike. Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport announced a limited reopening of its airspace, with operations expected to expand gradually depending on security conditions. In the Gulf, Bahrain’s state news agency said air defenses had intercepted a new wave of attacks. Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported that Saudi Arabia had raised military readiness after the Ras Tanura refinery was targeted. QatarEnergy said it halted liquefied natural gas production following a military attack on its facilities in Ras Laffan and Mesaieed. Kuwait’s interior minister said the country’s military authorities were prepared to confront and prevent any hostile action threatening national security. U.S. Central Command accused Iran of launching ballistic missiles “indiscriminately” at both military and civilian sites. Britain confirmed it had allowed the United States to use its bases but said it was not at war. British officials said a drone struck the runway of the Royal Air Force base at Akrotiri in Cyprus, prompting renewed air raid sirens and the dispatch of fighter jets. Cyprus said it shot down two drones headed toward a British base and would seek assurances that the facilities would be used only for humanitarian purposes. Greece’s Kathimerini newspaper reported that Athens would send two frigates and F-16 fighter jets to Cyprus amid mounting security concerns. Germany said it would not participate in military operations against Iran. A European Commission spokesperson said the conflict did not pose “immediate concerns” for European Union oil and gas supplies, noting that storage levels were sufficient to meet winter demand. Oman said the door to diplomacy between Washington and Tehran remained open. Qatar’s Amiri Diwan said the emir of Qatar and the Russian president had stressed in a phone call the need to intensify diplomatic efforts to reduce tensions, with Moscow expressing readiness to provide support. UNESCO said an air strike on a girls’ primary school in the Iranian city of Minab constituted a violation of international law and expressed concern about the impact of the conflict on educational institutions. U.S. President Donald Trump said “the big wave has not happened yet and it will come soon,” adding that he did not want the operation to last long and that it was progressing faster than the four weeks he had initially anticipated.