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President Donald Trump declared on Truth Social that senior Iranian military leaders had been "terminated" in what he described as a "massive strike in Tehran," as Israel signaled a significant escalation was imminent and Iranian commanders issued sweeping warnings of region-wide retaliation if the assault intensifies.
Trump's post, directed at Iran's military leadership, whom he accused of leading the country "poorly and unwisely," came after he had renewed a 48-hour ultimatum demanding Iran reopen the Strait of Hormuz or face what he called "all Hell" raining down upon it. The ultimatum drew a swift, defiant response from Iran's central military command.
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General Ali Abdollahi Aliabadi, speaking for the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, Iran's top military command, dismissed Trump's deadline as "a helpless, nervous, unbalanced and stupid action," warning that "the simple meaning of this message is that the gates of hell will open for you."
A separate spokesperson for the same command widened the threat, warning the United States and Israel not to push further. "Do not forget that if aggression expands, the entire region will turn into a hell for you," the spokesperson said, adding that "the illusion of defeating the Islamic Republic of Iran has turned into a swamp in which you will sink."
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that Israel had struck Iran's steel industry and petrochemical plants, framing the targeting of those facilities as a way to deny Tehran the industrial capacity to manufacture weapons, though the claim has not been independently verified. Separately, the Israeli military extended its state of emergency, keeping schools on remote learning and barring large public gatherings, with officials offering no timeline for a return to normalcy.
More significantly, Israeli military officials have been briefing the Israeli press that a fresh round of escalation is being planned, with diplomatic channels now assessed to have failed. The briefings indicate that Israeli forces are awaiting a green light from President Trump to strike Iran's power grid and energy infrastructure, in what messaging within Israel is describing as a potential final act in the conflict.
That framing, however, omits a competing reality: Israelis themselves have absorbed sustained Iranian attacks throughout the conflict, and a growing chorus of critics argues the war is being prosecuted without a clear political strategy or any coherent vision for how it ends.
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