President of the United States Donald Trump expressed a threat of complete destruction of Iran's energy infrastructure, as reported by CNN.
“We are capable of striking Tehran and other regions in such a way that the country's recovery will be virtually impossible. We do not want this, but we can destroy their energy system in just one hour — recovery will take about 25 years. Therefore, ideally, we would prefer not to do this,” Trump noted.
According to information from the Financial Times, U.S. actions have lost support among the Iranian opposition. Earlier, reform supporters within the country began to doubt the feasibility of U.S. attacks after the death of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei as a result of a joint strike by the U.S. and Israel. Initially, some Iranians hoped that this event would lead to the regime's downfall; however, mass bombings, destruction of infrastructure, and the death of over a thousand civilians changed public opinion.
“We should not have been bombed,” said a young Iranian woman after an explosion near her home.
“Our city and our country — this should not have happened. How is it that there was a peaceful change of power in Venezuela, but not here?” Amid the war, a sense of national unity and fears of the country's disintegration have intensified among parts of the population. As a result, many Iranians, who previously supported a change of power at any cost, have begun to emphasize the need for peace and stability, even if reforms come from within.
What else is happening?
U.S. intelligence agencies do not detect signs of an imminent fall of the ayatollahs' power in Iran, despite nearly two weeks of bombings, Reuters reports.
According to sources, most analysts agree that the country's leadership maintains control over the situation and the population. One informant pointed out the presence of “consistent analysis indicating that the regime is not under threat.” Therefore, finding an acceptable solution to end the war may be problematic if Iranian leaders do not lose power.
Sources also report that the Iranian leadership remains united despite the death of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. In closed meetings, Israeli officials have also noted that there is no confidence that the war will lead to the fall of the ayatollahs' power.
The Iranian Foreign Ministry confirmed that the new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei was injured as a result of a U.S. strike, but his condition is stable.
In the last 24 hours, Iran attacked six commercial vessels in the Persian Gulf, according to the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO).
Three of these vessels sustained significant damage, and one person died. Since the beginning of the conflict, Iran has attacked 13 commercial vessels in the region.
The Italian Ministry of Defense reported that a missile struck an Italian military base in Erbil, Iraq. The military was forced to take shelter in a bunker, and there were no casualties, Al Jazeera reports.
Earlier in the same region, a U.S. base was attacked using drones.
According to The Washington Post, the building of a girls' school in Iran that was struck during the U.S. and Israeli operation may have been mistakenly identified as a military facility.
According to one source, the building was identified as a factory, which served as the basis for the strike. Another informant indicated that there was a weapons depot near the school. However, it is unclear whether the strike on the school was accidental or a deliberate attack based on incorrect intelligence data.
Two Israeli officials denied any connection between the IDF and the attack on the school, claiming that this target was not discussed with the Israeli army. However, two sources confirmed that a preliminary Pentagon investigation indicates that the responsibility for the strike lies with the U.S.
State media report that drones attacked Kuwait International Airport.
According to the state news agency, several drones struck Kuwait International Airport.
The message on X states that the attack caused “material damage, but there were no casualties.”
Record Trump threatened Iran with the complete destruction of its energy infrastructure. Iranian opposition members no longer support U.S. attacks, first appeared on K-News.
