Trump Calls Killing Iran’s Leaders His Duty as a President and American Military Campaign Expands

President Donald Trump cast his role in the military campaign against Iran in terms of personal duty and historical honor on Friday, declaring on social media that as the 47th president, it was his obligation and privilege to be killing Iranian leaders he described as “deranged scumbags.” US and Israeli military forces continued the relentless bombing of Tehran throughout the day and into the night, as the wider conflict expanded across Lebanon, the Gulf, and Iraq. Casualty figures climbed on all sides with no signs of any imminent end to the fighting.
Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed in a Washington press conference that combined US and Israeli forces had struck more than 15,000 enemy targets since the start of the war, at a rate exceeding 1,000 per day. Israel alone reported more than 200 individual strikes in the most recent 24 hours against Iranian missile launchers, weapons sites, and air defence systems. Late Friday, Trump announced the complete military obliteration of Kharg Island, Iran’s primary oil export terminal, and warned that its oil infrastructure would be targeted next if Iran continued to disrupt Strait of Hormuz shipping.
Tehran has been transformed into a city of constant bombardment since the conflict began with Israel’s killing of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Residents described buildings shaking, streets filled with rubble, and power cutting in and out. A retired professor pleaded for international intervention, describing sick family members unable to leave and fuel too scarce for escape. A shopkeeper in central Tehran counted six explosions in one hour and said the bombs had become so powerful and continuous she could no longer even hear the drones approaching.
The war has now touched virtually every country in the Middle East. Lebanon recorded over 600 deaths and 800,000 displaced, with eight more killed in an Israeli strike on Sidon. Hezbollah launched rockets at northern Israel, injuring about 60. Saudi Arabia intercepted close to 50 Iranian drones. Qatar issued Doha evacuation warnings before a missile interception. Two Omanis died in drone crashes. Dubai’s financial district sustained damage. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards launched new coordinated attacks on Israel in the name of al-Quds Day.
Iran has reported over 1,300 deaths. The United States has lost 13 service members, including six killed in a tanker aircraft accident over Iraq. France lost a soldier in Iraq to a pro-Iranian militia drone. Iran’s new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei was described by US officials as wounded and hiding underground after being disfigured in a strike. European governments quietly sought diplomatic channels with Tehran, aiming to secure safe passage for commercial ships through the blockaded Strait of Hormuz, through which about a fifth of the world’s oil and gas supplies flow.