Donald Trump Threatens Heavier Strikes As Masoud Pezeshkian Vows Resistance

United States President, Donald Trump, has threatened to intensify military strikes against Iran as Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian vowed that his country would never surrender despite ongoing bombardment by US and Israeli forces.

The latest escalation came after fresh air strikes reportedly set parts of Tehran’s Mehrabad International Airport ablaze as the war entered its second week.

Trump issued the warning in a post on his Truth Social platform on Saturday, signalling the possibility of broader attacks on new targets.

Trump wrote, “Today, Iran will be hit very hard!

“Under serious consideration for complete destruction and certain death, because of Iran’s bad behavior, are areas and groups of people that were not considered for targeting up until this moment in time.”

Israeli authorities also confirmed some of the largest raids since the conflict began, saying strikes targeted a military academy, an underground command centre and a missile storage facility.

Pre-dawn photographs showed flames and thick smoke rising from Tehran’s Mehrabad International Airport, one of the main airports serving the Iranian capital.

In response, Pezeshkian rejected Trump’s earlier demand for “unconditional surrender”, insisting that Iran would continue to resist.

“Iran’s enemies must take their wish for the unconditional surrender of the Iranian people to their graves,” he said during a speech broadcast on state television.

Iran also launched retaliatory missile and drone strikes across the region, triggering air raid alerts and explosions in Jerusalem and several Gulf cities, including Dubai and Manama.

Saudi Arabia reportedly intercepted a ballistic missile fired at an air base near Riyadh that houses US military personnel.

The United Arab Emirates said it intercepted 15 ballistic missiles and 119 drones on Saturday, although footage showed one projectile crashing near Dubai airport.

Jordan also accused Iran of targeting vital installations inside its territory with missiles and drones over the past week.

Amid the tensions, Pezeshkian apologised to Gulf neighbours hosting US military bases, saying they would only be targeted if attacks were launched from their territories.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards also claimed responsibility for firing at the oil tanker Prima in the Gulf as it attempted to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global shipping route.

The strategic waterway has effectively been closed amid the escalating hostilities.

The conflict began with joint US and Israeli air strikes last Saturday that killed Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei.

Since then, fighting has spread beyond Iran to Lebanon and other parts of the region, including Cyprus, Turkey and Azerbaijan.

Israeli air strikes have intensified in Lebanon, particularly in Beirut’s southern suburbs where the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah operates.

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz warned Lebanon’s President, Joseph Aoun, that the country would pay a “very heavy price” if Hezbollah was not disarmed.

Iran’s health ministry said on Friday that at least 926 civilians had been killed and about 6,000 injured since the conflict began, although the figures could not be independently verified.

Lebanon’s health ministry reported that at least 217 people have been killed in Israeli strikes over the past week.

The conflict has also shaken global markets, pushing crude oil prices higher and sending stock markets lower amid fears the war could continue for weeks.

Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations, Amir Saeid Iravani, said Washington would have no role in choosing the country’s next supreme leader.

“The selection of Iran’s leadership will take place strictly in accordance with our constitutional procedures and solely by the will of the Iranian people, without any foreign interference,” he said.

Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin has called for an immediate ceasefire, according to the Kremlin.

The war has already claimed the lives of six US service members, with Trump expected to attend a transfer ceremony for their remains at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware on Saturday.