Iran, US, Israel war: Donald Trump says Iran’s new leaders in Tehran have been killed

US President Donald Trump said that the attacks in which Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and his family were killed highlighted a new wave of leaders who have now been eliminated.

In a meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz at the White House on Tuesday, Mr. Trump said he was concerned that continued forays by the United States and Israel to eliminate Iran’s leadership threats would eventually leave them with no option for a cohesive governing group.

“Most of the people in our minds are dead,” Mr. Trump told the assembled media.

“We now have another group, according to reports they may have died too. So a third wave is coming. Very soon we won’t know anyone.”

Mr. Trump said he was concerned that groups trying to seize the country’s leadership would be as “bad” as previous rulers and were forced to strike because of growing intelligence that Iran was about to launch an attack.

“I think the worst case is that we do this and someone takes over who is just as bad as the last person. Right, could that happen? We don’t want that to happen. The worst would probably happen, you go through it and in five years you realize you hired someone who is no better.”

“We were having meetings with these crazy people and it seemed to me that they were going to attack.

Asked if he pressured Israel to attack the United States, Trump added, “I could actually force Israel’s hand.”

The war in southern Lebanon between the Israeli army and Iran-backed Hezbollah intensified overnight; Israel continued to send missiles to Iran and Beirut.

Hezbollah responded with a fleet of attack aircraft sent to Israel, raising suspicions that they might respond with a ground attack similar to those during the war with Hezbollah in 2024.

The death toll in the conflict, which spread across multiple borders, exceeded 800, and as images of burning oil refineries in the region appeared in the press, it caused a wave of sales in global markets, with stocks and bonds losing value and oil and gas prices rising.

The closure of the crucial Strait of Hormuz threatens oil supplies to the rest of the world; Iran threatens to “burn” all ships trying to cross this strait.

Due to attacks on production facilities and tankers and Iran’s threats to shut down tankers

Here are some of the latest developments in the conflict:

US State Department raises warning

The State Department warned US citizens to leave 14 Middle Eastern countries immediately.

These include Iran, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Syria, Yemen and the Palestinian territories.

The State Department is also evacuating nonessential personnel and their families from Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.

South Lebanon

Israeli defense minister Israel Katz said the country’s forces were ordered to advance and take control of additional strategic points in Lebanon to prevent Hezbollah attacks on Israeli border communities.

death toll

The Iranian Red Crescent Society announced that the death toll has risen to 787 since the US-Israeli attacks began on Saturday.

The Pentagon said that six US soldiers were killed in the conflict, while the Lebanese health ministry said that at least 31 people died in the conflict.

According to the New York Times, at least 10 people have died in Israel since Saturday, while six people have died in the Gulf.