Trump vows to escalate war as divisions in Iran emerge

WASHINGTON— Signs of division emerged in Iran’s leadership on Saturday as U.S. and Israeli strikes continued to hit targets across the country, with Tehran sending mixed signals about whether it would continue to attack Washington’s Arab allies as the war entered its second week.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian began the day by “apologizing on behalf of Iran to the neighboring countries affected” and vowed to halt attacks that have affected nearly every country in the Middle East. However, the strikes that hit Qatar, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates continued within a few hours, and Pezeshkian immediately made a statement and walked back his words.

President Trump said on social media:It hit Iran very hard” on Saturday, shortly before flying to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware for the honorable transfer of six soldiers killed in battle.

Speaking at a summit of Latin American leaders in Miami before his trip to Delaware, the president said the fallen soldiers were “heroes who came home differently than they thought they would.” He said it was a “very sad situation” and vowed to keep American war deaths “to a minimum.”

And Israel has launched its own new wave of attacks against Iran as it returns fire from Hezbollah, Iran’s ally in Lebanon, sirens blaring in Tel Aviv. Reports of a fire at a major oil refinery outside Tehran have sparked fears of a further escalation of the conflict; This, if confirmed, would mark the first attack on Iran’s energy infrastructure.

The weekend’s activity underlined that the unexpected war that Trump, along with Israel, launched with Iran just a week ago continues in full force with no signs of slowing down.

Iran’s missile and drone attacks on Arab countries, targeting US military assets in the region as well as civilian targets including hotels and airports, were an effort by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to pressure regional governments to pressure Trump to end US airstrikes. The strikes shook markets around the world and caused oil prices to rise.

While attacks decreased significantly throughout the week, U.S. Central Command recorded a 90% drop in ballistic missile launches and an 83% drop in drone strikes as of Friday. Iranian attacks still impact regional air defenses. A drone crashed into the world’s busiest airport in Dubai on Saturday, dashing hopes that flights could resume from the regional hub.

Hours after Pezeshkian’s apology, the Iranian Foreign Ministry issued a statement that attacks on areas hosting US strike forces would continue. Iran’s Defense Ministry said its strategic ammunition stockpile is sufficient to sustain a protracted operation. And a Revolutionary Guard spokesman issued a statement directed at Trump, calling him a “corrupt island man,” citing his former friendship with sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, who allegedly trafficked girls to his private island.

“We have the ground and map of the war,” the Revolutionary Guard official said. “This will continue.”

In his videotaped speech, Pezeshkian also rejected Trump’s call for Tehran’s “unconditional surrender.” Trump later said he would be happy to reach a point where Iran could no longer resist.

“Iran’s unconditional surrender is a dream they will take to their graves,” Pezeshkian said.

A member of Iran’s Assembly of Experts, a council of 88 clerics responsible for determining the country’s religious leader, was quoted in local state media as promising to elect a new ayatollah within the next day, more than a week after US and Israeli forces assassinated Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in the opening salvo of the war.

Trump has previously rejected the late religious leader’s son Mujtaba Khamenei, who is seen as his successor, saying he expects a say in this decision.

Mojtaba Khamenei is seen as even more ideological than his father, who has deep ties to Iran’s security apparatus and a potential vendetta against Trump soon after US forces killed most of his family.

Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, Ali Larijani, who previously served as chief advisor to the late Khamenei, said in his first statement since the Ayatollah’s killing that the assassination was unprecedented. “The cost of this is not small,” Larijani said.

“They should not think that we will allow America to quickly sweep this under the rug and say, ‘We hit it, now let’s move on,’” Larijani continued. “Things will only be resolved when they realize that they no longer have the right to violate Iran and compensate the Iranian people for their losses.”

According to Iranian officials, more than 1,200 people have been killed in Iran since the war began.

Larijani said, “He killed and martyred our leader.” “We won’t let this go.”