The third day of coordinated American and Israeli strikes against Iran unfolded with the sound of explosions echoing across central Iranian cities and sirens wailing from southern Israel to the north. What began as a high-intensity aerial campaign has rapidly expanded into a regional confrontation drawing in Gulf states, European powers, and armed groups along Israel’s northern border.
President Donald Trump set the tone in Washington with a blunt declaration: “We will fight as long as necessary and achieve the goals of this war.” He dismissed suggestions that the campaign would be brief or symbolic. According to his statements, the United States is pursuing four central objectives—neutralizing Iran’s missile capabilities, dismantling its naval forces, preventing any path to nuclear weapons, and ending its support for armed proxy groups across the Middle East. He also did not rule out ground forces, though he suggested such a move might not be required.
