Donald Trump warned Iran “will be hit hard” after Tehran described the United States’s demand for an unconditional surrender as a “dream that they should take to their grave”.
The US president was responding to his Iranian counterpart, Masoud Pezeshkian, who on Saturday morning apologised for attacks on Iran’s neighbours after a week of intense missile fire.
Trump said on Truth Social that Iran’s pledge to halt strikes was a result of “the relentless US and Israeli attack”, and framed the apology as a sign Tehran had already surrendered.
“Iran is no longer the ‘Bully of the Middle East,’ they are, instead, ‘the loser of the Middle East,” he wrote, adding that he was considering the “complete destruction” of new “areas and groups of people” over Iran’s “bad behaviour”.
Smoke billowed high over the Iranian capital on Saturday as Israel said it had begun a broad wave of strikes. The Trump administration has warned that the “biggest bombing campaign” of the eight-day war is still to come, as an American B1 bomber landed at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire.
Britain pushed to bolster its defences in the region as the ministry of defence said the UK was preparing the HMS Prince of Wales aircraft carrier before a possible deployment to the Middle East. If deployed, it could join the Type 45 destroyer HMS Dragon, which is due to be sent to protect a UK military base in Cyprus.
Iran’s ambassador to the UK warned Britain to be “very careful” about involvement in the burgeoning conflict in the Middle East.
Seyed Ali Mousavi told the BBC that Tehran would have a “right to self-defence” if the UK does join in offensive actions with Israel and the United States.
At least 1,230 people in Iran, more than 200 in Lebanon and around a dozen in Israel have already been killed, according to officials in those countries. Six US soldiers have also been killed.
Despite the rare apology from Tehran, Iran stepped up strikes against Israel and Gulf countries hosting US forces on Saturday, saying it would only hit those working with the US in future.
Pezeshkian said Iran will “no longer attack neighboring countries or launch missiles unless an attack on Iran originates from those countries”. Iran’s foreign ministry added that ‘defensive operations’ against US military bases and facilities in the region should not be interpreted as hostility against regional countries.
Tehran on Saturday claimed an attack on the American base in Juffair, Bahrain, as the island told residents to shelter. Qatar’s ministry of defence separately claimed it had eliminated a missile threat “which targeted the State of Qatar”.
The president of the UAE Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan said his country was in a “time of war” in his first public comments since the hostilities. Air defences engaged to intercept a missile threat in the afternoon.
Passengers waiting for flights at Dubai international airport, the world’s busiest international travel hub, were taken into train tunnels at the sprawling airfield after an alert sounded. Video footage showed that a drone strike appeared to hit an area near the airport.
Long-haul carrier Emirates later resumed operations, after briefly suspending all flights to and from Dubai. Authorities have not explained if there was an interception or damage at the airport. Thousands of Americans remain stranded across the Middle East, with criticism mounting as the Trump administration over its planning.
Earlier, Iran’s UN ambassador said the country would “take all necessary measures” to defend itself. Footage showed explosions and smoke rising over western Tehran as Israel said it had begun a broad wave of strikes.
Also early on Saturday, loud booms sounded in Jerusalem and incoming missiles from Iran had people heading to bomb shelters across Israel. There were no immediate reports of casualties by Israel’s emergency services.
Meanwhile, Israeli warplanes have also targeted Beirut and Tehran. Death tolls continued to rise on Saturday with at least 1,230 people killed in Iran, more than 200 in Lebanon and around a dozen in Israel, according to officials. Six US troops were reported killed.
Israel claimed to have destroyed 16 Iranian aircraft belonging to the IRGC’s Quds Force in overnight attacks on Tehran. Donald Trump added that US strikes have destroyed 42 Iranian naval vessels.
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