The Islamic Republic of Iran has survived wars, sanctions, and covert operations over more than four decades. But the joint US-Israeli offensive now in its seventh day represents something unprecedented: a direct, full-scale military assault aimed not just at degrading Iran’s capabilities but at destroying the government itself. President Donald Trump has made no secret of that ambition, demanding unconditional surrender and calling for ordinary Iranians to rise up.
The military campaign has deployed America’s most powerful conventional weapons. B-2 stealth bombers, the crown jewel of the US air arsenal, have struck deeply buried ballistic missile sites across Iran, dropping dozens of 2,000-pound penetrating bombs on hardened underground facilities. A large Iranian naval vessel used to launch drones was struck and possibly sunk. The defense secretary confirmed that an even larger escalation was imminent, while the IDF chief of staff promised additional surprises.
Iran has responded with the tools still available to it. The Revolutionary Guards launched waves of missiles and drones at Gulf states, targeting US military bases and energy infrastructure in Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Bahrain. Some strikes were intercepted; others caused damage. In Bahrain, hotels and a residential building were hit. In Lebanon, Hezbollah continued its rocket campaign against northern Israel and engaged Israeli troops near the border with anti-tank weapons.
The human toll of the conflict is staggering and still rising. More than 1,230 Iranians have been killed. Six American soldiers have died. Lebanon has recorded over 200 dead and nearly 800 injured since hostilities resumed. The most shocking single incident involves an airstrike on an Iranian girls’ school that killed more than 100 students, in what US military investigators now believe was likely an American strike. Iran’s internet has been throttled to roughly 1%, cutting off communication from the outside world.
The political dimensions of the conflict have also expanded dramatically. Trump has stated publicly that he wants to be involved in choosing Iran’s next supreme leader. Iranian state media reported that a leadership council had begun discussing how to convene the assembly responsible for making that selection. The UN human rights chief appealed to all sides to step back from the brink. He was largely ignored. The bombs kept falling.