TEHRAN (BN24) — Iran issued a stark warning to U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday, vowing to end the war he initiated and expanding its list of legitimate military targets after American forces bombed key nuclear facilities inside the country.
Labeling Trump a “gambler” for joining Israel’s military campaign, Iranian military spokesman Ebrahim Zolfaqari declared that Iran will have the final word in the conflict.
“Mr. Trump, the gambler, you may start this war, but we will be the ones to end it,” Zolfaqari said in English in a video statement from Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya military command.
Though Iran has continued to launch missile attacks against Israeli cities, it has so far refrained from direct retaliation against U.S. military bases or targeting oil traffic near the Strait of Hormuz, where nearly 20% of global oil supply passes.
The Iranian warning came a day after Trump suggested toppling the regime in Tehran, marking a sharp shift from prior U.S. assurances that the mission was limited to halting Iran’s nuclear program.
“It’s not politically correct to use the term ‘Regime Change,’ but if the current Iranian Regime is unable to MAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN, why wouldn’t there be a Regime change??? MIGA!!!” Trump wrote on social media Sunday.
Meanwhile, the U.S. military confirmed it had launched massive airstrikes on Iran’s Fordow nuclear complex, using bunker-buster bombs in an operation codenamed Midnight Hammer. Satellite imagery and defense analysts reported extensive damage to the uranium enrichment facility buried deep inside a mountain, though independent verification remains incomplete.
Trump called the strike a “Bullseye,” boasting that “monumental damage was done to all nuclear sites in Iran,” including sites at Natanz and Isfahan.
While Iran has not yet retaliated against the U.S. directly, it has continued retaliatory missile attacks on Israel. Iranian strikes have killed 24 civilians and injured hundreds in what Israeli officials called the most successful missile penetration of its air defense in history.
On Monday, Israel said it had conducted a fresh wave of airstrikes, with around 20 fighter jets hitting military infrastructure in Kermanshah and Tehran, including radar installations and missile launchers. Explosions were reported in central Tehran, and sirens rang out in Tel Aviv overnight.
Iran claimed that over 400 civilians have been killed in Israeli strikes since the conflict began on June 13, with many residents fleeing the capital for safety.
Though its rhetoric remains fiery, Iran’s military options appear increasingly constrained. Israeli victories in Lebanon led to the collapse of Hezbollah, once considered Iran’s most potent proxy. In Syria, Iran’s top client, President Bashar al-Assad, was ousted in a pro-Western coup weeks earlier, further isolating Tehran.
Now, Iran’s most formidable response could be economic warfare: closing the Strait of Hormuz, a move that would trigger a global oil crisis. Oil prices spiked above $80 per barrel on Monday before retreating slightly, a signal of market unease.
Iran’s parliament approved a measure to authorize closure of the strait, pending review by the Supreme National Security Council, which is headed by an appointee of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
However, such a move would bring direct confrontation with the U.S. Navy, whose Fifth Fleet is stationed in Bahrain.
“It’s economic suicide for them if they do it,” U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned. “And we retain options to deal with that.”
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said Monday that diplomacy is off the table until Iran retaliates. Speaking in Istanbul, he confirmed meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow later in the day to coordinate positions. Russia, a strategic partner of Iran, also maintains close ties with Israel, making its role in the crisis pivotal.
“There will be no return to diplomacy until Iran’s sovereignty is respected,” Araqchi declared. “We are considering all options.”
As tensions escalate across the region and world leaders urge restraint, Tehran’s message remains unwavering: Iran will choose the battlefield, the timing, and the scope of its response — but a response is coming.
