Unlike US, Iran prepared for a long war: Larijani
Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC), Ali Larijani
Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC), Ali Larijani, says Iran did not initiate the current war, but it remains fully prepared to sustain a long-term conflict, unlike the United States.“Iran, unlike the United States, has prepared itself for a long war,” Larijani stated in a post on the social media platform X on Monday.Echoing historical precedents, Larijani added, “As in the past 300 years, Iran did not start this war, our brave armed forces have not engaged in a single offensive operation, acting solely in self-defense.”The Security Council chief pledged that Iran would “fiercely defend itself and its six-thousand-year-old civilization regardless of the costs,” promising that the enemies would “regret their miscalculation.”The remarks follow a fresh round of aerial aggression launched by the US and Israel on Saturday, marking a new escalation just eight months after previous unprovoked attacks on the Islamic Republic.Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei was assassinated in the first salvo of the terrorist attacks, even as Tehran was engaged in diplomatic talks with Washington over its nuclear program.Iran swiftly initiated retaliation, launching coordinated barrages of missiles and drones targeting Israeli-occupied territories and US military bases across the region.
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Reuters World News-Headings:
- The U.S.-Israeli air war against Iran expanded with no end in sight as Israel attacked Lebanon in response to strikes by Hezbollah.
- Iran conflict widens, Kuwait shoots down US jets in friendly-fire incident
- US announces its first casualties in Iran war; poll signals challenge for Trump
- Lebanon bans Hezbollah military actions after attack on Israel
- Forget OPEC+ output hike. Duration of Hormuz disruption is what matters
- Khamenei's death brings Khomeini's grandson into focus
- 36th anniversary of the death of the leader of Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, at Khomeini's shrine in southern Tehran
- Hundreds of Iranians cross border into Turkey, witness says
- Kapikoy Border Gate, between Turkey and Iran, in Van province
- Iranian-made drone hits British air base in Cyprus
- Flashes appear in the sky appear over RAF Akrotiri, as seen from Pissouri
- US aircraft leave Spain after government says bases cannot be used for Iran attacks
WP World News-Headings:
What to know
Anthony Faiola
- U.S. fighter jets downed: Three U.S. F-15E Strike Eagles went down late Sunday over Kuwait after being fired upon mistakenly by that country’s air defenses, U.S. Central Command said. All six crew members “ejected safely,” were recovered and were in stable condition.
- Hegseth speaks: “We didn’t start this war, but under President Trump we are finishing it,” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said days after Trump called upon Iranians to bring down a government weakened by U.S. strikes. Hegseth insisted in a press briefing that “this is not a so-called regime change war” or another “endless war,” but he would not set a time frame or rule out ground troops to complete American objectives of crushing Iran’s military power and ending its nuclear program, saying that “our ambitions are not utopian; they are realistic.”
- Israel strikes back at Hezbollah: The conflict zone expanded into Lebanon after Hezbollah initiated a rocket and drone attack on Israel. Israel struck the group’s stronghold in Beirut and targeted weapons storage facilities and other infrastructure, the Israeli military said.
- U.S. service members killed: Another U.S. service member died Monday of injuries suffered in the initial Iranian attacks, U.S. Central Command said, bringing to four the total number of American forces killed. Two U.S. officials had told The Washington Post that the three previous fatalities were members of a sustainment unit in Kuwait.
- Interim leadership in Iran: Iran announced Sunday that an interim leadership council was in place after the assassination of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Iran faces an opaque, fraught process — one complicated by the deaths of many senior officials in the initial attack and the ongoing war — to select a new leader.
- Iran reports more than 500 dead: Iran’s state broadcaster reported 555 killed in the ongoing airstrikes by the United States and Israel, citing figures from the Iranian Red Crescent Society. The Post could not independently verify the toll.
- Strikes across the region: In addition to Israel, eight other countries have reported attacks by Iran: Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.
