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As Mideast conflict widens, US says attacks on Iran will last weeks and intensify
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As Mideast conflict widens, US says attacks on Iran will last weeks and intensify

  • By JON GAMBRELL, MELANIE LIDMAN and SAMY MAGDY - Associated Press
  • Updated

The war in the Middle East spiraled further as Israel and the U.S. pounded Iran. U.S. President Donald Trump said the campaign would likely take several weeks, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the “hardest hits are yet to come.” Tehran and its allies hit back Monday against Israel, neighboring Gulf states and targets critical to the world’s energy production. The intensity of the attacks, the killing of Iran's supreme leader, and the lack of any apparent exit plan indicated the conflict would not end anytime soon. Israel launched retaliatory attacks in Lebanon after Hezbollah fired missiles at it, and an Israeli military official did not rule out another ground invasion.

Hegseth insists the Iran conflict is 'not endless' while warning more casualties are likely
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Hegseth insists the Iran conflict is 'not endless' while warning more casualties are likely

  • By MICHELLE L. PRICE and KONSTANTIN TOROPIN - Associated Press
  • Updated

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has spoken to widening concerns the U.S.-Israeli strikes in Iran could spiral into a protracted regional conflict by declaring: “This is not Iraq. This is not endless.” Hegseth and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Dan Caine on Monday held the Trump administration’s first news briefing since Saturday’s strikes. Trump, Hegseth and Caine haven't suggested any exit plan or offered signs the conflict would end anytime soon. They've said more American casualties are likely following the deaths of six service members. Hegseth says the operation is meant to eliminate the threat of Iranian ballistic missiles, destroy the country’s navy and ensure “no nukes.”

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The Latest: Trump says Iran war could last weeks, US citizens in dozens of countries urged to leave

  • By The Associated Press
  • Updated

The war in the Middle East has spiraled further as Israel and the U.S. pounded Iran, while Tehran and its allies hit back. Iran has long threatened to drag the region into total war, including targeting Israel, the Gulf Arab states and the flow of crude oil crucial for global energy markets. All of these came under attack on Monday. The intensity of the attacks, the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and the lack of any apparent exit plan indicate the conflict will not end anytime soon. The Iranian Red Crescent Society says at least 555 people have been killed in Iran so far by the U.S.-Israeli campaign.

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FACT FOCUS: Misrepresented images spread after US and Israel strike Iran

  • By MELISSA GOLDIN - Associated Press

As the U.S. and Israel continued to strike Iran on Monday following a major attack over the weekend that killed Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, misrepresented images related to the war spread widely online. They presented years-old footage as current, falsely claimed that U.S. military vehicles had been destroyed and erroneously claimed to show casualties of the war.

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In Their Words: How Trump's and his administration's statements on Iran evolved and conflicted

  • By MICHELLE L. PRICE, BEN FINLEY and WILL WEISSERT - Associated Press

President Donald Trump and his team have given shifting and sometimes conflicting reasons for striking Iran, even as they claim the mission a total success. After the first round of strikes on Iran in June 2025, the president and his top aides said U.S. bombs had “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear program. But, in the runup to this weekend's new round of attacks, Trump and leading administration officials warned again that Iran was close to a bomb. Trump has also changed his mind on regime change. After mocking it in the past, he's warmed to the idea.