Three weeks of intensive US and Israeli bombing had not broken Iran’s capacity to wage war on multiple fronts simultaneously, as Saturday’s events made emphatically clear. Iranian forces launched ballistic missiles at the UAE, fired rockets at Israel, threatened Gulf energy facilities, called on Arab states to expel US forces, and maintained the closure of the Strait of Hormuz — all in a single day. The display of sustained military capability challenged the narrative, advanced by US officials, that Iran was “desperate and hiding” and running out of options.
The International Crisis Group’s Iran expert Ali Vaez offered a different assessment. Despite the loss of senior leaders in Israeli and US strikes, he said, the regime remained structurally intact. Its strategy was clear: survive the bombing, retain enough military capacity to stay in the fight, and prolong the conflict until a settlement could be reached on Iranian terms. That strategy was reflected in Iran’s daily operations, which had not diminished in scale or ambition despite weeks of devastating attacks on the country’s territory and infrastructure.
US warplanes struck Kharg Island on Saturday for the second consecutive day. President Trump said in public remarks the island had been effectively demolished, while calling on allied nations to send warships to the Strait of Hormuz. He named China, France, Japan, South Korea, and the UK, asking them to contribute to a coalition to reopen the waterway Iran had closed since February 28. Energy prices were approaching $120 per barrel, and analysts warned of a surge to $150 if the conflict continued destroying Gulf energy infrastructure.
Israel conducted dozens of airstrikes inside Iran, killing at least 15 people in Isfahan. Iran fired rockets at Israel simultaneously. Iranian missiles struck Fujairah in the UAE, suspending oil-loading operations. US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth claimed Iran’s leadership was “desperate and hiding” and suggested the newly installed supreme leader had been wounded. Iranian officials confirmed Khamenei’s injury but disputed its severity. The USS Tripoli and 2,500 additional US marines were heading to the region, adding to the American military posture without indicating any immediate plans for a ground operation.
The human and economic cost of three weeks of war was mounting relentlessly. More than 1,400 Iranians had been killed. Thirteen Israelis and roughly 20 Gulf residents had died. Lebanon’s crisis deepened, with 800 killed and 850,000 displaced from Israeli strikes on Hezbollah. The US embassy in Baghdad was struck and Americans in Iraq were ordered to leave. Six US troops died in an aircraft crash in western Iraq. Iran’s ability to continue fighting on all fronts despite the devastation it had suffered suggested the conflict was far from its final stages.
