Iran Vows ‘Eye For An Eye, Amid Reports Of 150 US Troops Wounded So Far
Iran Not Seeking Ceasefire
BY TYLER DURDEN
Summary:
- Reuters: AS MANY AS 150 US TROOPS WOUNDED SO FAR IN IRAN WAR
- CBS says US intelligence has begun to see indications Iran is taking steps to deploy mines in Strait of Hormuz shipping lane
- Divergent signals flying between Tehran and Washington: Witkoff says Trump “always willing to talk” to Iran, the question is whether or not it is worth it. Trump-Putin spoke Monday, and Putin-Pezeshkian spoke Tuesday. Meanwhile Tehran defiant: no ceasefire, vows maximum pain.
- Operation ‘mostly achieved goals’ – Trump says as WSJ reports officials seeking plans for offramp. Biggest airstrikes of the war.
- Tehran vows ‘eye for an eye’ if US-Israel hit infrastructure. Iran leaders on various levels sounding hawkish and not backing down.
- Oil/Energy: Iraq has shut down some oil wells, while Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia taking similar steps to curtail production. Qatar too: halted operations at several gas wells and shut down the liquefaction “trains” used to process natural gas for export.
- Qatar urges halt to attacks, quick return to diplomacy – Foreign Ministry: “Reaching the negotiating table quickly and halting attacks would serve the interests of the peoples of the region as well as international peace and security, in addition to strengthening global economic stability.”
- Pentagon claims “winning”: After ten days into Operation Epic Fury, Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth lists objectives that include destroying Iran’s missile infrastructure, defense industry, navy, and ensuring Tehran is “permanently” denied nuclear weapons.
- Trump’s mixed messaging as war could end ‘soon’ while saying Iran’s military is crippled, but also warns Tehran would be hit “20 times harder” if it disrupts oil traffic through the Strait of Hormuz. Signs of Washington officials looking for an offramp. A mere few days ago Trump stressed the US would stop at nothing short of Iran’s “unconditional surrender” – but that continues to look dubious.
- Iran rejects U.S. narrative: The IRGC says its missile program remains intact and claims it is firing larger salvos with heavier warheads, while officials insist Iran, not Washington, will decide when the war ends.
- Regional escalation especially in Lebanon: Heavy IDF fighting continues with Hezbollah in Lebanon, while Gulf states intercept missiles and drones, and all the while Iranian leaders say US and Israeli regime-change efforts have failed and vow to prepare for a “long war” – even involving those who host American bases in region.
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In an afternoon WH press briefing, Karoline Leavitt was pressured by reporters on the scope of the Iran operations, as well as whether Trump will allow the new supreme leader to rule, as well as questions on what Trump meant when days ago he laid out that the US will not stop operations until Iran’s “unconditional surrender”. She struggled on some of these, but offered little new or substantive. One new and very alarming development, however, also mentioned in the WH briefing room – and not denied by Leavitt – was the following fresh Reuters report:
As many as 150 U.S. troops have been wounded so far in the war with Iran, two people familiar with the matter told Reuters on Tuesday.
The figure has not been previously reported and is far higher than the Pentagon’s publicly disclosed figure of 8 seriously wounded U.S. forces.
And another big afternoon development: CBS’ Jim LaPorta reports that US intelligence assets have begun to see indications Iran is taking steps to deploy mines in Strait of Hormuz shipping lane.
LaPorta added that Iran is reportedly using smaller crafts that can carry 2 to 3 mines each. While Iran’s mine stock isn’t publicly known, estimates over the years have ranged from roughly 2,000 to 6,000 naval mines of Iranian, Chinese and Russian-made variants.
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Ten days of Operation Epic Fury have passed, and War Secretary Pete Hegseth asserted that the United States is “winning” against the “barbarian” Iranians, and that Tehran has been “racing” toward a nuclear bomb.
He listed in a Pentagon press briefing Tuesday morning that war objectives are to destroy missiles and the defense industrial base, to destroy Iran’s navy, and to ensure Iran can never obtain a nuclear weapon. He stressed that the goal includes to “permanently deny Iran nuclear weapons forever.“
He added: “We will not relent until the enemy is totally and entirely defeated.” This comes the day after President Trump said that he believes the war could end soon, even as Iranian officials signal they are preparing for a prolonged conflict.
AFP/GETTY IMAGES
“I think the war is very complete, pretty much,” Trump told CBS News. “They have no navy, no communications, they’ve got no air force.” Hours later in afternoon remarks from Florida, Trump warned that Iran would face massive retaliation if it tried to disrupt global oil flows, saying the United States would strike Tehran “20 times harder” if it attempted to block tankers in the Strait of Hormuz.
The Pentagon’s Tuesday morning briefing really emphasized steady destruction of Iranian missile sites – even underground ballistic launch bunkers – with heavy bunker busters. However, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has rejected Washington claims that its missile program has been destroyed, saying it is launching larger volleys of missiles with warheads weighing more than one ton.
Iran has continued retaliatory strikes on Israel and Gulf allies, including in Bahrain, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia. One person was killed in Manama and two others were killed in central Israel Monday into Tuesday.
While Israel’s military has heavily censored potential damage on the ground and the rate of Iran’s missile and drone attacks, unverified but widespread online accounts suggest it continues to get hit hard on a nightly basis.
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