Israel strikes 6 airports across Iran; Tehran’s military command warns US, sends message to ‘gambler’ Trump

The Israeli military announced on Monday that it had launched strikes on six airports across western, eastern, and central Iran, according to Reuters. In response, a spokesperson for Iran’s military central command described US President Donald Trump as a “gambler,” declaring that while Trump may have ignited the conflict, it would be Iran that brings it to an end. In a video statement, he said, “Mr. Trump, the gambler, you may start this war, but we will be the ones to end it.”

On the US front, President Trump warned Tehran against retaliating after American military action reportedly “completely and totally obliterated” Iran’s critical nuclear infrastructure. Trump stated that Iran now faces a choice between “peace or tragedy,” and emphasized that if Iran opts for further aggression, future US strikes would be even more severe and easier to execute. He referred to Iran as the “bully of the Middle East” and urged it to pursue peace.

Addressing the UN Security Council during an emergency session on Sunday, Iran’s UN Ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani said that Tehran had repeatedly cautioned the US against getting entangled in such a conflict. He asserted that Iran’s military would determine the appropriate “timing, nature, and scale” of its response to the US strikes on its nuclear sites. Iravani also accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of manipulating US policy, alleging that Netanyahu had pushed Trump into engaging in another costly and unfounded war on behalf of Western interests.