A leaked National Intelligence Council report dated just before Operation Epic Fury began warns that the campaign faces significant risks of disaster

In a series of bold statements over the past week, Trump has declared that Iran is no longer the "bully" of the Middle East but has been reduced to the "loser," following a joint U.S.-Israeli operation that reportedly eliminated Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The strikes, part of what the White House has termed "Operation Epic Fury," have targeted Iran's ballistic missile capabilities, naval assets, proxy networks, and nuclear infrastructure, with Trump insisting the goal is to prevent Tehran from ever acquiring nuclear weapons.

Speaking in recent interviews and posts on Truth Social, the president has projected confidence amid the escalating conflict. "We want them to have a good leader. We have some people who I think would do a good job," Trump told NBC News, while in a Politico interview he emphasized, "I’m going to have a big impact, or they’re not going to have any settlement, because we’re not going to have to go do this again." He added that "people are loving what's happening" and described the actions as eliminating a major threat to the United States.

The conflict intensified after Khamenei's death, with Iranian retaliatory missile and drone attacks striking U.S. military bases in the Gulf region—impacting allies including the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, and Jordan—and causing explosions near major hubs like Dubai International Airport, as well as in Manama and Riyadh. Iran also targeted an oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz, prompting airspace closures and widespread regional disruptions. Casualties have mounted rapidly: Iranian sources report over 1,230 killed domestically, with additional deaths in Lebanon (at least 41 from Israeli strikes on Hezbollah), Israel (11), and six U.S. troops.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian issued a public apology to Gulf neighbors for strikes that hit civilian areas, stating in a video message, "I should apologize to the neighboring countries that were attacked by Iran, on my own behalf... From now on, they should not attack neighboring countries or fire missiles at them, unless we are attacked by those countries." He stressed diplomacy as the path forward but firmly rejected surrender, declaring that Iran's enemies "must take their wish for the unconditional surrender of the Iranian people to their graves."

Defiant rhetoric has also come from Iran's Parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who posted on X that Iran's fate would be decided solely by its people, not by external forces he derisively called "Epstein’s gang."The White House has outlined clear objectives: "destroy Iran’s ballistic missiles and production capacity, demolish their navy, end their ability to arm proxies, and prevent them from ever obtaining a nuclear weapon." Officials claim the regime is "being absolutely crushed," with Trump promising a "surge" in strikes and warning that Iran "will be hit very hard" in the immediate term.

However, a leaked National Intelligence Council report—dated just before the operations began—warns that the campaign faces significant risks of disaster. It assesses that regime change through military means is "unlikely," with Iran's leadership expected to survive via internal protocols and no viable opposition force capable of seizing power.

The conflict has drawn international reactions, including Britain's preparations to deploy an aircraft carrier to the region and the positioning of U.S. bombers at a UK airbase. Domestically in the UK, protests have erupted, with demonstrators clashing outside a London mosque and others marching on the U.S. Embassy chanting in support of Iran.

As explosions continue to rock Tehran—including strikes on Mehrabad International Airport—and the death toll rises, Trump has brushed aside concerns of a prolonged quagmire, signaling that the military pressure will persist until Iran's leadership capitulates or is fundamentally altered. The coming days are expected to bring further escalation, with the president indicating the "worst is yet to come" for the regime in Tehran.

17GEN4.com