US President Donald Trump has vowed to continue the “mission of justice” against Iran until “all objectives are met,” adding that more American soldiers would likely die in the process.
In a video posted to his Truth social account on Sunday, President Trump reframed the war against Iran as a response to an existential threat to the United States, saying, “An Iranian regime armed with long-range missiles and nuclear weapons would pose an imminent threat to all Americans.”
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President Trump and his administration officials repeated similar statements ahead of Saturday’s attack that killed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei and several senior members of the country’s leadership.
But so far no evidence has been presented that Iran is developing long-range missiles capable of attacking the United States or that it is close to developing a nuclear weapon.
Iran has long denied searching for such a weapon, and experts estimate that even if it did search for a nuclear weapon, it would still be years away. The United States launched the attack alongside Israel amid ongoing negotiations between the United States and Iran over its nuclear program.
President Trump also mentioned three U.S. military personnel confirmed killed on Sunday amid Iran’s regional retaliation.
“As a nation, we mourn the true American patriots who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country while continuing the mission of justice for which they gave their lives,” President Trump said.
“And sadly, something more could happen before it’s over,” he said. “That’s what it is. It could probably be more, but we’ll do everything possible if it’s not.”
He added, “But America will avenge their deaths and deal the most punitive blow to the terrorists who essentially waged war against civilization.”
No mention of diplomacy
The speech was in sharp contrast to several interviews Trump gave throughout the day, in which he appeared to distance himself from diplomacy.
“They want to talk, and I’ve agreed to talk, so I’m going to talk to them,” Trump told The Atlantic, referring to what the newspaper described as Iran’s “new leadership.”
“We should have offered something very practical and easy to do sooner. We waited too long,” he said.
A White House official confirmed to Al Jazeera that President Trump intends to engage with Iran’s new leaders.
Early Sunday morning, Iran announced the formation of a three-member interim leadership council to run the government in the wake of Khamenei’s killing. These include President Masoud Pezeshkian and Supreme Court Chief Justice Gholam Hossein Mohseni Ejei. and Guardian Council member Ayatollah Alireza Alafi.
President Trump acknowledged that some of the negotiators involved in negotiations with the United States were subsequently killed.
Some analysts argue that Iran’s new leadership is likely to be wary of engaging with the Trump administration, given its track record. The United States launched attacks alongside Israel during the U.S.-Iran negotiations last June.
Some experts say the new leadership could instead pursue a long-running conflict that could be politically damaging to President Trump.
“Most of those people are gone,” Trump told The Atlantic. “Some of the people we were dealing with are gone because it was a huge hit.”
attack continues
In his speech on Sunday, President Trump made no mention of any diplomatic overtures, instead calling for regime change in Iran.
He once again granted amnesty to members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), Iranian military and police who had “relinquished” their weapons. If they don’t, he said, they will face “certain death.”
He also called on “Iranian patriots who yearn for freedom to seize this moment to be brave, daring and heroic and take back their homeland.”
He appeared to be referring to his threat to attack Iran in January in response to the government’s crackdown on protesters.
“I made a promise to you and I delivered on that promise,” Trump said. “The rest is up to you. We’ll help you.”
President Trump spoke as fighting continued across the region.
The U.S. military command for the Middle East (CENTCOM) announced early Sunday that three U.S. military personnel had been killed, but did not provide further details. Five other people suffered “serious injuries” during the operation, the statement said.
US media reported that those killed in the Iranian attack were based in Kuwait. Iran also launched a barrage of attacks against Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Bahrain, and Oman.
Meanwhile, at least 201 people were killed and 747 injured in Iran, and at least nine people were killed and 121 injured in Israel.
At least one person has been killed in Kuwait, three in the UAE and two in Iraq since the outbreak began.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said early Sunday that it had targeted the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln with four ballistic missiles, but U.S. officials told Al Jazeera there was no damage.
In a separate Fox News interview on Sunday, President Trump said 48 “leaders” had been killed in Iran, but the full list of those killed had not been made public. In a post on Truth Social, the president said the United States had “destroyed and sunk nine Iranian naval vessels,” including some relatively large and important vessels.
“In another attack, we destroyed a large part of the naval headquarters,” he said.
In a post to X, CENTCOM said the IRGC “no longer has a headquarters.”
Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Iran’s military command had been suspended and its forces were acting in an “independent and somewhat isolated” manner. He said they were acting “on the basis of general instructions given in advance.”
Still, Arraguchi told ABC News, “I believe there are no limits to how far we can go to protect our own people and protect our people.”
