The Iran war intensified on Tuesday as the US and Israel carried out another round of airstrikes on Tehran, raising concern over Trump's shifting goals. Israel warned civilians to leave the Hakimiya Industrial Zone and areas near Payam Airport in Karaj, saying military targets there were under attack.
The warning came after overnight strikes wiped out major government and security sites in Tehran, Israeli officials said. Several US embassies across the region were put on high alert after consulates came under attack in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. The State Department ordered the evacuation of non-essential staff and their families from Kuwait, Bahrain, Iraq, Qatar, Jordan, and the United Arab Emirates.
War Intensifies
No senior administration official appeared publicly over the weekend as Trump addressed the nation twice, laying out a mission aimed at dismantling Iran's leadership and killing Ali Khamenei, while openly pushing for regime change.
Trump initially said the war would last four to five weeks, but later warned it could drag on "far longer." He adopted a tougher tone, saying "the big wave hasn't even happened," and dismissed Iran's calls for peace talks with a blunt "Too late," posted on Truth Social.
Meanwhile, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, speaking on Capitol Hill after briefing lawmakers, appeared to suggest in a striking admission that Israel had effectively forced the United States into action.
"We knew that there was going to be an Israeli action. We knew that that would precipitate an attack against American forces. And we knew that if we didn't preemptively go after them before they launched those attacks, we would suffer higher casualties," he told reporters on Monday.
Speaking on Fox News on Monday night, JD Vance said the goal was to make sure Iran "cannot have a nuclear weapon." He insisted there was "just no way" Trump would allow the country to be drawn into a long, open-ended conflict with no clear objective.
Adding to the uncertainty, a White House official said on Tuesday that the operation had three main aims: eliminating the threat from Iran's ballistic missiles, its missile production industry, and its navy. Iran's nuclear facilities and regime change were notably not included.
Trump's Plans Unclear
Trump is facing increasing criticism from prominent conservative voices, including Megyn Kelly and Tucker Carlson. "There is nothing unpatriotic or unsupportive of one's conservatism or general adherence to MAGA-type principles to say, 'I would like to be better convinced that this is worth the sacrifice of American blood and treasure,'" Kelly said on her show.
Carlson said, "This is Israel's war. This is not the United States's war. This war is not being waged on behalf of American national security objectives, to make the United States safer or richer... This war is waged purely because Israel wanted it to be waged."
Trump rejected claims that Israel pushed the US into action, telling reporters at the White House that "I might have forced their hand." He said Iran was preparing to strike first and that the US and Israel "were ready."
The US has urged citizens to leave more than a dozen Middle Eastern countries, but widespread airspace closures have left many stranded. A government source said more than a million Americans are believed to be in the region who are unsafe right now.
The U.S. Embassy in Saudi Arabia issued a security alert shortly after 8 a.m. EST, warning of "imminent" missile and drone attacks over Dhahran, a key oil hub and home to Saudi Aramco's headquarters.
"Do not come to the US Consulate. Take cover immediately in your residence on the lowest available floor and away from windows. Do not go outside," the warning said.
Iran has also launched drone attacks on the US's largest Middle East base and warned that "the gates of hell will open."
Iran's military said Tuesday it was attacking Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, which hosts up to 10,000 troops and serves as the main forward headquarters for U.S. Central Command. There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage.
The war has fast spread across the Middle East, with Iran launching hundreds of drones at Israel, US bases, and regional allies, including Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates.
