Iran and Israel Trade Airstrikes for Second Day... US Says Fighting "Could End Within 2–3 Days"

[The Financial News] With the United States of America (US) and the State of Israel launching a new round of attacks on Iran following last year’s "12-day war," global attention is focused on when the current crisis will end. The State of Israel and Iran have exchanged airstrikes for two consecutive days, and US President Donald Trump said the situation could be resolved "within 2–3 days."
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF), which carried out airstrikes on Iran together with the United States of America (US) on the 28th of last month (local time), stated in a release on the 1st that it had attacked Iran for the second day in a row. The IDF claimed, "We are bombing western and central Iran, and there are about 30 targets." It went on to announce that it had conducted additional strikes "against ballistic missile facilities, missile launchers, military command centers, and air-defense systems held by Iran’s terrorist regime." In the previous day’s bombardment by the two countries, Iran lost key leaders including its supreme leader, the commander-in-chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), and the defense minister. The Iranian Red Crescent Society said that the airstrikes on the 28th caused damage in 24 of Iran’s 31 provinces, reporting that at least 201 people were killed and 747 were injured.
Immediately after the US–State of Israel airstrikes, Iran fired missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles (drones) at US military hubs in the Middle East—such as Dubai in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Doha in Qatar, and Manama in Bahrain—as well as at the State of Israel itself. Foreign media reported that Iran’s missile attacks continued on the 1st as well. In a statement that day, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) declared that it would "launch the largest retaliatory operation in its history." State-run broadcasters in Iran reported that the targets included 27 US bases in the Middle East, along with the State of Israel’s military headquarters and defense industrial complexes.
In an interview with US political outlet Axios on the 28th of last month, Donald Trump said, "We could go into a long war and take over all of Iran, or we could stop (the attacks) 2–3 days from now." Speaking about the airstrikes on Iran, he noted that "there are various ways to resolve this" and said it might take Iran "perhaps years" to recover from the current attacks. He added that they could "end this within 2–3 days and tell Iran, 'If you start rebuilding your nuclear and missile programs a few years from now, we’ll see you again,'" leaving open the possibility of halting the offensive soon.
The 12-day war that lasted from June 13 to 24 last year was led by the State of Israel, and the only strike the United States of America (US) publicly confirmed was the June 22 attack on nuclear facilities. In the current air campaign as well, the State of Israel is playing a leading role and is reported to have dropped about 30 bombs on the residence of Ali Hosseini Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader.
After Khamenei, who had ruled Iran for about 37 years, died, the Iranian government on the 1st formed a temporary committee of three members, including the president. This committee will temporarily perform the duties of the supreme leader. The next supreme leader is to be chosen by the Assembly of Experts, a body of 88 Islamic clerics. Shortly after the airstrikes on the 28th of last month, Donald Trump posted on the social media platform Truth Social, calling the situation "a single great opportunity for the Iranian people to take back their country" and urging an uprising to overthrow the regime.
On the same day, in a phone interview with CBS Broadcasting Inc. (CBS), Trump was asked whether there was a particular leader he wanted to see in charge of Iran. He replied, "I think so," adding that "there are a few good candidates." When asked who actually holds power in Iran after Khamenei’s death, he said, "I know exactly who it is, but I can’t say."


pjw@fnnews.com Park Jong-won Reporter