Iran warns U.S. after nuclear site strikes: "we will end this war", labels Trump a “gambler”

Iran declared on Monday that the recent U.S. attack on its nuclear facilities has expanded the scope of legitimate military targets, sharply criticizing U.S. President Donald Trump for aligning with Israel’s military actions against the Islamic Republic.

Since Trump ordered massive bunker-buster bomb strikes on Iranian nuclear sites early Sunday, Iran has issued multiple threats of retaliation. However, it has so far limited its response to missile attacks on Israel, refraining from directly targeting U.S. bases or disrupting oil shipments near the Strait of Hormuz—through which 20% of global oil flows.

“Mr. Trump, the gambler—you may start this war, but we will be the ones to end it,” said Ebrahim Zolfaqari, spokesperson for Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya central military headquarters, in a recorded video statement delivered in English.

On Monday, Iran and Israel exchanged further air and missile strikes, while the international community braced for Iran’s full reaction.

The Trump administration maintains that its objective is solely to dismantle Iran’s nuclear program, not to escalate into a broader conflict. Yet, in a social media post on Sunday, Trump hinted at broader ambitions, suggesting a potential regime change.

“It’s not politically correct to say ‘Regime Change,’ but if the current Iranian Regime can’t MAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN, why not change it??? MIGA!!!” he posted.

Satellite imagery experts have assessed significant damage to Iran’s Fordow nuclear facility—built deep within a mountain—suggesting the site and its uranium enrichment centrifuges may have been destroyed, although independent confirmation is still pending. Trump hailed the strike as a “Bullseye!!!,” claiming “monumental damage” had been inflicted deep underground at multiple sites.

Israel Intensifies Its Campaign

Since launching a surprise attack on June 13 that reportedly killed several senior Iranian commanders, Israeli airstrikes have encountered limited Iranian resistance. On Monday, Israel stated that around 20 fighter jets had carried out overnight operations targeting military sites in Tehran and western Iran. In Kermanshah, missile and radar installations were hit, while a surface-to-air missile launcher was targeted in Tehran.

Iranian media reported that air defences were activated in central Tehran and that Israeli strikes had reached Parchin, a military complex southeast of the capital.

Tehran claims over 400 deaths—mostly civilians—from Israeli strikes, but has released minimal imagery of the aftermath. Much of the city, home to 10 million residents, has been evacuated as people flee to rural areas.

Iran’s retaliatory strikes have killed 24 civilians in Israel and injured hundreds. It marks the first time a significant number of Iranian missiles have breached Israeli defenses. On Monday, the Israeli military said it intercepted a missile from Iran, while air raid sirens echoed overnight in Tel Aviv and other cities.

Iran’s Options Diminished

Iran’s capacity for large-scale retaliation is now limited. Israel’s recent victory over Hezbollah in Lebanon—long seen as Iran’s most formidable regional proxy—has weakened Iran’s strategic reach. The collapse of Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad, another Iranian ally, has further isolated Tehran.

While Iran could attempt to restrict oil flow through the Gulf—one of its most potent economic weapons—markets have yet to panic. Oil briefly surged above $80 per barrel but later settled at $76.64, suggesting investors still see a way out of broader conflict.

Iran’s parliament has approved a proposal to shut the Strait of Hormuz, pending authorization from the Supreme National Security Council, led by an appointee of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. However, any such move could trigger massive global economic disruption and confrontations with the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet based in Bahrain.

“It would be economic suicide for them. And we have the means to respond,” U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned.

As Tehran deliberates, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi is expected to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Monday. While Russia is a key Iranian ally, it also maintains strong ties with Israel.

In a speech from Istanbul on Sunday, Araqchi said Iran would not return to diplomacy until it had exacted its response. Later, Russia’s TASS news agency quoted him saying that Moscow and Tehran were coordinating their positions.