Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Tuesday would be the most intense day yet of U.S. strikes inside Iran as the Islamic Republic, its firepower diminished, vowed to fight on.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt will hold a briefing at 2 p.m. EDT. Watch it live in our video player above.
President Donald Trump, for his part, has sent contradictory signals about how long the war could last, causing wild swings Monday in financial and fuel markets. The U.S. stock market and oil prices were holding relatively steady Tuesday.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meanwhile said the war’s aim is a popular overthrow of Iran’s government, and “we are breaking their bones.”
WATCH: Iran’s Araghchi calls U.S. strikes a ‘failure’ and vows to fight ‘as long as it takes’
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf dismissed any suggestion of seeking a ceasefire, while another top Iranian security official, Ali Larijani, warned Trump himself, writing on X that “Iran doesn’t fear your empty threats. Even those bigger than you couldn’t eliminate Iran. Be careful not to get eliminated yourself.”
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