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Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has described his country’s confrontation with the United States as a “full-scale war” as Washington expands its military strikes across Iran and Tehran retaliates with attacks targeting US-linked positions in the region.
“The reality is that today the Islamic Republic of Iran is engaged in a full-scale war,” Pezeshkian said, according to a statement from the presidency.
He added that Iran must “be realistic and accept the natural consequences of this resistance,” as hostilities between the two countries continue to intensify.
The latest escalation follows the collapse of a weeks-long ceasefire agreement signed in June, with both sides resuming attacks that have raised concerns over regional stability and global energy supplies. Oil prices climbed to a one-month high as fighting returned around the Strait of Hormuz, a critical shipping route that previously carried about one-fifth of global oil supplies.
US strikes on Monday targeted several locations in northern and central Iran, including areas further away from the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian authorities said the attacks affected provinces hosting military installations and air defence systems.
In Bushehr province, home to Iran’s only operational civilian nuclear power plant, Governor Mohammad Mozaffari said several locations in Bushehr city were hit by what he described as American projectiles.
In East Azerbaijan province, local crisis management chief Majid Farshi told state news agency IRNA that one person was killed and several others injured in an attack.
Despite the renewed military confrontation, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said diplomatic contacts with Washington through intermediaries were continuing.
“Ideas have been conveyed to us by certain mediators,” Baghaei told reporters in Tehran, adding that discussions remained ongoing.
Meanwhile, tensions around the Strait of Hormuz have increased, with maritime authorities reporting that sailors abandoned a vessel after it caught fire in an attack. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards also claimed that two oil tankers attempting to cross the waterway had been hit.
The United States Central Command said it had completed a ninth consecutive night of strikes against Iran, while US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington would continue pursuing a diplomatic solution.
The latest fighting has also resulted in additional US military deaths, with three fatalities and one missing service member reported over the weekend. The deaths bring the confirmed number of American military personnel killed since the conflict began to 17.
Iran has also expanded its retaliatory operations beyond its borders, with the Revolutionary Guards claiming attacks on targets in Syria, Jordan and Kuwait.
The Guards said it targeted a US-linked command centre in Syria’s Al-Tanf region and struck military facilities in Jordan and Kuwait. Kuwait’s military said its air defences were responding to drone attacks following what it called Iranian aggression.
Bahrain also reported activating air raid sirens and urged residents to move to safe locations as regional tensions continued to rise.
