Iran launched a new wave of missile attacks on ‘Israel’ on Wednesday April 1, right after Donald Trump threatened to bomb the country “back to the Stone Age” in a televised address.
Speaking to the American public, Trump said Washington was close to achieving its war objectives, signaling a continuation of US-‘Israeli’ military operations despite rising casualties and regional instability.
“We’re going to bring them back to the Stone Age,” said Trump, describing the next phase of the war with Iran. Trump further warned that if no deal is reached, teh US will “hit each and every one” of Iran’s oil facilities, noting Washington has so far held back to allow the country to rebuild once the war is over.
READ: US shifts war objectives amid ‘strategic failure’ in Iran conflict – analyst
Shortly after Trump concluded his televised remarks, Iran launched another wave of missile and drone attacks that hit at least nine impact sites across the Tel Aviv metropolitan area. Several hits were also reported in Haifa, Bnei Brak, Upper Galilee and Eliat. Iranian officials said the missile launches were part of ongoing retaliation against sustained US-‘Israeli’ strikes. Esmail Baghaei, spokesperson for Iran’s Foreign Ministry, said Tehran would continue to respond as lock as attacks persist.
“Iran will not tolerate this vicious cycle of war, negotiations, ceasefire,” Baghaei said, rejecting the possibility of pausing military action under current conditions.
The escalation comes as strikes on Iran intensify. The country’s Health Ministry reported that a century-old medical research centre had been “severely damaged” in recent attacks, raising concerns about the targeting of civilian infrastructure.
READ: Iran warns of ‘heavy retaliation’ as US-‘Israeli’ attacks continue despite Trump ‘diplomacy’ claim
Iranian media also reported that Kamal Kharazi, a former foreign minister involved in back-channel diplomatic efforts, was seriously wounded in a strike on his home in Tehran.
Beyond ‘Israel’, Iran has continued launching attacks targeting sites linked to US and allied interests in the Gulf region, signaling a widening scope of the conflict.
Despite the intensifying military exchanges, Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian struck a more conciliatory tone in remarks directed at international audiences, saying Iran “harbors no hostility toward the people of the United States, Europe, or neighboring countries.”
To the people of the United States of America pic.twitter.com/3uAL4FZgY7
— Masoud Pezeshkian (@drpezeshkian) April 1, 2026
“For this reason, portraying Iran as a threat is neither consistent with historical reality nor with present-day observable facts. Such a perception is the product of political and economic whims of the powerful – the need to manufacture an enemy in order to justify pressure, maintain military dominance, sustain the arms industry, and control strategic markets,” said Pezeshkian.
“If a threat does not exist, it is invented,” he added referring to how Trump has portrayed Iran as a “nuclear threat” despite contradicting assessments from the CIA Director Tulsi Gabbard herself and Washington’s former counter-terror chief Joe Kent.
