"Today Iran will be hit very hard!"

U.S. President Trump vowed to continue U.S. military operations against Iran, declaring in a Truth Social post:

Today Iran will be hit very hard! Under serious consideration for complete destruction and certain death, because of Iran’s bad behavior, are areas and groups of people that were not considered for targeting up until this moment in time.

Trump’s statement comes as the conflict enters its second week, following Iranian strikes on neighboring countries. The warning emphasizes potential expansion of U.S. targeting criteria, though exact locations or units were not specified.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian rejected Trump’s demand for unconditional surrender, calling it a “dream that they should take to their grave,” according to The Associated Press.

Pezeshkian said the temporary leadership council, installed after Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in joint U.S.-Israeli strikes on March 2, had agreed to halt attacks on other countries unless provoked. He added: “I should apologize to the neighboring countries that were attacked by Iran, on my own behalf. From now on, they should not attack neighboring countries or fire missiles at them, unless we are attacked by those countries. I think we should solve this through diplomacy.”

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi criticized the U.S. response, stating that President Pezeshkian's “openness to de-escalation within our region—provided that our neighbors’ airspace, territory, and waters are not used to attack the Iranian People—was almost immediately killed by President Trump's misinterpretation of our capabilities, determination and intent.”

Araghchi added that if the U.S. pursues escalation, “it is precisely what our Powerful Armed Forces have long been prepared for, and what he will get. Responsibility for any intensification of Iran's exercise of self-defense will lie squarely with the U.S. Administration.”

He also claimed that Trump’s week-long misadventure has already cost the U.S. military $100 Billion, in addition to the lives of young soldiers, and that the total economic cost will eventually reach ordinary Americans. Araghchi referenced the U.S. National Intelligence Council, saying it determined a war on Iran is destined to fail, and warned that military action will not improve the U.S. bargaining position.

Finally, he framed the conflict as “a war of choice pursued by a small cabal of 'Israel Firsters', and 'Israel First' always means 'America Last.'”