President Donald Trump’s hunger for control in Iran has led to an all-out war that killed Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during initial military strikes. Despite some success, the war does not seem to be coming to an end, and Trump may be losing his grip.
In the initial hours of the war, both Israel and the US pounded the Islamic Republic with military strikes. However, the outstanding display of power was so successful that it killed the potential successors, who could have succeeded as the Supreme Leader.
Ali Larijani, a top security official in Iran, tweeted, “We will not negotiate with the United States.” In the meantime, the war is not slowing down as nearby Middle Eastern countries were hit by missile strikes, including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the UAE.
🚨 REPORTER: What about the school hit in the US–Israel strike on Iran?
ISRAEL AT UN 🇮🇱: We don’t have info. Some say it was IRGC.
A country with precise intel on Khamenei’s location can’t confirm who hit a school full of children?
THE MASK IS OFF. THE WORLD IS WATCHING. 🌍💥 pic.twitter.com/5dplmGg4iu
— Mr Sharma (@sharma_views) March 3, 2026
However, it seems that the war in the past couple of days has spiraled out of control, as death tolls continue to rise on both sides. To make the war more unpredictable, Iran has come up with a mosaic defense that complicates the joint strikes by the US and Israel. According to Business Today, following Khamenei’s death, the regional analysts noted a new fragmented design in their military, dividing them into 31 independent, largely autonomous units.
This eliminates the delay for tactical decisions from higher-ups, giving commanders the autonomy to make decisions as they see fit. Hence, nearby nations have been taking hits at random. But what makes this move tactically ingenious is that it forces Trump and his administration to carefully plan their next move.
Since Middle Eastern countries are taking heavy missile strikes from Iran, it is clear that they are targeting US-owned properties in the Middle Eastern countries. Additionally, Israel’s repeated strikes have led Iran to choose chaos.
Thus, they attacked the Tanura refinery in Saudi Arabia, which has the capacity to produce half a million barrels of crude oil a day. A drone had also struck an oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman, killing one mariner.
This move is risky for Iran because it could either force the neighboring countries to join the US and Israel or, consequently, crush resistance. On the other hand, it could strain their relationship as they repeatedly pleaded with Trump not to declare war.
⚡️BREAKING
The US contacted Iran, asking it to allow Israel a symbolic strike to save face, an Iranian official told the Cradle pic.twitter.com/VxLyOm5XlH
— Iran Observer (@IranObserver0) April 16, 2024
Since Iran is attacking countries like Iraq, Qatar, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and more, all of them will turn to America for help. With the U.S. already facing strain on its weapons stockpiles, it will be providing security to certain countries. Hence, it can be assumed that Tehran is raising the war costs by attacking the oil fields.
In a separate report from the BBC, Trump might be desperately hoping for a Venezuela-like outcome, where the protests will force the regime to change. This new regime will align with the US government and do as Trump orders. However, that option might not be possible because most of their candidates were taken out.
Additionally, they will have to restructure the entire government because replacing the top officials will not be enough, and existing members of the government will have to be replaced, making this option unlikely.
The war between Iran and the U.S. will likely continue for quite some time.
