Iran’s government has burst open its silence with a defiant, ominous statement in the aftermath of a massive coordinated air offensive by the United States and Israel. As plumes of smoke continued to rise from military sites in Tehran, Isfahan, and Karaj, speakers for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) have issued a message which is going all over the region: You (US-Israel) may have started this war, but we will be the ones to end it.
The statement issued on channels associated with the State, and shared by Ebrahim Azizi, the Chairman of Parliament's National Security Commission, shows us that the Islamic Republic is prepared for a prolonged, existential showdown rather than one of quick surrender.
A “Crushing” Response Underway
The rhetoric carried over to practice almost immediately. The IRGC confirmed the launch of a "first wave" of ballistic missiles and drones toward Israeli territory within an hour of the statement. According to reports, nearly 30 missiles were shot in the first volley intended to overwhelm Israel’s multi-tiered air defense system.
The Iranian leadership has called the joint US-Israel offensive dubbed “Operation Epic Fury” by the Pentagon an act of unprovoked aggression. While President Trump has characterized the strikes as a “preemptive” effort to dismantle Iran’s nuclear and missile industries, Tehran maintains that the action has crossed a “red line” that warrants, as is the case, a total regional reaction.
Leadership Underground, Resolve Intact
While there are speculations of a decapitation strike, Iranian state media (IRNA and Tasnim) have gone to great lengths to demonstrate consistency of the regime’s continuity. And though Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has been shifted to a secure, fortified area early Saturday morning, President Masoud Pezeshkian is said to be “safe and unharmed,” commandeering the national defense from headquarters, as reported by the news.
“The enemies think they can break the will of the Iranian people with bombs,” a high-ranking IRGC commander said. “They made a historic miscalculation. This is not the end; it is the beginning of their departure from West Asia.” Global Markets and Alliances on Edge. The “we will end it" announcement reverberated through global markets, as oil prices soared as investors worried about a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz or strikes on regional energy infrastructure nearby.
Meanwhile, Iranian proxies in Lebanon, Iraq, and Yemen are said to have been placed on “full combat readiness” and have raised fears of a multi-front war that might bring the neighboring countries to the table. Now, as air raid sirens wail from Tel Aviv to Haifa, the world is playing a high-stakes game of military brinkmanship. The Iranian ruling elite is quick to make clear their message: they do not want to be the collateral damage of a “surgical” strike, but they want to be the architects of a regional upheaval that they believe will ultimately favor their survival.
