Following US President Donald Trump's promise to bomb the Islamic Republic "back to the Stone Ages," Iran fired missiles at Tel Aviv on Thursday, threatening "crushing" attacks on the US and Israel. The conflict, which began more than a month ago with US-Israeli bombings on Iran, has affected hundreds of millions of people globally and spread throughout the Middle East and the international economy.
Trump stated that the US was "very close" to accomplishing its goals in a prime-time White House speech, but he cautioned that if Iran did not achieve a negotiated conclusion, strikes would escalate.
In a 19-minute speech in front of American flags, Trump declared, "Over the next two to three weeks, we are going to bring them back to the Stone Ages, where they belong."
Iran responded right away, deploying Israeli air defenses and sending police to "several" impact sites after four persons in the Tel Aviv region were allegedly only slightly hurt.
In a statement broadcast on state television, the Iranian military command center Khatam Al-Anbiya warned Israel and the United States to anticipate "more crushing, broader, and more destructive actions."
The declaration said, "With faith in Almighty God, this war will continue until your humiliation, disgrace, permanent and certain regret, and surrender."
Jewish Israelis were compelled to celebrate Passover underground at the time of the most recent attacks.
At a dinner held in a Tel Aviv bunker, a writer going by the name Jeffrey remarked, "This is not my first choice."
He said, "But at least we can sit here and just ride it out in the shelter."
Fuel prices in the US and throughout the world have increased, and Trump's support ratings have declined as a result of his recent remarks on the potential of a deal to end the war.
He stated that negotiations with Iran's new leadership, which he characterized as "less radical and much more reasonable" than their predecessors, would be feasible.
However, Tehran has rejected Washington's attempts to reach a truce, calling US calls for an end to the crisis "maximalist and irrational."
Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei was cited by the ISNA news agency on Thursday as saying, "Messages have been received through intermediaries, including Pakistan, but there is no direct negotiation with the US."
Trump issued a warning, saying that Washington has "our eyes on key targets, including the country's electric generating plants," should a nuclear agreement not be reached with Tehran.
At the funeral of a Revolutionary Guards naval commander killed in an Israeli strike in Tehran, pro-government Iranians demonstrated in defiance.
It has been a month since this battle began. We'll keep going no matter how long it takes," stated 57-year-old pensioner Moussa Nowruzi.
Hezbollah, a militant organization in Lebanon, claimed that its forces fired rockets and drones at northern Israel on Thursday. The Israeli military's Home Front Command said that air raid sirens were triggered.
According to two sources who spoke to AFP, Israel killed a senior Hezbollah commander the day before in an attack in Beirut that claimed seven lives, according to the Lebanese health ministry.
Since the conflict between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah began on March 2, Lebanese authorities claim that Israeli attacks have killed over 1,300 civilians.
Gulf nations that were formerly thought of as safe havens in a turbulent region have been drawn into the battle; on Thursday, air defenses in the United Arab Emirates responded to missile and drone "threats."
Israel, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Bahrain, and other regional friends would not "get hurt or fail in any way, shape or form," according to Trump's statement.
The significance of the Strait of Hormuz, a shipping route that typically carries one-fifth of the world's oil, has been highlighted by the conflict.
Trump has declared reopening it a need for a truce, but Iran's Revolutionary Guards have promised to keep it closed to the nation's "enemies."
Later this week, a gathering of 35 nations, led by Britain, will examine how to restore freedom of navigation in the Strait.
As equities plummeted and oil prices surged, Trump's address did nothing to calm the markets.
According to Stephen Innes, an analyst at SPI Asset Management, the message was "unmistakably one of unfinished business."
"And unresolved business is fuel for volatility in markets."
Paschal Donohoe, the managing director of the World Bank, told AFP that his organization was "extremely concerned" about how the conflict might affect jobs, inflation, and food security.
The real-world economic effects are being felt all over the world; Malaysian state servants are being requested to work from home, while Chinese airlines have announced plans to increase fuel costs.
Bhutan, a kingdom in the Himalayas, is also feeling the effects; according to the government, fuel prices have increased due to "external conditions beyond our control."
Reporters from AFP in the capital Thimphu, a landlocked country of about 800,000 people, had huge lines at gas stations on Thursday due to shortages.
"I'm at a loss for words. Karma Kalden, 40, a resident of Thimphu, stated, "It's not like our government is responsible; they are trying their best despite the war in the Middle East and price hike in India."
"We have no power."
