US President Donald Trump vowed to continue to punish Iran with "full force" and said the war against the Islamic republic could last four weeks, but he left the door open to further talks with the surviving rulers in Tehran.
"In the past 36 hours, the United States and its partners have launched Operation Epic Fury, one of largest, most-complex, most-overwhelming military offensives the world has ever seen," Trump said on March 1 in a six-minute video he posted on his Truth Social platform.
Trump said combat operations in Iran "continue at this time in full force and they will continue until all our objectives are achieved."
Acknowledging the loss of three US soldiers in the conflict, Trump vowed to avenge their deaths and deliver "the most punishing blow to the terrorists who have waged war, basically, against civilization."
"As one nation, we grieve for the true American heroes, patriots who have made the ultimate sacrifice for the nation, even as we continue the righteous mission for which they gave their lives."
"Sadly, there will likely be more [casualties]," he cautioned. No information has been released on the identities of the soldiers or the circumstances of their deaths.
Trump warned Iran's security leaders -- including the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, the military, and police -- "to lay down your arms and receive full immunity or face certain death. It will be certain death. I will not be pretty."
'Be Brave, Bold, Heroic'
He called on "all Iranian patriots" to seize the moment, "be brave, bold, heroic" and "take back your country."
"America is with you...The rest is up to you," Trump told the Iranian public, echoing remarks made a day earlier.
"When we are finished [with the military operation], take over your government. It will be yours to take. This will be, probably, your only chance for generations," Trump said on February 28.
Trump hailed the death of Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei -- calling the 86-year-old fallen autocrat a "wretched and vile man" -- and said the "entire military command is gone as well" amid reports of massive casualties among the country's top brass.
In an interview published by The Daily Mail, Trump said the war against Iran could last another month.
"It's always been a four-week process," Trump said in a phone interview from his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.
"We figured it will be four weeks or so. It's always been about a four-week process so -- as strong as it is, it's a big country, it'll take four weeks -- or less,' he added.
Still, Trump said that -- given the new leadership -- there was still room for Tehran to negotiate after earlier talks appeared to reach a stalemate.
"I don't know. They want to, they want to talk, but I said you should have talked last week not this week," Trump said.
US negotiators have conducted a series of indirect talks, mediated by Oman, with Tehran centering on Iran's nuclear program, seen at the time as a last-ditch attempt to avoid a major military conflict between the foes.
Following the February 26 talks, Omani Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi said he saw "significant progress" and announced that further discussions were planned.
However, on February 28, Trump said he had launched preemptive military strikes against Iran after concluding that Tehran was preparing to use its missile arsenal against US forces and allies and had no intention of agreeing to meaningful limits on its nuclear program.
Trump has accused Tehran of attempting to rebuild its nuclear program after the United States bombed key facilities during a 12-day war between Iran and Israel last June. He said the United States also aimed to destroy Iran’s missile capabilities and “annihilate” its navy.
Washington and Tel Aviv have accused Tehran of seeking to build atomic weapons; Tehran says its aspirations are peaceful.
Ali Larijani, a member of Iran's interim council and the country's top national-security official, said a temporary new leadership council was being set up to govern the country until a successor to Khamenei could be announced.
Alireza Arafi, a longstanding senior figure in the clerical establishment, was later appointed to the council, along with President Masud Pezeshkian and hard-line judiciary head Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei.
The council will lead the country until the 88-member Assembly of Experts can gather to elect a new supreme leader.
A Region On Edge
Meanwhile, air raid sirens and explosions were reported in Iran, Israel, and several other Middle East nations that are hosting US military assets as the region remained on edge, fearful of a widening conflict.
Like Trump, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also vowed that air strikes on Iran would intensify in the coming days.
Israel's Air Force on March 1 said it was striking targets "belonging to the Iranian terror regime in the heart of Tehran." Video from Tehran showed huge clouds of smoke billowing over the city in several location.
Meanwhile, the leaders of Britain, France, and Italy said they would take defensive action against Iran if necessary to protect their interests in the Gulf region.
Iran Retaliates With Missile Strikes
Tehran continued to retaliate, firing missiles at targets around the Persian Gulf.
Several people were reported killed in a rocket strike on Beit Shemesh, about 40 kilometers west of Jerusalem.
Loud blasts were heard in Dubai and the Qatari capital, Doha, for a second day. The Defense Ministry of the United Arab Emirates reported that Iran had now fired 165 ballistic missiles and 54 drones.
Most had been intercepted but three people had been killed and 58 injured by those that got through, the ministry said.
