Tehran, Iran. The U.S.-Israeli campaign against Iran entered its sixth day on Thursday, with residents describing more intensive bombing as Iran vowed to retaliate anywhere following a U.S. torpedo attack on an Iranian warship off Sri Lanka. The campaign also continued to disrupt global energy supplies and Iran’s internal political succession plans.
Intensified strikes reported in Tehran
Residents reported heavier bombardment, including strikes in northern Tehran, as Israel described a new wave of strikes on Iranian government targets. A Tehran resident, Mohammadreza, 36, said by phone that conditions were worsening and that there was nowhere to go as explosions were heard.
Iran vows retaliation after warship attack
Iran said it would take revenge for a U.S. torpedo attack on an Iranian warship in international waters off the coast of Sri Lanka on Wednesday that killed more than 80 sailors. Iran’s foreign minister said Washington would “bitterly regret” setting a precedent by sinking a ship without warning, and Revolutionary Guards commander General Kioumars Heydari said Iran had decided to fight Americans wherever they are.
Energy market impact and supply disruption
While some international financial markets recovered from earlier-week declines, the economic impact intensified as countries were cut off from a fifth of global supplies of oil and liquefied natural gas.
Mourning for Khamenei postponed amid succession talks
Iran’s planned three days of mourning for Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in the first hours of the U.S.-Israeli air campaign, was abruptly and indefinitely postponed shortly before it was due to begin in a Tehran prayer hall on Wednesday evening. Officials gave no reason for the postponement, but a source told Reuters it was motivated in part by fears of assassination of attendees while Israeli and U.S. warplanes remain in the skies.
Hardliner son named as leading successor candidate
In the hours before the delay was announced, Iranian officials said they were close to naming Khamenei’s successor and that the leading candidate was his son, Mojtaba, described by officials as a powerful hardliner whose selection would signal defiance.
How do you think the intensifying campaign and the disruption to global energy supplies will affect international responses in the coming days?