Update in the Works. Article was in the works before the Ayatollah was reported slain.<\/h2>\n
The first casualties reported by Iran were those from strikes on an elementary girls\u2019 school. The U.S. and Israel carried out a series of unprovoked and devastating strikes on Iran on Saturday, sparking retaliation from the country as U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called on Iranians to overthrow their government.<\/p>\n
Iranian media reported strikes across the country<\/a>, including in the capital of Tehran and around the offices<\/a> of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, The Associated Press<\/em> reported. It\u2019s unclear if Khamenei and other top leaders survived.<\/p>\n One of the strikes, reportedly launched by Israel, destroyed an elementary school for girls in the southern city of Minab, killing at least 85 people<\/a>, Iranian semi-official outlet Tasnim News Agency<\/em> reported \u2014 seemingly the first reported casualties of the conflict.<\/p>\n Iran retaliated with strikes targeting Israel and U.S. bases in numerous Gulf Coast countries, including in a strike<\/a> on the U.S. Navy\u2019s 5th Fleet headquarters in Bahrain. Many U.S. bases<\/a> in the region were partially evacuated prior to the first U.S.-Israeli strikes.<\/p>\n In a video address<\/a> posted as the first strikes were launched, Trump described the attack as \u201ca massive and ongoing operation.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe are going to destroy their missiles and raze their missile industry to the ground. It will be totally, again, obliterated. We are going to annihilate their navy,\u201d Trump said. He said that U.S. casualties are acceptable for this \u201cnoble\u201d goal. \u201cThe lives of courageous American heroes may be lost, and we may have casualties. That often happens in war.\u201d<\/p>\n Trump urged members of Iran\u2019s Islamic Revolutionary Guard and police to \u201clay down [their] weapons and have complete immunity, or in the alternative, face certain death.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cTo the great, proud people of Iran, I say tonight that the hour of your freedom is at hand,\u201d he said. \u201cWhen we are finished, take over your government. It will be yours to take.\u201d<\/p>\n Netanyahu struck a similar tone<\/a> in his remarks in Hebrew on Saturday. \u201cAs a people who desire life, we have no choice but to engage in this campaign,\u201d Netanyahu said, per a translation by AP<\/em>. \u201cThe Iranian people in all their diversity \u2014 Persians, Kurds, Azeris, Balochs, Abkhazians, and all other citizens of this wonderful nation \u2014 this is your opportunity to establish a new and free Iran.\u201d<\/p>\n These remarks are a dramatic departure from Trump\u2019s speech following the U.S.\u2019s strikes on Iran last June, signalling a much more drawn out assault. In June, Trump immediately<\/a> demanded that Iran end the war in a brief address following the strikes. He declared the strikes a success, and said, \u201cthis cannot continue,\u201d threatening more strikes if Iran didn\u2019t relent.<\/p>\n In Saturday\u2019s speech, Trump repeated numerous falsehoods, including statements that Iran \u201crejected every opportunity to renounce their nuclear ambitions\u201d \u2014 a clear and blatant lie<\/a>.<\/p>\n Rather, these attacks come in the middle of indirect negotiations between U.S. and Iranian officials on Iran\u2019s nuclear program, in which Iranian officials have openly stated that they never plan to possess a nuclear weapon. On Friday, just hours before the strikes, mediator Oman\u2019s Foreign Minister<\/a> Badr bin Hamad Al Busaidi said that \u201ca peace deal is within our reach.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe single most important achievement, I believe, is the agreement that Iran will never ever have nuclear material that will create a bomb,\u201d Al Busaidi said in an interview with CBS News<\/em>. More negotiations were supposed to take place next week.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know why the U.S. administration insists to start a negotiation and then, in the middle of them, attack the other party,\u201d said Iran\u2019s foreign minister<\/a> Abbas Araghchi on Saturday, likening the timing of the attack to the U.S. strikes mid-negotiations last June. \u201cEverybody was happy\u201d after the most recent round of negotiations on Thursday, he said.<\/p>\n CNN<\/em> reports<\/a>, citing a U.S. official, that the U.S. \u201chas planned an escalating series of strikes with off-ramps along the way.\u201d They would take place \u201cover a one to two-day period with pauses to reset and assess battle damage.\u201d However, it\u2019s unclear how there can be \u201coff-ramps\u201d when the U.S. and Israel are openly angling for regime change.<\/p>\n Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-New York) has reportedly called for Congress to reconvene as soon as possible<\/a> for votes on a war powers resolution, which Schumer has cosponsored. Both he<\/a> and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-New York) put out<\/a> statements, however, expressed support for military action against Iran,, largely only criticizing Trump for the lack of clear messaging and process around the assault.<\/p>\n Leaders of other Western countries, including<\/a> Canada\u2019s Mark Carney and the U.K.\u2019s Keir Starmer<\/a>, said that they are in support of the U.S., with Starmer even going as far as to say, \u201cIran can end this now,\u201d without offering any explanation as to how that could actually occur.<\/p>\n Many U.S. lawmakers denounced the attack, urging against a war with Iran.<\/p>\n \u201cTrump is acting on the violent fantasies of the American political elite and the Israeli apartheid government, ignoring the vast majority of Americans who say loud and clear: No More Wars,\u201d said Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Michigan) in a statement.<\/p>\n \u201cPresident Trump will pretend this is about democracy and the rights of the Iranian people. Don\u2019t be fooled, Trump does not care about the Iranian people,\u201d she went on. \u201cOur government has imposed brutal sanctions that have destroyed the Iranian economy and the lives and livelihoods of millions of people. You cannot \u2018free\u2019 people by killing them and destroying their country.\u201d<\/p>\n Israel framed the strikes as \u201cpreemptive,\u201d but many critics said that that is a farce.<\/p>\n \u201cPreemptive self-defense under international law requires an imminent armed attack, not political disagreement, not long-term rivalry, not speculative future threats. There has been no evidence of imminent attack from Iran that would justify bombing Tehran in broad daylight,\u201d said the National Iranian American Council President Jamal Abdi in a statement.<\/p>\n \u201cBombing Tehran will not bring security,\u201d Abdi went on. \u201cIt will endanger civilians, place U.S. service members at risk, empower the most repressive and violent elements inside Iran, and destabilize the region for years to come. For Iranians already suffering under repression, sanctions, and economic hardship, this escalation will mean only more pain.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201c\u2018Preemptive strike\u2019 is the favorite lie that the genocidal government of Israel tells us before they kill children,\u201d Tlaib said<\/a>.<\/p>\n Civil liberties group Defending Rights & Dissent called for Trump and all cabinet members involved in the assault to be impeached.<\/p>\n \u201cTrump\u2019s aggression this morning against Iran is unconstitutional, unlawful, and immoral,\u201d said Chip Gibbons, Defending Rights & Dissent\u2019s policy director. \u201cThere was no emergency, this was a planned war of choice by Trump coordinated with Israel, a foreign government credibly accused of violating international conventions prohibiting apartheid and genocide.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCongress must immediately reconvene and invoke the War Powers Resolution,\u201d Gibbons went on. \u201cWhile that is an urgent first step, that is not sufficient. Trump must be impeached and removed from office, along with all members of his cabinet who played a role in this crime against our Constitution.\u201d<\/p>\n This article<\/a> was originally published by Truthout<\/a> and is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)<\/a>.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Truthout<\/strong> is an U.S.-based nonprofit news organization known for progressive, advocacy-oriented journalism. Founded in 2001, it positions itself as a platform for reporting and commentary focused on social justice, civil liberties, economic inequality, climate change, prison reform, and critiques of U.S. foreign policy.<\/p>\n Ideological stance:<\/strong> Explicitly progressive\/left-of-center. Mission framing:<\/strong> Emphasizes \u201cindependent reporting and commentary\u201d that challenges corporate media narratives and centers marginalized voices. Tone:<\/strong> Frequently analytical and argumentative; blends investigative reporting with opinion and activist scholarship.<\/p>\n Truthout publishes: Investigative reporting<\/strong> (e.g., on policing, incarceration, labor issues, environmental policy). Opinion essays and analysis<\/strong> from academics, journalists, and movement organizers. Interviews and long-form features<\/strong>. Coverage of grassroots movements<\/strong>, especially around racial justice, immigration, and climate activism.It often features contributors associated with progressive academia and advocacy networks. The site has published work by well-known left-leaning commentators and scholars.<\/p>\n Operates as a nonprofit<\/strong> organization.<\/p>\n Funded primarily through reader donations and grants<\/strong>, rather than advertising. Frequently runs fundraising drives emphasizing independence from corporate ownership.<\/p>\n Appeals to readers who are skeptical of mainstream corporate media. Strong readership among activists, academics, progressive organizers, and policy critics.<\/p>\n Supporters<\/strong> view it as a corrective to centrist or corporate media framing. Critics<\/strong> argue its coverage can be ideologically driven and sometimes less restrained in tone than traditional legacy outlets. From a media-analysis perspective\u2014especially given your sustained interest in newsroom ethics and ideological framing\u2014Truthout represents a model of mission-driven journalism<\/strong> rather than conventional \u201cobjective\u201d reporting. Its value and limitations depend largely on whether one prioritizes activist transparency over conventional neutrality norms.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" One of the strikes, reportedly launched by Israel, destroyed an elementary school for girls in the southern city of Minab, killing at least 85 people, Iranian semi-official outlet Tasnim News Agency reported \u2014 seemingly the first reported casualties of the conflict. Iran retaliated with strikes targeting Israel and U.S. bases in numerous Gulf Coast countries, including in a strike on the U.S. Navy\u2019s 5th Fleet headquarters in Bahrain. Many U.S. bases in the region were partially evacuated prior to the first U.S.-Israeli strikes.<\/p>\n
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