U.S.-Israel Campaign Against Iran Enters 14th Day as Tehran Signals Wider Conflict
As the United States and Israel’s military campaign against Iran, codenamed Epic Fury, enters its 14th day, President Donald Trump said in a White House appearance for Women’s History Month that Iran is “a terror and hate state” and that they are “paying a heavy price right now.” He asserted, “Our military power is unmatched… we must do what we must do,” adding that what has occurred is unprecedented and that the United States will act as needed.
In Iran, the country’s newly proclaimed supreme leader, Ayatollah Seyyed Mozztāba Hamenei, delivered his first official message to the public via state television, declaring a hardline stance toward the United States and Israel. He said Iran would continue to use the blocking of the Strait of Hormuz as a lever to pressure Western powers, stressing that about 20% of global oil shipments pass through the waterway. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy commander reaffirmed the pledge to strike enemies “according to the Supreme Leader’s orders.”
Hamenei framed the confrontation as extending beyond a single clash with the United States and Israel, signaling a broader strategy that could involve a “second front” and wider military activity. He praised the so-called Axis of Resistance as a primary ally and suggested that cooperating with such groups would accelerate efforts to counter what he described as Zionist aggression.
The Iranian leader also pressed Gulf allies to justify additional attacks and to pressure the United States by complicating the security environment around U.S. bases in the region. He claimed Iran’s moves had not targeted neighboring states’ territory but aimed at U.S. facilities, advancing a narrative that sought to rally regional partners behind Tehran’s course of action.
Hamenei cited personal tragedies from the recent conflict, noting the deaths of his father and several relatives, and singled out the death of a schoolgirl in Mina, a city in southern Iran, as among the martyrs of the fight. He warned that if enemies do not pay compensation, their assets would be seized and they would “be struck.” These references were meant to elevate the conflict to a national, religious duty in Iran.
The public message did not show Hamenei on camera; state media presented the remarks without his appearance. He had reportedly been wounded in a previous attack, according to coverage accompanying the broadcast.
U.S. stock markets reacted to Hamenei’s broadcast and the broader war dynamics, with major indexes closing lower: the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell about 739 points, the S&P 500 slipped roughly 103 points, and the Nasdaq Composite declined around 404 points. The moves reflected investor concern over heightened risk to global energy supply and regional stability.
For U.S. readers, the developments matter beyond Korea because Hormuz—the narrow strait linking the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman—serves as a critical artery for global oil shipments. The Iranian leadership’s push to use Hormuz as a pressure tool heightens the risk of supply disruptions, which can influence energy prices, inflation, and economic activity worldwide. The evolving alliance rhetoric, including the “Axis of Resistance,” signals potential expansion of conflict beyond Iran’s borders, with implications for U.S. troops and bases in the Gulf, American sanctions policy, and global markets.