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Iran’s new Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei has warned Tehran will seek compensation from those responsible for attacks on Iran, as expanding Israeli strikes signal a dangerous new phase in the Middle East conflict.
A state television news anchor read the Supreme Leader’s first public message, saying Iran will extract payment from its enemies for the damage inflicted during the conflict.
"The point I must emphasise is that, in any case, we will obtain compensation from the enemy. If it refuses, we will take from its assets to the extent we deem appropriate; and if that is not possible, we will destroy its assets to the same extent."
But the speech quickly moved beyond compensation.
Ayatollah Khamenei made it clear that Iran’s response will also focus on revenge for those killed during the conflict.
Again, his remarks were read on Iranian state television.
"Secondly, I assure everyone that we will not refrain from avenging the blood of your martyrs. The revenge we have in mind does not concern only the martyrdom of the great Leader of the Revolution; rather, every member of the nation who is killed by the enemy constitutes a separate case in the file of retribution."
The address also highlighted an incident that has become deeply symbolic inside Iran.
The Supreme Leader singled out the strike on the Shajareh Tayyebeh school in the southern city of Minab, where Iranian officials say more than 160 people were killed, many of them children.
Ayatollah Khamenei says those deaths will remain central to Iran’s retaliation plans.
"Of course, a limited part of this retaliation has already taken concrete form, but until its full extent is achieved, this case will remain open alongside the others. We will be especially sensitive regarding the blood of our children. Therefore, the crime that the enemy deliberately committed at the Shajareh Tayyebeh School in Minab, and in some similar cases, has a particular place in this process."
The message also carried a warning beyond Iran’s borders.
Tehran is urging Gulf governments hosting American military bases to distance themselves from Washington.
"These countries must clarify their position regarding those who have attacked our beloved homeland and killed members of our people. I recommend that they shut down those bases as soon as possible, because by now they must have realised that the United States’ claims of providing security and peace have been nothing more than a lie."
Israel says its military campaign is expanding, with air strikes targeting Iran’s missile infrastructure, drone networks and command systems.
IDF spokesperson Brigadier General Effie Defrin says operations across Iran are intensifying.
"The Air Force continues to deepen its attacks on Iran. During the day, we completed many waves of attacks on Tehran and other areas throughout Iran. So far, we have attacked hundreds of unmanned aerial vehicles, launchers, and dozens of launch sites. In addition, we have eliminated commanders and soldiers, one could say many thousands, who operated in these formations. The attacks on the regime are expanding every day."
Israel says the conflict is also widening along its northern border.
The military says it has carried out extensive strikes against Hezbollah positions in Lebanon after rockets were launched towards northern Israel.
General Defrin says hundreds of targets linked to the militant group have already been hit.
"In the last 24 hours alone, we have attacked over 20 Hezbollah missile launchers aimed at Israeli territory. And more than 20 terror towers in Dahiyeh in the heart of Beirut. So far, we have attacked nearly 1,000 terror infrastructures across Lebanon. Since the beginning of the operation, we have eliminated more than 350 terrorists. Dozens of them last night alone."
As military operations expand across several countries, the humanitarian consequences are becoming increasingly visible.
In Tehran, residents have been clearing rubble from damaged apartment buildings after recent strikes.
Mahshid, whose home was destroyed, says families fled quickly.
"One entire floor completely collapsed, nothing remains. Our floor, too—some floors have been damaged. We are helping with those."
In Beirut, families displaced by Israeli strikes are sheltering in tents along the seafront and in a sports stadium.
The war is also shaking global energy markets.
Iran has pointed to the Strait of Hormuz, which carries about one-fifth of the world’s oil supply, as a potential pressure point.
Oil prices have surged towards $US100 a barrel amid fears of disruption, with economic effects already felt from Nepal to India.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warns the conflict risks widening into a regional crisis and is urging all sides to return to negotiations.
"De-escalation and dialogue are the only way out. And I strongly urge all parties to cease hostilities, uphold international law, protect civilians and return immediately to the negotiating table."
Legal questions are also emerging about the origins of the war.
UN Special Rapporteur on counter-terrorism and human rights Ben Saul says the strikes that triggered the conflict cannot be considered a humanitarian intervention.
He says preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons does not meet the legal threshold for such military action.
"Of course, everybody understands the moral argument that maybe, sometimes there could be a justified case of military intervention to stop the Rwandan genocide, for example, or ethnic cleansing in Kosovo. That's not the reason for this war. This isn't a humanitarian intervention. This is an intervention to stop Iran from getting a nuclear weapon, which it has wanted in significant part because Israel has nuclear weapons.”
Western governments are also analysing how the war is being fought.
Britain’s Defence Secretary John Healey says intelligence suggests Iran may be adopting tactics similar to those used by Russia in Ukraine.
Speaking in London after meeting defence officials, he pointed to the growing role of drone warfare.
"Well, we've seen this established growing axis of aggression, haven't we, between Russia and Iran. We've seen the way that Russia has fired nearly 60,000 Iranian style drones into Ukraine and we see from Iran some of the same tactics we see from Russia in Iran. And so those links between two countries that menace their neighbours, that pose a threat more widely to us all, part and parcel of what we're dealing with, what our forces out in the region are dealing with."
With military operations widening, humanitarian pressure mounting and global energy markets reacting, international leaders are warning the conflict could still escalate further unless diplomacy finds a way to halt the fighting.
