Iran vows to kill 50,000 US soldiers: Tehran's TV mouthpiece says Trump has ordered 'coffins'
By ELENA SALVONI
An Iranian television mouthpiece has warned up to 50,000 American soldiers will be returned to Washington in 'coffins' after Donald Trump raised the possibility of regime change in Tehran.
State TV anchor Mehdi Khanalizadeh accused Trump of choosing to 'spill the blood of your soldiers', before adding: 'The US president in the Oval Office chose to take delivery of the coffins of up to 50,000 US soldiers in Washington.'
It comes as Iran warns the United States should expect 'heavy consequences' for striking its nuclear sites, issuing a threat that its entry into the conflict with Israel will 'expand the scope of legitimate targets'.
Trump declared last night that 'monumental damage' has been done 'to all nuclear sites in Iran' as he called for a regime change in the Islamic country .
The US president wrote on his Truth Social page that satellite images he obtained showed the Iranian nuclear facilities were 'obliterated,' and noted that the most damage 'took place far below ground level.'
Live updates below
05:45
DAVID PATRIKARAKOS: Israelis are starting to understand enormity of US strikes - but trajectory of war still unclear
Israelis visiting the beach in Tel Aviv
epaselect epa12191429 People enjoy the beach in Tel Aviv, Israel, 22 June 2025, amid Iranian ballistic missile attack threats across the country. Israel has been conducting a campaign across Iran since 13 June, targeting nuclear, military, and energy facilities, prompting Iran to launch retaliatory waves of missiles and drones toward Israel. EPA/ABIR SULTAN
The Daily Mail's Special Correspondent David Patrikarakos has been reporting on the Israel-Iran conflict from Tel Aviv.
Here he reveals the mood of the country after the U.S. made the historic decision to strike Iran's nuclear facilities:
People in Israel are starting to understand the enormity of what has happened. The US went against all of its previous statements and directly struck Iran's nuclear facilities.
The extent of the damage remains unclear, the extent of Iran's reaction remains unclear, the trajectory of this war remains unclear.
For now Israelis are rallying around their government which remains deeply unpopular to many. They understand their enemy is a far larger, far more populous country. It is not Hamas, it is not Hezbollah, it is not the Houthis - it is not even Bashar al-Assad, it is Iran and it is a serious country that poses a serious threat to the State of Israel.
This is a new Middle East. People on the ground here understand it, the belief is what happened had to happen but everyone is very much is watching and waiting to see what happens now.
05:39
PICTURED: Satellite images show Iranian nuclear facilities before and after they were hit in US strikes
Satellite pictures show the damage done to Iran's Isfahan and Natanz nuclear facilities following US airstrikes early on Sunday morning.
BEFORE
Satellite image shows a close up view of buildings at Isfahan Nuclear Technology Center, before it was hit by U.S. airstrikes, in Isfahan, Iran, June 16, 2025. Maxar Technologies/Handout via REUTERS THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES. MANDATORY CREDIT. MUST NOT OBSCURE LOGO.
AFTER
Satellite image shows a close up view of destroyed buildings at Isfahan Nuclear Technology Center, after it was hit by U.S. airstrikes, in Isfahan, Iran, June 22, 2025. Maxar Technologies/Handout via REUTERS THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES. MANDATORY CREDIT. MUST NOT OBSCURE LOGO.
BEFORE
Satellite image shows an overview of Isfahan Nuclear Technology Center, before it was hit by U.S. airstrikes, in Isfahan, Iran, June 16, 2025. Maxar Technologies/Handout via REUTERS THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES. MANDATORY CREDIT. MUST NOT OBSCURE LOGO.
AFTER
Satellite image shows an overview of Isfahan Nuclear Technology Center, after it was hit by U.S. airstrikes, in Isfahan, Iran, June 22, 2025. Maxar Technologies/Handout via REUTERS THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES. MANDATORY CREDIT. MUST NOT OBSCURE LOGO.
BEFORE
Satellite image shows dirt over the underground facility of Natanz Enrichment Facility, before it was hit by U.S. airstrikes, near Natanz, Iran, June 15, 2025. Maxar Technologies/Handout via REUTERS THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES. MANDATORY CREDIT. MUST NOT OBSCURE LOGO.
AFTER
Satellite image shows a close up of a crater over the underground facility of Natanz Enrichment Facility, after it was hit by U.S. airstrikes, near Natanz, Iran, June 22, 2025. Maxar Technologies/Handout via REUTERS THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES. MANDATORY CREDIT. MUST NOT OBSCURE LOGO.
05:21
Breaking:Israel launches new strikes on Iran's nuclear facility at Fordow, Iranian media reports
Iranian media is reporting that Israel has launched news strikes on the Fordow nuclear site in the wake of US strikes on the site early Sunday morning.
According to the Qom Province Crisis Management Headquarters, Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization officials said 'there will be no danger or threat to citizens.'
It comes after the IAEA said there was likely already very heavy damage at the facility.
05:18
UN nuclear watchdog chief says 'very heavy damage' expected at Iran Fordow nuclear facility
The head of the United Nations nuclear watchdog said that 'very heavy damage' is expected at Iran's underground facility at Fordow after the US hit it with sophisticated bunker-buster bombs.
Rafael Grossi, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, made the statement in Vienna at an emergency meeting of the IAEA’s Board of Governors.
'Given the explosive payload utilized and the extreme vibration sensitive nature of centrifuges, very significant damage is expected to have occurred,' Grossi said.
He added that 'craters are now visible at the Fordow site… indicating the use of ground-penetrating munitions.'
But he also said that 'at this time, no one, including the IAEA, is in a position to have fully assessed the underground damage at Fordow.'
05:00
Breaking:Israel launching 'unprecedented' strikes on Tehran
After the IDF confirmed that the Israeli Air Force launched a wave of strikes on military targets in Tehran, Israel's Defence Minister has now shared an update.
Israel Katz said the IDF is 'currently striking with unprecedented force regime targets and governmental repression bodies in the heart of Tehran.'
'Images will soon be released, illustrating the depth of the damage,' he went on in statement issued by his office.
'For every rocket fired at the Israeli home front, the Iranian dictator will be severely punished, and the strikes will continue with full intensity. We will continue to act to defend the home front and defeat the enemy until all war objectives are achieved,' Katz added.
04:53
Iranian army's commander-in-chief meets with generals and issues threat to US
The commander-in-chief of Iran's conventional army, Amir Hatami, has attended a meeting with generals following the US strikes over the weekend.
He said in a new statement that every time the US had committed crimes against Iran, they were met with a decisive response and the same would be the case this time.
This handout picture provided by the Iranian Army media office on June 23, 2025, shows the Army commander-in-chief Amir Hatami attends a meeting in the Iranian Army's War Command Room. (Photo by Iranian Army Media Office / AFP) / === RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY CREDIT "AFP PHOTO / HO / Iranian Army Media Office" - NO MARKETING NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS === (Photo by -/Iranian Army Media Office/AFP via Getty Images)
This handout picture provided by the Iranian Army media office on June 23, 2025, shows the Army commander-in-chief Amir Hatami (C) attending a meeting in the Iranian Army's War Command Room. (Photo by Iranian Army Media Office / AFP) / === RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY CREDIT "AFP PHOTO / HO / Iranian Army Media Office" - NO MARKETING NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS === (Photo by -/Iranian Army Media Office/AFP via Getty Images)
04:47
Iran's Supreme Leader 'has named three possible successors fearing he will be killed by Israel'
Iran's Ayatollah has named three potential successors in case he is killed in Israeli strikes as he hides in an underground bunker, according to reports.
Ali Khamenei, 86, has chosen three senior clerics as candidates to succeed him should he be killed, The New York Times reports.
His son Mojtaba, also a cleric who has close ties to the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, was rumoured to be a front-runner.
But he is not among the selected candidates, officials reportedly told the newspaper.
It comes after Donald Trump raised the prospect of regime change in the country.
Israel's defence minister Israel Katz last week issued his strongest threat yet to assassinate Khamenei, saying Tehran’s supreme leader 'cannot continue to exist.'
04:41
Blasts reported in Tehran with reports strikes have hit a prison
Several large explosions have been heard in Tehran, according to Iranian outlet Nour News.
Israel's Air Force confirmed that it had begun a wave of attacks on military targets in Tehran.
According to Iranian media, the IDF targeted the entrance to Evin Prison in the Iranian capital.
The prestigious Shahid Beheshti University in northern Tehran is also reported to have been targeted.
Outside of Tehran, the city of Karaj in northern Iran was also targeted by Israeli missiles, Fars News reports.
04:28
Oil prices surge as Iran maintains threat to close global shipping route
Oil prices have surged as Iran maintains its threat to close its global shipping route after Donald Trump blew up the country's nuclear bases.
Asian markets traded lower today amid concerns of disruption to energy markets after the US air strikes 'obliterated' Iran's nuclear facilities on Saturday night.
The dollar strengthened as traders assessed the weekend's events, with Iran threatening US bases in the Middle East as fears grow of an escalating conflict in the volatile region.
Iran is the world's ninth-biggest oil-producing country, with output of about 3.3million barrels per day.
It exports just under half of that amount and keeps the rest for domestic consumption.
If Tehran decides to retaliate, observers say one of its options would be to close the strategic Strait of Hormuz - which carries 20 per cent of global oil output.
Read more here:
Oil prices surge as Iran keeps threat to close global shipping route
Brent crude futures were up $1.52 or 1.97 per cent to $78.53 a barrel as of 6am UK time. US West Texas Intermediate crude advanced $1.51 or 2.04 per cent to $75.35.
04:21
Iran's Ayatollah 'will ask for more support from Putin'
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi is due to deliver a letter from Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to Vladimir Putin, seeking the latter's support, according to a senior source.
Iran has not been impressed with Russia's support so far, Iranian sources told Reuters, and the country wants Putin to do more to back it against Israel and the US. The sources did not elaborate on what assistance Tehran wanted.
The Kremlin said that Putin would receive Araqchi but did not say what would be discussed.
Araqchi was quoted by the state TASS news agency as saying that Iran and Russia were coordinating their positions on the current escalation in the Middle East.
Putin has repeatedly offered to mediate between the US and Iran, and said that he had conveyed Moscow's ideas on resolving the conflict to them while ensuring Iran's continued access to civil nuclear energy.
The Kremlin chief last week refused to discuss the possibility that Israel and the US would kill Khamenei.
Putin said that Israel had given Moscow assurances that Russian specialists helping to build two more reactors at the Bushehr nuclear power plant in Iran would not be hurt in air strikes.
Russia, a longstanding ally of Tehran, plays a role in Iran's nuclear negotiations with the West as a veto-wielding UN Security Council member and a signatory to an earlier nuclear deal Trump abandoned during his first term in 2018.
But Putin, whose grinding war in Ukraine is in its fourth year, has so far shown little appetite in public for diving into a confrontation with the US over Iran just as Trump seeks to repair ties with Moscow.
04:18
Trump snubs Starmer's calls for 'de-escalation' on Iran
Keir Starmer is engaged in frantic diplomacy over the Iran crisis today as Donald Trump sounds an increasingly strident message.
The PM and president spoke last night after the US strikes on Tehran's nuclear sites. But Downing Street's readout notably did not include any reference to the 'de-escalation' Sir Keir has been urging in other statements.
Instead No10 said the leaders agreed Iran must not be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon and should return to negotiations.
Soon after the call Mr Trump took to social media apparently endorsing regime change - swiping that it could be time to 'Make Iran Great Again'.
The stance raises fresh questions about Sir Keir's influence and the health of the Special Relationship. After meeting Mr Trump in person at the G7 in Canada last week, the premier had insisted he did not believe the US would go ahead with the attacks.
Read the full story by MailOnline's Political Editor James Tapsfield here:
Trump snubs PM's 'de-escalation' call as he backs Iran regime change
Keir Starmer and Donald Trump spoke last night after the US strikes on Tehran's nuclear sites. But No10's readout did not include any reference to 'de-escalation'.
04:15
PICTURED: Tel Aviv residents stay in bomb shelters amid Iranian missile threat
Foreign workers and their family members take shelter in the underground parking lot of a bus station in Tel Aviv on June 22, 2025, fearing Iranian missile attacks. Iran on June 22 threatened US bases in the Middle East after massive air strikes that Washington said had destroyed Tehran's nuclear program, though some officials cautioned that the extent of damage was unclear. (Photo by Menahem Kahana / AFP) (Photo by MENAHEM KAHANA/AFP via Getty Images)
People take shelter in an underground train station in Tel Aviv on June 22, 2025, fearing Iranian missile attacks. Iran on June 22 threatened US bases in the Middle East after massive air strikes that Washington said had destroyed Tehran's nuclear program, though some officials cautioned that the extent of damage was unclear. (Photo by Menahem Kahana / AFP) (Photo by MENAHEM KAHANA/AFP via Getty Images)
People gather in a underground shelter in Tel Aviv on June 23, 2025, after sirens sounded in several areas across the country after missiles were fired from Iran. AFP journalists heard several blasts in Jerusalem June 23, similar to those heard during past interceptions, after Israel's army warned a fresh barrage of missiles had been launched from Iran. (Photo by Menahem Kahana / AFP) (Photo by MENAHEM KAHANA/AFP via Getty Images)
TOPSHOT - Foreign workers and their family members take shelter in the underground parking lot of a bus station in Tel Aviv on June 22, 2025, fearing Iranian missile attacks. Iran on June 22 threatened US bases in the Middle East after massive air strikes that Washington said had destroyed Tehran's nuclear program, though some officials cautioned that the extent of damage was unclear. (Photo by Menahem Kahana / AFP) (Photo by MENAHEM KAHANA/AFP via Getty Images)
People gather in a underground shelter in Tel Aviv on June 23, 2025, after sirens sounded in several areas across the country after missiles were fired from Iran. AFP journalists heard several blasts in Jerusalem June 23, similar to those heard during past interceptions, after Israel's army warned a fresh barrage of missiles had been launched from Iran. (Photo by Menahem Kahana / AFP) (Photo by MENAHEM KAHANA/AFP via Getty Images)
04:02
IDF says it has attacked six airfields in Iran destroying 15 jets and helicopters
The Israeli Defence Forces said they have attacked six airfields across Iran.
The attack on bases in western, eastern and central Iran took out 15 jets and helicopters, the IDF said.
03:56
Iran launches new ballistic missile attack on Israel after Ayatollah vowed to 'continue punishment'
Sirens are sounding across Israel amid Iran's latest ballistic missile attack on the country, according to Israeli Defence Forces.
Loud explosions were heard in Jerusalem after the Israeli military warned a fresh barrage of missiles had been launched from Iran.
Around 10 minutes after announcing the missiles had been identified, the military said 'additional missiles were launched' towards Israel and urged people to take cover.
Some 15 ballistic missiles were launched during the barrage, according to the IDF.
They were fired in multiple salvos over nearly 40 minutes, making it one of the longest Iranian missile attacks of the war, according to Israeli media.
Several impacts were reported but the Magen David Adom rescue service did not immediately share information of any casualties.
It comes after an X account associated with Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, published a post portraying missile strikes on a darkened city with a giant skull bearing the Star of David on it.
'The punishment continues,' the post read.
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