US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have declared the near-total destruction of Iran's military and nuclear capabilities, while Iranian officials threaten devastating retaliatory strikes against regional energy infrastructure.
According to the opposition-aligned aggregator Vahid Online and the exiled news network Iran International—both of which consistently reflect editorial stances highly critical of the Islamic Republic—US and Israeli leadership have declared overwhelming military victories against Iran.
In a recent speech in Kentucky, US President Donald Trump claimed that the Islamic Republic's military capabilities have been entirely decimated. Reported by Vahid Online, Trump stated that the Iranian Air Force is "completely gone," a process he claimed took only three hours. He asserted that Iran no longer possesses radar or air defense systems, citing a 90% reduction in their missiles and an 85% reduction in their drones. Trump specifically referenced an "Operation Midnight Hammer," which he said destroyed the regime's nuclear capabilities, though he noted the US must "finish the job" to prevent Iran from rebuilding.
Trump further emphasized that US forces are now operating freely in Iranian airspace. According to Iran International, he declared the Islamic Republic is "almost at the end of the line" and that the conflict is operating at a level "no one has seen before."
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu echoed these sentiments in a video conference from an undisclosed location. As detailed by Vahid Online, Netanyahu openly mocked the newly appointed leader of the Islamic Republic, Mojtaba Khamenei, and Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem, stating, "If it were up to me, I wouldn't issue them life insurance." He labeled Khamenei a "puppet of the IRGC" who cannot show his face in public.
Netanyahu asserted that Israel is inflicting severe blows on the IRGC and Basij forces on the streets and at checkpoints. Addressing the Iranian public directly, he encouraged them to rise up and overthrow the government, claiming Israel's recent airstrikes are designed to create the optimal environment for citizens to take to the streets.
On the subject of the new Supreme Leader's status, Trump noted in a Fox News interview covered by Iran International that Mojtaba Khamenei has not been seen publicly since the war began, stating, "I think he is probably alive. I think he is injured, but there is a chance he is somehow still alive."
Contrasting the Western declarations of victory, Iranian military and security officials have issued severe warnings of catastrophic regional retaliation if their critical infrastructure is targeted.
According to Vahid Online, Ebrahim Zolfaghari, spokesperson for the IRGC's Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, warned that the "slightest attack on the energy infrastructure and ports of the Islamic Republic" would trigger a "crushing and devastating response." Zolfaghari threatened that all regional oil and gas infrastructure benefiting the US and its Western allies would be burned and destroyed. Similarly, Ali Larijani, Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, threatened that an American strike on Iran's power facilities would result in the entire region suffering a blackout "within half an hour."Despite the threats from Tehran, Trump projected total control over regional security choke points. Iran International highlighted his assurance that the Strait of Hormuz is being monitored with "great power" and that the US had destroyed all Iranian naval boats. He encouraged commercial shipping to traverse the strait boldly, insisting there is nothing left to fear.
To mitigate potential energy market disruptions, Trump announced plans for rapid withdrawals from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. Domestically, Iran International reported Trump claiming that the US government is actively tracking the regime's "sleeper cells of terror" operating inside the United States.
Both source channels operate as external opposition/exile media networks deeply critical of the Islamic Republic, which contextualizes their heavy emphasis on US and Israeli claims of military supremacy over the Iranian regime. The background context provided regarding Afghan currency volatility was omitted from the digest, as it bore no contextual or factual overlap with the military and geopolitical events entirely dominating these source messages.