Trump hits out at critics of Iran attacks

“The regime is collapsing. This is the weakest it has ever been since coming to power,” Reza Pahlavi told Iran International. “Even their own insiders, from the military and intelligence sectors, are telling us it’s falling apart.”

Pahlavi emphasized that this moment could become “a historic opportunity” for Iranians. “The people who have suffered under the bombs and the regime’s neglect still hope this pain will lead to the birth of a free and desirable government that they deserve.”

The exiled crown prince made the remarks in an interview with Iran International’s Morad Vaisi, amid an Israeli military campaign against the Islamic Republic and a day after US airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.

No need for foreign boots or money

Pahlavi rejected any suggestion that foreign powers should shape Iran’s future. “We don’t want your boots or your money. What we need is recognition that the solution is the Iranian people—not negotiations with the regime.”

"The world will see that it’s in their own interest to get behind this cause—so that Iran becomes the country that brings stability, order, peace, and security to the region."

The exiled prince expressed sorrow over damage caused to national infrastructure, including air bases and the American F-14s and F-5s bought during his father's rule before 1979, but laid the blame squarely on the Islamic Republic.

“This war is not the people’s war. It’s Khamenei’s war. And the price is being paid by the Iranian people,” he said.

He called on military and security personnel to defect. “The sooner they break away from this regime, the faster we can stop this destruction,” he said.

“These bases and infrastructures can be rebuilt—for the people, not for a regime that used them to fund its nuclear and proxy wars.”

Internet blackout

It has been four days that the Iranian people have lost their access to the internet, and the country has remained largely offline, according to the internet observatory NetBlocks.

Pahlavi said that the Islamic Republic has shut down the people's access to the internet because it fears its own citizens more than foreign attack.

"After 72 hours, diminished telecoms continue to impact the public's ability to stay informed and in touch with loved ones," Netblocks said.

The exiled prince said the internet blackout "is a sign of panic—not strength.”

“When the Supreme Leader hides like a rat in a hole and his family prepares to flee the country, it’s clear they know the end is near."

No civil war, no summary executions

Responding to concerns about post-collapse chaos, Pahlavi said, “We are not Iraq or Afghanistan. We are a nation with millennia of unity. If there’s rule of law and justice, there will be no anarchy.”

On the day after the Islamic Republic falls, he promised a lawful transition. “Unlike 1979, there will be no summary executions. Transitional justice experts are working to ensure fair trials. Everyone will have the right to defend themselves.”

He made clear that soldiers who join the people now will be part of rebuilding the country. “We will not repeat 1979. This time, we’re building a democratic system, one that guarantees equal rights for all Iranians—regardless of religion, ethnicity, or belief.”

"Good. This was the right call," US Senator Lindsey Graham said.

"The regime deserves it. Well done, President @realDonaldTrump. To my fellow citizens: We have the best Air Force in the world."

Republicans have generally urged a hard line on Iran. Most consistently back Israeli military operations in the region and have been vocal critics of Tehran's policies.

Texas congressman Dan Crenshaw urged people to back Trump: Support President Trump. You think these decisions were easy? They weren’t. You think this means WW3? You’re wrong. You think it means American soldiers deploying to Iran? You’re wrong."

"You think it means long term stability in the Middle East and a safer future for Americans? You’re right. Because the regime that wanted ‘Death to the Great Satan’ is at its end."

Democrats have been reticent about Trump's two-month-old diplomatic effort with Iran, quietly backing its goal to deprive Iran of a nuclear weapon capability.

But criticism of a potential attack by Democrats had ramped up in recent days and early condemnation by party members was sharp.

"Trump is acting fully outside of his authority and is once again trampling on the Constitution. This is an illegal and terrifying escalation," Representative Summer Lee said.

"Dropping bombs on Iran brings us closer to war, not peace, and he is putting millions of lives at stake. Congress must immediately pass our War Powers Resolution to rein him in."

"This is insane," Massachusetts Democratic representative Jim McGovern spluttered.

"Trump just bombed Iran without Congressional approval, illegally dragging us into war in the Middle East. Have we not learned our lesson!?!?"

A rare maverick on the Democratic side is Pennsylvania Democratic Senator John Fetterman, among the chamber's biggest backers of Israel.

"As I’ve long maintained, this was the correct move by @POTUS. Iran is the world’s leading sponsor of terrorism and cannot have nuclear capabilities," he said.

"I’m grateful for and salute the finest military in the world."

"We have completed our very successful attack on the three Nuclear sites in Iran, including Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan," Trump said on Saturday.

Trump had hinted at a potential intervention for days and US bunker-busting bombs are widely viewed as the only ordnance capable of penetrating the underground Fordow site.

"All planes are now outside of Iran air space. A full payload of BOMBS was dropped on the primary site, Fordow," he added in a post on Truth Social.

"All planes are safely on their way home. Congratulations to our great American Warriors. There is not another military in the World that could have done this. NOW IS THE TIME FOR PEACE!"

Israel launched a surprise attack on Iran last week which has drawn Iranian missile fire, and Trump mooted possible US involvement, urging Tehran to resolve its nuclear impasse with Washington through talks.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Iran would not negotiate under fire but wanted to pursue diplomacy.

Tehran has repeatedly vowed to target the substantial US military presence in the region if it comes under direct attack.

"This is an historic moment for the United States of America, Israel, and the world. Iran must now agree to end this war," Trump added in another post.

B-2 bombers were used in the US attacks against Iran's nuclear facilities, Reuters reported citing a US official.

The US had informed Israel in advance about the attack on Iran and the matter was coordinated, Walla News reported citing a senior Israeli official.

Israel escalated its military campaign against Iran, striking nuclear facilities and missile infrastructure while killing members of a military unit responsible for foreign operations, the Revolutionary Guards Quds Force

A new wave of Israeli airstrikes late Saturday targeted multiple cities across Iran—from Bandar Abbas, Ahvaz and Marvdasht in the south to Tabriz, Salmas and Babol in the north, Sanandaj and Kermanshah in the west and Tehran, Qom, and Isfahan in the center, according to eyewitnesses and media reports.

Iranian state media confirmed the deaths of five Revolutionary Guards members in Khorramabad and released the names of 15 air defense personnel killed in recent strikes.

Saeed Izadi, commander of the Quds Force’s Palestine Corps, was killed in a strike in Qom, Israeli defense minister said early Saturday. Israel Katz described Izadi as a key figure behind Hamas's October 7 attack and a central node in Iran’s funding of armed allies in the region.

Israel said it had also taken out senior Revolutionary Guards drone commander Aminpour Joudaki and Quds Force arms transfer chief Behnam Shahriari.

An attack in Tehran killed Iranian nuclear scientist Isar Tabatabaei Ghomsheh and his wife.

Hezbollah forces killed in Tehran

An Israeli airstrike in Tehran killed Abu Ali al-Khalil, who had served as slain Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah’s personal bodyguard for decades, Al Arabiya reported citing sources in the Lebanese group.

Al-Khalil's son was also killed in the attack, Palestinian news agency Quds News Network reported.

In addition to Al-Khalil, Haider al-Musawi, a senior member of the Iran-linked militia group Sayyid al-Shuhada, was killed in the airstrikes, according to Israel's Channel 12.

Among the locations hit were the Isfahan nuclear facility and a centrifuge production site within the same complex, which the Israeli military said is central to Iran’s nuclear weapons development.

Other targets included drone launch vehicles, missile infrastructure, radar installations, and air defense systems.

The Iranian government confirmed that the Isfahan site had been struck but reported no casualties or radiation leaks.

Explosions were also heard in many cities including Shiraz, Mashhad, Tabriz, and Tehran, where the cyber police headquarters was severely damaged. Cyber police is known for its role in online surveillance and repression.

Iran in turn continued its retaliatory missile launches against Israel while imposing a near-total internet blackout which has effectively halted the flow of information.

Iranian missile impacts were reported in Tel Aviv, the Negev and Haifa. Israel said its air defense systems successfully intercepted multiple incoming salvos.

US moves B-2 bombers

The Pentagon is deploying stealth B-2 bombers across the Pacific from their base in Missouri, officials cited by US media reported, signaling that the Trump administration is positioning them for a possible strike on Iran.

The aircraft are capable of carrying the 30,000-pound GBU-57 bunker buster, which defense experts believe is the most likely conventional weapon to inflict damage on Iran’s fortified Fordow uranium enrichment site.

US President Donald Trump says he will make his decision about joining the Israeli war on Iran in two weeks to give diplomacy a last chance.

However, Israeli officials have told the United States they may not wait until the end of the two-week deadline to strike Iran’s underground Fordow nuclear facility and could act alone, Reuters reported Saturday, citing two sources familiar with what they described as a tense phone call.

“The Israeli officials said they do not want to wait the two weeks that US President Donald Trump presented on Thursday as a deadline for deciding whether the US will get involved in the Israel-Iran war," the report said citing the sources.

The White House is expected to hold a national security meeting on Saturday afternoon on Iran.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned Saturday that any US involvement would be dangerous, insisting Tehran would not negotiate under bombardment.

The unprecedented step reflects the seriousness with which the 86-year-old leader views the current threat environment, as Israeli airstrikes continue to target Iranian military and nuclear assets.

Khamenei, who is now operating from a secure underground location and communicating through a trusted aide, has also named backups for key military positions in case more senior commanders are killed, the NYT cited the officials as saying.

“Ayatollah Khamenei’s son Mojtaba, also a cleric and close to the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, who was rumored to be a front-runner, is not among the candidates,” the report said.

The identity of the three clerics has not been disclosed, but the move is seen as an effort to ensure a swift and orderly succession via the Assembly of Experts if the supreme leader is assassinated or dies unexpectedly.

As Iran International previously reported, Khamenei was relocated to an underground bunker in Lavizan, northeast Tehran, shortly after the airstrikes began. His close family, including Mojtaba, are also at the facility. The transfer followed internal assessments of vulnerability at top levels of Iran’s leadership.

In a separate report, Iran International learned that Khamenei has delegated key powers to the Supreme Council of the Revolutionary Guards in what officials described as a wartime precaution, allowing critical decisions to proceed should the Supreme Leader become incapacitated.