They have to explain why they started this aggression
Nine days into a conflict born of American and Israeli strikes on Iranian soil, the Persian Gulf finds itself caught in the logic of escalation — where each act of force begets a justification for the next. Iran's Revolutionary Guard has now launched twenty-three waves of coordinated strikes, reaching Kuwait and Bahrain while insisting the targets are American, not Arab. With more than 1,500 dead across the region and no ceasefire in sight, the ancient question resurfaces: at what point does the language of self-defense become the grammar of endless war?
- Iran's twenty-third wave of strikes hit Kuwait's airport fuel tanks and Bahrain's desalination plant, bringing the war's reach deeper into Gulf civilian infrastructure.
- Tehran insists it is targeting only American military bases on foreign soil, but the documented damage to water and fuel systems is straining that distinction to its breaking point.
- Bahrain formally accused Iran of attacking its desalination plant, crystallizing the fear among smaller Gulf states that they are becoming collateral battlegrounds in a war they did not choose.
- Israel struck an Iranian oil facility near Tehran and resumed operations in Lebanon, keeping the conflict burning on multiple fronts simultaneously.
- Iran's president warned of expanded strikes if US-Israeli bombing continues, while the foreign minister rejected any temporary ceasefire — demanding a permanent end, but only after accountability is assigned.
- The death toll has surpassed 1,500 in nine days, and the trajectory of the conflict points not toward resolution but toward a wider, more destructive geography of violence.
Nine days after joint American and Israeli strikes ignited the conflict on February 28, Iran's Revolutionary Guard launched its twenty-third coordinated wave of attacks across the Persian Gulf under the designation True Promise 4. The operation deployed newly developed missile systems and, on Sunday, reached Kuwait and Bahrain — striking fuel storage tanks at Kuwait's international airport and damaging a water desalination plant in Bahrain.
The human cost has been severe. At least 1,230 people have been killed inside Iran, more than 300 in Lebanon, and roughly a dozen in Israel. Across the region, the toll has exceeded 1,500 lives in under two weeks.
Iran's foreign minister Abbas Araghchi appeared on American television to defend the campaign, arguing that Iran was not targeting neighboring countries but rather American military installations that happen to be located on their soil. He framed the strikes as lawful self-defense against aggression by Washington and Tel Aviv. When pressed on a ceasefire, he rejected any temporary pause, insisting Iran sought a permanent end to the war — but only after the other side acknowledged responsibility for starting it.
Bahrain's formal accusation that Iran had struck its desalination plant exposed the increasingly uncomfortable position of smaller Gulf states: hosting American military presence while absorbing Iranian firepower. The line between military and civilian targets, already blurred, was eroding further with each wave.
As Sunday drew to a close, an Israeli airstrike on an Iranian oil facility sent smoke rising over Tehran, while Israel simultaneously resumed its campaign in Lebanon. Iran's president warned that attacks on American targets throughout the region could expand if the bombing continued. The question no longer seemed to be whether the violence would end, but how much of the Gulf it would consume before it did.
Nine days into the conflict, Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps announced the launch of its twenty-third coordinated wave of attacks across the Persian Gulf. The operation, designated True Promise 4, deployed newly developed missile systems against targets the Iranian military claimed were American military installations and assets positioned throughout the region.
On Sunday, the strikes reached Kuwait and Bahrain. Fuel storage tanks at Kuwait's international airport sustained direct hits. In Bahrain, a water desalination plant was damaged in the assault. These were not isolated incidents but part of a sustained campaign that had already claimed significant casualties across West Asia—at least 1,230 dead in Iran itself, more than 300 in Lebanon, and roughly a dozen in Israel since the fighting began on February 28 after joint American and Israeli strikes on Iranian targets.
Iran's foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, appeared on NBC's "Meet the Press" to frame the campaign as something other than what it appeared. He insisted that Iran was not targeting neighboring countries but rather striking at American military bases that happened, unfortunately for those neighbors, to sit on their soil. The distinction mattered to Tehran's messaging, even as documented damage accumulated at civilian infrastructure across the Gulf. Araghchi characterized the Iranian response as lawful self-defense, a reaction to aggression he attributed to the United States and Israel.
When asked about ceasefire possibilities, Araghchi rejected the notion of a temporary pause. Iran wanted a permanent end to the war, he said, though he made clear that before any such settlement could be discussed, the other side would need to account for starting what he called this imposed conflict. He did not name names, but the implication was clear: Washington and Tel Aviv bore responsibility for the escalation.
Bahrain, meanwhile, formally accused Iran of attacking its desalination plant, a charge that underscored a growing concern among Gulf states—that civilian infrastructure was becoming fair game in the conflict. The accusation also highlighted the awkward position of these smaller nations, caught between American military presence on their territory and Iranian firepower across the water.
As Sunday progressed, the violence widened. Late in the evening, an Israeli airstrike on an Iranian oil facility sent plumes of dark smoke rising over Tehran itself. Israel simultaneously resumed its own campaign in Lebanon, keeping multiple fronts active. Iran's president, for his part, warned that his country stood ready to expand its attacks on American targets throughout the region if the American and Israeli bombing campaign continued to intensify.
The arithmetic of the conflict had become grim. More than 1,500 people had been killed across the region in nine days. The strikes were growing more sophisticated, the targets more varied, and the rhetoric from Tehran suggested that what had begun as a specific response to American and Israeli action was now being framed as an open-ended campaign that could expand further. The question hanging over the Gulf was not whether the violence would stop, but how much wider it would spread.
Citas Notables
We are not targeting other nations in the region, but directing attacks at American military bases and assets located on the soil of our neighbors— Abbas Araghchi, Iranian foreign minister
There should be a permanent end of the war, and unless we get to that, we need to continue fighting for the sake of our people and our security— Abbas Araghchi, Iranian foreign minister
La Conversación del Hearth Otra perspectiva de la historia
Why does Iran keep insisting these are military targets when the damage clearly includes civilian infrastructure?
Because the distinction matters for how they justify the campaign internationally. If they're hitting American bases, they're defending themselves. If they're hitting water plants and fuel depots, they're attacking civilians. The truth is probably both—the bases exist on that soil, but so do the civilians.
Araghchi said they want a permanent end to the war, not a ceasefire. What's the difference from Iran's perspective?
A ceasefire is a pause—you stop shooting, maybe negotiate, maybe start again. A permanent end means the other side has to accept that Iran won this round and won't come back. It's about not being vulnerable to the same strikes again.
He also said the other side has to explain why they started the aggression. Who is he really talking about?
He's being diplomatic about it, but he means the United States and Israel. The strikes on February 28 that started this—those came from both of them. Iran sees itself as responding, not initiating.
But Kuwait and Bahrain didn't start anything. Why are their civilians paying the price?
Because American military infrastructure is there. Iran argues it's not targeting the civilians, just the bases. But when you hit a fuel depot at an airport or a water plant, civilians feel it. These smaller Gulf states are trapped—they host American forces but they're also neighbors to Iran.
The death toll is already over 1,500 in nine days. Does Iran think this can actually end?
Araghchi's language suggests they think it continues until the Americans and Israelis stop. He said they'll keep fighting for their security. That's not the language of someone expecting a quick resolution.