Iran launches missile attack on Israel in response to Trump's warning of prolonged military action

Iran's state broadcaster, IRIB, released images on March 26, 2026, purportedly showing the second phase of the 82nd wave of missile launches against Israel and US bases in the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait.

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The US president issued a warning to Iran on March 26, urging the country to engage in talks to end the Middle East war "before it is too late", following Tehran's public rejection of US overtures to resolve the nearly four-week conflict.

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The current war began on February 28, when Israel and the United States launched strikes on Iran, killing its supreme leader and triggering a conflict that has spread across the Middle East, causing chaos in global markets and sending oil prices soaring.

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On March 26, US President Donald Trump threatened to bomb Iran into the "Stone Ages" with heavy strikes in the next two to three weeks, in a speech from the White House, aiming to reassure war-weary Americans that the military campaign was nearing its end.

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Trump vowed "extremely hard" strikes against Iran, stating that the war's "core strategic objectives are nearing completion", and warned that the US would bring Iran back to the "Stone Ages" if necessary.

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The US-Israeli strikes on Iran that started the war killed senior officials, including supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, whose son has since replaced him, and Trump indicated that talks may be possible with Iran's new leadership.

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Trump described Iran's new leadership as "less radical and much more reasonable" than its predecessor, but warned that if no agreement was struck, Washington had its "eyes on key targets including the country's electric generating plants".

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Despite Trump's threats, Israel's military reported that Iran fired missiles at the country twice after his address, part of four barrages detected within six hours on Thursday.

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Iran has dismissed Washington's ceasefire overtures, with Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei describing US demands to end the conflict as "maximalist and irrational".

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Pro-government Iranians in Tehran were defiant at the funeral of a Revolutionary Guards naval commander who was killed in an Israeli strike, with one attendee, Moussa Nowruzi, stating "we will resist until the end".

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Trump assured regional allies, including Israel and Gulf nations, that Washington would protect them from Iranian retaliatory fire, as more attacks were reported across the region on Thursday.

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The United Arab Emirates reported that its air defences were responding to missile and drone "threats" on Thursday, while the Revolutionary Guards confirmed hitting an oil tanker in the Gulf that they claimed belonged to Israel.

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A British maritime security agency reported that the vessel was struck off Qatar, with damage but no casualties, and in Lebanon, militant group Hezbollah launched drones and rockets at northern Israel on Thursday.

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Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian questioned whether the conflict was truly putting "America First", accusing Washington of war crimes and being influenced by Israel, just hours before Trump's address.

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Trump claimed that Iran's president had sought a ceasefire, but said the Islamic republic must first reopen the Strait of Hormuz, which he stated would happen "naturally" once the conflict ended.

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The British-led virtual meeting of dozens of nations on Thursday aimed to "assess all viable diplomatic and political measures" to restore freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, according to Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

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Oil prices surged on Thursday, with Brent jumping more than four percent to over $105 and West Texas Intermediate climbing three percent to hit around $103, as the Strait of Hormuz remains effectively closed.

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Iran's Revolutionary Guards vowed to keep the Strait of Hormuz shut to the country's "enemies", and some Iranians privately long for political change, with one woman stating that she no longer expects a change of government but hopes for more freedoms.