US, Israel Vow No Letup And 'A Lot Of Hurt' As Campaign Against Iran Intensifies

Iran US, Israel Vow No Letup And 'A Lot Of Hurt' As Campaign Against Iran Intensifies By RFE/RL March 04, 2026 03:03 CET Listen 7 min This audio is automated Learn more US, Israel Vow No Letup And 'A Lot Of Hurt' As Campaign Against Iran Intensifies Share Share Print Summary US President Trump says "the big-scale hitting comes" as Iranian defensive assets are destroyed. US commander says initial attack on Iran nearly double the 2003 "Shock and Awe" campaign against Iraq. Streets of Tehran -- a city of 10 million people -- appear deserted amid the US-Israeli air strikes. The United States and Israel vowed no letup in their military campaign against Iran, with Tel Aviv launching a fresh "broad wave of strikes" while US President Donald Trump said Tehran "is going to be in for a lot of hurt" in the coming days. "The big-scale hitting goes now," Trump said on March 3 at the White House during a meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. "They no longer have air protections, they no longer have any detection systems left at all, so they're going to be in for a lot of hurt," he warned. Trump also reiterated that, along with Supreme Leader Ali Khemenei, much of the Iranian leadership had been killed in the US-Israeli attacks, leaving the regime in uncertain hands. "Most of the people we had in mind are dead. Now we have another group. They may be dead also, based on reports," he said. SEE ALSO: Double 'Shock And Awe' -- US Pounds Iran With Massive Assets 'Shock And Awe' After Trump spoke, the chief of the US military's Central Command, Admiral Brad Cooper, said Operation Epic Fury represents the largest US buildup in the Middle East in a generation. More than 50,000 US troops, over 200 fighter aircraft, two aircraft carrier strike groups, and long-range bombers are participating in the operation, Cooper said. He described the opening phase as nearly double the scale of the 2003 “shock and awe” campaign in Iraq. “Today, there is not a single Iranian ship under way in th...