Tehran — The Middle East is spiraling toward all‑out war after a joint U.S.–Israeli strike killed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, triggering a furious wave of Iranian retaliation against American bases and Israeli cities — and now, a fresh round of strikes from both sides.

Iranian state TV has declared a “war of liberation” as ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and swarms of attack drones rain down on U.S. installations in the Gulf and key Israeli population centers. Air‑raid sirens wail from Haifa to Tel Aviv as residents rush to bunkers, while U.S. commanders report “sustained incoming fire” on bases in Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait. Casualty figures remain unclear, but early estimates suggest dozens dead and hundreds injured across the region.

In response, Washington and Tel Aviv have unleashed new, deeper strikes on Iran’s military and political nerve centers. Explosions have rocked Revolutionary Guard bases, missile depots and suspected nuclear facilities, while covert cyberattacks are blamed for blackouts in parts of Tehran, Isfahan and Mashhad. Iran’s leadership, scrambling to project unity after Khamenei’s assassination, has vowed to expand attacks through allied militias from Lebanon to Yemen.

At the United Nations, frantic diplomacy is struggling to keep pace with events on the ground. Oil prices are soaring on fears the Strait of Hormuz could close, and global markets are bracing for prolonged chaos. Analysts warn that with red lines obliterated and both sides locked into cycles of revenge, the window to stop this conflict from erupting into a region‑wide inferno is rapidly slamming shut.