As the US-Israeli war with Iran approached its two-week mark, leaders from Iran, Israel, and the United States struck defiant tones, despite the conflict claiming thousands of lives, rattling financial markets, and sending oil prices soaring.

In his first public comments, read on state television, new Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei vowed to keep the Strait of Hormuz closed and warned neighboring countries to shut US bases or risk being targeted. He stated, "I assure everyone that we will not neglect avenging the blood of your martyrs."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defended US and Israeli airstrikes on Iran, claiming the campaign is meant to help Iranians topple their government. He said, "We are creating the optimal conditions for toppling the regime but I can't tell you with all certainty that the people of Iran will topple the regime — a regime is toppled from the inside," adding, "But we can definitely help and we are helping."

US President Donald Trump allegedly declared that the United States and Israel had already "won" the war and argued that higher oil prices would benefit the US as the "largest Oil Producer in the World," while stressing the need to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons. Trump's comments came as oil prices hovered around $100 a barrel and US stocks experienced major upheaval.

In the conflict's second week, tensions escalated, with the international community intensifying calls for peace, but the US regime and its allies' push to continue the war is leading to economic and humanitarian challenges.

Source: www.dw.com