State Department orders 'all posts worldwide' to review security posture

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in a statement on Tuesday confirmed the death of Brigadier General Gholamreza Soleimani, the commander of its paramilitary Basij forces in what it called a US-Israeli airstrike.

"We warn the wicked and terrorist killers of this esteemed martyr that the devoted Basij fighters will never abandon avenging the slain leader, the fallen commanders, and the many martyred members of the people," the statement warned.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement on Tuesday it had targeted hundreds of Basij and IRGC command centers in recent weeks, particularly in the capital.

The statement added that Iranian forces had repeatedly relocated operations after earlier strikes, including to sites it said were embedded in civilian areas.

The military said one target was an emergency command center operating from a former football club compound, accusing Iranian authorities of using civilian locations as cover.

The Israeli airstrike that killed Iran's top security official Ali Larijani also killed his deputy at the Supreme National Security Council Ali Bateni as well as Larijani’s son, who served as his special assistant, informed sources told Iran International.

Qassem Qoreishi, deputy head of the Basij paramilitary organization, was also killed in the Israeli strike on the Basij meeting, the sources said.

The meeting was held to discuss how to confront potential protests during the Persian festival of Chaharshanbeh Suri (Fireworks Wednesday), which is now underway in Iran.

US President Donald Trump told reporters on Tuesday that he is “not afraid” of deploying boots on the ground in Iran when asked about concerns that such a move could lead to a situation like the Vietnam War.

"I'm really not afraid of anything," he said at the White House.

"To me, Iran is something that was essentially, largely over in two or three days, because the Navy was wiped out, almost immediately, the Air Force came next, the anti-aircraft came next. I mean, we're flying over Iran."

The United States “does not need the help of anyone,” President Donald Trump said, as he criticized NATO allies for refusing to join the US-led military campaign against Iran.

Writing on Truth Social, Trump said most NATO countries had indicated they did not want to get involved in the operation despite broadly supporting Washington’s position that Iran must not obtain a nuclear weapon.

“I always considered NATO … to be a one way street — We will protect them, but they will do nothing for us,” Trump said, adding that the United States spends “hundreds of billions of dollars” defending allied countries.

Trump argued that US forces had already inflicted decisive damage on Iran.

Because of that, he wrote, “WE DO NOT NEED THE HELP OF ANYONE,” extending the point beyond NATO to include Japan, Australia and South Korea.