TEHRAN – The Iranian Armed Forces say they will ramp up both the "scale" and "depth" of ongoing attacks against U.S. and Israeli positions in the region after nearly nine days of relentless strikes against U.S. bases in West Asia, secret hideouts of American personnel, and the occupied Palestinian territories.

The news was announced by the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, the body responsible for overseeing the war, in a statement declaring the 28th wave of Operation 'True Promise 4'. At the time of writing this report, the 29th wave had just been launched.

Operation 'True Promise 4' began less than two hours after the U.S. and Israel assassinated Iran's Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, in joint strikes on his old Tehran office. The two regimes have mostly struck residential buildings, schools, hospitals, empty military sites, and oil depots in the days since.

"In response to the brutality and criminality of the attacks carried out by U.S. and Israeli forces, the operations of the Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran will expand in both scale and depth in the coming days and hours," the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters said in a statement published on Sunday, the ninth day of the war.

Each wave of Iranian attacks has involved drones and missiles launched at U.S. and Israeli positions, again in multiple waves. The 28th wave, launched by midday Sunday, hit Al-Azraq Air Base in eastern Jordan, described as the largest and most active base used by American fighter jets. Military targets in Tel Aviv and Be’er Sheva in the occupied territories were also struck by Kheibar missiles equipped with "extremely heavy warheads", the statement added. 

Both the U.S. and Israel are imposing strict censorship on the scope and impact of the Iranian attacks. However, has been more difficult for Washington to conceal the extent of its losses.

Chinese satellite images show heavy destruction at nearly every U.S. base in the region. These include bases in Qatar, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Iraq. Furthermore, former CIA and U.S. military officials who have spoken against American wars in West Asia in recent years say Iran has significantly damaged billions of dollars’ worth of U.S. equipment in the Persian Gulf, which took the country at least four decades to build and accumulate. The war is also exhausting the U.S. arsenal of interceptor missiles, a phenomenon that is likely to affect U.S. allies in their war in Ukraine.

So far, more than 200 locations across American and Israeli bases and facilities have been targeted, according to Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) spokesman Major General Ali Mohammad Naeini.

"Around 60 percent of Iran’s firepower was directed at U.S. bases in the region, while 40 percent was aimed at targets belonging to the Israeli regime," he said during remarks to Iranian media on Sunday.

Naeini said Iran is prepared to continue the war at the current pace for at least the next six months. "Our arsenal of heavy weapons — including ballistic and cruise missiles, various types of drones, and offensive naval vessels — has been stocked in line with the needs of a large-scale, prolonged war, and there is no cause for concern."

The IRGC spokesman added that the missiles Iran has used against the enemy so far "have mostly been from earlier, first- and second-generation systems."

"In the next phases, a new style of attacks will be carried out using more advanced and less frequently deployed long-range missiles," he stated.

Another high-ranking military official previously told Iranian media that the country continues to maintain production as it deploys its projectiles, ensuring it can fight the U.S. and Israel for as long as necessary.

In the United States, meanwhile, the Trump administration is scrambling to justify the war to both the political elite and the public. Lawmakers say Trump has entered a “war of choice” that lacks a clear strategy or exit plan. Many Americans are angry that he has launched another “forever war” in West Asia, despite pledging during his swearing-in ceremony in January 2025 to be a “president of peace.”

Beyond the American soldiers killed at U.S. bases so far, the public is feeling the consequences of the president’s decision much sooner than during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The closure of the Strait of Hormuz since the beginning of this month has prevented at least 20 percent of the world’s energy supplies from reaching their destinations. This has pushed gas prices in the United States above five dollars in some states and triggered roughly 1.2 trillion dollars in losses in the U.S. stock market.

Trump appeared to believe that assassinating Iran’s leader and telling the Iranian people he was bringing them “freedom” by bombing their country would cause the Islamic Republic to collapse within days, analysts say. Last week he disclosed plans to support separatist groups and break up the country.