Middle East war day 14: Practically nothing left to target, the world's largest refinery just burned

Fourteen days in. Former US President Trump told Axios there was "practically nothing left to target" and the war would end "anytime I want." On the same day, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth announced the highest volume of strikes on Iran yet . Two statements. One administration. Zero coherence.

Hegseth also revealed that Iran's new Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, is wounded and likely disfigured , speaking a day after Khamenei released a written statement vowing to continue the war. It was Khamenei's first statement since assuming Iran’s top office following the death of his father in an Israeli strike.

Israel's overnight wave of strikes on Tehran targeted not just military infrastructure but Basij internal security checkpoints , signalling that regime disruption is now an explicit objective . Prime Minister Netanyahu said openly that Israel is working to create conditions for regime change and stop Iran's nuclear programme from going underground. Tehran woke up to smoke on every horizon, yet hundreds of thousands of Iranians flooded the streets for Quds Day, their president and foreign minister marching among them. Their national security chief called the bombing "an act of desperation." A city under bombardment chose to march anyway.

Iran fired back with a fresh missile barrage toward Israel , vowing an "unforgettable lesson" for both Washington and Tel Aviv. Meanwhile, the Gulf absorbed another brutal day. The UAE intercepted 7 ballistic missiles and 27 drones , 34 projectiles in 24 hours. A drone struck Saudi Arabia’s Ras Tanura refinery , one of the world’s largest, with satellite images showing active fire suppression. Bahrain has intercepted 114 missiles and 190 drones since Day 1.

France entered the casualty list. Arnaud Frion, 42, was killed by an Iranian Shahed drone at a joint French-Kurdish base in Iraq's Kurdistan region. President Macron called it "unacceptable." The war keeps pulling new nations into its orbit.

Lebanon's death toll crossed 687 , including 98 children. The UN says 3.2 million Iranians have been displaced. Qatar’s airspace remains closed. Brent crude held above $100. Iran’s peace terms reparations, recognition, guarantees sit unanswered on the table.

Over 250 American organisations wrote to Congress demanding a halt to war funding , but nobody in Washington appeared to be reading their mail.