A spokesman for Iran’s Revolutionary Guard rejected Trump’s statements that Iran’s military power has been weakened, calling them lies meant to conceal U.S. failures.
By Mardo Soghom, Middle East Forum
War scars are increasingly visible across Tehran as American and Israeli warplanes continue to strike targets in and around the capital.
Not only obvious military facilities such as bases and warehouses are hit, but also ordinary-looking buildings that are believed to house intelligence and security operations.
In many cases, residents learn the true nature of these buildings only after they are struck and government rescue teams arrive to remove bodies and clear the scene.
“For ten days now, Tehran—the city that never slept—has sunk into an unsettling silence. The streets are emptier than ever, and shop shutters are pulled down. Life and the economy have largely come to a halt. The only concern now is surviving until the next morning.”
This was the description of the situation offered by the exiled Coordinating Council of Iranian Teachers’ Trade Associations in a statement published on March 9, 2026.
Despite operating in exile, the council maintains members and contacts among teachers inside Iran.
An anonymous but influential social media user in Iran reported that intense overnight airstrikes struck Tehran and the nearby city of Karaj early on March 10, following a surge of fighter jet activity after midnight.
According to the post, large parts of both cities experienced power outages, and explosions appeared significantly stronger than on previous nights.
The user described the sky briefly turning white-blue during one blast, suggesting a particularly powerful strike.
The post described the attacks as among the most severe so far and speculated that U.S. patience has run out after Iran failed to yield, warning that the night could prove especially difficult for the regime and its security forces.
By midday on March 10, the Tasnim news website in Tehran had published several reports quoting senior officials and spokesmen who vowed to continue resisting the United States and Israel.
Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, responded to what he called the “nonsense” remarks of Donald Trump, president of “the terrorist U.S. government,” writing on his official X account, “The Ashura-inspired nation of Iran is not afraid of your hollow threats. Even those greater than you have failed to eliminate the Iranian nation.”
Ashura is a Shi’i commemoration marking the anniversary of Imam Husayn’s martyrdom. He added: “Watch yourself so that you are not the one who gets eliminated.”
A spokesman for Iran’s Revolutionary Guard rejected Trump’s statements that Iran’s military power has been weakened, calling them lies meant to conceal U.S. failures.
He insisted that Iranian missiles and drones remain fully operational, accused U.S. forces of retreating from the region, and warned that Iran could escalate the conflict and block oil exports if attacks continue.
Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the speaker of parliament, wrote on his personal X account, “We are certainly not seeking a ceasefire. We believe the aggressor must be struck in the mouth so that it learns a lesson and never again thinks of attacking our beloved Iran.”
Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi also suggested that Iran would not easily accept a ceasefire.
Any halt to the fighting, he said, would require guarantees that such attacks will not be repeated, warning that a temporary ceasefire followed by renewed strikes months later would be unacceptable.
Gharibabadi added that Iran’s armed forces will continue their military response until such assurances are secured and those responsible accept responsibility for their actions.
He also said Tehran believes it currently holds the upper hand and therefore sees the decision about when the war ends as resting with Iran.
Despite the regime’s rhetoric, the teachers’ council cited earlier described a dire reality.
“An even greater tragedy is the sense of complete defenselessness. No air-raid sirens sound to give people time to seek shelter, and there are no prepared places of refuge where a mother could hide her child. Tehran’s citizens, abandoned and unprotected, are left simply waiting for whatever fate may bring.”
The council also said that perhaps most bitter of all is the sight of groups of regime supporters marching through these same streets. They parade while chanting slogans and delivering threatening speeches.
Such displays, the statement said, deepen the sense of insecurity and alienation among ordinary citizens, leaving many feeling that even in their own city they are alone and unprotected.
Despite these pressures on the population, it remains unclear who is truly in charge in the country. The newly selected supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, remains out of sight.
Many Iranians and other observers on social media believe he may either be dead or seriously injured.
With much of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ top leadership killed over the past nine months, the question of who is making life-and-death decisions in Iran has become increasingly pressing.
The post War comes to Tehran as regime defiance and Mojtaba’s absence continue appeared first on World Israel News.