Clarifying how long U.S. strikes against Iran will continue has proved difficult; consistent guidance from the Trump administration has been scarce.
Mixed Signals From Washington. President Donald Trump told CBS News in a Monday phone call that "the war is very complete." That same day, the U.S. Department of Defense posted on X: "We have Only Just Begun to Fight." Later, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the campaign would end on "our timeline," adding that U.S. forces would not stop until "the enemy is totally and decisively defeated," and warned that Tuesday could bring the most intense strikes yet.
Impact on Tehran and Civilian Toll. Tehran residents reported what many described as the worst night of aerial bombardment overnight into Tuesday. According to the U.S.-based group Human Rights Activists In Iran, at least 1,245 civilians — including 194 children — have been killed in the U.S.-Israeli campaign. These figures have not been independently verified by all international monitors.
Allegations, Evidence and the School Strike. Pentagon officials, including Mr. Hegseth speaking alongside Gen. Dan Caine, have blamed some civilian deaths on Iranian tactics, alleging militants fired missiles from or near schools and hospitals. At the same time, evidence is mounting that the 28 February strike on the Shajareh Tayyebeh primary school in Minab — which killed scores of children, mostly seven- to 12-year-old girls — may have been carried out by U.S. forces. UNESCO called the attack a "grave violation" of international law, and the incident is under growing scrutiny.
Domestic Political Developments. In U.S. politics, Republican former prosecutor Clay Fuller and retired Army general Shawn Harris, a Democrat, emerged as the top two vote-getters in a special election to replace Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene and will head to a run-off for Georgia's 14th congressional district. The race has been viewed as a test of former President Trump's sway in a deep-red region.
A federal judge also ruled that three prosecutors installed by the Trump administration to lead the New Jersey attorney general's office were illegally appointed. Separately, Mr. Trump named Erika Kirk, widow of the murdered right-wing activist Charlie Kirk, to a key advisory seat on the U.S. Air Force Academy's board of visitors.
Other Notable Items. Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s appointee to review COVID-19 vaccine safety — an MIT professor — has faced criticism from more than a dozen scientists and public health experts for failing to meet basic scientific standards in his research. In Alabama, the governor commuted the death sentence of a 75-year-old inmate who was not in the building when the victim was killed. Elon Musk's AI firm xAI won approval to operate 41 methane turbines at its Colossus 2 data center in northern Mississippi. Alexander Butterfield, the White House aide whose testimony about Oval Office recordings helped accelerate Richard Nixon's resignation, has died at 99. Police in Toronto are investigating shots fired at the U.S. consulate; no injuries were reported.
What Comes Next. Messaging from U.S. leaders remains inconsistent even as attacks continue and civilian death tolls rise. Observers will be watching for clearer operational timelines from Washington and further independent investigations into civilian casualties, including the Minab school strike.
