Pezeshkian vows to rebuild 'better than before' Iran after 15 days of 'imposed and injust war'

—butTEHRAN: Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian vowed on Saturday to rebuild everything destroyed in air strikes by Israel and the United States even better than before as the conflict in the Middle East grinds on.

In a post on X, he said: "Fifteen days have passed since the imposed and unjust war, and despite the transportation, communication, and other challenges, thanks to our colleagues in the government, no serious disruption in service delivery to the people has occurred. With the companionship of you noble people of Iran, we will overcome these conditions and rebuild everything they have destroyed even better than before."

The comments came after US President Donald Trump said that warships from the American military and other countries were on their way to ensure the Strait of Hormuz remained "open and safe" for traffic.

He also said the US would continue to bomb the Iranian shoreline and the country's boats and ships.

He earlier threatened to strike the oil infrastructure of Iran's Kharg Island hub ​unless Tehran stopped attacking vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, a warning that could further roil markets coping with a historic supply disruption.

Trump paired his Friday ultimatum with a social media post saying ‌the U.S. had "totally obliterated" military targets on the island, the export terminal for 90% of Iran's oil shipments, which lies about 500 kilometres northwest of the strait.

US President Donald Trump said Iran has been “totally defeated” in the ongoing US-Israeli military campaign, claiming Tehran had sought a deal he would not accept even as Iranian officials vowed to continue attacks.

“The Fake News Media hates to report how well the United States Military has done against Iran, which is totally defeated and wants a deal – But not a deal that I would accept!” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

His remarks came after reports of heavy US strikes on Iran’s key oil hub, Kharg Island. Trump described the operation as “one of the most powerful bombing raids in the History of the Middle East.”

He also warned Iran against disrupting shipping in the strategic Strait of Hormuz.

“However, should Iran, or anyone else, do anything to interfere with the Free and Safe Passage of Ships through the Strait of Hormuz, I will immediately reconsider this decision,” Trump said.

Trump added that the US Navy would begin escorting oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz “very soon” in a bid to ensure the safe movement of energy supplies.

The escalation comes amid widening regional tensions. The US Embassy in the Iraqi capital Baghdad was hit in a missile attack on Saturday, Iraqi security sources told Reuters.

The strike caused smoke to rise from the embassy building, the sources said, without providing details on the extent of the damage.

An Iraqi security source told Al Jazeera that the attack destroyed the embassy’s air defence system.

Meanwhile, Iran said it had shot down five drones over its airspace, bringing the total number of US and Israeli drones it claims to have downed during the war to 114, according to Iranian state television.

Earlier, Trump had threatened to order strikes on the petroleum infrastructure of Kharg Island if Iran did not halt attacks on vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping lane for global energy supplies.

In a social media post, Trump said US forces had “totally obliterated” military targets on the island, which serves as the export terminal for about 90% of Iran’s oil shipments and lies roughly 300 miles (483 kilometres) northwest of the strait.