Trump vows to keep fighting Iran as regional death toll climbs

U.S. President Donald Trump says he’s ready to keep fighting the war in the Middle East as long as it takes to crush any threat from Iran.

He says that could be weeks, a month or longer.

The president was speaking Monday as missile attacks and counter-attacks continued to hit Iran, Israel and neighbouring countries, and as the number of dead rises.

So far, there are reports of hundreds people being killed in the attacks on Iran.

There’s no definite figure of civilian casualties from other states in the region, while President Trump vows to keep fighting no matter what it takes.

With US and Israeli missiles pounding Iran for the third straight day, neighbouring Arab countries under fire and Iran firing back at Israel, reports from Iran say 550 people have been killed there.

Iranian authorities say that includes 150 girls who died when a missile hit their school.

Despite that, and the deaths of at least six American forces members, President Trump reiterated his goals.

“We continue this mission with ferocious, unyielding resolve to crush the threat this terrorist regime poses to the American people,” says Trump.

WATCH MORE: Local Iranian community reacts to U.S., Israel strikes on Iran

Following the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Trump says his objectives are to destroy Iran’s missile capability, ensure Iran never gets nuclear weapons and stop Iran’s support for terrorism.

“We’re ensuring that the world’s number one sponsor of terror can never obtain a nuclear weapon, never gonna have a nuclear weapon,” Trump says.

The U.S. calls this operation Epic Fury.

Israel’s Prime Minister calls it Roaring Lion.

“The tyrants of Tehran target civilians. We target the tyrants of Tehran to protect civilians,” says Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Many Iranian protestors in Canada support the attacks.

“Americans and Israelis are not attacking Iran, they’re saving the people of Iran.”

Prime Minister Carney while on a trip to India welcomed the American operation.

“First and foremost this is about human lives, establishing stability in the region and the will of the Iranian people being respected,” says Carney.

That’s despite his recent speech that old world relationships have broken down under Trump’s use of power in other countries like Venezuela.

WATCH MORE: Canada condemns attacks by Iran as conflict spreads across Middle East

“The Trump administration is living by lawlessness, invading, regime change, assassinating people at the drop of a hat, not what we want to be allying ourselves with,” says Stefan Dolgert, a Professor with Brock University.

“[It] endangers us in the long run too. What happens when Canada is in the cross hairs of Trump’s anger.”

Here in Canada some drivers were facing what could be the start of higher gas prices as ships refuse to enter the critical Strait of Hormuz near the Iranian war zone.

“If there’s a protracted conflict and that disrupts oil and natural gas supplies from the Middle East that’s going to push prices up globally and that’s going to mean we’ll see higher gas prices for much of the rest of this year,” says Colin Mang, professor with McMaster University.

A Defence Department map shows countries where Canadian forces personnel are involved in international missions. But the government says they have not been part of the U.S. military operation.

The federal government is advising Canadians against travel to 13 countries in the war zone.

Trump’s Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said Monday the U.S. isn’t following any rules of engagement in this war.

He calls rules like that stupid and political correctness. He says this conflict isn’t about nation building or building democracy, it’s about winning the fight against terrorism.

WATCH MORE: Update: Iran’s supreme leader is dead after U.S., Israeli strikes