The United States and Israel launched a coordinated military offensive against Iran early Saturday, striking multiple sites after Tehran failed to meet President Donald Trump’s demands in nuclear negotiations.
Iran responded swiftly, firing missiles across the region, where U.S. forces are stationed at numerous bases.
Trump described the campaign as “major combat operations,” a bold gamble even by his standards of foreign policy. He escalated further by urging Iranians to seize the moment and overthrow their clerical regime.
Uncertainty surrounds how long the strikes will continue or whether diplomacy could resume. The timing, just months before U.S. midterm elections, adds political weight to the operation.
American warships launched dozens of Tomahawk missiles, while fighter jets joined in. A U.S. official, speaking anonymously, said the campaign would last “days, not hours,” signaling a broader effort.
No U.S. ground troops were reported inside Iran, but regional governments fear the conflict could spiral into a wider war.
Trump announced the strikes in an eight‑minute video on Truth Social, saying targets included missile facilities and Iran’s navy. Reports suggested senior Iranian officials were also hit.
“We will dismantle their missile industry and annihilate their navy,” Trump declared. “Their terrorist proxies will no longer destabilize the region.”
The offensive follows last June’s war between Israel and Iran, when U.S. forces joined late to bomb Iran’s nuclear infrastructure. Trump claimed at the time it had been “obliterated.”
On Saturday, he accused Iran of rebuilding its nuclear program and developing long‑range missiles that could threaten Europe, U.S. troops abroad, and eventually the American homeland.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed the joint operation, calling Iran’s regime an “existential threat” that must never acquire nuclear weapons. Both leaders urged Iranians to rise up against their rulers.
Iran’s foreign ministry condemned the strikes, saying they hit both military and civilian sites, and vowed “firm and decisive” retaliation. It appealed to the United Nations for condemnation, insisting it had been engaged in negotiations.
U.S. embassies across the Middle East issued shelter‑in‑place alerts. Trump acknowledged American casualties were possible, calling them “the price of securing the future.”
The Pentagon had spent months preparing, deploying carriers, stealth fighters, and surveillance aircraft in one of the largest buildups since the Iraq invasion in 2003.
Negotiations collapsed after Trump demanded Iran renounce nuclear weapons and halt uranium enrichment. Iran insists its program is peaceful, for energy and medicine, but U.S. officials remain skeptical.
Critics in Washington quickly weighed in. Rep. Thomas Massie denounced “unauthorized acts of war,” while Sen. Ruben Gallego argued the U.S. could support Iranian democracy without risking American lives.
