Explosions rock multiple Iranian cities as the president vows to dismantle Tehran’s military and nuclear programs and urges Iranians to “take over your government.”
Washington, D.C. – President Donald Trump announced late Friday that the United States and Israel had begun “major combat operations in Iran”, launching air and missile strikes across multiple cities in coordination with Israeli forces. The president described the campaign as a decisive effort to eliminate “imminent threats” posed by the Iranian regime and to prevent the country from developing nuclear weapons.
Key Points
- The U.S. and Israel initiated joint strikes under the reported codename “Roaring Lion,” targeting Iranian military, intelligence, and nuclear sites.
- Explosions were reported in several cities, including Tehran, Isfahan, Qom, and Kermanshah, as Iran imposed a temporary airspace closure.
- President Trump called the offensive “a noble mission” to ensure Iran “never obtains a nuclear weapon” and urged Iranians to rise against their leaders.
The opening wave: strikes across Iran
The first wave of strikes hit shortly after midnight local time, targeting sites linked to Iran’s Ministry of Defense, the Supreme Leader’s compound, and facilities of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran. Residents in Tehran, Isfahan, and Qom reported large explosions, plumes of smoke, and power outages. Iranian authorities closed the country’s airspace for six hours as emergency sirens echoed through the capital.
Iranian state media confirmed casualties, including 40 people killed in a strike on a girls’ school in Minab, southern Iran, though the United States has not commented on civilian reports. Israel’s military, which codenamed the joint operation “Roaring Lion,” said its targets included missile production facilities and command centers linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
Trump declares “major combat operations”
In a televised address from the White House, President Trump described the strikes as “major combat operations” designed to dismantle what he called “a vicious group of very hard, terrible people.”
“Our objective is to defend the American people by eliminating imminent threats from the Iranian regime,” Trump said. “For 47 years, the Iranian regime has chanted ‘death to America’ and waged an unending campaign of bloodshed and mass murder. We’re not going to put up with it any longer.”
He recounted decades of Iranian-sponsored attacks — from the 1979 embassy hostage crisis to the 1983 Marine barracks bombing in Beirut — and accused Iran of arming Hamas, Hezbollah, and Houthi militias across the Middle East.
“From Lebanon to Yemen and Syria to Iraq, the regime has armed, trained, and funded terrorist militias that have soaked the Earth with blood,” Trump said. “It was Iran’s proxy Hamas that launched the monstrous October seventh attacks on Israel.”
Operation “Midnight Hammer” and the nuclear issue
Trump said Saturday’s offensive followed earlier strikes last June under Operation Midnight Hammer, which he claimed “obliterated the regime’s nuclear program” at Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan. Despite those attacks, he said, Iran continued rebuilding its facilities and testing long-range missiles capable of threatening U.S. allies in Europe and the Middle East.
“Iran refused every opportunity to renounce its nuclear ambitions,” the president said. “We will ensure that Iran does not obtain a nuclear weapon. It’s a very simple message: they will never have a nuclear weapon.”
“Lay down your weapons or face certain death”
Addressing Iran’s military, Trump issued an ultimatum. “To the members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard, the armed forces, and all of the police, I say tonight that you must lay down your weapons and have complete immunity, or in the alternative, face certain death.”
He urged Iranian citizens to stay indoors until the bombing campaign ends, then to “take over your government.”
“When we are finished, take over your government. It will be yours to take,” Trump said. “For many years, you have asked for America’s help, but you never got it. No president was willing to do what I am willing to do tonight.”
Iran retaliates with missile and drone strikes
Within hours of Trump’s announcement, Iran launched retaliatory missile and drone attacks targeting U.S. military installations in Bahrain and Qatar, as well as sites inside Israel. Explosions were reported in the Israeli city of Holon, south of Tel Aviv, where dozens of buses were destroyed.
The Israel Defense Forces said air defense systems intercepted multiple incoming projectiles over central Israel. Iranian state media called the U.S.-Israeli assault “a breach of the UN Charter” and vowed “no leniency” in its response. An IRGC commander warned that “more advanced weapons” would soon be deployed.
Iran also imposed an internet blackout across much of the country amid what appeared to be nationwide cyberattacks and communication disruptions.
Unconfirmed reports of leadership casualties
Unverified reports circulating on Israeli media suggested that Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, may have been targeted in the initial strike on his Tehran compound, though Iranian officials denied he was present. Israel’s military intelligence sources said they were assessing the report “with growing certainty.”
Iranian Defense Minister Amir Nasirzadeh was also reported killed in one of the strikes, though this has not been independently confirmed.
“We may have casualties — but it is a noble mission”
Trump acknowledged that U.S. service members could face casualties as the operation continues. “Even so, and I do not make this statement lightly, the Iranian regime seeks to kill,” he said. “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.”
The president said the United States had “taken every possible step to minimize the risk to U.S. personnel” and praised the armed forces for executing “a mission to ensure that Americans and our children will never be threatened by a nuclear-armed Iran.”
Reactions and global concern
The strikes drew immediate international attention. European leaders called for restraint, while Russia and China condemned the attacks as “unprovoked aggression.” Oil prices surged nearly 10 percent overnight amid fears of a regional escalation affecting global energy supplies.
At the United Nations, emergency consultations were convened as diplomats sought to prevent the conflict from spiraling into a wider war across the Persian Gulf.
Trump concludes: “This is the moment for action”
In closing his address, Trump cast the operation as both a military and moral campaign.
“This regime will soon learn that no one should challenge the strength and might of the United States Armed Forces,” he said. “I built and rebuilt our military in my first administration, and there is no military on Earth even close to its power.”
“To the great, proud people of Iran, I say tonight that the hour of your freedom is at hand,” Trump continued. “Stay sheltered, because bombs will be dropping everywhere. When we are finished, take over your government. This will be your only chance for generations.”
“America is backing you with overwhelming strength and devastating force. Now is the time to seize control of your destiny,” he said. “This is the moment for action. Do not let it pass.”
Tags: Donald Trump, Iran, Israel