WASHINGTON — United States President Donald Trump confirmed in a pre-dawn video address Saturday that American forces had commenced "major combat operations in Iran," moments after Israel announced a broad-based "preemptive strike" against the Islamic Republic, triggering what analysts warned could become the most consequential military confrontation in the Middle East in decades.

Trump delivered his statement in an eight-minute video posted to his Truth Social account at approximately 2:30 a.m. Eastern Time, declaring the campaign "a massive and ongoing operation to prevent this very wicked, radical dictatorship from threatening America." The joint operation, named "Lion's Roar" by Israeli authorities, targeted regime institutions, military sites, and ballistic missile infrastructure across multiple Iranian cities. Explosions were reported in Tehran, Isfahan, Qom, Karaj, Kermanshah, Hamedan, Tabriz, Ilam, and on the Persian Gulf island of Qeshm. No confirmed casualty figures were available at the time of publication.

The Opening Salvo: Scope and Scale of the Strikes

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz was the first official to confirm military action, stating that the Israel Defense Forces had launched a preemptive strike intended to "remove threats to the State of Israel." A spokesperson for Katz acknowledged that retaliatory Iranian strikes against Israeli territory and civilian populations were expected "in the immediate time frame," prompting Israel to declare a nationwide state of emergency and close its airspace to civilian aircraft. Hospitals across Israel were instructed by the Health Ministry to move patients to underground and protected facilities, cancel elective procedures, and operate at the highest readiness level.

The scale of the American involvement was described by officials who spoke on condition of anonymity as emphatically "not a small strike." U.S. forces conducted strikes by both air and sea, and the operation included at least two aircraft carrier battle groups, one of which was the USS Gerald R. Ford, positioned in the region after a high-profile naval buildup Trump had publicly announced in January. Seven missiles were confirmed to have struck a district in Tehran where Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei maintains official residences and offices, as well as facilities housing the presidential palace and National Security Council. Thick plumes of smoke were visible over the Iranian capital and corroborated by photographic evidence distributed by wire services.

The Road to War: Collapsed Diplomacy and the Nuclear Impasse

The strikes did not emerge without warning. Both governments had spent weeks escalating pressure while simultaneously engaging in back-channel and direct diplomacy. Indirect nuclear talks between Washington and Tehran were held in Oman in early February 2026, followed by two separate rounds of negotiations in Switzerland. The final round concluded on February 26, with Oman's Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi describing a deal as "within reach," requiring only "a little bit more time." Trump, however, told reporters he was "not happy" with the pace of progress, saying Iran was unwilling to agree to complete cessation of uranium enrichment, which Tehran continued to characterize as its sovereign right for civilian purposes.

In his Truth Social video, Trump stated that his administration had "sought repeatedly" to reach a nuclear deal with the Islamic Republic but that Iran had "refused." The president reiterated his administration's position that Iran "can never have a nuclear weapon," citing a previous joint U.S.-Israeli campaign in June 2025, codenamed Operation Midnight Hammer, in which the U.S. struck Iranian nuclear facilities at Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan. A subsequent U.S. government assessment found, however, that only one of three targeted sites was destroyed in those strikes. There is no publicly available evidence as of this writing that Iran has successfully resumed significant uranium enrichment following that operation. The Trump administration has not formally accused Iran of renewing enrichment work, and Iran continues to deny pursuing nuclear weapons.

Protesters, Repression, and a Shifting Strategic Rationale

The decision to strike was also shaped by the Iranian government's violent suppression of nationwide anti-regime protests that began in December 2025. Triggered by the collapse of the rial, surging consumer prices, and the broader economic crisis, the demonstrations spread to more than 100 cities and represented the largest popular uprising in Iran since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. The Iranian government responded with lethal force. During a briefing on February 27, Trump stated that the Iranian regime had killed "at least, it looks like, 32,000 protesters," a figure broadly consistent with earlier estimates of approximately 30,000 provided by two senior Iranian Health Ministry officials. Trump had previously encouraged the protesters through Truth Social posts, writing in January, "KEEP PROTESTING, TAKE OVER YOUR INSTITUTIONS!!!"

In his Saturday statement, Trump addressed Iranians directly, declaring: "Finally, to the great, proud people of Iran, I say tonight that the hour of your freedom is at hand. When we are finished, take over your government. It will be yours to take." The rhetoric was notable for its explicit endorsement of regime change, a goal that senior U.S. military officials had privately cautioned against. Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine was among those who warned Trump before the decision of the risks of a prolonged conflict without a clear exit strategy.

Regional Fallout and Immediate Consequences

The strikes immediately reverberated across the wider region. Iraq announced the closure of its national airspace via the Iraq News Agency, citing the military activity. The United Arab Emirates saw multiple commercial flights canceled, with Dubai's flydubai suspending service to Tehran, Mashhad, Lar, and Tel Aviv. The U.S. Embassy in Qatar implemented a shelter-in-place protocol for all personnel and issued a public advisory for American citizens in the country to do the same. Several other U.S. embassies across the region issued similar security alerts within hours of the announcement.

Iran had for months telegraphed its intentions in the event of a strike, vowing to retaliate against both American military bases and Israeli territory. Israel's former intelligence chief Amos Yadlin stated that the operation aims to "dramatically weaken the regime and its military capabilities," while cautioning that aerial campaigns alone cannot bring down a government. Iran faces a near-term strategic decision of enormous consequence: whether to respond with its full arsenal of ballistic missiles and activate regional proxies, or seek a return to the negotiating table under conditions far less favorable than those available just 48 hours prior. The answer will shape not only the trajectory of this conflict but the security architecture of the broader Middle East for years to come.

What Comes Next: Strategic Uncertainty and Downstream Risk

The initiation of hostilities at this scale carries implications well beyond the immediate exchange of strikes. Saudi Arabia, the Gulf states, and other regional actors who had cautiously welcomed earlier negotiations now face pressure to choose sides or declare neutrality. Oil markets, global shipping lanes through the Strait of Hormuz, and the fragile post-Gaza-war diplomatic landscape are all vulnerable to disruption. Multiple analysts cited by wire services had previously warned that even a limited U.S.-Israeli strike on Iran could spiral into a regionwide war. With Trump now explicitly describing a "massive and ongoing operation" and U.S. officials confirming air and sea operations of significant scale, the possibility of a contained, short-duration conflict grows increasingly uncertain.

Trump acknowledged in his address that American casualties were possible. "The lives of courageous American heroes may be lost, and we may have casualties," he stated. "That often happens in war. But we are doing this not for now, we are doing this for the future, and it is a noble mission." The administration has not publicly defined what conditions would constitute the end of the campaign or under what circumstances negotiations might resume, leaving the scope and duration of "major combat operations" unresolved as of publication time.

Written by Nick Ravenshade for NENC Media Group, original article and analysis.