President Donald Trump announced early Saturday that the US had begun “major combat operations in Iran.”
“Our objective is to defend the American people by eliminating imminent threats from the Iranian regime, a vicious group of very hard, terrible people,” he said in a video statement posted on Truth Social.
The US and Israel carried out airstrikes against Iran on Saturday, following months of tensions between Tehran and Washington.
The Israeli government first announced the airstrikes, which were carried out in broad daylight, as “preemptive.”
“The government of Israel has carried out a preemptive strike against the Islamic Republic to eliminate threats against the country of Israel,” Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said in a statement carried by government channels.
“As a result, a missile and drone attack against Israel and its civilian population is expected in the near future,” he added.
A US official confirmed to Business Insider that American forces were involved, adding that the strikes were ongoing.
Footage circulating on social media appeared to show explosions and plumes of smoke in Iran.
The attack marks the second time that the Trump administration has taken military action against Iran. In June 2025, the US bombed the country’s nuclear facilities as part of Operation Midnight Hammer, and Trump said at the time these had “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear sites.
This new round of strikes comes on the heels of negotiations between the US and Iran, part of the Trump administration’s efforts to pressure Tehran into a deal that would severely limit its nuclear and military capabilities. It also follows the withdrawal of Western diplomats from several Middle East countries.
In recent weeks, as Trump has issued repeated threats and warnings to Iran, pushing it to make a deal, the US has built up a large military footprint in the Middle East and nearby European waters.
The Pentagon has surged hundreds of fighter jets, aerial refueling tankers, reconnaissance planes, support aircraft, and warships into the region.
One complicating factor has been public resistance from US allies to operations against Iran. The UK barred the US from using its nearby bases, and Jordan said its bases couldn’t be used for attacks on Iran, despite imagery showing the US has shifted cargo planes and F-35 stealth fighters to one of its bases.
The significant US naval presence on station or taking up position in the area includes at least two aircraft carriers, more than a dozen guided-missile destroyers, and three littoral combat ships, which are designed for near-shore operations.
The two aircraft carriers — USS Abraham Lincoln and USS Gerald R. Ford — are each equipped with dozens of embarked fighters, electronic attack jets, early warning planes, and helicopters. The Lincoln’s air wing includes F-35 stealth fighters.
On Friday, a day after the Trump administration’s negotiations with Iranian officials in Geneva, White House official Dan Scavino posted a photograph on social media of eight B-2 Spirit stealth bombers on a runway, suggesting these aircraft could be used to strike Iran again.
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