The US and Israel strike Iran

Donald Trump promised a “massive” war

Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP via Getty Images

In a video posted to social media, President Donald Trump announced the US has started “major combat operations” in Iran. Explosions were heard in five cities in Iran, including Isfahan, Qom, Karaj, and Kermanshah, as well as in the capital Tehran today, 28 February.

The US Department for War said the strikes on Iran were named “Operation Epic Fury”. A US official told Reuters they expect the operation to last for several days, with Trump promising that the campaign would be “massive”.

“Our objective is to defend the American people by eliminating imminent threats from the Iranian regime”, Trump said in his announcement, accusing the Iranian regime of waging an “unending campaign of bloodshed and mass murder targeting the United States”.

Trump said that Iran can never have a nuclear weapon. He claimed that Iran had rejected every opportunity to renounce its nuclear ambitions, while continuing to develop missiles that can threaten allies in Europe and US troops overseas, and “could soon reach the American homeland”.

The president called on the Iranian people to rise up and overthrow their government once US strikes have concluded. “When we are finished, take over your government. It will be yours to take. This will be probably your only chance for generations” he declared.

In a statement to Israelis on the operation, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu echoed Trump. He called Iran an “existential threat” and said that it must not be allowed to have nuclear weapons. He claimed the operation would create the conditions for the Iranian people to “take their fate into their own hands”.

Following inconclusive talks between Iran and the United States earlier this week, Trump was asked by reporters on the White House front lawn on Friday whether tensions could lead to a drawn out conflict in the Middle East. He told them that “there’s always a risk”.