The United States and Israel launched a sweeping joint military offensive across Iran on Saturday. President Donald Trump described the campaign, codenamed Operation Epic Fury, as a "massive and ongoing" mission intended to eliminate imminent threats and dismantle the Iranian government’s nuclear and ballistic missile capabilities.
The coordinated strikes, which began shortly after sunrise, targeted strategic military sites in Tehran, Isfahan, Qom, Karaj, and Kermanshah. The U.S. Department of Defence and the Israel Defence Forces (IDF)—operating under the Israeli codename Roaring Lion—confirmed that the assault hit command centres, air defence systems, and nuclear-related infrastructure. Satellite imagery analysed by security experts showed significant damage to leadership compounds in the capital, including the residence of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who is reportedly cut off from contact.
"Our objective is to defend the American people by eliminating imminent threats from the Iranian regime, a vicious group of very hard, terrible people," President Trump stated in a video message posted on Truth Social. He urged the Iranian people to "take over your government" and offered amnesty to Iranian military personnel who lay down their arms, while warning that those who refuse would face "certain death".
Iran’s Foreign Ministry condemned the strikes as a "gross violation" of national sovereignty. In an immediate retaliatory wave, Tehran launched hundreds of drones and ballistic missiles targeting Israel and U.S. military installations across the Persian Gulf, including bases in Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates.
The escalation follows the collapse of high-stakes nuclear negotiations in Geneva earlier this week.