United States and Israel Launch Major Strikes Against Iran

The United States and Israel launched a coordinated military assault against Iran on Saturday, 28 February 2026, local time. Israel announced the initial strike on Tehran, which was followed by joint operations with the United States.

According to Washington officials cited by CNN, the American strikes against Iran were described as “not small attacks.” The operations focused on military targets across Iranian territory.

Another US official stated that the objective of the American strikes was to counter Iranian military threats and protect American armed forces. Washington had implemented protective measures for US military personnel in the region ahead of the military operation.

President Donald Trump announced the military strikes against Iran via video statement, characterising the American strikes as “massive and sustained” operations to destroy Iranian missiles and naval forces.

He also stated that the strikes aimed to prevent Iran from endangering the lives of American citizens.

“The United States military is conducting massive and sustained operations to prevent this very evil radical dictatorship from threatening America and our core national security interests,” Trump said in his announcement, as reported by CNN on Saturday.

“Our objective is to defend the American people by eliminating the real threat from the Iranian regime,” he added.

“We will destroy their missiles and obliterate their missile industry until it is completely level with the ground. That industry will be completely — once again — destroyed. We will destroy their navy,” Trump stated forcefully in a video statement released via Truth Social on Saturday morning, US time.

He noted that Iran had attempted to rebuild its nuclear programme following earlier strikes by the US and Israel in June of the previous year.

“They have rejected every opportunity to abandon their nuclear ambitions, and we can no longer tolerate it,” Trump said in his statement.