WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump announced Saturday that the United States had launched a major military strike on Iran, as massive explosions shook Tehran, the Iranian capital.
In an eight-minute video posted on social media, Trump said the U.S. had begun “major combat operations” against Iran. Israel confirmed that it was also attacking Iranian targets.
Trump addressed the Iranian people directly. He urged them to “take over your government” once the military action concludes.
“This may be your only chance for generations,” he said. “For years, you asked for America’s help, but you never got it. No president acted as I am acting tonight. Now you have a president giving you what you want. Let’s see how you respond.”
In the video on Truth Social, Trump framed the strikes as defensive. “Our goal is to protect the American people by eliminating imminent threats from the Iranian regime,” he said. “This is a vicious group of very hard, terrible people. Their actions threaten the United States, our troops, our bases abroad, and our allies worldwide.”
