President Donald Trump said the U.S. military, with help from Israel, will launch a “major combat operation” against Iran on Saturday morning, February 28, with the goal of halting the country’s military and nuclear weapons programs and ending its regime.
President Trump announced the attack as part of a “large-scale, ongoing operation” in an eight-minute video posted to Truth Social at 2:30 a.m. ET. “We’re going to destroy their missiles and we’re going to completely destroy their missile industry,” Trump said.
President Trump told the Iranian people, “When we’re done, please take over your government.” “Take control of your own destiny.”
Details are unclear, but Reuters reported, citing Iranian media, that an explosion was heard in Tehran around 9:45 a.m. local time. The New York Times reported that smoke was seen over the area where Iran’s presidential palace and National Security Council are located.
Reported attacks and possible targets in Iran
At least five students were killed at a girls’ school in Minab province in southern Iran, Iran’s official IRNA news agency reported.
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“The lives of our brave American heroes may be lost, and we may suffer casualties, as is often the case in war,” Trump said in a Truth social video. “But we’re not doing this for now, we’re doing it for the future, and that’s a noble calling.”
Prior to the airstrike, the U.S. Embassy in Israel emailed non-essential diplomatic personnel and their families early on February 27 to leave Israel as soon as possible. The email does not mention Iran.
The Israel Defense Forces said in a statement that Israel had confirmed missiles fired from Iran toward its territory. The number of people and targets were not disclosed. Iran has not commented on the claim.
The United States has long-range bombers based in the Middle East and fighters from two carrier strike groups near Iran, the USS Abraham Lincoln and the USS Gerald R. Ford.
The Pentagon announced that the US attack on Iran was named “Operation Epic Fury.”
Why did the US attack Iran?
President Trump said Iran was rebuilding its nuclear program after the United States bombed its nuclear facilities last June. He said Iran is developing long-range missiles that could threaten U.S. allies and U.S. forces abroad. He said the weapons “could soon reach U.S. soil.”
How did we get here?
In May 2018, President Trump withdrew the United States from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, an international agreement aimed at limiting Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for economic sanctions relief.
President Trump has said the deal, known as the Iran nuclear deal, is flawed and does not do enough to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon. US sanctions have since been reimposed on Iran.
According to a July 2019 International Atomic Energy Agency report, Iran ignored the provisions of the agreement and began accumulating low-enriched uranium beyond the limit.
Iran has since increased its stockpile of near-weapon-grade materials and restricted inspections by international organizations. If diplomacy fails, President Trump has threatened to use military force to prevent Iran from building nuclear weapons.
On June 21, 2025, the United States struck Iran’s nuclear facilities for the first time with a stealth bomber, a guided missile submarine, and an array of support aircraft in a nighttime operation dubbed “Midnight Hammer.”
President Trump announced the military operation in a speech Saturday night, saying Iran’s main nuclear enrichment facility had been “destroyed.” He threatened future attacks if Iran did not make “peace.”
How this conflict escalated
The US used bases in the Middle East as attack bases.
What weapons did the United States use against Iran?
Which sites did the US attack in June 2025?
On June 22, 2025, American bombers and fighter jets attacked three Iranian nuclear facilities during Operation Midnight Hammer.
Fordow uranium enrichment plantdeep in the mountainside near the city of Qom.
Natanz fuel enrichment plantin Isfahan province.
Isfahan Nuclear Technology Centernear Isfahan, including access to above-ground buildings and tunnels.
How will Iran retaliate? This is what it is about
Iran has responded with missile attacks on multiple U.S. military bases in the Persian Gulf, including a U.S. naval base in Bahrain. Attacks have also been reported in Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.
The Israeli military said Iran had fired several missiles into Israel and was using anti-missile systems to defeat them. State media reported explosions were confirmed across northern Israel near the border with Lebanon.
US military bases in neighboring countries are within range of short- and intermediate-range missiles owned by Iran. According to the International Institute for Strategic Studies, the following missiles are known to have been launched by Iran toward Israel in the past:
Iran has a large fleet of short-range ballistic missiles that can be used to attack U.S. military bases in the Middle East. Countries with major U.S. military bases in the Middle East that could be vulnerable to Iranian ballistic missiles include Bahrain, Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, Syria, and the United Arab Emirates.
What happened after the June 2025 attacks?
A few days after the US attack on Fordow on June 23, 2025, Iran launched a missile attack on US military facilities in Qatar. This is the first counterattack from Iran, and the Pentagon has been preparing for it since the June 21 mission.
President Trump said Iran fired 14 missiles at US military bases in Qatar. Thirteen missiles were intercepted, and the 14th was determined not to pose a threat.
President Trump said there were no reports of American or Qatari casualties, and there was little damage from the attack.
Contributed by Kim Hjemgaard, Francesca Chambers and will carless
SOURCE USA TODAY NETWORK REPORTS AND INVESTIGATIONS. Reuters; Council on Foreign Relations; Center for Arms Control and Nonproliferation. Arms Control Association. securitycouncilreport.org;U.S. Naval Research Institute;Nuclear Threat Initiative
