Washington, Feb 28
President Donald Trump has confirmed that the United States had initiated "major combat operations in Iran" a short while ago, confirming a dramatic escalation in hostilities that has brought war to Iran for the second time in eight months and heightened fears of a broader regional conflict in a strategically and economically sensitive part of the world.
The United States and Israel launched coordinated attacks on Iran on Saturday, significantly intensifying tensions in the Middle East. The development raises concerns of a widening confrontation that could have far-reaching geopolitical and economic consequences.
In an eight-minute video statement posted on his Truth Social account, Trump outlined the objectives of the military action.
"Our objective is to defend the American people by eliminating imminent threats from the Iranian regime, a vicious group of very hard, terrible people," he said.
The President accused Tehran of decades of hostility towards Washington.
"For 47 years, the Iranian regime has chanted, Death to America, and waged an unending campaign of bloodshed and mass murder, targeting the United States, our troops, and the innocent people in many, many countries," Trump said.
He began his address by recounting what he described as the Islamic Republic's malign activities over nearly five decades. "Its menacing activities directly endanger the United States, our troops, our bases overseas, and our allies throughout the world," Trump said.
While confirming US military operations, Trump did not explicitly state in his remarks that the strikes were being conducted jointly with Israel.
Describing Iran as a "very wicked radical dictatorship," Trump asserted that American forces were targeting key military capabilities.
"We are destroying their missiles, we are razing their missile industry to the ground, it will be totally, again, obliterating. We are annihilating their navy, and we are making sure their terrorist proxies can no longer threaten the region or the world and attack our forces," he said.
Reiterating Washington's long-standing position on Tehran's nuclear ambitions, Trump declared, "We will ensure that Iran does not obtain a nuclear weapon. It's a very simple lesson," while also praising the US armed forces for their role in the operations.
He acknowledged the risks involved in the unfolding conflict.
"My administration has taken every possible step to minimise the risk to US personnel in the region. Even so...the Iranian regime seeks to kill. The lives of courageous American heroes may be lost, and we may have casualties -- that often happens in war, but we're doing this, not for now. We're doing this for the future, and it is a noble mission," Trump added.
Meanwhile, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz confirmed that Israel had carried out strikes and announced an immediate state of emergency across the country in response to the rapidly evolving security situation.
The military action follows a month-long US military buildup in the region, which came after President Trump pledged support for protesters who challenged the Iranian regime at the beginning of January.
In the weeks leading up to the strikes, Trump repeatedly warned that Iran could face military consequences if it refused to abandon its nuclear programme.
- IANS
Reader Comments
We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.