Trump says U.S. has begun “major combat operations” in Iran

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President Donald Trump said the U.S. has begun “major combat operations in Iran,” describing the move as part of an effort to protect Americans and to prevent what he said are imminent threats from Iran. In an eight-minute video posted on his Truth Social account, Trump framed the action as retaliation and deterrence, and he tied it to Iran’s nuclear program and missile development.

Trump said the U.S. military’s objective is “to defend the American people by eliminating imminent threats” from Iran, which he referred to as “the Iranian regime.” He described Iran as having long targeted the U.S., American troops, and allies, and he argued that the U.S. cannot allow Iran to develop the capability to reach the United States with weapons he characterized as dangerous.

In his remarks, Trump linked Iran’s past actions to what he said is the current threat picture. He cited the 1979 embassy takeover in Tehran and said it lasted 444 days, and he also referenced later events he tied to Iran and its proxies, including the 1983 marine barracks bombing in Beirut. He further referenced attacks involving U.S. forces in the Middle East and said Iranian-backed groups continued attacking American forces and U.S. naval and commercial vessels.

Trump also tied the conflict to the Middle East battlefield, saying Iran has armed, trained and funded militias from Lebanon to Yemen and Syria to Iraq. He said Iran’s proxy, Hamas, launched the Oct. 7 attacks on Israel and he cited casualty figures including “more than 1,000” deaths of civilians and the taking of 12 citizens hostage, while also saying that 46 Americans were among those killed.

In the video, Trump asserted that it has been U.S. policy—“in particular my administration”—that Iran “can never have a nuclear weapon,” and he said the U.S. already carried out what he called Operation Midnight Hammer in June, describing it as an attack that “obliterated the regime’s nuclear program at Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan.” He said after that warning, the U.S. tried to reach a deal and that Iran rejected opportunities to renounce its nuclear ambitions.

Trump said Iran instead attempted to rebuild its nuclear program and continued developing long-range missiles that he said could threaten U.S. allies in Europe, U.S. troops overseas and the American homeland. He said the U.S. response would be “a massive and ongoing operation” aimed at preventing a nuclear-armed Iran, and he laid out specific goals he attributed to the U.S. military, including destroying missiles and ending the missile industry.

Trump said the operation would involve action against Iran’s navy and would also aim to ensure that “the region’s terrorist proxies” could no longer destabilize the region or attack U.S. forces. He also described targeting the use of explosives he referred to as IEDs and said the effort would reduce harm to “thousands and thousands of people, including many Americans.”

In the video, Trump acknowledged that casualties could occur, saying the Iranian regime “seeks to kill” and that “the lives of courageous American heroes may be lost.” He then appealed for protection for U.S. service members, saying the U.S. was carrying out what he called a “noble mission” and asking for God to protect “every service member” and “all of our heroes in harm’s way.”

Trump addressed Iran’s internal actors as well as the public, saying to members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard, the armed forces and police that they should lay down their weapons and that they would be offered immunity, or face “certain death.” He added an appeal to what he called “the great proud people of Iran,” telling them to stay sheltered and not leave their homes, and then urging: “When we are finished, take over your government. It will be yours to take.” He portrayed the moment as potentially only available “for generations,” and he closed with statements thanking U.S. armed forces and blessing the U.S. and its citizens.

The Associated Press published the full text of Trump’s address in connection with the video, according to the AP page linked in the source record.