Read Trump’s full statement on Iran attacks
World Feb 28, 2026 10:48 AM EST
President Donald Trump said in an 8-minute video posted on his Truth Social that the U.S. has begun “major combat operations in Iran.” He claimed Iran has continued to develop its nuclear program and plans to develop missiles to reach U.S. and appealed to the Iranian people to “take over your government.”
Here’s Trump’s address in full:
A short time ago, the United States military began major combat operations in Iran. Our objective is to defend the American people by eliminating imminent threats from the Iranian regime. A vicious group of very hard, terrible people. Its menacing activities directly endanger the United States, our troops, our bases overseas, and our allies throughout the world.
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. Among the regime’s very first acts was to back a violent takeover of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, holding dozens of American hostages for 444 days. In 1983, Iran’s proxies carried out the marine barracks bombing in Beirut that killed 241 American military personnel.
In 2000, they knew and were probably involved with the attack on the USS Cole. Many died. Iranian forces killed and maimed hundreds of American service members in Iraq. The regime’s proxies have continued to launch countless attacks against American forces stationed in the Middle East in recent years, as well as U.S. naval and commercial vessels and international shipping lines. It’s been mass terror, and we’re not going to put up with it any longer.
From Lebanon to Yemen and Syria to Iraq, the regime has armed, trained and funded terrorist militias that have soaked the earth with blood and guts. And it was Iran’s proxy, Hamas, that launched the monstrous Oct. 7 attacks on Israel, slaughtering more than 1,000 innocent people, including 46 Americans, while taking 12 of our citizens hostage. It was brutal, something like the world has never seen before.
Iran is the world’s number one state sponsor of terror, and just recently killed tens of thousands of its own citizens on the street as they protested. It has always been the policy of the United States, in particular my administration, that this terrorist regime can never have a nuclear weapon. I’ll say it again, they can never have a nuclear weapon. That is why in Operation Midnight Hammer last June, we obliterated the regime’s nuclear program at Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan. After that attack, we warned them never to resume their malicious pursuit of nuclear weapons, and we sought repeatedly to make a deal. We tried. They wanted to do it. They didn’t want to do it. Again they wanted to do it. They didn’t want to do it. They didn’t know what was happening. They just wanted to practice evil. But Iran refused, just as it has for decades and decades.
They’ve rejected every opportunity to renounce their nuclear ambitions, and we can’t take it anymore. Instead, they attempted to rebuild their nuclear program and to continue developing the long range missiles that can now threaten our very good friends and allies in Europe, our troops stationed overseas, and could soon reach the American homeland. Just imagine how emboldened this regime would be if they ever had, and actually were armed with nuclear weapons as a means to deliver their message.
For these reasons, the United States military is undertaking a massive and ongoing operation to prevent this very wicked, radical dictatorship from threatening America and our core national security interests. We’re going to destroy their missiles and raze their missile industry to the ground. It will be totally again obliterated. We’re going to annihilate their navy. We’re going to ensure that the region’s terrorist proxies can no longer destabilize the region or the world and attack our forces, and no longer use their IEDs, or roadside bombs as they are sometimes called, to so gravely wound and kill thousands and thousands of people, including many Americans. And we will ensure that Iran does not obtain a nuclear weapon. It’s a very simple message. They will never have a nuclear weapon.
This regime will soon learn that no one should challenge the strength and might of the United States Armed Forces. I built and rebuilt our military in my first administration and there is no military on earth even close to its power, strength or sophistication. My administration is taking every possible step to minimize the risk to U.S. personnel in the region. Even so, and I do not make this statement lightly, 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. We pray for every service member as they selflessly risk their lives to ensure that Americans and our children will never be threatened by a nuclear-armed Iran. We ask God to protect all of our heroes in harm’s way. And we trust that with his help, the men and women of the armed forces will prevail. We have the greatest in the world, and they will prevail.
To the members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard, the armed forces and all of the police, I say tonight that you must lay down your weapons and have complete immunity. Or in the alternative, face certain death. So, lay down your arms. You will be treated fairly with total immunity, or you will face certain death. Finally, to the great proud people of Iran, I say tonight that the hour of your freedom is at hand. Stay sheltered. Don’t leave your home. It’s very dangerous outside. Bombs will be dropping everywhere. When we are finished, take over your government. It will be yours to take. This will be probably your only chance for generations.
For many years, you have asked for America’s help. But you never got it. No president was willing to do what I am willing to do tonight. Now you have a president who is giving you what you want. So let’s see how you respond. America is backing you with overwhelming strength and devastating force. Now is the time to seize control of your destiny, and to unleash the prosperous and glorious future that is close within your reach. This is the moment for action. Do not let it pass.
May God bless the brave men and women of America’s armed forces. May God bless the United States of America. May God bless you all. Thank you.
Analysis from BBC
In the early hours of Saturday morning, President Donald Trump announced that the US had launched military strikes on Iran.
In an eight-minute video statement posted to social media, he said the US was undertaking a “massive and ongoing operation” to end the Iranian threat and he called for regime change in Tehran.
“It’s a very simple message,” the president said from his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida. “They will never have a nuclear weapon.”
The BBC’s State Department correspondent Tom Bateman and Washington correspondent Daniel Bush break down the president’s words line by line to explain how he is justifying the action and assess the risks ahead.
Trump’s basis for strikes
“Our objective is to defend the American people by eliminating imminent threats from the Iranian regime, a vicious group of very hard, terrible people. Its menacing activities directly endanger the United States, our troops, our bases overseas, and our allies throughout the world.”
The key words here are “imminent threats”. The commander-in-chief knows he has to justify why this attack – which does not have formal international backing nor the authorisation of Congress – is happening now.
Trump makes three cases here: that Iran has been an imminent threat to America ever since the Islamic Revolution in 1979; that it is close to developing intercontinental ballistic missiles that could reach the US – a claim which is not supported by US intelligence assessments; and that it is on the verge of developing a nuclear weapon, even though Trump had said these capabilities were “obliterated” after the US strikes last summer.
The reality over the timing is that Trump and Netanyahu view the Iranian leadership as at its weakest point domestically for years with its allied militias in the region decimated after the Gaza war. Tehran’s brutal crushing of this year’s protests started a stopwatch. They believe this is the moment to strike – Tom Bateman.
Time for negotiations over
“We sought repeatedly to make a deal. We tried. They wanted to do it. They didn’t want to do it again. They wanted to do it. They didn’t want to do it.”
Trump’s case here is that the US had no choice but to strike because of a recalcitrant Iranian regime that played Washington’s outreach to negotiate an end to its nuclear programme. He said on the eve of the attack Tehran wouldn’t “give us what we have to have”.
Over recent weeks Trump equivocated over the extent of his demands, at times saying a deal had to include an end to Iran’s conventional missile capabilities, other times suggesting it did not. But his red line converged on the demand for zero nuclear enrichment.
Tehran saw this as a humiliation. Mediated talks between the US and Iran were due to continue next week, with mediator Oman claiming on Friday a breakthrough was within reach with Iran offering no stockpiling of nuclear material. But Trump balked at this.
However, the reality remains it was Trump in his first term who unilaterally pulled the US out of the Obama-led 2015 nuclear deal between world powers and Iran. Trump said the deal was too weak. But Tehran always used this as evidence to claim it was him not them that took the path of violence over negotiations – Tom Bateman.
‘Operation Epic Fury’
“For these reasons, the United States military is undertaking a massive and ongoing operation to prevent this very wicked, radical dictatorship from threatening America and our core national security interests.”
Now that Operation Epic Fury is under way, everyone – lawmakers in Congress, US allies, Iran – want to know how long it will last, and how big it might be.
President Trump’s words signal that the scope and scale of the attack will be much larger than the US strike on Iran last summer. But it’s notable that Trump didn’t provide any more details, leaving it up for interpretation whether the strikes will last days, weeks or even longer.
It’s also notable that Trump did not seek congressional authorisation for the attack. That has angered lawmakers, especially Democrats, who are calling for Congress to rein Trump in.
The administration briefed a small group of congressional leaders ahead of the attack. But on Saturday, Senate Majority Leader John Thune said he hoped the administration briefs “all senators” on the operation. Expect the administration to face growing pressure from Congress to justify this operation.
Separately, by linking Iran to “core national security interests,” Trump is seeking to convince Americans that attacking Tehran will make the US homeland safer. This will be a key challenge for Trump: building support at home for his military actions abroad, at a time when many voters would prefer he focus on domestic issues like the economy and immigration – Daniel Bush.
US troops under threat
“The lives of courageous American heroes may be lost and we may have casualties, that often happens in war. We’re doing this, not for now, we’re doing this for the future, and it is a noble mission.”
Military actions always carry risk, and there is a long history of US presidents launching wars or covert operations in the Middle East that damaged them politically back home.
President Trump acknowledged that risk by admitting there are likely to be some American casualties. He may be betting that he can rally the American public behind the attack, keep the casualties at a minimum, and come away with some sort of military victory he can tout to voters ahead of the midterm elections in November.
That is a calculated risk, however. It’s unclear how events in Iran will unfold. But if this spirals into a wider regional war it could draw the US back into a lengthy conflict in the Middle East – something Trump promised he wouldn’t do. He campaigned on a pledge to end “forever wars” and disentangle the US from foreign conflicts.
Vice-President JD Vance echoed the sentiment earlier this week, before the strikes started, and it’s a popular position with the MAGA base. But with each new military action abroad Trump and Vance risk alienating supporters who did not envision or want such a muscular approach to foreign policy – Daniel Bush.
Trump’s strategic objective
“To the members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard, the armed forces and all of the police, I say tonight that you must lay down your weapons and have complete immunity, or, in the alternative, face certain death.”
Here we get to the most critical part of Trump’s speech: his strategic objective. This matters most because ambiguity over his goal has been repeatedly questioned in Congress and the path to it is strewn with the greatest risks of all.
It is now unequivocal this is a war of attempted regime change launched by the US and Israel. Decapitation worked as far as Trump was concerned in Venezuela, storming the capital and snatching leader Nicolas Maduro.
Iranian officials last week appeared to be quietly briefing out the idea that trying to do a Venezuela on them wouldn’t work, that a masterplan was in place even if the supreme leader was killed, with four layers of succession ready to head the regime.
Trump is rolling the dice on a similar outcome to Venezuela, through either a popular uprising or a badly damaged regime that becomes pliant to Washington’s will.
But the dangers are immense. They include the possibility of unleashing uncontrollable civil conflict and bloodshed within Iran itself; a regional conflict drawing in America’s key Arab allies whose monarchies detest the idea of domestic instability; and the deaths of American troops and personnel in the region – Tom Bateman.
Appeal to Iranian people
“Finally, to the great, proud people of Iran, I say tonight that the hour of your freedom is at hand…when we are finished, take over your government. It will be yours to take. This will be probably your only chance for generations.”
In recent months Trump has pressured Iran on two fronts, urging Tehran to abandon its nuclear weapons programme and stop the deadly crackdown on mass protests that swept the country.
Here, he sought to keep the focus on democracy-building with a direct appeal to the Iranian population. But he also added an ominous warning, saying it would be the “only chance for generations” to transform Iranian society. It’s not quite a call for full regime change, but Trump is making clear the US wants drastic change, and expects it’ll be driven from within the country.
At the same time, Trump has made peacemaking a key part of his second-term agenda. He has actively campaigned for the Nobel Peace Prize, and claimed to have ended several wars since returning to office. Iran would be a major part of this legacy, if Trump can secure the outcome he desires.
Exactly what that is remains unclear, however. And if the operation in Iran backfires, it could cost Trump dearly in his push to be seen as a champion of peace on the world stage. It is now the second strike he’s launched on Iran, and joins a growing list of other military actions he’s taken, including airstrikes on alleged drug boats in the Caribbean and the attack on Venezuela – Daniel Bush.
- US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine just held a conference on the ongoing conflict, in the first time officials have spoken formally on camera at the Pentagon in months.
- Eighteen service members have been seriously wounded during the US’ war with Iran, according to the US Central Command spokesperson.
- Israel warned Lebanon it could strike against major infrastructure sites unless the government took steps against Hezbollah, sources told CNN. Earlier, Lebanon’s government banned the Iran-backed militant group’s military and security activities.
- Israel has also launched more strikes against Hezbollah targets across Lebanon, its military announced this afternoon, after earlier issuing evacuation warnings.
- A senior Gulf Arab official has told CNN that Iran’s strikes on neighboring Gulf states, particularly Saudi Arabia, was a “miscalculation.” Tehran has “lost all goodwill from Islamic and Arab states,” the official said.
- Iran’s deputy foreign minister has denied striking Saudi oil infrastructure, following reports of a fire after shrapnel from the interception of two drones fell on the country’s giant Ras Tanura oil refinery.
- Iran’s Golestan Palace, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, has been damaged in the aftermath of a US-Israeli strike, according to the country’s semi-official Mehr News Agency
We’ve been bringing you developments from across the Middle East today as conflict spreads across the region after the US-Israeli strikes on Iran this weekend, and Tehran’s subsequent retaliatory attacks.
Take a look at what’s been happening in the last hour or so:
- US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine just held a conference on the ongoing conflict, in the first time officials have spoken formally on camera at the Pentagon in months.
- Eighteen service members have been seriously wounded during the US’ war with Iran, according to the US Central Command spokesperson.
- Israel warned Lebanon it could strike against major infrastructure sites unless the government took steps against Hezbollah, sources told CNN. Earlier, Lebanon’s government banned the Iran-backed militant group’s military and security activities.
- Israel has also launched more strikes against Hezbollah targets across Lebanon, its military announced this afternoon, after earlier issuing evacuation warnings.
- A senior Gulf Arab official has told CNN that Iran’s strikes on neighboring Gulf states, particularly Saudi Arabia, was a “miscalculation.” Tehran has “lost all goodwill from Islamic and Arab states,” the official said.
- Iran’s deputy foreign minister has denied striking Saudi oil infrastructure, following reports of a fire after shrapnel from the interception of two drones fell on the country’s giant Ras Tanura oil refinery.
- Iran’s Golestan Palace, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, has been damaged in the aftermath of a US-Israeli strike, according to the country’s semi-official Mehr News Agency
President Donald Trump told CNN in a nine-minute phone interview Monday morning that the US military is “knocking the crap” out of Iran — but that tthe “big wave” is yet to come.
“We’re knocking the crap out of them,” Trump told CNN’s Jake Tapper. “I think it’s going very well. It’s very powerful. We’ve got the greatest military in the world and we’re using it.”
Trump addressed a range of topics in the interview, including the expected length of the conflict, his surprise at Iran’s widespread retaliation and the country’s expected succession plan.
Asked whether the US is doing more beyond the military assault to help the Iranian people regain control of their country from the regime, Trump said, “Yes.”
“We are indeed. But right now we want everyone staying inside. It’s not safe out there.”
And it’s about to get even less safe, the president said.
“We haven’t even started hitting them hard. The big wave hasn’t even happened. The big one is coming soon.
