With Eight-Minute Video, Trump Announces 'Major Combat Operations' in Iran
New Delhi: Hours after the United States and Israel launched an attack today on Iran, US President Donald Trump said in a video posted on social media that the US had begun “major combat operations in Iran.”
He claimed Iran has continued to develop its nuclear programme and plans to develop missiles to reach US.
Trump acknowledged that the operations against Iran may lead to US casualties. “The lives of courageous American heroes may be lost, and we may have casualties,” he said in the video. “That often happens in war."
In the video, Trump wore a white baseball cap with the letters USA, a navy suit and white shirt with no necktie. There appeared to be a dark blue curtain behind him as the president announced the war in a video from Mar-a-Lago, his home and club in Palm Beach, Florida.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 28, 2026
After the June attacks on Iran’s nuclear sites, Trump said in the video, “We warned them never to resume their malicious pursuit of nuclear weapons. And we sought repeatedly to make a deal. We tried.”
He added that Iran “rejected every opportunity to renounce their nuclear ambitions, and we can’t take it anymore.”
Trump called the attacks on Iran “a noble mission,” saying they were necessary because of Iran’s pursuit of nuclear weapons and missile systems that could reach the US.
He called on Iranian officials to “lay down your arms” or “you will face certain death,” and encouraged the Iranian people to “take over your government — it will be yours to take.”
Pentagon gives the attack a name
The Pentagon dubbing the effort “Operation Epic Fury” formalises this as a major US military operation.
The Trump administration similarly formalised last year’s strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites as “Operation Midnight Hammer” and his strike to seize Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro earlier this year as “Operation Absolute Resolve.”
OPERATION EPIC FURY 🇺🇸
— Department of War 🇺🇸 (@DeptofWar) February 28, 2026
Trump was dissatisfied with Iran talks on Friday
Trump on Friday began to voice impatience over the lack of satisfactory progress in negotiations to stop Iran’s ability to develop nuclear weapons, after having stayed relatively cryptic on his plans earlier in the week.
“I’m not happy with the fact that they’re not willing to give us what we have to have,” Trump told reporters as he left the White House on Friday for Texas. “They cannot have nuclear weapons.”
The US president also said before the attack that there was a risk of a prolonged conflict with Iran. But when asked about a possible strike, he told reporters: “I’d rather not tell you.”
In an editorial, the New York Times has noted that Trump had declared the Iranian nuclear programme “obliterated” by the strike last year in June — "a claim belied by both U.S. intelligence and this new attack — underscores how little regard Mr. Trump has for his duty to tell the truth when committing American armed forces to battle."
Israeli prime minister says attack is to remove Iranian threat
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the joint attack with the US was to “remove an existential threat posed” by Iran.
“Our joint operation will create the conditions for the brave Iranian people to take their fate into their own hands,” he said.
Large build-up of US forces in the region
Ahead of the strikes, Trump built up the largest US military presence in West Asia in decades. The arrival of the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and three guided-missile destroyers at the end of January bolstered the number of warships in the region.
The world’s largest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, and four accompanying destroyers later were dispatched from the Caribbean to head to the Middle East and are now in the Mediterranean.
The carriers and other ships have added more than 10,000 US troops to the region. The military also has a variety of other troops in the Middle East, notably at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, which hosts thousands of service members.
Plus, hundreds of fighter jets and other support aircraft necessary for launching a major attack on Iran have been sent to the region.
(With inputs from AP)
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