President warns Iranian forces to surrender or face destruction while critics point to collapsed diplomacy and decades of mistrust
President Donald Trump said the United States has begun major combat operations against Iran, describing a sweeping military campaign aimed at destroying the country’s missile capabilities, naval forces and remaining nuclear infrastructure, while warning Iranian leaders and security forces to surrender or face “certain death.”
In a nationally broadcast address, Trump framed the operation as a defensive mission to eliminate what he called imminent threats posed by Iran’s government, which he described as “the world’s number one state sponsor of terror.” He cited decades of hostilities between Washington and Tehran, including attacks by Iran-backed militias on U.S. forces and regional allies, as justification for the military action.
“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,” Trump said. “We are going to destroy their missiles and raze their missile industry to the ground. We are going to annihilate their navy.”
Pentagon officials had not immediately released detailed operational information, including the scale of troop involvement, locations of strikes or casualty figures. Trump acknowledged the possibility of American losses, saying “the lives of courageous American heroes may be lost,” but called the mission necessary for long-term security.
The president also repeated his longstanding position that Iran must never obtain a nuclear weapon, asserting that previous U.S. strikes last year had “obliterated” nuclear sites at Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan. He said Iran had attempted to rebuild its program despite warnings from Washington, prompting the current escalation.
The announcement immediately revived debate over U.S. policy toward Iran, particularly the collapse of the 2015 nuclear agreement known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA. Under that deal — negotiated by the United States, Iran and several world powers — Iran agreed to strict limits on its nuclear program and international inspections in exchange for sanctions relief.
The United States withdrew from the agreement in 2018 during Trump’s first administration, reimposing sanctions despite Iran initially remaining in compliance, according to international inspectors. Tehran later expanded its nuclear activities after the deal unraveled, contributing to rising tensions that analysts say set the stage for the current crisis.
The deeper roots of U.S.-Iran mistrust stretch back even further. In 1953, the United States and the United Kingdom backed a coup that overthrew Iran’s democratically elected prime minister, Mohammad Mossadegh, after he moved to nationalize the country’s oil industry. The operation restored the rule of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, whose authoritarian government maintained close ties with Washington until the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
That revolution transformed Iran into the Islamic Republic and led to the seizure of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, where American diplomats were held hostage for 444 days — an event that cemented decades of hostility between the two nations.
Trump addressed members of Iran’s military and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps directly in his speech, urging them to lay down their arms in exchange for what he described as immunity and fair treatment.
Iranian officials did not immediately respond publicly to Trump’s remarks. Any U.S. attack on Iranian territory risks triggering retaliation across the Middle East, where Iran maintains allied militias and proxy forces in countries including Lebanon, Iraq, Syria and Yemen. U.S. military bases and naval assets in the region could become targets, raising fears of a broader regional war.
The announcement marks one of the most significant escalations between the United States and Iran in decades. Lawmakers in Washington were expected to demand briefings on the scope and legal authorization of the operation, while international leaders called for restraint amid concerns the conflict could disrupt global energy markets and shipping routes in the Persian Gulf.
Trump concluded his address with a message of confidence in U.S. military strength, saying American forces would prevail and that the mission was intended to ensure future generations are never threatened by a nuclear-armed Iran.
