On Saturday, U.S. President Donald Trump announced that the United States has commenced “major combat operations” in Iran, marking a significant escalation in the region. This declaration was made in a video message shared across social media platforms, where President Trump outlined the necessity of these actions.

In his address, Trump emphasized that the primary aim is to protect American citizens by neutralizing imminent threats posed by the Iranian regime. “Their threatening activities put the United States, our military personnel, overseas bases, and our global allies in jeopardy,” he stated.

Trump highlighted a longstanding history of hostility from Iran, noting, “For 47 years, the Iranian regime has chanted ‘Death to America’ and perpetuated a relentless campaign of violence and mass murder, targeting the United States, our troops, and innocents across numerous countries.”

The President further asserted the U.S.’s determination to dismantle Iran’s missile capabilities, declaring, “We are committed to destroying their missiles and obliterating their missile industry entirely.”

He concluded by expressing frustration over Iran’s rejection of diplomatic efforts, stating, “They have turned down every opportunity to achieve their nuclear ambitions through peaceful means, and we can no longer tolerate this.”

“They rejected every opportunity to reach their nuclear ambitions, and we can’t take it anymore,” Trump said.

The US president also warned that “the lives of courageous American heroes may be lost and we may have casualties”.

“That often happens in war, but we’re not doing this now. We’re doing this for the future, and it is a noble mission.”

His statement follows weeks of US military build-up in the Middle East and multiple rounds of indirect negotiations in Oman and Switzerland about Iran’s nuclear and missile capabilities.

This is the second time the US has attacked Iran in less than a year — the last time they dropped bombs on three Iranian nuclear sites during the Iran-Israel conflict in June.

— Niv Sadrolodabaee