Dubai, United Arab Emirates — The United States and Israel launched a major attack on Iran on Saturday, with Donald Trump calling on the Iranian public to “seize control of your destiny” and rise up against the Islamic leadership that has ruled the country since 1979.
Some of the first strikes appeared to hit areas around the offices of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, and Iranian media reported strikes nationwide. Smoke was seen rising from the capital. It was not immediately clear whether the 86-year-old leader was present at the time.
“When we are finished, take over your government. It will be yours to take. This will be probably your only chance for generations,” Trump said in a video announcing that “major combat operations” were underway. “For many years, you have asked for America’s help, but you never got it.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu echoed that message, saying the joint operation would create conditions for Iranians to take their fate into their own hands.
The strikes marked a dramatic new phase of U.S. intervention in Iran and the second time in eight months that the Trump administration has used military force against the Islamic Republic. They also came weeks after Trump ordered a military operation to capture Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and bring him to New York to face federal drug conspiracy charges.
Tensions had risen in recent weeks as American warships moved into the region. Trump said he had sought a deal to constrain Iran’s nuclear program amid growing domestic dissent in the country following nationwide protests.
The immediate trigger for the strikes appeared to be a failed round of nuclear negotiations, but they also reflected shifting regional dynamics that have weakened Iran’s leadership position. Previous Israeli and American strikes last June significantly damaged Iran’s air defenses, military leadership and nuclear facilities. A broader regional conflict, sparked by Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Israel, further eroded Iran’s network of allied groups across the Middle East. U.S. sanctions and diplomatic isolation have also strained Iran’s economy.
Iran responded by launching waves of missiles and drones toward Israel and by targeting U.S. military installations in Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar. The United Arab Emirates and Iraq temporarily closed their airspace.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry said the country “will not hesitate” in its response, declaring that the time had come to defend the homeland and confront what it called a military assault.
Iran’s state-run IRNA reported that 40 people were killed at a girls’ school in Minab, in Hormozgan province, with at least 45 others wounded. The White House did not immediately comment on the reported strike.
In Dubai, air defense fire was heard over the city Saturday afternoon, and journalists from Associated Press reported seeing the aftermath of an interceptor blast. Additional casualties were reported elsewhere in the region, including in southern Syria and the UAE, according to state media.
The attacks followed weeks of U.S. force deployments even as American and Iranian envoys held talks in Switzerland and Oman aimed at avoiding military escalation. Oman’s foreign minister, Badr al-Busaidi, who had served as a mediator in nuclear discussions, said active negotiations had been undermined and urged the United States not to deepen its involvement.
Israel described the action as a broad, coordinated and jointly planned campaign against Iran’s leadership.
In remarks justifying the operation, Trump claimed Iran continued to advance its nuclear and missile programs and said the United States aimed to “annihilate” Iran’s navy and dismantle regional groups backed by Tehran. He acknowledged the possibility of American casualties, saying such losses often occur in war.
The offensive represented a sharp escalation in a long-running confrontation that began after Iran’s 1979 revolution transformed the country from a close U.S. ally into a regional adversary.
