Trump declares US ‘major combat operations’ in Iran, ‘to defend the American people’; vows to destroy Iran’s missiles, navy, ensure ‘they will never have a nuclear weapon’

US President Donald Trump announces that the US began “major combat operations in Iran” a short time ago.

“Our objective is to defend the American people by eliminating imminent threats from the Iranian regime, a vicious group of very hard, terrible people,” Trump says in a video statement posted on his Truth Social account.

He doesn’t specify that the strikes in Iran are being conducted jointly with Israel.

Trump begins his eight-minute video statement by going through the Islamic Republic’s malign actions over the past 50 years.

“Its menacing activities directly endanger the United States, our troops, our bases overseas, and our allies throughout the world,” Trump says.

???? BREAKING: Trump announces war on Iran

Trump says Iran attacks aim “to defend the American people”.

Iran can never have a nuclear program. We will annihilate their every army and missile industry. pic.twitter.com/6ofU1UO2hf

— Saturn World News???? (@saturn16409) February 28, 2026

He asserts that after the US strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities in June, we warned them never to resume their malicious pursuit of nuclear weapons.”

“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.”

“Iran refused (to make a deal) — just as it has for decades and decades. They rejected every opportunity to renounce their nuclear ambitions, and we can’t take it anymore,” Trump claims.

“Instead, they attempted to rebuild their nuclear program and to continue developing 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,” he says. “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,” Trump continues.

“We are going to destroy their missiles and raze their missile industry to the ground. It will be totally again obliterated. We are going to annihilate their navy,” he says.

“We are going to ensure that the region’s terrorist proxies can no longer destabilize the region or the world and attack our forces.”

“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,” Trump says.

“This regime will soon learn that no one should challenge the strength and might of the United States Armed Forces.”

“My administration has taken every possible step to minimize the risk to US personnel in the region. Even so…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,” Trump says.