TOPSHOT – A plume of smoke rises following a reported explosion in Tehran on February 28, 2026. (Photo by AFP via Getty Images)
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The U.S. military has begun “major combat operations” in Iran, U.S. President Donald Trump confirmed on Saturday.
“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 said in a video message on his Truth Social account.
A U.S. official confirmed earlier that American forces attacked Iran by air and sea, the Reuters news agency reported.
Several ministries in the southern part of the Iranian capital, Tehran, were targeted, Reuters quoted an unidentified Iranian official as saying.
Trump said Iran has continued to pursue nuclear weapons despite ongoing negotiations to end its program.
“in operation midnight hammer last June, we obliterated the regime’s nuclear program at Fordow nets. And Isfahan. After that attack, we warned them never to resume their malicious pursuit of nuclear weapons, and we sought repeatedly to make a deal,” Trump said. “But Iran refused.”
“Instead, they attempted to rebuild their nuclear program and to continue developing the 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 said.
A Pentagon duty press officer said the department has received CNBC’s emailed requests for comment but made no further clarification.
Earlier, Israel launched a daylight attack Saturday on Iran’s capital, with a cloud of smoke rising from the city’s downtown, the Associated Press reported.
It wasn’t immediately clear what the target was. But the attack came as the United States has assembled a vast fleet of fighter jets and warships in the region to try to pressure Iran into a deal over its nuclear program.
In addition to the capital Tehran, the cities of Isfahan, Qom, Karaj and Kermanshah were targeted.
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Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz described the attack as being done “to remove threats.” He did not immediately elaborate.
In Tehran, witnesses heard the blast. Iranian state television later reported on the explosion, without offering a cause.
Sirens sounded across Israel at the same time. The Israeli military said that it had issued a “proactive alert to prepare the public for the possibility of missiles being launched toward the state of Israel.”
The U.S. military declined to immediately comment on the attack.
President Donald Trump warned earlier in February that “really bad things” would happen unless Tehran agreed to a deal over the future of its nuclear program. The attack, which comes after a significant build up of military assets in the oil-rich Middle East region.
The U.S. and Iran had held a third round of talks in Switzerland on Thursday to try to resolve a standoff.
Ahead of the discussions, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Iran’s reluctance to talk about its ballistic missile development program, alongside its nuclear program, was a “big, big problem.” Iran had said it was willing to compromise when it came to its nuclear program, but had repeatedly said Tehran’s missile program had never been part of the talks’ agenda.
There were earlier signs that Washington was losing its patience with Iran after the White House said, after previous talks, that Iran was not addressing its core demands.
This combination of pictures created on April 09, 2025 shows US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff after a meeting with Russian officials at Diriyah Palace, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on February 18, 2025 (L); and Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi speaking to AFP during an interview at the Iranian consulate in Jeddah on March 7, 2025.
Evelyn Hockstein | Amer Hilabi | AFP | Getty Images
Earlier in February, Iran reportedly said in a letter to United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres that Tehran would respond “decisively” if subjected to military aggression.
Energy market participants have been closely monitoring the escalating geopolitical tensions, with oil prices climbing to six-month highs after Trump’s amid concerns of a possible supply shock.
Iran, a founding member of OPEC, is a major oil producer and sits at the heart of the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz, through which about 20% of the world’s oil passes.
Last June, the U.S. launched strikes on three Iranian nuclear facilities, causing what intelligence suggested was severe damage to Tehran’s nuclear program. Iran responded by launching a retaliatory strike on an American air base in Qatar, reportedly causing minor damage but inflicting no casualties.
This is breaking news. Please check back for updates.
