The United States and Israel carried out their largest military strike against Iran in decades on Saturday, an operation that resulted in the death of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The massive foreign policy decision represents President Donald Trump’s boldest international move during his presidency, coming despite his campaign promises as a “peace president” and previous statements favoring diplomatic solutions with Iran. Trump provided limited advance explanation to Americans before the operation, briefly addressing the situation during last Tuesday’s State of the Union address and then through a video statement released Saturday, where he outlined five primary goals:
STOPPING IRAN’S NUCLEAR WEAPONS DEVELOPMENT
Trump has consistently stated, including in Saturday’s video, that Iran must never possess nuclear weapons. He claimed to have “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear capabilities during strikes last June, but stated this week that Tehran had tried to restart the program. “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,” Trump stated Saturday.
Both the United States and Israel justified the June bombings by citing Iran’s dangerous proximity to nuclear weapon production capability.
The UN’s International Atomic Energy Agency and U.S. intelligence agencies have independently concluded that Iran ended a nuclear weapons development program in 2003. Tehran continues to deny pursuing nuclear weapons while asserting its right under the Non-Proliferation Treaty to enrich uranium for peaceful purposes.
Western nations argue there’s no legitimate civilian reason for Iran’s uranium enrichment to current levels, with the IAEA expressing serious concerns. Historically, no other nation has enriched uranium to these levels without eventually developing nuclear weapons.
STOPPING IRAN’S MISSILE DEVELOPMENT
During both his State of the Union address and Saturday’s statement, Trump highlighted Iran’s missile program progress as a growing danger to America. Saturday, he said Iran had tried “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.”
Trump offered no supporting evidence for these claims, though Iranian state media has reported Tehran’s development of missiles capable of reaching the United States.
ELIMINATING THREATS TO AMERICANS AND ALLIES FROM IRAN AND PROXIES
Trump stated Saturday’s attacks aimed “to defend the American people by eliminating imminent threats from the Iranian regime, a vicious group of very hard, terrible people.”
He described Iran’s “menacing activities directly endanger the United States, our troops, our bases overseas, and our allies throughout the world.”
Trump referenced multiple attacks including Iran’s violent seizure of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran starting in 1979, holding dozens of American hostages for 444 days; a “proxy” attack on a U.S. Marine barracks in Beirut in 1983 killing 241 American military personnel, and “countless” other actions against U.S. forces in the Middle East recently, plus attacks on international shipping.
He also highlighted Iran’s backing of Hamas, which conducted a deadly cross-border assault on Israel on October 7, 2023.
RESPONDING TO PROTESTER KILLINGS
In his State of the Union speech, Trump repeated allegations that Iran had killed at least 32,000 protesters in recent months, figures that remain unverified. Saturday, he referenced Iran killing “tens of thousands of its own citizens on the street as they protested.”
The U.S.-based monitoring group HRANA reported recording 7,007 confirmed deaths with 11,744 cases under investigation.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi stated Tehran had published a “comprehensive list” of all 3,117 killed during the unrest. An Iranian official told Reuters last month that authorities had confirmed at least 5,000 deaths, including approximately 500 security personnel.
REGIME CHANGE
Saturday, Trump appealed to “the great proud people of Iran” to overthrow their current leadership.
“I say tonight that the hour of your freedom is at hand,” he declared. “When we are finished, take over your government. It will be yours to take. This will be probably your only chance for generations.”
Trump, who monitored the operation from his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, announced Saturday afternoon that Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had died in the strikes.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu previously confirmed Khamenei’s compound had been destroyed, and a senior Israeli official told Reuters his body had been recovered.
Iranian state media subsequently confirmed Khamenei’s death in the attack.
While urging Iranians to overthrow their government, Trump warned: “The heavy and pinpoint bombing … will continue, uninterrupted throughout the week or, as long as necessary to achieve our objective of PEACE THROUGHOUT THE MIDDLE EAST AND, INDEED, THE WORLD!”
