US President Donald Trump has officially confirmed that the US and Israel have launched a “large and ongoing” military strike against Iran, threatening to cause significant loss of life and property, and calling on the Iranian people to overthrow the ruling regime.
In a video posted on his Twitter account, President Trump said that the US military is conducting an operation to “address urgent threats” from Iran. He said there have been what he described as decades of attacks and aggression against US forces, and that the Iranian regime has killed many protesters inside the country in recent months.
Trump has made it clear that US policy is to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons and long-range missiles. “For these reasons, the United States military is conducting a large and ongoing operation to prevent this dictatorial regime from threatening the national security of the United States,” he said.
He added that Iran’s missile industry would be destroyed, its navy would be weakened, and Iran-backed groups would be ensured that they would no longer be a threat to the region or the world.
The president also acknowledged the potential for casualties in the war, saying: “There will be casualties — that’s a fact of most wars.”
Meanwhile, Trump directly called on Iran’s military and police to disarm, promising them “full guarantees” if they did so, but warned that they would face death if they resisted. He also called on the Iranian people to take shelter while the strikes were being carried out, but when the operation was over, to “take over their government.”
The remarks came after the United States and Israel launched airstrikes against Iran in the early hours of Saturday, following weeks of talks and a massive military buildup in the Middle East. The attacks follow the 12-day war in June last year, when the United States joined Israeli strikes targeting Tehran’s nuclear facilities.
