Trump confirms "major combat operations" as U.S. and Israel attack Iran

An Israel military official told journalists Saturday that it was working with the U.S. to carry out dozens of strikes across Iran. The official said that the choice was made to act now after intelligence indicated an acceleration of Iran's ballistic missile program.

The official also said Iran's government was operating, as well as acting to conceal and fortify, its nuclear program to continue to advance it, and that the objective of the offensive was to significantly reduce the capabilities of the Iranian's regime. 

In an interview with French network TF1 posted online 10 days ago, Rafael Grossi, the director general of the U.N.'s International Atomic Energy Agency, said most of Iran's enriched uranium remained intact after the U.S. strikes on nuclear facilities in June 2025, but he said there was no indication Iran was working to develop a nuclear weapons capacity. 

"No," he told TF1 when asked if the IAEA saw evidence of Iran trying to work toward a weapon, adding: "On the contrary, I see, today, a willingness on both sides to reach an agreement."

"Most of the material that Iran had accumulated up until June of last year, despite the [U.S.] bombings and the attacks, is still there, in large quantities, where it was at the time of the strikes," Grossi told the French network. "Some of it may be less accessible, but the material is still there. From a non-proliferation standpoint, the material remains. That is why there is so much interest — I would say urgency — in reaching an agreement that would prevent new military action in the region."

Grossi was directly involved in the latest rounds of indirect talks between U.S. and Iranian delegations in Geneva, Switzerland, last week. 

The Israeli military official said Saturday that there were a variety of initial targets in the opening strikes, from practical ones that would create more freedom of operation to "essential personnel," though the official declined to comment on who may have been targeted when asked by journalists.

An Israeli military official told reporters that Saturday's joint strikes with the U.S. followed weeks of extensive planning and coordination between the two countries at a level that had never been seen before. 

The official would not put a timetable on the estimated length of the operation, saying only that it would take as long as necessary to cripple the Iranian regime's capabilities.

The latest assessments of Iran's ballistic missile arsenal ranged from the high hundreds to low thousands, the official said. 

The official said, to their knowledge, Iran's counterattack on Israel had not resulted in any significant hits thus far.

Israel is prepared for any scenario to play out in response to the attack on Iran, including retaliation from Iran's proxies in Iraq and Syria, along with Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza, the official added.

In the past year, Iran is estimated to have spent between $700 million and $900 million on its proxies, mainly Hezbollah, the official said, adding that both Israel and the U.S. determined the cost of inaction was too heavy as the threat posed by Iran and its allied groups could have increased. 

A person was killed by shrapnel from an Iranian missile attack on Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, The Associated Press reported, citing the country's state media.

The fatality reported by the UAE's state-run WAM news agency was the first attributed to Iranian missile launches carried out in response to U.S. and Israeli strikes on the Islamic Republic.

An infographic created in Ankara, Turkey, on Feb. 28, 2026. Bedirhan Demirel/Anadolu/Getty

The Washington Post reports that in a brief phone interview overnight, President Trump said he wants Iran to be a "safe nation."

"All I want is freedom for the people," he told the paper. "I want a safe nation, and that's what we're going to have."

A source involved in the Israeli strikes on Iran told CBS News that Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and its President Masoud Pezeshkian, were among the targets of the first round of strikes.

According to The Associated Press, the first strikes of the joint U.S.-Israeli attack appeared to target Khamenei's home in downtown Tehran. It wasn't immediately clear if he was there at the time, but Iranian media reports claimed both the president and Khamenei were safe.

By Michal Ben-Gal

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese indicated Saturday that he believed the U.S. strikes on Iran were necessary to prevent Tehran from developing a nuclear weapon.

"We support the United States acting to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon and to prevent Iran continuing to threaten international peace and security," Albanese wrote in a lengthy social media post.

He also said calls for Iranian leaders to uphold human rights had "gone unheeded," adding that "a regime that relies on the repression and murder of its own people to retain power is without legitimacy."

Albanese has been a key ally of President Trump. The two leaders signed a critical minerals deal last October. 

Israel, Iran and Iraq have closed their airspaces to civilian traffic, AFP reports, as airlines canceled flights in the region.

Part of Syria's airspace, along the country's southern border with Israel, was also closed for 12 hours, the French news agency reported, citing Syria's Civil Aviation Authority.

Air France told AFP that it canceled its Saturday flights to and from Beirut, Lebanon, as well as flights to and from Tel Aviv, "due to the security situation at the destination."

Lufthansa also said it was suspending flights to and from cities across the region, the outlet reported.

Democratic Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania expressed his support early Saturday for the U.S. strikes on Iran. 

"President Trump has been willing to do what's right and necessary to produce real peace in the region," Fetterman said in a social media post. "God bless the United States, our great military, and Israel."

Last summer, Fetterman joined his Republican colleagues to vote against a measure that would have blocked Mr. Trump from using military force against Iran. He was the only Democrat to do so. 

Iran's Ministry of Foreign Affairs posted a statement Saturday condemning the U.S. and Israeli military assault, calling it "a gross violation of Iran's territorial integrity and national sovereignty."

It accused the U.S. and Israel of violating the United Nations charter with "clear armed aggression" and vowed to defend itself.

"The armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran will use all their might and resources to confront this criminal aggression and repel the enemy's evil," the foreign ministry said.

"Now is the time to defend the homeland and confront the enemy's military aggression. Just as we were ready for negotiations, we are more ready than ever for defense."

The Israeli military posted a notice online Saturday in the Farsi language warning Iranians to stay away from military installations in their country as joint U.S. and Israeli strikes continued.

The message from the Israel Defense Forces warned "all individuals located inside or near military industrial factories and military infrastructure" that they were "in proximity to weapons and facilities that are dangerous."

The IDF cautioned Iranians to evacuate such areas immediately, "until a new announcement" was issued.

"Your presence in these locations puts your life at risk," the notice read. 

A major U.S. military base in Bahrain has been targeted in a missile attack, a local source confirmed to CBS News. Bahrain's state media said the U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet headquarters was the target of a missile attack.

Smoke rises in the sky after blasts were heard in Manama, Bahrain, on Feb. 28, 2026. REUTERS

U.S. bases were also targeted in Jordan, sources told CBS News. There were no immediate reports of missiles hitting the U.S. bases.

Explosions were heard in Kuwait, according to numerous media reports, where the U.S. also has a significant military presence, as well in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, where there is a base housing U.S. military personnel, according to the AFP news agency.

Qatari broadcaster Al Jazeera reported explosions in Qatar's capital, Doha, also, and the country's defense ministry said missiles had been intercepted.

Iranian state media claimed "all" U.S. bases in the Middle East were being targeted in response to the ongoing U.S. and Israeli attacks on the country.

Iran's Fars news agency reported that the U.S.'s Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait, Al Dhafra Air Base in the UAE, and the U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet base in Bahrain had been targeted.

Commercial flights to and from Tel Aviv were being canceled or diverted after Israel closed its airspace amid the conflict.

United Airlines said flights that were en route to Tel Aviv early Saturday would return to their points of departure or divert to other locations, while flights later in the day were canceled. Passengers would get travel waivers to change their plans without cost, the airline said.

Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, a Trump ally and long-time advocate for action against Iran, praised the operation against Iran, writing on X: "The end of the largest state sponsor of terrorism is upon us."

"This operation is necessary and long justified," Graham said.

U.S. embassies in the Middle East issued shelter-in-place alerts to American citizens in at least five countries, citing regional security concerns as the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran.

"The U.S. Embassy in Jordan is implementing a shelter-in-place for all personnel. We recommend all Americans do the same until further notice," the embassy in Amman said, echoing similar alerts issued in Israel, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Bahrain.

The warning from the embassy in Bahrain, in particular, cited the threat of missile or drone attacks.

Reza Pahlavi, the long-exiled son of Iran's last monarch, shared a message addressed to the Iranian people on social media Saturday, as the U.S. and Israel launched strikes on the country.

"The aid that the President of the United States promised to the brave people of Iran has now arrived. This is a humanitarian intervention; and its target is the Islamic Republic, its repressive apparatus, and its machinery of slaughter—not the country and great nation of Iran," Pahlavi said. "But, even with the arrival of this aid, the final victory will still be forged by our hands. It is we, the people of Iran, who will finish the job in this final battle. The time to return to the streets is near."

Some protesters who participated in recent widescale demonstrations against the regime had expressed support for Pahlavi, but it's unclear how much influence he actually has inside the country, and President Trump has previously thrown cold water on the idea of Pahlavi leading Iran.

His father was Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, who was overthrown after decades of rule by the 1979 Islamic Revolution, which brought the current regime to power.

Iran's exiled crown prince Reza Pahlavi is seen in a screengrab from video he posted on social media early on Feb. 28, 2026, amid U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran. Reza Pahlavi/X

"Now that the Islamic Republic is collapsing, my message to the country's military, police, and security forces is clear: You have sworn an oath to protect Iran and the Iranian people—not the Islamic Republic and its leaders. Your duty is to defend the people, not a regime that has taken our homeland hostage through repression and crime. Join the people and help bring about a stable and secure transition. Otherwise, you will go down with Khamenei's sinking ship and his regime," Pahlavi said after the U.S. announced its attack on Iran.

He asked Mr. Trump to "exercise the utmost caution" to protect the lives of civilians.

U.S. Senator Ruben Gallego, a Democrat from Arizona who is an Iraq War veteran and considered a possible contender for the next U.S. presidential election, suggested Mr. Trump's move to attack Iran was illegal. 

"I lost friends in Iraq to an illegal war. Young working-class kids should not pay the ultimate price for regime change and a war that hasn't been explained or justified to the American people," Gallego said in a social media post early on Saturday. "We can support the democracy movement and the Iranian people without sending our troops to die."

The U.S. military appeared to have dubbed the military strikes on Iran "Operation Epic Fury," according to a post on X from the Defense Department.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu referred to his country's operation — which was launched in conjunction with the U.S. strikes — "The Roar of the Lion."

A second volley of missiles was launched at Israel by Iran, the Israeli military said.

The Israel Defense Forces said on social media that "an additional barrage of missiles was launched toward Israel."

Israel's missile defense system was "identifying and intercepting the threats," the IDF said. 

Emergency alert sirens blared intermittently across the country on Saturday, and a state of emergency was announced by Israeli Defense Minister Yisrael Katz.

The internet appeared to have been shut down in Iran on Saturday amid U.S. and Israeli strikes, the NetBlocks organization said.

"Network data show #Iran is now in the midst of a near-total internet blackout with national connectivity at 4% or ordinary levels. The incident comes amid US and Israeli combat operations and matches measures used during last year's war with Israel."

Iranian authorities blocked virtually all web traffic and most telephone communications for weeks earlier this year, during their crackdown to quash massive street protests.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the military operation launched by Israel and the U.S. was intended "to remove the existential threat posed by the terrorist regime in Iran."

"This murderous terrorist regime must not be armed with nuclear weapons that would allow it to threaten all of humanity," Netanyahu said in a video statement. "Our joint action will create the conditions for the courageous Iranian people to take their destiny into their own hands."

Netanyahu called on the Iranian people "to throw off the yoke of tyranny and bring about a free and peaceful Iran."

He said the military action — an operation he said was called "The Roar of the Lion" — would require "endurance and fortitude," but he did not specify how long it was expected to last.

By Michal Ben-Gal

The Israel Defense Forces said Saturday that alerts were activated in several parts of the country after missiles launched from Iran were detected. 

The IDF said in a post on X that the Israeli Air Force was working to intercept the threat and urged residents to follow instructions.

Iranian news outlets said Saturday that, in addition to strikes targeting Tehran, near the homes and offices of leaders, there were also attacks on locations across the country, including in Isfahan, where there is a major nuclear facility, the holy city of Qom, and in Karaj, Kermanshah, Lorestan, and Tabriz.

Map showing Tehran and several other major cities in Iran hit by U.S. or Israeli military strikes on Feb. 28, 2026.  Omar Zaghloul/Anadolu via Getty Images

After announcing "massive" U.S. military strikes on Iran, Mr. Trump issued a warning to Iran's powerful Revolutionary Guard Corps, which is under the direct command of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as well as the rest of the Iranian armed forces and police, telling them to "lay down your weapons and have complete immunity, or in the alternative, face certain death."

He encouraged Iranian civilians to seek shelter, warning of intense bombings, but also urged them to overthrow the Islamic Republic regime that has ruled over the country since 1979.

"The hour of your freedom is at hand," he said. "When we are finished, take over your government. It will be yours to take. This will probably be your only chance for generations."

Read more here.

The president said the U.S. operations in Iran could result in the loss of American lives.

"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," Mr. Trump said in his video statement shared on social media.

The U.S. embassies in Qatar and Bahrain told their staff to shelter in place on Saturday.

"We recommend all Americans do the same until further notice," both embassies said in online statements, encouraging people to shelter in secure locations and "keep a low profile" amid the U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran.

Located across the Persian Gulf from Iran, Qatar and Bahrain are both U.S. allies that host major contingents of American forces. Iran retaliated against last June's U.S. strikes on its nuclear sites by launching a missile attack on the U.S.'s Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar.

U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee also urged American citizens in the country: "Stay near shelters & take immediate action at the sound of alerts or sirens." Embassy employees and their families were directed to shelter in place.

Israeli Defense Minister Yisrael Katz issued a state of emergency across Israel on Saturday, warning people to "obey the instructions of the Home Front Command."

Katz said "a missile and drone attack against the State of Israel and its civilian population is expected in the immediate future."

By Michal Ben-Gal

In an eight-minute video posted on Truth Social, Mr. Trump said the U.S. is "undertaking a massive and ongoing operation to prevent this very wicked, radical dictatorship from threatening America and our core national security interests."

The president said the U.S. will "destroy their missiles and raze their missile industry," "annihilate their Navy" and "ensure that the region's terrorist proxies can no longer destabilize the region."

He said the U.S. had "sought, repeatedly, to make a deal" to curb Iran's nuclear program, but alleged that Iran has "rejected every opportunity to renounce their nuclear ambitions."

"This regime will soon learn that no one should challenge the strength and might of the United States armed forces," Mr. Trump said.

See the full statement here.

President Trump's threats to Iran early this year were focused on the regime's brutal quashing of massive street protests in January. But on Jan. 28, Mr. Trump threatened Iran in a Truth Social post with an attack "far worse" than the strikes he ordered against the country's nuclear sites in June if it didn't agree to a deal to curb its nuclear program. 

It was the first time he had linked the major U.S. Navy deployment in the Persian Gulf region to the long-stalled nuclear negotiations. 

"A massive Armada is heading to Iran," he said in his Jan. 28 post. "It is moving quickly, with great power, enthusiasm, and purpose. … Hopefully Iran will quickly 'Come to the Table' and negotiate a fair and equitable deal — NO NUCLEAR WEAPONS — one that is good for all parties. Time is running out, it is truly of the essence!"

In the weeks that followed, Mr. Trump suggested on multiple occasions that he would order strikes on Iran if no agreement was reached on its nuclear enrichment.

The president pressed advisers for options that would deliver a punishing strike substantial enough to compel Iranian leaders to return to negotiations under more favorable terms, CBS News reported on Feb. 23. But military planners cautioned that such an outcome could not be guaranteed, and limited strikes could open the door to a wider confrontation. 

Mr. Trump alleged during his State of the Union address that Iranian officials were once again "pursuing their sinister ambitions" after the U.S. struck nuclear sites last year. He said he'd like to resolve his disagreements through diplomacy, but "one thing is certain: I will never allow the world's number one sponsor of terror, which they are by far, to have a nuclear weapon."

In the lead-up to the U.S.'s strikes on Iran, the two countries engaged in multiple rounds of talks aimed at securing a nuclear deal.

Negotiators from the two sides held indirect talks in Oman in early February, followed by two rounds of negotiations in Switzerland later in the month. Iranian officials described the talks in generally positive terms, and Mr. Trump has said that Iran wants a deal. Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi, who has helped mediate the talks, told CBS News after the third round of negotiations that a deal was "within our reach" and they just "need a little bit more time."

But Mr. Trump told reporters shortly after the third round that he was "not happy" with the pace of progress, saying Iran was "not willing to give us what we have to have."

The president said he wanted Iran to agree to "no enrichment." But Iran has ruled out totally abandoning its uranium enrichment program, which it claims is for peaceful purposes.

Albusaidi cast the negotiations in more optimistic terms, saying Iran had agreed that it will "never, ever have … nuclear material that will create a bomb," and that its existing stockpiles of enriched uranium would be "blended to the lowest level possible." He said Iran also agreed to grant inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency "full access" to nuclear sites.

"There would be zero accumulation, zero stockpiling, and full verification," he said.

The scope of any potential deal is also a question. The U.S.-Iran talks largely focused on the nuclear program, but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called for any deal with Iran to also include restrictions on ballistic missiles and funding of proxies in the region.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters in late February that it was up to the president whether to pursue a nuclear-only deal with Iran, but he said that Iran's "insistence on not discussing ballistic missiles is a big, big problem."

Mr. Trump told Netanyahu in December that he would support Israeli strikes on Iran's ballistic missile program if a deal could not be reached, CBS News previously reported.

As Mr. Trump put pressure on the Iranian regime, the U.S. sent a large contingent of naval vessels toward the Middle East, including two aircraft carriers and their escort ships.

As of Feb. 26, at least 12 ships were in the area overseen by U.S. Central Command, which covers the Middle East, according to a Navy official. That includes the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier, seven destroyers and three littoral combat ships.  

A second aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R Ford, and two destroyers were in the Eastern Mediterranean, and three more destroyers were in the Mediterranean, but their location was less clear. The Ford was previously in the Caribbean region, part of a broader military buildup near Venezuela.

Dozens of Air Force and Navy aircraft were also spotted flying east from the U.S. toward Europe and the Middle East in February, including refueling, transport and surveillance planes, according to public flight tracking data.

Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, warned in early February that any U.S. strikes would spark a "regional war" in the Middle East, according to the Tasnim news agency.

"The Americans must be aware that if they wage a war this time, it will be a regional war," the supreme leader said, claiming the U.S. was looking to take control of Iran's mineral wealth.

Later in February, as another U.S. aircraft carrier and its escort ships neared the region, the supreme leader issued an even more pointed warning, posting an AI-generated image of an American ship at the bottom of the ocean.

"A warship is certainly a dangerous weapon, but even more dangerous is the weapon capable of sinking it," Khamenei said in a speech in Tehran.

Iran's nuclear program has vexed presidents from both parties for decades.

As of mid-June 2025, shortly before the U.S. struck three Iranian nuclear facilities, Iran had enriched some 972 pounds of uranium up to 60% purity, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency. That's a significant increase from the 605.8 pounds reported in February 2025.

That material is just a short step away from weapons-grade 90%-enriched uranium. One U.S. intelligence summary from June found that Iran could potentially make a nuclear weapon within three to eight months.

What's not clear, however, is whether Iran has made the decision to build a nuclear weapon. Iran is believed to have halted its nuclear weapons program in 2003, and the U.S. intelligence community assessed last spring that the country was not building a weapon at the time.

It's also unclear how extensively the nuclear program was impacted by last June's airstrikes. 

Mr. Trump has long said the operation "obliterated" the three sites that were struck, setting back the program by "basically decades." IAEA Director-General Rafael Grossi said in mid-February that Iran's nuclear material was "still there, in large quantities" despite the U.S. strikes, though "some of it may be less accessible."

Iran is not currently enriching uranium, Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters on Feb. 25, though he alleged that "they're trying to get to the point where they ultimately can."

Iran, the U.S. and several other global powers struck a deal in 2015 to cap Iran's uranium stockpiles and enrichment capacity for a set period of time in exchange for sanctions relief. Mr. Trump withdrew from that Obama-era deal during his first term, and efforts by the Biden administration to revive it were unsuccessful.

Iran, for its part, has long insisted that its nuclear program is entirely peaceful — though its stockpile includes uranium enriched far beyond the level needed for most non-military uses.

Read more here.

Mr. Trump had been briefed on a wide range of military and covert options for action against Iran, well beyond conventional airstrikes, CBS News reported in mid-January.

Air power and long-range missiles remain central to any potential military operation, but Pentagon planners also presented Mr. Trump with cyber operation options and psychological campaigns, according to two U.S. officials who spoke to CBS News under condition of anonymity.

The officials said cyber and psychological operations can occur simultaneously with traditional military force, or they could be deployed as stand-alone options. 

Here's a look at some of the options:

• The Islamic Republic's elite Revolutionary Guard Corps would likely be among the top targets in U.S. military strikes, according to Alex Vatanka, Iran director of the Middle East Institute.
• Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei could also find himself in the sights of the U.S. military, experts told CBS News.
• Beyond direct strikes, the White House also weighed cyberattack options, U.S. officials said in January — a strategy that experts believe could hamper communications and trigger fear among regime loyalists. Officials told CBS News that psychological campaigns could disrupt Iranian command structures and state-run media.

Read more here.

This isn't the first time that Mr. Trump has ordered strikes on Iran.

The U.S. previously carried out airstrikes on three major Iranian nuclear facilities in June, hitting targets in Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan with B-2 bombers and submarine-launched missiles. 

Iran responded by launching missiles at the U.S.'s Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar — the biggest American base in the Middle East — two days later. No Americans or Qataris were harmed in Iran's counterattack, and Mr. Trump said the Iranian government had offered "early notice" about the strikes.

The June strikes took place amid a nearly two-week conflict between Israel and Iran, with airstrikes killing dozens in Israel and hundreds in Iran, according to both countries' governments. Mr. Trump announced a ceasefire between the two countries in late June.

Separately, during Mr. Trump's first term, Mr. Trump ordered the killing of Gen. Qassem Soleimani, who led the Iranian Revolutionary Guards' paramilitary Quds force and served as one of the most powerful figures within the Iranian regime. Iran responded with a series of missile strikes on a U.S. base in Iraq, wounding more than 100 American service members.

In late December and early January, Iran faced weeks of nationwide protests over the dire state of the country's economy, drawing a crackdown from the country's government.

Protests were recorded in hundreds of cities across all 31 of the country's provinces, and on dozens of university campuses, according to monitoring groups opposed to the regime — marking the country's largest wave of protests since 2022.

The demonstrations began in the capital of Tehran, as shopkeepers went on strike over Iran's devalued currency and double-digit inflation. After that, the protests broadened, and protesters expressed wider discontent with the country's hardline regime.

After initially trying to strike a conciliatory tone, Iran's security forces cracked down amid an internet blackout. At least 12,000 people were killed, two sources told CBS News on Jan. 13. One man in Iran described to CBS News an incident in the city of Yazd, in which he said government forces started shooting at a crowd of about 1,500 people from the front and the back.

On multiple occasions, Mr. Trump threatened to take action against Iran if it killed protesters. He did not specify what action he might take against Iran, though he and his administration have pointedly not ruled out military force. It's also not clear what might trigger action, given that large numbers of protesters have been reported dead.

He told reporters on Jan. 14 that he'd heard on "good authority" that the "killing in Iran is stopping" and no executions were planned.