Trump says US carrying out 'major combat operations' in Iran

A plume of smoke rises following a reported explosion in Tehran on February 28, 2026. Two loud blasts were heard in Tehran on February 28 morning by AFP journalists, and two plumes of thick smoke were seen over the centre and east of the Iranian capital. Israel's defence ministry announced it had launched a "preemptive strike" on Iran as sirens sounded in Jerusalem and people across the country received phone alerts about an "extremely serious" threat. (Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP)

WASHINGTON (Reuters): United States President Donald Trump said on Saturday (Feb 28) that the United States had begun "major combat operations" in Iran.

"Our objective is to defend the American people by eliminating imminent threats from the Iranian regime," Trump said in a video shared on social media.

In the video, Trump also said that the US had taken every possible step to minimise the risk to US personnel in the region though "Americans may be lost and we may have casualties".

The US President also claimed that Iran had attempted to rebuil its nuclear programme and was developing long-range missiles that could threaten the United States and other countries.

"Iran can never have a nuclear weapon. We are going to destroy their missiles and raze their missile industry to the ground," he said in the video.

Meanwhile, an official told Reuters that Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is not in Tehran and has been transferred to a secure location.

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