U.S. and Iran launch “major combat operations” on Iran

The U.S. president also called on the Iranian people, who have been subjected to a harsh crackdown against pro-democracy protests in recent weeks, to seize the moment once the bombs have stopped falling to bring about regime change.

“To the great, proud people of Iran, I say tonight that the hour of your freedom is at hand. Stay sheltered. Don’t leave your home. It’s very dangerous outside. Bombs will be dropping everywhere,” he said.

“When we are finished, take over your government. It will be yours to take. This will be, probably, your only chance for generations. For many years, you have asked for America’s help, but you never got it. No president was willing to do what I am willing to do tonight. Now you have a president who is giving you what you want, so let’s see how you respond.”

TV Networks Scramble

TV and radio networks worldwide scrambled to get on board the story, breaking into normal programming as a chaotic picture of the U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran and Iranian retaliation across the Gulf started to take shape.

In a note, NBC News said it put out breaking news on NBC News NOW at 1:44 am ET, followed by a network report at 1:50 am ET, with Jessica Layton anchoring.

It has been providing rolling coverage ever since on network and NOW with Peter Alexander taking over anchoring after Trump’s speech around 5 am ET, and joined by Saturday TODAY co-anchor Laura Jarrett at 6 am ET. Coverage over the morning included an exclusive live interview with the Iranian Foreign Minister.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also issued a statement on Saturday, saying that the aim was to remove the Islamic Republic regime from power.

The operation “will create the conditions for the brave Iranian people to take their destiny into their own hands,” he said.

“The time has come for all sections of the people in Iran… to remove the yoke of tyranny… and bring a free and peace-loving Iran,” he added.

The military operations follow in the wake of a massive building up since mid-January of the largest force of U.S. warships and aircraft in the Middle East in decades, as Trump tried to force Iran’s Islamic Regime government to abandon its nuclear program in talks.

News of the joint U.S. and Israeli attack has met with concerned reaction at home in the U.S. and from leaders worldwide, amid fears that the conflict will escalate and uncertainty over the longer term future for Iran, whether its hardline Islamic Republic falls or not.

Virginia Senator Mark Warner, the Vice Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, condemned the fact Trump had triggered military action without consulting the U.S. Congress.

“The Constitution is clear: the decision to take this nation to war rests with Congress, and launching large-scale military operations – particularly in the absence of an imminent threat to the United States – raises serious legal and constitutional concerns,” he said in a statement on Saturday.

French President Emmanuel Macron called for an emergency UN Security Council meeting, writing on X: “The ongoing escalation is dangerous for everyone. It must stop.”

U.S. President Donald Trump’s Full Speech On “Major Combat Operations”

A short time ago, the United States military began major combat operations in Iran. Our objective is to defend the American people by eliminating imminent threats from the Iranian regime, a vicious group of very hard, terrible people.

Its menacing activities directly endanger the United States, our troops, our bases overseas, and our allies throughout the world.

For 47 years, the Iranian regime has chanted ‘Death to America’ and waged an unending campaign of bloodshed and mass murder targeting the United States, our troops, and the innocent people in many, many countries.

Among the regime’s very first acts was to back a violent takeover of the US Embassy in Tehran, holding dozens of American hostages for 444 days. In 1983, Iran’s proxies carried out the Marine barracks bombing in Beirut that killed 241 American military personnel. In 2000, they knew and were probably involved with the attack on the USS Cole. Many died.

Iranian forces killed and maimed hundreds of American service members in Iraq. The regime’s proxies have continued to launch countless attacks against American forces stationed in the Middle East in recent years, as well as US naval and commercial vessels and international shipping lanes. It’s been mass terror, and we’re not going to put up with it any longer.

From Lebanon to Yemen and Syria to Iraq, the regime has armed, trained, and funded terrorist militias that have soaked the earth with blood and guts, and it was Iran’s proxy, Hamas, that launched the monstrous October 7 attacks on Israel, slaughtering more than 1,000 innocent people, including 46 Americans, while taking 12 of our citizens hostage. It was brutal, something like the world has never seen before.

Iran is the world’s number one state sponsor of terror, and just recently killed tens of thousands of its own citizens on the street as they protested.

It has always been the policy of the United States, in particular, my administration, that this terrorist regime can never have a nuclear weapon. I’ll say it again. They can never have a nuclear weapon.

That is why, in Operation Midnight Hammer last June, we obliterated the regime’s nuclear program at Fordow, Natanz, 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. We tried. They wanted to do it. They didn’t want to do it. Again, they wanted to do it. They didn’t want to do it. They didn’t know what was happening. They just wanted to practice evil.

But Iran refused, just as it has for decades and decades. They rejected every opportunity to renounce their nuclear ambitions, and we can’t take it anymore.

Instead, they attempted to rebuild their nuclear program and 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.

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.

For these reasons, the United States military is undertaking a massive and ongoing operation to prevent this very wicked, radical dictatorship from threatening America and our core national security interests.

We are going to destroy their missiles and raze their missile industry to the ground. It will be totally, again, obliterated.

We are going to annihilate their navy. We are going to ensure that the region’s terrorist proxies can no longer destabilize the region or the world and attack our forces, and no longer use their IEDs — or roadside bombs, as they are sometimes called — to so gravely wound and kill thousands and thousands of people, including many Americans.

And we will ensure that Iran does not obtain a nuclear weapon. It’s a very simple message. They will never have a nuclear weapon.

This regime will soon learn that no one should challenge the strength and might of the United States Armed Forces.

I built and rebuilt our military in my first administration, and there is no military on earth even close to its power, strength, or sophistication.

My administration has taken every possible step to minimize the risk to US personnel in the region. Even so — and I do not make this statement lightly — 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.

We pray for every service member as they selflessly risk their lives to ensure that Americans and our children will never be threatened by a nuclear-armed Iran.

We ask God to protect all of our heroes in harm’s way, and we trust that with His help, the men and women of the armed forces will prevail.

We have the greatest in the world, and they will prevail.

To the members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard, the armed forces, and all of the police, I say tonight that you must lay down your weapons and have complete immunity — or, in the alternative, face certain death.

So lay down your arms. You will be treated fairly with total immunity, or you will face certain death.

Finally, to the great, proud people of Iran, I say tonight that the hour of your freedom is at hand. Stay sheltered. Don’t leave your home. It’s very dangerous outside. Bombs will be dropping everywhere.

When we are finished, take over your government. It will be yours to take. This will be, probably, your only chance for generations. For many years, you have asked for America’s help, but you never got it. No president was willing to do what I am willing to do tonight. Now you have a president who is giving you what you want, so let’s see how you respond.

America is backing you with overwhelming strength and devastating force. Now is the time to seize control of your destiny and to unleash the prosperous and glorious future that is close within your reach. This is the moment for action. Do not let it pass.

May God bless the brave men and women of America’s armed forces. May God bless the United States of America. May God bless you all. Thank you.”