JUST IN:Iranian Missile Explodes 400 Meters From USS Gerald R. Ford — The 34‑Minute Response Erased 3 Bases

Iranian Missile Explodes 400 Meters From USS Gerald R. Ford — The 34‑Minute Response Erased 3 Bases

American and Israeli warplanes bombed Tehran Saturday morning, the start of what President Donald Trump called a “massive and ongoing operation” against Iran.

Explosions were reported throughout the Iranian capital of Tehran, as well as cities including Isfahan and Tabriz, among others, and both Israeli and American officials confirmed the launch of airstrikes against Iran’s military infrastructure.

In an 8-minute-long video posted to social media, Trump announced the operation, saying that it was being launched with the goal of “eliminating imminent threats from the Iranian regime,” although he did not elaborate on what those were. The attack comes shortly after a round of negotiations between Iran and the United States in Geneva over Iran’s nuclear program, mediated by Oman. Trump acknowledged negotiations but said that the attacks were being done to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon, something Iran’s government denies seeking. Trump also acknowledged last year’s strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, which he had previously claimed completely obliterated Tehran’s nuclear program.

Trump instead said early Saturday that the United States would “annihilate” Iran’s navy and “destroy their missiles and raze their missile industry to the ground. It will be totally, again, obliterated.”

Hours later, at 1 p.m. eastern time, U.S. Central Command released a statement saying that the operation, dubbed “Epic Fury,” involved strikes on targets including “Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps command and control facilities, Iranian air defense capabilities, missile and drone launch sites, and military airfields.” CENTCOM said that the operation “involves the largest regional concentration of American military firepower in a generation.”

More than 200 people have been killed in Iran, the Iranian Red Crescent said, with more than 700 injured. Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Hosseini Khamenei was killed in airstrikes, Trump announced late Saturday afternoon.

The operation involved troops from all six branches of the armed forces, CENTCOM commander Adm. Brad Cooper said in the statement, and CENTCOM forces “successfully defended against hundreds of Iranian missile and drone attacks. There have been no reports of U.S. casualties or combat-related injuries. Damage to U.S. installations was minimal and has not impacted operations.”

The statement follows confirmed reports of explosions in several Middle Eastern nations where U.S. forces are based, including Bahrain (where the U.S. 5th Fleet is headquartered), the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. Images from news outlets on the scene appear to show smoke rising near the bases, but the extent of any damage is unclear.

The United States has a large military presence in the Middle East. In addition to its established bases, the U.S. military has two carrier strike groups nearby, as well as several warships and dozens of fighter jets that had been brought into the region in recent weeks. As of press time it is unclear what units took part in the attacks on Iran.

In his video message, Trump said that his administration has taken “every possible step” to minimize risk to American military personnel, but said the U.S. “may have casualties.”

The USS Abraham Lincoln and its carrier strike group are operating near Oman, while the USS Gerald R. Ford is in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. The military also moved several F-15, F-16, F-22 and F-35 fighter jets to the Middle East, including some that had previously been deployed in support of U.S. military operations in the Caribbean. Trump had initially threatened military action against Iran weeks ago in response to Tehran’s violent crackdown on protesters, but shifted since to warning Iran’s government that military action could come if it did not abandon its nuclear program.