TEHRAN / WASHINGTON / JERUSALEM — In the most sweeping U.S. military action against Iran in history, American and Israeli forces launched a massive coordinated air campaign against the Islamic Republic early Saturday morning, striking nuclear facilities, ballistic missile arsenals, IRGC command centers, and regime leadership compounds across the country.

President Donald Trump confirmed the strikes in a video posted to Truth Social, declaring the United States had launched “major combat operations” aimed at preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons and eliminating what he called “imminent threats” to the American people. The Pentagon confirmed the mission designation as Operation Epic Fury. Israel named its simultaneous campaign Operation Roaring Lion.

Explosions were reported in Tehran, Isfahan, Qom, Karaj, Kermanshah, and other cities, with smoke visible rising over the capital for hours. Iran’s internet connectivity collapsed to approximately 4% of normal levels, according to NetBlocks, which tracked a near-total blackout beginning shortly after the first strikes.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that Israel and the United States had “embarked on an operation to remove the existential threat” posed by the Iranian regime. He credited Trump’s “historic leadership” and stated the campaign would “create the conditions for the brave Iranian people to take their destiny into their own hands.”

According to U.S. and Israeli officials, Israel led strikes on high-value leadership and government targets — including the compound and offices of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in downtown Tehran. Seven missiles reportedly struck the area. Khamenei was evacuated before impact, a source confirmed to Reuters. The Presidential Palace of President Masoud Pezeshkian and the Supreme National Security Council headquarters — the body that coordinates Iran’s nuclear policy — were also struck in the same central Tehran district.

The United States focused its firepower on nuclear and ballistic missile infrastructure. The Isfahan Nuclear Technology Center and surrounding facilities sustained multiple hits. Hundreds of ballistic missile launchers, underground storage bunkers, and production sites were targeted across western and central Iran — building on, and vastly expanding, the U.S. strikes of June 2025 that had previously struck Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan. A later U.S. assessment had found those earlier strikes only destroyed one of three primary sites, providing the strategic rationale for today’s far broader campaign.

IRGC command centers and bases were struck both in Tehran and in provinces across the nation. Additional confirmed strike locations include Qom, Karaj, Kermanshah, and Lorestan, where missile storage facilities and air defense systems were targeted. The port city of Bushehr, which plays a role in naval and missile resupply, was also struck. Iranian state media reported significant collateral damage at one southern IRGC base in Minab (Hormozgan Province), with a nearby girls’ school also reported struck.

Within hours, Iran launched multiple volleys of ballistic missiles — designated by Tehran as “True Promise 4” — targeting Israeli cities and U.S. military installations across the region. Israel’s Home Front Command activated nationwide air raid sirens, and Israel’s missile defense systems began intercepting incoming threats. A second barrage followed the first.

Iranian missiles also targeted the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet headquarters in Bahrain, and witnesses reported sirens and explosions in Kuwait, where the U.S. Army Central is based at Camp Arifjan. Jordan’s military shot down two ballistic missiles targeting Jordanian territory. One fatality was reported by the UAE’s state news agency WAM, attributed to Iranian missile launches.

Iran’s Supreme National Security Council vowed a “crushing response.” The head of Iran’s parliamentary national security commission wrote on social media: “We warned you! Now you have started down a path whose end is no longer in your control.”

For readers of faith, the timing carries unmistakable weight. The strikes fell during Ramadan — the holy month of fasting in Islam — and just ahead of Purim, the Jewish holiday commemorating the deliverance of the Jewish people from annihilation in ancient Persia, which begins Monday. The ancient Persian empire corresponds to modern-day Iran. Netanyahu made the parallel explicit, framing the operation in terms of Israel’s historic struggle for survival.

Iran’s exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi called on Iran’s military and security forces to “join the people” and help bring about a “stable and secure transition,” saying the Islamic Republic was “collapsing.” Trump, in a brief phone interview with The Washington Post, expressed his desire for Iran to become “a safe nation.” “All I want is freedom for the people,” he said.

U.S. military officials say operations are expected to continue for several days. Two carrier strike groups — the USS Abraham Lincoln and the Gerald R. Ford — are positioned in the region. Israel has warned Iranians to evacuate from all military industrial facilities and infrastructure, signaling further strikes are imminent.

The diplomatic collapse that preceded this moment came after nuclear and missile talks between Washington and Tehran failed to produce an enforceable framework. Iran had refused to link curbs on its nuclear program to restrictions on its ballistic missile capabilities. The U.S. concluded Iran could have enough fissile material for an atomic bomb within “a week” and authorized the strike packages.

Faith & Freedom News will continue to update this story as it develops. We ask our readers to pray for the innocent people of Iran, the men and women serving in uniform, and the peace of Jerusalem. Read our previous coverage: “War or Peace? U.S.-Iran Standoff Reaches Breaking Point” →