The United States and Israel launched coordinated strikes on Iran on Saturday, targeting senior leadership and intensifying tensions in the Middle East. President Donald Trump said the action was aimed at ending a security threat to the United States and giving Iranians an opportunity to challenge their rulers.
The strikes unsettled oil-producing Gulf Arab states amid fears of wider escalation, as Tehran responded by firing missiles toward Israel. The Pentagon confirmed the first wave of attacks under what it called “Operation Epic Fury,” primarily targeting Iranian officials.
An Israeli official said Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and President Masoud Pezeshkian were among those targeted, though the outcome of the strikes remains unclear.
The renewed confrontation has dimmed prospects for a diplomatic resolution to Iran’s nuclear dispute with the West, after the latest indirect talks between Washington and Tehran failed to produce a breakthrough. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards say retaliatory missile and drone attacks have begun, warning that U.S. bases and interests in the region are within reach.
