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World Monthly Headline News March 2026
Story by Yousef Saba, Jaidaa Taha and Jonathan Saul

DUBAI/LONDON, March 1 (Reuters) - At least three tankers were damaged off the Gulf coast after U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran triggered Iranian retaliation that put merchant ships at risk of collateral damage, shipping sources and officials said on Sunday.

Risks to commercial shipping have surged in the past 24 hours, with more than 200 vessels including oil and liquefied gas tankers dropping anchor around the Strait of Hormuz and surrounding waters, shipping data showed on Sunday.

Iran has said it has closed navigation through the critical waterway.

"The U.S.-Israeli attack on Iran dramatically increases the security risk to ships operating in the Persian Gulf and adjacent waters," said Jakob Larsen, chief safety and security officer at shipping association BIMCO.

'SHIPS MAY BE TARGETED DELIBERATELY OR IN ERROR'

"Ships with business connections to U.S. or Israeli interests are more likely to be targeted, but other ships may also be targeted deliberately or in error."
Story by MICHELLE L. PRICE, MARY CLARE JALONICK, BEN FINLEY, JOSEF FEDERMAN and DAVID KLEPPER

WASHINGTON (AP) — Trump administration officials told congressional staff in private briefings Sunday that U.S. intelligence did not suggest Iran was preparing to launch a preemptive strike against the U.S., three people familiar with the briefings said.

The administration officials instead acknowledged there was a more general threat in the region from Iran’s missiles and proxy forces, two of the people said. The third person, however, said the administration emphasized that Iran’s missiles and proxy forces posed an imminent threat to U.S. personnel and allies in the region.

The officials did not provide any clarity about what would happen next in Iran after the joint U.S.-Israeli operation, the two people said. All three people insisted on anonymity to discuss details that have not been made public.

The information conveyed to the congressional staff contrasts with the message from President Donald Trump. “Our objective is to defend the American people by eliminating imminent threats from the Iranian regime. A vicious group of very hard, terrible people," he said in a video message after launching strikes on Iran.
At least 11 people have been killed in Israel as Iran launches retaliatory strikes against countries across the Persian Gulf. CBS News chief correspondent Matt Gutman reports from Tel Aviv and CBS News chief White House correspondent Nancy Cordes has the latest on what President Trump is saying about the war.
Story by Joshua Rhett Miller

The founder of Blackwater has criticized the U.S.-Israeli strikes in Iran, saying the conflict isn’t in “America’s interests” and will lead to more death and destruction across the Middle East.

Erik Prince—a former Navy SEAL who founded Blackwater, the private military contractor later rebranded as Constellis—provided a blunt assessment to conservative influencer Steve Bannon on Sunday, a day after the killing of Iran’s 86-year-old supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and more than 40 top Iranian security and regime officials.

“Look, Steve, I’m not happy about the whole thing,” Prince said on Bannon’s War Room podcast. “I don’t think this was in America’s interests. It’s going to uncork a significant can of worms and chaos and destruction in Iran now.”

Prince said Khamenei’s assassination on Saturday would likely lead to tens of thousands of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps vying to replace the former leader.
Story by Donald Macintyre

The sirens were blaring in the morning as we approached the site of Iran’s deadliest attack on Israel so far. They must have done the same less than 24 hours earlier, minutes before the ballistic missile razed a synagogue and the neighbouring housing, killing 11 and wounding dozens. This time, the residents were able to emerge from the shelters soon afterwards, three audible, but relatively distant booms, indicating that the incoming fire had been blocked by missile defences.

Yesterday had been a very different story. Looking across the tottering slabs of dislocated concrete and mangled masonry that had once been the heart of this close community in the central Israeli city of Beit Shemesh, you could see the large, shallow depression in the ground that marked what had been the public shelter under the synagogue.

The missile somehow evaded Israel’s formidable air defences. For all their precision, they cannot stop everything.

Among the dead – including three teenage siblings as well as a mother and son – there were several who had sought safety there. The sheer force of Iran’s half-ton ballistic missile meant they did so in vain.
Story by Ireland Owens

As the conflict in Iran intensifies, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot spoke on the phone Monday with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi about working towards “de-escalation” together.

The phone call came days after the U.S. and Israel launched military strikes against the Islamic regime early Saturday, killing Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. In a statement released Tuesday, the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs said both ministers agreed to “work towards de-escalation, in conjunction with the Gulf countries” and to “find a path to a political resolution guaranteeing collective security interests and provision for the Iranian people’s aspirations.”

Barrot also stated “the Iranian regime’s responsibility in the ongoing escalation, after it unjustifiably struck several countries in the region,” according to the statement.

The French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs referred the Daily Caller News Foundation to its statement from Tuesday when reached for comment.

Barrot noted that the ongoing U.S.-Israel military operations in Iran were begun “without France participating or being informed,” per the statement. He also emphasized that each of the aforementioned countries were responsible for prioritizing “international institutions to resolve disagreement” and to use force “if necessary.”

“Who takes over?” Prince asked on the podcast. He added: “I don’t see how this is in keeping with the president’s MAGA commitment. I’m disappointed.”

Prince then questioned the preparation of U.S.-Israeli forces following Khamenei’s death and suggested ground troops would eventually need to partake in Operation Epic Fury.
Story by Charlie Jones

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed to hit a U.S. oil tanker in the northern part of the Gulf as the war brings global oil supplies through the all-important Strait of Hormuz.

The IRGC had warned that any vessels, military or commercial, linked to the U.S., Israel or supporting European countries will not be allowed to pass through the Strait, the narrow body of water between Iran and Oman.

"If they are observed, they will certainly be hit," the IRGC said in its statement. It comes as a haunting new map reveals the 4 safest US states to live in during a nuclear war.

The UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) reported that the U.S. tanker was anchored off the coast of Kuwait when it was hit on Wednesday morning. Oil is gushing into the water and an environmental impact is feared. Witnesses say they heard a large explosion and saw a small craft leave the area. There are no reports of fire and the crew are all safe.

"We had previously said that, based on international laws and resolutions, in times of war, the Islamic Republic of Iran will have the right to control the passage through the Strait of Hormuz," IRGC said, Iran's Tasnim News reports.
Story by Kathrine Frich

Military bases and strategic installations increasingly coming under attack.

Iranian forces have launched waves of missiles and drones targeting American assets across the region.

One of those strikes appears to have hit a critical piece of US military infrastructure.

Radar system destroyed
Iranian forces reportedly destroyed a US early-warning radar system stationed at Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan.

According to reports cited by CNN, the system — valued at roughly $500 million — was hit during the first days of Iranian retaliation following US-Israeli airstrikes.
Story by Noah Robertson, Ellen Nakashima, Warren Strobel

Russia is providing Iran with targeting information to attack American forces in the Middle East, the first indication that another major U.S. adversary is participating — even indirectly — in the war, according to three officials familiar with the intelligence.

The assistance, which has not been previously reported, signals that the rapidly expanding conflict now features one of America’s chief nuclear-armed competitors with exquisite intelligence capabilities.

Since the war began Saturday, Russia has passed Iran the locations of U.S. military assets, including warships and aircraft, said the three officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the matter’s sensitivity.

“It does seem like it’s a pretty comprehensive effort,” one of the people said.

Reached by The Washington Post on Friday, Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin spokesman, declined to comment on the intelligence findings. Moscow has called for an end to the war, which it labeled an “unprovoked act of armed aggression.”

The extent of Russia’s targeting assistance to Iran was not entirely clear. The Iranian military’s own ability to locate U.S. forces has been degraded less than a week into the fighting, the officials said.
Story by Akhtar Makoii

Iran’s clerics have chosen a new supreme leader, eight days after the death of Ali Khamenei.

The identity of the new leader has not been revealed, hinting at both fears of assassination and internal dispute in the floundering regime.

“This candidate has been reported to the leadership board of the Assembly of Experts and has been verified,” Amirreza Hedayati, representative of Khuzestan province in the Assembly of Experts.

The announcement confirms recent speculation that a new leader was being lined up in secret, potentially to protect him from US-Israeli strikes that have killed senior officials.

The Israeli military, meanwhile, said on Sunday it will pursue “every successor and every person who seeks to appoint a successor” for Mr Khamenei, suggesting strikes on civilian clerics.

The Assembly of Experts must now choose between revealing their new leader and making him and themselves an immediate assassination target or maintaining secrecy.
Iran has reportedly targeted Israel’s Haifa oil refinery with ballistic missiles.Smoke, sirens, and tension are rising across northern Israel — but what exactly happened? Could this mark a major escalation in the 2026 Iran-Israel conflict?On March 8, 2026, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced that it had launched Khaibar Shekan ballistic missiles toward Haifa.The strike, according to Tehran, was retaliation for recent U.S.-Israeli airstrikes on Iranian energy infrastructure, including fuel depots and reserves in southern Tehran.The Haifa refinery is Israel’s largest oil processing facility, operated by the Bazan Group. It’s a critical hub for energy supply, including pipelines, storage, and power generation.
Story by Mike Bedigan

Donald Trump insisted that an airstrike on a girls' school in southern Iran that killed at least 175 people, including children, was carried out by Tehran, despite analysis pointing to the U.S. military being responsible.

“No. In my opinion, based on what I’ve seen, that was done by Iran,” Trump told reporters on board Air Force One Saturday. “We think it was done by Iran because they’re very inaccurate as you know with their munitions. They have no accuracy whatsoever.”

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who was standing behind the president, added that they were “still investigating” the origin of the strike but reiterated: “The only side that targets civilians is Iran.”

“It was done by Iran,” Trump repeated, more confidently.

Neither side has yet claimed responsibility for the deadly attack on February 28 in the town of Minab.

The White House has remained vague and defensive on the school strike, despite growing speculation about who was behind it. On Wednesday, Karoline Leavitt was also asked if the U.S. was responsible, replying, “not that I know of.”

However, on Sunday, Michael Waltz, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, declined to fully endorse the president’s assertion that Iran had been to blame for the strike, telling ABC’s “This Week”: “I’ll leave that to the investigators to determine.
Story by Sammy Westfall, Leo Sands

A fast-moving conflict in the Middle East widened along several fronts on Tuesday, as Iran launched a wave of retaliatory strikes across the region. At least five U.S. allies in the Persian Gulf reported drone and missile attacks, prompting the United States to close embassies in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. Israel said it carried out fresh strikes against high-profile targets in Tehran, including the presidential office. Israel also said it would deploy ground troops deeper into Lebanese territory, while Hezbollah said it was targeting Israel with drones. As the war stretches into its fourth day, the death toll is mounting — and now includes six U.S. service members. President Donald Trump signaled U.S. forces have capabilities to continue striking Iran for “far longer” than the four to five week duration projected by the military.
Story by Brian Bennett

The U.S. is “accelerating” its attacks on Iran, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told reporters at the Pentagon on Wednesday, with the U.S. military soon expecting to control the skies over the country.

Four days into the U.S. and Israeli war against Iran that killed Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the U.S. is pressing its military advantage. “This was never meant to be a fair fight,” Hegseth said. “We are punching them while they are down, which is exactly the way it should be.”

As part of the effort to debilitate Iranian forces, a U.S. attack submarine sank an Iranian naval ship off the coast of Sri Lanka with a torpedo, Hegseth said. It was the first time an American torpedo has sunk a ship since World War II.

“An American submarine sank ​an Iranian warship that thought it was safe in international waters,” he said. “Instead, it was sunk by a torpedo. Quiet death.”
Story by Jon Gambrell, Sam Metz and Kareem Chehayeb

The Iran war’s targets widened dangerously into civilian infrastructure Sunday as Bahrain accused Iran of striking one of the desalination plants that are crucial for Persian Gulf nations’ drinking water.

As Israeli-struck oil depots smoldered in Tehran after a late-night strike, prompting environmental warnings for citizens, Iran’s president vowed to expand attacks on U.S. targets across the region on the ninth day of the war.

President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have vowed to press ahead with the coordinated campaign, which has rippled across the region and appears to have no end in sight.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, in his latest threat, backtracked from conciliatory comments a day earlier in which he apologized for attacks on gulf neighbors' soil. Iranian hard-liners had swiftly contradicted him, saying war strategy wouldn't change.

In Lebanon, intensifying Israeli strikes pushed the death toll higher as hundreds of thousands were displaced and Israel targeted the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah.

In Israel, the military said two soldiers were killed in fighting in southern Lebanon — the first Israeli military fatalities since the start of the war last weekend. Three people were also injured in Israel in a Sunday afternoon strike.
Story by AFP

On a deserted road not too far from the border between Iran and Iraqi Kurdistan, Satar Barsirini looked up at the sky, now streaked with jets and drones.

Iraq's Kurdish region has found itself caught in the crossfire of a regional war triggered by US and Israeli attacks on the Islamic republic.

Dressed like the Kurdish fighters he once served alongside, Barsirini still wears the khaki shalwar, fitted jacket and scarf wrapped around his waist.
Story by Imtiaz Tyab

Mojtaba Hosseini Khamenei, the second son of former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has been named Iran's new supreme leader, Iranian state media reported Sunday.

While the new supreme leader has never held elected office, the 57-year-old for years has operated quietly behind the scenes from within his father's office — cultivating influence across the security establishment, particularly within the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Mojtaba Khamenei was selected by Iran's Assembly of Experts, comprised of 88 clerics and supervised by the 12-member Guardian Council, which acts as a watchdog for Iran's constitution. Ali Khamenei was killed on Feb. 28 in a strike that also took out about 40 other high ranking Iranian officials.
Story by Molly Hunter

Newly surfaced video adds to evidence that the United States likely struck a school in Iran, killing more than 170 people, including scores of children.

The footage, geolocated by NBC News, shows what experts say appears to be an American Tomahawk missile hitting a compound belonging to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) next to the Shajareh Tayyebeh elementary school where witnesses said children were trapped under the rubble and “people were pulling out children’s arms and legs. People were pulling out severed heads.”

NBC News has tried to contact the person who shot the video for further comment about the strikes, which the individual filmed Feb. 28 in the southern town of Minab. The person has not responded.

Published Sunday by Iran’s semiofficial Mehr News Agency, the footage was first geolocated by the online research group Bellingcat which said a Tomahawk — an American-made, long-range cruise missile — was used in the attack near a compound that was once home to an IRGC military.

Several munitions experts agreed with that analysis, including N.R. Jenzen-Jones, the director of arms intelligence firm Armament Research Services.

The footage “appears to show a Tomahawk missile,” he said in an email Sunday. “This would indicate a U.S. strike,” he said, adding that the U.S. was the only party in the war known to have Tomahawk missiles.
Story by Alex Horton

About 140 U.S. service members have been wounded in the war with Iran, a Pentagon official said Tuesday, as personnel remain under threat from drones and missiles that have left seven U.S. troops dead.

The vast majority of the wounded had minor injuries, Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said in a statement, adding that 108 have returned to duty. Eight are severely wounded, he said, and “receiving the highest level of medical care.”

One of the recent fatalities, Army Sgt. Benjamin Pennington, died days after he was injured in an attack in Saudi Arabia. The other six were killed in a drone attack in Kuwait.

Defense officials have previously described the number of wounded as fewer than a dozen, specifying them as the most grievously injured. Parnell did not respond to a request for comment on the types of injuries suffered and the increased casualty figures.

The number of wounded underscores the pernicious threat of Iranian drones and missiles, which have targeted troops on U.S. bases across the Middle East. While it is unclear how the troops received their injuries, the types of attacks point to shrapnel wounds and traumatic brain injuries as likely contributors.

Brain injuries were the signature wound of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars and often resulted from blast exposure or falls. Some troops may not initially report concussions or brain injuries because they seem minor, or they cannot be screened right away, which can lead to a lag in reported numbers. More than half a million troops have suffered brain injuries since 2000, according to Pentagon data.
Story by Sarah Hooper

Iran has struck two oil tankers with explosives, causing them to burst into flames off the coast of Iraq.

The boats are believed to be laden with explosives and are unmanned, similar to drones – except on water.

Around 1.30 am local time, Marshall Islands-flagged Safesea Vishnu and the Zefyroswere were hit by an ‘unknown projectile’ off the coast of Iraq, according to the UK Maritime Trade Operation.

38 crew members were rescued, and one person died, according to Iraqi news agencies.

Another container ship was hit overnight off the coast of the United Arab Emirates, catching fire – but the crew is safe.

Iraq’s director general of the General Company for Ports, Farhan al-Fartousi, said: ‘Two foreign tankers carrying Iraqi fuel oil were subjected to unidentified attacks inside territorial waters, causing them to catch fire.’
Iran’s new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has said the closure of the Strait of Hormuz maritime passage should be continued as a “tool to pressure the enemy,” in his first public statement since being appointed.
Story by Anthony Blair

Iran’s military has shown off its enormous supply of naval suicide drones, which it is using to blockade the crucial Strait of Hormuz, in chilling footage taken from its underground “missile city.”

Footage from Iranian state media purportedly shows underground tunnels full of naval drones, anti-ship missiles, and sea mines, with dramatic footage also showing some of them being fired.

Experts have analyzed the footage, released by Iranian state media outlet Fars, telling CNN exactly what is being shown off.
Opinion by Mariane Angela

President Donald Trump announced Friday that the United States carried out major airstrikes targeting Iran’s primary crude export hub on Kharg Island.

In a statement posted on Truth Social, Trump said he ordered United States Central Command to conduct what he called one of the most powerful bombing raids ever carried out in the Middle East, striking military targets tied to Iran’s strategic oil export terminal. The president said U.S. forces deliberately avoided destroying the island’s broader oil infrastructure, describing the decision as an act of restraint despite the scale of the operation.

“Moments ago, at my direction, the United States Central Command executed one of the most powerful bombing raids in the History of the Middle East, and totally obliterated every MILITARY target in Iran’s crown jewel, Kharg Island,” Trump wrote. “Our Weapons are the most powerful and sophisticated that the World has ever known but, for reasons of decency, I have chosen NOT to wipe out the Oil Infrastructure on the Island.”

Trump warned that the United States could quickly reverse that decision if Iran or its allies attempt to interfere with commercial shipping in the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz.
Story by Kathrine Frich

Washington has insisted that Tehran’s military capabilities have been severely damaged during the ongoing conflict.

But Iran appears eager to present a different picture. Statements from its leadership suggest the country may not be standing alone in the confrontation.

Military backing
Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi has said that Russia and China are providing Tehran with military support as part of their broader strategic partnership.

According to Politico cited by United24Media, Araghchi made the remarks during an interview with the television channel MS NOW.

“In the past we had close cooperation, which continues to this day, and this also includes military assistance,” Araghchi said.

He added that Iran maintains extensive relations with both Moscow and Beijing.

“We had good cooperation with these countries—politically, economically, even militarily.”
Story by Jaroslav Lukiv

Qatar has reported "extensive damage" at a major energy industry site, the UAE said operations at a gas facility had been halted and Saudi Arabia said it had intercepted drones and ballistic missiles as Iran retaliated for a strike on a key gas field.

Earlier Qatar blamed Israel for the strike on Iran's South Pars gas site - part of the world's largest natural gas field. Israeli media quoted officials as saying Israel had carried out the attack but Its military has not officially confirmed this.

Conflict across the Middle East continues to rage after the US and Israel launched wide-ranging strikes on Iran on 28 February.

Tehran responded by launching attacks on Israel and US-allied states in the Gulf. Israel is also fighting Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon, where more than a million people have been displaced.

In a statement, QatarEnergy state-owned petroleum company said Iranian missiles struck its Ras Laffan site on Wednesday. Ras Laffan is an industrial area that contains the world's biggest liquefied natural gas (LNG) processing facility.
The same superpower now threatening to bomb Iran's nuclear sites once handed Tehran nuclear technology on a silver platter. The jaw-dropping history of the world's most explosive U-turn.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/iran-readies-one-million-troops-in-preparation-for-massive-us-ground-invasion/ar-AA1Zuklt?ocid=msedgdhp&pc=U531&cvid=69c67b51f6334ff1ba91d4f3ffae67cc&cvpid=8c557a549cab4bdc992b8d90ce0cea65&ei=43
Story by Dan McDonald

Iran has claimed it is readying more than one million fighters to unleash "hell" on American troops if the US launches a ground invasion of the Middle Eastern country.

Citing a military source, the state-run Tasnim News Agency reported that regime fighters are growing increasingly eager to create a "a historic hell for the Americans on Iranian soil".

The source claimed that young Iranians have been applying in their droves to enlist in the army, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the volunteer Basij militia.

They also issued a dire warning to President Donald Trump, urging him not to attempt to seize control of the vital Strait of Hormuz.

The insider said: "America wants to open the Strait through suicide and self-destruction - that's fine.

"We are prepared for them to act on their suicide strategy, and for the Strait to remain closed."

The Iranian state media outlet reported: "As speculation grows about the possibility of America's historic folly of entering a ground battle on Iran's southern front, a wave of enthusiasm has formed among Iran's ground fighters to create a historic hell for the Americans on Iranian soil.

"He noted that in addition to organising over one million fighters for ground combat, a massive influx of applications from young Iranians has poured into the centres of the Basij, the Revolutionary Guard Corps, and the Army in recent days to participate in this fight as well."
Story by Emanuel Fabian

The IDF confirms bombing Iran’s Arak heavy water reactor, saying it targeted the “key infrastructure for producing plutonium for nuclear weapons” after Iran worked to restore the site.

The Israeli Air Force had bombed the partially built complex, officially known as the Khondab Heavy Water Research Reactor, in central Iran during the June 2025 war.

“Repeated reconstruction attempts by the Iranian terror regime at the site were later identified. Therefore, the IDF has struck the facility once again,” the military says.
‘Fox News @ Night’ panelists discuss reports Yemen’s Houthis could enter Iran conflict as Iranian citizens remain in an internet blackout.
Story by Cameron Adam

Donald Trump has backed down on his threat to stop nations from supplying oil to the struggling island of Cuba.

The president, 79, confirmed on Sunday that he approved a Russian oil tanker’s passage to Cuba, despite his administration enforcing a virtual oil blockade on the island since January.

President Vladimir Putin’s efforts to force Trump to back down and relent on allowing the Russians to profit from selling oil to the communist regime appear to have succeeded.

Cuba, which the president confirmed Sunday is “next” on his hit list for U.S. military intervention, has suffered a series of power shortages and blackouts since the Trump administration began to cut off the supply in January.

Venezuela had been Cuba’s chief supplier of energy until Trump ordered the capture of President Nicolás Maduro at the start of the year. Since then, no one has breached U.S. efforts to halt the supply of oil. A Colombian tanker was escorted away from the Caribbean nation by the U.S. Coast Guard last month, but sources told The New York Times that two cutters in the region were not deployed to intercept the Russian vessel.

The Russian-owned tanker, carrying around 730,000 barrels of oil, was due to arrive in Cuba on Monday.
Story by AFP

US intelligence concluded Wednesday that Iran was not rebuilding nuclear enrichment capacities destroyed last year by the United States and Israel, contradicting a key justification by President Donald Trump for his ongoing war.

Tulsi Gabbard, a Trump ally who is director of national intelligence, offered mixed signals on the backdrop and outcomes of three weeks of war as she and other officials appeared before Congress

She also assessed that Iran's leadership remained intact.

"As a result of Operation Midnight Hammer, Iran's nuclear enrichment program was obliterated," Gabbard said in prepared testimony to the Senate intelligence committee, referring to the June 2025 US attack.

"There has been no efforts since then to try to rebuild their enrichment capability," Gabbard wrote.

She did not repeat the conclusion before cameras. Pressed by a Democratic senator, Gabbard said that she did not have enough time to read the full testimony at the hearing but did not refute the assessment.

Trump has repeatedly said he ordered the attack on Iran alongside Israel on February 28 because of an "imminent threat."

Trump said after the June 2025 bombing that the United States had completely destroyed Iran's nuclear sites, but since his latest war he has maintained that Tehran was nonetheless weeks away from a nuclear bomb and that he had to act.
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