The United States and Israel launched a major joint attack on Iran on Saturday, which US President Donald Trump said would lay waste to the country’s military, destroy its missile program, and had the bigger goal of regime change.
In a video on Truth Social, Trump accused Iran of rejecting “every opportunity to renounce their nuclear ambitions,” and said the US “can’t take it anymore.”
Unlike the last time the US and Israel struck Iran, in June, these strikes began in daylight on Saturday morning – the first day of the week in Iran – as millions went to work or school. And whereas the US strikes in June were over within a few hours, sources have told CNN that the US military is this time planning for several days of attacks, suggesting broader objectives.
In response, the Iranian regime has launched an unprecedented wave of strikes across the Middle East, targeting several countries that host US military bases. Blasts have been heard from the beaches of Dubai to the streets of Doha, in what could be the opening salvos of a war that threatens to engulf the region.
The extent of the damage in Iran and across the region is still emerging. Here’s what we know so far.
The Iranian government has been under severe pressure since the turn of the year. Already weakened by last summer’s war with Israel, which the US briefly joined, the regime has been battling a severe economic crisis which sparked nationwide protests in January.
After a crackdown left thousands of protesters dead, Trump promised to come to their aid. He warned the US was “locked and loaded” to attack and began moving huge amounts of materiel to the region.
Despite the military buildup, the US also resumed efforts to reach a new nuclear deal with Iran. The last round of talks ended in Switzerland on Thursday, with Iran agreeing “never” to stockpile enriched uranium. The Omani foreign minister, who has acted as a mediator in the talks, said there had been “significant” progress.
That progress, however, was not enough to prevent the US from taking military action. In his 2.30 a.m. address, Trump said the main objective of the strikes – which the Department of Defense is calling “Operation Epic Fury” – is “to defend the American people by eliminating imminent threats from the Iranian regime.”
Those threats, he said, included Iran’s nuclear program – which the White House claimed to have “totally” obliterated with its strikes in June.
“It has always been the policy of the United States, in particular my administration, that this terrorist regime can never have a nuclear weapon,” Trump said, without providing evidence that Iran was any closer to obtaining a nuclear weapon. “They rejected every opportunity to renounce their nuclear ambitions, and we can’t take it anymore.”
The president also repeated his recent claims that Iran is building ballistic missiles which could reach the US mainland. In his State of the Union address Tuesday, Trump said Iran has “already developed missiles that can threaten Europe and our bases overseas, and they’re working to build missiles that will soon reach the United States of America.”
But these claims are not backed up by US intelligence, CNN has previously reported. An unclassified assessment from the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) from 2025 said that Iran could develop a “militarily-viable” intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) by 2035 “should Tehran decide to pursue the capability.”
According to two sources, the claim that Iran will soon have a missile capable of hitting the US is not backed up by intelligence. There is no intelligence to suggest that Iran is pursuing an ICBM program to hit the US at this time, the sources said.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has long viewed Iran as Israel’s most dangerous adversary. After crippling Iran’s proxies – Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon – Israel last summer launched a war against Iran itself.
Although Israel halted the conflict after the US struck Iran’s nuclear sites, analysts had long suspected that Netanyahu would take an opportunity to resume attacks on Iran. With elections due in October, Netanyahu may also see the return to war as a chance to shore up his standing domestically.
In a video statement Saturday, explaining why Israel was resuming its strikes on Iran, Netanyahu also repeated his claim that the Islamic regime must not be allowed to acquire a nuclear weapon.
Are the US and Israel seeking regime change?
In their statements, both Trump and Netanyahu were clear about their hopes for regime change in Iran.
Trump addressed the Iranian people directly, telling them that “the hour of your freedom is at hand.”
“When we are finished, take over your government. It will be yours to take. This will be, probably, your only chance for generations,” he said.
Netanyahu also called on “all parts of the Iranian people” to “cast off the yoke of tyranny and bring about a free and peaceful Iran.” He said the US and Israeli actions “will create the conditions for the brave Iranian people to take their destiny into their own hands.”
An Israeli military official has, however, emphasized that the main focus of the operation remains on military targets.
Explosions were heard in Tehran’s Pasteur district, where the highly secure compound housing the residence and office of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is located, Iranian state-affiliated news outlets said. Several other cities were hit.
Two Israeli sources told CNN that the strikes targeted senior figures, including Khamenei, President Masoud Pezeshkian, and the armed forces’ chief of staff Abdolrahim Mousavi.
Images from after the strikes showed severe damage and a plume of black smoke at Khamenei’s compound.
Iranian state media said top officials were safe, including Pezeshkian, but the targets suggest that Israel is seeking to decapitate the Iranian leadership.
The attacks killed at least 200 people and left more than 700 wounded across Iran, state media reported.
Among those killed are 85 people who died following a strike on a girls’ school in southern Iran, according to state news agency IRNA, which cited the prosecutor of Minab city, where the school was located.
Israel is preparing for several days of strikes against Iran and “even more if needed,” an Israeli source told CNN.
Iran has retaliated with an unprecedented wave of strikes across the Middle East, targeting several nearby countries that host US military bases, as well as Israel.
When the US and Israel last struck Iran in June, they targeted its stockpile of ballistic missiles, hampering its ability to retaliate. Iran could be trying to make use of its arsenal while it still has it.
Blasts have been reported in the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Qatar and Bahrain, as well as in Iran’s key regional rival, Saudi Arabia, which vowed to take “all necessary measures” to defend itself.
A drone strike caused damage and minor injuries at Kuwait International Airport.
Qatar and Jordan intercepted missiles targeting their countries. One person was reportedly killed by falling debris after air defenses intercepted missiles targeting sites in Abu Dhabi.
An Iranian Shahed drone struck a heavily populated part of Dubai, causing a large explosion and fire.
The clashes disrupted traffic in the Strait of Hormuz – a crucial shipping route located between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman.
The US hasn’t suffered any combat-related casualties in its operation against Iran and damage to US military installations has been minimal, US Central Command said in a statement.
Iranian officials have condemned the US-Israeli strikes as an act of aggression.
Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, described the attack as unprovoked and illegal.
Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei told CNN that Iran views the attack as an “egregious act of aggression without any reason.”
Baghaei accused the Trump administration of being “dragged” into a conflict in which “the only beneficiary” would be Israel.
The spokesperson also defended Iran’s retaliatory strikes throughout the region as part of their “inherent, legitimate right of self-defense.”
Iran “didn’t welcome this war — it was imposed on us,” Baghaei said.
CNN’s Kareem El Damanhoury, Christian Sierra, Max Saltman, Catherine Nicholls, Frederik Pleitgen, Dana Karni, Gianluca Mezzofiore, Adam Pourahmadi and Lauren Kent contributed to this report.