U.S. President Donald Trump announces the start of “major combat operations” against Iran in a mission dubbed Operation Epic Fury without mentioning Israel’s simultaneous Operation Roaring Lion. Noting nearly half a century of anti-Western behavior by the Islamic regime, Trump cites the need to eliminate the Iranian regime’s nuclear weapons program and its ballistic missile development, which the United States also targeted during the one-night Operation Midnight Hammer in June 2025. He expresses frustration with the failure to reach a diplomatic conclusion, blaming foot-dragging Iranian negotiators. While he does not name regime change as a U.S. goal, he urges Iranians to rise up and change their government. (source)
