Saipan — President Donald Trump said in a national address that the United States military has begun what he described as “major combat operations” in Iran, framing the action as an effort to eliminate what he called imminent threats from the Iranian regime and to prevent Tehran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.
In the remarks, Trump said the operation is aimed at defending the American people, U.S. forces, overseas bases, and American allies. He described Iran as the world’s leading state sponsor of terror and accused the regime and its proxies of decades of attacks against U.S. personnel, ships, and regional partners.
Trump also invoked past U.S. confrontations with Iran and Iranian-backed groups, including the 1979 hostage crisis in Tehran, the 1983 Marine barracks bombing in Beirut, attacks on U.S. forces in Iraq, and more recent strikes by proxy groups across the Middle East.
A central theme of the address was Trump’s insistence that Iran will not be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon. He said that after what he called “Operation Midnight Hammer” last June, the United States warned Iran not to resume its nuclear efforts, but said Tehran instead attempted to rebuild its program and continue developing long-range missiles.
Trump said the current operation would target Iran’s missiles, missile industry, navy, and regional proxy network. He said the United States would act to ensure that Iran “does not obtain a nuclear weapon” and warned that the regime would face overwhelming U.S. military force.
At the same time, Trump acknowledged the possibility of U.S. casualties, saying American service members could be lost in the fighting. He said his administration had taken steps to reduce the risk to U.S. personnel in the region, but added that casualties are a possibility in war.
Trump also issued direct warnings to members of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard, armed forces, and police, telling them to lay down their weapons in exchange for what he described as complete immunity or face death.
In a separate appeal to the Iranian public, Trump urged civilians to remain indoors during the attacks, then called on them to take control of their government once the military action ends. He said the United States was backing them with “overwhelming strength and devastating force.”
Watch the full address on the NMI News Service Facebook page and YouTube channel.
