Washington/ Tehran, Feb 28 (.) President Donald Trump has described the attack on Iran as “massive and ongoing,” as the United States and Israel on Saturday launched strikes on Iran after weeks of threats.

Both Washington and Tel Aviv have been demanding that Tehran scrap its nuclear programme or face a new round of attacks.

“The United States military is undertaking a massive and ongoing operation to prevent this very wicked, radical dictatorship from threatening America and our core national security interests,” Trump said in a video message. “We are going to destroy their missiles and raze their missile industry to the ground.”

He said Iran had been working to rebuild its nuclear programme after a June US bombing run on its nuclear facilities.

“They rejected every opportunity to curb their nuclear ambitions, and we can’t take it anymore,” he said.

Explosions were reported in Tehran’s Pasteur district, home to the heavily secured residence and office of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, according to Iranian state-affiliated media.

Fars News Agency reported that at least seven missiles struck the area.

President Trump confirmed in a video posted on social media that the United States had begun a military campaign in Iran.

“Our objective is to defend the American people by eliminating imminent threats from the Iranian regime, a vicious group of very hard, terrible people,” the President said.

“Its menacing activities directly endanger the United States, our troops, our bases overseas, and our allies throughout the world,” he said in the eight-minute-long message.

“For 47 years, the Iranian regime has chanted ‘Death to America’ and waged an unending campaign of bloodshed and mass murder, targeting the United States, our troops, and innocent people in many countries,” he said.

Trump said that American lives may be lost as a result of his military operation inside Iran. “The Iranian regime seeks to kill. The lives of courageous American heroes may be lost and we may have casualties, that often happens in war, but we’re doing this not for now. We’re doing this for the future, and it is a noble mission,” the President said.

He said the US had “taken every possible step to minimize the risk to US personnel in the region.”

Israel also said it launched “preemptive” attacks against Iran and declared a state of emergency throughout the country, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said on Saturday.

“As a result, missile and drone launches against the State of Israel and its civilian population are expected in the very near term,” Katz said in a statement.

Israel Defence Forces posted on social media X, ” In the last few minutes, sirens were sounded all throughout Israel, with an advance instruction alert directly to cellular devices to stay within proximity to protected spaces.”

“This is a proactive alert to prepare the public for the possibility of missiles being launched toward the State of Israel. The IDF emphasizes that the public is requested to stay in proximity to protected spaces,” it said.

. . PRS