The Middle East Saturday entered one of its most volatile chapters in decades. What began as warnings was on the verge of a full-scale confrontation — with the United States and Israel launching strikes on Iran, and Tehran responding across the region.
U.S. President Donald Trump on Saturday warned ordinary Iranians that the US bombing would be large-scale as American and Israeli forces launched attacks on Iran.
In response, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said it had launched its “first wave” of drones and missiles targeting Israel, according to Iran’s Tasnim news agency. Iran also reportedly targeted U.S. military installations in Bahrain, Kuwait, and Qatar.
According to Reuters, citing U.S. sources, the American attacks are likely to span several days.
President Trump declared, Iran will not be allowed to have nuclear weapons.
Iran has been saying during the talks that it would vigorously defend its territory.
An Israeli airstrike struck a girls’ elementary school in Minab, located in Iran’s southern Hormozgan province, killing at least 51 people, according to state media reporting.
Iran’s Mehr News Agency further reported that at least two students were killed in a separate Israeli strike on a school east of the capital, Tehran.
Last June, the U.S. targeted Iranian nuclear sites as Iran and Israel engaged in deadly clashes.
“Stay sheltered. Don’t leave your home. It’s very dangerous outside. Bombs will be dropping everywhere,” Trump said, addressing Iranians.
Trump accused Tehran of sponsoring militant groups across the region and reiterated that Iran would not be allowed to obtain a nuclear weapon. “They will never have a nuclear weapon,” he said.
The language was stark — not diplomatic signaling, but direct wartime caution aimed at civilians. It marked a dramatic shift from pressure tactics to open military engagement.
“Iran refused, just as it has for decades and decades. They rejected every opportunity to renounce their nuclear ambitions, and we can’t take it anymore,” Trump said.
According to the U.S. president, Washington had exhausted diplomatic avenues. He framed the strikes as the result of long-standing frustration over Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs.
The strikes, which President Trump said were intended to destroy Iran’s missile capabilities and cripple its navy, come after repeated U.S.-Israeli warnings that further action would follow if Tehran continued advancing its nuclear and ballistic missile programs.
Trump also addressed members of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, urging them to lay down their arms and promising immunity if they comply. The alternative, he warned, would be “certain death.”
#Statement | The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia condemns and denounces in strongest terms the blatant Iranian aggression and the flagrant violation of the sovereignty of the UAE, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, and Jordan. The Kingdom affirms its full solidarity with and unwavering support for… pic.twitter.com/hA2cVqvfmx
— Foreign Ministry 🇸🇦 (@KSAmofaEN) February 28, 2026
Trump further announced that the United States had begun “major combat operations” in Iran, warning that there may be US casualties.
The strikes, he said, were aimed at destroying Iranian missiles and annihilating its navy. They followed repeated US-Israeli warnings that further military action would follow if Tehran continued advancing its nuclear and missile capabilities.
The United States has begun “major combat operations” in Iran, President Donald Trump announced on Saturday, following Israeli strikes on Iranian targets.
In a video posted to social media, Trump said the objective is “to defend the American people by eliminating imminent threats from the Iranian regime.”
Earlier, Israel struck targets in Iran’s capital. One of the initial attacks was reported near the offices of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the strikes were intended to “remove an existential threat posed” by Iran.
Regional Countries Express Concern
Regional countries expressed alarm over the conflagration and denounced attacks by all warring parties.
Pakistan and Saudi Arabia expressed concern over the escalating conflict in their neighborhood.
Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari called the attack against Iran “reckless and unlawful.”
Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, who had a telephone conversation with his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araqchi, expressed deep concern over the rapidly deteriorating regional situation and emphasized the urgent need to resume dialogue to achieve a peaceful and negotiated resolution to the crisis.
The story is being updated.
Muhammad Luqman is Associate Editor at Views News Now. He writes on wide-ranging issues including economy, South Asia, the Middle East, agriculture, economy and innovation. Luqman has worked some of the leading news organizations and won acclaim for his original and research-based works.
Kiran Asim is a writer who covers the U.S., Europe, South Asia, and the Middle East. Her reports and analyses look at the geostrategic issues and contemporary developments and their economic and political implications. She also writes about society and education.
