Israel launched a daylight attack Saturday on Iran’s capital, with a cloud of smoke rising from the city’s downtown. The first apparent strike happened near the offices of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. According to news agency Reuters, the 86-year-old was not in Tehran and had been transferred to a secure location.
In a video address shared on Truth Social, President Donald Trump said that the US has begun “major combat operations” in Iran after Israel also said it had launched missile attacks against the country. “Our objective is to defend the American people by eliminating imminent threats from the Iranian regime,” he said.
In response, Iran launched first large-scale wave of retaliatory missile and drone strikes towards Israel. The Israeli military, in a statement, said: “The Aerial Defense Array is currently identifying and intercepting threats. Sirens were sounded in several areas across the country following the identification of missiles launched from Iran toward Israel. At this time, the IAF is operating to intercept and strike threats where necessary to remove the threat”.
Here are the four primary reasons behind the recent escalation:
The Nuclear “Red Line” and Failed Diplomacy
The immediate catalyst of Saturday attacks on Iran, experts say, was the collapse of nuclear negotiations in Geneva. Trump on Friday had expressed frustration and impatience over the lack of satisfactory progress in negotiations to stop Iran’s ability to develop nuclear weapons, after having stayed relatively cryptic on his plans earlier in the week. “I’m not happy with the fact that they’re not willing to give us what we have to have,” Trump told reporters as he left the White House on Friday for Texas. “They cannot have nuclear weapons.”
The president also said before the attack that there was a risk of a prolonged conflict with Iran. But he declined to telegraph his intentions when asked about a possible strike, saying to reporters: “I’d rather not tell you.”
As per reports, Iran has repeatedly blocked international inspectors from visiting sites damaged in 2025, while satellite imagery suggested Tehran was attempting to recover materials and repair those facilities.
US officials, including Vice President JD Vance, have stated the administration had evidence that Iran was actively trying to rebuild a nuclear weapons program.
Regional Deterrence and Missile Threats
The US aims to degrade Iran’s ability to project power across the Middle East.
Washington has cited concerns over Iran’s development of intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) capable of reaching the American mainland.
The US is also concerned over Iran’s support to militias in Iraq. These groups, such as Kataib Hezbollah, had issued direct threats against US forces in Iraqi Kurdistan, leading the US to take preemptive action to “remove threats.”
Support for Internal Unrest
The US has also voiced concern over the internal political situation in Iran.
The Iranian government’s “bloody crackdown,” which killed thousands in early 2026, was cited by Washington as a humanitarian justification.
In a video message shortly after the strikes, President Trump appealed directly to the Iranian people to “take over your government,” framing the strikes as “help” for the uprising.
Strategic “Maximum Pressure” 2.0
The strikes represent the military peak of a “maximum pressure” campaign designed to force a total capitulation of the Iranian regime.
The economic collapse in Tehran – with the rial at record lows – is seen by the US as a strategic window where the regime was at its weakest point in decades.
Having amassed the largest fleet of warplanes and ships in the region since 2003 – described by Trump as a “massive naval armada”, US leadership, experts say, believes that failing to act after drawing “red lines” would permanently damage American deterrence.