US President Donald Trump announced this Saturday a “massive” military operation with the aim of “annihilating” and “destroying” the Ayatollah regime in Iran, while calling on the Iranian people to rise up to take control throughout the country.
“The United States is conducting a large-scale and sustained operation to prevent the radical evil dictatorship from threatening the United States and the core of our national security interest. We are going to destroy their missiles and bury their missile industry. It is going to be totally destroyed. We are going to annihilate their Navy,” he assured.
“We will make sure that Iran does not obtain a nuclear weapon. It is a very clear message,” he remarked in a video broadcast on his Truth Social network, in which Trump indicated that it was a “noble mission” and asked the Iranian Revolutionary Guard to lay down their weapons.
After the start of the bombing campaign and the first images of attacks in Tehran, Trump said that his goal “is to defend Americans by eliminating imminent threats from the Iranian regime,” which he called a “wild group and terrible people, whose threatening activities endanger the United States,” as well as its troops, its bases abroad and its allies around the world.
“They have attempted to rebuild their nuclear program and continue developing their long-range missiles that can now threaten our good friends and allies in Europe, our troops abroad, and very soon the United States,” he added.
Appeal to the Iranian people
Trump also addressed the people of Iran in these first minutes of a war with an uncertain outcome: “The hour of your freedom is within your hands. Take shelter. Don’t leave home. It’s very dangerous outside. Bombs will be falling everywhere. When we’re done, take over the Government. It will be yours to take over. This will probably be your only chance in generations.”
He also admitted that “the lives of brave American heroes may be lost” and the US may suffer casualties. “It often happens in war. We don’t do it for now. We do it for the future,” he added.
The president is currently in Mar-a-Lago (Florida), after having spent Friday afternoon in Texas to give a rally to refinery and processing workers.
Before leaving for Texas, Trump said he was unhappy with how Tehran was negotiating over its nuclear program, but admitted he had not yet made “a final decision” on whether to attack Iran, despite satellite images showing military movement that suggested an imminent attack.
