KUALA LUMPUR — The US and Israel have launched a joint attack on Iran, with multiple explosions rocking Tehran this morning.
US President Donald Trump confirmed the strike in a video posted on Truth Social, declaring that “a massive and ongoing” military campaign had begun in Iran “to prevent this very wicked, radical dictatorship from threatening America and our core national security interests.”
Thick smoke was seen rising from the capital, while Iran has closed its entire airspace until further notice, Bernama affiliates reported the Iran Civil Aviation Organisation as saying.
Iran’s head of its parliamentary National Security Commission, Ebrahim Azizi said in an immediate response: “We had warned you. Now you have started down a path whose end is no longer in your hands.”
Israel’s defence minister, Israel Katz, also confirmed the strikes, calling them “pre-emptive”.
Israel has also reportedly declared a state of emergency across the country in preparation for Iranian retaliation.
According to Reuters, an Israeli defence official said the operation had been planned for months in coordination with Washington, and that the launch date was decided weeks ago.
Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, is not in Tehran and had been transferred to a secure location, Reuters also said, citing an source.
Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian is alive, Iranian state news agency IRNA said in a post on Telegram, citing a source close to the presidency.
The US and Iran had been in talks over a nuclear agreement that ended inconclusively on Thursday, with the “technical” phase of talks to continue on Monday.
The US had already been amassing military assets in the Middle East region while awaiting Trump’s decision on a strike.
Earlier this week, Trump claimed that Iran was building missiles that could reach US territory. Tehran has consistently denied such plans, claiming that its nuclear programme was for civilian use.
In his latest video, Trump encouraged Iranians to seize control of their government when the US completes its military operations. – February 28, 2026