“The Iranian regime had their chance, yet refused to make a deal—and now they are suffering the consequences,” U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said in a statement on X on Sunday after U.S. and Israeli airpower eliminated Iran’s Supreme Leader and set about dismantling the Islamic regime.
The United States and Israel launched strikes at 1:15 a.m. ET on Feb. 28 against key elements of Iran’s security infrastructure, focusing on sites considered immediate threats. These included Revolutionary Guard command centers, air defense systems, missile and drone launch positions, and military airbases, according to U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM).
It was “the most lethal, most complex and most-precision aerial operation in history,” Hegseth said.
“The United States did not start this conflict, but we will finish it. If you kill or threaten Americans anywhere in the world—as Iran has—then we will hunt you down, and we will kill you,” he declared.
U.S. and Israeli strikes targeted hundreds of Iranian military targets as part of a broad, coordinated operation.
For nearly 50 years, Iran targeted and killed Americans, seeking the most lethal weapons to expand their power. U.S. President Donald Trump, unlike his predecessors, decided to confront the “cancer,” he said, referring to the Islamic regime.
U.S. Adm. Brad Cooper, CENTCOM Commander, posted to X on Sunday, “The President ordered bold action, and our brave Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines, Guardians, and Coast Guardsmen are answering the call.”
“The Iranian regime was warned,” U.S. Central Command tweeted on Sunday in a separate post, which included video of American missile launches and the subsequent destruction of Iranian targets.
The Iranian regime was warned. CENTCOM is now delivering swift and decisive action as directed. pic.twitter.com/nNDoDexH6g
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) March 1, 2026
The most high-profile target, Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, was killed in an attack on his Tehran compound on Saturday. Iranians greeted news of his death with “joy, shock and disbelief,” according to Iran International, an anti-regime news site.
The regime has vowed a massive retaliatory response. Ali Larijani, an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps hardliner, who has reportedly taken over Iran’s war plans following Khamenei’s death, tweeted on Sunday, “TODAY WE WILL HIT THEM WITH A FORCE THAT THEY HAVE NEVER EXPERIENCED BEFORE.”
TRUMP posted his reply to Truth Social: “Iran just stated that they are going to hit very hard today, harder than they have ever hit before. THEY BETTER NOT DO THAT, HOWEVER, BECAUSE IF THEY DO, WE WILL HIT THEM WITH A FORCE THAT HAS NEVER BEEN SEEN BEFORE! Thank you for your attention to this matter,”
