Senior U.S. administration officials say Donald Trump authorized strikes on Iran after intelligence indicated Tehran was preparing a preemptive attack on U.S. military bases that would likely have caused “serious” American casualties.
Breitbart News Washington Bureau Chief Matt Boyle reported that senior officials briefed reporters on a White House press call, explaining that intelligence assessments showed allowing Iran to strike first would have resulted in heavy U.S. losses. Instead, Trump chose to move first.
Officials also said Iran had resumed efforts to rebuild its nuclear weapons program after it was previously crippled during Operation Midnight Hammer last year.
Trump announced early Saturday that U.S. forces had launched “major combat operations in Iran” to eliminate what he called “imminent threats” from the Iranian regime. He said the mission aimed to destroy Iran’s missile infrastructure and prevent nuclear-capable long-range missiles from threatening the United States and its allies.
According to U.S. Central Command (United States Central Command), strikes began at 1:15 a.m. ET under the name Operation Epic Fury. Targets included Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps) command centers, air defense systems, missile and drone launch sites, and military airfields.
CENTCOM described the operation as the largest concentration of American military firepower in the region in a generation. Precision munitions were launched from air, sea, and land, including Tomahawk cruise missiles and low-cost one-way attack drones—marking their first combat use.
U.S. officials told Fox News that Iranian air defenses were overwhelmed through coordinated multi-region strikes designed to suppress radar and command networks.
Iran responded with missile and drone attacks across the Middle East. Iranian state media claimed 14 U.S. bases were hit, though U.S. officials have not confirmed that figure. Explosions and smoke were reported near the U.S. Naval Forces Central Command headquarters in Manama, Bahrain.
A U.S. official confirmed no American casualties at that site. Bahraini authorities acknowledged damage to nearby residential buildings and ongoing emergency operations. Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Jordan, and the United Arab Emirates all reported intercepting incoming Iranian projectiles.
For now, U.S. officials say Trump’s decision to strike first appears to have prevented mass casualties and significantly degraded Iran’s military and nuclear capabilities, though the full impact remains under assessment.
