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Why is the U.S. attacking Iran?

Trump did not make a sustained case to the American people before acting but addressed the issue briefly in his State of the Union speech on Feb. 24.

Smoke rises following an explosion, after Israel and the U.S. launched strikes on Iran, in Tehran, Iran, February 28, 2026. / Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS

The United States and Israel launched their most ambitious attacks on Iran in decades on Feb. 28 in an operation that killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

The biggest foreign policy gamble of U.S. President Donald Trump's presidency comes after he campaigned for reelection as a "peace president" and after saying he preferred a diplomatic solution to the standoff with Iran.

Trump did not make a sustained case to the American people before acting but addressed the issue briefly in his State of the Union speech on Feb. 24 and then in a video message released on Feb. 28, laying out the following key objectives:

ALSO READ: Iran strike push for ‘freedom’, claims Trump 

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