US and Israel Launch Major Airstrikes on Iran
The U.S. and Israel have launched a massive joint military operation against Iran, codenamed “Operation Epic Fury,” with explosions reported in and around Tehran. In a video address, President Trump confirmed “major combat operations” are underway and openly called for the overthrow of the Iranian regime, citing its nuclear ambitions. The preemptive strikes have sent oil prices surging and rattled global markets.
This joint military action, dubbed "Operation Epic Fury" by the Pentagon and "Roaring Lion" by Israel, follows a significant US military buildup in the region, including the deployment of the USS Gerald R. Ford and USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carriers. The operation comes just two days after a round of last-ditch nuclear negotiations in Geneva, Switzerland, failed to produce a deal. The strikes represent the most significant escalation since the 12-day Iran-Israel war in June 2025, during which the US also bombed three Iranian nuclear sites. That conflict ended with a US-brokered ceasefire after Iran reported 610 casualties and Israel reported 28. Since then, widespread anti-government protests over a collapsing economy have rocked Iran. Dozens of Israeli Air Force fighter jets participated in the initial wave of attacks, targeting military industries, surface-to-surface missile sites, and command centers. In response, Iran has launched missiles at Israel and US military bases located in Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates. This is not the first time the US and Israel have collaborated against Iran's nuclear ambitions. The Stuxnet computer worm, widely attributed to a joint US-Israeli effort called "Operation Olympic Games," reportedly destroyed almost a fifth of Iran's nuclear centrifuges by 2010. The sophisticated malware was designed to physically degrade the machinery by manipulating its speed. Iran's nuclear program originally began with American assistance in 1967 under the "Atoms for Peace" initiative, which supplied a research reactor to Tehran. After the 1979 Islamic Revolution, the program was secretly resumed, with undeclared enrichment sites like Natanz and Fordow being exposed to the world in 2002 and 2009, respectively. The current operation follows the largest-ever joint US-Israel military exercise, codenamed "Juniper Oak," which took place in January 2023. That drill involved a broad range of forces, including fifth-generation fighter jets and long-range strikes, and saw the dropping of more than 180,000 pounds of live munitions.
