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Trump says US aims to destroy Iran's military, topple government

POLITICS 28.02.2026

Trump says US aims to destroy Iran's military, topple government / Photo: © AFP

US President Donald Trump announced a major attack against Iran on Saturday, vowing to "annihilate" the country's navy and missile sites, and urging Iranians to overthrow their government.

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In a video address after the United States and Israel started bombing Iran, Trump made clear the goal was destruction of the Islamic republic's military and toppling of the authorities in power since the 1979 revolution.

"We are going to destroy their missiles and raze their missile industry to the ground. It will be totally -- again -- obliterated. We're going to annihilate their navy," Trump said in the address from his Florida home posted to his Truth Social platform.

He urged opponents of the Iranian authorities to rise up, saying "the hour of your freedom is at hand."

"When we are finished, take over your government. It will be yours to take," Trump said. This "will be probably your only chance for generations."

But in a section of the short speech that was aimed at the US public, Trump acknowledged that "the lives of courageous American heroes may be lost" in what the Pentagon dubbed "Operation Epic Fury."

"We may have casualties," Trump warned.

Any loss of life on the US side would be politically hazardous for Trump himself, especially after his refusal to seek approval for war against Iran from Congress -- and his own lengthy record of opposing foreign interventions.

A one-day raid to oust the former strongman leader of Venezuela in January was accomplished without US fatalities. Surgical air strikes on Iran's main nuclear sites last June also went off without US losses.

- Bombs 'dropping everywhere' -

"Operation Epic Fury" is on an entirely different scale militarily and politically.

An attack was widely expected after Trump ordered the biggest military deployment to the Middle East in years. But critical lawmakers have for days been asking why Trump has not addressed the US public or Congress to explain the need for war.

Trump's video appeared without warning on his Truth Social site at 2:30 am in Florida, where he was spending the weekend at his luxury golf club.

Trump, wearing a white baseball cap marked "USA" and no tie with his white shirt and dark jacket, stood at a podium between two flags against a black background.

He sought to justify the assault on Iran saying: "Our objective is to defend the American people by eliminating imminent threats from the Iranian regime."

"They attempted to rebuild their nuclear program and to continue developing long range missiles that can now threaten our very good friends and allies in Europe, our troops stationed overseas and could soon reach the American homeland," he said.

He urged Iranian forces to surrender, including the elite Revolutionary Guards that is tasked with safeguarding the cleric-run government.

"To the members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard, the armed forces, and all of the police, I say tonight that you must lay down your weapons and have complete immunity or in the alternative, face certain death."

But Trump warned ordinary Iranians that the US bombing would be large-scale.

"Stay sheltered. Don't leave your home. It's very dangerous outside. Bombs will be dropping everywhere."

Trump on Friday insisted that he had not decided whether to attack, and his envoys on Thursday held talks with Iran's top diplomat toward a deal on concerns led by Tehran's nuclear program.

The top diplomat of Oman, which mediated talks Thursday in Geneva between the United States and Iran, had been optimistic for a compromise.

He met Friday with US Vice President JD Vance and told CBS News that Iran had agreed to zero stockpiling of enriched uranium that could build an atomic bomb, a goal denied by Tehran.

E.Dudek--GL

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Fight against terror: Trump threatens Tehran's mullahs

The latest attacks by the US and Israel on military and political targets in Tehran have shaken the Islamic Republic's regime. Under the code names ‘Operation Epic Fury’ (US) and ‘Call of the Lion’ (Israel), missiles were fired on 28 February 2026 at the office of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, the Ministry of Defence, the nuclear facilities in Isfahan and other strategic bases. The strike was intended to destroy Iran's nuclear programme and ballistic research, while also hitting the nerve centres of the mullah regime, which has been considered a sponsor of terrorism and the greatest threat to regional stability for decades. Observers report thick clouds of smoke over Tehran, people in panic on the streets and a state that felt compelled to close its airspace and shut down communication services.In an eight-minute video address on Truth Social, the US president laid out his strategy: ‘To the members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the armed forces and the police: Lay down your weapons and secure full immunity, or you will face certain death,’ he said. Those who surrender will be treated fairly, while those who continue to fight will face ‘devastating force.’ These words were directed at the militias responsible for torture, shootings and the bloody suppression of protests within the country. The regime describes its own citizens as ‘terrorists and insurgents,’ while international human rights organisations report thousands of protesters killed, tens of thousands detained and systematic torture. The new protests against rising inflation, corruption and religious paternalism are said to be the largest since the ‘Woman, Life, Freedom’ movement in 2022/2023; estimates speak of up to 2,600 to over 12,000 deaths and more than 16,000 arrests since the unrest began. The decline of the national currency and the collapse of purchasing power have finally caused the situation to reach a boiling point.The president emphasised that the US had no interest in ground operations but was determined to destroy the regime's nuclear ambitions. ‘Iran must never possess a nuclear bomb,’ he stressed. He announced plans to ‘wipe out’ the country's ballistic missile industry and neutralise the Iranian navy. At the same time, he encouraged the population: ‘The hour of your freedom has come. Stay safe, don't leave your homes – bombs are falling outside. When we are done, take over your government. It will belong to you.’ This call to revolt is unprecedented in recent international politics and reflects the deep mistrust of a regime that has been chanting ‘Death to America’ since 1979, spreading anti-Semitic propaganda and financing terrorist groups in Gaza, Lebanon, Yemen and Syria through its Revolutionary Guards.

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