By Jasper Ward
WASHINGTON, Feb 28 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday that the United States had begun "major combat operations" in Iran, warning that there may be U.S. casualties.
The strikes, which Trump said were aimed at destroying Iranian missiles and annihilating its navy, follow repeated U.S.-Israeli warnings that they would strike Iran again if it pressed ahead with its nuclear and ballistic missile programs.
"My administration has taken every possible step to minimise the risk to U.S. personnel in the region. Even so, and I do not make this statement lightly, the Iranian regime seeks to kill," Trump said in a video shared on Truth Social.
"The lives of courageous American heroes may be lost and we may have casualties that often happens in war, but we're doing this, not for now. We're doing this for the future, and it is a noble mission."
OPERATION TO LAST SEVERAL DAYS, US OFFICIAL SAYS
The U.S. military has named the operation "EPIC FURY," the Pentagon said on X.
This is the second time the U.S. has carried out strikes on Iran since Trump returned to the White House last year. The first was in June when Washington carried out a series of attacks on Iranian nuclear sites.
Saturday's strikes, unlike the first, are expected to be carried out over several days, a U.S. official told Reuters.
Tehran is preparing for retaliation, with the response set to be crushing, an Iranian official told Reuters.
The Israeli military said that Tehran had launched missiles towards Israel in response.
In his message, Trump told the members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard, Iran's armed forces, to lay down their weapons, promising that they would be granted immunity.
The other option, according to Trump, is "certain death."
Washington and Tehran held a series of talks in recent weeks about Iran's nuclear ambitions. The most recent one was held on Thursday with no deal.
"Iran refused, just as it has for decades and decades. They rejected every opportunity to renounce their nuclear ambitions, and we can't take it anymore," Trump said.
TRUMP ENCOURAGES IRANIANS TO TAKE OVER GOVERNMENT
The president first floated the idea of strikes on Iran in January amid two-week-long nationwide protests, during which thousands of people were killed by authorities.
He warned that the U.S. would come to the rescue of protesters if Iranian officials were to shoot and kill them. Trump later encouraged the protesters to continue protesting, saying that help was on the way.
Trump mentioned the killing of protesters during his statement on the strikes, telling Iranians to take cover because bombs will drop "everywhere."
"When we are finished, take over your government. It will be yours to take. This will be probably your only chance for generations," he said.
(Reporting by Jasper Ward in Washington; Additional reporting by Phil Stewart and Bo Erickson; Editing by Tom Hogue and Sharon Singleton)
