US-Israel Launch Operation Epic Fury Against Iran as Regional War Ignites
Joint US-Israeli strikes hit multiple Iranian cities including Tehran, prompting Iranian missile retaliation against American bases across the Gulf. At least 40 civilians reported dead in southern Iran.
Introduction
The United States and Israel have launched a coordinated military offensive against Iran, striking multiple cities including the capital Tehran in what President Donald Trump described as “major combat operations.” The Pentagon has named the mission “Operation Epic Fury,” marking the most significant US military action in the Middle East since the Iraq War.
Iranian forces responded within hours, launching retaliatory missile strikes against US military installations across the Gulf region, including bases in Qatar, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain. Explosions were also reported in Saudi Arabia’s capital Riyadh, signaling a rapid expansion of the conflict beyond Iran’s borders.
The attacks come amid stalled negotiations over Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programmes, and eight months after what analysts described as a previous 12-day war between the US-Israel alliance and Iran.
Analysis
The Initial Assault
At approximately 9:27 AM local time (06:27 GMT), Iran’s Fars news agency reported a series of explosions across Tehran. Al Jazeera’s correspondent in western Tehran confirmed hearing two major blasts, while social media footage showed smoke rising from several districts including University Street, the Jomhouri area, and near the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps headquarters.
The Associated Press reported that one strike landed near the offices of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, though the 86-year-old leader was reportedly moved to a secure location before the attacks. Iranian media confirmed explosions in multiple cities including Kermanshah, Qom, Tabriz, Isfahan, Ilam, and Karaj.
Perhaps most devastating was an Israeli strike on an elementary girl’s school in Minab, Hormozgan province, which killed at least 40 people according to Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency.
Trump’s Declaration
President Trump announced the operation with explicitly aggressive rhetoric, stating the campaign aimed to “destroy their missiles and raze their missile industry to the ground” and “annihilate their navy.” He offered Iranian military personnel amnesty if they laid down their weapons, but threatened “certain death” for those who resisted.
The president’s language extended beyond military targets to political objectives. “This regime will soon learn that no one should challenge the strength and might of the United States Armed Forces,” he declared, while also asserting the operation would ensure Iran “does not obtain a nuclear weapon.”
Neither US intelligence agencies nor the UN nuclear watchdog have found evidence that Iran was pursuing nuclear weapons—a claim repeatedly made by Israeli officials and some within the Trump administration.
Iran’s Regional Retaliation
Iran’s response was swift and geographically expansive. Iranian missiles targeted:
- Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, the largest US military installation in the region
- Al-Salem Air Base in Kuwait
- Al-Dhafra Air Base in the United Arab Emirates
- US Fifth Fleet headquarters in Bahrain
- Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where explosions were heard across the capital
Qatar’s Defence Ministry confirmed it had “successfully thwarted a number of attacks,” while the UAE reported one fatality from intercepted missile debris in Abu Dhabi.
Israeli air defences were activated as sirens sounded across northern Israel, with the Israel Airports Authority closing civilian airspace entirely.
Strategic Implications
Al Jazeera’s analysts suggest the US involvement appears aimed at “decapitating the Iranian regime,” with attacks concentrated on areas where Khamenei might be sheltering. The strategy echoes historical precedents—the CIA-orchestrated 1953 coup against Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh—but executed this time through overt military force rather than covert operations.
Mehran Kamrava, director of the Iranian studies unit at the Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies, noted that Israel “appears to have launched an attack designed to derail the negotiations” between Washington and Tehran that had been ongoing for weeks.
Muhanad Seloom of the Doha Institute observed that Iran’s targeting of Gulf states aims to “raise the cost” for countries hosting US forces, potentially forcing regional governments to pressure Washington toward de-escalation.
Future Outlook
The conflict’s trajectory remains highly uncertain. Several scenarios merit consideration:
Regime Change Attempt: If the primary objective is decapitation, the coming days may see intensified strikes on leadership targets. However, analysts warn that removing Khamenei does not guarantee a pro-US government would emerge.
Regional Escalation: Iranian-backed groups in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, and Yemen may open additional fronts. Israel has already struck southern Lebanon, suggesting the conflict is expanding beyond bilateral confrontation.
Global Energy Disruption: The Strait of Hormuz, through which approximately 20% of global oil supplies flow, remains vulnerable to Iranian interdiction. Oil prices have surged in early trading.
Diplomatic Intervention: Russia’s Foreign Minister Lavrov has already condemned the strikes. China, the European Union, and other powers may pursue urgent diplomatic initiatives to prevent broader regional war.
What is clear is that the Middle East has entered a new and dangerous phase. The scale of military commitment—described as the largest US buildup since the Iraq War—suggests planning for a sustained campaign rather than a limited strike.
Conclusion
Operation Epic Fury represents a watershed moment in US-Iran relations and Middle Eastern geopolitics. The joint US-Israeli offensive has shattered the fragile containment that has characterised regional security since 1979, opening the possibility of fundamental change—whether toward regime collapse in Tehran or a protracted regional conflagration.
The immediate human cost is already evident in the civilian casualties at Minab. The strategic costs—regional destabilisation, great power confrontation, economic disruption—may take months or years to fully materialise. For the Gulf Arab states caught between American allies and Iranian missiles, the war has arrived on their doorstep.
As one senior Iranian official told Al Jazeera: “All American and Israeli assets and interests in the Middle East have become a legitimate target. There are no red lines after this aggression.”