Trump Declares 'Major Combat Operations' Against Iran Mid-Negotiations

Explosions echoed through Tehran's streets at dawn on February 28th. Missiles struck near Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei's offices in Iran's capital, while simultaneous attacks hit Isfahan, Qom, Tabriz, and other major cities across the country.

This wasn't a limited strike. It was what Donald Trump himself called "major combat operations" — a joint US-Israel assault that shattered the very negotiations both sides had been conducting behind closed doors.

Bombing the Negotiation Table

The timing reveals everything about Trump's approach to diplomacy. Even as American and Iranian officials were quietly discussing nuclear programs and ballistic missiles, US warships and Israeli jets were preparing their attack runs.

Trump didn't mince words on social media: "We are going to annihilate their navy" and "destroy their missiles and raze their missile industry to the ground." A US official told Reuters this would be a "multiday operation" — not a one-off strike, but sustained warfare.

This escalation comes eight months after the US and Israel fought a 12-day war against Iran, followed by an uneasy ceasefire that had held until now. Those months of relative quiet, it turns out, were merely the calm before Trump's storm.

Echoes of 1953, With Bombs Instead of Spies

Al Jazeera'sAlan Fisher noted from Washington that Trump appears to be "setting the table for a revolution in Iran" — 73 years after the CIA orchestrated a coup against democratically elected Iranian Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh.

"They've done it before," Fisher observed. "This time, they're doing it with weapons and bombs rather than covertly through the CIA." The difference is stark: where once America worked in shadows, Trump operates in broad daylight with overwhelming force.

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The scale of US military deployment — described as the largest since the Iraq War — suggests this isn't about sending messages. It's about regime change through firepower.

Iran Strikes Back, Region Holds Its Breath

Iran's response was swift. Missiles targeted northern Israel within hours, sending sirens wailing across the country. Ebrahim Azizi, head of Iran's parliamentary national security commission, warned of a "crushing" response: "We warned you! Now you have started down a path which end is no longer in your control."

The 86-year-oldKhamenei hasn't been seen publicly for days as tensions mounted. Roads to his Tehran compound were sealed as explosions rang out across the capital. President Masoud Pezeshkian was reported safe, but Iran's leadership appears to be hunkering down for extended conflict.

The Proxy War Goes Global

Trump's broader target isn't just Iran's government — it's the entire "Axis of Resistance" network that Tehran has built over decades. He explicitly threatened Iran's "proxies," naming Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis as groups that can "no longer destabilize the region or the world."

This puts Saudi Arabia, UAE, and other Gulf states in an impossible position. They've spent years normalizing relations with Iran, pursuing economic partnerships and regional stability. Now they must choose sides in what could become a wider regional war.

China and Russia, both Iranian partners, face their own calculations. Will they provide military support? Economic lifelines? Or watch from the sidelines as America reshapes Middle Eastern power dynamics by force?

The Negotiation Paradox

Perhaps most telling is what this reveals about Trump's worldview. He appears to believe that maximum pressure — literal bombs falling while diplomats talk — will force Iranian capitulation rather than escalation.

It's a high-stakes gamble that assumes Iran will fold rather than fight, that regional powers will align with American strength rather than resist it, and that China and Russia will accept US dominance rather than challenge it.