This morning, the long-anticipated Israeli and American strikes on Iran finally arrived. At 08:10 am local time, Israel and the United States began a coordinated military operation against Iran. Dozens of Israeli Air Force aircraft took part in the opening strike. Blasts were heard in Tehran. Within hours, explosions were reported in Isfahan, Qom, Karaj and Kermanshah.

Videos circulated of Iranian citizens laughing and cheering as Israeli and American aircraft crossed the capital’s skies

Videos circulated of Iranian citizens laughing and cheering as Israeli and American aircraft crossed the capital’s skies

The news established something that had been contested for months: Donald Trump meant what he said. The thresholds he articulated were fixed and public. Those who accused him of bad faith, those who doubted that he would ever act, now have an answer measured in sorties and detonations.

This was not a surprise. He has spent weeks assembling military weight across the region, positioning aircraft, naval forces and logistics with methodical visibility. There were even angry posts on Truth Social. At the same time, he entered negotiations and sustained them in public, even though we all knew it to be futile. President Trump signalled clearly to Tehran where the lines stood, drawing them over and over in thick, red sharpie. Meanwhile, he pursued diplomacy in good faith while preparing for its failure. The result is an operation that cannot plausibly be described as rash. It was prepared, reinforced and communicated over time.

The stated objective was preemption. Israel declared that it had launched the strike to remove threats to the State of Israel. Defence Minister Yisrael Katz signed a special order imposing an immediate state of emergency across the entire home front under the Civil Defense Law. Citizens were instructed to remain near protected areas and to obey the Home Front Command.

The targets were expansive. Around........

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