Surrender arms or 'face certain death' Trump tells Iran as US President calls for regime change
Donald Trump has confirmed that the US has launched "major combat operations" against Iran in an eight-minute video on social media.
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He said Tehran's "menacing activities directly endanger the United States, our troops, our bases overseas, and our allies throughout the world".
"For 47 years, the Iranian regime has chanted 'Death to America' and waged an unending campaign of bloodshed."It's been mass terror, and we're not going to take it any longer."
He tells the Islamic Revolutionary Guard to "lay down their arms" or "face certain death".
Trump was seen to add: "The Iranian regime has chanted 'Death to America' and waged an unending campaign of bloodshed."
The impromptu address saw Trump speak from behind a lectern, wearing a 'USA' cap and declaring the weapons developed by Iran were threatening Europe.
European leaders, including Sir Keir Starmer, are yet to comment on the joint strikes.
President Donald J. Trump on the United States military combat operations in Iran: pic.twitter.com/LimJmpLkgZ
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) February 28, 2026
The US President made reference to the US embassy crisis from 1979 and 1981 - an incident that saw 66 hostages were held for a total of 444 days.
He also referenced a string of historic incidents to take place in Tehran over a number of decades.
"It's been mass terror, and we're not going to take it any longer", he added during the address.
The president was also seen to claim that Iran attempted to rebuild its nuclear programme and was developing long-range missiles.
It comes as Donald Trump claimed Iran was developing weapons that could target “our very good friends and allies in Europe” and US troops overseas as he confirmed US involvement in strikes on Tehran.
Israel and the US launched attacks on the Iranian capital and other parts of the country early on Saturday morning.
In a video posted on his Truth Social platform, Mr Trump said the Iranian regime had “attempted to rebuild their nuclear programme 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”.
The British Government is yet to comment on the strikes, which came shortly after US-Iran talks on Tehran’s nuclear programme ended without agreement.