{"id":106817,"date":"2026-03-01T04:47:22","date_gmt":"2026-03-01T04:47:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mavericknews30.com\/?p=106817"},"modified":"2026-03-01T04:47:23","modified_gmt":"2026-03-01T04:47:23","slug":"trump-says-freedom-for-iranians-is-core-aim-as-us-launches-high-risk-military-campaign-against-iran","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mavericknews30.com\/?p=106817","title":{"rendered":"Trump Says \u2018Freedom for Iranians\u2019 Is Core Aim as US Launches High-Risk Military Campaign Against Iran"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Washington, Feb 28:<\/em> US President Donald Trump<\/strong> on Saturday asserted that securing \u201cfreedom\u201d for the Iranian people is the central objective behind a major new American military campaign against Iran, as the United States launched what officials described as a multiday operation that has dramatically escalated tensions across the Middle East. The strikes, which began in the early hours of Saturday, have been portrayed by leading US media as a bold attempt to force political change in Tehran and a high-stakes \u201cwar of choice\u201d with far-reaching consequences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Speaking briefly to The Washington Post<\/strong> shortly after 4 a.m. Eastern Time, Trump said his motivations were rooted in both security and ideology. \u201cAll I want is freedom for the people,\u201d he said, adding that the United States was acting to ensure long-term safety. \u201cI want a safe nation, and that\u2019s what we\u2019re going to have.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to senior US officials, the military operation began around 1 a.m. Eastern Time with ship-launched Tomahawk cruise missiles, complemented by air-launched munitions fired from US Air Force and Navy aircraft. The administration has named the campaign \u201cOperation Epic Fury,\u201d signalling that the strikes are expected to continue over several days rather than being limited to a single round of attacks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Iran responded swiftly, launching counterstrikes against multiple US military installations in the region. Among the reported targets was the support facility for America\u2019s 5th Fleet in Bahrain. While the situation remains fluid and operations are ongoing, US officials said no American service members have been injured so far. Israel also confirmed that it carried out its own strikes against Iranian targets on Saturday, reinforcing the sense of a coordinated escalation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a prerecorded video address released around 2:30 a.m., Trump formally announced the start of what he described as \u201cmajor combat operations.\u201d In unusually direct language aimed at the Iranian population, he urged citizens to seize the moment once the strikes subside. \u201cTake over your government,\u201d he said, calling the moment a rare opportunity and warning that \u201cthis will probably be your only chance for generations.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Trump acknowledged the dangers inherent in the operation, conceding that American casualties were possible. \u201cThe lives of courageous American heroes may be lost, and we may have casualties,\u201d he said. \u201cThat often happens in war. But we\u2019re doing this, not for now. We\u2019re doing this for the future, and it is a noble mission.\u201d He added pointedly, \u201cNo president was willing to do what I am willing to do tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The president framed the strikes as a defensive necessity, arguing that the Iranian leadership posed an imminent threat to American security. He accused Tehran of pursuing a decades-long campaign of \u201cmass terror\u201d against the United States and its allies, referencing events such as the 1979 hostage crisis and the 1983 bombing of US Marine barracks in Beirut. Trump also suggested Iran was \u201cprobably involved\u201d in the 2000 al-Qaeda attack on the USS Cole, though that claim has long been disputed by analysts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Highlighting military preparedness, Trump said the US armed forces were unmatched in capability. \u201cI built and rebuilt our military in my first administration,\u201d he said. \u201cThere is no military on Earth even close to its power, strength or sophistication.\u201d He insisted that overwhelming force would back his message to the Iranian people, declaring that America stood ready to support them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

American media reaction underscored the controversy surrounding the decision. An editorial published by The Wall Street Journal<\/strong> before the strikes argued that Iran\u2019s leadership had effectively chosen confrontation by refusing to compromise on its missile and nuclear programmes. Under the headline \u201cThe Ayatollah Is Choosing War,\u201d the editorial cited stalled nuclear talks in Geneva and said negotiations had collapsed with both sides \u201cfar apart on key issues.\u201d It noted that Iran had rejected proposals to transfer uranium stockpiles abroad, end enrichment, dismantle facilities or accept permanent restrictions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In contrast, The New York Times<\/strong> offered a sharply critical assessment, describing the action as \u201cthe ultimate war of choice.\u201d In a detailed news analysis, the paper argued that there was no immediate threat from Iran and no evidence of a rush toward a nuclear weapon. \u201cWith his broad attack on Iran early Saturday morning and his call to the Iranian people to overthrow their government, President Trump has embarked on the ultimate war of choice,\u201d the analysis said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Quoting former Council on Foreign Relations president Richard N. Haass, the Times drew parallels with the 2003 Iraq war. \u201cAs in the second Iraq war, there wasn\u2019t a necessity to attack Iran, there was an opportunity,\u201d Haass said, suggesting the decision was driven more by strategic calculation than urgent danger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The move also appears to contradict Trump\u2019s earlier political rhetoric. On election night in November 2024, he had emphasised his record of avoiding new conflicts. \u201cThey said he will start a war. I\u2019m not going to start a war. I\u2019m going to stop wars,\u201d he had said. Vice President JD Vance echoed that sentiment days before the strikes, telling The Washington Post that there was \u201cno chance\u201d the US would become trapped in a prolonged Middle Eastern war.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The United States and Iran have been adversaries since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, with relations collapsing after the 444-day hostage crisis. Tensions have repeatedly flared over Iran\u2019s nuclear ambitions, missile development and regional influence. Washington withdrew from the 2015 nuclear deal during Trump\u2019s first term and reimposed sweeping sanctions, a decision that many analysts say laid the groundwork for the current confrontation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(The content of this article is sourced from a news agency and has not been edited by the Mavericknews30 team.)<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Washington, Feb 28: US President Donald Trump on Saturday asserted that securing \u201cfreedom\u201d for the Iranian people is the central objective behind a major new American military campaign against Iran, as the United States launched what officials described as a multiday operation that has dramatically escalated tensions across the Middle East. The strikes, which began …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":106702,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[74],"tags":[81],"post_format":[],"flags":[],"class_list":["post-106817","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world-news","tag-world"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mavericknews30.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/106817","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mavericknews30.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mavericknews30.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mavericknews30.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mavericknews30.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=106817"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/mavericknews30.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/106817\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":106818,"href":"https:\/\/mavericknews30.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/106817\/revisions\/106818"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mavericknews30.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/106702"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mavericknews30.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=106817"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mavericknews30.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=106817"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mavericknews30.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=106817"},{"taxonomy":"post_format","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mavericknews30.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fpost_format&post=106817"},{"taxonomy":"flags","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mavericknews30.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fflags&post=106817"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}