The White House on Saturday shared images of US President Donald Trump monitoring the massive military strike against Iran, dubbed Operation Epic Fury, that killed Iran’s Supreme Leader Khamenei from his Mar-a-Lago home in Palm Beach, Florida.
Washington shared the images in a series of tweets, writing: “President Donald J. Trump watches US military operations in Iran: Operation Epic Fury, February 28, 2026.”
Capitol Hill also shared a picture of US Vice President JD Vance from the situation room, monitoring the Iran operation. Cabinet secretaries were also present.
Trump warns Iran not to escalate attacks
Trump warned Iran not to escalate its attacks and wrote online that America would strike back with “FORCE THEY HAVE NEVER SEEN!”
Trump’s comments on Truth Social follow Iranian threats on Sunday morning after he acknowledged the killing of Khamenei.
“Iran just said they are going to hit back very hard today, harder than ever before,” Trump wrote. “BUT YOU BETTER NOT DO THAT, BECAUSE WHEN THEY DO, WE’RE GOING TO HIT THEM WITH A FORCE THE LIKES OF WHICH THEY HAVE NEVER SEEN!”
What is Operation Epic Fury?
Operation Epic Fury was a multi-day joint Israeli-US strike that began around 1 a.m. (local time) with a salvo of ship-launched Tomahawk cruise missiles and air-launched munitions by US Air Force and Navy jets, a US official said.
“All I want is freedom for the people,” Trump said in a brief phone interview shortly after 4 a.m. when asked what he hoped his message would be as a result of military action and pressure for regime change in Iran, The Washington Post reported.
He was speaking from his home in Florida, where he arrived on Friday night just hours before the military strikes were launched, according to US media.
After the initial attacks, Iran immediately launched missiles and drones towards Israel and US military installations in Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar. Israel’s military said Iran fired dozens of rockets at Israel, many of which were intercepted.
The attack on Iran opened a stunning new chapter in US intervention and carried the potential for retaliatory violence and wider war, representing a surprising flexing of military power for a US president who came to office on an “America First” platform and vowed to avoid “eternal wars”.
The killing of Khamenei in the Trump administration’s second attack on Iran in eight months seemed certain to create a leadership vacuum, given the absence of a known successor and the fact that the supreme leader has had the final say on all major policies during his decade in power.
