US President Donald Trump and his top aides were “closely” monitoring the situation in Iran from the leader’s Florida resort on Saturday, the White House said, after the United States and Israel launched military strikes against Iran.
“President Trump monitored the situation at Mar a Lago overnight along with members of his national security team,” spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said on X (formerly Twitter), adding that Trump also spoke by phone with his Israeli counterpart, Benjamin Netanyahu.
She also said the US leader and security officials would continue to closely monitor developments regarding Iran throughout the day.
How did it all start?
Tensions between the US and Iran escalated on Saturday with the launch of Operation Epic Fury. The strikes were first announced by Israel, and US President Donald Trump later confirmed Washington’s role.
These attacks prompted Iran to retaliate and attack US bases in the Middle East, including Israel. Subsequently, explosions were reported in several major Gulf cities, including Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Doha, Riyadh and Manama.
America’s Operation Epic Fury and Israel’s Operation Rising Lion were carried out despite ongoing negotiations between Washington and Tehran over the country’s nuclear program.
“Prior to the attacks, Secretary Rubio called all members of the Gang of Eight to provide congressional notification and was able to contact and inform seven of the eight members,” Leavitt said on X.
Trump’s warning to Iran
Earlier this month, Washington and Tehran began indirect nuclear talks in Geneva, with Oman acting as a mediator. Both sides sought to reach an agreement to limit Iran’s nuclear activities.
About a week ago, President Trump warned of consequences if no deal was reached and gave Iran a deadline of 10 to 15 days. Trump said “bad things” will happen.
Shortly afterwards, Oman announced another round of talks in Geneva, noting some constructive movement while acknowledging that significant differences remained.
However, the sudden escalation of hostilities following today’s latest strikes by all parties has raised tensions and raised new doubts about the diplomatic path previously pursued by the countries.
How did the UAE react to the situation?
Earlier, the UAE closed its airspace when Israel and the US carried out strikes on Iran. The Gulf country said it had intercepted Iranian missiles and reserved the right to respond, while Kuwait also launched incoming strikes on Saturday.
“The Ministry of Defense announced that the United Arab Emirates was exposed to an apparent attack by Iranian ballistic missiles today. The UAE’s air defenses responded with high efficiency and successfully intercepted a number of missiles,” AFP quoted the UAE statement as saying.
Abu Dhabi also said it “reserves the full right to respond”, calling the attacks a “dangerous escalation”. All these events materialized into a full-fledged conflict that broke out in the Middle East.
