WASHINGTON: Ahead of the US attack on Iran, President Donald Trump received briefings that not only delivered blunt assessments about the risk of major US casualties but also touted the prospect of a geopolitical shift in the Middle East in favor of US interests, a US official told Reuters. The launch of what the Pentagon called Operation Epic Fury on Saturday plunged the Middle East into a new and unpredictable conflict. The US and Israeli militaries struck sites across Iran, triggering retaliatory Iranian attacks against Israel and nearby Gulf Arab countries.

The first apparent strike happened near the offices of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Donald Trump has described "major combat operations", with explosions heard across Iran.

An official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the briefers described the operation to the president as a high-risk, high-reward scenario.

WASHINGTON: Ahead of the US attack on Iran, President Donald Trump received briefings that not only delivered blunt assessments about the risk of major US casualties but also…

The US joined an Israeli assault after intel suggested Iran’s top clerics and commanders could be hit at once

What we know so far about the US-Israeli strikes against Iran and what might come next.

President\u00a0Donald Trump expressed optimism about the progress of the U.S. military operation in Iran online and\u00a0in interviews on Sunday, March 1.