US President Donald Trump has defended a joint military strike on Iran, saying the operation was necessary to prevent the country from acquiring nuclear weapons.

In a statement issued on Saturday, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said the strike formed part of efforts to “remove threats against the State of Israel.”

In a video posted on X on Saturday morning, Trump disclosed that the United States military had commenced what he described as major combat operations in Iran.

“A short time ago, the United States military began major combat operations in Iran,” he said.

According to him, the objective of the mission is to defend American citizens by eliminating imminent threats posed by the Iranian regime.

“Our objective is to defend the American people by eliminating imminent threats from the Iranian regime, a vicious group of very hard, terrible people,” Trump stated.

The US president alleged that Iran’s actions directly threaten the United States, its troops, overseas bases and allies globally.

He accused the Iranian government of sustaining hostility towards America for decades, referencing historical incidents such as the 1979 takeover of the US Embassy in Tehran, the 1983 Marine barracks bombing in Beirut, and the 2000 attack on the USS Cole.

“Iranian forces killed and maimed hundreds of American service members in Iraq,” he said.

Trump further claimed that Iran-backed groups have carried out multiple attacks against American forces in the Middle East, as well as against US naval and commercial vessels and international shipping lanes.

“It’s been mass terror, and we’re not going to put up with it any longer,” he added.

The US leader also accused Iran of supporting militant organisations across the Middle East, including Hamas, which he blamed for the October 7 attacks on Israel.

Describing Iran as “the world’s number one state sponsor of terror,” Trump reiterated that his administration would not allow the country to obtain nuclear weapons.

“It has always been the policy of the United States, in particular, my administration, that this terrorist regime can never have a nuclear weapon,” he said.

“I’ll say it again, they can never have a nuclear weapon.”