分类： 未分类

国际原子能机构2日讨论美以袭击伊朗 | 联合早报

发布时间：2026年3月2日 11:46 / 来源：联合早报

国际原子能机构理事会定星期一（3月2日）在位于奥地利维也纳的机构总部召开特别会议，讨论美国和以色列袭击伊朗的相关问题。

新华社报道，国际原子能机构（IAEA）2月28日在官方网站公布这一消息，并说此次会议是应俄罗斯常驻维也纳代表团的请求召开，讨论“美国和以色列对伊朗领土发动军事打击相关事宜”。

2月28日，美国和以色列对伊朗发起联合军事打击，伊朗随后对以色列和美国在中东地区的军事目标进行回击。国际原子能机构敦促中东冲突各方保持克制，避免对本地区民众造成核安全风险。

SAN ANTONIO, TX – With hours to go until primary day in Texas, the U.S. and Israeli attack on Iran is the latest flashpoint in Lone Star State’s high-stakes and combustible Senate showdown.

Republican Sen. John Cornyn and his two primary challengers are rallying around President Donald Trump’s decision to launch the attacks, which are now in their second day and resulted in the killing of Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Three American military members were also killed in the fighting.

But the two Democrats vying for their party’s nomination in a bid to try and flip the long-held Republican seat in right-leaning Texas are condemning the airstrikes on Iran.

This year’s Senate showdown in Texas is one of a handful across the country that could determine if Republicans hold their majority in the chamber in the midterm elections. The GOP currently controls the chamber 53-47.

[image_1]

President Donald Trump announced strikes on Iran early Saturday, which eliminated Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.(President Trump Via Truth Social/Anadolu via Getty Images)

“I think the President did the right thing. It’s amazing to me that President Trump is the only president in my lifetime that is willing to take this kind of decisive action in order to stop the halt of terrorism and also radical Islam,” Cornyn said Sunday in a Fox News Digital interview.

Cornyn praised the operation, saying “this was well planned and was very decisive.” But he added, “There’s still a lot more to be done, and unfortunately, Iran still has a lot of ability to inflict casualties on people in the region.”

The senator’s top primary rival, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, thanked Trump for his “courageous leadership.”

Paxton, a MAGA firebrand and longtime Trump supporter who has survived a slew of scandals over the past decade, said in a social media post that “President Trump’s Operation Epic Fury is yet another overwhelming and historic military success. Khamenei’s been killed and the terroristic regime threatening our troops and nation has been decimated.”

[IRAN’S NEAR HALF CENTURY WAR ON AMERICANS]

Rep. Wesley Hunt, the Army veteran turned MAGA rising star, also praised the president, saying, “Trump did it again. PEACE THROUGH AMERICAN STRENGTH!”

“Iran’s Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is DEAD, and now the people of Iran have a chance to be free,” added Hunt, a West Point graduate who flew Apache helicopters during his Army service who is in his second term representing a safe Republican district in the Houston-area.

Trump, whose clout over the GOP remains immense, has stayed neutral to date in the Republican primary. All three candidates, who have sought the president’s endorsement, were in attendance Friday as Trump held an event in Corpus Christi, Texas.

[image_2]

Trump has yet to make an endorsement in the closely-watched primary.(Mandel NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)

“They’re in a little race together,” Trump said of Cornyn and Paxton. “You know that, right? A little bit of a race. It’s going to be an interesting one, right? They’re both great people, too.”

Trump also complimented Hunt, and said that all three contenders were engaged in an “interesting election.”

[DEMS’ POTENTIAL 2028 HOPEFULS COME OUT AGAINST US STRIKES ON IRAN]

The two major Democrats in the race, progressive firebrand Rep. Jasmine Crockett and rising Democratic Party star state Rep. James Talarico, are chastising Trump for not seeking congressional approval.

“CONGRESS, not the PRESIDENT, but CONGRESS has the EXCLUSIVE authority to declare war! Speaker Johnson needs to call us in IMMEDIATELY & it is time for the House & the Senate to pass a war powers resolution!” Crockett wrote on social media this weekend.

[image_3]

The two Democrats in the race, Rep. Jasmine Crockett and state Rep. James Talarico, sound decisively different from their GOP counterparts with regard to the strikes.(Stringer/Getty Images)

And Crockett, a vocal Trump critic and foil, asked, “Why is it that this President refuses to even pretend that he cares about following the law?! I’ve been stomping & telling people that this election is life or death!”

Talarico, taking to social media this weekend, emphasized, “No more forever wars.”

But he didn’t make specific comments about the military strikes during a campaign event Sunday in San Antonio, Texas.

[CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP]

Cornyn criticized the Democratic candidates for not supporting the U.S. operation.

“When the President has, in an act of political courage, ordered the U.S. military, along with our ally Israel, to defeat the number one state sponsor of terrorism and to prevent them from acquiring a nuclear weapon. Whose side do they choose? They choose the Iranian side. It’s just mind-boggling to me,” he argued.

And the senator predicted, “this will continue to be an issue in the midterm elections, because I don’t think that’s what the American people want, to live in a new world where a nuclear-armed terrorist state can literally terrorize not just the region but the world.”

Paul Steinhauser is a politics reporter based in the swing state of New Hampshire. He covers the campaign trail from coast to coast.

President Donald Trump vowed Sunday to “avenge” the deaths of three U.S. service members killed in action as the conflict involving Iran deepens across the Middle East.

“As one nation, we grieve for the true American patriots who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our nation,” Trump said in a video statement posted on Truth Social.

“Even as we continue the righteous mission for which they gave their lives, we pray for the full recovery of the wounded and send our immense love and eternal gratitude to the families of the fallen.”

This map shows the targets of Iran’s retaliatory strikes.(Fox News)

The president struck a somber note, warning that “sadly, there will likely be more before it ends.”

“America will avenge their deaths and deliver the most punishing blow to the terrorists who have waged war,” Trump said. “Our resolve and likewise that of Israel has never been stronger.”

Trump’s remarks, his first public statement since the U.S.-Israel strikes that led to the death of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and several senior Iranian officials, signaled a potentially prolonged confrontation.

“This wretched and vile man had the blood of hundreds and even thousands of Americans on his hands and was responsible for the slaughter of countless thousands of innocent people all across many countries,” Trump said.

TOMAHAWKS SPEARHEADED US STRIKE ON IRAN — WHY PRESIDENTS REACH FOR THIS MISSILE FIRST

President Donald Trump delivers a nearly six-minute address providing an update on Operation Epic Fury on March 1, 2026.(Truth Social)

He said U.S. forces had struck “hundreds of targets” inside Iran, including key Revolutionary Guard facilities, air defense systems and naval assets. Trump said the U.S. “knocked out nine Iranian ships “in a matter of literally minutes.” Military operations, he added, would continue “until all of our objectives are achieved.”

He went on to issue a direct warning to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard and military leadership, urging them to surrender in exchange for immunity or face “certain death.”

Ahead of the strikes, the U.S. military amassed what Trump previously called an “armada” in Iran’s backyard. Mapped out across the Persian Gulf and beyond, the deployment tells its own story, one of calculated pressure backed by credible capability.

At the center of the U.S. presence are two aircraft carrier strike groups — the USS Abraham Lincoln and USS Gerald R. Ford — each supported by guided-missile destroyers and cruisers and capable of sustained air and missile operations.

More than a dozen additional U.S. warships are also operating in the region in support roles, according to defense officials.

THE ONLY MAP YOU NEED TO SEE TO UNDERSTAND HOW SERIOUS TRUMP IS ABOUT IRAN

An F-35B with Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron (VMM) 265 (Reinforced), 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), took off April 18 from the flight deck of the amphibious assault ship USS America.(Cpl. Isaac Cantrell/U.S. Marine Corps)

Meanwhile, Tehran has vowed retaliation for the strikes.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian declared that avenging Khamenei’s killing is both a “legitimate duty and right,” and added that Tehran “will forcefully crush the enemy’s bases.”

The confrontation has already included missile and drone strikes launched by Iran against U.S. bases in Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Iraq, though U.S. Central Command has denied Tehran’s claims of successfully targeting American carriers.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Demonstrators march during a protest against war in Iran in New York City on Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026.(Angelina Katsanis/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

The unfolding conflict has ignited reactions far beyond the Middle East, including anti-war protests in U.S. cities and heightened diplomatic tensions near American embassies, underscoring how quickly the crisis has expanded beyond the region.

In Austin, authorities are investigating a recent shooting as potentially an act of terrorism, further heightening concerns about spillover effects at home.

Meanwhile, federal and local law enforcement have boosted security as a precaution, though officials say no specific, credible threats have been identified.

中东局势：中国官方通报有公民在袭击中受伤

发布时间：2026年3月2日 07:47 / 来源：联合早报

中东局势升温，中国官方星期天（3月1日）通报，有中国公民在袭击中受伤，并敦促中国公民暂勿前往伊朗周边地区。

中国外交部领事司在“领事直通车”微信公众号说：“2月28日，美国、以色列对伊朗发动军事行动，伊朗军队对美国在中东地区的军事基地实施打击，伊朗部分周边国家关闭领空、国际航班停飞。已有中国公民在袭击中受伤，部分临时旅行人员滞留当地。”

中国外交部提醒中国公民密切关注形势变化，暂勿前往伊朗周边受到军事冲击的国家和地区。

外交部领事司也说：“已在上述国家和地区的中国公民进一步加强自身安全防范，避免前往军事设施、游行集会等敏感区域。如遇紧急情况，请及时报警并联系中国驻当地使领馆寻求协助。”

US gasoline prices to rise after attack on Iran, analysts warn

March 1, 2026 9:56 PM UTC / Reuters

节点运行失败

A Sheetz customer gets gasoline at a gas station in Plains, Pennsylvania, U.S. October 19, 2022. REUTERS/Aimee Dilger

NEW YORK, March 1 (Reuters) – U.S. average retail gasoline prices are set to break above $3 a gallon on Monday for the first time in more than three months as the conflict between the United States and major oil producer Iran interrupts global oil flows, analysts said.

That’s potentially a major risk for President Donald Trump and his Republican Party leading into November’s midterm elections as price inflation remains a key concern for voters. Trump has repeatedly – and often falsely – claimed credit for lowering gasoline prices since returning to office last year.

The Reuters Power Up newsletter provides everything you need to know about the global energy industry. Sign up here.

Average pump prices could surpass $3 per gallon on Monday for the first time this year, according to Patrick De Haan, an analyst at retail price tracker GasBuddy. Prices last broke above $3 nationwide in November 2025, according to GasBuddy data. They were as low as $2.85 a gallon in February.

“Oil will move first. Gasoline will follow — but gradually,” De Haan said in a blog post after the strikes on Iran.

Iran is one of the world’s top oil suppliers and its government has said it has closed navigation through the Strait of Hormuz following U.S. and Israeli air strikes that killed its Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

Hormuz is a critical chokepoint in the Middle East Gulf through which around a fifth of the world’s oil flows by tanker. At least three tankers have been damaged in the region, and major shippers have said they will avoid the strait.

Global benchmark Brent crude jumped 10% to about $80 a barrel over the counter on Sunday on the escalating impacts, and some analysts are predicting Brent could touch $100 as the Middle East plunges into a new war.

So far, the White House appears to be willing to accept the political risks from higher oil prices to pursue its foreign policy objectives, said Bob McNally, president of Rapidan Energy Group, an energy consultancy.

“Their eyes are wide open to the risk, and I expect they will focus on shortening the amount of time Iran has to control the flow of energy through the Strait of Hormuz,” McNally said.

The White House could also signal a willingness to release oil from the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve to prevent prices from going too high, McNally said.

Former U.S. President Joe Biden had authorized a historic drawdown of the SPR in 2022 to address surging prices after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, a move that Trump and other Republicans have sharply criticized.

The White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

SEASONAL DEMAND

Gasoline prices in the United States were already ticking higher prior to the U.S. attack on Iran as refiners in recent weeks began making a costlier summer-grade fuel, mandated by environmental regulations to reduce air pollution in warmer weather, De Haan said.

Demand for gasoline also tends to peak in the United States during the summer vacation season.

“We were all set to rise to $3.10-$3.25 a gallon with a peaceful Persian Gulf. We’ll now get there very quickly and the action of the last 48 hours puts higher numbers in play,” said Tom Kloza, senior adviser for fuel supplier Gulf.

He said a $5 per barrel increase for crude should result in an increase of about 12 cents per gallon for gasoline and diesel, but that some suppliers had already pushed up wholesale prices by as much as 25 cents a gallon.

The rising prices represent a reversal of months’ worth of declines since the middle of last year driven mainly by high inventory levels and slack demand growth. Those big stockpile levels could provide a buffer to global market disruptions and temper the current price spikes.

U.S. gasoline stocks stood at 254.8 million barrels as of February 20, near the highest they have been since the coronavirus pandemic, according to the latest available government data. Those stocks represent 30 days’ of supply.

“I expect a lot of (price) volatility tonight, but markets will likely start to settle down a bit after the first furious hour,” De Haan said.

Reporting by Shariq Khan in New York; editing by Richard Valdmanis

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

GOP Rep Mast says US military objective in Iran is to ‘eliminate’ threat to Americans

House Foreign Affairs Committee chairman pushes back on claims Israel dragged America into war

By Efrat Lachter
Fox News
Published March 1, 2026 4:24pm EST

Rep. Brian Mast, R-Fla., chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, told Fox News Digital in an interview the United States now has a clear and defined military objective in Iran: dismantle the regime’s ability to strike Americans.

He said the U.S. mission is “to literally eliminate every single piece of military hardware that exists in Iran that can reach out and touch an American somewhere throughout the Middle East.”

“That is what we are conducting right now so that we do not get hit with something, a surface-to-surface missile or a surface-to-air missile or anything else, certainly with a nuclear tip, but with any other tip as well.”

A screengrab from a video released by U.S. Central Command shows smoke and dust rising following an explosion at an unknown location, in this image obtained from social media released on Feb. 28, 2026.(U.S. Central Command via X via Reuters)

Mast paid tribute to the three Americans killed in the operation. “These service members understood the hazards of their profession. They went out there, conducted their duty to defend the United States of America, and I could not be more proud than to thank them for their service, and I’m proud to be their brother in arms.”

He stressed that the scope and duration of the operation will be decided by the administration. “The ending of this militarily for the United States is on our terms,” he said.

Mast pushed back forcefully against claims that Israel dragged the United States into war with Iran, saying the Trump administration first pursued diplomacy and set a deadline before shifting to military action.

“Israel has not dragged the United States of America anywhere,” he said in the interview. “The United States, number one, started out with diplomatic negotiations with Iran to say, end your nuclear program, end your ballistic missile program and your support of these proxies that are continually attacking the United States of America.”

OMAR, SQUAD LASH OUT AT TRUMP IN RESPONSE TO IRAN STRIKE: ‘ILLEGAL REGIME CHANGE WAR’

The world’s largest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford ,steams alongside USNS Laramie.(U.S. Naval Forces Central Command/U.S. 6th Fleet/Handout via Reuters)

“Everything is a part of that debate and that conversation. When should something be done? How should something be done? Obviously, the United States of America and President Trump, Secretary Hegseth, Secretary Rubio, our director of intelligence, our director of our CIA, John Ratcliffe, working to get all of the assets in place so that the negotiating tool of ending the literal threat of Iran, was a part of that.”

“It didn’t just happen on accident that we snapped our fingers and we had the Ford carrier group there, the Lincoln carrier group. That is something that took time,” he added. “Now, the diplomatic approach was the preferred approach. That’s why it began with that instead of beginning with a military strike. And what I can tell you about those negotiations, speaking directly to those individuals that I just mentioned, is that Iran came into this extremely egotistical, unwilling to really discuss anything relating to ending their nuclear program,” he said.

IRAN VOWS ‘DECISIVE’ SELF DEFENSE AT UN AFTER TRUMP KILLS SUPREME LEADER IN OPERATION EPIC FURY

Smoke rises over Tehran after the Israeli army launched a second wave of airstrikes on Feb. 28, 2026.(Fatemeh Bahrami/Anadolu via Getty Images)

“Even after the United States offered to fund nuclear materials for a civilian energy program if Iran agreed not to pursue weaponization, they didn’t want that. They didn’t wanna talk about ending their ballistic missile program.”

Looking ahead, Mast suggested the conflict could reshape Iran’s political future. He described the regime’s formal succession process, which “begins with this three-person body, ultimately moves to this 88-person assembly that would go out there and choose the next leader,” and noted potential contenders, including “the son of the Ayatollah, grandson of the ayatollah” and “a very hard-line cleric named Arafi, who’s very closely aligned with the IRGC.”

But he also raised the possibility of broader upheaval.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Rep. Brian Mast on Capitol Hill, May 21, 2025.(Elizabeth Frantz/Reuters)

“That assumes that there is no uprising, where the people, the millions and millions of people across Iran, who have been just brutally tortured and suppressed, don’t decide that there is another path,” Mast said.

“We want to see a change, a turning of the page for what Iran has been undertaking.”

Efrat Lachter is a foreign correspondent for Fox News Digital covering international affairs and the United Nations. Follow her on X @efratlachter. Stories can be sent to efrat.lachter@fox.com.

姜贵瑛：朝鲜“未秀武器”阅兵 金珠爱的“加冕彩排”

发布/2026年3月2日 05:01 联合早报

朝鲜士兵星期三（2月25日）在平壤金日成广场举行的纪念朝鲜劳动党第九次代表大会的阅兵式上行进。 （法新社）

为期七天的朝鲜劳动党第九次代表大会于2月25日落幕。作为朝鲜最高决策机构，党代会不仅为未来五年的国家发展路线定调，也被视为观察权力结构变化的重要窗口。综合此次大会释放的信号，朝鲜正加速迈向以金正恩个人权威为核心的“金正恩时代”。

这一变化首先体现在高层人事调整上。长期被视为“红二代”代表、享有“二号人物”地位的崔龙海退出核心权力层，被普遍认为具有象征意义。此外，党书记朴正天、军需政策总顾问李炳哲，以及民防部长吴一正等元老级人物未进入新一届党中央委员会，显示革命元老集团的政治影响力进一步淡出。

韩国学者林乙出指出，这意味着金正恩已不再依赖“先代光环”或游击队元老的政治背书，权力合法性正从革命血统转向现任领导人的个人统治能力。同时，金正恩胞妹金与正晋升为党部长并成为政治局候补委员，显示“金氏核心家族”在权力结构中的比重进一步上升。

Trump signals willingness to talk to new Iranian leadership as strikes continue

March 1, 2026 / 3:18 PM EST / CBS News

Washington— President Trump said Sunday that he is willing to speak with the new leadership in Iran following the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the country’s longtime leader, who was killed in Israeli airstrikes on Saturday.

“They want to talk, and I have agreed to talk, so I will be talking to them. They should have done it sooner. They should have given what was very practical and easy to do sooner. They waited too long,” Mr. Trump told The Atlantic in a phone call on Sunday morning.

A senior White House official said later in the day that the president will speak with the Iranians “eventually,” but “[f]or now, Operation Epic Fury continues unabated,” referring to the ongoing bombing campaign by the U.S. and Israel.

Khamenei’s death has led to questions about who will now take power, with no clear successor in place. Dozens more top Iranian officials were also killed in strikes, further complicating the path forward. Mr. Trump and other officials have urged the Iranian people to overthrow the regime altogether, but the likelihood of a mass uprising succeeding is far from certain.

Sen. Tom Cotton, the top Republican on the Senate Intelligence Committee, said on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan” on Sunday that “I don’t think anyone can give you a simple answer” on who will succeed Khamenei, who had been in power since 1989.

“There’s probably a lot of jockeying inside of Iran right now. They have a very consultative, deliberative process to replace the supreme leader. There’s a reason why he didn’t want to have a clear succession plan in place. It’s hard to do that when the United States is pummeling their leadership every moment of the day,” Cotton said.

“I’m sure, though, that there are also some leaders inside of Iran who might be jockeying to audition for the role of Iran’s Delcy Rodriguez,” Cotton added, referring to the interim president of Venezuela, who took power with the support of the U.S. after American forces captured Nicolás Maduro in January.

The U.S. and Iran had been engaged in weeks of talks over the country’s nuclear program in the lead-up to the beginning of the strikes on Saturday. U.S. officials, including the president, had expressed frustration that the Iranians were not acquiescing to demands that they abandon their nuclear program and engage in talks over their missile capability and support for proxy groups in the region.

In his conversation with The Atlantic, the president said that many of the officials involved in negotiations have been killed.

“Most of those people are gone. Some of the people we were dealing with are gone, because that was a big — that was a big hit,” he said. “They should have done it sooner … They could have made a deal. They should’ve done it sooner. They played too cute.”

Kristin Brown contributed to this report.

特朗普称击沉九艘伊朗舰艇 美军摧毁伊朗革命卫队总部

2026年3月2日 06:56 / 联合早报

美国总统特朗普说，美军已摧毁并击沉九艘伊朗海军舰艇。美国中央司令部表示已经摧毁伊朗伊斯兰革命卫队总部。五角大楼确认三名美军丧生。

路透社报道，特朗普星期天（3月1日）在社交媒体发文说，美军已摧毁并击沉九艘伊朗海军舰艇，“正在追击其余的军舰”。

美国中央司令部当天早些时候发布消息说，美军在阿曼湾的伊朗东南部港口恰赫巴哈尔附近击沉伊朗一艘“贾马兰”级护卫舰。

中央司令部还说，自特朗普2月28日下令启动大规模作战行动以来，美军飞机和军舰打击了超过1000个伊朗目标，包括摧毁伊朗伊斯兰革命卫队总部。美军还出动多架携带2000磅（约907公斤）炸弹的B-2型隐形战略轰炸机，打击经过加固的伊朗弹道导弹设施。

中央司令部同时否认美军“林肯”号航空母舰被伊朗导弹击中，称伊朗导弹未能接近航母。

另据《纽约时报》报道，五角大楼确认三名美军在战斗中丧生，另有至少九人在以色列一座小城遇难。

中央司令部说，数名美军遭受轻微弹片伤和脑震荡，但并未透露事发地点和原因。两名不愿具名的美国官员向路透社披露，三名美军在科威特的一个基地阵亡。

特朗普在承认有美军伤亡时，试图让美国民众为可能出现更多人员伤亡做好心理准备。这是自他去年重返白宫以来，在重大军事行动中首次出现美方人员死亡。去年6月，美国突袭轰炸伊朗核设施以及今年1月抓捕委内瑞拉总统马杜罗的行动，均未导致美方人员死亡。

特朗普接受全国广播公司（NBC）访问时说：“我们有三名人员死亡，但我们早已预计会有伤亡，不过最终这对世界来说是一件重大的好事。”

美国常驻联合国代表沃尔兹在X平台贴文说：“自由从来都不是免费的。”

最新民调显示，只有四分之一的美国人支持美国对伊朗发动袭击。

路透社/益普索于3月1日结束的一项民调显示，27%的美国人支持对伊朗的打击行动，43%不赞成，29%表示不确定。约九成受访者表示他们至少听说过打击伊朗行动。

美国和以色列2月28日联手对伊朗发起大规模军事行动。伊朗随后对美国在波斯湾地区的军事基地和以色列发起还击。特朗普当天在视频讲话中说，此次袭击要摧毁伊朗导弹工业、消灭伊朗海军，并确保伊朗无法获得核武器。

Trump predicts more U.S. casualties as Iran operations will “continue until all of our objectives are achieved”

March 1, 2026 / 5:44 PM EST / CBS News

President Trump on Sunday said in a video address that there will likely be more American casualties as the U.S-Israeli war on Iran, dubbed Operation Epic Fury, continues “in full force.”

“As one nation, we grieve for the true American patriots who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our nation, even as we continue the righteous mission for which they gave their lives.” Mr. Trump said in his address, which was posted to social media on Sunday. “We pray for the full recovery of the wounded and send our immense love and eternal gratitude to the families of the fallen. And sadly, there will likely be more before it ends. That’s the way it is. Likely be more.”

U.S. Central Command said earlier Sunday that three U.S. service members had been killed during Operation Epic Fury, but did not specify where those deaths took place.

“We’ll do everything possible where that won’t be the case, but America will avenge their deaths and deliver the most punishing blow to the terrorists who have waged war against, basically, civilization,” Mr. Trump added.

Speaking from his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida, the president said, “Combat operations continue at this time in full force, and they will continue until all of our objectives are achieved.”

Smoke rises after explosions rocked multiple areas of Tehran. Fatemeh Bahrami/Anadolu via Getty Images

“We have very strong objectives. They could have done something two weeks ago, but they just couldn’t get there,” Mr. Trump said, referring to negotiations on Iran’s nuclear program that were ongoing when the strikes against the country began.

“An Iranian regime armed with long-range missiles and nuclear weapons would be a dire threat to every American,” the president said.

Mr. Trump has signaled he was willing to talk to new Iranian leadership, telling The Atlantic during a phone call earlier Sunday, “They want to talk, and I have agreed to talk, so I will be talking to them. They should have done it sooner. They should have given what was very practical and easy to do sooner. They waited too long.”

Mr. Trump called the operation “one of the largest, most complex, most overwhelming military offensives the world has ever seen,” saying the U.S. and its allies “hit hundreds of targets in Iran, including Revolutionary Guard facilities, Iranian air defense systems” and “nine ships plus their naval base, all in a matter of literally minutes.”

“Iran’s formerly Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei is dead,” Mr. Trump said. “This wretched and vile man had the blood of hundreds and even thousands of Americans on his hands and was responsible for the slaughter of countless thousands of innocent people, all across many countries.”

Khamenei was killed Saturday, along with other senior Iranian officials, in a missile strike. Intelligence gathered by the CIA and shared with Israel led to the strike that killed the former Iranian leader, a person familiar with the matter confirmed to CBS News.

It is unclear who will lead Iran going forward, as Khamenei had no clear successor. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Sunday that an interim leadership council was established and had begun its work. Meanwhile, Mr. Trump continues to push for the Iranian people to overthrow the government.

“Last night, all over Iran, the voices of the Iranian people could be heard cheering and celebrating in the streets when his death was announced,” Mr. Trump said. “The entire military command is gone as well. And many of them want to surrender into saving their lives. They want immunity. They’re calling by the thousands.”

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi insisted Sunday “nothing has changed” in Iran’s military capability following the strikes.

“This is exactly what happened last time. You remember in June when Israel attacked us. They killed some of our top commanders at the beginning of the strikes, but they were replaced very soon, and in less than 12 hours, we were able to start retaliation,” Araghchi told ABC News’ “This Week with George Stephanopoulos” on Sunday.

Mr. Trump said the strikes on Iran are “necessary to ensure that Americans will never have to face a radical, blood thirsty terrorist regime, armed with nuclear weapons and lots of threats.”

“For almost 50 years, these wicked extremists have been attacking the United States while chanting the slogan ‘Death to America’ or ‘Death to Israel’ or both. They are the world’s number one state sponsor of terror,” he added.

“I once again urge the Revolutionary Guard, the Iranian military police, to lay down your arms and receive full immunity or face certain death,” Mr. Trump said. “I call upon all the radiant patriots who yearn for freedom to seize this moment, to be brave, be bold, be heroic and take back your country. America is with you.”

The president concluded, “I made a promise to you, and I fulfilled that promise. The rest will be up to you, but we’ll be there to help. Thank you. God bless you, to our incredible warriors, and God bless the United States of America. Thank you.”