Deep Dive | Trump's 3-Hour Turnaround: Inside The Strike That Jolted Iran

Public frustration over stalled nuclear negotiations with Iran quickly escalated into a sweeping US military operation that reshaped Tehran’s leadership and unsettled global markets.

On February 27, President Donald Trump publicly expressed dissatisfaction with the pace of indirect talks. Within hours, while en route to Texas aboard Air Force One, he authorised a multi-domain strike named “Operation Epic Fury,” targeting Iran’s senior leadership, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

From ‘No, I Haven’t’ To ‘Operation Approved’

At 12:25 PM EST on Friday (Feb 27), Trump left the White House for Texas and told reporters he was “not happy with the way” negotiations were unfolding. When asked whether he had taken a final call, he replied, “No, I haven’t.”

By 3:38 PM EST, as Air Force One approached Corpus Christi, the decision was made.

“The president directed, and I quote, ‘Operation Epic Fury approved ... Good luck,’” General Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said at a Pentagon briefing Monday.

That instruction activated coordinated preparations across US forces. Air defence units were repositioned, strike plans rehearsed, munitions loaded and two carrier strike groups, USS Abraham Lincoln and USS Gerald R. Ford, advanced to operational positions.

During the nearly three-hour flight, Trump sought views from Republican lawmakers travelling with him, including Senators John Cornyn and Ted Cruz. According to the Associated Press, citing a person familiar with the operation, the broad assessment was that Tehran was using negotiations to buy time.

Nine minutes after approving the operation, Trump posted on Truth Social about an unrelated dispute, directing the US government to halt the use of Anthropic artificial intelligence technology following a public disagreement with the Pentagon.

At 4:03 PM EST, after landing in Texas, Trump again addressed reporters, reiterating his dissatisfaction but declining to confirm the military order. “I’d rather not tell you,” he said. “You would have had the greatest scoop in history, right?”

The Operation Begins

The assault commenced at 1:15 AM EST on February 28.

“Across every domain - land, air, sea, cyber,” US forces “delivered synchronized and layered effects designed to disrupt, degrade, deny and destroy Iran’s ability to conduct and sustain combat operations on the US side,” Caine said.

The effort involved thousands of service members, hundreds of advanced fighter aircraft, dozens of refuelling tankers and the Lincoln and Ford carrier groups. Intelligence and surveillance systems were integrated into the mission, with additional forces continuing to deploy.

The strike followed months of CIA tracking of senior Iranian officials, including Khamenei. Intelligence was shared with Israel, and the timing was adjusted accordingly, a person familiar with the operation said.

Explosions were reported in Tehran as Israel’s defence minister declared a state of emergency. An Israeli military official said three near-simultaneous strikes hit separate locations within a minute, killing Khamenei and about 40 senior figures, including the head of Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard and the defence minister.

At 4:37 PM EST, Trump posted on Truth Social that Khamenei had been “unable to avoid our Intelligence and Highly Sophisticated Tracking Systems.”

Cornyn later said Trump had not disclosed operational details during the flight, instead raising the broader question of whether Iran should be stopped “by whatever necessary action.”

Expanding Scope And Political Messaging

On March 1, Trump said US forces had “destroyed and sunk 9 Iranian Naval Ships” and largely destroyed Iran’s naval headquarters, signalling further action ahead.

In a video message later that day, he said US forces and partners had struck hundreds of targets, including Revolutionary Guard facilities and air defence systems, “all in a matter of literally minutes,” and indicated operations would continue until US objectives were achieved, without specifying them.

Reports said administration officials privately told congressional staff that intelligence did not show Iran was preparing a pre-emptive strike against the United States. Instead, they cited broader regional threats from Iranian missiles and proxy forces.

A senior White House official told the Associated Press that Iran’s “new potential leadership” had expressed openness to negotiations.

‘This Is Not Iraq’

On March 2, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth described the campaign as limited.

“This is not Iraq. This is not endless,” he said at the Pentagon. “This is not a so-called regime change war, but the regime sure did change, and the world is better off for it.”

Trump, speaking separately at the White House, said he expected the campaign to run for four to five weeks, while noting that US forces could continue longer if necessary. In an interview with the New York Post, he declined to rule out deploying ground troops. “I don’t have the yips with respect to boots on the ground,” he said.

Regional Reaction And Market Impact

Neighbouring countries reinforced their defences in response. The United Arab Emirates said it intercepted nine ballistic missiles, six cruise missiles and 148 drones. Qatar reported downing two Iranian warplanes.

Oil prices rose sharply amid disruptions to tanker traffic near the Strait of Hormuz, fuelling concerns about supply from the Persian Gulf. Global markets showed volatility, with US futures reflecting declines seen earlier in Europe and Asia.