Overview
- Senior U.S. and Israeli officials say the opening strikes were pushed back about a week for operational and intelligence reasons, including bad weather and the need for tighter IDF coordination.
- The initial operation was planned to target Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and gatherings of senior Iranian officials, with planners seeking to keep potential targets above ground.
- The delay enabled one final Geneva session where envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff proposed a 10-year enrichment moratorium with U.S.-supplied nuclear fuel for civilian needs.
- After Iran rejected the proposal, U.S. officials say President Trump authorized coordinated U.S.–Israeli strikes on Iranian leadership and military infrastructure.
- Iran then launched missile and drone attacks across the region, with reports of casualties in multiple countries, though some claims remain unverified across outlets.