President Donald Trump announced "major combat operations" against Iran on Feb. 28, with massive joint U.S.-Israeli strikes attack targeting military and government sites, officials said.
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Iranian missile fire injures at least 14 people in Israel, authorities say
Iranian missile fire toward central Israel and Tel Aviv wounded at least 14 people on Wednesday, according to Israel's Magen David Adom emergency service.
An Israeli police officer stands near a wrecked car at the site of missile damage in Tel Aviv, Israel, on April 1, 2026.
Ronen Zvulun/Reuters
Eleven of those injured were "in light condition," the MDA said in a post to X. One 11-year-old girl was in a serious condition, while a 36-year-old woman and a 13-year-old boy were reported to be in moderate condition, the MDA said.
The Israel Defense Forces posted to X reporting "impact sites in the center of the country" and the deployment of emergency responders to the sites.
Mar 31, 2026, 10:09 PM EDT
'Why the attack now?' Marco Rubio continues to make case for war in social media video
Secretary of State Marco Rubio continued to make the case for the U.S. war with Iran as Americans prepare to hear from President Donald Trump in a primetime address to the nation on Wednesday night.
“Many Americans are asking, 'Why did the United States have to attack Iran now?'" Rubio said in a video posted by the White House on Tuesday. "Well, let me explain. Iran wants to have nuclear weapons. Of that, there is zero doubt."
Rubio said Iran was "trying to build a conventional shield, in essence have so many missiles, have so many drones that no one could attack them and they were well on their way."
Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks with ABC News on Good Morning America, March 30, 2026.
ABC News
He added, "We were on the verge of an Iran that had so many missiles and so many drones, that no one could do anything about their nuclear weapons program in the future. That was an intolerable risk."
Regarding the U.S. decision to launch strikes on Feb. 28, Rubio said: "This was our last best chance to eliminate that conventional threat -- that conventional shield that they were trying to build -- and the president made the right decision to wipe it out now. That is the goal of this operation."
-ABC News' Nicholas Kerr
Mar 31, 2026, 8:03 PM EDT
Trump to address nation on Wednesday with 'important update' on Iran
President Donald Trump will address the nation with "an important update on Iran" at 9 p.m. ET Wednesday, according to White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt.
Mar 31, 2026, 7:21 PM EDT
Trump says Iran doesn't need to make a deal for US to leave
President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that Iran doesn't need to make a deal with the U.S. as a prerequisite to stopping the ongoing U.S. military operation.
"Iran doesn't have to make a deal, no," he told reporters during an executive order signing about elections in the Oval Office. "I've spoken to a lot of people. It's a new regime. They are much more accessible."
"When we feel that they are for a long period of time put into the stone ages and they won't be able to come up with a nuclear weapon, then we'll leave," he said. "Whether we have a deal or not, it's irrelevant."
President Donald Trump answers questions from reporters after signing an executive order in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, March 31, 2026.
Alex Brandon/AP
Pressed on his timeline for ending the war, Trump speculated that it could be "two or three weeks."
The president also again seemed to indicate that the Strait of Hormuz will be left for other nations to handle after the U.S. leaves.
"If France or some other country wants to get oil or gas, they'll go up through the Strait and -- Hormuz Strait -- they'll go right up there and they'll be able to fend for themselves. I think it would be very safe, actually, but we have nothing to do with that," Trump said.
-ABC News' Meghan Mistry, Nicholas Kerr and Michelle Stoddart
