On Friday afternoon, President Donald Trump expressed dissatisfaction with nuclear talks with Iran, and by 3:38 p.m. EST, he authorized "Operation Epic Fury," a joint U.S. military strike. The operation, involving thousands of service members, hundreds of aircraft, and two carrier strike groups, commenced at 1:15 a.m. EST on Saturday, targeting Iran across multiple domains to disrupt its combat capabilities. The synchronized strikes, coordinated with Israel, resulted in the deaths of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and approximately 40 other senior Iranian figures, including military chiefs, within a single minute. Trump later announced Khamenei's death on Truth Social, stating Iran's leadership was unable to evade U.S. intelligence. The strikes also reportedly destroyed nine Iranian naval ships and their naval headquarters. The U.S. military indicated the operation would continue until objectives were met, with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth clarifying it was not a nation-building effort or a prelude to a long conflict, though he noted the regime had changed. The conflict caused significant disruption to global markets and oil supply, with transit through the Strait of Hormuz falling by 70%.