On June 16, President Donald Trump issued a stark warning directed at Tehran, the capital of Iran, urging residents to “immediately evacuate” as he criticized Iran’s refusal to agree to a deal with the United States to curb its nuclear ambitions.
“Iran should have signed the ‘deal’ I told them to sign. What a shame, and waste of human life,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “Simply stated, IRAN CAN NOT HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON. I said it over and over again! Everyone should immediately evacuate Tehran!”
His warnings mirrored those made earlier by Israeli officials, who called for mass evacuations in the Iranian capital ahead of anticipated strikes tied to the country’s growing military offensive against Iran. Tehran is home to nearly 10 million people.
These recent tensions mark the latest chapter in a long history of conflict between Israel and Iran, which has escalated recently as Israel launched strikes against Iranian targets. One of the first nations to recognize the state of Israel, Iran took a sharp turn after the 1979 Iranian Revolution. Today, Iran is one of the strongest advocates of Palestinian resistance against Israeli forces in Gaza, further aggravating tension between Israel and Iran.
So what exactly happened between the nations to now lead to a war? Click on to find out.