It’s Monday, March 2, A.D. 2026. This is The Worldview in 5 Minutes heard on 140 radio stations and at www.TheWorldview.com. I’m Adam McManus. (Adam@TheWorldview.com)

By Adam McManus

United States and Israel bombed Iran

The long-simmering threat of conflict between Washington, Jerusalem and Tehran erupted Saturday morning as the United States and Israel launched sweeping airstrikes against Iran, reports NBC News.

The launch of “Operation Epic Fury” followed months of heated rhetoric and repeated warnings from President Trump about military intervention in Iran.

U.S. and partner forces struck multiple targets, including Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps command and control facilities, Iranian air defense capabilities, missile and drone launch sites, and military airfields.

Not only was Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei killed, but so was his top security adviser, his chief military secretary, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commander, the Defense Minister, the Head of Iranian military intelligence, and former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, reports Axios and Israel National News.

Trump: We will destroy Iran’s “wicked, radical dictatorship”

In an 8-minute address to America, President Donald Trump explained why he believed the attack on Iran was necessary.

TRUMP: “Our objective is to defend the American people by eliminating imminent threats from the Iranian regime. For 47 years, the Iranian regime has chanted ‘Death to America’ and waged an unending campaign of bloodshed and mass murder targeting the United States, our troops, and the innocent people in many, many countries.”

The president laid out the litany of Iranian attacks from the 1979 U.S. Embassy Hostage Crisis in which dozens of Americans were taken hostage for 444 days and the 1983 bombing of the U.S. Marine barracks in Beirut that killed 241 soldiers to the attack on the U.S.S. Cole in 2000, the killing of U.S. soldiers in Iraq, and the Iranian-funded attack on Israel through Hamas on October 7, 2023.

TRUMP: “For these reasons, the United States military is undertaking a massive and ongoing operation to prevent this very wicked, radical dictatorship from threatening America and our core national security interests. We are going to destroy their missiles and raze their missile industry to the ground. It will be totally obliterated. We're going to annihilate their navy. We're going to ensure that the region's terrorist proxies can no longer destabilize the region or the world.”

Isaiah 10:1-2 says, “Woe to those who make unjust laws, to those who issue oppressive decrees, to deprive the poor of their rights and withhold justice from the oppressed of my people, making widows their prey and robbing the fatherless.”

President Trump expressed concern for the safety of U.S. soldiers.

TRUMP: “The lives of courageous American heroes may be lost and we may have casualties. That often happens in war. We pray for every service member as they selflessly risk their lives to ensure that Americans, and our children, will never be threatened by a nuclear-armed Iran. We ask God to protect all of our heroes in harm's way. And we trust that with His help, the men and women of the armed forces will prevail.”

Sadly, three U.S. service members have been killed in action, as part of the Trump administration’s “Operation Epic Fury,” reports NewsNation.com.

Iranians celebrating in the streets

Anti-regime protesters in southern Iran tore down a statue of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in celebration of his death on Saturday, reports The Telegraph.

In Tehran, loud cheers echoed from rooftops and through the streets. Listen.

(audio of Iranians celebrating)

Celebratory music played, car horns honked and fireworks were set off in parts of the capital at around 11pm local time.

They were joined by Iranians across the world who celebrated the Supreme Leader’s downfall after he was killed in a barrage of US and Israeli missile strikes early on Saturday morning.

Senator Ted Cruz: Bombing Iran is “single most important decision of [Trump’s] presidency”

Appearing on CBS’ Face the Nation, Republican Senator Ted Cruz of Texas applauded President Trump’s decision to bomb Iran.

CRUZ: “President Trump's decision to launch this decisive action against Iran is the single most important decision of his presidency. He is taking this action because the government of Iran is a profound and malign influence.

“They have been the leading state sponsor of terrorism for 47 years. They have, over that time, killed nearly 1,000 Americans. They provide more than 90% of the funding for Hamas. They provide more than 90% of the funding for Hezbollah, the Iranian Ayatollah, was, until yesterday, actively trying to murder the President of the United States, Donald J Trump.”

Senator Lindsey Graham: “The mothership of terrorism is about to go down!”

Appearing on Fox & Friends, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina was grateful the American people re-elected President Trump in 2024.

GRAHAM: “My feeling today is that I'm very glad that President Trump won and Kamala Harris lost. Unfortunately, the modern Democratic Party is pathetic in the face of evil.

“The difference between Donald Trump and our Democratic colleagues, he's ...