Luke Vargas

For weeks now, we have been watching the accumulation of U.S.

military assets in the Middle East, and overnight, the U.S.

military pulled the trigger, using sea and air-based platforms to launch strikes across Iran, including the capital Tehran.

Iran's supreme leader was among those targeted, though his condition is currently unknown.

as is a lot else at this hour, which is why I want to introduce now a pair of journal colleagues who are here to help us cut through the fog of war and help prepare for what we report could be days of intensive strikes.

On the line from Washington is journal national security reporter Alex Ward, and from Istanbul, we're joined by journal Middle East correspondent Jared Malson.

Alex, let me start with you, and let's hear from President Trump here, who this morning made the case for these attacks and offered something of a history lesson, really.

Alex, so much of the focus on Iran lately has been about its nuclear program, its missile program.

These things were the subject of negotiations just a few days ago.

How significant is it then that the president here is citing something quite different, invoking all of that history?

The president is really seeking a lot here, Jared.

In addition to no nuclear weapons, no missile program, we have annihilating the Iranian Navy, the president ordering Iranian troops and police to lay down their weapons or face certain death.

What's your reaction to all this?

I mean, do we have any early answers, signals we can see from these attacks about how well they line up with those goals?

It seems like a lot of work, safe to say, remains to be done here if the U.S.

really does intend to follow through on all those goals the president sketched out.

And I want to play another clip of what President Trump said speaking this morning about this major combat operation.

He really sought to emphasize patience, endurance is going to be needed here, including potentially comfort with the loss of American lives.

Alex, for those listeners, you know, kind of trying to hear parallels between what's playing out today and the operation earlier this year to remove Venezuela's Nicolas Maduro, here's one area where it just seems like the messaging is already very different, preparing people for the potential loss of American lives.

Trying to borrow some excess political capital should it be necessary.