Donald Trump announced early Saturday that the U.S. And Israel had launched strikes against Iran, simultaneously urging Iranian citizens to overthrow their government. The announcement was followed by confirmation that Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader since 1989, was killed in the joint operation, according to Iranian state media.
The strikes, which targeted Iran, resulted in at least 133 civilian deaths and 200 injuries as of late Saturday, reported the Iranian human rights group HRANA. Israel’s military stated that top Iranian security officials were among those killed, including the country’s defense minister, the commander of the Revolutionary Guard Corps, and the secretary of the Iranian Security Council, a close advisor to Khamenei.
Trump, speaking on his Truth Social platform, described Khamenei as “one of the most evil people in History.” He claimed that Khamenei was unable to evade U.S. And Israeli intelligence and tracking systems. “This is not only justice for the people of Iran, but for all Great Americans,” Trump wrote, adding that the bombing would continue “uninterrupted throughout the week or, as long as necessary to achieve our objective.”
The attacks prompted a response from Iran, with strikes reported in multiple countries with U.S. Bases or allied to the U.S.
Saturday Night Live’s Weekend Update addressed the situation, contrasting Trump’s current actions with his criticisms of Barack Obama in 2011. Colin Jost introduced a clip of Trump from 2011 stating, “Our president will start a war with Iran because he has absolutely no ability to negotiate. He’s weak and he’s ineffective.” Jost then remarked, “See? Now that’s the Trump I voted for.”
Michael Che, co-anchor of Weekend Update, addressed concerns regarding the lack of congressional authorization for the strikes. He joked that Trump had obtained approval from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has long maintained that Iran is nearing nuclear weapons capability. Che similarly questioned the legality of the attack, stating, “I can’t believe our leader can just attack Iran with no vote, no provision from Congress, no anything…I mean, what is this? Iran?”
The strikes occurred as Trump has publicly sought a Nobel Peace Prize, promoting himself as a leader who has ended wars. Jost alluded to this, stating, “You guys, I’m starting to worry that President Trump might not win that peace prize.”
Weekend Update also referenced Trump’s lengthy State of the Union address earlier in the week, characterizing its nearly two-hour duration as “almost two full diapers.” Jost noted that during the address, Trump claimed the nation was “bigger, better and stronger than ever before,” to which, he added, “the measles” responded with “same.”
As of Sunday morning, Iranian state media announced 40 days of national mourning following Khamenei’s death. The Iranian government has not issued a statement regarding potential further responses to the U.S.-Israeli strikes.
