New York City is on high alert Saturday after the United States and Israel carried out sweeping military strikes against Iran in the middle of the night, New York time, killing Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, in the process.
The joint military operation targeted the ayatollah and other top leaders of the oppressive fundamentalist regime. President Donald Trump, who did not seek Congressional authorization prior to launching the attack, said the operation would eliminate security threats and give Iranians a chance to topple their government.
On Saturday afternoon, Trump confirmed what multiple sources had reported: that Khamenei, the 86-year-old cleric who had ruled Iran since 1989, had been killed in the air strikes. The ayatollah had antagonized the United States, Israel and its allies for decades while attempting to establish a nuclear arsenal.
As for who rules Iran now, Trump said in a social media post that it is for the country’s people to decide: “This is the single greatest chance for the Iranian people to take back their country.”
But it also plunged the region into open conflict. Tehran responded by launching missiles at Israel and condemned the strikes as unprovoked and illegal.
Reuters reported that the Iranian Revolutionary Guard had hit back with air strikes in Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Israel. Trump had claimed that the Iranian Revolutionary Guard and others inside Tehran “no longer want to fight and are looking for immunity from us.”
Iran war puts NYC on alert
The NYPD issued a statement on X (formerly Twitter), noting that it is carefully monitoring events related to the operation and beefed up security at potential targets for terroristic retaliation.
“As is our protocol and out of an abundance of caution, we will be enhancing patrols to sensitive locations throughout the city, including diplomatic, cultural, religious, and other relevant sites,” the NYPD stated.
There are no specific threats to New York City at this time.
Gov. Kathy Hochul said the New York State Police are also “increasing their presence at religious, diplomatic, and cultural sites statewide in coordination with federal, state, and local law enforcement partners,” and have “begun outreach to religious organizations” ahead of the Jewish holiday of Purim.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani called the military strikes “a catastrophic escalation in an illegal war of aggression.” He said he has been in contact with Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch and emergency management officials regarding “proactive steps” to secure sensitive sites within the city “out of an abundance of caution.”
“Additionally, I want to speak directly to Iranian New Yorkers: you are part of the fabric of this city — you are our neighbors, small business owners, students, artists, workers, and community leaders. You will be safe here,” he wrote on X (Twitter).
On Saturday afternoon, hundreds of New Yorkers opposed to the military strikes marched through Times Square, with some fearing that the attacks serve as a prelude to a much longer war.
House Democratic Leader and Brooklyn U.S. Rep. Hakeem Jeffries slammed Trump for giving the military the go-ahead to attack Iran without seeking Congressional approval, as mandated in the U.S. Constitution.
“Iran is a bad actor and must be aggressively confronted for its human rights violations, nuclear ambitions, support of terrorism, and the threat it poses to our allies like Israel and Jordan in the region. However, absent exigent circumstances, the Trump administration must seek authorization for the preemptive use of military force that constitutes an act of war,” Jeffries said. “Donald Trump failed to seek Congressional authorization prior to striking Iran. Instead, the President’s decision to abandon diplomacy and launch a massive military attack has left American troops vulnerable to Iran’s retaliatory actions.”
“We pray for the safety of the men and women of the U.S. military as they have been put into harm’s way in a dangerous theater of war,” Jeffries added.
Manhattan U.S. Rep. Jerry Nadler, ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee, charged that “Trump started an illegal war without approval from Congress and against the wishes of the American people.”
“If Donald Trump wanted to go to war, he should have gone to Congress first and convince the American people and their representatives that the cause is worthy of the expenditure of American blood and treasure,” Nadler said. “Trump campaigned on ending forever wars, and he may just have started one.”
Brooklyn/Staten Island U.S. Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, the only Republican member of the New York City delegation, lauded the military strikes against Iran, saying, “The United States has taken decisive and courageous action against Iran to defend our citizens, interests, and partners after the leading state sponsor of terrorism would not negotiate in good faith or commit to diplomacy over nuclear capabilities.”
“Iran is responsible for attacks that have killed American civilians and service members, and its continuous declarations of ‘Death to America’ while pursuing advanced nuclear capabilities threaten the United States and our allies,” Malliotakis added. “The United States, the Middle East and the world will be a safer and more peaceful place when the oppressive and murderous Iranian regime is eliminated.”
Her statement neither mentioned Trump by name nor addressed the lack of Congressional authorization for the military strikes.
Bronx/Queens U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez also blasted the military strikes on Iran as “catastrophic,” and charged that “a deliberate choice of aggression when diplomacy and security were within reach.” She further charged that Congress needed to pass a war powers resolution to end the combat as quickly as possible and preserve the legislative branch’s constitutional authority.
“In moments of war, our Constitution is unambiguous: Congress authorizes war. The President does not,” Ocasio-Cortez said. “I will do my part to uphold our Constitution by voting YES on Representatives Ro Khanna and Thomas Massie’s War Powers Resolution. Every member of Congress must join us in rejecting this aimless war.”
‘Epic Fury’ on Iran
The Pentagon dubbed the campaign “OPERATION EPIC FURY.” The first wave of strikes came two days after indirect talks mediated by Oman failed to produce a breakthrough on Iran’s nuclear program.
The strikes follow a June 2025 operation in which Trump had initially indicated Iran’s nuclear program had been “totally obliterated,” but intelligence after the attacks would find the opposite.
An Israeli official said Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and President Masoud Pezeshkian were both targeted, though the results remained unclear. An Iranian source said several senior Revolutionary Guards commanders and political officials had been killed.
Forty people died in an Israeli airstrike on a school, state media reported — a claim Reuters could not independently verify.
In a social media video, Trump said the “massive” operation aimed at “eliminating imminent threats from the Iranian regime” and preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. He urged Iranians to shelter, warning “bombs will be dropping everywhere,” before adding: “When we are finished, take over your government. It will be yours to take. This will be probably your only chance for generations.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the joint attack “will create the conditions for the brave Iranian people to take their destiny into their own hands.”
Iran’s missiles also struck targets across Gulf Arab states, including the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, and Kuwait. Global airlines cancelled regional flights, and some oil shippers suspended tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, raising fears of a sharp spike in crude prices.
