The White House has released photographs showing President Donald Trump and his cabinet overseeing US-Israeli air strikes on Iran from Mar-a-Lago, his Florida estate, rather than the White House Situation Room. The images, taken during the early hours of Saturday, reveal details of the makeshift war room and key figures present.
The photographs show Trump wearing a white "USA" cap, monitoring a large map in the background that displays military positions across the region, including two aircraft carrier strike groups and bases hosting US troops. Red diamonds on the map indicate a wide scope of targets inside Iran, marking a departure from more focused strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities in June last year.
The room is a sensitive compartmented information facility (SCIF), first established at Mar-a-Lago in 2017 and re-established ahead of Trump's return to the presidency. Access is tightly controlled, with strict rules on electronics. The same space was used to oversee the operation to capture Venezuela's President Maduro in January.
In the foreground, CIA Director John Ratcliffe appears to be speaking to the president. Reports suggest his agency had tracked Ayatollah Khamenei for months and pinpointed his location before the strikes that killed him. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who has also served as acting National Security Advisor for nine months, briefed eight senior congressional leaders about Operation Epic Fury ahead of the strikes.
The only woman in the photograph is Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, a quietly influential figure with no formal national security role but daily contact with the president. Her deputy, Dan Scavino, stands just behind her. The images offer a rare glimpse into the operational command during a significant military action.
