Pluto Koehnen, contributor

On Feb. 28, the United States and Israel coordinated a surprise attack against Iran, killing Iranian officials including Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. At 7 a.m. EST, Iran launched over 170 ballistic missiles towards Israel.

On Feb. 27 at 3:38 p.m. EST, United States President Donald Trump ordered the U.S. and Israel to proceed with “Operation Epic Fury” (aka Operation Roaring Lion by Israel). At 1:15 a.m. EST, Israel and the United States began striking Iran. Over 1,200 bombs and 200 fighter jets— the largest in Israel’s history—were used by Israel within the first 24 hours. HRANA reports that within the first 24 hours, there had been at least 104 attacks in 85 incidents by U.S.-Israel attacks on Iran. Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, several high officials, and Khamenei’s family were killed. Physical strikes were paired with cyberattacks on Iranian media and apps, resulting in a 60-hour internet blackout. Notably, the Shajareh Tayyebeh girls elementary school in southern Iran was hit by three distinct missile strikes, killing 180 people.

Tensions between Iran, Israel and the United States can be traced back to the Islamic Revolution, several events that led to the replacing of the Pahlavi dynasty with the Islamic Republic of Iran in 1979. The new Islamic Republic of Iran rejected American culture, declared Israel as an illegitimate state, and opposed western ideals. Later, in Nov. 1979, Iranian student revolutionaries held 52 American diplomats hostage for 444 days. While with Israel, Iran has been in a proxy war— a conflict in which major powers fund third, smaller nations to oppose adversaries— since 1985. Within the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Iran supported Palestinian groups such as Hamas, while Israel has supported Iranian rebels and conducted air strikes against Iranian allies like Syria. During Donald Trump’s first administration, President Trump withdrew the United States from Obama’s Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action as well as applied the Maximum Pressure Campaign, with a result of severely damaging Iran’s economy. 

Tensions heightened with an armed conflict between Israel and Iran called the Twelve-Day War that occurred in June 2025. Israel led a surprise attack on the Iranian military and nuclear facilities, killing military leaders, nuclear scientists, and civilians. Iran reciprocated with over 1,000 suicide drones and 550 ballistic missiles. The United States involved themselves by blocking Iranian attacks and bombing three nuclear sites on June 22, setting Iran’s nuclear program back by two years. Under United States pressure, Israel and Iran agreed to a ceasefire on the 24th of June. During this time, Iran threatened to block the Strait of Hormuz, a strait between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman that handles 20% of the global oil consumption. 

On March 7, a reported 6,668 civilian units were targeted by the United States and Israel, including 65 schools and 14 medical centers. Iranian and Lebanese officials have reported over 1,800 deaths between Iran and Lebanon.