The volatile crisis between Iran, the United States, and Israel escalated dramatically on February 28, 2026, with coordinated U.S. and Israeli air and missile attacks. These strikes targeted Iranian military infrastructure and leadership compounds across cities including Tehran, critically resulting in the death of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Expert Menachem Milgrom deemed it “the most ambitious attack on Iranian targets in decades,” highlighting its profound impact and unprecedented scale.
Dubbing its involvement “Operation Epic Fury,” the U.S. government, through President Donald Trump, stated the strikes aimed to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, eliminate missile threats, destroy its ballistic arsenal, degrade proxy networks, and cripple naval forces. In swift retaliation, Iran launched “extensive missile and drone attacks” against Israeli territory and U.S. military bases in the Middle East. Iranian state media justified these as defensive measures under UN Charter Article 51, with Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf condemning U.S. and Israeli leaders as “filthy criminals” for violating Iran’s “red line.”
An emergency UN Security Council session saw heated diplomatic exchanges. Iran’s Ambassador, Amir Saeid Iravani, vehemently condemned the strikes as “unprovoked and premeditated aggression,” violations of international law, and even a “war crime.” He dismissed self-defense claims as “unfounded.” Conversely, U.S. Ambassador Mike Waltz refuted Iran’s accusations, justifying the strikes as defensive. He cited the Iranian regime’s history of regional violence, support for proxy militias, attacks on U.S. forces, and domestic repression, reinforcing the U.S. rationale for its actions against what he described as a long-standing threat.
