The U.S. and Israel launched attacks on Iran on February 28, 2026, according to multiple reports. These strikes killed Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, research indicates. In response, Iran launched attacks on Israel and Gulf states, escalating the conflict into a broader regional war.
Mojtaba Khamenei, son of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was named as the new supreme leader of Iran, according to research. U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Mojtaba Khamenei was injured and 'likely disfigured'. Iran denied the claim that Mojtaba Khamenei was injured and 'likely disfigured', creating conflicting reports about the new leader's condition.
The U.S. and Israel targeted Iran's missile infrastructure, military sites, leadership, nuclear program sites, and oil and gas sites like Kharg Island and South Pars, research shows. The U.S. attack involved two aircraft carrier strike groups and advanced aircraft with the Israeli air force, according to multiple reports. Israeli media reported the Israel Air Force 'eliminated 30 high-level officials in [the first] 30 seconds', though this claim has not been independently verified.
Iranian forces launched missiles and drones against Israel and U.S. military facilities in all six Gulf Cooperation Council countries, research indicates. Turkey said NATO defenses intercepted a missile headed its way from Iran. Israel launched strikes targeting Hezbollah sites in Beirut and Iranian infrastructure in Tehran, according to Israeli statements.
There will be no negotiations with the United States.
The war has killed more than 1,200 people in Iran, more than 400 in Lebanon, and 11 people in Israel, according to figures from Iranian and Lebanese health officials and Israeli authorities. However, the US-based group Human Rights Activists in Iran (HRANA) reported 3,220 people killed in Iran as of 20 March, including 1,165 military personnel, 1,398 civilians (at least 210 children), and 657 unclassified. More than 1,800 people have been killed so far, including 8 U.S. service members and at least 175 students killed by a reported U.S. strike on an Iranian elementary school, according to multiple reports, though casualty figures remain uncertain.
Sgt. Benjamin N. Pennington, a 26-year-old from Kentucky, was the seventh U.S. service member killed in the war, dying from injuries sustained in a March 1 attack in Saudi Arabia, according to the Pentagon. Israel says two of its soldiers were killed by Hezbollah in Lebanon. Six members of the Army Reserve were killed by a drone attack in Kuwait, research indicates. In the first two days of fighting, at least three U.S. jets were shot down, with the Kuwaiti Ministry of Defense stating 'several' U.S. warplanes crashed over Kuwait. The U.S. claims the jets were shot down by friendly fire, creating a disputed account of the incident.
Iran accused the U.S. and Israel of attacking a girls' school on 28 February, killing 168 people including around 110 children. The U.S. said it was investigating the school incident. Israel said it was 'not aware' of any military operations in the area of the school incident. BBC Verify has reported expert video analysis shows a US Tomahawk missile hit a military base near the school, adding complexity to the narrative. The exact details of the school attack, including the number of child casualties and responsibility, remain unclear.
Other high-ranking Iranian officials killed include Ali Larijani, Esmail Khatib, and Gholamreza Soleimani, according to research. An Iranian warship was sunk by a U.S. submarine in the Indian Ocean near Sri Lanka on 4 March, killing at least 87 people, multiple reports indicate. Iran has launched ballistic missiles at Israel, with reports suggesting casualties are higher than Tel Aviv claims.
He was at the checkpoint due to a 'shortage of personnel'.
Crude oil prices briefly neared $120 a barrel due to the conflict, research shows. The hostilities forced the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, through which 20% of the world's oil supply passes, according to multiple sources. The International Energy Agency released four hundred million barrels from its strategic reserve due to the energy shock from the Strait of Hormuz closure, research indicates.
Iranian police seized six Starlink devices and detained six people for trading access, sharing information with foreign outlets, and hostile activities, authorities accused. Iran has imposed a near-total internet blackout during the war, with connectivity at 1% of normal levels, according to monitoring group NetBlocks. Checkpoints with masked security and Basij volunteers, some very young, have been set up across urban areas, disrupting daily life, witnesses and residents said. Nightly pro-government rallies occur in many cities, with slogans like 'Death to America' and 'Death to Israel', residents reported.
Iran's war is being run by the Supreme National Security Council chaired by Ali Larijani, with a Provisional Leadership Council convened, research shows. Iran has received MiG-29 Su-35 fighter jets and Mil Mi-28 attack helicopters from Russia, according to multiple reports.
Iran is actively recruiting children as young as 12 into military-aligned positions, human rights groups have warned. Rahim Nadali, the deputy director of culture and arts at the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), publicly called for volunteers aged 12 and above to participate in various roles, including operational, security, support, logistics, and health services, according to major media reports. Organisations such as Human Rights Watch and the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights have condemned this recruitment, stating it violates children's rights and constitutes a war crime under international law for those under 15, major media reports indicate. Witnesses have reported seeing children, some armed, performing security duties in Tehran and other Iranian cities, according to major media accounts. The extent of child recruitment under 12 remains uncertain.
An 11-year-old boy, Alireza Jafari, was killed in a drone strike at a checkpoint in Tehran while helping his father, the Basij Teachers Organisation confirmed. According to The Independent - Main, Alireza Jafari's mother described that he was at the checkpoint due to a 'shortage of personnel'. The recruitment of children under 15 is a war crime under international law, including the Rome Statute, research indicates.
The Atlantic Council notes the conflict's impact across the region, with experts analyzing various countries' positions, according to research. Trump has issued conflicting statements on U.S. military objectives and the trajectory of the conflict, multiple reports show. As of 19 March, Israeli authorities said 15 civilians were killed by missile fire since the start of the war.