The coordinated military campaign, dubbed Operation Epic Fury, targeted Iranian military sites, nuclear facilities, and government infrastructure. US President Donald Trump justified the operation as a response to Iran's nuclear program and its suppression of domestic protests in January 2026. The strikes resulted in the assassination of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and the deaths of other high-ranking Iranian officials. Iran launched retaliatory missile strikes on Israeli and U.S. targets in the region.
In response, pro-government rallies occurred in major Iranian cities such as Tehran, where demonstrators marched waving Islamic Republic flags and chanting against the U.S. and Israel. Similar gatherings were reported in Yasuj, where crowds mourned Khamenei, and state media noted rallies in Enqelab Square on March 1. Simultaneously, anti-war demonstrations were organized internationally in the U.S., Europe, and the Middle East, with protests opposing the war held in several countries after the strikes. In the U.S., demonstrations occurred in multiple cities on February 28, including Washington, D.C., where hundreds protested near the White House, and in New York City, where pro-Iranian protests took place in Times Square. Other U.S. cities with protests included Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Cincinnati, Denver, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, Minneapolis, San Francisco, and Philadelphia, sponsored mainly by a coalition of left-wing groups critical of U.S. involvement. Violence occurred near U.S. diplomatic facilities in Iraq and Pakistan during protests, while celebratory demonstrations supporting the strikes occurred among Iranian diaspora communities opposed to the Islamic Republic, including a rally of about 1,000 British Iranians in Manchester.
On March 28, 2026, anti-war protests broke out across Israel after the Supreme Court ordered police to allow them. Police clashed with protesters at Habima Square in Tel Aviv, and 22 people were arrested during protests in twenty locations including Tel Aviv, Haifa, and Jerusalem. Amid the turmoil, on Tuesday, April 7, 2026, the US, Iran, and Israel agreed to a provisional two-week ceasefire, with Trump indicating a pull-back from immediate escalation. In London, protesters from Fossil Free London gathered outside the US Embassy in Nine Elms shortly after 8:15 AM to demonstrate over America's war on Iran and the oil crisis. Activists had painted white faces, posed with a yellow mock petrol pump, and had fake oil poured on their heads, displaying signs with messages including 'Stop Trump' and 'Break free from oil wars'.
Crowds of pro-Iranian protesters gathered outside Downing Street on Tuesday April 7, 2026 at 7 PM, chanting 'Allahu Akbar' in an emergency protest against Donald Trump. The protest was organized by the Islamic Human Rights Commission (IHRC) and occurred hours after Trump issued threats against Iran but before he announced the ceasefire agreement. The IHRC accused Trump of harboring 'genocidal intentions' against Iranians in a statement ahead of the event and called on the UK Government to 'stop being complicit in war crimes' and restrict the use of British military bases by American bombers. On Friday afternoon, Palestinian flag-waving crowds charged at the Ministry of Defence building in London in an alleged attempt to swarm Royal Navy officers, with security deploying MoD protective blast doors in response. A pro-Palestine mob surrounded Royal Navy officers and branded serving personnel as 'baby killers' during a protest where demonstrators stormed the Ministry of Defence.
According to GB News editor Mark White, police presence was limited, forcing officers to play catch-up as they tried to establish control. Two opposing protests took place across London today, with hundreds of anti-war activists marching and a smaller gathering expressing gratitude for US and Israeli intervention. The annual Al Quds day protest sparked a row on GB News, with Climate Party leader Ed Gemmell arguing it should be allowed for 'British free speech' and Reform UK candidate Laila Cunningham opposing it as a platform for extremists. Authorities banned a longstanding al-Quds Day march and planned counterprotests last week, citing high risks of public disorder. Iranians living in the UK have expressed safety concerns to authorities amid heightened tensions linked to the conflict with the US and Israel, with videos online of individuals allegedly being 'aggressive' and 'coercing' in London leading to some feeling unsafe. Naghmeh Rajabi, a British-Iranian activist, has met with Metropolitan police and Barnet council to voice concerns about intimidation, including online videos in Farsi of aggressive behavior and coercing shop owners to display the lion and sun flag. Local police have met community representatives and businesses, increased patrols in Barnet, and acknowledged fears in Iranian communities.
In early March, police arrested four men suspected of spying for Iran; two were charged on Wednesday. On Friday, two people, one Iranian, were arrested after allegedly trying to enter the Faslane nuclear submarine base in Scotland. Iran’s ambassador to the UK has been summoned by the Foreign Office following what it described as Iran's 'reckless and destabilising actions' within Britain and overseas. The summoning followed accusations that an Iranian national and a British-Iranian dual national carried out hostile surveillance on London’s Jewish community. Nematollah Shahsavani, 40, and Alireza Farasati, 22, are accused of engaging in conduct likely to assist a foreign intelligence service between July 9 and August 15 last year. A Telegram post from Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamia (HAYI) has circulated online claiming to be behind the arson attack on four Jewish ambulances in Golders Green.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has gone on the offensive against the UK government's position on the war, accusing Labour leader Starmer of not taking 'offensive action' after attacks on UK bases. According to YouGov polling, 15% of Tory voters think the UK should actively join the attack on Iran, 37% believe the UK military stance should be 'purely defensive', and 37% want it to be 'purely retaliatory'. Veteran MP Edward Leigh voiced Tory caution about war, contrasting with Badenoch's criticism. Farage has given his full-throated endorsement of regime change in Iran and insists he does not follow public opinion, risking alienating voters due to his association with Donald Trump, who was deeply unpopular with the British public even before starting the war. Labour leader Starmer is broadly in line with where the country and his party's voter base are on the war, reflecting ambivalence influenced by the shadow of Iraq, with 59% of Labour voters wanting the UK to take a specific stance on the war. Background context includes the Iranian regime's poor reputation for human rights, with it reportedly killing between 6,000 and 30,000 protesters since December, though exact figures are hard to verify. The regime is notorious for its hardline interpretation of Islamic sharia law, and many Iranians are distancing themselves from Islam due to trauma, with soaring inflation making life harder, adding layers to anti-government protests.