the DON JONES INDEX…
	GAINS POSTED in GREEN LOSSES POSTED in RED 2/27/26… 15,627.56 2/20/26… 15,631.89 6/27/13... 15,000.00
(THE DOW JONES INDEX: 3/4/26... 49,499.20; 2/27/26... 49,499.20; 6/27/13… 15,000.00)

LESSON for FRIDAY, MARCH 6th, 2026 – “IRAN ALL the WAY HOME!”

And again, America is at war.

Last Saturday, at two in the morning (but half past ten, Tehran time). a barrage dealing death from above struck Iran all the way home; its people, it’s terrorists and the home of the master of all depraved and deviant – Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei – during a strategy session. Also killed were perhaps forty of Khamenei’s most important underthings in what was the first of many strikes all through the week.

Nobody said they were sorry to see Khamenei blasted off to the Islamist Paradise... whatever they call it... not even perhaps a majority of the people (those who’d protested in the streets and survived the shootings by the Revolutionary Guards (I@).

Not President Trump nor his minions, not Republicans (a handful of diehard isolationists who condemned that attack, but without sympathy for its clericatalytic convertees), not Democrats (who opposed or, at least, questioned what Trump called “Operation Epic Fury” on Constitutional grounds, not out of any affection for Khamenei nor his regime; not the American public – nor foreigners of the NATO persuasion, nor the Saudis (nor more than a dozen other Islamic states of the Sunni, as opposed to Shiite-y persuasion – many of whom are now enduring revenge bombing at the direction of the remnants of the regime). Even anti-Semites... who might have loathed the Jews and Israel, Semites therein worried about Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu’s imperial ambitions out of justrified fears of retaliation, not love for the Ayatollah; even hardcore American enemies like Russia or calculating Communist conspirators like China succored Tehran with anything stronger than strong words.

None of these said they were sorry as the mullahs burned once America and Israel took the war all the way home to the Western world’s ancient enemies in Persepolis.

(A note on our title: sing along to the Impalas with Djonald UnChained, the Democrats UnEased, the Sunnis, Israelis and Dean Martin – background and lyrics as ATTACHMENT ONE – while the good guys continue to blast Iranians into particles of men and women and children... schools and hospitals and their occupants oblitered: oops!... but not sorry: this is now war and in war, said the President while tearing up the Constitution, @quote.”

Trump, DefSec (or WarSec) Hegseck and Congressional tagalongs like Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) are enjoying their wargasm, and as the TV ads for @ maintain; nobody is going to get in the way of their fun.

At least not for awhile. Few tears are being wept for Khamenei, but polls, of late, say a majority of Americans still oppose the war – not out of sympathy for the jihadists, but because it’s raising the price of gas at the pump, heating oil and propane all the way home and, shortly (as the supply chains begin snapping) the stuff that they want or need to buy, most of which... domestic or imported... requires petrol in the productive processes.

Barron’s (not the President’s youngest but the financial journal) tracked the rise in oil prices which began even before (February 27^th. ATTACHMENT TWO) the strike after the collapse of nuclear talks between Iran and an actual Trump son in law, Jared (plus sad old Steve Witkoff)... said crumpilation as has been blamed, or credited, with the precipitation of Epic Fury.

As the omnibus website Tangle (purveyors, like the DJI of perspectives of varying partisanship) looked back in the aftermath of the strike, the warhawks of all enthusiasm... Islamic, Israeli, American (left, right or other)... looking back to December 2025, when protests broke out across Iran “in response to declining economic conditions in the country, leading to a violent crackdown by the Iranian regime.” (ATTACHMENT THREE) Despite the horrors of mass massacres at the Christmas season (well, most Christian Americans, at least, recoiled at the horrors of government agents shooting down mostly-unarmed protesters), the President... then embroiled in obverse, but similar shootouts in Minnesota... flung more words (but no actual military or financial support) at Khameini which, of course, drew howls of hypocrisy from almost all Democrats, many Independents (or the ‘disgusted with everybody’ legions) and even some Republicans.

The Yankees did, however, build up a significant military presence in the Middle East in what Tangle called, after the fact, “anticipation of an attack.”

For weeks, declared Tangle’s Executive Editor Isaac Saul, “the Trump administration (had) been sending significant military resources to the Middle East. Speculation about the president’s plans ran rampant, but as with Trump’s build-up outside Venezuela, this outcome should have been obvious.”

“Of course, I’m happy to see Ayatollah Ali Khamenei go,” Saul joine the chorus of hell-wishers calling Iran’s regime “despotic and oppressive”— but denunciations leave out a lot of detail. “The U.S.-Israel military alliance will, at some point, overwhelm and overpower Iran,” Saul predicted, “and I’m once again shocked and morbidly impressed by the capabilities of the U.S. and Israeli militaries. We will “win.” Obviously. But this is all the easy stuff to say — it’s dunking on a toddler, it’s close to meaningless.

“The harder and more important question is what happens now?”

Globally, the example of Venezuela should elicit caution – as also the question of who will succeed Khamenei. (There are two top choices... one bad, the other worse... see below.) Locally, Americans are going to feel pain at the pump, especially after Iran closed the Straits of Hormuz to the tanker fleet that supplies perhaps twenty to twenty five percent of black gold to American refineries.

On Friday, ten hours before EFDay, Reuters (4:19 PM EST, ATTACHMENT FOUR) reported that SecState Marco Rubio was designating Iran as an official state sponsor of... uh... wrongful detention?

"The Iranian regime must stop taking hostages and release all Americans unjustly detained in Iran, steps that could end this designation and associated actions," Rubio said in a statement.

Trump added on Friday night that he was disappointed with these negotiations – and, more significantly, the nuke talks: warning, somewhat ominously – "sometimes you have to use force."

The “sometimes” became “now” on Saturday morning around 2AM EST (10:30 Tehran time) when United States and Israel launched a wave of military strikes against Iran in what President Donald Trump called a “massive and ongoing” campaign aimed at bringing about what Time Magazine (9:34 AM, ATTACHMENT FIVE) called “a change in the country's leadership” – effectively acknowledging the intent of regime change, howsoever denied by so many for so long.

“Our objective is to defend the American people by eliminating imminent threats from the Iranian regime, a vicious group of very hard, terrible people,” Trump said in an eight-minute video posted to Truth Social at 2.30 am Eastern on Saturday.

“Its menacing activities directly endanger the United States, our troops, our bases overseas, and our allies throughout the world,” he continued and then advised the Iranian people to: “Stay sheltered. Don’t leave your home. It’s very dangerous outside. Bombs will be dropping everywhere. When we are finished, take over your government. It will be yours to take,” he said.

“This will be, probably, your only chance for generations. For many years, you have asked for America’s help, but you never got it. No president was willing to do what I am willing to do tonight. Now you have a president who is giving you what you want. So let’s see how you respond,” he added.

Of course, it was also dangerous inside homes... not to mention places of business, markets and, as events would expose, schools and hospitals.

Time, in fact, monitored Iranian media and would announce that “at least 40 people were reported killed at a girls' school in southern Iran, according to Iran's state-run IRNA news agency, although TIME could not independently verify that claim.”

When they, and others, did, it was to jump up the toll to @.

“Iran responded by launching a wave of missiles at Israel and other U.S. allies across the region. Explosions were heard in the United Arab Emirates capital, Abu Dhabi. Bahrain, which hosts the U.S. Fifth Fleet, was also targeted,” Time reported.

Speaking to NBC News from Tehran on Saturday morning, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said “the situation on the ground is—I cannot say normal—life is going on. Everything is under control.”

He insisted the Americans and Israelis had “failed to hit their targets” and that all high-ranking Iranian officials were still alive.

Back in June, Trump had authorized the U.S. to join Israel in major strikes on three key nuclear sites in June including Fodrow (which became emblematic of the strike). Trump claimed the country’s nuclear enrichment facilities had been “completely and totally obliterated,” but questions remained about the survival of key components of the program although, Timeservers Brian Bennett and Richard Hall contended that Iran’s leadership had been “severely weakened following the attack, both regionally and domestically.

“In the aftermath of the bombing campaign, Iranian authorities arrested thousands of people they suspected of being spies—including activists, journalists, and ordinary citizens. United Nations experts estimated that more than 1,000 people were executed between June and September alone.”

After the U.N. reimposed nuclear-related sanctions on the country, “Iran was facing an economic downturn, rampant inflation and a collapse in its currency.” Protests broke out and Trump ratcheted up his threats against Iran’s leadership in January, as the death toll from the crackdown on protests in the country rose dramatically. An internet blackout across the country prevented effective communication with the outside world, but some estimates have the death toll reaching into the tens of thousands.

On Jan. 13, Trump appeared to indicate the U.S. would intervene militarily in the country” to support protesters. "Iranian Patriots, KEEP PROTESTING - TAKE OVER YOUR INSTITUTIONS!!!" Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social. "Save the names of the killers and abusers. They will pay a big price. I have cancelled all meetings with Iranian Officials until the senseless killing of protesters STOPS. HELP IS ON ITS WAY."

During his State of the Union address Tuesday night, Trump accused Iran of restarting “sinister ambitions” related to nuclear weaponry and appeared to indicate that the U.S. would consider taking military action if Tehran did not abandon said ambitions. He claimed Iran was working to “build missiles that will soon reach the United States of America.”

Khamenei also threatened on Feb. 17 in a social media post that Iran may attack U.S. ships. “More dangerous than that warship is the weapon that can send that warship to the bottom of the sea,” he wrote.

The threat was his last.

Explosions in Tehran were reported early in the morning Eastern Time on Feb. 28, which is mid-morning in Iran. (USA Today, 10:49 AM, EST – ATTACHMENT SIX)

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian were both directly targeted in the U.S. and Israeli airstrikes, according to a Middle Eastern official familiar with the matter, who also said, without providing additional information, that several senior Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps were killed in the strikes. At that time, the official “did not discuss the outcome of the strikes on Khamenei or Pezeshkian. Iranian state media has said Pezeshkian is accounted for and safe. Iran has not commented on Khamenei.”

Nine minutes later, Reuters (ATTACHMENT SEVEN, February 28, 2026 10:58 AM EST) reported a U.S. Central Intelligence Agency assessment that, even if Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in the operation, “he would likely be replaced by hardline figures from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).”

Iran analysts have expressed concern that the attack could spill over into a wider regional war.

"Let’s be clear: This could have catastrophic consequences," said Trita Parsi, the co-founder and executive director of the Quincy Institute, a Washington, DC-based think tank.

Laura Sanicola and Reshma Kapadia, Barron’s financial reporters, speculated that the U.S. and Israeli attack on Iran—and Tehran’s retaliation—was “likely to cause oil and other energy prices to spike and stock markets to react sharply when trading starts on Sunday evening.” (September 28, 12:17 PM, ATTACHMENT EIGHT) Nine minutes later, comrade Nicole Goodkind quoted Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, who said that the national average gasoline price, currently around $3 per gallon, was “likely to rise to roughly $3.10 to $3.15 per gallon over the next couple of weeks if crude prices remain elevated.

“The biggest concern for oil markets isn’t just Iran’s own exports,” Ms. Goodkind added. (ATTACHMENT NINE) “It’s the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow shipping lane between Iran and Oman that handles about 20% of global oil and liquefied natural gas flows. Even partial disruptions or rerouting of tankers can push prices higher,” although she noted that OPEC+ countries are scheduled to hold their monthly meeting Sunday, and that “producers could choose to increase output to calm markets.”

A Fox timeline (ATTACHMENT TEN, 1:10 PM EST) reported concerns that another potential impact would be the direction of retaliatory terror attacks against the homeland – whether instigated by so-called “sleeper cells” hiding in major cities or near critical infrastructure facilities, or “lone wolves”, who might not even be Iranian.

American police and politicians ranging from New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani to California Governor Gavin Newsome criticized the both the Iranian regime and the American/Israeli attack, but attempted to assure the public that they were safe.

Democrats (and a few Republicans) in Congress argued that they, not Trump, should have made the decision whether or not to attack. “The framers of the United States Constitution gave Congress the sole power to declare war as the branch of government closest to the American people," said House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) and Reps. Ro Khanna (D-@) and Thomas Massie (R-@) introduced a bipartisan “War Powers Resolution” to terminate the attack.

"Just this week, Iran and the United States were negotiating key measures that could have staved off war,” declared self-described Socialist Rep. Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY). The President walked away from these discussions and chose war instead. President Trump flippantly acknowledged the possibility of American casualties, stating 'that often happens in war'," she continued.

Fellow “Squadstress” Rashida Tlaib (D-Mi) also said that Trump did not care about Americans, nor Iranians. “He is corrupted. Don't fall for the lies."

Speaking for the war, Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.V., and chair of the Senate Republican Policy Committee, said in a statement that Trump had given “the Iranian regime countless opportunities to stand down, stop killing their people, and abandon their nuclear ambitions. Instead of choosing a peaceful path, they have doubled down on weapons designed to threaten the American people,” Moore Capito said.

"I do not make this statement lightly; the Iranian regime seeks to kill," Trump said. "The lives of courageous American heroes may be lost, and we may have casualties — that often happens in war. But we're doing this not for now. We're doing it for the future, and it is a noble mission."

United Nations (U.N.) Secretary-General António Guterres condemned the military actions in the Middle East, including the strikes by the U.S. and Israel in Operation Epic Fury, as well as Iran's retaliation. The U.K. – set to convene the United Nations Security Council at 4:00 PM EST – prepared to hear arguments for, by Israeli Ambassador Danny Danon while war supporter Graham expressed hope that Saudi Arabia would recognize Israel, in light of “the mothership of terrorism” being “about to go down.”

“I hope the Ayatollah is captured or killed. He’s a miserable human being,” Graham added, calling the Ayatollah a “religious Nazi” and “Hitler in a robe.”

By 3:20 PM, the liberal Guardian U.K. could confirm that Khamenei had been killed, and that Iranian state media had confirmed statements by Trump and Netanyahu that the dictator was dead. (ATTACHMENT ELEVEN)

This followed the Israeli termination of Hezbollah Sec. Gen Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut, their air offensive in June and the American “obliteration” of the Fodrow and other nuclear facilities that Trump and his supporters, said, the Iranians were attempting to rebuild.

The GUK bio of Khameini, who succeeded his mentor, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in 1989, cited an assassination attempt that cost him an arm, his battles with reformist Mohammad Khatami and his investments in the so-called axis of resistance – Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthi movement in Yemen and a motley assortment of Islamic militant militias in Syria and Iraq – which adventure ended with the fall of his Syrian ally, Bashar al-Assad’s regime in December.

Infirm, ailing and failing in his aims, Iranians were already plotting and speculating on Khameini’s successor while Israelis were warning office-seekers that they would also be assassinated.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said in a prerecorded message that a new leadership council had begun its work. The country’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, said a new Supreme Leader would be chosen in “one or two days.”

Alternately bloodthirsty and jovial by Sunday... once the Khamenei kill had been confirmed and the dance of death among successors was proceeding, President Trump expressed hope for “dialogue” but continued to prosecute the war.

In an essay cowritten by Jon Gambrell, Melanie Lidman, Josh Boak and Eric Tucker plus a series of fifteen short takeaways, (ATTACHMENT TWELVE) plus, also, charts, graphs, videos and photo captions in the Associated Press (see these here), the story of Operation Epic Fury was told amidst the day’s developments... including “unrelenting” attacks on Iran, retaliatory strikes on Israel and the deaths of three service members — “the first known American casualties”.

In a video he posted on social media, Trump called the three service members “true American patriots who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our nation, even as we continue the righteous mission for which they gave their lives.”

He added: “Sadly, there will likely be more, before it ends. That’s the way it is. Likely be more.”

(And there were, later - see below)

The strikes, “the second time in eight months that the U.S. and Israel had combined against Iran, represented a startling show of military might” for an American president who swept into office on an “America First” platform and vowed to keep out of “forever wars.”

Britain, France and Germany said Sunday they were ready to join with the U.S. to help stop Iran’s attacks.

Trump said on social media that nine Iranian warships had been sunk and that the Iranian navy’s headquarters had been “largely destroyed.”

The targets were not all military. Whether accidentally or to demonstrate “shock and awe”, Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency reported that parts of the building of the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) were struck Sunday and the toll rose to at least 165 people killed on Saturday when the girls’ school was struck, with dozens more were wounded, IRNA reported. (The U.S. and Israeli military both denied culpability but said they would “look into” the reports.)

The AP’s PEANUT GALLERY was trending negative on Sunday with a conspiracy theorist alleging the attack was made to provoke regaliation on US soil as would then “finalize what is growing apparent as a coup against this Nations form of Government?”, that he and his team “have no love for Country, just money and self-perceived power,” and, as another posted: the President’s “callous remarks” that more may be killed, “well that shows how much empathy he has for anyone other than himself.”

It was not only the Peanuts standing aside from the President’s football – Time’s Jeffrey Sonnenfeld and Steven Tian alleged that “Donald Trump Shouts Loudly and Fumbles a Big Stick!” (Sunday, ATTACHMENT THIRTEEN)

Despite the dispatch of Khamenei, the Timeservers rolled back the clockhands and condemned the perversion of Teddy Roosevelt’s “bully pulpit” to his bullying of smaller people and countries like... well... Iran... citing the “unexpected common link between Trump’s recent setbacks, from the surrender of his demands to own Greenland, to his shifting explanations for his seizure of Venezuelan strongman Nicolás Maduro, to the spreading outrage over the indiscriminate brutal cruelty of ICE raids around the nation,” and merching their book: Trump’s Ten Commandments, wherin they identified ten of Trump’s favorite go-to leadership tools.

“Several of these tools have been failing Trump amidst recent setbacks.”

In no particular order, Trump’s “go-to tools” were...

(1) NEGOTIATE THROUGH AGGRESSION

(2) DIVIDE AND CONQUER

(3) REPEAT FALSE INFORMATION

The Timers concluded that, like the mythical Icarus, with ambitious omnipotent presumptions, who flew too close to the Sun, leading his wax wings to melt; Trump’s wax wings have been melting fast and now he risks crashing to earth.

Or not.

No question that some Iranian civilians have been crashing to earth, and another Time piece (ATTACHMENT FOURTEEN) profiled some of these.

“I had just stepped out of the shower, getting prepared to go out, when the sound of low-flying aircraft startled me,” said Salman, a 45-year-old contractor living in Tehran. “Seconds later, when the sound of two explosions reached us, I realized it had started.”
“I was in a car,” said Marziyeh, a 40-year-old graphic artist. “The music was loud, but suddenly I noticed the drivers around me hit the brakes and started looking around and up at the sky. I was just thinking to myself, ‘Is there going to be war?’ When suddenly I heard an explosion, and I said to myself, Stupid! War has already started.”

BATTLE FOR THE STREETS

Iranians interviewed by TIME say they knew the next phase of battle would be for the streets. Since 2009, when the regime refused to seat a reformist candidate who had clearly won the presidency, public protests have been the only channel left open to the majority of Iranians who oppose their authoritarian government. On the night of January 8, throngs across the nation of 93 million filled public spaces to chant “death to the dictator.”

“The regime—which had come to power in 1979 behind similar protests—responded by unleashing a level of force it deemed commensurate to the threat it faced. Its security forces killed some 30,000 Iranians that night and the next, senior officials in Iran’s health ministry later told TIME.

Many cheered Khameini’s death “but few, if any, expect the regime Khamenei led to disappear with him. Its loyalists number in the millions, and have the weapons. But for a few hours at least, Iranians found themselves undisturbed.”

On Monday, the Daily Beast opined that Trump had made a “totally impossible” claim to Fox News host Bret Baier that Iran would quickly replicate Venezuela—“even though the deposed leader of Venezuela is still alive.” (ATTACHMENT FIFTEEN)

“He said there is a plan. He points to Venezuela as a template, which means to me that going in, they had some sense on the ground of what was coming next,” Baier said of his call with the president.

At the Pentagon, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth defended the operation, calling Epic Fury not an “endless war” but a “clear, devastating, decisive mission” while critics called it an Epic Fairytale.

“Where does this all go?” Jim Himes, the ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, told NPR. “We can bomb Iran along with the Israelis for, you know, a lengthy period of time, but in the service of what?

“Is the intention regime change? Because there aren’t many examples either of regime change affected through bombing, or, quite frankly, of American military forces actually doing regime change in a way that is satisfactory.”

Peanuts from the Gallery included contentions that “the mullahs will choose a new supreme leader not 47,” and that the master plan is to “use force to seize their oil.”

	IN the NEWS: FEBRUARY 27^th, 2026 to MARCH 3^rd, 2026
Friday, February 27, 2026 Dow: 48,977.92	Paramount/Oracle under Larry Ellison (“the most evil human in America” – DJI) outbids Netflix for Warner Brothers... 120B to 80B. The WB cache-box includes CNN, which will now be Trumpified by Ellison and his son (daughter Megan remains a serious, presumably ethical movie producer) and e-con-mystics believe the $50B debt undertaken will send numerous workers to the undertakers. After Hillary, Slick Willie Clinton testifies six hours before Congress; does his Sgt. Schultz impersonation: “I saw nozzing!” and says he didn’t know the girl in the hot tub with himself and Jeffy. Still seeking a pardon, GMax says she, not not Epstein, “liaisoned” with Bill while Hillary calls Congress a “clown show” and Democrat continut begging for Djonald UnCalledfor (and, now, Melania) to testify. Trump, himself, is busy drafting an EO to seize midterm ballot boxes and declare Himself sole arbiter of November’s elections, then lunches on a Baconator after fires on an Ohio farm kill 60,000 pigs and orders a gumment ban on Claude/Anthropic AI after they refuse to support mass surveillance of Americans and greenlight autonomous robots – bringing us all closer to the Terminator. There’s also more jibber jabber between Witkoff, Jared and the Iranians – who refuse to give up either nuclear weapons or their plutonium enrichment programs for “peaceful” power as the pollen season arrives early, bringing yellow dust and sneezing to increasingly contemptuous voters and the media, until...
Saturday, February 28, 2026 Dow: Closed	The United States and Israel break off talks and break out the bombs at 2 AM (EST, c. 10:30 AM Tehran time) – striking the compound where Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khameini is meeting with top officials. With Morning in America, the media report Khameini has been killed as drones and missiles continue to blast away on at least nine Iranian cities. NBC’s morning correspondent Julie Tsuirkin says Trump “had a negative view” of the negotiations despite his son-in-law’s best efforts and, calling the Iranians “hard, terrible people” rebuilding their nuclear bomb program after Fodrow, chose to join Israel in going back to what PM Bibi called “a Golden Age” – meaning an Iran of half a century past under Shah Reza Pahlevi. As “Operation Epic Fury” continues somebody in Tehran orders retaliatory strikes on Israel and numerous Sunni Islamic states; American reaction being mostly partisan except that the isolationist wing of MAGA is conflicted, sometimes critical. Sen. Lindsey Graham supports the (still undeclared) war while “peacenik” traitors like two Kentucks (GOP Reps Thomas Massie and SenRand Paul) as well as MTG (Ga) are joined by Tucker Carlson, who calls Trump “evil”. By sundown. Djonald UnNobelous can declare Khameini terminated and, because most of the regime died with him, “regime change” pending, in a thing (war still undeclared, despite the Constitution) that may take days, weeks or longer – in which case Trump concedes that there will be military casualties because “this often happens in war.” At home, local, State and Federal policiers heighten security to prepare for terror – either from sleeper cells or lone wolves while the DHS shutdown continues, Alabama enacts a tax-free holiday for guns and ammo, other states cutting Medicaid and food stamps to support the military and, in the dark of night, Trump also proposes a “friendly takeover” of Cuba.
Sunday, March 1, 2026 Dow: Closed	It’s the end of Black History Month, the beginning of meteorological spring (with warm temperatures South and East (except for -20° in Maine) and hot SW, like the record 92° in Phoenix, and, also, Talkshow Sunday. With war on the breakfast table and partisanship rising among Americans and Iranians (mourners versus celebrants in the streets, Sunni v. Shiite conflicts spreading to Iraq, Lebanon, Pakistan and Afghanistan), TV Col. Ganyard (ABC) says that American air superiority means there probably won’t be boots on the ground. Gen. Doug Lute disagrees, saying the mullahs’ “deep state” will seize power while Revolutionary Guards round up and kill pro-democracy activists, saying the infidels bombed a school to kill 148 children, just because they could. The ABC roundtablers agree that Khameini’s death was a blessing, but what comes after varies. Perennial liberal Donna Brazile feared a Venezuelan do-over where the dictatorship and brutality survive the leader while Sara Isgur (SCOTUS blot) says that what happened down there didn’t matter, but Iran matters. Sanderista Faiz Shakur supported the killing because Khameini was antigay while Harvard Republican Doug Heye says that, although the interventionist wing of MAGA is “on a sugar high”, Democrats will gain converts (even Carlson?) and the length of the war and duration of gas and oil price hikes will determine who wins in the midterms. On ”Face the Nation” Margaret Brennan announced that Iranian President Mashoud Pezeshkian was also targeted, but escaped, and obscure successor Alireza Arafi becomes interim “Supreme” leader (earning him an Israeli surprise) while others conspire and claim, including Reza Pahlevi Junior – of whom more, next issue.
Monday, March 2, 2026 Dow: 48,904.78	Quackery breaks out as partisans debate whether Israel’s determination to attack dragged Trump into the war or the reverse, as Djonald UnChained says neither Bibi nor anybody tells Him what to do. Globalists say Netanyahu wants to wrap up regime change before Trump’s attention wanders off in other directions... like invading Cuba. Oil prices surge 11% as Iran attacks Saudi oilfields and bottles up tankers in the Straits of Hormuz, but the Dow isn’t much bothered – yet. Polls show support for the war dropping to 27% as Congress will attempt to declare war or go home on Thursday – for now, they are consumed with investigating those same old EpFiles and picking at the scabs of Bill and Hillary after nine hours of their testimony are released for the devoted to dine upon. Foreigners remain cautious, Russia and China express opposition, but with words, only, and libDem Schumer says “this is Trump’s War (which is) a war of chaos with no endgame.” The first domestic terror arrives at an Austin, Tx bar when a man in a shirt reading “Property of Allah” kills three, Authorities, however, say the cowboy jihadist “had mental issues.”
Tuesday, March 3, 2026 Dow: 48,223.82	Now the war and oil complications disturb the Dow, which plummets deep into the 47-hundreds before being lifted up by bargain hunters. E-con-mystics predict the higher prices at the pump will cause disruptions in the supply chain, affecting food, clothing, stuff and, especially, utility prices... more trouble for Trump if the war drags on into Midtermery (with three primaries today, including critical Texas). He calls the isolationists in MAGA traitors, declaring the war “a detour that we hve to take” and then invades Lebanon, proclaiming that “we will have higher prices for a little while, but then they will go down even lower.” A high military commander, asked about attacks on schools and hospitals, smiles and says that God has ordained this wars – it’s part of the End Times. Accordingly, Tennessee state legislators promote the reclassification of abortion as homicide so as to sentence women to death. DefSec/WarSec HegSeck maintains “his was not a regime change war, but the regime changed.” More speculators speculating (and gambling on) who will eventually replace Khameini. As gamblers are betting on war twists and turns, conspiracy theorists say the whole crisis is being made up by insider traders, looking for quick profits (as opposed to a distraction from the EpFiles). Alarmists say America is running out of missiles, bombs and drones – begging the question, can we buy some from China? In a lead-up to the March 15^th Oscars, “Sinners” sweep the SAG awards.
Wednesday, March 4, 2026 Dow: 48,739.41	Americans stranded in the MidEast as Iran continues bombing its neighbors... and, especially, their airports and tourist hotels, are being alternately told to shelter in place or to get out any way they can.
Thursday, March 5, 2026 Dow: 49,@
The Index is late again, this week, and only partially complete due to the massiave influx of information that cannot be processed. We appal to Mr. Trump not to embark upon any more wars or adventures, at least for a few weeks to allow us, and our readers time for spring cleaning and maybe a little outdoor recreation as the weather moderats, but chances of that seem nil. Incentive or not, there will be less driving here and there due to

THE DON JONES INDEX

CHART of CATEGORIES w/VALUE ADDED to EQUAL BASELINE of 15,000

(REFLECTING… approximately… DOW JONES INDEX of June 27, 2013)

Gains in indices as improved are noted in GREEN. Negative/harmful indices in RED as are their designation. (Note – some of the indices where the total went up created a realm where their value went down... and vice versa.) See a further explanation of categories HERE

ECONOMIC INDICES		(60%)
CATEGORY	VALUE	BASE	RESULTS by PERCENTAGE			SCORE		OUR SOURCES and COMMENTS
INCOME	(24%)	6/17/13 revised 1/1/22	LAST	CHANGE	NEXT	LAST WEEK	THIS WEEK	THE WEEK’S CLOSING STATS...
Wages (hrly. Per cap)	9%	1350 points	12/11/25	-5.42%	2/26	1,878.49	1,878.49	https://tradingeconomics.com/united-states/average-hourly-earnings 37.17 37.32
Median Inc. (yearly)	4%	600	2/13/26	+0.05%	2/27/26	1,117.75	1,118.31	http://www.usdebtclock.org/ 51,720 746 774
Unempl. (BLS – in mi)	4%	600	2/13/26	+2.33%	2/26*	542.60	542.60	http://data.bls.gov/timeseries/LNS14000000/ 4.3 4.4
Official (DC – in mi)	2%	300	2/13/26	+0.12%	2/27/26	206.20	205.95	http://www.usdebtclock.org/ 7,589 7598 610
Unofficl. (DC – in mi)	2%	300	2/13/26	+0.19%	2/27/26	239.76	239.31	http://www.usdebtclock.org/ 14,296 323 354
Workforce Participation Number Percent	2%	300	2/13/26	+0.025% -0.000165%	2/27/26	298.55	298.55	http://www.usdebtclock.org/ In 164,345 386 432 Out 103,642 689 721 Total: 267,987 8,075 61.326 321
WP % (ycharts)*	1%	150	2/13/26	+0.16%	2/26*	151.19	151.19	https://ycharts.com/indicators/labor_force_participation_rate 62.50
OUTGO	(15%)
Total Inflation	7%	1050	2/13/26	+0.3%	2/26*	922.82	922.82	http://www.bls.gov/news.release/cpi.nr0.htm +0.2
Food	2%	300	2/13/26	+0.7%	2/26*	260.23	260.23	http://www.bls.gov/news.release/cpi.nr0.htm +0.2
Gasoline	2%	300	2/13/26	-0.5%	2/26*	264.59	264.59	http://www.bls.gov/news.release/cpi.nr0.htm -3.2
Medical Costs	2%	300	2/13/26	+0.4%	2/26*	272.55	272.55	http://www.bls.gov/news.release/cpi.nr0.htm +0.2
Shelter	2%	300	2/13/26	+0.4%	2/26*	239.67	239.67	http://www.bls.gov/news.release/cpi.nr0.htm +0.3
WEALTH
Dow Jones Index	2%	300	2/13/26	+0.21%	2/27/26	380.64	381.44	https://www.wsj.com/market-data/quotes/index/ 49,395.16 9,499.20
Home (Sales) (Valuation)	1% 1%	150 150	2/13/26	+5.33% -1.17%	2/27/26	141.58 264.86	141.58 264.86	`https://www.nar.realtor/research-and-statistics` Sales (M): 4.35 Valuations (K): 404.4
Millionaires (New Category)	1%	150	2/13/26	+0.05%	2/27/26	136.51	136.58	http://www.usdebtclock.org/ 24,056 069 082
Paupers (New Category)	1%	150	2/13/26	+0.027%	2/27/26	135.42	135.38	http://www.usdebtclock.org/ 36,739 749 761

GOVERNMENT	(10%)
Revenue (trilns.)	2%	300	2/13/26	+0.11%	2/27/26	469.61	470.13	http://www.usdebtclock.org/ 5,378 384 391
Expenditures (tr.)	2%	300	2/13/26	+0.06%	2/27/26	292.94	292.77	http://www.usdebtclock.org/ 7,083 087 090
National Debt tr.)	3%	450	2/13/26	+0.07%	2/27/26	349.41	349.18	http://www.usdebtclock.org/ 38,715 741 850
Aggregate Debt (tr.)	3%	450	2/13/26	+0.08%	2/27/26	372.72	372.42	http://www.usdebtclock.org/ 106,719 805 903

TRADE	(5%)
Foreign Debt (tr.)	2%	300	2/13/26	+0.12%	2/27/26	255.36	255.06	http://www.usdebtclock.org/ 9,501 512 524
Exports (in billions)	1%	150	2/13/26	-1.64%	2/26*	178.80	178.80	https://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/current/index.html 287.3
Imports (in billions))	1%	150	2/13/26	+2.43%	2/26*	144.27	144.27	https://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/current/index.html 357.6
Trade Surplus/Deficit (blns.)	1%	150	2/13/26	-19.20%	2/26*	201.72	201.72	https://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/current/index.html 70.3

ACTS of MAN	(12%)
World Affairs	3%	450	2/13/26	-0.1%	2/27/26	470.55	470.08
War and terrorism	2%	300	2/13/26	-0.1%	2/27/26	284.58	284.30	Iran/Israel/US war begins Saturday and quickly spreads across the MidEast to @
Politics	3%	450	2/13/26	-0.3%	2/27/26	457.92	456.55
Economics	3%	450	2/13/26	-0.3%	2/27/26	430.93	429.64	Borrowers celebrate as mortgate rates drop from 6.01% to 5.98%. Block cuts jobs that AI does “better than people.”
Crime	1%	150	2/13/26	-0.1%	2/27/26	206.02	205.81	@ Random shooter fires 50 rounds at Tacoma house, kills woman.
ACTS of GOD	(6%)
Environment/Weather	3%	450	2/13/26	-0.1%	2/27/26	280.26	279.98	@ Heavy snow in Western mountains finally enables snowboarders and skiers to get out and about, but...
Disasters	3%	450	2/13/26	+0.2%	2/27/26	463.09	464.02	...causes avalanche in @ that buries an adventurer, rescued by Cold Samaritans. Military misfires include Kuwaitis shooting down three US fighter jets and our own DoD shooting down a surveillance drone over El Paso. Ohio farm fire kills 60,000 pigs,
LIFESTYLE/JUSTICE INDEX		(15%)
Science, Tech, Education	4%	600	2/13/26	+0.1%	2/27/26	613.68	614.29	Techsters introduce “Sprout”, a humanoid robot called “soft and friendly” (but he still wants your job).
Equality (econ/social)	4%	600	2/13/26	-0.4%	2/27/26	671.70	669.01
Health	4%	600	2/13/26	-0.2%	2/27/26	416.71	415.88	Early spring brings early pollen season with yellow dust and “Aaah Choo!” Weber recalls grill brushes because stupid people eat them.
Freedom and Justice	3%	450	2/13/26	-0.2%	2/27/26	482.07	481.11
CULTURAL and MISCELLANEOUS INCIDENTS			(6%)
Cultural incidents	3%	450	2/13/26	+0.3%	2/27/26	582.55	584.30	@ Bruno Mars drops new album: “The Romanticist@”“Sinners” sweeps SAGs, including its black music score composed by... a Swede! RIP: Actors Bobbie J. Brown (“The Wire”, in fire), Singer Neil Sedaka, Olympian and Running influencer Jeff Galloway,
Miscellaneous incidents	4%	450	2/13/26	+0.1%	2/27/26	548.45	549.00
Dow Jones initially dropped 1,200 points on first day of stock market since Iran conflict A sell-off for stocks wrapped around the world and hit Wall Street Tuesday, though the losses eased significantly as the day progressed. *Las Vegas Sun · 4h* Dow drops 500 as stocks sell off around the world and oil prices leap even higher on war worries · 1d US Stocks Erase Sharp Losses, While Oil Prices Leap on Worries About Iran Wa

The Don Jones Index for the week of February 20^th through February 26^th, 2026 was DOWN 4.33 points

The Don Jones Index is sponsored by the Coalition for a New Consensus: retired Congressman and Independent Presidential candidate Jack “Catfish” Parnell, Chairman; Brian Doohan, Administrator. The CNC denies, emphatically, allegations that the organization, as well as any of its officers (including former Congressman Parnell, environmentalist/America-Firster Austin Tillerman and cosmetics CEO Rayna Finch) and references to Parnell’s works, “Entropy and Renaissance” and “The Coming Kill-Off” are fictitious or, at best, mere pawns in the web-serial “Black Helicopters” – and promise swift, effective legal action againth parties promulgating this and/or other such slanders.

Comments, complaints, donations (especially SUPERPAC donations) always welcome at feedme@generisis.com or: speak@donjonesindex.com.

ATTACHMENT ONE – FROM ARTIE ZWIRN AND HARRY GIOSASI, SECOND HAND SONGS AND WIKIPEDIA

"SORRY (I RAN ALL THE WAY HOME)"

"Sorry (I Ran All the Way Home)" is a song written by Artie Zwirn and Harry Giosasi and produced and arranged by LeRoy Holmes. The (bestest-selling) single was performed by New York-based doo-wop group The Impalas. It reached #2 on the U.S. pop chart, behind both The Happy Organ by Dave "Baby" Cortez and Kansas City by Wilbert Harrison.^[2] It also went to #14 on the U.S. R&B chart. Overseas, "Sorry (I Ran All the Way Home)" went to #28 on the UK Singles Chart in 1959.^[3] The song was featured on The Impalas' 1959 album, Sorry (I Ran All the Way Home).^[4]

The song ranked #24 on Billboard's Year-End top 100 singles of 1959.^[5]

Earlier versions

Buddy Greco with The Heathertones and Instrumental Accompaniment	First recording on August 24, 1951
Mills Brothers	September 1951
Sarah Vaughan with Percy Faith and His Orchestra	October 12, 1951
Dean Martin with Orchestra conducted by Dick Stabile	October 1951

Later versions

· Guy Darrell and The Midniters, as a single in 1964, but it did not chart.^[6]

· Heinz, on his 1964 album, Tribute to Eddie.^[7]

· The Royal Showband Waterford, as the B-side to their 1964 single "Huckle Buck".^[8]

· Phil Orsi and The Little Kings, as a single in 1966, but it did not chart.^[9]

THE IMPALAS (lyrics)

[Intro]
Sorry, sorry
Oh so sorry
Uh-oh!

[Chorus]
I ran all the way home (Ooh-wah-wah, ooh-wah-wah da da da da)
Just to say I'm sorry (Sorry, sorry da da da da)
What can I say? (Ooh-wah-wah, ooh-wah-wah ah)
I ran all the way (Goo-ma goo-ma goo-ma)
Yay-yay-yay (Goo-ma goo-ma goo-ma)
I ran all the way home (Ooh-wah-wah, ooh-wah-wah da da da da)
Just to say I'm sorry (Sorry, sorry da da da da)
Please let me stay (Ooh-wah-wah, ooh-wah-wah ah)
I ran all the way (Goo-ma goo-ma goo-ma)
Yay-yay-yay (Goo-ma goo-ma goo-ma)

[Bridge]
And now I'm sorry, sorry, sorry (Sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry)
I didn't mean to make you cry
Let's make amends (Ooh-wah-wah, ooh-wah-wah)
After all, we're more than friends
(Goo-ma goo-ma goo-ma)
Yay-yay-yay (Goo-ma goo-ma goo-ma)

[Chorus]
I ran all the way home (Ooh-wah-wah, ooh-wah-wah da da da da)
Just to say I'm sorry (Sorry, sorry da da da da)
What can I say? (Ooh-wah-wah, ooh-wah-wah ah)
I ran all the way (Goo-ma goo-ma goo-ma)
Yay-yay-yay (Goo-ma goo-ma goo-ma)

[Instrumental Break]

[Bridge]
And now I'm sorry, sorry, sorry (Sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry)
I didn't mean to make you cry
Let's make amends (Ooh-wah-wah, ooh-wah-wah)
After all, we're more than friends
(Goo-ma goo-ma goo-ma)
Yay-yay-yay (Goo-ma goo-ma goo-ma)

[Chorus]
I ran all the way home (Ooh-wah-wah, ooh-wah-wah da da da da)
Just to say I'm sorry (Sorry, sorry da da da da)
Please let me stay (Ooh-wah-wah, ooh-wah-wah ah)
I ran all the way (Goo-ma goo-ma goo-ma)
Yay-yay-yay (Goo-ma goo-ma goo-ma)

[Outro]
Whoa-uh-oh (Goo-ma goo-ma goo-ma)
Yay-yay-uh-oh (Goo-ma goo-ma goo-ma)
Yay-yay-yeah (Goo-ma goo-ma goo-ma)
Ah (Goo-ma goo-ma goo-ma)
(Goo-ma goo-ma goo-ma)
(Goo-ma goo-ma goo-ma)

ATTACHMENT TWO – FROM BARRON’S

X08A Oil Price Tops $70 Amid Trump, Iran Fears. Where It Goes From Here.

X08A Oil Price Tops $70 Amid Trump, Iran Fears. Where It Goes From Here.

By Alex Kozul-Wright

Updated Feb 27, 2026, 10:37 am EST / Original Feb 27, 2026, 8:19 am EST

International oil benchmarks rose early Friday, after the latest round of nuclear talks between the U.S. and Iran failed to end in a deal.

Iran Vows Forceful Response After U.S.-Israel Strike. International Leaders Urge Restraint as Washington Appears Split.

By Nicole Goodkind and Rupert Steiner

X31 X31 FROM TANGLE

TODAY’S TOPIC: THE ATTACK ON IRAN.

On Saturday morning, the United States and Israel carried out airstrikes against Iran, killing Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other leaders. President Donald Trump said the ongoing mission, called Operation Epic Fury, will target Iran’s nuclear facilities, military capabilities and regime leaders, adding that Iranian citizens should prepare to take over the government. The attack marks the Trump administration’s second operation against Iran, following airstrikes targeting the country’s nuclear facilities in June 2025.

Back up: Tensions between the United States and Iran have been rising in recent months. In December 2025, protests broke out across Iran in response to declining economic conditions in the country, leading to a violent crackdown by the Iranian regime. President Trump vowed to aid protesters but held off on military action. In the weeks since, U.S. and Iranian negotiators have met for several discussions regarding Iran’s nuclear program but failed to reach any agreements. During that time, the U.S. built up a significant military presence in the Middle East in anticipation of an attack.

In a statement on Saturday, President Trump said, “For 47 years, the Iranian regime has chanted ‘Death to America’ and waged an unending campaign of bloodshed and mass murder, targeting the United States, our troops and the innocent people in many, many countries… The United States military is undertaking a massive and ongoing operation to prevent this very wicked, radical dictatorship from threatening America and our core national security interests.”

The Israeli military said it struck approximately 500 targets in Iran as of Saturday evening, with many targeting missile launchers and aerial defense systems. In a national address, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, “Together with the United States, we will strike hard at the terror regime and create conditions that will allow the brave Iranian people to cast off the yoke of this murderous regime.”

On Sunday, the U.S. military said three service members were killed and five seriously wounded in an Iranian attack at a base in Kuwait, the first deaths of U.S. troops in the conflict. On Monday, U.S. Central Command said one of the wounded service members had passed away, bringing the death total to four. Separately, Iranian strikes have killed at least nine people in Israel. Iran also carried out strikes in the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman, killing at least four people and injuring over 100 more. The strikes targeted U.S. military bases in the Persian Gulf countries, though civilian structures were also hit. The foreign ministers of those countries met virtually on Sunday to coordinate a response to the strikes. Meanwhile, Iranian state television said that over 200 people had been killed and approximately 750 injured in U.S. and Israeli assaults.

Ayatollah Khamenei’s death prompted celebrations and public mourning in Iranian cities. Khamenei had served as supreme leader since 1989 and positioned the country as an adversary to the United States and Israel while trying to establish Iran as a nuclear power. On Sunday, the regime named Ayatollah Alireza Arafi to its interim leadership council, which will lead the country until a permanent leader is chosen. The council also includes Iran’s president and head of the judiciary.

In the U.S., many Republican lawmakers praised President Trump’s decision to launch strikes, while a smaller number of Republicans and most Democrats suggested that the president should not have attacked without Congressional authorization. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) said Democrats will attempt to force a vote on a war powers resolution, authored by Reps. Thomas Massie (R-KY) and Ro Khanna (D-CA), to limit Trump’s ability to carry out further military action.

Today, we’ll views from the right, left, and writers in the Middle East on the strikes. Then, Executive Editor Isaac Saul gives his take.

What the right is saying.

· The right is mixed on the strikes, but many support Trump’s decision to attack.

· Some question the rationale for launching a war.

The Wall Street Journal editorial board wrote “Trump enforces his red line on Iran.”

“The U.S.-Israeli attack on Iran that began Saturday morning is a necessary act of deterrence against a regime that is the world’s foremost promoter of terrorism. It carries risks as all wars do, but it also has the potential to reshape the Middle East for the better and lead to a safer world,” the board said. “Mr. Trump is enforcing the red lines he drew when the regime slaughtered its people as they protested in January. He said he’d come to their aid, and now he has. He also gave Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, ample chance to strike a deal on nuclear weapons and its missile force, but the ayatollah refused and he was killed in the attack.

“Mr. Trump has unduly criticized his predecessors for ‘forever wars’ in the Middle East, but he understands deterrence. In Yemen, Iran in June, Venezuela and now in Iran again, he has taken action against manifest threats in his second term that Barack Obama and Joe Biden refused to take,” the board wrote. “The larger gamble is regime change, and no one knows if this will happen. Air campaigns alone rarely topple a dictatorship. But if the U.S. and Israel take long enough to kill enough regime leaders, basij militia and Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the chance for an internal coup or popular revolt might open up.”

In The Federalist, John Daniel Davidson said “the administration’s justifications for action against Iran keep shifting.”

“If we ‘totally obliterated’ Iran’s nuclear capabilities just eight months ago, then why are we about to go to war with Iran? After all, the justification for U.S. strikes on Iran has always been that we cannot allow the regime in Tehran to obtain a nuclear weapon… But we were assured, over and over for months, that Iran’s nuclear program had been totally destroyed,” Davidson wrote. “During his State of the Union speech on Tuesday, President Trump accused Iran of restarting its nuclear program and working to build missiles that would ‘soon’ be able to reach the United States. Really? How is that possible if we utterly destroyed their nuclear program in June of last year?”

“What we’re getting from Trump is inconsistent. Last month when Iran was killing protesters, Trump threatened military action against Tehran, suggesting that targeting protesters was a red line. But today the issue seems to be Iran’s supposedly obliterated nuclear program, which is inexplicably once again a major threat to American interests,” Davidson said. “At a certain point, it begins to look like the Trump administration is fishing for a reason to strike Iran.”

What the left is saying.

· Many on the left say Trump’s rationale for war is lacking.

· Others criticize the decision as short-sighted and baseless.

In The Wall Street Journal, Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) criticized the strikes as “unwise and unconstitutional.”

“There was no imminent threat from Iran to America sufficient to warrant committing our sons and daughters to another war in the Middle East — especially without the congressional debate and vote that the Constitution requires. The American people don’t want to be dragged into another forever war under false pretenses,” Kaine said. “The U.S. and Iran have both constructed narratives whereby the other is the aggressor in this longstanding conflict. More war isn’t the answer. If it were, the past 70 years would have produced a better outcome than what we see today.”

“Mr. Trump suggests the war is to aid Iranian protesters. This claim is hard to accept from a president who, at the same time, is deporting refugees back to Iran, where they are likely to suffer the persecution he pretends to care about. Mr. Trump suggests the war is about regime change. But he promised to avoid wars for that reason given the history of U.S. disasters in attempting regime change in Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya,” Kaine wrote. “Finally, he suggests that Iran faces war because it interfered in the 2020 presidential election, which he still can’t admit that he lost. Is this a reason to force our sons and daughters into war?”

In Jacobin, Branko Marcetic called Trump the “warmonger-in-chief.”

“Of all the dumb, pointless wars the United States has waged in the Middle East, the one it launched today against Iran may go down as the dumbest and most pointless. This is a war that didn’t need to happen; even the man waging it doesn’t seem to know why he launched it,” Marcetic wrote. “Mere hours before Trump launched it, the foreign minister of Oman… revealed the enormous concessions the Iranians had made in negotiations: not just agreeing to not stockpile uranium, making it impossible to build a bomb, but diluting the uranium it currently holds and agreeing to full verification by International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors.”

“Didn’t matter. Trump spent the week lying that the Iranians were refusing to make that promise, and in one of his last public statements before launching the war, lamented how they had supposedly failed to move far enough in negotiations. Trump had a deal if he wanted it, and one he could have spent the rest of his life bragging was better than Obama’s. But he didn’t want it,” Marcetic said. “So whose interest does this serve? The obvious answer is a war-hungry Israeli leadership increasingly under the sway of a deranged, neo-Biblical fantasy of using the United States to burn the Middle East to the ground and annex whatever’s left.”

What writers in the Middle East are saying.

· Some Middle Eastern writers suggest Khamenei’s killing could galvanize an anti-Western movement within Iran.

· Others criticize Iran’s decision to strike within Gulf countries.

In Al Jazeera, Mohammad Reza Farzanegan wrote about “Iran after Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.”

“The regime in Iran is different in many ways from the ones that collapsed in Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya. The assassination of leader Ayatollah Khamenei may have a profound impact that does not result in state collapse,” Farzanegan said. “Within the symbolic universe of Shia Islam, to which the majority of Iranians belong, Khamenei’s death can be interpreted as the fulfillment of a martyrological script. Death at the hands of perceived enemies of Islam can be framed as redemptive passage rather than defeat; it is not a bitter collapse, as is the case with other Middle Eastern rulers who were ousted or killed. It is instead an idealised closure: the sacralisation of political life through sacrificial death.

“This martyrological framing has the potential to rally a significant portion of the population, including those who were previously critical of the leadership, around a narrative of national defence,” Farzanegan wrote. “By transforming a fallen leader into a martyr of ‘foreign aggression’, the state can trigger a surge of nationalist cohesion and deep-seated resentment towards external intervention, potentially unifying the security forces and traditionalist sectors of society in a way that proponents of regime change did not anticipate.”

In Arab News, Faisal J. Abbas explored “how Tehran lost the Gulf.”

“Iran has unfortunately lost any sympathy or solidarity it could have garnered through its indiscriminate response to the weekend’s attacks carried out by Israel and the US,” Abbas said. “Even Tehran’s closest regional friends, the Omanis, who until a few days ago were negotiating on its behalf and trying to spare it a fatal blow, were attacked by Iran — needless to say, Oman also does not have a US military base. This is a serious escalation that undermines the role of mediators worldwide.”

“It is a shame that it had to come to this, after we all believed that the Kingdom and Iran could have worked together to stabilize the region,” Abbas wrote. “This indiscriminate Iranian aggression against Gulf countries is a major own goal, resulting only in the increased isolation of Tehran at a critical moment. Tehran’s escalation does nothing but confirm the fears of those that see Iran as the main source of danger to the region and its missile program as a permanent symbol of instability.”

My take.

Reminder: “My take” is a section where we give ourselves space to a personal opinion. If you have feedback, criticism or compliments, don't unsubscribe. Write in by replying to this email, or leave a comment.

· Debating war becomes a lot trickier when it isn’t hypothetical.

· Overthrowing Iran’s regime is a worthy goal, but people across the political spectrum are leery of military involvement.

· Trump needs to have a good plan, but I’m not optimistic that he does.

Executive Editor Isaac Saul: Talking about war is easy when it’s hypothetical. It’s a lot harder when the real thing arrives.

For weeks, the Trump administration has been sending significant military resources to the Middle East. Speculation about the president’s plans ran rampant, but as with Trump’s build-up outside Venezuela, this outcome should have been obvious.

In an eight-minute address to the nation, President Trump justified the decision to dive headfirst into this conflict by declaring that Iran could not be allowed to build a nuclear weapon. This raised the eyebrows of anyone paying attention over the last eight months. In June, the president said the U.S. “utterly destroyed their [Iran’s] nuclear capability.” The White House website still has a page declaring that “Iran’s nuclear facilities have been obliterated — and suggestions otherwise are fake news.” Trump has repeated this claim a half dozen times in recent months. Why are we going to war to stop Iran from getting a nuclear bomb they supposedly can’t build?

Trump also warned Americans in his address that troops may die. Tragically, that prediction didn’t take long to come to fruition. So far, four American troops are confirmed dead, and Trump is warning that more strikes are coming and that more troops may die. The U.S. is not the only place suffering casualties. In Israel, at least nine people have been confirmed killed. Four more people were killed across the UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Oman. And in Iran, hundreds have been confirmed dead, including at least 153 who died in a strike near a Naval base that hit an elementary school, according to Iranian state media.

The cost of war is already adding up in other ways, too: Shipping in and out of the Persian Gulf has shut down, and Red Sea routes are being disrupted. In Dubai, the business capital of the Middle East, buildings have been struck by the Iranian response, and airports are overcrowded as people try to evacuate. U.S. bases in Bahrain and Iraq have both been hit, and a U.S. consulate in Pakistan was stormed by protesters (at least 22 people were killed). Hezbollah announced it was joining the fight for Iran and began firing missiles into Haifa, Israel, from Lebanon (and then said 31 people were killed by Israeli strikes south of Beirut). Rockets are breaking through air defense systems in Tel Aviv and landing perilously close to the Old City in Jerusalem. A friendly fire incident in Kuwait brought down three U.S. F-15 fighter jets (though the airmen survived).

In short: The out-of-control regional war many of us feared last summer when Trump struck Iran’s nuclear facilities appears to have arrived in earnest.

For how long will the president tolerate all this? Major military actions during this administration have conspicuously fallen on days when the markets were closed; these strikes began on a Saturday, the capture of Maduro happened on a Saturday, the June strikes in Iran happened on a Saturday, and the strikes in Nigeria happened on Christmas. Trump is notoriously reactive to market movements, and the price of crude oil rose 7% on Sunday; will market pressure, combined with the deaths of American troops (and the potential for more), move him to deescalate? What if the markets tumble, or if U.S. forces are hit by a particularly deadly attack?

Among conservatives, a philosophical war bubbled to the surface again this weekend. The divide touches all corners of the conservative movement. On one side are those cheering Trump on. Stalwart right-wing publications like National Review and The Wall Street Journal are cautiously making the case that the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is a major victory for the West, and celebrating Trump’s gumption to do the brave and difficult thing. Other, less reasonable people like Mark Levin are urging “no off-ramps” and calling for Trump to “destroy” the “subhuman barbarians” in Iran.

On the other is an anti-war isolationist wing who feels betrayed. It consists of mainstream conservatives, from center-right moderates like Saager Enjeti, who called this the most “profound campaign betrayal in modern US history,” to more MAGA right-wing voices like Tucker Carlson, who have been warning about this conflict for months. Less credible, but still influential figures like Nick Fuentes, are now urging people to vote for Democrats in the midterms.

Democrats, obviously, are criticizing Trump. But their reasons for doing so seem to differ. Some attack him for not seeking Congressional authority but avoid criticizing the effort to take out Iran’s regime; others view the whole thing as a major mishap, both the “what” and the “how.”

Since protests broke out in December, there has been a robust debate (that we participated in) about whether or not the U.S. should, or would, strike Iran. But that debate is now in the past. We did it. So… now what? Of course, I’m happy to see Ayatollah Ali Khamenei go. Iran’s regime is despotic and oppressive, and I support efforts to “free” the Iranian people — but that thought leaves out a lot of detail. The U.S.-Israel military alliance will, at some point, overwhelm and overpower Iran, and I’m once again shocked and morbidly impressed by the capabilities of the U.S. and Israeli militaries. We will “win.” Obviously. But this is all the easy stuff to say — it’s dunking on a toddler, it’s close to meaningless.

The harder and more important question is what happens now? What will the war cost, and what will rise in the vacuum? A debate about Congressional war powers feels archaic, if not borderline parody at this point. Congress has surrendered those powers to the executive branch over and over for years on end, showing no interest in reclaiming them. The Middle East has already been thrown into turmoil, from Iraq, Kuwait and Bahrain to Israel, the UAE, and even Oman. Hundreds of thousands of armed personnel operate in Iran and soon may be untethered from any central command structure. Pro-democracy and pro-Islamist camps, each divided among themselves in their own rights, will be fighting it out in the streets. In the West, we imagine every single living Iranian hating this regime, but that’s a delusion; many celebrated the death of the ayatollah, yes, but thousands poured into the streets to mourn Khamenei’s death. All this is ripe for long-term sectarian violence in Iran and long-term destabilization in the region.

Like Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) (under “What the left is saying”), I have a hard time stepping back and looking at the history of Iran-U.S. relations and imagining that this action will somehow bring peace. For decades, we’ve been attacking each other in sporadic proxy wars, each framing the other as the aggressor, each setting off a new round of violence. The Trump administration says it wants to bring about a new regime, but who? When? How?

They don’t seem to know. Trump seems to be stress-testing arguments, giving different explanations to different news organizations about what will happen next. He told The Washington Post we were aiming for “freedom for the people” of Iran. Axios was told the war could end in “two or three days.” The New York Times was told “four to five weeks” with “three very good choices” who may take control. That was on Sunday; this morning, I started my day reading a stunning interview with ABC’s Jonathan Karl, where Trump conceded that all three of the people he thought might succeed Khamenei had actually been killed in the initial strike.

Meanwhile, U.S. air defense stockpiles are being stressed to defend against the barrage of cheap drones Iran is firing across the region, just as Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine warned the White House last week. Iran seems to have miscalculated by attacking other Arab nations in the region, hoping that would inflict a cost that would stop the U.S.–Israeli barrage but is instead turning their neighbors against them. After cutting funding for Voice of America, the U.S. is now having a harder time reaching the Iranian people with the messages they want to disseminate. And everyone who warned that killing the Iran nuclear deal would inevitably lead to war is feeling vindicated right now.

In April of last year, I said I was getting nervous about a war with Iran. In June, I said I was not optimistic, but hopeful, for peace in the region after the joint U.S.–Israel strikes. In January, I expressed outright concern and predicted Trump would attack Iran, and in February, Senior Editor Will Kaback began sharing that concern. It’s surreal to actually be here now, with all-out fighting, dead U.S. soldiers, and a region in turmoil. One would hope we have a plan — an off-ramp, a future for Iran, a way out — but the honest truth is that it’s not clear at all to me that we do. Now we wait, and pray for the best.

Numbers.

· 36. The number of years Ayatollah Ali Khamenei served as Iran’s supreme leader before his death on Saturday.

· 48. The number of senior members of the Islamic Republic’s regime killed in U.S. and Israeli airstrikes, according to President Trump.

· 20%. The approximate percentage of Iranians who supported the Islamic Republic remaining in power in a June 2024 Group for Analyzing and Measuring Attitudes in Iran poll.

· 40%. The percentage of Iranians who said regime change was a precondition for reform in the country.

· 27% and 43%. The percentage of U.S. adults who approve and disapprove, respectively, of U.S. military strikes against Iran, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted on February 28 and March 1.

· 7%, 55%, and 19%. The percentage of Democrats, Republicans and independents, respectively, who approve of U.S. strikes against Iran.

@ FRIDAY 27

A4X01 X01 FROM REUTERS (reprinted from DJI.260227)

Iran designated as a state sponsor of wrongful detention, Rubio says

By Reuters

February 27, 2026 4:19 PM EST Updated 1 hour ago

Feb 27 (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Friday he has designated Iran as a state sponsor of wrongful detention.

"The Iranian regime must stop taking hostages and release all Americans unjustly detained in Iran, steps that could end this designation and associated actions," Rubio said in a statement.

The move comes as tensions mount between the U.S. and Iran, even as the two countries conducted talks over Iran's nuclear program on Thursday.

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday he was disappointed with the negotiations, warning, "sometimes you have to use force."

A5X08B

@ SATURDAY MORNING 28

A5X02 0934 X02 FROM TIME

U.S and Israel Launch Strikes on Iran, as Trump Promises ‘Massive and Ongoing’ Campaign

by Brian Bennett and Richard Hall Updated: Feb 28, 2026 9:34 AM ET

The United States and Israel launched a wave of military strikes against Iran on Saturday in what President Donald Trump said would be a “massive and ongoing” campaign aimed at bringing about a change in the country's leadership.

The strikes once again bring the U.S. into direct confrontation with Iran, and plunge the Middle East into a new regional conflict several months after a wave of U.S. and Israeli bombs hit Iranian nuclear facilities in June.

“Its menacing activities directly endanger the United States, our troops, our bases overseas, and our allies throughout the world,” he continued.

: Does Trump Have the Legal Authority to Strike Iran? An Expert Explains

Trump also addressed the Iranian people in the conclusion of his speech, telling them that “the hour of your freedom is at hand.”

“Stay sheltered. Don’t leave your home. It’s very dangerous outside. Bombs will be dropping everywhere. When we are finished, take over your government. It will be yours to take,” he said.

The latest campaign, dubbed Operation Epic Fury by the Pentagon, follows efforts by U.S. and Iranian officials to try to craft a deal on Iran's nuclear program, as well as Iran's deadly suppression of mass protests inside the country, in which thousands were killed. In January, Trump posted a message assuring protestors "help" was on the way and urging them to "take over" Iran's institutions.

THE FIRST WAVE

The first strikes of the attack were heard in Tehran on Saturday, near the residence of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. He had not made a public appearance for days before the attack, and his whereabouts are not currently known.

Soon after, Iranian media reported strikes across the country. At least 40 people were reported killed at a girls' school in southern Iran, according to Iran's state-run IRNA news agency, although TIME could not independently verify that claim.

Iran responded by launching a wave of missiles at Israel and other U.S. allies across the region. Explosions were heard in the United Arab Emirates capital, Abu Dhabi. Bahrain, which hosts the U.S. Fifth Fleet, was also targeted.

He insisted the Americans and Israelis had “failed to hit their targets” and that all high-ranking Iranian officials were still alive.

“In less than 2 hours we were able to start retaliation by hitting U.S. bases with our missiles,” he said, describing Iranian strikes as “an act of self defense.”

He also questioned Washington’s approach to diplomacy. “I don’t know why the U.S. Administration insists to start a negotiation and then in the middle of the negotiation starts attacking that party,” he said, adding that talks in Geneva on Thursday had made progress on “serious questions related to Iran’s nuclear program.”

U.S. BUILDUP SET STAGE FOR IRAN STRIKES

The U.S. military had been signaling Trump's intention to attack for weeks. Trump had ordered what he called an "armada" of U.S. military firepower to be deployed in the waters near Iran. He moved the Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group closer to the Persian Gulf and redirected the Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group from the Atlantic Ocean toward the Middle East. The USS Mitscher and USS Michael Murphy, both guided-missile destroyers, had also been deployed in the Persian Gulf near the Strait of Hormuz, a key oil shipping passage, according to a tracker of the American fleet kept by the U.S. Naval Institute.

U.S. and Iranian officials have been conducting several rounds of negotiations over Iran's nuclear programs but have failed to come to an agreement. The two sides had one of their “most intense” rounds of negotiations in Geneva on Thursday, but again failed to reach a deal.

The next day, Trump said “additional talks” would take place, but signaled time was running out.

“I’m not happy with the fact that they are not willing to give us what we have to have,” he told reporters as he left the White House for Texas. “I’m not thrilled with that. We’ll see what happens.”

Trump ratcheted up his threats against Iran’s leadership in January, as the death toll from the crackdown on protests in the country rose dramatically. An internet blackout across the country prevented effective communication with the outside world, but some estimates have the death toll reaching into the tens of thousands.

On Jan. 13, Trump appeared to indicate the U.S. would intervene militarily in the country to support protesters. "Iranian Patriots, KEEP PROTESTING - TAKE OVER YOUR INSTITUTIONS!!!" Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social. "Save the names of the killers and abusers. They will pay a big price. I have cancelled all meetings with Iranian Officials until the senseless killing of protesters STOPS. HELP IS ON ITS WAY."

In response to Trump's repeated threats, Iran’s parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, warned that both Israel and “all American military centers, bases and ships in the region will be our legitimate targets” in the event of an attack.

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei also threatened on Feb. 17 in a social media post that Iran may attack U.S. ships. “More dangerous than that warship is the weapon that can send that warship to the bottom of the sea,” he wrote.

YEARS OF PRESSURE

The strikes follow years of pressure on Iran’s leadership by Trump, dating back to his first term as president. In 2018, Trump pulled out of a nuclear deal negotiated by his predecessor, Barack Obama, that had dramatically reduced Iran’s stockpile of enriched uranium, an essential material for building a nuclear weapon.

Trump then ordered the assassination of top Iranian general Qasem Soleimani in January 2020, further inflaming tensions between the two nations.

Upon returning to office last year, Trump again ramped up the pressure on the Iranian government over its nuclear program. Since Trump had left the nuclear agreement—which was negotiated with Iran and other world powers—Tehran had increased uranium enrichment, built up its stockpile once more, and removed monitoring equipment from nuclear facilities.

After years of threatening to take military action to weaken Iran’s nuclear program, Trump authorized the U.S. to join Israel in major strikes on three key nuclear sites in June. Trump claimed the country’s nuclear enrichment facilities had been “completely and totally obliterated,” but questions remained about the survival of key components of the program.

The 12-day barrage came on the back of a series of setbacks for Iran’s leaders, including the crippling of its regional allies Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon. Iran’s leadership was left severely weakened following the attack, both regionally and domestically.

Following the attack, Trump threatened further action if Iran didn’t return to the negotiating table. “Iran, the bully of the Middle East, must now make peace,” he said. “If they do not, future attacks will be far greater and a lot easier.”

In the aftermath of the bombing campaign, Iranian authorities arrested thousands of people they suspected of being spies—including activists, journalists, and ordinary citizens. United Nations experts estimated that more than 1,000 people were executed between June and September alone.

ECONOMIC CRISIS

As Iran picked up the pieces from the strikes, it faced another crisis. In September, the U.N. reimposed nuclear-related sanctions on the country. By late December, Iran was facing an economic downturn, rampant inflation and a collapse in its currency.

Protests broke out first in Tehran’s bazaars, as merchants and shopkeepers took to the streets in anger. Those protests quickly grew into much broader demonstrations against the Iranian regime that has held power since the Islamic Revolution in 1979, and into calls for the fall of Supreme Leader Ali Hosseini Khamenei.

Whereas previous protest movements had been put down swiftly with violence, these came at a time when the government was already weakened by the Israeli and U.S. attack in June. The Iranian regime responded with increasing violence. In January, two senior officials with Iran's Ministry of Health told TIME the death toll nationwide could be as high as 30,000.

Must-Reads from TIME

· Iran Accuses U.S. of Spreading ‘Big Lies’ After Trump’s State of the Union Address

· Iran’s Supreme Leader Threatens to Attack More U.S. Military Bases: “We Slapped America in the Face”

· Trump Issues Grave Warning to Iran After Israeli Strikes: ‘No More Death, No More Destruction’

· Even Iranians Beaten and Imprisoned by an Unforgiving Regime Condemn Foreign Interference. Here’s Why

· Trump Says ‘Massive Armada’ Heading to Iran, Warns ‘Time Is Running Out’ to Make a Deal

· U.S. Joins Israel in Strikes on Iranian Nuclear Sites, Risking Wider War

1. Energy

A8 FROM BARRON’s

What The Attacks on Iran Mean for Oil and Stocks

By Laura Sanicola and Reshma Kapadia

Updated Feb 28, 2026, 12:17 pm EST / Original Feb 28, 2026, 3:00 am EST

The U.S. and Israeli attack on Iran—and Tehran’s retaliation—is likely to cause oil and other energy prices to spike and stock markets to react sharply when trading starts on Sunday evening

A6 X04 1049 X04 FROM USA TODAY

US, Israel launch strikes on Iran. What we know so far

The White House has been ramping up the pressure on Iran for months. Some analysts fear the attack could spill over into a wider regional war.

Updated Feb. 28, 2026, 10:49 a.m. ET

What is the name of the U.S. military campaign against Iran?

President Donald Trump said the United States and Israel launched "major combat operations" against Iran on Feb. 28 after the largest build-up of American power in the Middle East since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq. Trump also called for Iranians to overthrow their government.

Explosions were observed in Tehran and at least five cities across the country, and Iran's military started retaliating against Israel, according to the Israel Defense Forces. There were also explosions and siren-alerts reported in several Middle East nations where the U.S. has military bases.

Here's what we know about this developing story.

US AND ISRAEL BOMB IRAN: HOW IT STARTED

The Pentagon has named the operation against Iran "Epic Fury." Israel's military codenamed it "Roaring Lion." Israel initially launched the operation and then was joined by the U.S. The explosions in Tehran were reported early in the morning Eastern Time on Feb. 28, which is mid-morning in Iran.

Within hours, Iran started sending missiles toward Israel and there were reports of attempted strikes against U.S. military facilities in Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar. Some nations said missiles were intercepted.

The number of casualties from the attacks and reprisals was not immediately known. The United Arab Emirates' defense ministry reported one civilian there was killed by falling debris. Iranian state media reported that dozens of children were killed when a missile struck a school in Minab, in southern Iran. USA TODAY could not immediately verify that report.

WHAT DOES TRUMP WANT TO ACHIEVE IN IRAN?

The White House has been ramping up the pressure on Iran for months. Trump has at times said he was displeased with the way Iran's authorities violently cracked down on protesters in December last year. He also said he wants Iran to agree to a new deal on its nuclear program. Trump said on Feb. 27 that he was "not happy" with the way attempts to solve the issue diplomatically were progressing.

Still, some national security experts have questioned Trump's strategic logic for attacking Iran. Israel's case may be more clear-cut: The country has long viewed Iran as an existential threat because of its repeated threats to annihilate Israel. Trump also claimed that as a result of an earlier attack on Iran, the U.S. had destroyed Iran's nuclear facilities.

"Trump seems interested, in no particular order, in demonstrating the prowess of the U.S. military, strengthening his negotiating position, showing he was serious when he vowed in a January Truth Social post to protect Iranian protesters, and differentiating his approach from President Barack Obama's," Nate Swanson, a former White House adviser on Iran, wrote in a Feb. 24 article for Foreign Affairs magazine, referring to a 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and other world powers. That agreement was negotiated by the Obama administration.

"This mishmash of objectives ... will make him less prepared if a strike does not yield the expected, swift capitulation," wrote Swanson.

MAPS AND GRAPHICS: US, ISRAEL LAUNCH FIRST OF 'MAJOR COMBAT OPERATIONS' AGAINST IRAN

Iran's supreme leader: Where is he?

The official also said, without providing additional information, that several senior Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps were killed in the strikes. The official did not discuss the outcome of the strikes on Khamenei or Pezeshkian. Iranian state media has said Pezeshkian is accounted for and safe. Iran has not commented on Khamenei. Some of the areas in Tehran targeted by the U.S. and Israel were places linked to Khamenei and Pezeshkian. Iranian state media said Iran's foreign minister was also safe.

'MIDNIGHT HAMMER': AN EARLIER ATTACK ON IRAN?

In June 2025, Trump authorized military strikes against Iran's nuclear program as part of a war Israel, a close U.S. ally, fought with Iran over its support for the militant group Hamas in Gaza. It lasted for 12 days. The White House said at the time that the strikes completely eliminated Iran's nuclear program.

The operation was codenamed "Midnight Hammer."

It involved 125 American military aircraft and targeted three nuclear facilities at Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan. "Obliteration is an accurate term," Trump said of the bombings. No U.S. personnel were injured in the operation, which struck Iran well after midnight on June 22, 2025, local time. Iran launched drone and missile attacks against Israel a few days later, then chose to de-escalate.

IRAN ATTACK: WHAT HAPPENS NOW?

The aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln sails in the Arabian Sea on Feb. 6, 2026. The Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group was deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations amid U.S. threats of an attack on Iran.

Iran analysts have expressed concern that the attack could spill over into a wider regional war.

"Let’s be clear: This could have catastrophic consequences," said Trita Parsi, the co-founder and executive director of the Quincy Institute, a Washington, DC-based think tank.

Parsi said that this would "not only put countless U.S. troops in the Middle East in the line of fire, but risk a massive multi-front expansion of the war and other uncontrollable chaos, from state failure and civil war to ethnic conflict that spreads through the region."

Whether that happens remains to be seen. The U.S. has said the operation could last several days.

Other Iran specialists have cautioned that if Trump is able to force Iran into a new deal over its nuclear program, it may not improve on the one negotiated by the Obama administration. That agreement limited Iran's uranium enrichment capabilities and was widely regarded to be working when Trump pulled the U.S. out of it during his first term. However, the JCPOA, as that deal was called, did not address Iran's ballistic missile program or its support for regional militant groups.

Trump said the U.S. would "destroy" Iran's missiles, "annihilate" its navy and ensure proxy groups such as Hezbollah and Hamas are no longer able to destabilize the region. "And we will ensure that Iran does not obtain a nuclear weapon," he said.

A7X10 1058 X10 FROM REUTERS

Exclusive: Prior to Iran attacks, CIA assessed Khamenei would be replaced by hardline IRGC elements if killed, sources say

By Erin Banco

February 28, 2026 10:58 AM EST Updated 1 hour ago

WASHINGTON, Feb 28 (Reuters) - In the run-up to the U.S. and Israeli attacks on Saturday, the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency assessed that even if Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in the operation, he would likely be replaced by hardline figures from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), two sources briefed on the intelligence said.

The assessments, which were produced over the past two weeks, looked broadly at what could occur in Iran following a U.S. intervention and the extent to which a military operation could trigger regime change in the Islamic Republic -- now a pronounced objective for Washington.

The IRGC is an elite military force whose purpose is to protect Shi'ite Muslim clerical rule in Iran.

The intelligence agency reports did not conclude any scenario with certainty, said the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss intelligence matters.

The Central Intelligence Agency declined to comment.

President Donald Trump has for weeks signaled the U.S. was interested in seeing regime change in Iran, but has not given in any detail Washington’s thinking on who could lead the country.

In an early morning video address on Saturday, Trump described Tehran as a "terrorist regime" and encouraged the Iranian people to take over the government, saying the U.S. military strikes would set the stage for an uprising.

The U.S. and Israeli assault comes after weeks of deliberation inside the U.S. government about whether to strike Iran following the deadly protests that broke out there in December.

U.S. officials in recent weeks have tried to strike a nuclear deal with Tehran in an attempt to stave off intervention.

In a briefing last week, Secretary of State Marco Rubio told top congressional lawmakers known as the Gang of Eight that a U.S. operation would likely move forward, but that Trump could change his mind, particularly if nuclear negotiations were successful. Those talks in Geneva did not result in an agreement.

Rubio notified the Gang of Eight on Friday night that the operation to attack Iran was likely to commence in the following hours but said Trump could still change his mind, two sources familiar with the matter said.

Reporting by Erin Banco; Editing by Humeyra Pamuk and Daniel Wallis

@ SATURDAY AFTERNOON/EVE.

A9 X08C 1246 X08 FROM BARRON’S

Why Gas Prices Could Be Headed Higher After U.S. Attack on Iran

By Nicole Goodkind Feb 28, 2026, 12:46 pm EST

Key Points

· U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iranian targets have introduced uncertainty, with analysts expecting crude oil prices to jump from $72.87 a barrel.

· The national average gasoline price, currently about $3 per gallon, will likely rise to about $3.10-$3.15 per gallon in coming weeks, Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, said.

· Reports indicate Iran’s Revolutionary Guards may be attempting to close the Strait of Hormuz, which handles 20% of global oil flows.

Gas prices could move higher in the coming weeks after U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iranian targets on Saturday injected new uncertainty into global oil markets.

Crude oil is the single biggest component of the price that drivers pay at the pump, accounting for over half the retail cost of gasoline. When oil rises, gasoline usually follows—though not instantly.

Oil settled at $72.87 a barrel on Friday before the attacks. When trading resumes Sunday evening, analysts expect prices to jump as traders factor in geopolitical risk and the possibility of supply disruptions.

Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, said the national average gasoline price, currently around $3 per gallon, is likely to rise to roughly $3.10 to $3.15 per gallon over the next couple of weeks if crude prices remain elevated.

The biggest concern for oil markets isn’t just Iran’s own exports. It’s the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow shipping lane between Iran and Oman that handles about 20% of global oil and liquefied natural gas flows. Even partial disruptions or rerouting of tankers can push prices higher.

New reports from Reuters say that the vessels have been receiving transmissions from Iran’s Revolutionary Guards saying “no ship is allowed to pass the Strait of Hormuz,” which could indicate the straight has been closed.

So far, oil facilities have not been directly targeted. If the conflict remains limited to military installations and shipping lanes stay open, the impact on pump prices could be modest.

De Haan said in a Substack post that gasoline prices are unlikely to spike overnight. Wholesale price increases typically filter through gradually, often appearing in increments of a few cents a day. Some U.S. states are also in the middle of the seasonal shift to summer-blend gasoline, which can contribute to price volatility.

There could also be stabilizing forces at play. OPEC+ countries are scheduled to hold their monthly meeting Sunday, and producers could choose to increase output to calm markets.

A10 1310 X09 FROM FOX

US, Israel launch attack on Iran as Trump announces 'major combat operations'

The United States and Israel launched a massive coordinated military offensive targeting Iran known as "Operation Epic Fury." President Donald Trump had warned of possible U.S. intervention in response to deadly anti-regime protests and if Iran did not accept a sweeping nuclear deal.

Covered by: Efrat Lachter, Morgan Phillips, Benjamin Weinthal, Michael Sinkewicz, Alexandra Koch, Rachel Wolf, Michael Dorgan, Elizabeth Elkind, Alex Miller, Andrew Mark Miller, Amanda Macias, Emma Colton and Alex Nitzberg

Last Update February 28, 2026, 1:10 PM EST

President Donald Trump confirmed Saturday that the U.S. is carrying out "major combat operations in Iran." In a video posted to Truth Social, Trump said the objective is to defend Americans by eliminating imminent threats from the Iranian regime, describing it as "a vicious group of very hard, terrible people."

In his message, Trump urged the Iranian regime to "lay down" its weapons or "face certain death." Calling it their "only chance for generations," Trump urged the people of Iran to "take over your government" after the operation.

The United States military attack against the Iran is named "Operation Epic Fury." Israel, which coordinated the daytime morning blitz with the U.S., announced the Jewish State's mission as “Operation Roaring Lion."

The joint military operation is expected to carry on for days. Officials tell Fox News that Israel is targeting Iranian leadership, while the U.S. is targeting military targets and ballistic missile sites that pose an "imminent threat."

FBI raises alert nationwide

The FBI's counterterrorism and counterintelligence teams are on elevated alert nationwide, a bureau official told Fox News' Peter Doocy Saturday.

The bureau did not immediately elaborate on how long it will remain in effect.

The move comes as U.S. operations against Iran continue and tensions escalate across the region.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said she is "in direct coordination with our federal intelligence and law enforcement partners as we continue to closely monitor and thwart any potential threats to the homeland."

Posted by Michael Dorgan

1300 12 mins ago

Mamdani rips Trump's 'catastrophic' Iran attack: 'Americans don't want this'

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said the U.S. and Israeli military strikes on Iran mark a "catastrophic escalation in an illegal war of aggression."

"Bombing cities. Killing civilians. Opening a new theater of war. Americans do not want this," the Mamdani continued. "They do not want another war in pursuit of regime change. They want relief from the affordability crisis. They want peace."

Mamdani said he was "focused on making sure that every New Yorker is safe" and is in contact with the New York City Police Department commissioner and emergency management officials.

"We are taking proactive steps, including increasing coordination across agencies and enhancing patrols of sensitive locations out of an abundance of caution," he said.

"Additionally, I want to speak directly to Iranian New Yorkers: you are part of the fabric of this city — you are our neighbors, small business owners, students, artists, workers, and community leaders. You will be safe here," the mayor added.

Posted by Andrew Mark Miller

17 mins ago

Netanyahu sends subtle message with book on desk during Trump call

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's photo of him speaking with President Donald Trump during the strikes on Iran had a subtle message. In front of the prime minister is a map and sitting on top of the map is a book entitled "Allies at War: The Politics of Defeating Hitler."

The book, which has the U.K. version of the title, according to X, is gives the history of World War II alliances based on more than 100 archives, including tensions among the the Allied Powers. The use of the book in the photo could be seen as a nod to cooperation between the U.S. and Israel, both of which carried out attacks against Iran on Saturday.

Posted by Rachel Wolf

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39 mins ago

Iran strikes test Saudi, UAE roles and Europe’s resolve

The U.S. and Israeli strikes in Iran will dramatically impact America's allies in the region, particularly Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

"If any casualties take place on their territory, as has been reported already, that could change the nature of their involvement potentially beyond participation in air defense efforts and opening their air space to U.S. and Israeli overflight," said Jacob Olidort, director of American security at America First Policy Institute.

Another major factor on the future of operations in Iran will be how European allies respond.

"A decisive inflection point will be the involvement of European allies, and their measured responses to date represent the acute threat posed by Iran’s terror network across Europe and the potential escalation against soft targets and bases, particularly in light of Iran’s recent threats against European navies and air forces,” Olidort said.

Posted by Andrew Mark Miller

45 mins ago

Newsom agrees Iran leadership 'must go' but blasts Trump's methods

California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom reacted to President Donald Trump's move to attack Iran in a Saturday social media post.

"The corrupt and repressive Iranian regime must never have nuclear weapon," Newsom, widely seen as a top White House contender in 2028, posted on X. "The leadership of Iran must go. "

"But that does not justify the President of the United States engaging in an illegal, dangerous war that will risk the lives of our American service members and our friends without justification to the American people."

Newsom went on to accuse Trump of "putting Americans at risk abroad because he is unpopular at home."

The U.S. and Israel launched the joint attack just after 9 a.m. local time in what the Pentagon has dubbed "Operation Epic Fury."

In video remarks posted to Truth Social, Trump addressed the Iranian people directly and told them to "seize control of [their] destiny."

"The hour of your freedom is at hand. Stay sheltered. Don't leave your home. It's very dangerous outside. Bombs will be dropping everywhere. When we are finished, take over your government. It will be yours to take," Trump said. "This will be, probably, your only chance for generations. For many years, you have asked for America's help, but you never got it. No President was willing to do what I am willing to do tonight. Now you have a President who is giving you what you want."

Posted by Andrew Mark Miller

45 mins ago

What is the Tomahawk missile? The weapon that opened the US strike on Iran

The USS Barry launches a Tomahawk cruise missile on March 29, 2011, from the Mediterranean Sea. (US Navy photo)

The first missile in the U.S. arsenal used against Iranian targets in Saturday's pre-dawn strike was the Tomahawk, a long-range cruise missile launched from Navy ships and submarines.

About half the length of a standard telephone pole, the Tomahawk flies at the speed of a commercial airliner and can carry a 1,000-pound warhead about the distance from Washington, D.C., to Miami.

The missile has been a mainstay of the Navy’s arsenal since the 1980s and was first used in combat during the 1991 Gulf War. In the decades since, it has become a go-to option for presidents seeking to strike targets from long range without putting U.S. service members in harm’s way.

“Tomahawks are the longest-range cruise missile we have and the one presidents reach for first and often,” said Thomas Karako, director of the Missile Defense Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

But demand has outpaced supply, he noted.

“We’ve been using them far more frequently than we’ve been producing them,” he added.

Overall, the Tomahawk has been deployed more than 2,350 times.

This is an excerpt, read the full story here.

Posted by Amanda Macias

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47 mins ago

Jeffries demands war powers vote on Iran, claims Trump doing 'exact opposite' of campaign promise

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., asserted that President Donald Trump's administration must provide Congress and Americans a solid justification for attacking Iran, and convey a plan to prevent a protracted "military quagmire" in the region.

"Donald Trump promised to keep America out of costly and endless foreign wars. He is now doing the exact opposite in the Middle East. Congress must vote on a War Powers resolution immediately," Jeffries declared in a post on X.

Jeffries has said that Trump's decision to launch a U.S. military operation in Iran leaves American troops in danger of retaliation.

"Overnight, Donald Trump announced the start of massive and ongoing military operations against Iran. The framers of the United States Constitution gave Congress the sole power to declare war as the branch of government closest to the American people," Jeffries said in a statement.

"Iran is a bad actor and must be aggressively confronted for its human rights violations, nuclear ambitions, support of terrorism and the threat it poses to our allies like Israel and Jordan in the region. However, absent exigent circumstances, the Trump administration must seek authorization for the preemptive use of military force that constitutes an act of war," he continued.

"Donald Trump failed to seek Congressional authorization prior to striking Iran. Instead, the President’s decision to abandon diplomacy and launch a massive military attack has left American troops vulnerable to Iran’s retaliatory actions. We pray for the safety of the men and women of the U.S. military as they have been put into harm’s way in a dangerous theater of war," Jeffries said in the statement.

"If Iran’s nuclear program was 'completely and totally obliterated' by the military strikes in June 2025, as Donald Trump boldly proclaimed, there should be no need to strike them now. Equally troublesome, the advancement of security and stability in the Middle East requires more than military might, as we painfully discovered in several failed wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Trump administration must explain itself to the American people and Congress immediately, provide an ironclad justification for this act of war, clearly define the national security objective and articulate a plan to avoid another costly, prolonged military quagmire in the Middle East," Jeffries asserted.

"The War Powers Resolution introduced by Rep. Ro Khanna and Rep. Thomas Massie demands that President Trump remove U.S. forces from hostilities in Iran absent Congressional authorization. House Democrats remain committed to compelling a vote on this resolution upon our return," the congressman declared.

Posted by Alex Nitzberg

49 mins ago

AOC condemns US-Israeli strikes on Iran, accuses Trump of dragging Americans into war

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., speaks at TU Berlin. (Annette Riedl/picture alliance via Getty Images)

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., slammed President Donald Trump as the U.S. and Israel strike Iran.

The progressive "Squad" member accused Trump of dragging Americans into war and not caring about the long-term consequences.

"The American people are once again dragged into a war they did not want by a president who does not care about the long-term consequences of his actions. This war is unlawful. It is unnecessary. And it will be catastrophic," Ocasio-Cortez asserted in the statement.

"Just this week, Iran and the United States were negotiating key measures that could have staved off war. The President walked away from these discussions and chose war instead. President Trump flippantly acknowledged the possibility of American casualties, stating 'that often happens in war'." she continued.

"Mr. President: this was not an inevitability," she said. "This is a deliberate choice of aggression when diplomacy and security were within reach. Stop lying to the American people."

“Violence begets violence. We learned this lesson in Iraq. We learned this lesson in Afghanistan. And we are about to learn it again in Iran. Bombs have yet to create enduring democracies in the region and this will be no different," she added. "In moments of war, our Constitution is unambiguous: Congress authorizes war. The President does not. I will do my part to uphold our Constitution by voting YES on Representatives Ro Khanna and Thomas Massie’s War Powers Resolution. Every member of Congress must join us in rejecting this aimless war."

Fox News' Daniel Scully contributed to this report

Posted by Alex Nitzberg

1200 1 hour ago

Trump monitored the attacks on Iran, spoke with Netanyahu, White House says

President Donald Trump was monitoring the overnight attacks on Iran from Mar-a-Lago while surrounded by his national security team, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Saturday. Leavitt confirmed that Trump spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as their countries carried out attacks on Iran.

"Prior to the attacks, Secretary Rubio called all members of the gang of eight to provide congressional notification, and he was able to reach and brief seven of the eight members," Leavitt said.

"The President and his national security team will continue to closely monitor the situation throughout the day," she added.

Posted by Rachel Wolf

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1 hour ago

Capito backs strikes in Iran, hopes for briefings from Trump administration 'soon'

The Senate’s fourth highest ranking Republican backed President Donald Trump’s strikes on Iran, and hopes for a briefing “soon” on the action in the Middle East.

Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.V., and chair of the Senate Republican Policy Committee, said in a statement that Trump had given “the Iranian regime countless opportunities to stand down, stop killing their people, and abandon their nuclear ambitions.”

“Instead of choosing a peaceful path, they have doubled down on weapons designed to threaten the American people,” Moore Capito said. “I am following U.S. operations in Iran very closely, and I look forward to receiving briefings soon.”

“In the meantime, I will continue to monitor developments as we work to ensure the safety and security of Americans at home and abroad,” she continued. “My prayers are with the brave men and women who serve our country in uniform.”

Moore Capito joined the rest of Senate Republican leadership in backing Operation Epic Fury, which saw the U.S. and Israel jointly strike Iran on Saturday.

Trump said that the strikes were meant to liberate the Iranian people from the current regime, eliminate imminent threats to the U.S. from Iran, and to snuff out any nuclear ambitions — “they can never have a nuclear weapon,” Trump said.

Posted by Alex Miller

1 hour ago

Tlaib calls on Congress to 'exert war powers' to 'stop this deranged president'

Democratic Rep. Rashida Tlaib, a fierce Trump critic, is calling on Congress to intervene and stop President Trump's move to strike Iran.

"Congress must stop the bloodshed by immediately reconvening to exert its war powers and stop this deranged president," the Michigan Democrat posted on X on Saturday. "But let’s be clear: warmongering politicians from both parties support this illegal war, and it will take a mass anti-war movement to stop it."

Tlaib has posted several critiques of Trump on X since the U.S. launched the strike alongside Israel around 9 a.m. local time, including a post reacting to a clip of Trump acknowledging the possibility of U.S. casualties in the attack.

"He doesn't care about our loved ones in the military," Tlaib said about Trump. "He doesn't care about the fact that Americans don't want this war. "He doesn't care about the Iranian people. He is corrupted. Don't fall for the lies."

Posted by Andrew Mark Miller

1 hour ago

Bessent says US tracking 'illegal funds being moved out of Iran,' reasserts Trump's 'amnesty' pledge

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said President Donald Trump’s Operation Epic Fury targets Iran’s ruling regime and offers amnesty to combatants who stand down.

“@POTUS has unleashed Operation Epic Fury on the brutal Iranian regime,” Bessent wrote on social media. “He has called for all combatants to put down their weapons and receive amnesty.”

Bessent said the Treasury Department will continue enforcing Trump’s maximum pressure campaign, tracking what he described as illegal funds moved outside Iran and working to recover them.

“The @USTreasury reaffirms our commitment to President Trump’s maximum pressure campaign tracking all illegal funds moved outside of Iran, and to retrieving these monies on behalf of the Iranian people,” he wrote.

Posted by Michael Dorgan

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1 hour ago

No confirmed US casualties in Iranian counterattacks: US official

No U.S. fatalities or injuries have been confirmed as part of Iran’s counterattacks following American strikes Saturday, a U.S. official told Fox News Digital.

Damage assessments remain ongoing as officials evaluate the impact of missile and drone launches targeting U.S. facilities across the Middle East. Several bases in Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait were placed on heightened alert amid the retaliation.

U.S. embassies in parts of the region have also issued security notices urging Americans to shelter in place, while military installations continue operating under elevated force protection conditions.

Iran’s barrage came after coordinated U.S.–Israeli strikes on Iranian military and nuclear-linked targets earlier Saturday. Regional governments reported intercepting many of the incoming projectiles, though the full extent of any structural damage has not been publicly detailed.

The situation remains fluid, and assessments could change as additional information becomes available.

Posted by Morgan Phillips

1 hour ago

UN chief condemns US-Israeli strikes, Iran's retaliation in one statement

United Nations (U.N.) Secretary-General António Guterres condemned the military actions in the Middle East, including the strikes by the U.S. and Israel in Operation Epic Fury, as well as Iran's retaliation. Guterres claimed that the actions "undermine international peace & security" and that they violate the U.N. Charter.

"I condemn today’s military escalation in the Middle East... I call for an immediate cessation of hostilities & de-escalation. Failing to do so risks a wider regional conflict with grave consequences for civilians & regional stability. I strongly encourage all parties to return immediately to the negotiating table," Guterres said.

"I reiterate that there is no viable alternative to the peaceful settlement of international disputes, in full accordance with international law, including the UN Charter. The Charter provides the foundation for the maintenance of international peace and security," he added.

Posted by Rachel Wolf

1 hour ago

Iran state news agencies hit by cyberattacks

Cyberattacks disrupted Iranian state media Saturday as the United States and Israel launched a sweeping joint military operation across Iran, according to Fox News Chief National Security Correspondent Jennifer Griffin.

“There have been cyberattacks across Iran, and the internet is not up and working,” Griffin reported on “FOX & Friends.” “But the cyber attacks have focused on the news agencies like Irna, which is the state run television.”

The cyber disruptions came as U.S. and Israeli forces struck military and leadership targets in what Griffin described as an open-ended campaign expected to last “not hours, but days.”

“It was a joint operation from the get-go,” she said.

The cyberattacks unfolded alongside the broader military campaign as strikes targeted sites in Tehran and elsewhere across the country.

Posted by Michael Dorgan

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1 hour ago

UK to convene United Nations security meeting in NYC as US, Israel attack Iran

Eduardo Munoz/Reuters

The U.K. is set to convene the United Nations Security Council in New York City on Saturday as the U.S. and Israel carry out Operation Epic Fury against Iran. The meeting is set to take place at 4:00 p.m. local time.

Israeli Ambassador to the U.N. Danny Danon will address the meeting, the Israeli U.N. Mission confirmed.

"The State of Israel is strong, united and determined to defend its citizens against any existential threat. Israel will never allow an Iranian nuclear state," Danon said in a statement.

Posted by Rachel Wolf

2 hours ago

Civilian casualty claims mount after reported Iran school strike, CENTCOM opens review

Fatemeh Bahrami/Anadolu via Getty Images

U.S. Central Command is investigating reports that a girls school in southern Iran was struck during recent military operations, with Iranian state media claiming students were killed.

“We are aware of reports concerning civilian harm resulting from ongoing military operations,” CENTCOM spokesman Tim Hawkins said in a Saturday statement to CNN. “We take these reports seriously and are looking into them. The protection of civilians is of utmost importance, and we will continue to take all precautions available to minimize the risk of unintended harm.”

Iran’s state-run media has reported that at least five students were killed when a girls school in southern Iran was hit amid the strikes, though those numbers have not been independently confirmed by U.S. officials.

CENTCOM’s statement indicates the U.S. military is reviewing the incident as part of its normal assessment process when credible allegations of civilian harm arise.

Posted by Morgan Phillips

2 hours ago

Israel launches new strikes on Iranian missile launchers

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced on Saturday that hit had begun a flyover and was striking missile launchers in Iran as Operation Epic Fury unfolds.

The Associated Press, citing the semiofficial news agency Fars news, reported that explosion had been heard near the city of Shiraz in southern Iran.

Posted by Rachel Wolf

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2 hours ago

Schumer demands Iran briefing for Congress, calls on Senate to immediately return to rein in Trump's

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., accused the Trump administration of not providing Congress nor Americans “critical details about the scope and immediacy of the threat” from Iran.

“The administration must brief Congress, including an immediate all senators classified briefing and in public testimony, to answer these vital questions,” Schumer said in a statement. “The Senate should quickly return to session and reassert its constitutional duty by passing our resolution to enforce the War Powers Act.”

Schumer, along with other congressional leaders from the Gang of Eight, was briefed on the situation in Iran earlier this week by Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

“When I talked to Secretary Rubio, I implored him to be straight with Congress and the American people about the objectives of these strikes and what comes next,” Schumer said. “Iran must never be allowed to attain a nuclear weapon but the American people do not want another endless and costly war in the Middle East when there are so many problems at home.”

Schumer, like most congressional Democrats, has routinely bucked President Donald Trump’s use of military force across the globe during his second term.

He said that tackling Iran’s activity in the region, nuclear ambitions and oppression of their own people demanded “American strength, resolve, regional coordination, and strategic clarity.”

“Unfortunately, President Trump’s fitful cycles of lashing out and risking wider conflict are not a viable strategy,” Schumer said.

Posted by Alex Miller

2 hours ago

Departure flights for US military families in Bahrain paused after missile attack

Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/Pool via Reuters

Departure flights for U.S. military families in Bahrain have been paused following missile attacks targeting the headquarters of the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet, according to Stars and Stripes. Smoke was seen rising over Manama, Bahrain, Saturday after the naval base was struck, though officials have not released details on the extent of damage or any casualties.

The Department of War had authorized voluntary departures for military dependents earlier Saturday after the United States and Israel launched strikes on Iran. An emergency alert sent to families allowed them to book flights on a first-come, first-serve basis, according to Stripes. However, by 2 p.m. local time, officials announced departure flights were on hold pending further notice and instructed personnel to continue sheltering.

Explosions were heard across Bahrain as residents took cover, but it remains unclear what specific targets were hit.

U.S. Central Command did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital. Bahrain hosts Naval Forces Central Command and is one of the few accompanied duty stations in the region.

Posted by Morgan Phillips

2 hours ago

Graham says Saudi recognition of Israel would be historic reset as ‘mothership of terrorism’ falls

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said Saturday that a potential collapse of Iran’s regime could trigger the biggest geopolitical shift in the Middle East in “a thousand years” and called on Saudi Arabia to move to recognize Israel if Tehran falls.

“If Saudi Arabia, the most important voice in Islam, would recognize the one and only Jewish state, that is a blow to terrorism worse than bombs,” Graham told “Fox & Friends.”

“The mothership of terrorism is about to go down.”’

Graham described the moment as a “new dawn” for the region, arguing the current pressure campaign had set in motion the regime’s demise and would ultimately bring the regime down.

He also unleashed a blistering attack on Iran’s supreme leader, saying, “I hope the Ayatollah is captured or killed. He’s a miserable human being. He’s Hitler in a robe.”

Graham accused the regime of killing “over 30,000 of his own people to maintain power” and called the Ayatollah a “religious Nazi.”

The South Carolina Republican predicted that once the regime collapses, Saudi Arabia will return to normalization talks with Israel that were close before the Oct. 7 terror attacks.

“If Saudi Arabia recognizes Israel, it will be the biggest change in a thousand years in the history of the region,” Graham said, arguing such a move would cause Iran-backed terror networks to collapse.

He also hailed President Donald Trump as the “most consequential” president on Middle East policy in his lifetime and said Trump’s strategy had set the region on a path toward transformation.

Posted by Michael Dorgan

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2 hours ago

Trump critic Carney expresses support for US and Israel's strikes on Iran

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, an outspoken critic of President Donald Trump, has expressed support for Operation Epic Fury. The prime minister noted that, despite repeated warnings from the international community, "ran has neither fully dismantled its nuclear program, halted all enrichment activities, nor ended its support for regional terrorist proxy groups."

"Canada stands with the Iranian people in their long and courageous struggle against Iran’s oppressive regime... Canada reaffirms Israel’s right to defend itself and to ensure the security of its people," Carney said in a statement posted on X.

"Canada supports the United States acting to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon and to prevent its regime from further threatening international peace and security," he added.

Posted by Rachel Wolf

2 hours ago

Europe’s top powers push diplomacy after strikes on Iran

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer stand together (Thomas Kienzle/ AFP/Getty Images).

The leaders of France, Germany and the United Kingdom on Saturday called for renewed negotiations with Iran following military strikes targeting the country, saying they remain committed to regional stability but did not participate in the operation.

In a statement released from the French presidential palace, the three European powers said they are in close contact with international partners, including the U.S., Israel and regional allies.

“We did not participate in these strikes,” the statement said, while reaffirming their commitment to protecting civilian lives and maintaining stability in the region.

The leaders reiterated long-standing concerns about Iran’s nuclear program, ballistic missile development and what they described as destabilizing activities in the region and beyond.

They also condemned what they called “appalling violence and repression” by Iranian authorities against their own people.

The three countries strongly condemned Iranian attacks on regional states and urged Tehran to refrain from what they described as indiscriminate military strikes.

They called for a resumption of negotiations and pressed Iran’s leadership to pursue a diplomatic solution, adding that “ultimately, the Iranian people must be allowed to determine their future."

Posted by Amanda Macias

2 hours ago

Rand Paul bucks Trump on Iran, 'I must oppose another Presidential war'

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky.

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., broke from President Donald Trump and the vast majority of congressional Republicans on the president’s strikes against Iran, arguing Congress should have had a say.

Paul, in a lengthy post on X, quoted former President John Quincy Adams, who argued that “the executive branch is the branch most prone to war, therefore, the Constitution, with studied care, delegated the war power to the legislature.”

“As with all war, my first and purest instinct is wish Americans soldiers safety and success in their mission,” Paul said. “But my oath of office is to the Constitution, so with studied care, I must oppose another Presidential war.”

Paul has routinely pushed back against the administration’s use of force throughout Trump’s second term, and has often partnered with Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., to push votes on war powers resolutions that would rein in the president’s use of the military without congressional approval.

Both Paul and Kaine already had a war powers resolution in place to curb Trump’s military usage in Iran, with a vote expected in the coming week.

Kaine already demanded that the Senate return to vote on their war powers resolution.

Posted by Alex Miller

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2 hours ago

Omar, Squad lash out at Trump in response to Iran strike: 'Illegal regime change war'

POLITICS

Omar, Squad lash out at Trump in response to Iran strike: 'Illegal regime change war'

President Trump's decision to attack Iran was quickly slammed by progressive members of the House including Reps. Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib, and Greg Casar.

Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar, one of President Donald Trump's most vocal critics, spoke out against the U.S. attack on Iran in a Saturday morning social media post.

"Trump has launched an illegal regime change war," the Minnesota Democrat posted on X. "As someone who has survived the horrors of war, I know military strikes will not make us safer; they will inflame tensions and push the region further into chaos."

Omar, a Somali refugee, added, "When we abandon diplomacy, we choose destruction."

Earlier in the day, Omar reposted a message from Democratic Rep. Rashida Tlaib, who also criticized Trump's actions.

"He doesn't care about our loved ones in the military," Tlaib's post said. "He doesn't care about the fact that Americans don't want this war. He doesn't care about the Iranian people. He is corrupted. Don't fall for the lies."

Posted by Andrew Mark Miller

2 hours ago

Leader Thune backs Trump's strikes in Iran despite 'dogged pursuit' by administration to resolve pea

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., lauded President Donald Trump’s strikes against Iran as an action taken after all other diplomatic avenues were exhausted.

“For years, Iran’s relentless nuclear ambitions, its expanded ballistic missile inventory, and its unwavering support for terror groups in the region have posed a clear and unacceptable threat to U.S. servicemembers, citizens in the region, and many of our allies,” Thune said in a statement.

“Despite the dogged efforts of the president and his administration, the Iranian regime has refused the diplomatic off-ramps that would peacefully resolve these national security concerns,” he continued. “I commend President Trump for taking action to thwart these threats.”

Thune earlier in the week said ahead of the strikes that the most important aspect of the then ongoing negotiations with Iran was “to prevent them from having nuclear capability.”

“In my view, if you're going to do something there, you better well make it about getting new leadership and regime change,” Thune said.

He and other congressional leaders were briefed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio earlier in the week, and a source familiar told Fox News Digital that Thune had been pinged ahead of the strikes, just as House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., had.

“I thank Secretary Rubio for providing updates on these issues throughout the week, and I look forward to administration officials briefing all senators about these military operations,” Thune said. “I commend the bravery of the servicemembers carrying out these operations and pray for the safety of those in harm’s way.”

Posted by Alex Miller

3 hours ago

Israel targets Iran’s supreme leader in sweeping strikes as US joins ‘Operation Epic Fury’

Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader via AP

In a sweeping pre-dawn bombing campaign across Iran, Israeli forces targeted sites linked to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, a senior Israeli official confirmed to Fox News. The official said Iran’s president was also targeted as part of the joint U.S. operation, dubbed Operation Epic Fury.

Reuters reported that Khamenei was not in Tehran during the strikes and was instead transferred to a secure location.

President Donald Trump described the "massive and ongoing" operation as the opening phase of a campaign that he said would devastate Iran’s military, dismantle its nuclear program and ultimately bring about regime change.

"It will be yours to take," Trump said in a video statement addressing the Iranian public.

Hours later, Tehran signaled it would not back down, saying it would defend itself against any attack.

"This will be probably your only chance for generations," he added. Officials in Tehran said the country would defend itself against any attack.

This is an excerpt from a story written by Amanda Macias.

Posted by Rachel Wolf

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3 hours ago

Kaine demands Senate return, immediately vote to curb Trump's ‘idiotic’ strikes in Iran

Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va.

Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., wants the Senate to immediately return to Washington, D.C., to put a check on President Donald Trump’s war powers in Iran.

“Has President Trump learned nothing from decades of U.S. meddling in Iran and forever wars in the Middle East,” Kaine questioned in a statement Saturday. “Is he too mentally incapacitated to realize that we had a diplomatic agreement with Iran that was keeping its nuclear program in check, until he ripped it up during his first term?”

Kaine, along with Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., have been the main opponents in the upper chamber to Trump’s use of the military across the globe, be it in the Caribbean or Middle East. Time and again the duo have sought to rein in his power and reassert Congress’ authority.

The lawmaker earlier this week announced that another war powers resolution, this time geared toward preventing military action in Iran without Congress’ say-so, would be hitting the Senate floor next week.

“These strikes are a colossal mistake, and I pray they do not cost our sons and daughters in uniform and at embassies throughout the region their lives,” Kaine said. “The Senate should immediately return to session and vote on my War Powers Resolution to block the use of U.S. forces in hostilities against Iran.”

“Every single Senator needs to go on the record about this dangerous, unnecessary, and idiotic action,” he continued.

Posted by Alex Miller

3 hours ago

House Democrat defends Trump's strikes on Iran: 'Stop them from taking more lives'

President Donald Trump’s strikes in Iran got rare Democratic support on Saturday morning.

Rep. Greg Landsman, D-Ohio, released a statement pointing out that Tehran has long destabilized the Middle East and that the U.S. strikes were “targeting military infrastructure – with warnings to Iranian civilians to take shelter away from these military targets.”

“The U.S. is destroying Iran’s missiles and bombs to stop them from taking more lives,” Landsman said. “For decades, the regime has caused mayhem and bloodshed through Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas in Gaza, the Houthis in Yemen – all while the people of Iran have suffered. When the Iranian people stood up to protest the regime last month, the regime murdered tens of thousands of its own people.”

“I want a lasting peace for everyone in the region – from the Iranian people to the Lebanese, Palestinians, Syrians, Iraqis, Jordanians, and Israelis. I hope these targeted strikes on the Iranian regime’s military assets ends the regime’s mayhem and bloodshed and makes way for this lasting peace in the region.”

While not mentioning Trump directly, he thanked U.S. service members in the region and said, “May peace emerge from all of this.”

Posted by Elizabeth Elkind

3 hours ago

Dem compares Trump’s Iran strikes to same ‘foolish decision’ made by Bush

Sen. Andy Kim, D-N.J.

Sen. Andy Kim, D-N.J., warned that President Donald Trump was making the same mistake as one of his predecessors with Operation Epic Fury.

“By launching strikes, President Trump has made the same dangerous and foolish decision President Bush did a generation ago,” Kim said on X. “He put Americans in harm’s way without clearly showing there’s an imminent threat to our national security.”

Trump’s remarks in the early morning hours of Saturday pitched the joint operation with Israel as a means to empower Iran’s people to “seize control of [their] destiny.”

Last summer, Trump launched Operation Midnight Hammer to ensure the Iranian government was incapable of creating a nuclear bomb. Ahead of Saturday's strikes, Trump refused to rule out the possibility of U.S. strikes if Iran could not agree to a sweeping nuclear deal. The president had also warned of possible U.S. intervention in response to the regime's deadly crackdown on protesters.

“They can never have a nuclear weapon," Trump said.

Whether that reasoning will fly with lawmakers is a mixed bag.

Kim charged that Trump had “once again started a cycle of violence that has already escalated and could spiral out of control,” and demanded that the Senate vote on a war powers resolution to rein in his military authority in the region.

“This is unacceptable,” Kim said.

Posted by Alex Miller

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3 hours ago

Levin calls for unity after Iran strike: 'You are either on Team America or you are not'

Conservative commentator and Fox News host Mark Levin reacted to the U.S. attack on Iran in a lengthy X post on Saturday morning, saying, "GOD BLESS AMERICA, OUR PRESIDENT, AND OUR ARMED FORCES."

In the X post, Levin said it is "very important" that the American people show President Trump, the U.S. armed forces, and the world that the country is "united in this greatest of peace missions."

"And let us be clear that those politicians and media outlets that resort to their usual efforts at sabotaging our country for personal political and ideological purposes will not be tolerated -- we will take note and you will suffer at the ballot box and in your precious ratings," Levin, one of the most prominent voices supporting military actions in Iran, wrote in his post.

"You are either on Team America or you are not," Levin said, adding that he could "not be prouder" of the president and members of his administration.

Levin praised our allies who were involved in the strike, both known and unknown, especially Israel, which he said is "fighting alongside us as brothers and sisters."

Levin called the strikes a "monumental and historic peace mission" that will put an end to the "illegitimate Islamist-Nazi regime" in Iran.

Levin then spoke directly to the Iranian people:

"And to the Persian people, you have suffered horribly, and long enough. You are a great people who have always wanted freedom and peace. I truly believe that you will once again be able to rise up against these mass murderers, but this time can succeed with our help. Our President is a great man with deep compassion and incredible courage. He is a historic figure who seeks peace throughout the world. He is the great liberator. The same is true of Israel's incredible Prime Minister. These are truly remarkable men. God bless them and the armed forces who are bravely fighting for our security and freedom, and liberating tens of millions of Persian citizens."

Posted by Andrew Mark Miller

3 hours ago

State Dept urges US citizens to depart Lebanon now 'while commercial options remain available'

The U.S. Embassy in Beirut has advised U.S. citizens still in Lebanon to leave "while commercial options remain available" as the U.S. and Israel hit Iran with Operation Epic Fury. Additionally, the embassy urged U.S. citizens not to travel to Lebanon.

"Americans who choose not to depart at this time should prepare contingency plans should the situation deteriorate. These alternative plans should not rely on the U.S. government for assisted departure or evacuation," the embassy said in a statement. "We recommend that U.S. citizens who choose not to depart be prepared to shelter in place should the situation deteriorate further."

Posted by Rachel Wolf

3 hours ago

If Khamenei falls, who takes Iran? Strikes will expose power vacuum — and the IRGC’s grip

Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader via AP

As U.S. and Israeli forces strike deep inside Iran — reportedly targeting senior regime officials including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and President Masoud Pezeshkian — the question of who would lead Iran if the Islamic Republic collapses is no longer theoretical.

Iran has retaliated with missile barrages against U.S. positions across the Middle East, and while Iranian state media says top leaders remain alive and have been moved to secure locations, the direct targeting of political and military leadership marks a dramatic escalation.

Yet despite the intensity of the moment, regional analysts say there is no obvious successor poised to take control of the country.

Experts consistently point to one determining factor: whether Iran’s coercive institutions — particularly the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) — fracture or consolidate.

If the IRGC remains cohesive, the most likely outcome is not democratic transition but a harder, more openly security-dominated system. A clerical reshuffle or military-led consolidation could preserve much of the existing power structure even if key figures are removed.

One of the most prominent opposition figures abroad is Reza Pahlavi, son of Iran’s last shah. He has lived outside Iran since the 1979 revolution and has spent decades advocating for a secular, democratic system.

Posted by Morgan Phillips

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3 hours ago

Fetterman praises Operation Epic Fury: Trump is 'willing to do what's right'

As one of Israel's staunchest defenders from the left, Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., full-throatedly endorsed President Donald Trump's attacks on Iran as lawmakers on both sides of the aisle reacted Saturday morning.

"President Trump has been willing to do what's right and necessary to produce real peace in the region," Fetterman wrote on X. "God bless the United States, our great military, and Israel."

Posted by Rachel Wolf

4 hours ago

Trump admin briefed House Speaker Mike Johnson ahead of Iran strikes

Speaker Mike Johnson was briefed ahead of the strikes on Iran, his spokesperson said. (Credit: Getty Images)

Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., was notified by the Trump administration before strikes on Iran were carried out, a spokesperson told Fox News Digital on Saturday morning.

Johnson got a call from Secretary of State Marco Rubio before the joint operation between the U.S. and Israel began.

It’s customary for an administration to brief congressional leadership before any significant military actions, which it also did when the U.S. engaged in an operation to capture Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro weeks earlier.

The speaker has not yet made any comments on the Iran operation but is likely to do so sometime Saturday morning.

The only member of congressional leadership to have released a statement so far is House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., who praised it as a “bold and decisive act of strength.”

Posted by Elizabeth Elkind

4 hours ago

Iran retaliates with missiles strikes at US facilities in multiple countries

Iran has started retaliating after the U.S. and Israel launched Operation Epic Fury early Saturday morning.

Fox News' Jennifer Griffin reported that approximately 40 missiles had landed in Israel. Meanwhile, the U.S. military in Iraq intercepted at least one missile targeting U.S. facilities. Additionally, Iran appeared to hit the U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet, but no casualties were reported and it appeared as though the regime struck an empty warehouse.

Iran also launched missiles at Saudi Arabia and Jordan, where the U.S. has squadrons of advanced fighter jets, Griffin reported. This led to condemnations from Jordan, the U.A.E. and others.

Omani Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr bin Hamad Al Busaidi said on X that he was "dismayed" by the attacks after her recently mediated indirect talks between the U.S. and Iran.

"I am dismayed. Active and serious negotiations have yet again been undermined. Neither the interests of the United States nor the cause of global peace are well served by this. And I pray for the innocents who will suffer. I urge the United States not to get sucked in further. This is not your war," the foreign minister said.

Posted by Rachel Wolf

4 hours ago

Oman's Foreign Ministry expresses 'profound regret' as US, Israel hit Iran

Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters

The Omani Foreign Ministry condemned Operation Epic Fury, which the U.S. and Israel launched against Iran on Saturday.

"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs expresses the Sultanate of Oman's profound regret over the military operations launched by Israel and the United States of America against the Islamic Republic of Iran, warning of the danger of the conflict expanding into consequences that cannot be rectified in the region," the Omani Foreign Ministry said in a statement, according to X's translation.

"The Sultanate of Oman considers this action to be in contravention of the rules of international law and the principle of resolving issues through peaceful means rather than hostile means, the shedding of blood, and calls on all parties to immediately suspend military operations, while urging the United Nations Security Council to convene an urgent meeting to impose a ceasefire and for the international community to take a clear stance in support of international law," it added.

Posted by Rachel Wolf

5 hours ago

Israel releases video of airstrikes in Iran

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on Saturday published a video of its airstrike on missile launchers in western Iran as Israel and the U.S. take part in a joint effort against Tehran.

"Within the ‘Roaring Lion’ operation, the IDF struck with the direction of IDF intelligence, hundreds of Iranian military targets, including missile launchers in western Iran," the IDF's statement read.

"Alongside the IAF’s strikes in Iran, the Aerial Defense Array is currently identifying and intercepting threats fired from Iran toward the State of Israel," the IDF added.

Posted by Rachel Wolf

5 hours ago

Iran speaks out as US, Israel carry out Operation Epic Fury

Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters

Iran's Foreign Ministry blasted the U.S. and Israel, which began carrying out Operation Epic Fury on Saturday.

"Our sacred and beloved homeland, proud and civilization-making Iran, has once again been subjected to criminal military aggression by the #UnitedStates and the #ZionistRegime," Iran's Foreign Ministry said in a statement posted on X.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry called the attacks by the U.S. and Israel "a gross violation of Iran’s territorial integrity and national sovereignty."

Iran also called on the United Nations and the Security Council, where the U.S. has veto power, to act as the attacks unfold. Tehran claimed that the attacks by the U.S. and Israel, which it calls "the Zionist regime" were carried out in violation of the U.N. Charter.

"All member states of the United Nations, especially regional and Islamic countries, members of the Non-Aligned Movement, and all states that feel responsible for international peace and security, are expected to firmly condemn this act of aggression and take urgent and collective action to confront it, which has undoubtedly exposed the peace and security of the region and the world to an unprecedented threat," Iran's Foreign Ministry said.

Posted by Rachel Wolf

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5 hours ago

Emmer makes first statement from congressional leadership on Iran strikes

House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., is praising President Donald Trump after the U.S. and Israel began joint strikes on Iran overnight.

“This is a bold, decisive act of strength by President Trump. The Ayatollah is responsible for killing hundreds of U.S. service members and slaughtering its own people,” Emmer told Fox News Digital.

“We pray that because of this leadership, the U.S. and the world will be a safer place. May God bless and protect the men and women of our military conducting this mission and serving in the region.”

It’s the first significant statement on the operation from a member of congressional leadership.

Emmer has been one of Trump’s most vocal allies on Capitol Hill so far this term.

Posted by Elizabeth Elkind

5 hours ago

Qatar reserves 'full right' to defend itself against 'Iranian aggression,' calls for dialogue

A plume of smoke rises following a reported explosion in Tehran on Feb. 28, 2026. (ATTA KENARE/AFP via Getty Images)

Qatar’s Foreign Ministry said it reserves its “full right” to defend itself after what it described as Iranian aggression targeting Qatari territory.

Qatar’s Defense Ministry said it had “successfully thwarted a number of attacks targeting the country’s territory” after multiple rounds of alerts sounded. Authorities reported no immediate injuries or damage in residential areas.

In a statement, Qatar’s Foreign Ministry said the state will respond in accordance with international law and in a manner proportionate to the nature of the attack, in defense of its sovereignty and national security.

The ministry said targeting Qatari territory contradicts the “principles of good neighborliness” and “cannot be accepted under any pretext or justification.”

Qatar also condemned what it described as violations of the sovereignty of Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan and Bahrain, expressing full solidarity with those nations.

Despite the escalation, the ministry reiterated its call for dialogue with Iran and urged an immediate halt to hostilities and a return to negotiations.

Blasts were reported across several Gulf states hosting U.S. military assets, including Qatar, according to Al Jazeera, after the United States and Israel launched military strikes across Iranian territory.

The outlet cited Iran’s Fars News Agency as confirming attacks targeting military bases in the region, including Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, which serves as the forward headquarters of U.S. Central Command.

Posted by Michael Dorgan

5 hours ago

Ukraine declares its support for the Iranian people, ties the regime to Russia in scathing statement

Ukraine ripped the Iranian regime and its ties to Russia in a statement on Saturday, as it also declared its support for the people of Iran.

"The Iranian regime, which has been mocking the Iranian people for decades, has launched a large-scale policy of violence against its own people and other countries. This includes massive human rights violations within the country, support for militants who have brought chaos to other countries in the region, and direct military support for the aggressor state of Russia in its unprovoked war of aggression against Ukraine. We remember and will never forget the strikes of thousands of 'Shaheeds' on our peaceful cities and people," Ukraine's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) said in a statement.

"Such cooperation between the regimes in Moscow and Tehran constitutes a gross violation of international law and undermines global efforts to restore peace and stability."

The Ukrainian MFA also condemned Iran's human rights abuses as well as the oppression of its own people.

"The reason for the current events is precisely the violence and arbitrariness of the Iranian regime, in particular the murders and repressions against peaceful protesters, which have become particularly large-scale in recent months," the statement read.

Posted by Rachel Wolf

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5 hours ago

NYPD 'closely monitoring' the situation in Iran and the Middle East

The New York Police Department (NYPD) said it is "closely monitoring" the situation unfolding in Iran as the U.S. and Israel participate in joint attacks. The department also said that it was coordinating with its federal and international partners.

"As is our protocol and out of an abundance of caution, we will be enhancing patrols to sensitive locations throughout the city, including diplomatic, cultural, religious, and other relevant sites," the NYPD's statement read.

Posted by Rachel Wolf

6 hours ago

Iranian group releases plan to turn country into a democratic republic amid US, Israel strikes

The provisional government of National Council of Resistance of Iran's (NCRI), an Iranian dissidents group, said on Saturday that it was looking to transform the country from a dictatorship into a democratic republic based on its president-elect's plan.

The 10-point plan was released by NCRI's president-elect Maryam Rajavi in June 2020 and it outlines the steps needed in order to bring freedom to Iran.

The first step of the plan calls for the rejection of clerical rule in favor of a republic built on "universal suffrage and pluralism." The second step calls for freedom of speech, political parties, assembly, the press and the internet, as well as the disbanding of several entities, namely the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), the Quds Force, plainclothes groups, the Basij, the Ministry of Intelligence, the Council of the Cultural Revolution and all suppressive patrols and institutions in cities, villages, schools, universities, offices and factories.

The third step involves a commitment to individual and social freedom, which Rajavi says will be in accordance with the Universal Declaration of Humans Rights. This would involve the disbanding of agencies that oversee "censorship and inquisition" as well as "seeking justice for massacred political prisoners," as well as the prohibition of torture and the end of the death penalty. The fourth step then calls for a separation of church and state, as well as freedom of religion.

In the fifth step, Rajavi seeks to establish gender equality in several parts of society and to allow for the "equal participation of women in political leadership." This step would also abolish discrimination, end the country's modesty laws, allow for freedom to marry and divorce and to obtain education and employment. It also would prohibit the exploitation of women.

The sixth step would establish an independent jury and legal system in accordance with international standards that is based on the presumption of innocence, as well as the right to an attorney, right of appeal and the right to be tried in a public court. With this step, Rajavi plans to also abolish Sharia law and shut down Islamic Revolutionary Courts.

The seventh step would see the end of Iran's "double injustices against Iranian nationalities and ethnicities," which would follow NCRI's plan for the autonomy of Iranian Kurdistan.

The eighth step calls for justice and equal opportunities in employment and entrepreneurship for all Iranians in a free market economy, restoring rights for blue-collar workers, farmers, nurses, white-collar workers, teachers and retirees.

In the ninth step, the group seeks to protect and restore the environment, which it says was "massacred under the rule of the mullahs."

The tenth and final step calls for "non-nuclear Iran that is also devoid of weapons of mass destruction" as well as peace and regional and international cooperation.

Posted by Rachel Wolf

6 hours ago

Iran vows ‘decisive’ retaliation after US, Israel launch strikes

Smoke rises over Tehran after Israeli forces launched a second wave of airstrikes on Iran, Feb. 28, 2026. (Fatemeh Bahrami/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Iran’s Foreign Ministry vowed a “decisive and definitive” response Saturday after the United States and Israel launched military strikes across Iranian territory.

The ministry called the attacks a violation of the U.N. Charter and warned that its armed forces “will not hesitate” to defend the country, vowing to make "the aggressors regret their criminal act."

“The armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran will decisively respond to the aggressors with authority,” the ministry said.

“History bears witness that Iranians have never bowed their heads in submission to foreign aggression and domination; this time too, the response of the Iranian nation will be decisive and definitive,” it added.

The ministry said the strikes hit targets in several cities and amounted to “overt armed aggression.”

It said responding to the attacks is Iran’s “legal and legitimate right” under Article 51 of the U.N. Charter and that its armed forces will use all their capabilities and resources to counter what it described as "criminal aggression."

Posted by Michael Dorgan

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6 hours ago

Strikes on Iran will last days, not hours, US official says

AP Photo

A U.S. official has told Fox News that the strikes on Iran are expected to last for days, rather than a few hours.

Additionally, the official and a source confirmed to Fox News that there were no casualties resulting from Iran hit's on a U.S. Navy base in Bahrain. The source said the strike hit an empty warehouse.

Posted by Rachel Wolf

7 hours ago

Saudi Arabia condemns Iran's strikes on Trump-aligned Arab states

Saudi Arabia on Saturday issued a statement condemning Iran’s attacks on several Arab nations, including ones that have aligned themselves with President Donald Trump. The statement comes as the U.S. and Israel engage in joint attacks on Iran.

“The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia condemns and denounces in the strongest terms the treacherous Iranian aggression and the blatant violation of the sovereignty of each of the United Arab Emirates, the Kingdom of Bahrain, the State of Qatar, the State of Kuwait, and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, affirming its full solidarity and standing by the side of the sister states, and placing all its capabilities at their disposal to support them in all measures they take, and warning of the grave consequences of the continued violation of the sovereignty of states and the principles of international law,” the statement read, according to X's translation.

Posted by Rachel Wolf

7 hours ago

IDF plans to call up roughly 70,000 reservists following US-Israel joint attack on Iran: source

An IDF tactical flag patch seen on a soldier. (Nataly Hanin/Getty)

A source who took part in a recent Israeli military meeting told Fox News there are plans to call up roughly 70,000 reservists over the next few days, following a joint US-Israel attack on Iran.

As incoming fire is expected from Iran, the reservists will be tasked with manning the Israel Defense Forces (IDF)'s air defense systems, according to the source.

Dozens of strikes were reportedly carried out against Iran Saturday morning, with the source noting the military is operating at the "highest level with American counterparts."

Many Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commanders and officials were targeted in strikes, according to initial reports.

Fox News' chief foreign correspondent Trey Yingst contributed to this report.

Posted by Alexandra Koch

7 hours ago

Former shah of Iran calls joint US-Israel attack 'humanitarian intervention' from POTUS

Reza Pahlavi, the former crown prince of Iran, described the joint US-Israel attack on the country as promised "aid," and an act of "humanitarian intervention" by President Donald Trump.

Following the reported nationwide strikes, Pahlavi called on Iranian citizens to abandon support for the regime, and the U.S. to "exercise the utmost caution" to preserve civilian lives.

"Moments of destiny lie ahead of us," Pahlavi wrote in a statement on social media. "... Even with the arrival of this aid, the final victory will still be forged by our hands. It is we, the people of Iran, who will finish the job in this final battle. The time to return to the streets is near."

"Now that the Islamic Republic is collapsing, my message to the country's military, police, and security forces is clear: You have sworn an oath to protect Iran and the Iranian people — not the Islamic Republic and its leaders," he continued. "Your duty is to defend the people, not a regime that has taken our homeland hostage through repression and crime. Join the people and help bring about a stable and secure transition. Otherwise, you will go down with Khamenei's sinking ship and his regime."

Pahlavi warned citizens to remain in their homes and stay vigilant, so that when he announces an "appropriate time," Iranians can "return to the streets for the final action."

"We are very close to final victory," he wrote. "I want to be by your side as soon as possible so that together we can take back and rebuild Iran."

Posted by Alexandra Koch

Breaking News7 hours ago

Iran's supreme leader, president targeted in attack: senior Israeli official

Map of explosions reported on Tehran street housing key military and presidential offices. (Fox News)

A senior Israeli official confirmed to Fox News Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and President Masoud Pezeshkian were targeted in Saturday's joint U.S.-Israel attack on Iran.

The official noted military forces also focused on taking out "those responsible for commanding the mass murder of Iranian protesters."

"Battle damage assessments will come out later," the official said.

Posted by Alexandra Koch

8 hours ago

Israel targeting Iran’s leadership, US focusing on sites that pose 'imminent threat': US official

Smoke rises over the city center after an explosion in Tehran, Iran on February 28, 2026. (Fatemeh Bahrami/Anadolu via Getty Images)

A U.S. official told Fox News that Israel is targeting Iranian leadership in its brazen morning attack against the regime, but the U.S. is setting its sights on military targets and ballistic missile sites that pose an “imminent threat.”

The U.S. military is not targeting Iran’s leadership, the official said.

Posted by Alexandra Koch

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8 hours ago

Israeli Air Force conducting broad strike on military targets belonging to Iranian regime

Israeli air defense systems intercepted and destroyed several missiles over the skies of Jerusalem, after the Israeli army announced that it had detected a retaliatory missile attack from Iran on February 28, 2026. (Gazi Samad/Anadolu via Getty Images)

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed the Israeli Air Force is conducting a broad strike on a number of military targets belonging to the Iranian regime in western Iran.

Israel's "Operation Lion's Roar" aims to fundamentally strike the Iranian terror regime and remove existential threats to the State of Israel for the long term, according to a statement from the IDF.

The strike included attacks on dozens of military targets and was carried out as part of a broad, coordinated and joint offensive against the regime.

"The Iranian regime has not abandoned its plan to destroy Israel," the IDF said. "In recent months, despite the heavy blow it suffered during Operation 'rising lion,' the IDF identified that the regime continued its efforts to fortify, protect, and conceal its nuclear programs, alongside rehabilitating its missile production process."

Israeli officials also accused the regime of continuing to fund, train and arm its proxies stationed along Israel's borders.

"These actions constitute an existential threat to the State of Israel and threaten the Middle East and the entire world," the IDF said.

Joint planning between the IDF and the U.S. Military spanned months prior to Saturday's ambush.

The Chief of the General Staff, Lt. Gen. (Rav-Aluf) Eyal Zamir, and IDF commanders are conducting a situational assessment.

Numerous IDF forces are deployed in forward defense and are prepared for offense across all sectors against any enemy, according to the IDF.

"The IDF will continue to act to cut off any emerging threat against the citizens of the State of Israel, anywhere and at any time," Israeli officials said. "Even at this moment, the Air Force continues to strike across Iran based on precise intelligence. The operation will continue for as long as necessary."

Fox News' Yonat Friling contributed to this report.

Posted by Alexandra Koch

8 hours ago

Iranian foreign minister says response would target 'all' US military bases in the region

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said Iran's response to the joint U.S.-Israel attack on the country would be to target "all" U.S. military bases in the region.

U.S. military infrastructure within Iran's missile range include: Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, forward headquarters for U.S. Central Command; Naval Support Activity Bahrain, home to the U.S. 5th Fleet; Camp Arifjan in Kuwait, a major Army logistics and command hub; Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait, used by U.S. Air Force units; Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia; Al Dhafra Air Base in the United Arab Emirates; and Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan, which hosts U.S. aircraft.

The foreign minister's threats came as the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) issued an urgent warning to all people staying inside or near military industrial factories and military infrastructure across Iran.

"You are in proximity to weapons and facilities that are dangerous," the IDF wrote in a statement.

"For the sake of your safety and health, we kindly request that you immediately evacuate these areas and remain outside them until a new announcement is issued," they continued. "Your presence in these locations puts your life at risk."

Posted by Alexandra Koch

8 hours ago

US embassies issue slew of shelter-in-place warnings amid Iran attack

A map of explosions heard across Iran Saturday morning. (Fox News)

American embassies in Qatar, Manama, Jordan and Abu Dhabi, along with the U.S. Consulate in Dubai, have issued shelter-in-place orders for all personnel following the U.S.-Israel joint attack on Iran Saturday morning.

Officials recommended all Americans also shelter-in-place "until further notice."

Qatar, which has previously been attacked by Iran, is home to Al Udeid Air Base, forward headquarters for U.S. Central Command.

Thousands of American service members are stationed at the base.

Posted by Alexandra Koch

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9 hours ago

Initial strike in Iran attack targeted area near Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's offices

Smoke was seen rising in Tehran after the joint Israel-U.S. attack Saturday morning. (AP)

While military strikes have been reported nationwide, the initial joint attack was reportedly focused in an area near the offices of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

The Associated Press reported the first apparent strike hit near Khamenei's compound and main offices in downtown Tehran.

It is unclear if the Iranian leader was in the area at the time of the attack.

Posted by Alexandra Koch

9 hours ago

Department of War dubs attack on Iran 'Operation Epic Fury'

The Department of War announced the Saturday morning U.S. military attack against the Islamic Republic of Iran has been dubbed "Operation Epic Fury."

The announcement came minutes after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who coordinated the blitz with the U.S., announced the Jewish State's mission was called “Operation Roaring Lion."

Posted by Alexandra Koch

9 hours ago

Iran begins response to Israel-US attack, IDF responding to missiles

Iran has started launching missiles toward Israel in response to a joint attack from the Jewish State and the United States on Saturday morning.

The Israel Defense Forces said the Israeli Air Force was responding to the missiles launched from Iran.

“At this time, the IAF is operating to intercept and strike threats where necessary to remove the threat,” the IDF said, adding that sirens were sounding in several areas across the country.

Iran’s response “appears to be limited” at the moment, according to Fox News correspondent Trey Yingst.

Posted by Michael Sinkewicz

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10 hours ago

Netanyahu names attack on Iran 'Operation Roaring Lion'

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu named the military operation against Iran “Operation Roaring Lion."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has named the military operation against the Islamic Republic of Iran “Operation Roaring Lion,” his office said.

The U.S. and Israel launched a joint attack against Iran just after 9 a.m. local time.

Posted by Michael Sinkewicz

10 hours ago

Trump confirms US involvement in Iran attack, says 'not going to put up' with regime's 'mass terror'

President Donald Trump confirmed Saturday that the U.S. is carrying out "major combat operations in Iran."

In video remarks posted to Truth Social, Trump said the objective is to defend Americans by eliminating imminent threats from the Iranian regime, describing it as "a vicious group of very hard, terrible people."

"It's been mass terror and we are not going to put up with it any longer," Trump said.

He added that "it has always been the policy of the United States, in particular my administration, that this terrorist regime can never have a nuclear weapon. I'll say it again, they can never have a nuclear weapon."

Posted by Michael Sinkewicz

10 hours ago

Israel-US attack on Iran had 'element of surprise'

A joint attack on Iran by Israel and the United States on Saturday morning had an "element of surprise," according to Fox News Chief National Security Correspondent Jennifer Griffin.

The attack was carried out just after 9 a.m. local time in daylight.

Griffin said she believes U.S. and Israeli officials wanted Iran to see the strikes and what was being targeted.

She said she expects more military activity over the next few hours.

Posted by Michael Sinkewicz

11 hours ago

US participating in Israel's attack on Iran: US official

Smoke rises on the skyline after an explosion in Tehran, Iran, Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026. (AP Photo)

The United States is participating in preemptive strikes Israel launched against Iran on Saturday, a U.S. official confirmed to Fox News.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz declared a special and immediate state of emergency across the entire country.

He said the strike was "to remove threats" against the state of Israel.

A11 X16 X16 FROM GUK

The rise and fall of Iran’s ruthless and pragmatic Ayatollah Ali Khamenei

The radical cleric took over as supreme leader in 1989 and is likely to be replaced by hardline figures

US-Israeli attack on Iran – live updates

What we know so far: US and Israel wage war on Iran

War on Iran: how the US-Israeli bid for regime change unfolded

By Jason Burke Sat 28 Feb 2026 15.20 EST

When he appeared in public for the first time in five years in October 2024, Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, had an uncompromising message: Israel “won’t last long”, he told tens of thousands of supporters at a mosque in Tehran in a Friday sermon.

“We must stand up against the enemy while strengthening our unwavering faith,” the then-84-year-old told the gathering.

Seventeen months later, Khamenei faced his final climactic confrontation after decades of bitter struggle against multiple enemies.

Benjamin Netanyahu said on Saturday that there were many signs indicating Khamenei “is no longer with us”, without explicitly confirming his death. Hours later, after Donald Trump also claimed Khamenei had been killed, it was confirmed by Iranian state media.

It is very clear that the supreme leader was in the crosshairs from the earliest moments of Saturday’s strikes, with satellite imagery showing that his secure compound was heavily damaged in the initial barrage.

Certainly, Israel and the US have made little secret of their keen desire to eliminate Khamenei and so trigger the downfall of the Islamic Republic of Iran in its present form.

Back in October 2024, Khamenei already appeared to have his back to a wall.

Days before, Israel had killed Hassan Nasrallah, the veteran secretary general of Hezbollah, with huge bombs dropped on the militant Islamist movement’s headquarters in Beirut. The assassination was a personal blow to Khamenei, who had known Nasrallah for decades.

The Israeli air offensive against Iran in June last year was another such blow, revealing the weakness of both Iran’s air defences and the coalition of Islamist militias that Khamenei had built up to deter Israel. The Iranian barrage of missiles and drones launched at Israel inflicted some damage but far from enough to stop Israeli attacks. The war ended after Donald Trump dispatched US bombers to strike Iranian nuclear sites, a grave setback to a programme that Iran’s supreme leader had cherished.

That brief conflict revealed that Khamenei had few good options left – a situation this careful, pragmatic, conservative and ruthless revolutionary always sought to avoid.

Born the son of a minor cleric of modest means in the eastern Iranian shrine city of Mashhad, Khamenei took his first steps as a radical in the febrile atmosphere of the early 1960s. The then-shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, had launched a major reform project largely rejected by the country’s conservative clergy.

As a young religious student in Qom, a centre of theology, Khamenei had soaked in the traditions of Shia Islam and the radical new thinking of the emerging leader of the conservative opposition, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. By the late 1960s, Khamenei was running secret missions for Khomeini, who had been exiled, and organising networks of Islamist activism.

Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, killed in US-Israeli airstrike – video report

Khamenei soaked up other influences, too. Though an avowed aficionado of western literature, particularly Leo Tolstoy, Victor Hugo and John Steinbeck, the young activist was steeped in the anti-colonial ideologies of the time and the anti-western sentiment that often went with them. He met thinkers who sought to meld Marxism and Islamism to create new ideologies, liked works describing the “westoxification” of his country and translated works by Sayyid Qutb, an Egyptian who would inspire generations of Islamist extremists, into Farsi.

Imprisoned repeatedly by Iran’s feared security services, Khamenei was nonetheless able to take part in the vast protests of 1978 that eventually convinced the shah to flee and allowed Khomeini to return. A protege of the implacable cleric, he swiftly rose up the hierarchy of the radical regime that seized power, and by 1981, after surviving an assassination attempt that deprived him of the use of an arm, he had won election to the largely ceremonial post of president.

When Khomeini died in 1989, Khamenei was selected as his successor, once the constitution changed to allow someone of lesser clerical qualifications to take on the role and with much greater powers than before. Khamenei swiftly deployed these to consolidate his control over the sprawling and fragmented apparatus of Iran’s post-revolutionary state.

One key power base was the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), the beating activist heart of the new regime and a powerful military, social and economic force. But Khamenei, as ever, was careful to find other powerful allies and clients, too.

Through the 1990s, he further strengthened his grip, eliminating opponents and rewarding those loyal to him. Even poets Khamenei had once professed to admire were targeted by security services. Overseas dissidents were hunted down, and the relationship with Hezbollah, which the IRGC had helped found in the aftermath of the revolution, was reinforced.

At all times, he followed his strategy of pragmatically advancing the inflexible principles of the project bequeathed him by his late mentor.

When in 1997, Mohammad Khatami, a reformist candidate, won the presidency in a landslide, Khamenei allowed him some freedom of action but worked hard and often forcefully to protect the core of the regime and its ideology from any serious challenge.

Khamenei did not, however, stop Khatami reaching out to Washington in an ultimately abortive effort to establish better relations in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks in 2001 and, following Khomenei’s example, forswore weapons of mass destruction.

But he also backed the IRGC’s efforts to bleed US forces in Iraq after their 2003 invasion and extend Iranian influence in the neighbouring country. This marked the further extension of his strategy of relying on proxies to project power across the region and deter and threaten Israel, named “Little Satan” by the revolutionaries in 1979, with the “Great Satan” being the US.

Khamenei was sceptical of the nuclear deal painstakingly negotiated by Iranian officials with the US and others, but he did not oppose its implementation in 2015. Analysts argue over whether he has sought to restrain or encourage hardliners in the IRGC who have pushed for Iran to acquire a bomb.

Successive waves of unrest and reform efforts were met with surges of vicious repression alongside continuing harsh treatment of measures targeting women, gay people and religious minorities. This, along with deteriorating economic circumstances, disillusioned many erstwhile supporters of the regime and broadened existing unrest. A pressure cooker of discontent was building.

Overseas, Khamenei chose to invest heavily in the so-called axis of resistance – Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthi movement in Yemen and a motley assortment of Islamic militant militias in Syria and Iraq. This may have seemed a clever tactic but it collapsed under the weight of Israeli attacks following the outbreak of war in Gaza, while Iran’s historic alliance with Damascus was ended with the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in December.

On Saturday, as US and Israeli jets and missiles pounded Iran, striking Khamenei’s offices and killing him, Hezbollah’s new leadership offered rhetorical support to Iran, but nothing else. There is little Hamas can do to help, and the Houthis seem frozen.

Thus weakened, Khamenei has spent the last months facing spiralling crisis.

During his more than three decades in power, Khamenei sought to navigate the pressures of conflicting forces within Iran, to avoid outright war and to preserve Khomeini’s legacy – as well as his own power and that of his immediate loyalists, of course.

On the international scene, it is possible to detect evidence of some remaining pragmatism. Faced with the huge military power of the US and Donald Trump’s demands for massive concessions that would strip away the last defences of his regime, Iran’s supreme leader played for time, offering at least some concessions to forestall immediate attack. Domestically, it was the hardline ideologue, not the master tactician, who took centre stage as he sent police and paramilitary thugs to bloodily crush the biggest wave of internal protest and unrest since the 1979 revolution that set him on his way to power.

In the run-up to the US and Israeli attacks, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) assessed that even if Iran’s supreme leader were killed in the operation, he would probably be replaced by hardline figures from the IRGC, the most powerful military force within the country and the most ideologically committed to continuing what they consider the values and project of the 1979 revolution, two sources told Reuters last week.

For a long time, Khamenei has been ailing, prompting feverish speculation over a successor. The end of his long career has made his many failings and many challenges manifest. It looks now that Khamenei’s brutal balancing is over.

This article was amended on 1 March 2026. An earlier version said the Iranian revolution happened in 1970; this should have said 1979.

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US, Israel pound Iran as Trump signals hopes for “dialogue” after Khamenei’s death

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The Israeli military said it was striking targets in central Tehran after clearing the path to the capital Saturday. Earlier, Iran fired missiles at targets in Israel and Gulf Arab states after vowing massive retaliation for the killing of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei by the United States and Israel. (AP video by Saeed Sarmadi)

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Khamenei was killed in a major attack on Iran launched by Israel and the United States, throwing the future of the Islamic Republic into doubt and raising the risk of regional instability. (AP video: Mohsen Ganji)

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Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who assembled theocratic power in Iran over the decades as its supreme leader and sought to turn it into a regional powerhouse, bringing it into confrontation with Israel and the United States over its nuclear program while crushing democracy protesters at home, has died, Iranian state media confirmed early Sunday.

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Iran had fired missiles at targets in Israel and Gulf Arab states after vowing massive retaliation for the killing of Khamenei by the United States and Israel. Constant missile salvos from Iran sent people in Israel in and out of shelters.

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The U.S. and Israel attacked Iran on Saturday in a massive operation that killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and hit government and military sites across the country. In counterattacks, Iran fired drones and missiles at Israel and aimed strikes at U.S. military installations, including in Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar, and locations in the UAE.

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Smoke rises up after a strike in Tehran, Iran, Sunday, March 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

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A plume of smoke rises after a strike in Tehran, Iran, Sunday, March 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

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Government supporters chant slogans as they gather in mourning after state TV officially announced the death of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in Tehran, Iran, Sunday, March 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

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Rescue workers and military personnel survey the scene of a direct hit a day after an Iranian missile struck in Tel Aviv, Israel, Sunday, March 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)

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Government supporters gather in mourning after state TV officially announced the death of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in Tehran, Iran, Sunday, March 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

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Israeli air defense system fires to intercept missiles during an Iranian attack over central Israel, Sunday, March 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)

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Israeli air defense system fires to intercept missiles during an Iranian attack over central Israel, Sunday, March 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)

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Iraqis hold a portrait of Iranian supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during a protest against U.S. and Israeli attacks on multiple cities across Iran, at a bridge leading to the fortified Green Zone where the U.S. Embassy is located, in Baghdad, Iraq, Sunday, March 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban)

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Shiite Muslims hold the portraits of Iranian leaders during a rally to condemn the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in Quetta, Pakistan, Sunday, March 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Arshad Butt)

By Jon Gambrell, Melanie Lidman, Josh Boak And Eric Tucker

Updated 5:00 PM EST, March 1, 2026

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The U.S. and Israel pounded targets across Iran on Sunday, dropping massive bombs on the country’s ballistic missile sites and wiping out warships as part of an intensifying military campaign following the killing of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Blasts rattled windows across the country and sent plumes of smoke high into the sky above Tehran. More than 200 people have been killed since the start of the strikes that killed Khamenei and other senior leaders, Iranian leaders have said.

Iran vowed revenge, firing missiles at Israel and Gulf Arab states in a counteroffensive that the U.S. military said resulted in the deaths of three service members — the first known American casualties from the conflict. Israeli rescue services said strikes had hit several locations, including Jerusalem and a synagogue in the central town of Beit Shemesh, where nine people were killed and 28 wounded, bringing the overall death toll in the country to 11. Eleven people were still missing after the strike, police said.

But the attacks on Iran showed no signs of relenting as the U.S. and Israel took aim at key military, political and intelligence targets in what appeared to be a widening war that carried the potential for a prolonged conflict that could envelop the Middle East and destabilize it. The strikes, the second time in eight months that the U.S. and Israel had combined against Iran, represented a startling show of military might for an American president who swept into office on an “America First” platform and vowed to keep out of “forever wars.”

What to know as Iran and US prepare for nuclear talks in Oman

What to know about the new US-Israeli attacks on Iran

U.S. President Donald Trump said the U.S. would “avenge” the deaths of the service members and that “there will likely be more” killed before the conflict ends.

He added: “Sadly, there will likely be more, before it ends. That’s the way it is. Likely be more.”

Israel, which had pledged “nonstop” strikes, said it was increasing its attacks, with 100 fighter jets simultaneously striking targets in Tehran, Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin told reporters at a briefing. The targets included buildings belonging to Iran’s air force, its missile command and its internal security force, which violently quashed anti-government protests in January.

The U.S. military, meanwhile, said B-2 stealth bombers struck Iran’s ballistic missile facilities with 2,000-pound bombs. Trump said on social media that nine Iranian warships had been sunk and that the Iranian navy’s headquarters had been “largely destroyed.”

Europe has mostly stayed out of the war and pressed for diplomacy, but in an indication that the conflict could draw in other nations, Britain, France and Germany said Sunday they were ready to work with the U.S. to help stop Iran’s attacks.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Britain would allow the United States to use its bases to strike Iranian missile sites. The U.K. maintains nearby bases on Cyprus and the Chagos Islands, a British archipelago in the Indian Ocean.

In the 12-day war last June, Israeli and American strikes greatly weakened Iran’s air defenses, military leadership and nuclear program. But the killing of Khamenei, who ruled Iran for more than three decades, creates a leadership vacuum, increasing the risk of regional instability.

Trump, who a day earlier had encouraged Iranians to “take over” their government, signaled Sunday that he was open to dialogue with Iran’s new leadership.

“They want to talk, and I have agreed to talk, so I will be talking to them,” he told The Atlantic.

STREETS OF TEHRAN ARE LARGELY DESERTED

In Tehran, there was little sign that Iranians had heeded Trump’s call for an uprising against the government.

The streets were largely deserted as people sheltered during heavy airstrikes, witnesses told The Associated Press, speaking anonymously for fear of retribution. The paramilitary Basij, which has played a central role in crushing protests, set up checkpoints across the city, they said.

Two powerful explosions were heard in Tehran’s Niavaran neighborhood late Sunday.

An eyewitness in the city told AP that the windows of their apartment shook violently, and residents came out onto the streets fearing it was too dangerous to stay inside. The witness spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals. Video footage from Tehran showed plumes of smoke filling the skyline, and the official IRNA news agency reported that parts of the building of the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) were struck Sunday.

In southern Iran, at least 165 people were killed Saturday when a girls’ school was struck, and dozens more were wounded, IRNA reported. The Israeli military said it was not aware of strikes in the area. The U.S. military said it was looking into the reports.

The U.S. military did not provide details about the three service members who were killed or about five others who were seriously wounded. It said several others suffered minor injuries and concussions.

IRAN SAYS NEW LEADERSHIP IS IN PLACE

As supreme leader, Khamenei had final say on all major policies since 1989. He led Iran’s clerical establishment and the Revolutionary Guard, the two main centers of power in the governing theocracy.

The CIA had been tracking the movements of senior Iranian leaders, including Khamenei, for months, according to a person familiar with the operation who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity. The intelligence was d with Israeli officials, and the timing of the strikes was adjusted in part because of that information, the person said.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said in a prerecorded message that a new leadership council had begun its work. The country’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, said a new supreme leader would be chosen in “one or two days.”

A senior White House official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal administration deliberations, said Trump was eventually willing to talk but that the operation would continue unabated for now.

IRAN VOWS REVENGE FOR KHAMENEI KILLING

As word spread of Khamenei’s death, some in Tehran could be seen cheering from rooftops, witnesses said. Others mourned as a black flag was raised over the Imam Reza shrine in Mashhad.

An Iranian medical professional in northern Iran said he and colleagues spent the early hours of Sunday celebrating Khamenei’s death indoors because armed security forces are still heavily deployed in his city.

There were forces stopping and interrogating people celebrating in their cars, but there was no gunfire, said the doctor, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal.

“It was one of the best nights, if not the best night of our lives,” the doctor said in a voice message from the city of Rasht. In fact, “it was actually my first time ever smoking a cigarette. It was a very, very nice time. We didn’t sleep at all. And we don’t even feel tired.”

Araghchi, Iran’s foreign minister, blamed the U.S. and Israel for starting the war. He said he had spoken to his counterparts in the Gulf countries and urged them to pressure the U.S. and Israel to end it.

“You have crossed our red line and must pay the price,” Iran’s parliamentary speaker, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, said in a televised address. “We will deliver such devastating blows that you yourselves will be driven to beg.”

Trump warned against any retaliation.

“THEY BETTER NOT DO THAT,” he said in a social media post. “IF THEY DO, WE WILL HIT THEM WITH A FORCE THAT HAS NEVER BEEN SEEN BEFORE!”

STRIKES WERE PLANNED FOR MONTHS AND FEARED FOR WEEKS

Tensions have escalated in recent weeks as the Trump administration built up the largest force of American warships and aircraft in the Middle East in decades. The president insisted he wanted a deal to constrain Iran’s nuclear program while the country struggled with growing dissent following nationwide protests.

An Israeli military official described Saturday’s mission as the result of months of “extremely high coordination” with the U.S. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss a covert operation, said a variety of factors created a “golden opportunity” to take out much of Iran’s leadership. Those factors included weeks of training and monitoring the movements of senior figures, along with “real time intelligence” that the targets were gathered together.

The results, the official said, were near-simultaneous strikes, within 60 seconds of one another, in three locations 1,000 miles (1,609 kilometers) from Israel that killed Khamenei and some 40 senior figures, including the head of the Revolutionary Guard and the country’s defense minister.

___

Lidman reported from Tel Aviv, Israel; Boak from West Palm Beach, Florida; and Tucker from Washington. Associated Press writers Joe Federman in Jerusalem, Sarah El Deeb in Beirut, Amir Radjy in Cairo, Aamer Madhani, Konstantin Toropin, David Klepper and Matthew Lee in Washington, and AP journalists around the world, contributed to this report.

Peanut Gallery

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1. Comment by erinblogan.

erinbloganMAP Staff7 hrs agopinned

Who stands to gain strategically from this escalation? Who bears the greatest long-term cost?

reply28 replies 14 2

1. Comment by AmericanUnlikeTrump.

AmericanUnlikeTrump7 min ago

reply to Erinblogan:

what is the purpose of the gain/cost question?

You think this is just some kind of Corporate focus group action.. Let's do this and see what they will buy?

The real question is why our Chief Executive took those actions (like he has taken in Venezuela, like the strikes on all those boats, still unproven to be 'drug suppliers', like his threats to invade a member nation and ally) with out adhering to Our Constitution?

Is it because He, and they (his entire Party) hope it brings direct attacks on US soil, so they can attempt to finalize what is growing apparent as a coup against this Nations form of Government?

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2. Comment by dmclev.

dmclev9 min ago

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Trump must not have a clue what it's like to lose a family member in a war that more than likely didn't need to happen. I don't think any of his family members were ever in the military, so how would he? He himself was too scared to be in the military. His callous remarks that more may be killed, well that shows how much empathy he has for anyone other than himself. I have absolutely no respect for him--never have, never will--and I know millions agree.

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o Reply by AmericanUnlikeTrump.

AmericanUnlikeTrump5 min ago

Reply to dmclev

No He does not begin to understand. Because He and his entire lineage (Gramps Trump was a military dodger from Germany, hence fleeing to the US) are service dodgers, and they have no love for Country, just money and self-perceived power.

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o Reply by dmclev.

dmclev3 min ago

Reply to AmericanUnlikeTrump

Totally agree!

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3. Comment by spacecowboy.

spacecowboy23 min ago

Now that Trump has stirred the Middle East hornet's nest, I'm betting some will enter our country and et revenge by taking out Trump, etc.

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o Reply by HarryTuttle.

HarryTuttle4 min ago

Reply to spacecowboy - view message

or bring along a "special" suitcase. "dirty" bombs don't require mastery of the bomb.

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o Reply by AmericanUnlikeTrump.

AmericanUnlikeTrump3 min ago

Reply to this message

not so, and I know a whole lot of American Service men and women who would like to take personal exception to your remark.

reply 0 0

a13 A13 X03 1546 X03 FROM TIME

Donald Trump Shouts Loudly and Fumbles a Big Stick

by Jeffrey Sonnenfeld and Steven Tian Jan 29, 2026 2:35 PM ET

President Theodore Roosevelt referred to the presidency as a “bully pulpit,” which could be used to persuade legislators to embrace his sweeping policy agenda, from environmental legislation to antitrust protections. To Roosevelt, the word “bully” meant “superb” or “excellent.” Today, the term has taken another meaning.

President Donald Trump bullies through coercion, threats, and retribution to serve his interests.

Increasingly, some of Trump’s tried-and-true tools for coercion are backfiring on him. In stark contrast to Roosevelt’s advice to “speak softly and carry a big stick,” Trump is barking loudly but has apparently fumbled his threatened stick.

The unexpected common link between Trump’s recent setbacks, from the surrender of his demands to own Greenland, to his shifting explanations for his seizure of Venezuelan strongman Nicolás Maduro, to the spreading outrage over the indiscriminate brutal cruelty of ICE raids around the nation, is that they represent the simultaneous failure of Trump’s typical intimidation tactics. In our book, Trump’s Ten Commandments, we identify 10 of Trump’s favorite go-to leadership tools. Several of these tools have been failing Trump amidst recent setbacks.

NEGOTIATE THROUGH AGGRESSION

Trump’s first go-to leadership tool is to begin every negotiation by assaulting the other parties. Trump tends to open any negotiation with audacious demands, insults, and threats. Most negotiation experts recommend building a foundation of trust as if you were building a fire: you ignite tinder, branches, kindling, and finally toss on a bigger log once the blaze is established. But instead of building trust, Trump likes to begin by shattering it, believing that later terms offered will look reasonable compared to the suffering initially threatened. Over the past year, this approach has worked for the President, even if it came at the cost of shattered trust. A fury of confusing, seemingly self-destructive trade sanctions helped him achieve a handful of trade deals. And this strategy also helped Trump in getting fellow NATO members to better share the burden of defense costs.

@toss another dog on the fire

But in the case of Greenland, Trump’s aggressive opening move—his insistence on owning all of Greenland—for military bases and rare-earth mineral recovery backfired. When Trump threatened a hostile military seizure, financial markets revolted across both U.S. stock and bond markets; and eloquent, dignified, principled European leaders such as Keir Starmer, Emmanuel Macron, and Friedrich Merz joined with Canada’s Mark Carney to denounce such threats to Denmark and Greenland with unexpected force and unity. Indeed, Trump managed to accomplish what has been impossible since Charlemagne: somehow, accidentally unite all of Europe against him.

Faced with this daunting collective opposition, Trump stepped back his claims about Greenland. Instead, he has been left to celebrate the opportunity to reopen many of the same military bases the U.S. had been granted back around the WWII era, but subsequently walked away from. Similarly, he touted the idea of investing heavily in an expensive and difficult mineral-extraction plan, which is ironically exactly the investment Denmark and Greenland have been eager to secure.

Similarly, Trump’s aggressive opening moves, such as his attacks on public officials like Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell, have failed. Even Powell’s most scathing critics have come to his defense, voicing their belief that while they had policy disagreements with Powell, he is no criminal.

DIVIDE AND CONQUER

Another go-to tool that has fallen similarly flat recently is Trump’s reliance on “divide and conquer” techniques to dilute alliances he finds threatening.

For instance, Trump has used this approach to try to splinter the business community by singling them out one-by-one. He has attacked iconic companies such as Bank of America, Boeing, Comcast, Merck, NVIDIA, JP Morgan, and many others. But this approach has started to backfire on Trump—with businesses collectively countering his one-off intimidation and calls for boycotts.

One example of how Trump’s divide-and-conquer tactics have fallen flat can be seen with the blowback over ICE raids in Minnesota. While Trump’s immigration crackdowns have targeted blue states one by one—perhaps to prevent collective resistance from forming— business leaders from Minnesota-based companies like Target, Cargill, and 3M have collectively called for a “de-escalation” of tensions, calls which were subsequently echoed by groups such as The Chamber of Commerce and The Business Roundtable. Now, Trump has removed ICE commander Gregory Bovino from Minnesota and called for an “honest” investigation into the killing of Alex Pretti.

That pattern echoed earlier unified dissent from the business community over the costs and damages of Liberation Day’s reckless country-by-country reciprocal tariffs, as called out by the National Association of Manufacturers and other trade groups, which resulted in Trump quickly suspending his planned tariffs for 90 days to allow for time to reach negotiated deals.

These examples are powerful reminders that in the face of divide-and-conquer, appeasement does not work. The only way to stand up to divide-and-conquer is to engage through collective action, focusing on fighting fire with facts without sinking to the level of personal insults.

REPEAT FALSE INFORMATION

Trump’s third go-to tool has also failed him: his reflexive reliance on repeating false information, hoping that it may eventually gain traction. In academic research, this is referred to as “the sleeper effect.” But in the case of Minnesota, the public did not fall for Trump officials telling people to ignore their own eyes. Citizens watched the brutal killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti. They saw the detentions of peaceful protesters and non-criminal immigrants falsely labelled as “terrorists.”

And Americans have not forgotten that Trump promised to release the Epstein files on the campaign trail. Not doing so has eroded the potency of Trump’s sleeper effect. It is undeniable that only a fraction of the Epstein files have been made public.

Similarly, Trump’s fictional justification for invading Venezuela, a sovereign albeit hostile neighbor, that it was at the behest of the strategic needs of the US oil industry, was refuted by the industry leaders themselves. Oil executives directly declared that they had no advance knowledge of the invasion, and CEOs such as Darren Woods of Exxon Mobil called Venezuela uninvestible to Trump’s face. They insisted that not only the antiquated, corroded infrastructure and volatile, dangerous government were disincentives, but even the Venezuelan heavy crude oil was of little interest because it cannot be easily refined for gasoline. Plus, oil markets are suffering a supply glut, leading to plunging market prices, massive layoffs, and the elimination of oil rigs. Given all of this evidence, Trump’s “drill baby drill” mantra has fallen on deaf ears.

To be sure, these setbacks may not be permanent. Trump has a long history of rebounding from failure, including from bankruptcy, political failure, impeachment, four criminal indictments, and 34 criminal convictions.

But even Trump isn’t immune to the rules of gravity. When he overreaches, he tends to fall. Trump is being countered effectively by allied leaders and CEOs standing up in unity, and by financial markets openly revolting against his tantrums.

Like the mythical Icarus, with ambitious omnipotent presumptions, who flew too close to the Sun, leading his wax wings to melt; Trump’s wax wings have been melting fast and now he risks crashing to earth.

@begin

A14X34 victims X34 FROM TIME

‘It’s As If I’m Dreaming’: Iranians Recount the First Day of the War, and the Death of Khamenei \

By Kay Armin Serjoie

Mar 1, 2026 12:16 PM ET

Iranians say the war is unfolding in phases. The first roared across the skies on Saturday morning.

“I had just stepped out of the shower, getting prepared to go out, when the sound of low-flying aircraft startled me,” said Salman, a 45-year-old contractor living in Tehran. “Seconds later, when the sound of two explosions reached us, I realized it had started.”

“I was in a car,” said Marziyeh, a 40-year-old graphic artist. “The music was loud, but suddenly I noticed the drivers around me hit the brakes and started looking around and up at the sky. I was just thinking to myself, ‘Is there going to be war?’ When suddenly I heard an explosion, and I said to myself, Stupid! War has already started.”

Out his window, Salman noticed “two plumes of smoke rising from the vicinity of the Leader’s Beit” —the central Tehran compound where Ayatollah Ali Khamenei lived, and was, at that moment, being buried under the rubble from an Israeli airstrike.

Ali Khamenei, Iran’s Supreme Leader Who Built a De Facto Military Dictatorship, Killed in U.S.-Israeli Strikes

The apparatus of the Iranian regime was already in motion, however. As U.S. and Israeli warplanes pounded targets across Iran, a flurry of communiques went out from state television and state-run news agencies assuring citizens that all would be well: no shortage of basic staples would occur, nor any disruption in services.

But one message stood out.

Issued by the all-powerful Supreme National Security Council, it advised citizens in Tehran and other major cities to leave town: “Travel to other cities to stay safe from the menace of these two evil regimes.” In the capital, many residents heard their cell phone ping, and turned to find the same message had arrived as an SMS: go calmly, it advised, but go.

“Last time they were telling us not to leave the city,” said one Tehran resident. “Why,” she asked, “are they telling us to leave this time?”

The answer arrived minutes later, in the form of a dispatch from the Tasnim News Agency. The outlet, which is linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), announced that to ensure security, “Basij neighborhood patrols were activated in all 22 districts of Tehran.” An arm of the IRGC, the Basij are paramilitary volunteers notorious among Iranians for taking the lead in viciously attacking protesters in the streets.

Another Tasnim dispatch made the warning explicit: Prosecutor General Mohammad Movahedi-Azad had ordered a “preventive dealing with any illegal gatherings, riots and behaviors that would cause instability in the society.”

Finally, the news agency posted footage of dozens of Basiji careening through Tehran streets on motorcycles, waving regime flags, and chanting “Allahu akbar!”

Battle for the streets

The regime—which had come to power in 1979 behind similar protests—responded by unleashing a level of force it deemed commensurate to the threat it faced. Its security forces killed some 30,000 Iranians that night and the next, senior officials in Iran’s health ministry later told TIME. President Donald Trump repeatedly urged protesters into the streets in January, promising, “Help is on its way.” Two months later, he announced the beginning of the military action that would make good on that vow.

“The hour of your freedom is at hand,” Trump declared in a video posted on Truth Social on Saturday. “Stay sheltered. Don't leave your home. It's very dangerous outside. Bombs will be dropping everywhere. When we are finished, take over your government. It will be yours to take.”

In the hours that followed, it was impossible to tell what Iranians made of Trump’s promise. Then, after dark, news that Khamanei had been killed.

“I suddenly heard the whole neighborhood cheering,” said a 63-year-old man in Tehran. “I only realized why when I checked the news and saw reports of Khamenei’s death.”

“People are honking on the streets, people are cheering from windows and rooftops, my hands are shaking from joy,” said a resident from Tehran. Scenes of jubilant cheering were reported from other cities as well.

The night passed with no sign of the snipers who had sown terror from rooftops in January, or the heavy machine guns firing from the bed of pickup trucks. “People are dancing on the streets, and there are no Basiji or Sepahi [IRGC] forces anywhere to be seen,” said a 40-year-old factory owner in Shiraz.

Few, if any, expect the regime Khamenei led to disappear with him. Its loyalists number in the millions, and have the weapons. But for a few hours at least, Iranians found themselves undisturbed.

“I feel a trembling inside me — a feeling I’ve never experienced in my life,” said Mehdi, an engineer in his forties in Mashad. “I think this may be the most important moment of my life. Someone has died who killed all my dreams.”

@MONDAY 2

A15X28 T speaks X28 from DAILY BEAST

Trump Makes Totally Impossible New War Claim to Fox News Host

Fox News host Bret Baier said the president told him over the phone that his plan in Iran mirrors that of Venezuela.

By Martha McHardy Published Mar. 2 2026 1:26PM EST

President Donald Trump has told a reporter that his plan for Iran is modeled on U.S. actions in Venezuela—even though the deposed leader of Venezuela is still alive.

Fox News host Bret Baier said the president told him over the phone that his plan in Iran mirrors that of Venezuela, where U.S. forces captured the country’s leader Nicolás Maduro in January and transported him to the U.S. to face drug trafficking charges.

In the aftermath, U.S. officials initially said they would “run the country until… a safe, proper and judicious transition” could be arranged. Vice President Delcy Rodríguez has since been sworn in as interim president and retains authority.

But Trump’s airstrikes already killed Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, prompting retaliatory attacks on several other countries in the Middle East and leaving a power vacuum in Iran.

Flailing Trump, 79, Can’t Keep Story Straight on His New War

Trump also revealed that Saturday’s airstrikes killed any potential replacements for the Ayatollah.

“The attack was so successful it knocked out most of the candidates,” Trump told ABC’s Jonathan Karl.

“It’s not going to be anybody that we were thinking of because they are all dead. Second or third place is dead.”

Trump told Fox News on Sunday that 48 Iranian leaders were killed in the strikes.

Since the U.S. and Israeli forces launched a major unprovoked coordinated air campaign against Iran over the weekend, Trump has spent his time calling journalists to explain why he went to war with Iran.

It comes as he is facing growing demands to define his endgame in Iran.

Trump Teases ‘Big’ War Moves ‘Coming Soon’

The president, who campaigned on ending “forever wars,” has instead pledged continuous “heavy and pinpoint bombing” until the U.S. achieves what he calls “our objective of peace” in the Middle East. In remarks to the Daily Mail, he also suggested the conflict could last about four weeks

At the Pentagon, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth defended the operation, calling Epic Fury not an “endless war” but a “clear, devastating, decisive mission.” “Epic Fairy?”

Meanwhile, Baier said that Trump believes “the success that they are seeing right now in Venezuela is the success that he believes is possible in Iran based on what they know.”

Yet the administration has not publicly detailed what victory would look like—or how the fighting would stop.

Baier cautioned, “this is a much different theater and operation {to Venezuela},” one that is “much bigger in scope” and involves “a lot of variables we don’t know.”

Even so, he said, “from the president’s point of view right now it is going as well or better than they expected going in.”

Lawmakers and foreign policy experts warn that without a defined strategy, the U.S. could drift into the kind of drawn-out conflict Trump once vowed to avoid.

PEANUT GALLERYLog in

Best

· threedsax

21 hours ago

If Trump specified an end game, he would then be judged on whether or not he achieved it. The end game is whatever conditions exist when he has to pull out for political reasons. One thing I would bet on: whenever the offensive ends, there will NOT be peace in the Middle East.

· Blind Seeker

1 day ago

Iran is not Venezuela. By killing the top leaders they leave a vacuum that is unlikely to be filled with someone who will roll over for 47. Just saying. The mullahs will choose a new supreme leader not 47.

· WWIIDaughter7

1 day ago

Jeffery Epstein: "You guys need to understand the guy's psychotic". 12-20-18 (don't know the file number)

· LMcgin2925

1 day ago

There is NO PLAN.

· robert2063

20 hours ago

But it is basically the same plan, use force to seize their oil.

@ TUESDAY 3

A16X35 Get out! Americans X35 FROM CBS

Americans urged to leave 14 Middle East countries amid Iran war "due to serious safety risks"

By Sarah Lynch Baldwin, Olivia Gazis and Camilla Schick Updated on: March 4, 2026 / 12:01 PM EST / CBS News

The U.S. State Department has urged Americans to leave 14 countries across the Middle East amid the widening Iran war.

Americans were urged late Monday to "depart now" from Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, the West Bank, Gaza, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen.

More than a million Americans were believed to be in the region, a source said.

U.S. citizens had initially been urged to leave "using available commercial transportation, due to serious safety risks." But on Tuesday, the State Department said it was facilitating charter flights from the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Jordan for Americans and that it would "continue to secure additional capacity as security conditions allow."

The State Department was proactively contacting U.S. citizens to offer them seats on charter flights, an official told CBS News. More than 120 people were fielding calls at its 24/7 call center.

The Free Press: From October 7 to Killing Khamenei

The State Department also told all non-emergency U.S. government personnel and their families to leave Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Qatar, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates. Non-essential personnel and their families have additionally been ordered to depart from U.S. diplomatic posts in Cyprus and Pakistan.

The State Department said Tuesday it was helping Americans book commercial flights, as such options were available in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Oman and Egypt.

"For those in countries lacking commercial aviation availability, the Department is facilitating travel to third countries as conditions allow," it said. "That includes increasing ground transportation options for American citizens wishing to leave Israel."

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said "almost 1,600" Americans had requested assistance with departing the region. The department also said Tuesday it had answered calls from almost 3,000 U.S. citizens in the region and will "waive any statutory requirement for American citizens to reimburse the government for travel expenses."

Americans who need the government's help arranging travel should call +1-202-501-4444 from abroad or +1-888-407-4747 from the U.S. and Canada.

Amid efforts to leave the region, four U.S. embassies have closed and suspended consular services, although a State Department official said U.S. diplomatic operations continue.

The U.S. embassies in Beirut and Kuwait announced on Tuesday they would be closed until further notice "due to ongoing regional tensions." The embassy in Kuwait was closed a day after smoke was seen rising from the mission following Iranian attacks on the country.

The U.S. embassies in Saudi Arabia and Jerusalem said they would be closed on Tuesday. The embassy in Riyadh was attacked by two drones, causing a small fire and limited damage, the Saudi Ministry of Defense said on X Monday. A U.S. official and a Gulf official confirmed to CBS News a CIA station at the embassy complex in Riyadh was hit, but there were no American casualties. The CIA declined to comment.

Rubio on Tuesday addressed a drone attack on a U.S. consulate in Dubai, where he said a drone struck a parking lot near a chancellery building and started a fire. All personnel were accounted for, he said.

The U.S. and Israel began attacking Iran on Saturday in what President Trump described on Monday as the "last best chance" to address the threat posed by Iran's ballistic missiles and nuclear program. He articulated the reasons he said he decided to order strikes, bombing over 1,000 targets in the opening days of what he said could be a weeks-long conflict. They include destroying Iran's missile capabilities, annihilating Iran's navy and preventing Iran from developing nuclear weapons.

Six U.S. troops have been killed during the war. The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency said Wednesday that over 1,000 civilians in Iran have been killed since Saturday.

Americans — and travelers who found themselves stranded amid regional airport and airspace closures — have been trying to figure out how to leave the region, with some expressing frustration over the government's response.

“We're honestly trapped," Sasha Hoffman, an American who lives in Chicago and was vacationing in Dubai when the strikes began, told CBS News on Tuesday. "It's really frustrating that right now the U.S. is saying 'Americans come home' when in reality we can't come home. " We've had flights booked today, tomorrow, all of them are canceled. All of the airspace is closed through tomorrow night, now, if you're in the UAE."

In Israel, American Tamar Rubinstein, pregnant with twins, said she was taking a bus to Egypt then flying through Europe back to her home in Chicago — a journey she said will take about two and a half days.

"There's such a lack of clarity," she said.

U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee said early Tuesday, "We are getting a lot of requests regarding evacuating from Israel from American citizens who are currently in Israel or who have family here."

In a lengthy post on social media, Huckabee outlined how people can depart Israel, noting "there are VERY LIMITED options." He said the U.S. Embassy was not in a position to evacuate or directly help Americans leave the country.

An estimated 9,000 Americans have safely departed the Middle East since the start of the conflict, the State Department said.

Jordan Freiman and Brian Dakss contributed to this report.

@ WEDNESDAY 4

X36 more strikes – interim replacement

A17X36 FROM TELEGRAPH uk

ISRAEL HITS IRAN IN ‘BROAD WAVE OF STRIKES’

The Azadi or ‘Freedom’ Tower in flames following an air strike in Tehran

By Tom Cotterill, Acting Defence Editor, in Tel Aviv March 4th

Israel has launched a fresh wave of strikes against Iran and Hezbollah in Lebanon as the conflict in the Middle East enters its fifth day.
The Israel Defense Forces said it had begun a “broad wave of strikes” targeting Iranian launch sites, air defence systems and other military infrastructure, including a leadership compound.
As strikes continue to rain down on Iran, it has been reported that Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s son is the leading contender to take over as his successor.Mojtaba Khamenei, the second son of the former ayatollah who was killed by an Israeli air strike on Saturday, is being considered by the regime’s senior clerics to be the next supreme leader, according to The New York Times.
The 56-year-old hardliner, who managed his father’s office and networks for years, could be named the new supreme leader as early as today.
Overnight, the US military identified four of the six American soldiers killed in an Iranian drone strike in Kuwait on Sunday.
US Army Reservists Capt Cody A Khork, 35; Sgt ‌Noah L Tietjens, 42; Sgt Nicole M Amor, 39, and Sgt Declan ‌J Coady, 20, were named as those who lost their lives.

A18 X38 FROM TIME

Marjorie Taylor Greene Warns Trump Administration’s War in Iran Could Cost Republicans the Midterms

By Chantelle Lee Mar 4, 2026 1:57 PM ET

Former Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene is warning Republicans that President Donald Trump’s war in Iran could cost the party in the midterms.

“Now that Trump and his admin betrayed their campaign promises of No More Foreign Wars/No More Regime Change and Republicans in the majority in the House and Senate are flat out refusing to pass key legislation, voter outrage was shown in yesterday’s Texas primary,” she said in a post on X on Wednesday. “More Democrats showed up to vote than Republicans in yesterday’s Texas primary. If that happens in November’s general election, Texas will be flipping it’s Senate seat blue.”

“Whatever Trump’s new twisted perversion of MAGA is, is going to LOSE in the midterms,” she continued.

Greene, who resigned from Congress in January, used to be a loyal ally to the President until the two had a very public and dramatic falling out in November. The former Georgia Representative clashed with Trump over his Administration’s handling of the files related to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Last month, she cautioned the MAGA base that some of their responses to the release of the so-called “Epstein files” could harm Republicans in the November elections.

“All of you MAGA influencers and the rest mocking the seriousness of women who were trafficked and raped as teenagers and young women look like cult fools,” she said in a social media post. “Good luck trying to get women to vote for Republicans in the midterms you insensitive clowns. The Republican Party already has a woman voting problem.”

She didn’t specify who she was referring to in the post.

The results of the midterm elections in November could have a major impact on the balance of power in Washington, D.C., as well as on Trump’s ability to continue to enact his agenda. At the moment, Republicans control the House and the Senate, but Democrats are seeking to gain seats in both chambers of Congress.

And there have been some signs that Democrats are generating enthusiasm among voters ahead of the midterms. A historically high number of Texas Democrats flocked to the polls to vote in the state’s primary election on Tuesday, early data show. The Southern state has open primaries, which means that any voter can vote in any party’s primary election. On Tuesday, more voters cast their ballot in the Democratic primary than in the Republican race, though there are still votes left to be tallied.

TRUMP GRAPPLES WITH REPUBLICAN PUSHBACK ON THE WAR IN IRAN

Greene is not the only Republican who has criticized Trump’s military action in Iran.

Tucker Carlson, a former Fox News anchor turned podcaster, met with the President multiple times in recent weeks to try and talk him out of authorizing the military operation, the New York Times reported. Another former Fox News host, Megyn Kelly, shared her criticisms of the attack on her show, saying that “no one should have to die for a foreign country.”

“I don’t think those four service members died for the United States,” she said. “I think they died for Iran or for Israel.”

On Monday, officials said that the number of American service members killed in the war had risen to six.

Trump and his base have fired back on that pushback. In an interview with the journalist Rachael Bade earlier this week, Trump said that “MAGA is Trump—MAGA’s not the other two,” referring to Carlson and Kelly.

“I have to do what’s right, number one—and you can’t have Iran getting a nuclear weapon,” he said.

Lawmakers have largely sided with their party over the issue, with most Republican members of Congress supporting Trump’s decision to launch the attack.

Early polling shows that many Americans disapprove of the U.S. military action in Iran: 43%, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll. In comparison, only 27% of poll respondents expressed support for the attacks.

But polling also reveals a clear partisan split over the issue. While more than 80% of Democratic respondents in a CNN poll said they were against the military operation, only 23% of Republicans felt the same. The CNN poll, which was conducted by SSRS, found that 77% of Republicans approved of the strikes, compared to less than 20% of Democrats.

Must-Reads from TIME

· Here Are the Key Elections to Watch Out For in 2026

· Trump’s Push to ‘Nationalize’ Elections, Explained

· Trump Floats Cancelling 2026 Elections, Then Insists He Won’t

· Trump Administration To Monitor Key Elections in Democrat-Led States. Here’s What To Know

· Who Is Thomas Massie? Trump Seeks to Oust Republican Congressman

@ THURSDAY

A19X40 from financial times

By James Politi 3/5/26

Good morning and welcome to White House Watch. In today’s edition, we’ll be looking at:

§ Growing alarm over the lack of an Iran endgame

§ Whether the Supreme Court ruling will help tariff challenges in the Court of International Trade?

§ How JD Vance is navigating the Iran war

The US Senate yesterday rejected a resolution to compel Donald Trump to stop military action against Iran without congressional authorisation.

But the victory for the White House on Capitol Hill belied the reality of deepening concern in Washington that Trump has launched a spiralling war in the Middle East without any vision for what comes next.

“This is madness and we don’t even know what the administration’s plan is,” Chuck Schumer, the top Democrat in the upper chamber of Congress, said in a speech on Wednesday. “We still don’t know how long we’ll be there, we still don’t know what Donald Trump is trying to accomplish.”

Speaking to the FT for this piece by Abigail Hauslohner and Lauren Fedor, Mark Warner, the Virginia Democrat and vice-chair of the Senate intelligence committee, issued a stark warning about the lack of a “phase two” plan.

“I have never had, from any of the briefings, any description of what phase two would be,” he said. “One of the concerns that we’ve had is not having a lot of visibility into the Iranian resistance.”

One Republican senator added: “I don’t know that the administration could have possibly thought it through.”

The worry about the lack of any post-war vision for Iran comes as the administration is already facing pressure to explain why it went to war in the first place. Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, insisted that Trump acted based on a “feeling” that Tehran was going to strike US interests first, and had to be pre-empted, an explanation that raised plenty of eyebrows.

Meanwhile, the FT’s Steff Chávez reports that Pete Hegseth, the US defence secretary, refused to put any timeline on the war. “Iran cannot outlast us . . . you can say four weeks, but it could be six, it could be eight, it could be three. Ultimately, we set the pace and the tempo,” Hegseth said in a briefing. Elbridge Colby, the senior Pentagon official, added during a conference yesterday that Trump was “not going to be bound by the sort of conventional wisdom parameters” when it came to implementing any plan to follow the end of hostilities.

So far, Trump has been very cagey about identifying any Iranian leader, whether a regime moderate or an exiled opposition chief, that he would like to run the country’s government once the US stops bombing. The US president has also said that some of the top candidates for the job had been killed in the US and Israeli strikes.

The Trump administration has said US troops on the ground in Iran are not “part of the plan” for now, but when asked how Trump viewed America’s role in post-conflict Iran, Leavitt on Wednesday said it was still being debated.

“It’s something the president is actively considering and discussing with his advisers and his national security team. But, again, right now, the focus, minute by minute, hour by hour, day by day is on ensuring the quick and effective success of Operation Epic Fury,” she said.

A20X42 and, from usa today

Trump's war in Iran polls badly, but will it hurt Republicans in 2026?

Trump's war in Iran is polling badly and fraying his MAGA coalition. But at least some of his supporters say public opinion will shift.

Phillip M. Bailey Updated March 5, 2026, 10:30 a.m. ET

Why does Iran want to 'draw blood' before negotiating with Trump?

Why is Trump’s Iran war causing MAGA coalition backlash?

How might Iran war impact 2026 congressional midterms?

What economic effects stem from Iran war gas price hikes?

Why does Iran want to 'draw blood' before negotiating with Trump?

Despite voting for President Donald Trump three times, Republican Amanda Cline isn't buying his administration's evolving and conflicting rationale for launching a war with Iran.

The retired 47-year-old Navy veteran thinks it's the wrong move, especially when she learned U.S. soldiers were killed so early in the conflict.

"I don't think it's worth it," Cline, who hails from Cherry Valley, California, told USA TODAY. "It's not our cause. It's their fight to fight. It's their regime and their problem to fix."

Cline recalls being deployed overseas in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. She said she watched intently when Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth told reporters at a March 2 press conference that this conflict would not morph into nation-building effort, but that it reminded her how the Bush administration's promises never materialized.

It's kind of insulting the intelligence of the American people to just have generals get up there and Hegseth get up there and just say, 'go military, go troops and wave your American flag and just support us no matter what,'" said Cline, who also has worked at an anti-abortion pregnancy center.

"That was insulting," she added. "We want to know when, because we don't want any more deaths."

Cline isn't the only one who feels that way. Trump's war with Iran is polling badly, has kicked up gas prices and injected volatility into a stock market that the administration regularly cites as a bright spot in a wobbly economy.

It is also fraying the Make America Great Again coalition, whose anti-interventionist wing has expressed a mixture of disappointment, betrayal and anger that experts warn could turn a gathering Democratic blue wave into a potential tsunami in the 2026 congressional elections.

Democrats have led in all but one of the dozens of polls conducted this year asking voters which party should control Congress.

Paul Brace, a political science professor emeritus at Rice University, said it is rare that foreign affairs affect an American election outcome. But he noted that elements of Trump's base are already disillusioned over other broken promises.

"Between the Epstein files and the anti-war sentiment among many Trump supporters, there's grounds there to break away from him," Brace said. "It's going to depend on their particular constituencies in the context of an election year that does not look good for them in the first place."

MOST AMERICANS OPPOSE WAR WITH IRAN, POLLS SHOW

Almost a week after the first strikes, early snapshots show a nation wary about once again entering the Middle East with many memories still fresh from the incursions into Iraq and Afghanistan.

Just 27% of Americans approved in a Reuters/Ipsos survey released less than 48 hours after the first missiles were launched, while 43% disapproved.

A flash poll conducted by the Washington Post on March 1 found 52% oppose Trump' airstrikes versus 39% who support it with 9% saying they are unsure. Another one released by CNN on March 2 found about 59% of Americans disapprove of the decision to go to war, including 68% of independent voters.

Joe McGee, a Republican from Fairfield, Connecticut, said the Iranian government is an "exporter of terrorism" but questioned Trump's ability to administer this war, particularly at a time when the U.S. has quarreled with so many longtime allies. He predicted Democrats would gain at least 20 seats in the House midterms as a result.

"The problem is Trump has switched now from 'we don't want these foreign wars, these things have been a disaster,' and he's now initiated probably the largest one the Middle East that we've ever seen," McGee, 80, a retired business executive, told USA TODAY.

But most Republicans − including House Republicans running in competitive districts − are standing by the president, perhaps encouraged by surveys such as a March 3 one from Fox News showing 61% of Americans think Iran poses "a real national security threat."

Republican Paul Holtzman, an independent contractor from Rohrsburg, Pennsylvania, said he supports the military action against Iran, citing the foreign adversary's human rights abuses.

"I think that it's a path towards peace. You know, sometimes you can get peace through negotiation, but sometimes you have to use force to bring it about," he said.

CONGRESSIONAL GOP MOSTLY STICKING WITH TRUMP

Speaking to Fox News earlier this week, Rep. Mike Lawler, R-New York, who represents a competitive district, denounced Democrats for continuing to block Department of Homeland Security funding during the war over their demands to put restraints on immigration enforcement agents. He noted the agency was "created in the aftermath of 9/11."

Holtzman, 51, said he would like to see Iran, which had an Islamic revolution in 1979 after decades of reign under an autocratic monarch, enjoy a government that isn't religious based. He said Trump is being decisive, adding voters will tolerate a certain number of U.S. casualties for a limited time if they see the president taking the necessary step towards peace in the region.

"I'm not looking to see troops go in there and to invade," Holtzman said. "I mean, if it's necessary for us to help the people get the government where it's supposed to be, I guess I could be somewhat OK with that."

Trump enjoyed nearly unanimous support among Senate Republicans when all but Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky rejected a war powers resolution to halt military hostilities against Iran on March 4.

"Iran has been building not only its nuclear capability but also its conventional weapons capability to a point that it would threaten the entire region," Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-South Dakota, said in a March 4 post on X. "(The president) is taking steps to make the world, our country, and our people safer."

The Trump administration's staunchest supporters remain optimistic, too, telling USA TODAY the Iranian regime is turning global opinion against it by launching attacks in neighboring countries.

Heritage Foundation President Kevin Roberts, a key Trump ally, told USA TODAY he believes the administration will succeed within the four-week timetable outlined by the president and rally the country.

There will be a need for clearer communication about what comes next and the threat posed by Iran, Roberts said, adding that it has killed Americans "for decades" through its backing of proxy forces in the Middle East such as Hezbollah.

"We have begun to kneecap, very successfully, perhaps the largest state sponsor of terrorism in our lifetimes. This is a long time coming," Roberts said.

"We're going to succeed in Iran. We're not going to be there," Roberts said. "We're not going to be nation building, because the president's own conservative movement is honest enough to prevent that from happening."

Roberts also believes Trump will be "dialed in" on affordability and help his party hold its own in the midterm elections.

"What was already going to be more of a jump ball of a midterm election than most prognosticators indicate is going to be a really competitive midterm," he said. "I happen to think that conservatives will do well. Will conservatives have to work really hard at message discipline − yeah."

A21X41 from usa today

Iran wants 'blood' as Trump says US can fight 'forever'. What to expect.

Iran’s leaders believe they must inflict serious pain on their enemies before negotiations to end the war can start, some foreign policy experts say.

Dan Morrison March 5, 2026, 12:07 p.m. ET

Why does Iran want to 'draw blood' before negotiating with Trump?

How has the war impacted Gulf allies' economies?

What did Trump say about Iran's regime change?

How many U.S. troops were killed in Iran attacks?

Iran doesn’t want to talk. It doesn’t want to parley. And it’s not sitting down with President Donald Trump.

Even as Iran endures devastating airstrikes, the country's surviving leaders have determined "it has to really draw blood" before negotiating an end to the ongoing war with the U.S. and Israel, Trita Parsi, vice president of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, said in an interview.

The stalemate comes as Trump and top military leaders have predicted more U.S. military deaths, wealthy Persian Gulf allies are pushing for a quick conclusion to the war and oil prices have spiked.

Trump's war in Iran polls badly. Will it hurt Republicans in 2026?

Amid punishing blows from the United States and Israel that have killed more than a thousand people – including its longtime, all-powerful supreme leader Ali Khamenei – Iran’s leaders believe they must inflict serious pain before negotiations to end the war can begin, experts say.

'Regardless of the costs'

"They don't have to win the war,” Parsi, an expert with contacts in Iran’s government and security services, told USA TODAY. “They have to ensure Trump's presidency is on the brink of destruction before they lose. That's when they believe Trump will pull out – due to the costs."

This wasn't the outcome Trump wanted.

On Sunday, March 1, as the war entered its second day, Trump told The Atlantic magazine that the Iranians “want to talk, and I have agreed to talk, so I will be talking to them.”

But Ali Larijani, Iran’s top security official, shot down the suggestion. “We will not negotiate with the United States,” he said in a series of social media posts. “Trump plunged the region into chaos with his ‘delusional fantasies’ and now fears more American troop casualties.”

Iran war drives up frustration and gas prices across nation

Larijani said Iran would keep fighting, “regardless of the costs and will make the enemies sorry for their miscalculation.”

Experts say Iran’s leadership has determined that – despite a vast imbalance in military power – it must cause serious political and economic pain to the U.S. and Israel before agreeing to a ceasefire.

MARKED FOR DEATH: HOW OCT. 7 ATTACK SEALED KHAMENEI'S FATE

They believe Washington will only bargain in good faith, producing a lasting end to hostilities − and the Islamist regime's survival − if Trump is damaged by the political toll of U.S. deaths and rising prices, according to this reading of Iran’s clerical government and security apparatus.

So far, however, that strategic desire reads like fantasy: As the U.S. destroyed much of Iran's military capability and sunk most of its navy, American war deaths have held steady at six service members.

'DETERRENCE failure'

Iran's reluctance to negotiate despite large military and civilian losses is based on hard lessons, experts said.

By acting with relative restraint – avoiding attacks on U.S. and Gulf nation targets during earlier military flare-ups with Israel – Iran suffered a "deterrence failure,” said Kelly Greico, a senior fellow at the Stimson Center think-tank.

Iran financed the Oct. 7, 2023, attack by Hamas on Israel and has seen its influence in the region wither as Israel killed as many as 20,000 Hamas fighters in a war that took the lives of 70,000 Palestinians, and assassinated the longtime leader of Lebanon's powerful Hezbollah militia.

WHO BOMBED A GIRLS' SCHOOL IN IRAN, AND WILL THERE BE ACCOUNTABILITY?

On April 13, 2024, Tehran launched 170 drones, 120 ballistic missiles and 30 cruise missiles against Israeli targets after an Israeli airstrike on the Iranian embassy in Damascus, Syria, killed top officers of its elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. A U.S.-led coalition joined Israel’s defense, blowing nearly all of the projectiles out of the sky, and Israel suffered only minor damage.

Less than six months later, on Oct. 1, 2024, Iran attacked again, this time to avenge Israel’s killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, a key ally, and the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh. Iran launched 200 ballistic missiles, again causing minor damage.

In neither case did Iran turn its guns on the gleaming towers and valuable oil and gas facilities of Washington’s wealthy Gulf allies, including Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.

Even in June 2025, when Israel launched a surprise attack that killed scores of top Iranian generals and nuclear scientists, with a reported death toll topping 1,000, Tehran refrained from widening hostilities.

SENATE FAILS TO BLOCK TRUMP'S IRAN WAR

Iran fired more than 1,000 drones and 550 ballistic missiles at Israel in the 12-day war, killing 32 civilians. A small attack, which experts regarded as token Iranian retaliation, on a U.S. base in Qatar caused minor damage after U.S. bombers destroyed three Iranian nuclear facilities.

“If you are sitting in Tehran and you are looking at this war, the conclusion is that the restraint you showed was a deterrent failure,” Grieco, a former professor at the U.S. Air Force’s Air Command and Staff College, told USA TODAY.

Iran’s leaders, she said, will feel a need “to raise the cost of the conflict.”

Now, Tehran wants Trump and the Israelis to feel pain – to truly need a ceasefire – before it will rejoin negotiations. That’s the only way for a deal to stick − and for the brutal Iranian regime to survive, analysts said.

'NO TO WAR': SPAIN WON'T BACK US ATTACKS ON IRAN

“Iran doesn’t want to be exposed to Israeli air strikes at will” after a new ceasefire, said Mohamad Bazzi, director of the Center for Near Eastern Studies at New York University. “This means exacting a very high price from Israel and from Trump in this war.”

Iran’s attacks in the region are already squeezing U.S. allies, and may soon affect the U.S. economy.

The conflict has closed the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow sea route for 20% of the world’s oil exports. Qatar, a global supplier, has paused production of liquified natural gas amid Iranian airstrikes, while oil giant Saudi Aramco’s 550,000 barrel-a-day Ras Tanura refinery was targeted by two Iranian drone attacks.

Iran has also hit European targets, striking a British air base on Cyprus in the Mediterranean, and a French base in the UAE, while the NATO defense alliance said it shot down a missile that entered Turkish airspace.

WHY IS THE US AT WAR WITH IRAN? ANSWERING KEY QUESTIONS ABOUT THE CONFLICT

And on March 2, Hezbollah fired rockets into Israel, inviting retaliatory strikes that killed scores and sent tens of thousands of residents fleeing southern Lebanon and Beirut’s southern suburbs.

Oil prices soared on Tuesday, March 3, to their highest levels since 2024.

The missile and drone attacks are “causing economic damage,” Bazzi said. “It’s no accident Hezbollah got involved just as the oil markets and the stock markets were opening” following the war's first salvos on Feb. 28.

WHAT'S THE ENDGAME?

President Trump now warns Americans to expect several more weeks of conflict.

Trump has mused on different endgames. He’s demanded Iran forgo nuclear weapons, which it already had done − to wide skepticism.

He’s also called on unarmed Iranian citizens to overthrow the brutal, 47-year-old clerical regime and seize power themselves – somehow with the help of the very security forces that were gunning them down in the thousands during protests just six weeks ago.

And he’s suggested a resolution similar to the one he achieved in Venezuela, in which the U.S. would reach an accommodation with Iran’s leaders without seeking full regime change.

US stock futures slip as investors weigh Middle East war fallout

But “most of the people we had in mind are dead,” Trump said March 3. “Now we have another group, they may be dead also, based on reports. So you have a third wave coming. Pretty soon we’re not going to know anybody.”

Trump worried about installing a new leader “who’s as bad as the previous person.”

So far, Iran’s leaders aren’t asking for approval from the American president.

“Trump wanted a short, concise war, while the Iranians are taking it to a new dimension of organized, global chaos,” Ali Hashem, a veteran journalist and columnist in the Persian Gulf, told USA TODAY. “The Iranians knew they would have to face their destiny, while Trump was engaged in wishful thinking.”

DEADLY MISSILE RACE

Now, the question is which side can hold out before casualties increase and stocks of ammunition decrease.

Iran has launched more than 2,000 drones and 500 ballistic missiles at U.S., Israeli and regional targets, Gen. Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said March 4. Pre-war assumptions put the number of Iranian ballistic missiles at 2,500, Grieco said.

While the gap in military power between Tehran and Washington “is so wide, it’s hard to describe it,” Bazzi said, Israel and other U.S. allies have shrinking supplies of the missile interceptors that so far have prevented serious bloodshed on their side amid more more than 700 Iranian deaths.

Air defenses have likewise kept U.S. troop casualties to six war dead.

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Parody website calls for Barron Trump to join Iran war

Which countries are involved in the Iran-US war? What to know.

Why is the US at war with Iran? Answering key questions about the conflict

Timeline of how hostilities led to Trump's decision to attack Iran

“It’s really a race between Iran’s ballistic missiles and drones, and the Israeli, American and Gulf interceptors,” Grieco said. “It’s clear the Israelis and the Americans are hunting those missile facilities.”

Bloomberg News, citing sources and documents, reported March 2 that Qatar and the United Arab Emirates were asking their allies to nudge Trump towards a speedy end to the war.

The UAE was asking allies to help shore up its air defenses, while Qatar had only four days of Patriot Missile stocks remaining, the Bloomberg report said. On March 5, Italy announced it was moving air defense weapons to help defend the Gulf emirates.

Trump said on social media the U.S. has enough weaponry to keep fighting "forever." But he didn't address the question of air defenses.

Once the interceptors start to run out, Grieco said, “you have to make hard choices of what to defend…at the intersection of material and lives.”

@ IMPLICATIONS

A22 X25 X25 FROM US NEWS

5 THINGS TO WATCH AFTER TRUMP’S STRIKE ON IRAN

Over the weekend, the U.S. and Israel carried out airstrikes on Iran, killing Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and an unknown number of top military and political figures in a wildly successful military operation with a deeply unclear long-term impact on the Middle East.

On Sunday, the U.S. military disclosed that three soldiers had been killed and five more seriously wounded, the first casualties of a campaign that could span days, weeks or longer. On Monday, we learned of a fourth dead service member.

Here are five things I’m watching in the rapidly evolving conflict:

BOMBING VS. TALKING

The bombs and missiles rained down after President Donald Trump decided Iran would not meet his sweeping demands to effectively end its nuclear program, dismantle its long-range missile infrastructure and forswear supporting its extremist proxies throughout the region.

Now what?

On Sunday morning, Trump told The Atlantic that negotiations would resume – though he didn’t specify when, where, with whom or what about.

“They want to talk, and I have agreed to talk, so I will be talking to them,” he said in a telephone call from Mar-a-Lago. “They should have done it sooner. They should have given what was very practical and easy to do sooner. They waited too long.”

On Saturday, he had said on social media that “the heavy and pinpoint bombing…will continue, uninterrupted throughout the week.”

We’ll see what these talks look like – and if they curtail or amplify the conflict.

WILL IRANIANS RISE UP?

A staple of Trump’s rhetoric since the strikes began has been exhorting the Iranian people to rise up against their government.

“When we are finished, take over your government. It will be yours to take. This will probably be your only chance for generations,” he said in an eight-minute video on social media. “This is the moment for action. Do not let it pass.”

Iranian security forces killed thousands of anti-regime protestors in the streets last month.

Would the U.S. take military steps to support a popular uprising?

“I have to look at the situation at the time it happens,” he told The Atlantic. “You can’t give an answer to that question.”

AN IRANIAN DELCY RODRÍGUEZ?

Since the raid that captured Venezuelan strongman Nicolás Maduro, the U.S. has worked with his vice president, Delcy Rodríguez, keeping her atop a vast and repressive security apparatus – effectively the Maduro regime without Maduro.

The argument for doing that runs something like this: You can’t install an opposition figure over security forces that would be hostile to them. That risks chaos. In the meantime, Rodríguez provides stability. And, with it, Venezuelan oil.

So now some supporters of the Iran strikes are musing about finding a comparable figure in Iran.

“I'm sure … there are also some leaders inside of Iran who might be jockeying to audition for the role of Iran’s Delcy Rodríguez,” Sen. Tom Cotton, the Republican chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, told CBS News on Sunday.

It’s unthinkable that U.S. intelligence agencies have not been assessing whom they could work with – or arm – inside Iran. But it’s not clear whether there’s a contender for the role, or how dissidents might respond to the installation of a regime figure or, for that matter, how Iran’s multi-polar security apparatus would respond.

Late Sunday, Trump told ABC that potential candidates to take over were killed in the first waves of attacks.

"The attack was so successful it knocked out most of the candidates," Trump told ABC. "It's not going to be anybody that we were thinking of because they are all dead. Second or third place is dead."

WILL IRAN HIT BACK ASYMMETRICALLY?

In 1986, the U.S. bombed Libya but failed to kill strongman Moammar Gadhafi. Two years later, Pan Am Flight 103 was bombed out of the skies over Lockerbie, Scotland, in an operation pinned on Libyan intelligence operatives.

While Iran is firing missiles at various targets today – U.S. bases, Gulf countries that host them, even Oman, its intermediary in talks with America – other forms of retaliation will likely come on Tehran’s timeline.

Tehran’s usual network of proxies – Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis in Yemen – have been badly weakened over the past two years. But that doesn’t mean they don’t have operatives in the West. Will they activate them? Will “lone wolf” terrorists sympathetic to Iran take matters into their own hands?

Take attacks out of it: Iran could try to choke off the Strait of Hormuz, through which much of the world’s oil travels.

A WAR POWERS CLASH IN CONGRESS

The Senate and House of Representatives could take up war powers resolutions next week that purport to direct the president to remove forces from hostilities with Iran unless Congress issues a formal declaration of war or specific authorization to use military force.

As a practical matter, this will do nothing to the military campaign: There’s no chance of such a measure getting the two-thirds majority needed to override a presidential veto.

But the vote results will send an interesting political signal eight months before the midterm elections.

FOG OF WAR ENGULFS MARKETS, OIL AS IRAN RETALIATES

The joint U.S.-Israel strike on Iran is certain to dominate markets this week.

By Tim Smart

NUMBER OF THE DAY: $553,000

That’s how much an account operating under the name “Magamyman” made on the prediction market Polymarket via bets that Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei would be ousted shortly before the strike that killed him, NPR reports.

@ REACTIONS – domestic

X polls/politics

A23 X37 X37 FROM US NEWS

Will War With Iran Hurt Trump in the U.S.?

A plume of smoke rises after an explosion on March 2 in Tehran, Iran.

By Olivier Knox March 4th

President Donald Trump’s Iran war isn’t just killing leaders and blowing up buildings in Tehran. It’s also cratering stocks and inflaming oil prices, creating a politically dangerous home front for Republicans eight months before the midterm elections.

War is unpredictable. There’s a scenario in which victory over the regime happens in the four to five weeks Trump has predicted and the crisis passes, gas prices settle down, Wall Street perks up and the damage is not so visible by the time Americans cast their ballots.

But it’s also very possible the United States ends up in a protracted conflict against Iranians who are dug in and determined to exact the highest possible toll from the U.S. and its partners in the region.

ON OFFENSE IN IRAN, ON DEFENSE AT HOME

Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who is also Trump’s national security adviser, told reporters Monday the administration had a plan to address oil prices.

“There is a plan in place … to mitigate against the impact that could have,” he said.

Rubio said the United States will destroy Iran’s navy, and the U.S. moved in that direction today by sinking an Iranian warship in the Indian Ocean in the first torpedo attack from a U.S. submarine since World War II. Tehran’s navy is its best tool for strangling the Strait of Hormuz, through which about 20 million barrels of oil flow daily. That’s roughly 20% of all global supplies.

Already, traffic through that waterway has slackened. One problem: Insurance prices have jumped because of Iranian strikes on tankers. Reuters reported Tuesday that this is one of the problems Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent were expected to try to solve in the plan referenced by Rubio.

“U.S. support for tanker insurance is not unprecedented,” Reuters noted. “During the Iran-Iraq conflict in the 1980s, Washington reflagged tankers and provided naval escorts when private insurers withdrew coverage. After the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, the U.S. issued insurance policies to keep shipping moving amid elevated war-risk premiums.”

Trump announced on social media that he was directing the Development Finance Corporation to provide shipping insurance at a “reasonable price” and said the U.S. Navy would escort ships through the strait “if necessary.”

The president, who regularly boasts of lower costs at the pump on his watch, has pleaded for patience.

“We have a little high oil prices for a little while,” he told reporters in the Oval Office on Tuesday. “But as soon as this ends, those prices are going to drop, I believe, lower than even before.”

His appeal came after gas prices jumped 10 cents per gallon overnight Monday into Tuesday, according to AAA, and were expected to keep climbing.

A DEMOCRATIC OPPORTUNITY

Maybe prices will drop. But in the meantime, the war may have given Democrats an edge in a political season defined by the public’s frustration with the cost of living, sometimes shorthanded as “affordability.”

You can already see two messages emerging from the opposition: 1) The war is a distraction, at best, from the issues Americans care about, and 2) This is an argument Trump himself used to make.

“Americans are demanding help with the cost-of-living crisis, but President Trump would rather start another war, potentially driving up energy prices, than listen to them,” said Rep. Rosa DeLauro, the top Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee.

And independent Sen. Bernie Sanders, who has contended for the Democratic presidential nomination, dusted off one of Trump’s 2020 campaign speeches.

“President Trump was right in 2020,” the Vermont lawmaker said in a social media post featuring a video of a Trump speech.

In the clip, Trump declares: "We’ve spent $8 trillion in the Middle East and we're not fixing our roads in this country? How stupid. How stupid is it? And we’re not fixing our highways, our tunnels, our bridges, our hospitals even, our schools even? It’s crazy."

Confronting a politician with their past remarks is coin of the realm in politics. Whether it works will largely depend on perceptions of the war come November.

A24X22 3/3 X22 FROM TIME

How Americans Feel About Trump’s War With Iran, According to the Latest Polls

by Chantelle Lee and Miranda Jeyaretnam Mar 3, 2026 5:30 AM ET

The majority of Americans disapprove of the strikes that President Donald Trump ordered against Iran over the weekend, early polling shows.

Only 27% of Americans approved of the U.S.-Israeli bombing of Iran, while 43% disapproved, according to a new poll by Reuters/Ipsos conducted over the weekend, before news that six U.S. soldiers have been killed in Iranian retaliatory attacks. And it’s not the only poll.

The U.S. and Israel’s military operations against Iran come just months before the U.S. midterm elections and could prove to be a key issue, especially as the President, who promised peace in his presidential campaign and claims to have ended eight wars, has signaled the campaign could go on for weeks and may even involve American boots on the ground.

“Trump promised to end wars,” Democrats on the House Foreign Affairs Committee posted on X on Monday. “He’s now started more wars than any president in modern American history. Instead of affordable healthcare and groceries, the American people get to foot the billion-dollar tabs for Trump’s foreign wars of choice.”

Since entering office last January, Trump has ordered military strikes against seven countries—more than any other modern-era U.S. President. The U.S. and Israeli assassination of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is also the second recent example of the Trump Administration orchestrating foreign regime change, following the U.S. arrest and extradition of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in January.

Trump appeared to shrug off the apparent unpopularity of his moves. In an interview with the New York Post on Monday, he said, “I think that the polling is very good, but I don’t care about polling. I have to do the right thing. I have to do the right thing. This should have been done a long time ago.”

“Look, whether polling is low or not, I think the polling is probably fine. But it’s not a question of polling. You cannot let Iran, who’s a nation that has been run by crazy people, have a nuclear weapon,” Trump continued. “I think people are very impressed with what is happening, actually. … I think it’s a silent—if you did a real poll, the silent poll—and it’s like a silent majority.”

PARTISAN DIVIDE

Around 59% of Americans don’t approve of Trump’s decision to strike Iran, according to a CNN poll conducted by SSRS, while roughly 41% of poll respondents said they approved of the move.

But the CNN poll also revealed that Americans are sharply split across party lines. More than 80% of Democrats said they disapproved of the strikes, whereas only 23% of Republicans said they disapproved. The CNN poll surveyed more than 1,000 respondents over text message over the weekend. Less than 20% of Democrats said they supported the military action,whereas 77% of Republicans expressed their support for the decision. Of the poll respondents who identified as independent, 68% disapproved of the strikes, compared to 32% who approved.

That partisan divide was reflected in other polls, too. Journalists at the Washington Post, who texted more than 1,000 Americans on Sunday to ask them how they felt about the strikes, found that 81% of Republicans supported the military action, whereas only 9% of Democrats did. Just 12% of Republicans said they opposed the attack, whereas 87% of Democrats expressed their disapproval of the strikes. Among independents, 28% supported the attack, while 59% opposed it.

The Post found that, overall, 52% of respondents disapproved of Trump’s decision to launch the attack, compared to 39% who supported the move and 9% who said they weren’t sure how they felt about it.

Differences are evident on the streets too. In Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Cincinnati, Denver, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, Minneapolis, New York City, and other cities, Americans have come out to protest the war, even as others have rallied to celebrate the death of Khamenei.

X T and admin

A25X23 rubio X23 FROM USA TODAY

Rubio promises punishment for Iran: 'Hardest hits are yet to come'

By Francesca Chambers and Zachary Schermele March 2, 2026 Updated March 3, 2026, 8:40 a.m. ET

What are the biggest updates at the moment?

What evidence did the Trump administration cite for Iran's imminent threat?

Is the U.S. at war with Iran without congressional declaration?

How did Iranian Americans react to the U.S. attacks on Iran?

What are the biggest updates at the moment?

WASHINGTON — Secretary of State Marco Rubio sought to clarify the president's rationale for attacking Iran and argued ahead of a March 2 classified briefing with lawmakers that the Trump administration had fulfilled an obligation to notify Congress of its plans, despite an outpouring of criticism from Democrats over the military operation.

The administration decided to act quickly because it was "abundantly clear" that if Iran came under attack from Israel, it was going to retaliate against the United States, Rubio said.

"We knew that there was going to be an Israeli action. We knew that that would precipitate an attack against American forces, and we knew that if we didn't preemptively go after them, before they launched those attacks, we would suffer higher causalities," Rubio said. "And then we would all be here answering questions about why we knew that and didn't act."

Rubio said the intelligence provided the U.S. with enough to invoke action due to an "imminent threat."

"No matter what, ultimately this operation needed to happen," he said. "Look at the damage they're doing now, and this is a weakened Iran, imagine a year from now."

With Americans divided, Congress readies war powers vote

In a Reuters/Ipsos survey conducted over the weekend, 27% of Americans said that they approved of the strikes while 29% said they did not know and 43% said they disapproved.

"The American people have already made up their mind, which is they do not want United States in a war in the Middle East," Sen. Andy Kim, a Democrat from New Jersey, told USA TODAY in a March 1 interview. "And there is nothing that we can hear from this Trump administration at this point that's going to change the fact that Americans don't want this, and that the president is doing this against the will of the American people."

Kim, who was the Obama-era director for Iraq on White House National Security Council, said he believes that Congress should vote so that every lawmaker's stance is on record.

Democratic lawmakers in the House and Senate have pushed for votes this week on resolutions that would block Trump's ability to conduct additional strikes on Iran unless he has congressional approval. They've also said the administration needs to lay out its strategy for winning the war and address contradictory information about Iran's nuclear capabilities and the status of its ballistic missile program.

Rubio told reporters before the Monday briefing with top lawmakers on Capitol Hill that he doesn't understand "what the confusion" is around why the Trump administration preemptively struck the adversary it has repeatedly accused of trying to restart its nuclear program.

He said the U.S. is conducting an operation "to eliminate the threat of Iran's short-range ballistic missiles" and the threat posed by its navy.

"That is the clear objective of its mission," Rubio, a former Florida senator, said.

He argued that the Trump administration has followed the law when it comes to a requirement to notify Congress about military action.

Sen. John Kennedy, R-Louisiana, said he agreed with the secretary of state. The Constitution, he said, is "purposely vague" about the division of war powers between the executive and legislative branches in order to allow presidents to make important decisions about national security.

"Anybody who thinks that Iran, then and now, was not and is not an immediate, apparent danger to the American people is either wrong, or they're taking some really strong drugs," Kennedy told USA TODAY.

Congressional leaders were informed of the strikes before they took place, Rubio said. And he said the administration fulfilled its requirement under the War Powers Act of 1973 to provide formal notification to lawmakers within 48 hours of beginning hostilities.

"We can't notify 535 members of Congress," Rubio said. "Congress can vote on whatever they want, but there's no law that requires us to do that."

Rubio spoke before he briefed a bipartisan group of lawmakers with high-level security clearance, known as Gang of Eight, on the conflict that Trump has said he expects to last for roughly four weeks. He argued, as he has in the past, that the War Powers Act is not constitutional.

Even so, the Trump administration complied with the law, he said. He briefed the top congressional leaders twice — once on the day of the State of the Union and once on the evening before the strike. And he was about to brief them again.

DEMOCRATS: NO EVIDENCE OF 'IMMINENT THREAT'

Democrats came away from their conversations with Rubio and other top administration officials woefully dissatisfied.

“I found the answers completely and totally insufficient,” said Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, the chamber's top Democrat. He said Rubio's latest Gang of Eight briefing “raised many more questions than it answered.”

Sen. Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, told USA TODAY after the meeting that the administration’s communication with Congress about the strikes was “much better” compared to its other recent military actions. But, he argued, the White House still flouted the law.

“There was no imminent threat against the United States,” he said.

TRUMP ARGUES IRAN POSED URGENT THREAT

Trump argued in a video announcing the strikes, and again in public remarks at the White House, that the United States faced an urgent threat from Iran.

Laying out his justification for the strikes, Trump said during an East Room event that Iran's ballistic missile program was also growing "rapidly and dramatically" and it "posed a very clear, colossal threat" to the United States and its forces stationed at overseas bases.

Tehran already had missiles capable of hitting Europe and "would soon have had missiles capable of reaching our beautiful America," Trump said in his remarks on March 2.

Trump signaled earlier in the day that the U.S. was preparing to launch an even bigger wave of attacks on Iran.

“We haven’t even started hitting them hard. The big wave hasn’t even happened. The big one is coming soon," the president told CNN host Jake Tapper in a phone call.

On Capitol Hill, his secretary of state echoed those comments. He told reporters the most punishing phase of the campaign hadn't even begun yet. Without providing details, Rubio said, "The hardest hits are yet to come from the U.S. military. The next phase will be ever more punishing on Iran than it is right now."

Six US service members dead in Iran war; Rubio briefs lawmakers

'Disgusting and evil.' Trump faces MAGA backlash on Iran.

Timeline of how hostilities led to Trump's decision to attack Iran

'It's not true': Trump's reasons for Iran attacks questioned

Do Americans support Iran strikes? Here's what new poll says

Satellite images show impact from US and Israel attacks on Iran

"Someone was screaming, 'how long will it take.' I don't know how long it will take, we have objectives, we will do this as long as it takes to achieve those objectives," Rubio told reporters. "And we will achieve those objectives."

The purpose of the administration's campaign is to destroy Tehran's navy and its ballistic missile capabilities, he said, which he argued Iran was using as a shield for its nuclear program.

"And while we would love to see a new regime, the bottom line is, no matter who governs this country, a year from now, they're not going to have these ballistic missiles and these drones to threaten us," Rubio said.

A26X dems x29 X29 FROM FOX

FETTERMAN BLASTS IRAN STRIKE CRITICS, AYATOLLAH'S APOLOGISTS: 'LET'S SEE WHO GRIEVES FOR THAT GARBAGE'

Pennsylvania Democrat breaks with party critics of Trump-Netanyahu joint strikes, calls operation necessary to counter Tehran's aggression

By Charles Creitz Published March 2, 2026 3:59pm EST

As Democrats line up to denounce President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s joint strikes on Iran’s ruling regime, Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., is doing the opposite, forcefully defending the operation and rebuking members of his own party who call it reckless.

The Pennsylvania Democrat, who has increasingly staked out unapologetic pro-Israel positions, has openly questioned why critics from both the far-right and far-left are making hay over the strikes, arguing the operation was necessary to counter Tehran’s aggression. His stance is widening a visible fracture inside the party over how far to back Israel amid escalating regional tensions.

On Monday, Fetterman wrote that he’s "not sure why it’s controversial to anyone to appreciate and celebrate wiping out 49 leaders of one of the most evil regimes in recorded history," after Trump announced the potentially four-week mission was ahead of schedule after discovering several top Iranian officials being targeted were reportedly in the same area and could be taken out at once.

After the initial strike on Saturday, Fetterman reposted an image from the "Israel War Room" that showed a Wanted-style poster of Ayatollah Ali Hosseini Khamenei with the word "Eliminated" burned across it.

"Let’s see who grieves for that garbage," Fetterman captioned.

The former Pennsylvania lieutenant governor later credited Trump, saying in a statement that he "has been willing to do what’s right and necessary to produce real peace in the region."

"God bless the United States, our great military, and Israel."

He also openly questioned members of his own caucus, who have otherwise agreed that Iran cannot be permitted to nuclearize.

"Every member in the U.S. Senate agrees we cannot allow Iran to acquire a nuclear weapon," he wrote on X.

IRAN DIDN’T ADAPT TO AMERICA'S PLAYBOOK. RUSSIA AND CHINA ALREADY HAVE

"I’m baffled why so many are unwilling to support the only action to achieve that. Empty sloganeering vs. commitment to global security — which is it?"

He said Saturday he would be a "hard no" if Democrats forced a war powers resolution vote to claw back Trump’s authority.

Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., told Richmond press on Monday that he intends to press for a vote on a War Powers Resolution he filed in January focused on Iran.

Kaine wondered aloud in a separate public statement whether Trump is "too mentally incapacitated to realize we had a diplomatic agreement with Iran…"

"The Senate should immediately return to session and vote on my War Powers Resolution to block the use of U.S. forces in hostilities against Iran. Every single Senator needs to go on the record about this dangerous, unnecessary, and idiotic action," Kaine said.

Fetterman was not the only Democrat to sound off on critics of the Iran strike. Former New York Mayor Eric Adams, who is also a former NYPD officer, lambasted what he called the political fringes for ignoring the human rights abuses, mass murder and attacks on Americans committed by Khamenei, 86, and his predecessor, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.

Rep. Gregory Landsman, D-Ohio, also praised the operation against Iran and compared the killing of Khamenei to taking out Usama bin Laden, but stopped short of endorsing Trump’s broader plans.

"There’s a lot of folks in Congress who don’t trust this president and I’m one of those people. In the end I trust the generals and I trust our military," he told the Cincinnati Enquirer.

A27 IUK (x24a)

The Senate can restrain Trump on Iran — but it won’t (Part Two)

Sending Americans into war is one of the most consequential decisions any president can take. But don’t expect the Republican-controlled Congress to take any action to restrain Trump, Eric Garcia writes

Monday 02 March 2026 20:33 GMT

Trump says an Iran with nuclear weapons would be 'intolerable threat' to US

Welcome to the the most important decision of President Donald Trump’s second term - and likely his entire time in the White House.

Over the weekend, the president announced that the United States and Israel had launched coordinated strikes against Iran and killed the country’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

As of Monday, four U.S. service members have been killed. “Sadly, there will likely be more... before it ends, that’s the way it is,” Trump said Sunday.

Sending Americans into war is one of the most consequential decisions any president can take. It’s why the Constitution solely invests the power to declare war with Congress, which is more directly accountable to voters than the executive.

But don’t expect the Republican-controlled Congress to take any action to restrain Trump.

In the hours after the strikes, Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia lambasted the military action and questioned whether Trump is too “mentally incapacitated” to understand the effects of his decision. Kaine has led efforts to force a War Powers Act resolution through Congress, which allows the legislative branch to rein in a president’s military power.

Reps. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) and Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), the political odd couple that forced the passage of legislation to release the Epstein files, also said they would push a vote on a War Powers Act resolution in the lower chamber.

Initially passed in 1973 after the Vietnam War saw a succession of presidents escalate American involvement in Southeast Asia, the War Powers Act requires the executive branch inform Congress within 48 hours of troops being deployed.

In addition, it requires that troops be withdrawn within 60 days, with a possible 30-day extension, if Congress has not declared war or authorized the use of military force.

But consistently, Congress has rebuffed these efforts. Earlier this year, after Trump’s attack on Venezuela, five Republicans voted with Democrats for a War Powers Act resolution to go through. But Trump raged against the Republicans who did so and Senators Josh Hawley of Missouri and Todd Young of Indiana flipped their votes, defeating the resolution.

There are a number of reasons for this: The obvious one is that Republicans fear Trump and have provided a rubber stamp to any of his actions this presidency, facilitated by House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune.

The second is that even before Trump, many Republicans, including many who do not personally like the president, ardently oppose the Iranian regime and would like to see it fall.

And there’s also the fact that Trump has largely gotten lucky with the administration’s previous military operations since he returned to office.

Last year, when Trump conducted strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities, I wrote that Trump had gambled his entire presidency on the strikes. It looked like that gamble paid off, initially. After a scuffle between Iran and Israel, Trump touted a ceasefire, chided both countries when they seemed to break it by saying “they don’t know what the f*** they’re doing.” They ultimately ceased hostilities.

Similarly, when Trump launched a surprise attack on Venezuela, capturing President Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores, the mission appeared to have been largely a success - even though the country remains incredibly unstable, to the point that many oil companies still do not want to invest, and still under authoritarian control.

Iran represents a more long-term military commitment, whether Trump knows it or not. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth brushed off questions as to whether U.S. attacks on Iran would turn the conflict into another Iraq.

The Iran war could bring a change in regime – but do they ever work?

“No stupid rules of engagement, no nation-building quagmire, no democracy-building exercise, no politically-correct wars,” he said during a press briefing Monday. “We fight to win.”

But the fact remains, this is still a war. And as Trump has completely neutered Congress, he will likely keep the conflict as open-ended as he likes.

A28 X24 X24b FROM IUK

THE SENATE CAN RESTRAIN TRUMP ON IRAN — BUT IT WON’T

Tuesday, March 3, 2026

Welcome to the the most important decision of President Donald Trump’s second term - and likely his entire time in the White House.

Over the weekend, the president announced that the United States and Israel had launched coordinated strikes against Iran and killed the country’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

As of Monday, six U.S. service members have been killed. “Sadly, there will likely be more... before it ends, that’s the way it is,” Trump said Sunday.

Sending Americans into war is the most consequential decisions any president can take. It’s why the Constitution vests the power to declare war with Congress, which is more directly accountable to voters than the executive.

But don’t expect the Republican-controlled Congress to take any action to restrain Trump.

In the hours after the strikes, Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia lambasted the military action and questioned if Trump is too “mentally incapacitated” to understand the effects of his decision. Kaine has led efforts to force a War Powers Act resolution through Congress, which allows the legislative branch to rein in a president’s military power.

Initially passed in 1973, the War Powers Act requires the executive branch inform Congress within 48 hours of troops being deployed.

In addition, it requires that troops be withdrawn within 60 days, with a possible 30-day extension, if Congress has not declared war or authorized the use of military force.

But consistently, Congress has rebuffed these efforts. Earlier this year, after Trump’s attack on Venezuela, five Republicans voted with Democrats for a War Powers Act resolution to go through. Then Trump raged against the Republicans who did so and Senators Josh Hawley of Missouri and Todd Young of Indiana flipped their votes, defeating the resolution.

X 12 MTG and isolationist MAGA

A29 X12 FROM HUFFPOST

Marjorie Taylor Greene Blasts Trump Admin As 'Sick F**king Liars' As Iran Strikes Divide GOP

"We voted for America First and ZERO wars,” former Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene said.

By Pocharapon Neammanee Feb 28, 2026, 12:28 PM EST

TRUMP ANNOUNCES IRAN STRIKES

The United States’ early Saturday morning joint military operation with Israel against Iran divided Republicans, some praising President Donald Trump, but others warning against the possibility of getting into a foreign war.

“I am opposed to this War. This is not ‘America First,’” Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) said on X, adding that he and Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) will force a congressional vote on war. “The Constitution requires a vote, and your Representative needs to be on record as opposing or supporting this war.”

The president announced Saturday that the U.S. has begun “major combat operations in Iran,” which the defense department is calling “Operation Epic Fury.”

Trump seemed to urge regime change, encouraging the Iranian public to “take over” their government, which he claimed has continued to develop its nuclear program with plans to develop missiles to reach the U.S.

“My administration is taking every possible step to minimize the risk to U.S. personnel in the region. Even so, and I do not make this statement lightly, the Iranian regime seeks to kill,” Trump said. “The lives of courageous American heroes may be lost, and we may have casualties. That often happens in war. But we’re doing this not for now. We’re doing this for the future. And it is a noble mission.”

TRUMP ANNOUNCES IRAN STRIKES

The president’s announcement sparked criticism from conservatives who pride themselves on being “America First.”

Former Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene lashed out in multiple posts on X against the Trump administration, which she noted had “promised to put America FIRST and Make America Great Again.”

“The Trump admin actually asked in a poll how many casualties voters were willing to accept in a war with Iran???,” the MAGA firebrand and former close Trump ally wrote. “How about ZERO you bunch of sick fucking liars. We voted for America First and ZERO wars.”

Conservative podcaster Tucker Carlson also decried the attack, calling it “absolutely disgusting and evil,” ABC’s Jonathan Karl reports.

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) said that “yet another preemptive war” had “begun in the Middle East,” stating that “the Constitution conferred the power to declare or initiate war to Congress for a reason, to make war less likely. “

“As with all war, my first and purest instinct is wish Americans soldiers safety and success in their mission,” Paul wrote. “But my oath of office is to the Constitution, so with studied care, I must oppose another Presidential war.”

But others in the GOP remained loyal to Trump, praising the president’s speech and the attack itself.

Sen. Lindsey Graham said Trump’s speech “will go down in history as the catalyst for the most historic change in the Middle East in a thousand years.”

“I echo President Trump’s call to the Iranian military, IRGC and security forces to lay down their arms. I echo his call to the Iranian people to take back their government,” Graham said. “President Trump was right when he said he’s the first president in 47 years to stand with the people of Iran and give them the backing they need.”

Sen. Katie Britt (R-Ala.) offered full support of the operation in a statement on X, calling it “a defining moment of generational leadership from President Trump to achieve sustainable peace.”

Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) posted, “History will record this night.”

“President Trump understood what the weak could not bring themselves to say: that peace is not found in appeasement - it is won,” she continued.

A30 X30 FROM WASHINGTON TIMES

‘MAGA is Trump’: President bashes blowback over Iranian strikes from Megyn Kelly, Tucker Carlson

By Valerie Richardson - The Washington Times -Tuesday, March 3, 2026

As far as President Trump is concerned, he decides what it means to put America first, not the pundits on the isolationist right.

Mr. Trump pushed back after podcasters Megyn Kelly and Tucker Carlson bemoaned his decision to launch strikes on Iran, insisting that the mission is in America’s best interests and that the Trump-founded Make America Great Again movement is behind him.

“I think that MAGA is Trump — MAGA’s not the other two,” Mr. Trump said, referring to Ms. Kelly and Ms. Carlson, in a Monday interview on Rachael Bade’s “Inner Circle” Substack. “MAGA wants to see our country thrive and be safe. And MAGA loves what I’m doing — every aspect of it.”

He characterized the massive attack, which wiped out the top Iranian leadership and its warships in the Gulf of Oman, as “a detour that we have to take in order to keep our country safe and keep other countries safe, frankly.”

Leading the blowback on the anti-war right were Mr. Carlson, who called the attack “absolutely disgusting and evil” in an interview with ABC News reporter Jonathan Karl, and Ms. Kelly, who accused the president of doing Israel’s bidding.

“Our government’s job is not to look out for Iran or for Israel; it’s to look out for us,” she said on her Monday podcast. “And this feels very much to me like it’s Israel’s war.”

· Trump defends strikes against Iran, ‘sick and sinister regime’: ‘You can’t deal with these people’

· Nancy Mace faces House ethics committee investigation

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They drew further attention to the rift on the right between the anti-interventionist wing and the “peace through strength” side, which includes the vast majority of Republican lawmakers.

Despite the GOP support, Daily Wire podcaster Matt Walsh warned that Mr. Trump’s core constituency isn’t on board.

“I’m referring to MAGA conservatives, America Firsters, Trump’s base. The people I talk to every single day,” he wrote in a Monday post on X. “Attacking Iran was not a policy priority for them. And many were expressly against it. Trying to rewrite that history now is just grotesque.”

Happy to stoke the division was Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who said shortly after the launch of Operation Epic Fury that Mr. Trump has become “Israel First.”

“Trump has turned ’America First’ into ’Israel First’ — which always means ’America Last,’” he said in a Saturday post on X. “Our Powerful Armed Forces are prepared for this day and will teach the aggressors the lesson they deserve.”

More than 1,000 Iranian combatants have been killed in the attacks, while the American death toll stands at six, U.S. Central Command reported Monday.

“Shedding of both American and Iranian blood is thus on Israel Firsters,” Mr. Araghchi posted. “American people deserve better and should take back their country.”

In Mr. Trump’s Monday interview, he said he wasn’t sure whether a significant portion of his base opposes the war, but emphasized that preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons and destroying its military might is critical to American interests.

“I have to do what’s right, number one — and you can’t have Iran getting a nuclear weapon. That’s predominant to me,” he said.

He also shrugged off Mr. Carlson’s criticism, saying that “it has no impact on me.”

Critics accused Mr. Trump of straying from his campaign promise to avoid “endless” wars, while the White House posted a list of the 74 times he has vowed that Iran cannot obtain a nuclear weapon dating back to 2011.

Unpersuaded was Ms. Kelly, who said that “no one should have to die for a foreign country. I don’t think those … servicemembers died for the United States. I think they died for Iran or for Israel.”

Mr. Trump dismissed her take, saying that “Megyn was opposed to me for years when I ran the first time, and nothing stopped me.

“And so, you know, some people are against — and they always come back. She came all the way back. But now I guess she maybe doesn’t like the idea of this war, but I do because I have to keep nuclear weapons out of the hands of the Iranians.”

The Trump administration has argued that Iran has been waging a one-sided war against Americans for 47 years, starting with the 66 hostages taken at the U.S. Embassy in Tehran following the overthrow of the Shah of Iran in 1979.

Since then, Iranian and Iranian-backed forces have killed more than 800 Americans, including 608 troops during the Iraq War and 241 military personnel in the October 1983 bombing of the Marine compound in Beirut.

“For 47 years, the Iranian regime has actively and intentionally facilitated the killing of Americans while chanting ’death to America’ and funding other bloodthirsty terrorists seeking to destroy the United States and all of Western Civilization,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Monday on social media.

“Prior American leaders were too weak and cowardly to do anything about it,” she added. “Now, President Donald J. Trump is correcting decades of cowardice and holding those responsible for the deaths of Americans accountable.”

Conservative supporters of Operation Epic Fury said eliminating threats to U.S. interests is the definition of America First.

“This is ’America First,’ getting rid of your deadly enemies and their ability to destroy you,” said conservative commentator Dinesh D’Souza on X.

Fox News host Mark Levin said Tuesday on his “Liberty’s Voice” podcast that attacking Iran is “about America First, national security, supporting our troops, protecting the homeland, and ensuring Iran never gets nukes.”

He blasted “these phony podcasters and video podcasters who pretend that they speak for you and me,” insisting that the “vast majority of the American people support what he’s doing.

“The only people who are not backing the president and what we are doing, our military, are the Democrats, the Marxists, the Islamists, and Tucker Qatarlson and his cabal in the woke right.”

Christian conservative radio host Erick Erickson said Tuesday that “I’m really tired of the professional contrarianism on the right,” referring to those condemning the attack on Tehran.

“I’m tired of Megyn Kelly just a few years ago saying we should take out Iran, to now blame the Jews,” he said on his Substack page. “I’m tired of Tucker Carlson building an entire career on regime change to suddenly change his mind.”

He said that support for ousting the Iranian ayatollahs has been conservative boilerplate for decades.

“If you want to change your mind, that’s fine,” Mr. Erickson said. “But don’t pretend that the majority of the right hasn’t for the last forty-nine years been calling for regime change in Iran when you yourself have been fine with it.”

PEANUT GALLERY

Trump has gone full MINO (MAGA In Name Only) and Republicans will lose the midterms as a result. It's a sad day in the USA.

RK1959

VIP

“I think that MAGA is Trump —MAGA’s not the other two,” - POTUS and MAGA - America's racist & bigots.

MAGA thugs - white nationalists, tea party, fascist, kkk, fake militia's, Heritage Foundation, SCOTUS, GOP.

Jan. 6, 2021 - The American People will never forget. The ex-POTUS & his MAGA thugs failed race/civil war, riot & insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. Democracy defeated autocracy evil (hatred, fear & bigotry) on the Capitol Hill battlefield. No race/civil war. No martial law. No autocracy. No dictator. The Truth.

jpnaleid

Recruit

Unfortunately, the president is just chosen Israel first, and he has lost a lot of his base. The midterms are not going to be very kind to him.

2 hours ago

A31 X20 gambling X20 FROM US News

THE UNSETTLING NEW WAY TO CASH IN ON WAR

A prediction on when the U.S. will strike Iran is shown on the Polymarket app on Feb. 25.

The Israeli airstrike that killed Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and dramatically reshaped the Middle East also dropped a fortune in the lap of a prediction market bettor – an unsettling development that highlights the growing pull of gambling on public policy.

“Magamyman” scored a $553,000 payload on Polymarket by placing bets Khamenei would be toppled shortly before the bombing that claimed the ayatollah’s life, according to NPR. We may never learn the anonymous gambler’s identity.

But what we know is that betting on policy outcomes has become pretty darn popular. Just search for “Iran” on Polymarket to get a sense of the dizzying array of options, including yes/no questions and predictions around certain dates. Out: Cowboys beat the spread. In: When will Iran have a new supreme leader?

Is this kind of wager more morally or materially questionable than a traditional sports bet? Sports leagues have implemented restrictions on gambling amid longstanding concerns that a player or coach seduced by the potential payoff might deliberately tank a game.

It might be. Such concerns have wildly higher stakes if we’re talking about insider – even classified – info from government officials.

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission notionally oversees prediction markets. But Polymarket’s offshore operations make things tougher on U.S. regulators. While prediction markets theoretically ban insider trading, they’re anonymous and designed in a way that rewards non-public information.

Winning Iran Bet Just One of Many

Wagering on public policy raises copious questions not just about trading off insider knowledge but also the possibility that an official in a position to shape a decision might shape it according to their financial stake. Pure corruption.

It’s not academic.

In December, a new account on Polymarket bet $68,000 that Kevin Hassett would be nominated to be the next Federal Reserve Chair. An official social media account tied to Polymarket strongly suggested the company thought it was based on insider knowledge.

“Either @novice99 can read Trump’s mind, or they’re serving coffee at Hassett’s breakfast meetings,” it said.

Or consider the American operation in January to capture Venezuelan strongman Nicolás Maduro. On Friday, Jan. 30, an anonymous Polymarket account “appeared to invest $30,000 … on the market: 'Maduro out by 31 January 2026,’” The Guardian reported. “After Maduro’s capture was announced on Saturday morning, the trader seemed to have made profits of $436,759.61.”

In Search of Accountability

In mid-February, two Israelis were charged in connection with allegedly using classified military information to bet on future military operations.

The U.S. has taken no such action, but some lawmakers have prediction markets in their sights. Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut has repeatedly criticized them. In February, he posted a screenshot on social media of bets on how long the State of the Union speech would be.

“Just insane that we don't regulate rigged markets like this out of existence,” he said. “This is not the outcome of a game. This is a question with an answer that already exists. Trump's inside circle KNOW THE ANSWER and can make a mint. So corrupt.”

On Saturday, Murphy highlighted a report about bets on the timing of the Iran strikes and declared: “It’s insane this is legal. People around Trump are profiting off war and death. I’m introducing legislation ASAP to ban this.”

It seems such legislation may already exist, though it’s unclear whether it’s being applied. U.S. law forbids any wager that “involves, relates to, or references terrorism, assassination, war, gaming, or an activity that is unlawful under any State or Federal law.”

Last week, six Democratic Senators, led by Adam Schiff of California, wrote to the CFTC chairman, Michael Selig, to urge him to be more aggressive about enforcing the rules.

“We are writing to express strong concern with prediction contracts that incentivize physical injury or death, and the grave and perverse moral and geopolitical implications of these contracts,” they said. “These contracts present dangerous national security risks, including creating incentives to incite violence, foment geopolitical conflicts, and disclose classified information.”

How quickly will Polymarket offer a wager on, “Will Congress pass legislation targeting prediction markets?”

THE UNSETTLING NEW WAY TO CASH IN ON WAR

A prediction on when the U.S. will strike Iran is shown on the Polymarket app on Feb. 25.

It might be. Such concerns have wildly higher stakes if we’re talking about insider – even classified – info from government officials.

WINNING IRAN BET JUST ONE OF MANY

It’s not academic.

“Either @novice99 can read Trump’s mind, or they’re serving coffee at Hassett’s breakfast meetings,” it said.

IN SEARCH OF ACCOUNTABILITY

In mid-February, two Israelis were charged in connection with allegedly using classified military information to bet on future military operations.

Last week, six Democratic Senators, led by Adam Schiff of California, wrote to the CFTC chairman, Michael Selig, to urge him to be more aggressive about enforcing the rules.

How quickly will Polymarket offer a wager on, “Will Congress pass legislation targeting prediction markets?”

@ REACTIONS – foreign

A32 X14 FROM USA TODAY (TIMELINE/TAKEAWAYS)

Iran live updates: Trump vows to avenge 3 troops killed in action

By Kim Hjelmgaard, N'dea Yancey-Bragg, Kathryn Palmer, Fernando Cervantes Jr., Eve Chen, Terry Collins, and Francesca Chambers

USA TODAY

Updated March 1, 2026, 5:00 p.m. ET

Three American service members were killed in action amid the ongoing conflict with Iran, U.S. military officials confirmed, one day after the United States and Israel launched airstrikes and Tehran quickly hit back.

Five others were seriously wounded, according to U.S. Central Command, which didn't provide further details. The service members were not immediately identified.

The announcement of the first U.S. casualties in the conflict came as a new poll shows that one in four Americans approve of President Donald Trump's two-day-old air war, which killed Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and dozens of top officials.

“They want to talk, and I have agreed to talk, so I will be talking to them," Trump told The Atlantic magazine in a Sunday morning interview. "They should have done it sooner.”

Do Americans support Iran strikes? Here's what new poll says

Meanwhile, Israel and Iran continued to trade attacks. Explosions were heard in Tehran into the afternoon.

The death toll in the conflict included at least 200 killed more than 700 injured in Iran, nine deaths in Israel, and three dead in the United Arab Emirates. President Trump said U.S. forces had struck more than 1,000 targets inside Iran.

"Combat operations continue at this time in full force, and they will continue until all of our objectives are achieved," Trump said later in the day in a video posted to social media. "We have very strong objectives." He warned of more American casualties.

'Secret words': What does US want from Iran?

This is a breaking story. Follow along with USA TODAY's live coverage.

· President Trump told The Atlantic magazine he had agreed to talks with members of Iran's surviving leadership. In a separate interview with CNBC, he said the US operation was "ahead of schedule."

· A Reuters/Ipsos poll of 1,282 US adults taken on Saturday and Sunday showed that only 1 in 4 respondents approved of the US-Israeli attack on Iran.

'SADLY THERE WILL LIKELY BE MORE,' TRUMP SAYS OF U.S. TROOP DEATHS

Zac Anderson

President Trump lamented the deaths of three U.S. troops killed in the conflict with Iran and said more service members "likely" will die. He said the Iran operation will continue "until all of our objectives are achieved.”

"As one nation we grieve for the true American patriots who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our nation," Trump said in a video posted March 1 on social media, adding: "Sadly, there will likely be more before it ends, that's the way it is."

Trump said the three troops, who have not been publicly identified, died for a "righteous mission" and that the U.S. will "avenge their deaths."

US MILITARY HAS STRUCK 1K IRANIAN TARGETS

Terry Collins

The US military has carried out strikes against more than 1,000 Iranian targets since beginning its joint Operation Epic Fury campaign with Israel on Feb. 28, according to the US Central Command (CENTCOM).

In a March 1 fact sheet CENTCOM provided on social media, it lists the "types of targets" it has struck, including Iranian Navy ships and submarines, anti-missile sites, commands and control centers, and the headquarters of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and its Aerospace Forces.

Earlier, Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) spokesman Effie Defrin said during a press briefing that Israeli planes had also targeted dozens of headquarters belonging to the IRGC.

WHAT'S THE IRAN DEATH TOLL?

Julia Gomez

On the morning of Sunday, March 1, President Trump told Fox News that 48 of Iran's leaders, including Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, had been killed in punishing U.S. and Israeli strikes. Trump said U.S. forces bombed more than 1,000 targets in Iran since airstrikes began early Saturday morning.

More than 200 people were reported killed in Iran, according to the Iranian Red Crescent Society. Scores of children were reported killed in an airstrike on a school in southern Iran. Casualties have been reported across the region due to Iranian reprisal attacks.

Since airstrikes began on Saturday, Feb. 28, Iran launched attacks on 27 U.S. bases and other targets across eight countries, reported Al Jazeera. The countries where attacks occurred were Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

The following casualties were reported in the Middle East, according to Al Jazeera:

· Iran- 201 killed, 747 injured

· Israel- 9 killed, 121 injured

· The United Arab Emirates- 3 killed, 58 injured

· Bahrain- 4 injured, no deaths reported

· Iraq- 2 killed, 5 injured

· Kuwait- 1 killed, 32 injured

· Qatar-16 injured, no deaths reported

· Oman- 5 injured, no deaths reported

· Saudi Arabia- No deaths or injuries reported

Three U.S. troops were reported dead, and five are wounded.

IRAN UN AMBASSADOR SAYS OVER 100 KILLED AT SCHOOL

Kathryn Palmer

Dozens of people, many likely children, are reported dead by Iranian media and officials following an attack on an Iranian all-girls primary school in the southern part of the country.

Amir Saeid Iravani, Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations, said in an emergency session on Saturday, Feb. 28, that airstrikes by the United States and Israel killed more than 100 children at a school in Minab.

On the same day as Iravani's statement to the United Nations Security Council, a spokesman for Iran’s health ministry said in a social media post that 60 children were killed and 80 were injured at the school. Death tolls have also ranged on Sunday, Mar. 1, with state-run media agency Tasnim putting the number over 100, citing a county prosecutor of Minab.

Official estimates of fatalities and injuries in Iran, including at any schools, have not been confirmed by American or international authorities. USA TODAY has also not been able to independently verify the death toll claims.

More: Iranian state media: 85 killed after missile blew up all-girls school

The Iranian Red Crescent Society said in a social media post on Sunday, Mar. 1, it has deployed 200 response teams to the school in Minab for relief operations, including search and rescue.

Tim Hawkins, a spokesperson for U.S. Central Command, told multiple media outlets the military is aware of reports about civilians harmed by the strikes.

"We take these reports seriously and are looking into them," Hawkins told NPR on Feb. 28. "The protection of civilians is of utmost importance, and we will continue to take all precautions available to minimize the risk of unintended harm. Unlike Iran, we have never − and will never − target civilians."

WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH THE PRICE OF OIL?

Andrea Riquier

Oil markets are likely to be choppy in the coming days amid military strikes between the U.S., Israel, and Iran, but may settle relatively soon after that.

Analysts expect crude oil, which ended trading on Friday at about $67 a barrel, to open the week at $90 or higher as traders process the news that Iranian forces had restricted traffic through the crucial Strait of Hormuz.

Read the full story: Oil prices likely to top $90

EXCLUSIVE: IRAN WAKES TO FEAR − AND QUIET JOY

Kim Hjelmgaard

TEHRAN − Iranians woke up to a world on March 1 that for the best part of four decades they dared not hope for: one without the Islamic Republic's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

The atmosphere in Tehran was a strange combination of quiet, terror, hidden joy and official mourning, said Ali, 42, a shopkeeper. He said that − unusual for car-clogged Tehran − there was very little traffic on the roads.

Khamenei, the highest authority in Iran's regime and a guardian of its rigid theocratic and social doctrine for 36 years, was killed in U.S. and Israel air strikes. His death, and the attacks, have launched Iran into a new era of uncertainty. The process to choose his successor has started. It's not clear how, or when, the conflict ends.

"When Trump said help was on the way, all of us felt joy and hope. But as time dragged on, we grew worried that perhaps the Islamic Republic was striking a deal," said Somayeh, a 25-year-old architecture student, in the interview.

Read the full story: After Khamenei killed in strikes, Iran wakes to fear — and quiet joy

Watch: Iranians tear down statue of Ayatollah Khomeini

NETANYAHU: 'STRONGER, PAINFUL DAYS' AHEAD

Terry Collins

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said there will be both stronger and more painful days ahead during the joint Israel-U.S. conflict with Iran.

"Our forces are now striking at the heart of Tehran with intensifying force, and this will only grow even stronger in the coming days," Netanyahu said in a translated video statement on X. "That said, these are painful days."

The Israeli leader also reflected on at least eight people who died during an Iranian military strike in Beit Shemesh, an Israeli city located west of Jerusalem. The deaths are among the highest casualties in the two days of combat with Iran.

"Yesterday, here in Tel Aviv, and now in Beit Shemesh, we lost dear people," Netanyahu said. "My heart goes out to the families, and on behalf of all of you, citizens of Israel, I send wishes for recovery to the wounded."

Who was Ali Khamenei? Supreme Leader ruled Iran with iron fist.

US DESTROYED IRAN'S NAVAL HEADQUARTERS AND NINE SHIPS, TRUMP SAYS

Francesca Chambers

President Trump in a post on Truth Social said the United States sank nine Iranian ships so far and will be going after the rest of its fleet. He said the U.S. military also destroyed Iran's naval headquarters.

"I have just been informed that we have destroyed and sunk 9 Iranian Naval Ships, some of them relatively large and important. We are going after the rest — They will soon be floating at the bottom of the sea, also! In a different attack, we largely destroyed their Naval Headquarters. Other than that, their Navy is doing very well!" Trump said.

The president did not comment on the deaths of three American service members in the post, which followed several phone interviews with reporters. He has not made remarks on camera about the Iranian military operation since his overnight video announcing the strikes on Saturday.

TOP DEM CALLS IRAN STRIKES 'A WAR OF CHOICE'

Terry Collins

The top Democrat on the Senate's intelligence committee called President Donald Trump’s decision to strike Iran "a war of choice."

Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia told CNN on Sunday that he saw no intelligence that Iran was on the verge of launching any kind of preemptive strike against the United States.

"And when the president commits American forces to a war of choice, he needs to come before Congress and the American people and ask for a declaration of war," Warner told CNN's Dana Bash. "He does not have the right to do this on his own."

"I don't believe that the vast majority of American people, whether they are MAGA supporters or not, want us engaged in another potentially endless war in the Middle East," said Warner, who is part of the so-called Gang of Eight, a bipartisan group of leaders in the Senate and House.

NEW POLL: MOST AMERICANS DISAPPROVE OR UNSURE OF STRIKES

Kathryn Palmer

Only one in four Americans approve of the U.S. strikes on Iran, according to a new poll released by Reuters/Ipsos.

Some 27% of respondents said they approved of the strikes, while a majority said they were either unsure about them (29%) or said they disapproved of the military action (43%).

The two-day poll, which ended on Sunday, Mar. 1, also found about half of respondents − 56% − believe President Trump is too willing to use military force to advance U.S. interests. Trump has also ordered strikes in Venezuela, Syria and Nigeria in recent months. The vast majority of Democrats, 87%, held this view, as did 23% of Republicans and 60% of people who don't identify with either political party.

The poll surveyed 1,282 U.S. adults nationwide and has a margin of error of ± three percentage points.

EXPECT EXTENDED AIR AND NAVAL CAMPAIGN: SENATE INTEL CHAIR

Francesca Chambers

President Trump does not plan to put a large contingent of troops on the ground in Iran, says Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Tom Cotton.

Cotton said Sunday on CBS News’ “Face the Nation" that Americans should expect an extended air and naval campaign designed to “continue to set back Iran's nuclear ambitions,” and destroy its missile arsenal and manufacturing capabilities.

“But barring that kind of unusual circumstance,” Cotton said, “the president has no plan for any kind of large-scale ground force inside of Iran.”

Cotton is the third-ranking Republican in Senate leadership and a member of the Gang of Eight – the bipartisan group of lawmakers who were briefed by the Trump administration before the strikes.

As for what comes next for Tehran, where top leaders including Ayatollah Ali Khamenei were killed, Cotton said “there's probably a lot of jockeying inside of Iran right now” as the government decides who should replace the supreme leader.

“There's a reason why he didn't want to have a clear succession plan in place. It's hard to do that when the United States is pummeling their leadership every moment of the day,” Cotton said.

VIDEO SHOWS IRANIANS TOPPLE KHOMEINI MONUMENT

Terry Collins

An eyewitness video is circulating showing crowds taking down a monument to Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the founding father of the Islamic Republic.

The video, verified by NBC News, Sky News, and Reuters, captures dozens of people toppling the monument dedicated to the Islamic Republic founder in the southern Iranian town of Galleh Dar on Feb. 28. The video also shows flames rising from a roundabout with onlookers recording the moment on their phones and cheering.

The incident occurred hours after Khomeini's successor, Ali Khamenei, was killed in a joint strike effort by the United States and Israel against Iran.

DEM SENATOR HITS OUT AT TRUMP: 'HE'S JUST MAKING THIS UP AS HE GOES ALONG'

Francesca Chambers

What comes next in the conflict with Iran is something that “no one knows,” not even the president, Sen. Andy Kim, a New Jersey Democrat, said in an interview on Sunday morning.

“We have a president that just looks like he's just making this up as he goes along. And that is terrifying,” Kim told USA TODAY.

More: Iranian Americans divided in reactions to US attacks\

Before he became a senator, Kim had roles at the Pentagon and State Department and on the White House National Security Council, where he was Iraq director in the Obama administration.

“If you are a service member that's asked to put your life at risk for the country, what you deserve is to have your leaders with a strategy that they can unite behind and make sure that is resourced and that keeps you safe. We don’t have that, we don’t know how long this is going to go for,” Kim said.

“There are steps that we can take to reduce risk to our forces right now that are not being done,” said Kim, who spoke with USA TODAY just before the U.S. announced the deaths of three American servicemembers.

The senator said there also needs to be a “deep diplomatic effort to try to be able to ensure that we're not entering this next phase completely isolated.”

TRUMP SAYS 48 IRANIAN LEADERS KILLED

Kathryn Palmer

President Trump said the joint U.S. and Israeli strikes killed at least 48 Iranian leaders, according to Fox News.

Anchor Jacqui Heinrich said she spoke to the president on Sunday, and he told her the nearly 50 Iranian leaders were "wiped out."

Trump says US is ‘ahead of schedule’ in Iran

N'dea Yancey-Bragg

President Trump expressed optimism about the progress of the U.S. military operation in Iran in a phone interview with CNBC on Sunday.

Trump told the outlet the path to an end to the conflict would depend on many factors, but said “everything is ahead of schedule.”

“Things are evolving in a very positive way right now, a very positive way,” Trump said.

More: 'It's not true': Trump's reasons for Iran attacks questioned

EUROPEAN UNION LEADER: 'RISK OF FURTHER ESCALATION IS REAL'

Terry Collins

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen believes there is a real "risk of further escalation" as Iran and Israel continued to trade airstrikes after Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in the joint strikes with the United States.

"The risk of further escalation is real. This is why a credible transition in Iran is urgently needed. One that restores stability and paves the way for a lasting solution," von der Leyen said in a series of posts on Xon March 1.

The EU leader said she spoke with Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia, and King Abdullah II of Jordan.

"We discussed the aftermath of Iran’s reckless and indiscriminate strikes on the country," von der Leyen said of her call with Qatar’s Emir. "With the region in deep upheaval, Qatar can count on strong European solidarity."

WHAT IS THE STRAIT OF HORMUZ?

Kathryn Palmer

The Strait of Hormuz is an energy transportation route critical to global trade, accounting for about 25% of seaborne oil shipments and about 20% of liquified natural gas flows.

The narrow channel, whittling down to just 21 miles across at one point, connects the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman and the wider Arabian Sea. The waterway's choke point is sandwiched by the Iranian coastline to one side and a small Omani peninsula on the other. It is a vital route for exporting oil from major producers like Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Iran, Qatar and the UAE.

The U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran have already led to disruptions. Tehran has warned ships against moving through the waterway.

On Sunday, at least 150 tankers, including oil and natural gas vessels, dropped anchor in open Gulf waters beyond the Strait of Hormuz and dozens more were stationary on the other side, Reuters reported.

US SAYS AIRCRAFT CARRIER WAS NOT STRUCK BY IRAN

N'dea Yancey-Bragg

U.S. military officials dismissed the claim that the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln was hit by missiles on Sunday.

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corp said in a statement reported by state media that the aircraft carrier was targeted with four ballistic missiles.

“The Lincoln was not hit,” U.S. Central Command said in a response on X.“The missiles launched didn’t even come close.”

The USS Lincoln is one of two aircraft carriers deployed to the region in recent weeks and the only one relatively close to Iranian shores.

GULF COUNTRIES REPORT CASUALTIES

Fernando Cervantes Jr.

As Israel and Iran continue to trade military strikes in the Middle East, countries across the Gulf region have been caught in the crossfire and reported casualties and injuries.

According to the Qatari News Agency, three people died due to Iranian missile strikes in the country, while 58 other people suffered “minor injuries.” According to Al Jazeera, 16 Qataris were injured from falling shrapnel and debris.

Nearby, the Kuwaiti Ministry of Health reported one death and 32 injuries in connection with Iranian attacks.

Five injuries were reported in Oman. And two deaths and five injuries were reported in Iraq in connection with airstrikes from the United States and Israel, Al Jazeera reported. In Bahrain, Iran targeted the headquarters of the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet as well as several residential buildings in the capital Manama, leaving four injured, the Bahrain Ministry of Interior confirmed to the outlet.

WORLDWIDE CAUTION FOR AMERICANS ABROAD

Eve Chen

The State Department has issued a worldwide caution for Americans, not just in the Middle East.

“Following the launch of U.S. combat operations in Iran, Americans worldwide and especially in the Middle East should follow the guidance in the latest security alerts issued by the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate,” the State Department announced Saturday. "The Department of State advises Americans worldwide to exercise increased caution." 

U.S. citizens traveling or living abroad are urged to enroll in the State Department’s free Smart Traveler Enrollment Program for important updates and easier reach in the event of an emergency.

“Also follow our WhatsApp channel 'U.S. Department of State – Security Updates for U.S. Citizens' and @TravelGov social media,” State Department Assistant Secretary for Consular Affairs Mora Namdar posted on X. “Americans in the Middle East region who need consular assistance can call 24/7 at +1-202-501-4444 from overseas or +1-888-407-4747 from the U.S. and Canada."

A number of U.S. embassies and consulates across the Middle East advised U.S. citizens to shelter in place on Saturday.

POPE LEO WARNS OF 'IMMENSE TRAGEDY' IF 'SPIRAL OF VIOLENCE' CONTINUES

Fernando Cervantes Jr.

At the Vatican on Sunday, March 1, Pope Leo XIV warned of an immense tragedy if violence between the United States, Israel and Iran continues.

During his weekly address at St. Peter’s Square on Sunday, the pope condemned the ongoing fighting in the Middle East, saying that a "spiral of violence" could escalate out of control in the region.

“Stability and peace are not built with mutual threats, nor with weapons, which sow destruction, pain, and death, but only through a reasonable, authentic, and responsible dialogue,” he said. “I address to the parties involved a heartfelt appeal to assume the moral responsibility to stop the spiral of violence before it becomes an irreparable abyss!”

Pope Leo’s comments are just the latest in a string of high-profile disagreements from the pontiff with the Trump administration since becoming pope last May. Back in November, the pope backed a U.S. Roman Catholic bishops' statementthat criticized the Trump administration's immigration and mass deportation policies.

"We have to look for ways of treating people humanely, treating people with the dignity that they have,” he said.

3 US SERVICE MEMBERS KILLED IN IRAN OPERATION

Marina Pitofsky

Three U.S. service members were killed amid the ongoing conflict in Iran and five were seriously wounded, according to American military officials.

"Several others sustained minor shrapnel injuries and concussions — and are in the process of being returned to duty. Major combat operations continue and our response effort is ongoing," U.S. Central Command said in a post on X.

TRAVELERS IN THE MIDDLE EAST ROCKED BY STRIKES

Eve Chen

Air travel has come to a standstill across the Middle East amid the ongoing conflict and resulting airspace closures.

In the United Arab Emirates, one person was killed and seven people were hurt by falling debris after a drone targeting Zayed International Airport was intercepted, according to Abu Dhabi Airports. The airport and UAE airspace are currently closed.

Four workers were hurt when a concourse sustained minor damage at Dubai International Airport, one the world’s busiest, according to Dubai Airports. Most terminals had already been evacuated at the time. The airport and Dubai World Central – Al Maktoum International have both suspended flights until further notice.

Several workers suffered minor injuries in a drone attack on Kuwait International Airport, a spokesperson for the country’s civil aviation authority told state-owned Kuwait News Agency KUNA. The airport's website listed no arrivals and limited departures for March 1 and none for March 2.

Bahrain International Airport and Hamad International Airport in Qatar have suspended flight operations due to airspace closures over their respective countries. Israel has also closed its airspace and evacuated passengers at Ben Gurion International Airport and Haifa Airport, according to its Airports Authority. Some of Israel’s land border crossings are also closed.

The vast majority of El Al, Emirates, FlyDubai, Gulf Air and Qatar Airways flights for March 1 are canceled, according to flight tracking website FlightAware. More than half of Etihad Airways’ flights are canceled as well. Travelers should reach out to their airlines for rebooking or refund options.

EIGHT PEOPLE KILLED AFTER MISSILE STRIKE ON ISRAELI TOWN

Reuters

Eight people were killed after an attack on the Israeli town of Beit Shemesh, the Israeli ambulance service said on Sunday.

More than 20 people were hospitalized with injuries from the strike, according to multiple reports. Beit Shemesh is located west of Jerusalem.

'CYNICAL MURDER': PUTIN WEIGHS IN ON IRAN

Kim Hjelmgaard

Russian President Vladimir Putin for the first time weighed in on the U.S and Israel attacks on Iran, describing Khamenei's killing as a "cynical murder," according to Russian state news agency TASS.

"Khamenei's assassination is a violation of all standards of human morality and international law," Putin said. He also offered his condolences to Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian.

Ties between Russia and Iran have strengthened in recent years amid Russia's war in Ukraine. Iran has supplied Russia with its deadly "Shahed" drones. Russia in turn has been purchasing Iran's heavily-sanctioned oil exports.

KHAMENEI'S DEATH SPARKS PRO-GOVERNMENT RALLIES, ALSO CELEBRATIONS

Kim Hjelmgaard

Iran's authorities declared a mourning period of 40 days following the death of supreme leader Ayatollah Khamenei.

On the second day of the war, state media published videos and photos showing some pro-government rallies and events in Tehran and other cities. Still, Iranian authorities have imposed a near-total internet blackout, according NetBlocks, a connectivity monitoring group.

That makes communications with the outside world difficult. However, some video and testimonies have emerged from Iran on social media and were sent directly to Western news outlets, including USA TODAY, that appear to show scenes of celebration and joy over Khamenei's killing.

President Trump has called for Iranians to rise up against Iran's clerical regime. It's not yet clear if they will do so. Iran's domestic security apparatus is enormous and violent, as January crackdowns on protesters demonstrated.

AT LEAST 10 PROTESTERS KILLED AFTER GROUP BREACHES US CONSULATE

Reuters

At least ten protesters were shot and killed when crowds breached the outer wall of the U.S. consulate in the Pakistani city of Karachi following news of U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran that killed Ayatollah Khamenei.

"Death to Israel, death to America," the protesters shouted.

Meanwhile in Iraq, police fired tear gas and stun grenades to scatter hundreds of pro-Iranian protesters who had gathered outside the Green Zone in the capital of Baghdad, where the U.S. embassy is located. Pakistan and Iraq have the largest Shi'ite Muslim populations after Iran.

In Karachi, protesters were pushed back from the consulate after they breached the outer security layer, said Sukhdev Assardas Hemnani, a local government spokesman. They also set a vehicle ablaze outside the main gate and clashed with police, he said. U.S. consulate security officials opened fire at the protesters, Hemnani said.

"We are in constant touch with consulate officials. They are all safe," he added.

IRAN VOWS TO SEEK REVENGE FOR KHAMENEI, STARTS LEADERSHIP TRANSITION PROCESS

Kim Hjelmgaard

A top aide to Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed Saturday in U.S.-Israel airstrikes, insisted that Khamenei's death would be avenged.

Ali Larijani, who is Iran’s security chief, also said that a leadership transition process in Iran has started, according to Iranian state media.

Under Iran's constitution the country's president, the head of its justice ministry and a senior cleric from the powerful Guardian Council take charge of Iran an interim basis. Then, an inner circle of senior officials who are part of a body known as the Assembly of Experts choose his successor.

Iran's supreme leader controls and sets the overall direction of Iran's domestic and foreign policy. The president is responsible for the day-to-day running of the government. Masoud Pezeshkian, known as a cautious reformer, is Iran's current president. Pezeshkian was elected in 2024.

IRAN SUPREME LEADER KHAMENEI KILLED IN US-ISRAEL STRIKE

Rebecca Morin

Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Khamenei was killed in joint strikes on Iran, according to President Trump and Iran's state media.

“Khamenei, one of the most evil people in History, is dead," Trump wrote on Truth Social. "This is not only Justice for the people of Iran, but for all Great Americans, and those people from many Countries throughout the World, that have been killed or mutilated by Khamenei and his gang of bloodthirsty THUGS."

Khamenei, 86, led Iran since 1989 and is credited with creating and giving increasing power to Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corp.

Khamenei previously served as the president from 1981 to 1989. He was a close ally of Iran's first supreme leader, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, who led the country's 1979 revolution that overthrew the government and founded Iran's Islamic Republic.

NEW WAVE OF ISRAEL ATTACKS ON IRAN

Kim Hjelmgaard

Israel on Sunday launched another wave of attacks on Iran, and Iranian state media reported explosions across Tehran, including near residential buildings and a complex that houses Iranian broadcasters.

Israel has said they are all targets linked to Iran's regime. Israel's Defense Forces said in a statement that the country’s air force has killed at least 30 senior Iranian officials in the ongoing operation.

President Trump has warned Iran not to strike back. "IF THEY DO WE WILL HIT THEM WITH A FORCE THAT HAS NEVER BEEN SEEN BEFORE," he said in a post on Truth Social. Iran, meanwhile, is continuing to insist that it will go on attacking U.S. military bases and Israel, which it started doing on Saturday.

SECRETARY OF STATE MARCO RUBIO CANCELS TRIP TO ISRAEL

Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy

The U.S. State Department announced that Secretary of State Marco Rubio will not be travelling to Israel on Monday, March 2, in the wake of Iran strikes.

Rubio was scheduled to travel to Israel from March 2-3 to discuss a range of regional priorities including Iran, Lebanon, and ongoing efforts to implement President Trump’s 20-Point Peace Plan for Gaza, the state department had previously announced.

WILL IRAN CONFLICT DRIVE UP GAS PRICES?

Jessica Guynn

Crude oil prices rose on fears of war in the Persian Gulf. Now the U.S. and Israeli military strikes on Iran could disrupt oil exports and put pressure on prices at the pump.

Energy analysts at Barclays predicted crude oil prices would hit $100 a barrel “as the market grapples with the threat of a potential supply disruption amid a spiraling security situation in the Middle East.”

U.S. gas prices averaged $2.98 per gallon last week, according to AAA. Petroleum analyst Patrick De Haan said the national average will likely roll over $3 a gallon for the first time this year on Monday. Over the next few weeks, he expects prices to hit at least $3.10 to $3.15 a gallon.

Whether Americans feel a greater pinch at the pump in coming weeks depends on the extent of the disruption to oil exports and how long the conflict lasts, analysts said.

The key questions are “how much oil could we lose and for how long,” Clayton Seigle at the Center for Strategic & International Studies, told USA TODAY.

The US attacked Iran. Here's what that means for you at the gas pump.

A33X11 FROM AL JAZEERA

Why are the US and Israel attacking Iran? What we know so far

By Al Jazeera Staff, Reuters and The Associated Press Published On 28 Feb 2026 Updated: 3 hours ago

The United States and Israel have struck multiple locations across Iran, including the capital, Tehran, in what US President Donald Trump described as “major combat operations”.

The attacks come amid negotiations between the US and Iran over the latter’s nuclear and ballistic missiles programmes, after weeks of mounting threats from Trump – and eight months after the US and Israel waged a 12-day war against Iran.

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