On the morning of Feb. 28, 2026, the United States and Israel launched a joint attack into Iran. The Iranian state media confirmed the Supreme Leader Ayatollah was killed, along with many other casualties throughout the country, both military and civilian, including a girls’ school with at least 100 casualties.
Since the attacks began, conflicting scenes of celebration and mourning have flooded the streets. The Iranian military responded with attacks on Israeli- and American-aligned targets throughout the region, including Israel itself, as well as American military bases and surrounding countries.
After the October 7 attacks, the region has faced increased instability and violence. This new war comes after a twelve-day June 2025 “shadow war” that saw Israel and Iran engaging in direct conflict and the U.S. attack on Iranian nuclear sites called operation “Midnight Hammer.” The fear of the Islamic Republic gaining access to nuclear weapons has been a point of contention for decades in international diplomacy.
Recent anti-regime protests in the country also faced a harsh response by the Iranian government, with estimates that the death toll is anywhere from 3,000 to over 30,000 dead. These protests are in response to the desolate economic situation and come after 2022 demonstrations in response to the killing of Mahsa Amini by the morality police. President Trump promised support and threatened the Iranian regime with a response.
President Trump addressed the Feb. 28 attacks as “major combat operations in Iran. Our objective is to defend the American people by eliminating imminent threats from the Iranian regime.” In the address the president posted on Truth Social, he also said that “the lives of courageous American heroes may be lost and we may have casualties. That often happens in war.”
The Argus reached out to Illinois Wesleyan students for their thoughts on the attack.
“It’s scary thinking about the effects that this will have on innocent people,” first-year Lilian Rainbolt said, “I feel at this point I am just rolling with the punches. With everything happening in the world right now, I cannot just focus on the negatives and live my life fulfillingly.”
“I think this is a distraction from the Epstein files and the one-sided war on the Palestinian people in Gaza,” first-year Cipher Hennessy said. “I am afraid of escalation across the world, especially with the attack on a British military base in Cyprus. This ‘war’ was started without congressional approval, and I think this is more damaging for both us and the people of Iran than any good that it could have.”
While this complex situation is still developing, it is unclear what the future of the Iranian regime or the duration of this new “war” is. Condemnation has been internationally placed on both sides, with many fearing escalation of the conflict. An Iranian military official threatened to “teach Israel and America a lesson they have never experienced in their history.”
