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Beginning on 28 February 2026, the United States and Israel launched coordinated joint attacks on various sites in Iran, which started the 2026 Iran war. The strikes targeted key officials, military commanders, facilities, and aimed at regime change.
Most countries did not take a definitive side in the conflict but called for peace. In the Middle East, most countries criticized the Iranian attacks. In Asia, many condemned the US-Israeli attacks or called for peace. In Europe, the majority condemned the Iranian attacks, condemned both sides, or called for peace. In Oceania, most countries supported US-Israeli strikes on Iran. The Americas exhibited a mix of reactions, while most African countries did not react.
Iran's Foreign Ministry vowed a response as Iranian forces struck US bases across the Persian Gulf. [1] [2] The Supreme National Security Council said Iran was targeted by a "brutal air operation" carried out by the US and Israel, saying: "This occurred once again during negotiations, and the enemy imagines that the resilient Iranian nation will surrender to their petty demands through these cowardly actions." [3] Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi called the attacks "wholly unprovoked, illegal, and illegitimate" and said attacks by Iran will continue until as long as they are defending. [4] [5] Vice President Aref stated that the path to social justice will not be resisted or stopped by any missile attack. [6] Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian said that if the US and Israel are not held accountable for their actions 'global order will be shaken'. [7]
Interim Leadership Council chief member Justice Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje'i said there were no deadlocks within the Islamic Republic government system. [8]
Iranian deputy foreign minister Kazem Gharibabadi condemned the repeated targeting of historical and cultural sites in Iran, calling it "an assault on part of Iran's civilizational identity." [9] Araghchi labeled the strike on a Tehran fuel depot as "ecocide." [10]
IRGC General Syed Majid Ibn-al-Riza replaced the slain former minister of Ministry of Defence and Armed Forces Logistics (MODAFL) Aziz Nasirzadeh. [11]
The Iranian government declared it had lifted any and all import/export rules and restrictions, [12] and announced that enough fuel and medicine readily available. [13]
The national post corporation paused all parcel delivery until 3 March. [14] All sporting events were canceled after they were banned by government. Iraq or UAE will possibly replace Iran in 2026 FIFA World Cup soccer events. [15] Iranian haj Mecca pilgrims were instead returned from Saudi Arabia by land. [16]
The Iranian government ordered civilians not to evacuate the cities of Chabahar, Bandar Abbas, Mahshahr, and Bushehr, but the SNSC ordered people to evacuate Tehran. [17] Schools were closed and switched to offline home Shaadapp school learning for the remainder of the year. [18]
The government also renewed a "near total" internet blackout in Iran, as NetBlocks reported internet connectivity in Iran dropping to 4% of ordinary levels. [19] [20] [21] Iranians abroad have reported that they have been unable to connect with family members in Iran. [22]
Following the assassination of Khamenei, Ayatollahs Naser Makarem Shirazi and Hossein Noori Hamedani issued a fatwa for jihad against America for Muslims to avenge his death, saying vengeance was "the religious duty of all Muslims in the world so that the evil of these criminals is eradicated from the Earth". [23]
On 19 March, Iran promised more attacks on energy sites in the region. [24]
As of 15 March, only pro-government rallies have been visible in Tehran's major squares. [25] Although many of the pro-government rallies are encouraged by the authorities, [26] Nikita Smagin writes "It is not so easy to force people into the street just like that. The core of the Islamic Republic is still in place and has not gone anywhere." [27] According to BBC, no mass anti-government rallies have taken place, in part due to the Iranian police warning people of consequences for "tak[-ing] action in the cities at the behest of the enemy". [28]
On the first two days of the war, pro-government demonstrators marched in Tehran, waving Islamic Republic flags and chanting against the U.S. and Israel. [29] Another pro-government demonstration took place in Palestine Square, Tehran. [30] Similar rallies occurred in Yasuj, where crowds mourned Khamenei. [31] State media reported gatherings in Enqelab Square on 1 March. [32] Participants in pro-government rallies were seen carrying Islamic Republic flags and portraits of Ali Khamenei while voicing opposition to the U.S. and Israeli strikes. [33] [34] Footage was also circulated showing people in Iran celebrating the US-Israeli attacks, with some expressing the hope that the events might weaken or even topple the current leadership. [35] [36] [37] [38] Some Iranians also celebrated the killing of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, while security forces opened fire on celebrants in the streets. [39] [40] On 1 March 2026, a video showed a crowd of civilians toppling a monument dedicated to Ruhollah Khomeini. [41] [42]
Some blamed the Iranian government for the outbreak of the war, and some were concerned it would survive. [43] There was some panic in areas with strikes. [30]
After Mojtaba Khamenei was named the next Supreme Leader on 8 March, some Iranians chanted "Death to Mojtaba" from their windows in Tehran. [44] [45]
On the last Friday of Ramadan, thousands of Iranians took to the streets of Tehran in support of Palestinians and condemning US–Israeli attacks on Iran as part of the annual state-organized Quds Day day. Many Iranian government figures were seen joined at the protests, including Masoud Pezeshkian and Ali Larijani. [46] Israel threatened to attack the area, but the fact that the demonstrations took place anyway showed, according to France24, "fierce determination on both sides". [47]
During the 17 March Chaharshanbe Suri festivities ahead of the 20 March Nowruz holiday, Iranians across Iran defied orders from the authorities and celebrated the festivities, while footage showed gunshots from security forces dispersing crowds. [48] [49] [50] [51] [52] [53] Protests from home windows with chants of "Javid Shah" also continued. [54] Crowds also cheered from their homes and celebrated with fireworks after news of Ali Larijani's death. [55] [56]
Iranian diaspora celebration rallies occurred worldwide amid the American–Israeli strikes on Iran. [57] [58] [59] [60] [61]
A poll conducted by the National Iranian American Council, which is widely regarded as the Islamic Republic's lobby, found that 49.3% of Iranian-American respondents opposed the US-Israeli attack on Iran, while 48.9% supported it. A total of 61.6% supported diplomacy to end the war, while 35.4% opposed diplomacy. [64] [65]
Reza Pahlavi, the US-based exiled son of the former Shah of Iran, urged Iranians inside Iran to prepare to resume protests as the Islamic Republic "collapses", called on the military and security forces to side with the public rather than the ruling government, and described US action against Iran as a "humanitarian intervention" while urging Trump to avoid civilian harm. [66] Pahlavi put forward the Iran Prosperity Project, an initiative affiliated with the US-based National Union for Democracy in Iran (NUFDI), which outlines plans for the first 180 days of Iran's governance following the potential collapse of the Islamic Republic, including measures for economic stabilization and institutional reconstruction. On 9 March, Pahlavi said that he supported strikes on the IRGC and urged the army to join the people in toppling the government. [67] On 11 March, Pahlavi told Iranians to stay home and continue the daily rooftop chants until he gives the "final call" to overthrow the government. [68] On 14 March, Pahlavi called for underground resistance groups to intensify their fight against the Iranian government, while advising most Iranians to continue to stay home for now. [69] On 15 March, Pahlavi stated that the transition government under his leadership is ready to take control over Iran when the government falls, [70] setting five economic goals for a post-Islamic Republic Iran. [71] He also called for diaspora protests outside Iranian embassies worldwide. [72]
Maryam Rajavi, the leader of the France–Albania based National Council of Resistance of Iran, which is the political wing of the Islamist–Marxist organization People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran, announced the formation of a rival transitional government and rejected both the Islamic Republic and the Iran Prosperity Project. [73]
Diaspora Iranians across social media have began gathering cases of repression and neglect in Iran linked to government mismanagement, arguing that the suffering long predates the current war. [74]
President Donald Trump confirmed that the US military have begun "major combat operations" in Iran, [75] describing it as "a massive and ongoing operation to prevent this very wicked, radical dictatorship from threatening America". [76] In a video posted to Truth Social, he reaffirmed that "Our objective is to defend the American people by eliminating imminent threats from the Iranian regime, a vicious group of very hard, terrible people", adding: "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." [77] Trump said that talks with Iran will be easier following the assassination of Ali Khamenei. [78] On the third day of the conflict, Trump said that the US military is "knocking the crap out of Iran but the big wave of attacks yet to come" and mentioning the possible use of ground troops. [78] Trump also said that regime change in Iran will happen, but "maybe not immediately." [79] Trump said that the Iranian people were afraid to overthrow the government out of fear of violent repression, and he labeled Iranian leaders as "thugs". [80]
American lawmakers have had mixed reactions. Republican senator Lindsey Graham supported the action, saying that the strikes were "in the nick of time" to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon. [81] Other members of the Republican party supported the attacks, including Senate Majority Leader John Thune, as well as some Democrats, including Senator John Fetterman and Representative Josh Gottheimer. [82] Other Republicans opposed the operation, including Representative Thomas Massie and former representative Marjorie Taylor Greene. [83] [84]
Mike Johnson, the speaker of the United States House of Representatives, said that Israel would have attacked Iran even if it were without the help of the United States, and the consequences of this would have been "devastating". Johnson called the involvement of the United States in the attack "absolutely necessary for our defense". [85] Similar declarations were done by Marco Rubio by affirming that the US government knew that Israel was planning to attack Iran and that the US did a preventive attack to avoid higher casualties, critics of Israel denounced this as US strategy that is increasingly shaped by Israeli military decisions. [86] Rubio also stated that the world will be a safer place when this military operation is completed. [87]
In March 2026, reports emerged of a policy divide between Trump and Vice President JD Vance regarding U.S.-Israeli strikes against Iran. [88] While Vance publicly defended the administration's actions as necessary to eliminate Iran's nuclear threat, he reportedly expressed skepticism during internal White House deliberations prior to the military operation. [89]
Democratic politicians tended to be more withdrawn. Representative Jim Himes stated, "Everything I have heard from the administration before and after these strikes on Iran confirms this is a war of choice with no strategic endgame." [90] Senator Mark Warner, after attending a classified briefing on the war, said there was no immediate threat from Iran. [85] Senator Tim Kaine called for a check on Trump's power to engage in war without the support of Congress and was supported by Republican senator Rand Paul, Democratic senator Chuck Schumer (the Democratic leader of the Senate, who was in a classified briefing on the Iran war abd said that he "found their answers completely and totally insufficient"), [85] House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, [90] and Democratic senator Andy Kim. [91]
California governor Gavin Newsom condemned President Trump's decision to attack Iran, further accusing Israel of dragging the United States into a long war. [92] Newsom added that Israel was "sort of an apartheid state." [92] The governor of the Northern Mariana Islands David M. Apatang praised President Trump's actions and congratulated him for "doing what you needed to do", saying that he prayed for the safe return of US service members. [93]
Members of the US Congress introduced a resolution under the War Powers Resolution, [94] that would have held back Trump's attack on Iran. The resolution was already being crafted before the strikes began. [95] The resolution would have immediately stopped US attacks sixty days (and an extra thirty if Trump writes to Congress) after Trump reported it unless Congress declares war. [94] S.J.Res. 104 was voted on by the Senate on 4 March 2026. It failed in a 47–53 vote. [96] On 5 March 2026, H.Con.Res. 38 , introduced in June 2025 by Thomas Massie (R-KY-4), was voted on in the House of Representatives and failed in a 212–219 vote. [97] In a letter in regards to the proposal, Trump told the president pro tempore of the United States Senate that he attempted to negotiate with Iran but that that a diplomatic route became impossible. [94]
Right-wing commentators additionally condemned the operation. The Daily Wire host Matt Walsh called the Trump administration's messaging "confusing" and contradictory. [98] Walsh and Andrew Tate described armed conflict with Iran as irrelevant to the needs and interests of the American people. [99] White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt responded to Walsh's remarks by stating that "Preventing this radical regime and its terrorist leaders from threatening America and our core national security interests is a clear-eyed and necessary objective", further claiming that the operation "correct[s] decades of cowardice and hold[s] those responsible for the deaths of Americans accountable". [98]
Other critics of Trump, including Democratic politicians, social media influencers and users, referred to the war with satirical names to allege that the war aims to distract Americans from investigations into Trump's past with the financier and child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein in the Epstein files like the "Epstein War" and "Operation Epstein Fury" (or "Operation Epstein's Fury"), the latter being a reference to the operation codename "Operation Epic Fury". [100] [101] [102] [103]
The Center on Conscience & War reported that hotline callers oppose the Minab school attack and "dying for Israel". [104] [105]
Following Khamenei's assassination celebrations have also been reported in other parts of the world including the Iranian community in Los Angeles and New York City, condemning Khamenei while calling for regime change and Iranian freedom. [106] [107] [108]
On the tenth day of the war Trump said: "Iran was going to destroy Israel and everything else around it … We’ve worked together. We’ve destroyed a country that wanted to destroy Israel". [109] In regard to oil prices he said: "Short term oil prices, which will drop rapidly when the destruction of the Iran nuclear threat is over, is a very small price to pay for U.S.A., and World, Safety and Peace," Trump said in a Sunday evening Truth Social post. "ONLY FOOLS WOULD THINK DIFFERENTLY!". [110]
During the war, top US general Dan Caine said that Iran is fighting US which he respects, but Iranian forces are not more formidable than expected. [111]
US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth accused Iran of firing missiles from schools and hospitals and endangering civilians. He also said that Iran is "badly losing" on day 10 of the war. [112]
US Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz said that Iran's strikes on other Gulf nations will unite countries against Iran and will ultimately backfire on them. [113] He pointed out that a record number of countries voted against Iran in the UN, and that Russia and China did not use their veto power to support Iran, an indication of Iran's increasing diplomatic isolation. [114]
On 15 March, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said that Iran's missile capability down 90% and drone capability down 95% since the beginning of the war. [115]
On 17 March, Joe Kent resigned as the director of the National Counterterrorism Center, citing policy disagreements with the Trump administration regarding the war in Iran. [116]
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the goal of the strikes was to "remove the existential threat posed by the terrorist regime in Iran", stating that "our joint action will create the conditions for the brave Iranian people to take their destiny into their own hands." [117] Foreign minister Gideon Sa'ar said that military action against Iran was urgently needed "despite the significant risks involved", adding that "delay would have allowed the Iranian regime to reach a level of immunity for its nuclear programme, as well as to engage in the mass production of long-range ballistic missiles". [118] Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was the first to report and celebrate the assassination, stating "for 47 years, the Ayatollah regime has chanted 'Death to Israel' and 'Death to America.' It has spilled our blood, murdered many Americans, and slaughtered its own people." [119] Defense Minister Israel Katz celebrated the killing, stating "he who acted to destroy Israel – has been destroyed ... Justice has been served, and the axis of evil has suffered a mortal blow." [120]
A March 2026 survey by the Israel Democracy Institute (IDI) found that 82% of the Israeli public supported ongoing military operations, including 93% of Jewish Israelis and 26% of Arab Israelis. [121]
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The IAEA Board of Governors convened an emergency meeting requested by the Russian Federation on 2 March in the Vienna International Centre. [122] European Union Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Council President Antonio Costa called the conflict "greatly concerning" and urged restraint. [123] On 1 March 2026 it was reported she supports a "credible transition" of power in Iran. [124] [125] A spokesperson for NATO stated they were closely watching the situation while a senior official told Stars and Stripes that its missile defence vigilance was heightened in order to protect its member states in the event that Iranian attacks expanded. [126] [127] Mark Rutte, NATO secretary general, said in an interview with BBC news that Europe is "supportive" of the U.S. attacks on Iran, as Iran is a "threat". [128] He also said that he felt that the US "knows what it is doing." [129] Progressive International condemned the US-Israeli attack. [130] The communist parties of the United States, Iran and Israel issued a joint statement in opposition to the attack on Iran. [131] Some far-right movements at the European Conservatives and Reformists Group (like AfD, Vlaams Belang, ANO, National Rally, Brothers of Italy, etc.) developed their own criticisms to the interventionism in Iran as against international law and the national interests of European countries, while others (like Vox, Reform UK, Fidesz, Law and Justice) supported Trumpist actions against anti-Western Islamism in the name of the free world, which shows a division between geopolitical visions (one transatlantic and pro-Israeli in the liberal conservative branchs, and the other sovereignist and anti-Zionist in the traditionalist conservative branchs). [132] [133] Sentiment in the US and Israel appears that refers to this as a religious war, with some stating this is related to the end times from the Bible. [134]
On 16 March, Reuters reported that Gulf countries are now urging US to neutralise Iran for good due to Iranian strikes in their territories after initially opposing war against Iran. [135] [136] On 19 March, several Arab states asked for a discussion in the UN Human Rights Council to discuss Iran strikes on civilians and energy infrastructure in the region. [137] [138]
A 2 March CNN showed that 59% of Americans opposed the U.S. military action against Iran while 41% supported it. [364] [365] A Reuters/Ipsos poll found that 47% disapprove of the strikes while 27% approve of them. [366] [367]
A March 2026 survey by the Israel Democracy Institute (IDI) found that 82% of the Israeli public supported ongoing military operations, including 93% of Jewish Israelis and 26% of[ which? ]
A March poll found that 39% opposed US-Israeli military actions in Iran while only 28% supported them. [368]
A March Angus Reid 2026 poll found that 48% of Canadians opposed the air strikes against Iran, while 34% supported them. [369]
A March 2026 Infratest-dimap poll found that 58% of Germans said US attacks on Iran were not justified. [370]
A poll found that 56% opposed the US and Israel’s attacks against Iran. [371]
A March 2026 poll by the Jiji Press found that only 7% of Japanese supported the US and Israel's attacks on Iran, while 75% opposed it. The poll also found that opposition to the strikes were consistent across party lines, including 69.9% among Liberal Democratic Party supporters, 71.4% among Japan Innovation Party supporters, 83.3% among Centrist Reform Alliance supporters, and 75.0% among Democratic Party for the People supporters. Among those who support Sanae Takaichi's Cabinet, opposition was 71.3%. [372]
A poll found that 68% of respondents rejected the US and Israel’s attacks on Iran. [371]
A 2 March 2026 YouGov poll found that Britons opposed the attacks by 49% to 28%. A 10 March 2026 poll found that 59% opposed. [373]
Several "Hands Off Iran" protests were organized in the United States. Approximately 100 people attended a rally at Federal Plaza in Chicago. [374] [375] In Columbus, Ohio, a protest was held in Goodale Park. [376] In Indianapolis, a protest was held at Military Park. [377] Indivisible Jax organized a protest in Jacksonville, Florida. [378] Hundreds of people gathered at Times Square in New York City. [379] [380] Approximately 100 people gathered at Pioneer Courthouse Square in downtown Portland, Oregon. [381] [382] [383] In Seattle, anti-war protesters gathered at Pike Place Market. [384]
On 1 March, a shooting at a bar in Austin, Texas, was carried out by an American man of Senegalese descent wearing a shirt that read "Property of Allah" and an undershirt bearing the flag of the Islamic Republic of Iran. [385] The same day, a local gym owned by an Iranian-Canadian anti-regime activist located outside Toronto was shot with 17 bullets, hours after Khamenei's death. [386] [387] [388] On 10 March, two suspects fired multiple shots at the U.S. Consulate in Toronto, an act the Royal Canadian Mounted Police designated a "national security incident." Prime Minister Mark Carney condemned the shooting as "reprehensible violence," while Ontario Premier Doug Ford called the attack "absolutely unacceptable." In response, the RCMP heightened security at U.S. and Israeli diplomatic missions in Toronto and Ottawa. [389] [390]
Gulf Arab businessmen, like Emirati billonaire Khalaf al-Habtoor, sent protests to Donald Trump for dragging the region into war with Iran without any consultation and questioning if the US calculated the risks for the Arab countries security and if their military activity was an initiative from the Trump administration or by pressures from the State of Israel and its own agenda in the context of Arab–Israeli conflict. [391]
In Baghdad, demonstrators reacting to Khamenei's assassination confronted security forces near the Green Zone, and protesters attempted to storm the US embassy and block roads leading to it. Protesters were seen waving flags and shouting slogans while mourning Khamenei. [392]
Riots broke out near the US consulate in Karachi in response to the assassination, with demonstrators burning and smearing the building's windows and attempting to storm it. As protests escalated, U.S. Marine Security Guard personnel at the consulate in Karachi opened fire, killing at least 10 protesters and injuring over 60 people. [393] [394] Demonstrators also vandalized several other buildings in Pakistan, including a regional office affiliated with the UNMOGIP in Skardu, Gilgit-Baltistan. [395] [393]
There have also been protests and violent unrest in Bahrain by the Shiite majority, directed against the ruling Sunni Al-Khalifa dynasty and the United States. Bahraini authorities have arrested people for celebrating Iranian strikes on sites in Bahrain or posting footage of Iranian strikes online. [396] [397] [398]
On 8 March, an explosion was reported at the Embassy of the United States in Oslo, Norway. [399] [400] On 9 March, an explosion was reported in Liège, Belgium, where it caused damage to a synagogue. [401]
There has been betting on events and the outcome of the war, prompting US politicians to call for a ban on such speculation, raising questions about whether the bets were based on insider information and what betting markets should be allowed. Notably, Polymarket has been used extensively, with betters making large winnings on various activities during the early days of the war. [402]
Police Chief Brig Gen Ahmad Reza Radan said on 10 March that anyone attempting to "take action in the cities at the behest of the enemy" would no longer be treated as a protester but as an "enemy".
the National Iranian American Council (NIAC)—an American-based organization widely viewed by many Iranians as a lobby entity for the Islamic Republic.
'I did not campaign for this. I did not donate money for this,' said former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a conservative who recently left Congress after a bitter fight with Trump. 'This is not what we thought MAGA was supposed to be. Shame!'
Imperialist war does not liberate peoples — it subjugates them. The evidence is found in the ruins of Gaza, Baghdad, and Tripoli, where bombs leveled cities and "democracy promotion" left ashes in its wake. Marco Rubio made it clear in Munich: the US does not wage war for freedom, but for recolonisation — whether in West Asia, or across the Western Hemisphere.
We also affirm that this U.S.-Israeli imperialist military aggression not only does not herald Iran's liberation from the yoke of tyranny and the current dictatorship, but is also an attempt to destroy Iran as a capable regional state, and to replace the current government with a subordinate and authoritarian regime that has previously announced its program to bloodily suppress its opponents.
El canciller venezolano, Yván Gil, borró de sus redes sociales y de la de la Cancillería de Venezuela el comunicado en el que condenaba el ataque de Estados Unidos e Israel contra Irán, cuando apenas se confirmó la muerte del líder supremo iraní, Alí Jameneí. [...] El comunicado ya no puede encontrarse en ninguna red social relacionada a la Casa Amarilla.[The minister, Yvan Gil, erased from his social media and those of Venezuelan ministry the message condemning the United States and Isreal attack against Iran, just after the confirmation of the death of Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei. [...] The statement can no longer be found in any social media related to the Yellow House.]