2026 Israeli–United States strikes on Iran : Operation Epic Fury / Israël en de Verenigde Staten lanceren een gezamenlijke aanval op Iran
On 28 February 2026, Israel and the United States launched a coordinated joint attack on various sites in Iran, codenamed Operation Roaring Lion by Israel and Epic Fury by the US Department of Defense, targeting military and government sites, assassinating Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and other Iranian officials, and inflicting civilian casualties.
The surprise attacks were launched during negotiations between Iran and the US. Iran responded with missile and drone strikes against Israel, US bases, and US allies in the Middle East, and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, disrupting global trade. After the Middle Eastern crisis began in 2023, Iran and Israel exchanged missile strikes in 2024, and again during the Twelve-Day War in June 2025, which resulted in a US airstrike on Iranian nuclear sites. In January 2026, Iranian security forces massacred thousands of civilians in their crackdown on the largest Iranian protests since 1979. US president Donald Trump responded by threatening military action and starting the largest US military buildup in the region since the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Israeli–US airstrikes damaged military bases, government buildings, schools, hospitals, and heritage sites. In retaliation, Iran launched hundreds of drones and ballistic missiles at Israel and at US military bases in neighbouring Arab countries including Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. Iran and its proxies launched strikes on Iraq’s Kurdistan. A drone struck Britain’s Akrotiri military base on Cyprus, and missiles were shot down over Turkey. Civilian infrastructure was struck, including in Oman and Azerbaijan. Iran denied attacking Azerbaijan, Oman, and Turkey, saying they were false-flag attacks. The conflict between Hezbollah and Israel escalated into the 2026 Lebanon war, killing more than 2,000 civilians and militants. The Trump administration gave diverse and changing explanations for starting the war: to forestall Iranian retaliation after an expected Israeli attack, to stop an imminent Iranian threat, to destroy Iran’s missile capabilities, to prevent Iran building a nuclear weapon, to seize Iran’s oil resources, and to achieve regime change by bringing the Iranian opposition to power. Iranian and some US officials rejected claims that Iran had been preparing an attack.
The International Atomic Energy Agency said that while Iran has an “ambitious” nuclear program and refused to allow inspections of its damaged sites after the 2025 war, there was no evidence of an ongoing nuclear weapons program. United Nations secretary-general Antonio Guterres and several uninvolved countries condemned the US–Israeli strikes; the UN Security Council passed a resolution condemning Iran’s retaliatory strikes on the Gulf states. Critics of the war, including legal and international relations experts, described the US attacks as illegal under US law and a violation of Iran’s sovereignty under international law. The war’s economic impact includes the world’s biggest oil supply disruption since the 1970s energy crisis, surges in oil and gas prices, disruptions in aviation and tourism, and volatility in financial markets. Oil and gas shipments were disrupted by Iran’s closure of the Hormuz Strait and Israeli and Iranian attacks on energy facilities. On 19 March, the cost of the war to the US military was estimated at US$18 billion, and the Pentagon requested a further US$200 billion. By 31 March, the cost to Arab countries was estimated at over US$120 billion. The Iranian government assessed the damage to their own economy as at least $300 billion and possibly as much as $1 trillion by 11 April. President Trump claimed victory several times and claimed the Iranian military had been destroyed. Trump then repeatedly threatened to destroy Iran’s infrastructure and “civilization” if it did not make a deal with the US and re-open the Hormuz strait. Iran, the US and Israel agreed to a two-week ceasefire brokered by Pakistan, beginning on 8 April. The ceasefire came under strain as Iran refused to re-open Hormuz, blaming Israeli strikes in Lebanon. After the failure of the Islamabad Talks, Trump said he no longer cared about negotiations, and announced a naval blockade of Iran from 13 April.
Links:
Israël en VS zijn gezamenlijke aanvallen op Iran begonnen
Israel launches ‘pre-emptive attack’ on Iran – BBC Live Reporting
What does the escalation in the Middle East mean for global stability?
Rationale for the 2026 Iran war
Regime change efforts in the 2026 Iran war
Middle Eastern crisis (2023–present)
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