The United States and Israel launched coordinated military strikes on Iran on February 28, 2026, marking the most direct confrontation between Washington and Tehran in decades. The US named its offensive “Operation Epic Fury”, while Israel confirmed parallel operations targeting Iranian nuclear, missile and military infrastructure. US President Donald Trump described the strikes as “major combat operations” aimed at eliminating “imminent threats”, alleging that Tehran was accelerating its nuclear and long-range missile capabilities.
Iranian officials condemned the attacks as unlawful aggression and vowed retaliation, reportedly launching missile and drone strikes towards Israeli territory and US military assets in the Gulf. The escalation follows the collapse of renewed nuclear negotiations earlier this month, raising global concerns about a wider regional conflict and further instability in an already volatile West Asian landscape.
Operation Epic Fury: Coordinated Strikes and Immediate Fallout
According to statements from the White House and the Pentagon, the strikes targeted three major nuclear-linked facilities along with missile production sites and military command centres. President Trump, in a televised address, claimed the targeted sites had been “obliterated” and insisted that the operation was necessary to prevent what he described as an imminent security threat to American forces and allies.
Israeli officials echoed this stance, framing the offensive as part of a long-standing strategy to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons, which they have repeatedly described as an existential danger. Iranian state media reported explosions across multiple cities, including areas near sensitive installations in Tehran, with smoke seen rising over parts of the capital.
Tehran denied that its nuclear programme is military in nature, maintaining that enrichment activities are for civilian energy purposes. Within hours of the strikes, reports emerged of Iranian ballistic missiles and armed drones being launched in retaliation, some intercepted by regional air defence systems.
Airspace closures across parts of the Gulf and heightened security alerts signalled fears that the conflict could spill beyond the immediate actors involved. While Washington emphasised that the operation was limited and defensive, Iranian leaders warned of “serious consequences”, signalling the possibility of a protracted escalation.
Decades of Distrust and Diplomatic Breakdown
The current crisis is rooted in a fractured relationship that dates back to the 1979 Islamic Revolution led by Ruhollah Khomeini, which toppled the US-backed monarchy and transformed Iran’s political order. On November 4 that year, Iranian students stormed the US Embassy in Tehran, holding 52 American diplomats hostage for 444 days.
Then US President Jimmy Carter severed diplomatic ties and imposed sanctions, cementing a rupture that has never fully healed. Over the following decades, tensions intensified through proxy conflicts, sanctions regimes and mutual accusations of destabilisation. In 2002, President George W. Bush labelled Iran part of an “axis of evil”, deepening mistrust.
Disputes over Iran’s nuclear ambitions reached a peak in 2015 when Tehran signed a landmark agreement with world powers to curb enrichment in exchange for sanctions relief. However, the deal unravelled in 2018 after Washington withdrew and reimposed sweeping sanctions. In January 2020, a US drone strike killed Iranian General Qasem Soleimani in Baghdad, prompting missile retaliation by Tehran and bringing the two nations to the brink of open war.
Efforts to revive nuclear diplomacy faltered repeatedly, including indirect talks under Omani mediation in early 2026. With negotiations collapsing and mutual accusations of bad faith mounting, the stage was set for the latest confrontation. The recent 12-day Israel-Iran exchange earlier this year further strained diplomatic channels, narrowing space for compromise and increasing reliance on military deterrence.
The Logical Indian’s Perspective
The renewed military confrontation between the United States, Israel and Iran is a stark reminder of how unresolved historical grievances and cycles of retaliation can spiral into direct conflict. While leaders justify strikes in the name of national security and deterrence, it is civilians in Tehran, Tel Aviv, Gulf cities and beyond who endure the anxiety, economic disruption and humanitarian risks of escalation.
Decades of sanctions, covert operations and targeted killings have not delivered lasting stability; instead, they have entrenched suspicion and hardened rhetoric. At a time when the world is already grappling with multiple conflicts and fragile economies, diplomacy cannot be treated as secondary to force. Transparent dialogue, renewed multilateral engagement and a commitment to de-escalation are essential if further bloodshed is to be avoided.
