What is Known So Far Following the US-Israel Joint Attack on Iran
The conflict situation in the Middle East has remained tense following initial attacks by the United States (US) and Israel on Iran on Saturday, 28 February. They targeted command and control facilities of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), ballistic missile and drone launch sites, military airfields, and Iran’s air defence systems.
The US and Israeli strikes have killed numerous Iranian senior officials, including Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Subsequently, Iran has appointed a figure to temporarily fill the position of supreme leader.
Over 555 people in Iran have been killed, with approximately 200 of them being children, according to the Iranian Embassy to Indonesia. The embassy stated that the casualties were predominantly among the civilian population, including many children and women attending primary school, who were observing the Ramadan fast at the time of the attacks. The Iranian ambassador to Indonesia, Mohammad Boroujerdi, stated that these were non-military civilians performing religious duties, and argued that the attacks demonstrated the US and Israel’s disregard for diplomacy and international negotiations.
Mansoureh Khojasteh Bagherzadeh, the wife of the deceased Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has died in hospital following injuries sustained during the US-Israeli attacks. According to reports, the 79-year-old had remained in a coma since the Saturday assault that killed her husband.
Iran has appointed Ayatollah Alireza Arafi, a senior cleric, as temporary supreme leader. Arafi will head the Temporary Leadership Council that will govern the country following Khamenei’s death. According to the Policy Council’s spokesperson Mohsen Dehnavi, Arafi will serve alongside Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Head of Judiciary Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei in the Temporary Leadership Council, which will govern until the Assembly of Experts selects a permanent successor as soon as possible.
Iran has acknowledged that one of its nuclear facilities, Natanz, was struck during the US and Israeli attacks on Sunday, 1 March. The extent of damage and any public health implications remain unclear. Iran’s ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Reza Najafi, disclosed this during a meeting of the IAEA Board of Governors, comprising 35 nations, stating that the peaceful and protected Iranian nuclear facility had been attacked again.
The Iranian Revolutionary Guards stated that their missile strikes have targeted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office and the headquarters of the Israeli Air Force commander. The attacks utilised ballistic Kheibar missiles, which were first launched in 2022 and have attracted attention from European and Israeli national security officials for their range and accuracy.
Iran’s military announced that its forces targeted the US Air Base Ali Al Salem in Kuwait during strikes on Monday, 2 March. US military vessels in the Indian Ocean were also targeted. The military stated that cruise missiles were employed in these attacks against what it described as enemy positions.
Former US President Donald Trump has indicated he would not rule out deploying ground forces to Iran if necessary, suggesting that previous administrations have been hesitant about such measures, though he himself has not previously committed to avoiding such action.