US and Israel Conduct Strikes on Iran; Iran's Supreme Leader Reportedly

The United States and Israel on Saturday launched an attack on Iran, with explosions seen across Tehran and in multiple cities across the country.

An Israeli strike hit an elementary girls’ school in Minab, killing at least 51 people, state media reported.

Iran has retaliated by attacking US bases across the Middle East. Most of these attacks have been intercepted.

Israel has declared a “special state of emergency”… The Israeli army said it was intercepting a new wave of Iranian missiles.

Secretary-General Guterres told the Security Council that U.S. and Israeli airstrikes violated international law, including the U.N. Charter.

Officials in the Trump administration insist the campaign is a lawful measure to ensure Tehran does not build nuclear weapons.

De Hoon said the attacks on Iran amount to a crime of aggression and that there is no legal justification for them under the U.N. Charter.

Crane wrote that U.S. attacks in Iran and Venezuela highlight “the normalization of unilateral force as a tool of foreign policy.”

There was consensus among legal experts the Guardian spoke to that the initial strikes were unlawful.

In this case, there doesn’t seem to be any evidence of an imminent threat by Iran.

Having blood-curdling rhetoric or threatening violence in and of itself does not give a state the right to use pre-emptive force.

Deliberate attacks on civilian targets are illegal under international humanitarian law. Attacks on countries not party to a conflict are also forbidden.

Experts say those laws and court precedent have given Trump the authority to sidestep the legislative branch and attack Iran, for now.

Congress can seek to bar or limit operations in the coming days. … The longer the operation continues, the calls for congressional action will likely increase.

Noronha said that, unlike other iterations of the AUMF, the 2001 version of the law was never repealed and expressly authorizes force against any nation…

Republican lawmakers have largely reacted with support for Trump, while Democrats have been critical.

The United States and Israel on Saturday carried out strikes against Iran, marking a culmination of years of warnings about the threat the regime poses to global security.

Trump said the objective of “Operation Epic Fury” is “to prevent this very wicked, radical dictatorship from threatening America and our core national security interests.”

U.S. officials told NBC News that Israel had targeted Iranian leaders while the U.S. went after Iran’s ballistic missile and nuclear programs.

Iran responded to the joint U.S.-Israel attack by launching retaliatory strikes against Israel, as well as at several U.S. military bases across the Middle East.

IRAN (555+ Total Confirmed Deaths) – Civilians: 200+ (36% of total)… Military/IRGC: 355+ (64%) – Khamenei +48 leaders Day 1 (IDF)

ISRAEL (9-10 Total)… Civilians: 8-9 (89%) – Tel Aviv shrapnel Day 1; Beit Shemesh missile Day 2 (IDF Home Front)

Ratios: Iran 36% civilian; Coalition 89% civilian (skewed by Israeli urban hits). Humanitarian monitoring urged (UK PM statement)

Civilians: 200+ – Urban strikes Tehran/Fars/Isfahan; 20+ Niloofar Square, 35+ Fars Province (Reuters Euro wires)

CNN's Kaitlan Collins breaks down a key legal question for President Trump in the aftermath of the US and Israel launching a major attack on Iran.

Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2026/02/28/politics/legal-experts-iran-strikes-congress-war-powers

Legal experts weigh in on whether the Iran strikes require congressional approval under US war powers law.

Trump has launched an illegal regime change war in Iran with American lives at risk.

Congress must convene on Monday to vote on @RepThomasMassie & my WPR to stop this.

Every member of Congress should go on record this weekend on how they will vote.

Tens of thousands of Iranians mourned the death of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who was killed in joint US and Israeli strikes.

Iranian media reported that the daughter, son-in-law and granddaughter of Khamenei were also killed in the attack.

The government has instituted a 40-day period of national mourning and declared a seven-day official holiday for the 86-year-old leader.

At least 20 killed in strike on Niloufar Square in Tehran, a busy mixed residential and commercial neighborhood.

The square sits in a densely populated area...rather than major government sites.

Photos from the scene show burning vehicles...as civilians flee through debris-strewn roads.

Rescue workers stand over a wounded person on a stretcher amid shattered concrete, using flashlights in the dark.