U.S. and Israel Enter War With Iran

By Katie Dusza, News Editor

March 13 marks the fourteenth day of the U.S. and Israel’s war with Iran. On Feb. 28, the U.S. and Israel launched an attack on Iran. According to President Donald Trump, the operation was intended to encourage Iranians to overthrow their government, destroy Iran’s missiles and naval forces and eliminate an “imminent threat.” The strike killed Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader, as well as other senior regime figures. 

In response, Iran has launched missile attacks on U.S., Israeli and other allied targets across the region. The operation has killed more than 1,000 people. 

The U.S. and Israel claim that the war is justified because they need to keep Iran from developing a nuclear weapon, claiming they were responding to potential preemptive attacks by Iran. According to CNN, the United Nations nuclear watchdog said Iran was not days or weeks away from having atomic weapons, despite the aforementioned claims. Trump himself has said that Tehran – Iran’s capital – was “obliterated” last summer by U.S. strikes on Iran. U.S. intelligence claims it would take 2035 to develop an intercontinental ballistic missile. 

Iranian President, Masoud Pezeshkian, laid out terms for ending the war in what analysts say is a sign of potential de-escalation. In a post on X, Pezeshikan said he had confirmed “Iran’s commitment to peace…the only way to end this war - ignited by the Zionist regime & US - is recognizing Iran’s legitimate rights, payment of reparations, and firm int’l guarantees against future aggression,” Pezeshkian wrote.

This comes after years of Trump branding himself as the “peace” candidate for condemning the Iraq War. Allies like J.D. Vance once praised him for avoiding new wars. These allies also contrasted him with Hillary Clinton who backed the Iraq war as a senator. Critics note how that reputation collides with this new war whose goals seem unclear.