Story sourced from BBC News—28 February 2026
What has been happening in Iran?
The US and Israel first launched an attack on Iran on 28 February, targeting its missile infrastructure, military sites and leadership in the capital, Tehran, and across the country.
Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who had led the country since 1989, was killed during the first wave of strikes. Israel’s military said dozens more senior figures in the powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) were also killed.
Following Khamanei’s death, on 8 March his son, Mojtaba Khamenei, was appointed as his successor.
The US and Israel have continued to target key sites linked to Iran’s nuclear programme. Iran has repeatedly insisted its nuclear programme is entirely peaceful.
The two have also ramped up attacks on Iranian oil refineries in recent days.
On 9 March, the US-based Human Rights Activists in Iran (HRANA) group reported 1,761 people have been killed in Iran – including 189 military personnel and 1,245 civilians, of which at least 194 are children.
Earlier on 6 March, Iran’s ambassador to the UN said that more than 1,300 people had been killed.
Iran accused the US and Israel of launching an attack on a girls’ school near an IRGC base in southern Iran on 28 February, saying more than 160 people were killed.
The US said it was looking into reports about the incident, while Israel said it was “not aware” of any military operations in the area.
Internet connectivity in Iran has been almost entirely restricted and its airspace has been closed.
Outside its territory, an Iranian warship was also sunk by a US submarine in the Indian Ocean near the coast of Sri Lanka. At least 87 people were killed.
