Iran ; explosions across Tehran following Israeli and US strikes, 28 February 2026

[MassGuy]

Large crowds of Iranians poured into the streets of Tehran and other cities across Iran overnight, celebrating the news that Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, had been killed during a day of coordinated U.S. and Israeli attacks.

The ayatollah’s death, after nearly 40 years of authoritarian rule, represented a historic shift for Iran’s theocratic regime. Many Iranians, inside and outside the country, rejoiced, even as the threat of more attacks by U.S. and Israeli forces cast a pall over some celebrations.

https://www.nytimes.com/live/2026/02/28/world/iran-strikes-trump

 

[Snoopster]

We absolutely do. Reporters talk to them directly, and the celebrations speak for themselves. People in the US talk to their families back home, and tell us what their mindset is.

This isn't some black hole.

I will agree with some of what you say, but we have to recognize that those in the US are of a certain group. They fled. They were likely those aligned with the Shah. I'm not sure this is a diverse group.

Having said that, I think almost everyone would agree that the Iranian government is repressive! Citizens aren't free. But this is true in other countries, yet the US doesn't pursue agression in those countries. Why not?

Perhaps it's about the oil or about Israel. The US admin said they kidnapped Maduro in Venezuela because they were concerned about the people of Venezuela. Yet the US hasn't done one tiny thing in support of the citizens. All they did was take the oil. I would love to see them do something in support of the citizens. Nada.

The USA has a history of only attacking countries with resources. (OK, also Afghanistan when they were pursuing Al Queda, even though the main attackers in 9-11 were almost all from Saudi Arabia.)

 

[iamshadow21]

'More than 100 children' dead in US and Israel strike on Iranian school, Iran says

Vision has emerged of crowds of people searching through the rubble of a girls' elementary school in the city of Minab in southern Iran. Iranian authorities say a US and Israeli air strike killed more than 100 children.

www.abc.net.au

 

[Snoopster]

Khamenei is gone, but the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) are a major force that could put down a rebellion by the people. They may have a force as large as 125,000, although exact numbers are unknown. The IRGC is an elite class, like the Soviet elites, who will probably fight as hard as they can to maintain their grip on Iranian society and its resources. JMO

True. But why isn't the US attacking Russia?

 

[SouthAussie]

"The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps has responded to Khamenei’s death, saying “we have lost a great leader and we mourn him”, according to a statement carried by Fars news agency.

It added that Khamenei’s “martyrdom at hands of the most vicious terrorists and executioners of humanity is a sign of the legitimacy of this great leader and the acceptance of his sincere services”.

It added that the “Iranian nation’s hand of revenge…will not let them go”.

The IRGC will stand “firm in confronting domestic and foreign conspiracies,” the statement said."

Trump says Iran attacks to continue until ‘all objectives’ achieved

Iran declares 40 days of mourning and launches attacks after supreme leader's killing; Israel strikes Tehran.

www.aljazeera.com

 

[Eli9]

'More than 100 children' dead in US and Israel strike on Iranian school, Iran says

Vision has emerged of crowds of people searching through the rubble of a girls' elementary school in the city of Minab in southern Iran. Iranian authorities say a US and Israeli air strike killed more than 100 children.

www.abc.net.au

Key words 'Iran said'


I'm alerting on my post in case my link is against TOS or not allowed in addition to sending a message to a mod.

Did the US bomb Minab girl's elementary school that wa...

Executive summary Iranian state and semi‑official media report that a girls’ elementary school in Minab, Hormozgan province, was struck during the Feb. 2...

factually.co

school in Minab was hit during the early U.S.–Israel strikes and published varying death tolls — reports range from “at least 40” to figures as high as the mid‑60s
...
initial reports also made clear that U.S. and Israeli militaries had not immediately corroborated Iranian claims about the Minab school specifically
...
other possibilities that can complicate attribution in wartime—such as misfires, secondary explosions, strikes by Iranian air defenses or other actors, or reporting errors—are not ruled out by the available reporting because independent on‑site verification or official admissions were not documented in these sources
...
Iranian and regional outlets say the Minab girls’ elementary school was struck
...
“the U.S. bombed the Minab girls’ elementary school” cannot be conclusively established from these sources alone

 

[HmmMysterious]

'More than 100 children' dead in US and Israel strike on Iranian school, Iran says

Vision has emerged of crowds of people searching through the rubble of a girls' elementary school in the city of Minab in southern Iran. Iranian authorities say a US and Israeli air strike killed more than 100 children.

www.abc.net.au

I wonder what the rationale for striking the school was. I hope it was an accident.

 

[iamshadow21]

Key words 'Iran said'


I'm alerting on my post in case my link is against TOS or not allowed in addition to sending a message to a mod.

Did the US bomb Minab girl's elementary school that wa...

Executive summary Iranian state and semi‑official media report that a girls’ elementary school in Minab, Hormozgan province, was struck during the Feb. 2...

factually.co

school in Minab was hit during the early U.S.–Israel strikes and published varying death tolls — reports range from “at least 40” to figures as high as the mid‑60s
...
initial reports also made clear that U.S. and Israeli militaries had not immediately corroborated Iranian claims about the Minab school specifically
...
other possibilities that can complicate attribution in wartime—such as misfires, secondary explosions, strikes by Iranian air defenses or other actors, or reporting errors—are not ruled out by the available reporting because independent on‑site verification or official admissions were not documented in these sources
...
Iranian and regional outlets say the Minab girls’ elementary school was struck
...
“the U.S. bombed the Minab girls’ elementary school” cannot be conclusively established from these sources alone

ABC News Australia is known for its rigorous fact checking and verified sources.

MOO

 

[Snoopster]

Is anyone asking "why now?".

 

[iamshadow21]

I wonder what the rationale for striking the school was. I hope it was an accident.

I don't know, but given it was struck just after all the children arrived for the day, it couldn't have been at a worse time.

MOO

 

[imstilla.grandma]

A plume of smoke rises following a reported explosion in Tehran on February 28, 2026. Israel's defence ministry announced it had launched a "preemptive strike" on Iran as sirens sounded in Jerusalem and people across the country received phone alerts about an "extremely serious" threat

The Iranian government has announced 40 days of mourning. The country's supreme leader was killed following an attack launched by the U.S. and Israel on Saturday against Iran as part of a major military campaign intended to topple the Islamic regime.

Israel's military said that top Iranian security officials were among those killed, including the country's defense minister, the commander of the Revolutionary Guard Corps, and the secretary of the Iranian Security Council, a close adviser to Khamenei.

https://www.npr.org/2026/02/28/nx-s1-5730158/israel-iran-strikes-trump-us

MIDDLE EAST CONFLICT​

Iranian supreme leader killed in Israeli airstrike, source says​

President Trump announced the Iranian leader's death on social media, saying Khamenei could not avoid U.S. intelligence and surveillance. A source briefed on the U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran told NPR earlier Saturday that an Israeli airstrike killed Khamenei.

During his 36-year rule, Khamenei was unwavering in his steadfast antipathy to the U.S. and Israel and to any efforts to reform and bring Iran into the 21st century.

Khamenei was born in July 1939 into a religious family in the Shia Muslim holy city of Mashhad in northeastern Iran and attended theological school. An outspoken opponent of the U.S.-backed Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, Khamenei was arrested several times

https://www.npr.org/2026/02/28/1123499337/iran-israel-ayatollah-ali-khamenei-killed

Facebook

www.facebook.com

 

[Friday Fan]

Pakistan is the country that started this.

What?? Why?? When??

The IR of 1978 was a world changing event.

It emboldened fringe groups in the ME.
Prior to that, there were Palestinian groups, but they did not have the power of an entire country.

It seems like Pakistan took cues from Iran in the 80s

 

[MassGuy]

Is anyone asking "why now?".

The timing is right. The uprisings occurred weeks ago, and it took this long to get assets to the region. This isn't something you can just wing, as the planning was incredibly complex.

They had to move missile defense systems all over the region, bring in carrier strike groups, planes, conduct intelligence gathering, etc.

You do it now when the regime is the weakest it's been in decades, or you do it a decade from now when they have tens of thousands of ballistic missiles, nuclear capabilities, and rebuilt proxy terrorist groups.

There has never been a window of opportunity like this, as Israel has freed itself from the groups holding it hostage (Hezbollah in the north, and Hamas in the east and southwest).

 

[SouthAussie]

Key words 'Iran said'


I'm alerting on my post in case my link is against TOS or not allowed in addition to sending a message to a mod.

Did the US bomb Minab girl's elementary school that wa...

Executive summary Iranian state and semi‑official media report that a girls’ elementary school in Minab, Hormozgan province, was struck during the Feb. 2...

factually.co

school in Minab was hit during the early U.S.–Israel strikes and published varying death tolls — reports range from “at least 40” to figures as high as the mid‑60s
...
initial reports also made clear that U.S. and Israeli militaries had not immediately corroborated Iranian claims about the Minab school specifically
...
other possibilities that can complicate attribution in wartime—such as misfires, secondary explosions, strikes by Iranian air defenses or other actors, or reporting errors—are not ruled out by the available reporting because independent on‑site verification or official admissions were not documented in these sources
...
Iranian and regional outlets say the Minab girls’ elementary school was struck
...
“the U.S. bombed the Minab girls’ elementary school” cannot be conclusively established from these sources alone

Photos have been published of the school. Apparently students are buried under the rubble (behind the front wall).

Trump says Iran attacks to continue until ‘all objectives’ achieved

Iran declares 40 days of mourning and launches attacks after supreme leader's killing; Israel strikes Tehran.

www.aljazeera.com

 

[MassGuy]

I don't know, but given it was struck just after all the children arrived for the day, it couldn't have been at a worse time.

MOO

That was the downside. I was thinking all night about why this attack would occur at such a late hour (usually 3am ish Tehran time), and why it would occur on a Saturday of all days.

The answer is that a Saturday is their Monday, and the timing ensured that military and political targets would be in their offices.

There was literally no better time, but you always run the risk of a missile or bomb missing its target.

 

[SouthAussie]

I wonder what the rationale for striking the school was. I hope it was an accident.

I posted a bit earlier that they struck govt offices, military offices and universities.


" .... several massive explosions near the Pasteur neighbourhood — the area where the offices of Iran’s supreme leader and president are located, along with certain military headquarters and universities."

Trump says Iran attacks to continue until ‘all objectives’ achieved

Iran declares 40 days of mourning and launches attacks after supreme leader's killing; Israel strikes Tehran.

www.aljazeera.com

 

[Vaderman]

I wonder what comes next. Power vacuum leading to civil war? No change, meet the new boss, same as the old boss?

 

[Snoopster]

The timing is right. The uprisings occurred weeks ago, and it took this long to get assets to the region. This isn't something you can just wing, as the planning was incredibly complex.

They had to move missile defense systems all over the region, bring in carrier strike groups, planes, conduct intelligence gathering, etc.

You do it now when the regime is the weakest it's been in decades, or you do it a decade from now when they have tens of thousands of ballistic missiles, nuclear capabilities, and rebuilt proxy terrorist groups.

There has never been a window of opportunity like this, as Israel has freed itself from the groups holding it hostage (Hezbollah in the north, and Hamas in the east and southwest).

I understand your points. But why is the focus on THIS regime and not others?
Is it the potential for nukes? If so, wasn't that the reason for the ill-conceived Iraq war? And didn't the US admin say just 8 months ago that they crippled Iran's nuclear facilities?

Why isn't there a similar focus on other repressive regimes? Why do "we" want to support Saudi Arabia and Israel? They have both proven to be 'bad actors' in the past.

This seems like a well-worn path for the USA in their quest for oil and other resources. Of course I might be wrong.

 

[missy1974]

ABC News Australia is known for its rigorous fact checking and verified sources.

MOO

The article you posted... clearly says...

according to Iranian authorities.

It also says ...

The figures from Iranian authorities have not been independently verified by the ABC.

They do seem to be a reliable source, but they do say they are getting their information from the Iranian authorties, are those authorities reliable?

 

[Warwick1991]

I will agree with some of what you say, but we have to recognize that those in the US are of a certain group. They fled. They were likely those aligned with the Shah. I'm not sure this is a diverse group.

Having said that, I think almost everyone would agree that the Iranian government is repressive! Citizens aren't free. But this is true in other countries, yet the US doesn't pursue agression in those countries. Why not?

Perhaps it's about the oil or about Israel. The US admin said they kidnapped Maduro in Venezuela because they were concerned about the people of Venezuela. Yet the US hasn't done one tiny thing in support of the citizens. All they did was take the oil. I would love to see them do something in support of the citizens. Nada.

The USA has a history of only attacking countries with resources. (OK, also Afghanistan when they were pursuing Al Queda, even though the main attackers in 9-11 were almost all from Saudi Arabia.)

As far as Iranian exiles in the US are concerned, I believe they have come in various waves. The first wave included many who supported the Shah's regime. It also included many Baha'is, who were targeted for mass killings as heretics at the start of the Islamic revolution. Jews fled after multiple executions of community leaders, property confiscation, new limitations on their rights, and imposition of Islamic law. Communists, Socialists and secular opponents of the Shah were also forced to flee to the West, as the Islamic revolution turned on them. Upper middle class and wealthy people fled, as the IRGC seized property and businesses under various pretexts. Like most revolutions, the Islamic revolution ended the lives of thousands and created a corrupt new elite.

In the decades following 1979, Iran lost a lot of students and its younger educated people due to waves of repression, arrests and executions. The lives of women, especially educated and professional women, were impacted by fundamentalist repression, and many fled to Western countries, including the US.

I think the Iranian emigres in the US are quite varied, but the majority may have been more affluent than many other Iranians

As far as the percentage of people inside Iran who want to see a new form of government, it's hard to tell.

Just my opinion, based on talking to Iranians here, who aren't necessarily a broad sampling.