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

[imstilla.grandma]

Iran has made a "big mistake" by not just attacking US bases and assets in the Gulf states, but also targeting civilians in the region, the former director of the CIA has told Sky News.

General David Petraeus, the former director of the CIA, told lead world news presenter Yalda Hakim that Iran has widened the war by hitting airports, seaports, gas and oil loading stations in Gulf states.https://news.sky.com/story/iran-latest-trump-tehran-israel-strikes-us-drone-live-sky-news-13509565

"It also went after a UK base. I think this was a drone launched by Hezbollah from southern Lebanon against the base in Cyprus," he said.

"What this is doing is bringing those countries, which sought to be neutral in a way, to stay out of it, to not allow the US to use their bases, [to now] be part of it."

Iran made a mistake targeting civilians in Middle East, says former CIA director

General David Petraeus, the former director of the CIA, told lead world news presenter Yalda Hakim that Iran has widened the war by hitting airports, seaports, gas and oil loading stations in Gulf states.

news.sky.com

 

[MassGuy]

4:08 PM

What B-2 bombers are targeting in Iran​

Two U.S. officials say B-2 stealth bombers have been targeting command and control nodes of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, as well as weapon depots and an assembly facility for Iran's rocket program. Operations are ongoing now.
By James LaPorta

Live Updates: Trump defends war with Iran as conflict widens

Israel sent troops into Lebanon as the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran widened, and some of Iran's Gulf neighbors warned that Iran's retaliatory fire could draw them into the spreading conflict.

www.cbsnews.com

 

[nao]

Moo...this is a political thread. I do not agree with USA. It's like watching evolution backwards. I do not believe Trump is annointed by Jesus. I have nothing good to say about USA politics or for that matter Israel politics. This will be deleted and that's ok... because I believe in choices...moo .this is no bad feelings against USA regular people, so sorry for Iranian citizens.. you are victims..of so many .moo

 

[Charlot123]

The problem I have with polls is that the people are voicing their thoughts without knowledge of the facts. If I was asked, do I support a war with Iran, I would say no, because I don't like wars. But I am uniformed, if I knew what our leaders knew, I would answer yes. JMO

I, too, don't know what our leaders know, but I also live with different realities.

1) it can not predict what might happen if this war extends. I can only guess.

2) How people vote: thinking of themselves. My thoughts were, about the stock market and about the cost of gas. It didn't look good. So, not in my interests.

3) now, in whose interests is it? Israel's? It probably answers the interests of Netanyahu, but is Netanyahu Israel? Of the sabras I know here, most oppose Netanyahu. 52% of Israeli were against him in the end of 2025.
So: should I support Bibi's war? I supported Israel on October 7th. I never supported Netanyahu.

So: the lives of people of two countries, Iran and Israel, are already at risk. There will be collateral damages in the lot of neighboring countries in the Middle East.

For the US: stock market down, oil prices, up, US dollar, down. War has already claimed the lives of US citizens.

For Europe: this war is a tremendous headache, if not worse.

So in general, I understand people who don't support this war.

 

[imstilla.grandma]

• In March 2026, a claim circulated online that U.S. military commanders told troops that U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran were part of a Christian war to bring about the Armageddon and the return of Jesus.
• The claim came from a Substack post by the independent journalist Jonathan Larsen, who based his report on information from the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, a nonprofit organization that works to protect religious freedom in the U.S. armed forces.
• The foundation keeps complainants anonymous to avoid retribution. Larsen and Mikey Weinstein, the founder of the MRFF, both said they had not received any video or audio recordings of the reported Christian messaging by commanders. Therefore, we leave this claim unrated.
• Investigating claim US troops were told Iran war is for 'Armageddon,' return of Jesus

 

[SouthAussie]

Yea, like Mossad is going to announce their presence. Betting the CIA is also in Qatar. Moo

I don't think the arrests that Carlson touted were Mossad.


"Qatar’s security agencies have arrested two cells of operatives associated with Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, the Qatar News Agency reports.

These are the first known arrests of the kind in Qatar since Israel and the US launched their bombing campaign against Iran on Saturday, and since Iran responded by attacking its Gulf neighbours with missiles and drones."

US bases and embassies attacked as Iran ratchets up Gulf strikes

Iran strikes energy infrastructure across the Gulf as Revolutionary Guard announces closure of Strait of Hormuz.

www.aljazeera.com

 

[JennieM]

Trump seeks to justify Iran war, but stated objectives shift​

• Trump's stated objectives for Iran war shift repeatedly

… conflicting statements from the president

… did not give a televised address to the nation, as is customary in moments of military action. He took no questions from reporters at Monday's event.

VARYING MESSAGES​

[…]

Trump’s timeline for the Iran operation has also shifted since it began. He first told the Daily Mail it could take “four weeks, or less,” then told The New York Times four to five weeks. In separate remarks on Sunday and Monday, he left open the possibility that the operation could continue longer until ⁠its objectives are achieved.

In his notification to Congress about the Iran strikes obtained by Reuters, Trump did not provide any timeline.

"Although the United States desires a quick and enduring peace, it is not possible at this time to know the full scope and duration of military operations that may be necessary," Trump wrote.

Jon Alterman of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, who has served as a State Department official focused on the Middle East, said Trump appeared to have deliberately left the war's ultimate outcome ⁠undefined.

"I'm not sure they're committed to any particular outcome," Alterman said.

[…]

Trump seeks to justify Iran war, but stated objectives shift

Trump’s timeline for the Iran operation has also shifted since it began.

www.reuters.com

 

[JennieM]

Canada PM calls for US and Israel to 'respect rules of international engagement'​

In remarks on Tuesday evening, Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney reiterates his country's support of the US operation in Iran.

He condemns Iran's strikes on civilians and civilian infrastructure throughout the Middle East.

Carney also urges "all parties, including the United States and Israel, to respect the rules of international engagement".

"Canada calls for a rapid de-escalation of hostilities, and is prepared to assist in achieving this goal," he says.

Carney adds that diplomatic engagement, combined with commitment to a broader political solution, is crucial to resolving the crisis and avoiding a larger conflict.

"Innocent civilians must be protected, and all parties must commit to finding enduring agreements to end both nuclear proliferation and terrorist extremism," he adds.

Trump says US Navy could escort tankers through key Gulf shipping route after Iranian threats

The US president's comments come after Iran threatens to "set fire" to any ship trying to pass through the Strait of Hormuz.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[sds71]

The Pentagon has identified the four U.S. Army Reserve soldiers killed in Kuwait as part of operations against Iran as:
Capt. Cody A. Khork, 35, of Winter Haven, Florida; Sgt. 1st Class Noah L. Tietjens, 42, of Bellevue, Nebraska; Sgt. 1st Class Nicole M. Amor, 39, of White Bear Lake, Minnesota; and Spc. Declan J. Coady, 20, of West Des Moines, Iowa.

Pentagon IDs 4 American troops killed in Kuwait

The Pentagon on Tuesday identified four of the six American service members killed by an Iranian drone strike at a base in Kuwait that wounded 18 others.

abcnews.com

 

[JennieM]

2 hours ago
Jasper Ward

Protect civilians amid widening conflict, UN's Fletcher says​

FILE PHOTO: Fletcher in New York City, U.S., September 18, 2025. REUTERS/Jeenah Moon

Tom Fletcher, the United Nation's aid chief, called for the protection of civilians amid the conflict in Iran, which has spread across the Middle East.

"Yet strikes are hitting homes, hospitals, and schools. Civilians and civilian infrastructure have been under attack in Iran, Lebanon, Syria, the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and beyond," he said.

Fletcher added that he had activated contingency plans across Iran and the region. He noted that while "global attention is absorbed by this crisis," other crises such as in Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Ukraine continue.

"International law remains the best protector against the vicious cycle of violence and war. We will hold the line, and continue to do all we can," he said.

Iran war live: US and Israel pound Iran and Lebanon; Trump weighs military cover for Hormuz tankers

Trump added that he had ordered oil tanker insurance support, a move that marks an aggressive step to try to contain soaring energy prices.

www.reuters.com

 

[ab01]

that's a random thing to say. no, i don't want it to fail, i just think it probably will.

It’s already been wildly successful, Iran’s missle stockpiles have been hit hard, their nuclear program has been hit as well as much of their missle launchers and infrastructure. Navy has been impacted extremely heavily. Their leaders have been killed and the regime is at a crossroads.

The world is a better, safer place bc of what’s already happened.

What would your definition of success be? And don’t say a complete regime change etc, that’s not up to the U.S. and Israel. All they can do is give them an opening, If things are to change in that regard it will be largely up to the iranian people.

Imo the objective was to limit Iran’s ability to cause destruction beyond its boarders and I think that’s already been highly successful in a very short time. jmo

 

[CSIDreamer]

@Vern, but have you ever visited Iran? Me, no. Caucasian women married to Iranians told me that one had to cover the hair, wear long sleeves, and jeans were totally OK. Pahlavi's widow was attending a mosque with her hair uncovered. I know Iranian women who told me that Iranian youth were drinking and smoking in the houses.

Of course, things have become more conservative. But they kicked out Reza Pahlavi twice! Now they seem to be tired of the clerics, but whomever they want or don't, the person has to be their choice. I think they won't accept any from us.

I think that like with any other country, we can't generalize. Iran has big cities and own "redneck" areas. Tehran, Isfahan or Shiraz are likely populated by more liberally-minded people. In rural areas, people are more conservative.

Likewise, it is absolutely unreasonable to compare Khmers Rouges with Iranians. Pol Pot was educated and trained by French communists. If you then try to use the "class struggle" theory in a classless (agrarian) society, you'll end up in killing 3 millions in 4 years. But the world had a strange attitude to Pol Pot and Khmers Rouges. No one protested, no one invaded Cambodia. Worse, Khmers Rouges kept place in the UN till 1993, being ousted of power in 1979.

No one in the world has the right to mention Pol Pot, except for Vietnam. US tolerated Pol Pot - Ieng Sary's regime because Cambodia was the adversary of Vietnam. USSR almost never mentioned them (wish to avoid conflicts with China + obnoxious, but still communists, perhaps?). Western Europe kept quiet because Pol Pot was raised on French progressive ideas. China.. we know.

So, no, Iran has a very different head count and it is a state based on religion, not on communism. Not even close.

Hezbollah is technically not Iran and they haven't arrived to the US.

1. Check this out:

Hezbollah's Operations in the United States: Two Decades in Review | Program on Extremism | The George Washington University

Authored by Jon Lewis and Devorah Margolin

extremism.gwu.edu

2. I'm a bit disturbed by the use of "Caucasian women" vs "women".

It strikes me as a tad racist.

I'm telling myself maybe your only lens to filter through is white women vs actual Iranian women? Also, do they live in Iran?

Anyway. Just asking.

 

[JennieM]

2 hours ago
Alexander Cornwell

Israeli foreign minister declined to set timeframe, sources say​

FILE PHOTO: Saar in Asuncion, Paraguay, November 24, 2025. REUTERS/Cesar Olmedo

U.S. officials have said the war's aim is to destroy Iran's ability to project force beyond its borders, while Israeli officials explicitly say they want to oust Iran's government.

In a closed‑door briefing with foreign diplomats on Tuesday, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar declined to set a timeframe for the military campaign, sources said.

He acknowledged that Iran’s government could survive the war but expressed confidence it would collapse later, the sources said.

The minister's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Iran war live: US and Israel pound Iran and Lebanon; Trump weighs military cover for Hormuz tankers

Trump added that he had ordered oil tanker insurance support, a move that marks an aggressive step to try to contain soaring energy prices.

www.reuters.com

 

[JennieM]

Scores of people have been killed across the Middle East since the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran on February 28.

Here are the latest death tolls from the war. Reuters has not independently verified these deaths.

• IRAN: 787 people have died, including 165 schoolgirls and staff killed in a missile strike, according to the non-profit humanitarian group Iranian Red Crescent Society. It was unclear if the death toll included Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps military casualties.
• ISRAEL: 10 civilians have been killed, including nine people in an Iranian missile strike on Beit Shemesh near Jerusalem on March 1, according to Israel's ambulance service Magen David Adom. The Israel Defense Forces has reported no military casualties.
• LEBANON: 40 people were killed, according to Lebanon's health ministry.
• BAHRAIN: One person was killed after fire broke out in Bahrain's Salman Industrial City following a missile interception, according to the interior ministry.
• OMAN: One person killed after a projectile hit the Marshall Islands–flagged product tanker MKD VYOM off the coast of Muscat.
• UNITED ARAB EMIRATES: Three people killed, according to UAE's defense ministry.
• U.S.: Six U.S. service members were killed in a strike on a facility in Kuwait, according to U.S. Central Command.

Read more here by Jonathan Allen, Menna Alaa El Din, Maayan Lubell, Pesha Magrid.

Iran war live: US and Israel pound Iran and Lebanon; Trump weighs military cover for Hormuz tankers

Trump added that he had ordered oil tanker insurance support, a move that marks an aggressive step to try to contain soaring energy prices.

www.reuters.com

 

[SouthAussie]

Just my suggestion, but don't waste your time on looking for credible links. These are mainly opinion pieces with so-called "independent journalists" and not MSM that are approved sources here on WS.

There are quite a few articles out there about the complaints that the Military Religious Freedom Foundation has received.

This is one of them ... a snip from the article, but there is more in it.


Mikey Weinstein, founder and president of MRFF, a nonprofit group established 21 years ago that focuses on ensuring constitutional protections for service members, spoke with HuffPost by phone Tuesday morning and illuminated some details of the complaints, which have come from more than three dozen military units situated in at least 30 different military installations.

“We started getting calls in the wee hours of Saturday morning from people saying their commanders were just jubilant about this and trying to tell people, ‘Don’t worry, it’s all part of God’s plan,’” Weinstein said.

The non-commissioned officer, who is Christian, reported to MRFF that a commander told them to tell fellow troops that the war in Iran was “all part of God’s divine plan.” The commander allegedly cited the Book of Revelation and the section specifically referring to Armageddon and the “imminent” return of Jesus Christ.

Weinstein said none of this should necessarily be shocking. The evangelical leanings of the Trump administration — and in particular the Department of Defense — have not been a secret. At a prayer breakfast last month, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth claimed the U.S. was a “Christian nation,” and there are prayer meetings at the Pentagon each month.

Military Commander Tells Troops Bombing Iran Is ‘Part Of God’s Divine Plan’

One commander had a “big grin” on his face while saying Donald Trump “has been anointed by Jesus to light the signal fire in Iran," a service member said.

uk.news.yahoo.com

 

[SouthAussie]

2 hours ago
Alexander Cornwell

Israeli foreign minister declined to set timeframe, sources say​

FILE PHOTO: Saar in Asuncion, Paraguay, November 24, 2025. REUTERS/Cesar Olmedo

U.S. officials have said the war's aim is to destroy Iran's ability to project force beyond its borders, while Israeli officials explicitly say they want to oust Iran's government.

In a closed‑door briefing with foreign diplomats on Tuesday, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar declined to set a timeframe for the military campaign, sources said.

He acknowledged that Iran’s government could survive the war but expressed confidence it would collapse later, the sources said.

The minister's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Iran war live: US and Israel pound Iran and Lebanon; Trump weighs military cover for Hormuz tankers

Trump added that he had ordered oil tanker insurance support, a move that marks an aggressive step to try to contain soaring energy prices.

www.reuters.com

I am really hoping this doesn't turn into another Palestine.

imo

 

[JennieM]

Are we still not calling it a war?

 

[nao]

I am really hoping this doesn't turn into another Palestine.

imo

Moo...oh you know it will. Israel is bombing other countries while bombing Iran and taking land, USA is backing them...moo

 

[JennieM]

now
Israel says it has launched a ‘broad wave’ of strikes on Iran.

In a post on X, the IDF confirmed the offensive, saying a wave of “extensive strikes” had now begun targeting launch sites, defense systems, and additional Iranian infrastructure.

Iran war live updates: Trump says US may escort tankers through Strait of Hormuz; IDF launches strikes on Iran

US president orders Washington to provide insurance for commercial shipping in the crucial strait; Israeli military says it has launched a ‘broad wave’ of strikes

www.theguardian.com

 

[JennieM]

10 minutes ago

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said it recieved a report of a loud explosion in close proximity of a vessel followed by smoke in water, around 137 nautical miles of Muscat, Oman.

The vessel and crew are safe, the maritime security agency said.

Iran war live: US and Israel pound Iran and Lebanon; Trump weighs military cover for Hormuz tankers

Trump added that he had ordered oil tanker insurance support, a move that marks an aggressive step to try to contain soaring energy prices.

www.reuters.com