Add The Wire As Your Trusted Source
For the best experience, open
https://m.thewire.in
on your mobile browser.
HomePoliticsEconomyWorldSecurityLawScienceSocietyCultureEditors-PickVideo
AdvertisementAdvertisement
home / Diplomacy

Over 200 Dead as US-Israel Joint Strikes Hit Iran; Missiles, Explosions Rock West Asia

While Israel claimed the attack was 'pre-emptive', Iran has called on the Security Council to prevent the attacks on its territory, in 'violation of international law'.
article_Author
The Wire Staff
  • whatsapp
  • fb
  • twitter
While Israel claimed the attack was 'pre-emptive', Iran has called on the Security Council to prevent the attacks on its territory, in 'violation of international law'.
over 200 dead as us israel joint strikes hit iran missiles explosions rock west asia
Smoke rises on the skyline after an explosion in Tehran, Iran, Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026.(AP Photo)
Advertisement

New Delhi: Over 200 have died in the joint Israeli-United States strikes on Iran, the Iranian Red Crescent Society said on Saturday (February 28) night, the BBC reports. The death toll was placed at 201 based on accounts in local media. Another 747 are reported injured in the strikes that continued through the day and night, a spokesperson of the Society told BBC.

The attacks, which still continue, covered 24 out of 31 provinces in Iran. The deadliest was reported in Hormozgan province, where the a missile struck a girls' primary school in the afternoon. According to IRNA, the Iranian state news agency, over 50 were killed, including children, and many more were injured in that one strike.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei told BBC says he is "not in a position to confirm" whether members of Iran's senior leadership targeted by the US and Israel are unharmed.

Earlier in the day, Khamenei was not in Tehran and was in a secure location, a Reuters report citing an Iranian official said. IRNA confirmed at the time that the president of the country, Masoud Pezeshkian, was unharmed. His son confirmed hours later that Pezeshkian was safe, as did the president's executive deputy, Mohammad Jafar Ghaempanah, on X.

Advertisement

"Hello, following repeated contacts, despite the treacherous attacks by America and the Zionist regime during the negotiations, President #_Pezeshkian is in good health and well-being," Qaempanah said in the post.

Iran has condemned the joint Israeli-United States strikes on its territory as a violation of international law and national sovereignty. In a statement, the foreign ministry warned Tehran reserved the right to respond. The statement confirmed casualties from the attacks launched Saturday morning, saying "a number of" military personnel and civilians have died.

Advertisement

"In accordance with Article 51 of the UN Charter, Iran reserves the legitimate and legal right to respond to this aggression," the foreign ministry said. It called on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to "take immediate action against this violation of international peace and security ... without any delay".

India's foreign minister S. Jaishankar said in a post on X late Staruday night he had spoken to Iranian foreign minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Prime Minister Narendra Modi was in Israel and addressed the Knesset two days before Saturday's strikes against Iran.

"Today's discussions with Prime Minister Netanyahu were very fruitful," Modi wrote on X on February 26, adding, "We reached a historic decision to elevate our proven partnership to a 'special strategic partnership'. This decision reflects the aspirations of the citizens of both countries."

He is yet to tweet on the ongoing attacks by Israel on Iran.

Earlier on Saturday, European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said on X that the situation in West Asia was "perilous". She said, "Our consular network is fully engaged in facilitating departures for EU citizens. Non-essential EU personnel are being withdrawn from the region."

Attacks and strikes were reported on Saturday from several Gulf countries inclulding UAE, Abu Dhabi, Bahrain and Kuwait. Reports of strikes and warning sirens also emerged from Israel, including Tel Aviv.

In a statement reported by Bahrain News Agency, the kingdom's National Communication Centre confirmed "external attacks targeting sites and installations", calling it a "flagrant violation" of sovereignty and security and reserving the right to defend itself.

Bahrain hosts the US Fifth Fleet, a US naval command in West Asia. An initial statement did not confirm what installations were targeted or name an aggressor. In a second statement, the communical centre confirmed a "service centre" of the Fifth Fleet was targeted by a missile strike.

Earlier in the afternoon, Al Jazeera had said in a brief breaking news update that explosions have been reported from the UAE, Abu Dhabi, Manama (Bahrain) and Kuwait. US media reported Iran missile attacks on Israel and American bases in the region, mentioning Kuwait, UAE, Qatar and Bahrain.

The UAE stated Saturday afternoon it had successfully intercepted an Iranian missile strike. State news agency the National said one person died in Abu Dhabi due to the strike in the statement issued at 1 PM local time. The UAE foreign ministry condemned the Israel-US joint attacks launched Saturday on Iran.

Within Iran, media and social media reports said clouds of smoke were seen rising from Tehran's downtown area and central Tehran and described explosions in other parts of the country. A report in Al Jazeera said at 3:30 PM a massive explosion was just heard in Tehran.

Iran's official news agency IRNA confirmed the attacks in the capital as well as Isfahan, Qom, Karaj and Kermanshah.

Flights were cancelled and airspace in various countries closed or partially closed in the wake of the attacks. Gulf News reports a partial closure of flights in the UAE. Air India and IndiGo reported flight diversions due to closure of Israeli airspace. Syria's Civil Aviation Authority also reported partial airspace closure.

US President Donald Trump confirmed "major combat operations" in Iran, BBC reported.

Also read: With Eight-Minute Video, Trump Announces 'Major Combat Operations' in Iran

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shared a post on X at 1:58 PM with a video message addressing Israeli citizens. He confirmed the joint attack by Israel and the US, calling Iran an "existential threat" and a "terrorist regime".

(For 47 years, the Ayatollahs' regime has chanted "Death to Israel," "Death to America." It has spilled our blood, murdered many Americans, and massacred its own people. This murderous terrorist regime must not be allowed to arm itself with nuclear weapons that would enable it to threaten all of humanity," Netanyahu said in the post addressed to Israeli citizens.

The first Israeli-US strike on Iran was near the Tehran offices of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, AP reported. IRNA posted video footage of attacks on central Tehran, where many government departments and residences are located.

Turkish daily Sabah News confirmed, citing Ebrahim Azizi, the head of the National Security Commission of Iran, that the country would retaliate. "We had warned you. Now you have started down a path whose end is no longer in your hands," Azizi reportedly said.

Tehran Times reported on X social that strikes in Qom, Khorammabad and Esfahan as well as in Mehrabad airport, Tehran.

In a letter to the United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Iran's permanent mission to the UN said last week it did not want a war but would respond decisively if it faced military aggression.

The US and Iran were engaged in talks over Tehran's nuclear programme, which ended on Thursday without a deal in Geneva. A fresh round of talks was expected to be held at another venue in Europe, even as the US and Israel alerady signalled military action.

The US has assembled a vast fleet of fighter jets and warships in the region to try to pressure Iran into a deal over its nuclear program. Iran had hoped to avert a war, but maintains it has the right to enrich uranium.

The view from Pasteur Street in Iran's capital Tehran on February 28, 2026 at 12:14 PM after strikes across the country by Israel. The US has confirmed active participation. Image source: X/@TehranTimes79

Earlier, on the morning of February 28, Oman’s Foreign Minister Badr bin Hamad Al Busaidi said there had been a "major breakthrough" in Iran's indirect talks with the US. According to an Al Jazeera report citing AP and its own staff, Iran had agreed "never to stockpile enriched uranium", which was a "major breakthrough", according to him.

“The single most important achievement, I believe, is the agreement that Iran will never ever have nuclear material that will create a bomb,” he said.

Iranian foreign minister Araghchi had reportedly asked the US to drop its “excessive demands” in nuclear talks on Friday, February 27, the same day the US embassy in Jerusalem asked non-emergency staff to leave Israel, widely seen as a precursor to attacks.

Araghchi also had a phone call with his Egyptian counterpart Badr Abdel Ati, according to a report on Friday by ISNA news agency of Israel.

Araghchi had said on Tuesday – two days before the meeting in Geneva – that a deal with the US was possible only if "diplomacy is given priority". The US was represented in the talks by envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, meeting an Iranian delegation, Iran International news site reported.

On February 24, in a series of tweets on X, Araghchi laid out his country's long-standing position on the nuclear issue, a source of repeated and yearslong discord with successive US administrations.

US president Trump had said on Friday the decision to launch attacks on Iran was "not final". On Saturday he took to Truth Social to say the US is undertaking a "massive" operation to "prevent" Iran from threatening America and "our very good friends and allies in Europe".

Reuters reported, citing an unnamed Israeli defence official that the operation on Iran had been planned for months in coordination with Washington, and that the launch date was decided weeks ago.

As per Al Jazeera, Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz has claimed that Israel waged the attack to "remove threats to the State of Israel" and called it "pre-emptive".

Meanwhile, the Israeli Defence Forces put out the following statement on X.

(With inputs from AP.)

This is a developing story.

This article went live on February twenty-eighth, two thousand twenty six, at fifty-two minutes past twelve at noon.

The Wire is now on WhatsApp. Follow our channel for sharp analysis and opinions on the latest developments.

Advertisement
Advertisement
tlbr_img1 Series tlbr_img2 Columns tlbr_img3 Multimedia