Makayla Mahoney
Connector Editor
On Saturday, February 28th, the United States and Israel launched “Operation Epic Fury”, launching almost 1,000 strikes around Iran. These targeted bombings, an initiation of war, struck several Iranian military bases and political leaders. Notably as a result was the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, and the deaths of 170 civilians at the destruction of a girl’s school.
Iran’s response to “Operation Epic Fury” was quick, with strikes targeting parts of Israel and U.S. embassies and military bases across the Middle East in the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Iraq, Oman and Jordan.
Now more than three weeks into this war, the number of strikes across the Middle East has continued to rise, along with casualties and civilian displacement. Authorities in Lebanon report around 1,021 deaths and a fifth of the population displaced due to Israel’s bombardment. At least 1,300 deaths have been reported in Iran. According to the Hegnaw Organization for Human Rights, 511 civilians have been killed in this war, making up 9.6% of fatal casualties to-date. Thirteen service members of the United States military have been confirmed dead as well, with seven having been killed in combat. Thousands of U.S. marine troops have been sent to arrive in Iran in the following days to come.
These attacks come after growing tensions in the Middle East, with President Trump citing Iran’s alleged growing nuclear development as a major concern. Previously, Iran’s nuclear capabilities were restricted under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action in exchange for sanction relief, which was negotiated in 2015 under the Obama administration and supported by Germany, China, France, Russia, and the United Kingdom. In 2018, President Trump pulled the U.S. out of the JCPA agreement and put sanctions on Iran. In his second term, it has now become a mission to reinstate a negotiation limiting Iran’s nuclear and ballistic weapons development.
Article I of the United States Constitution grants Congress the sole power of declaring a war on another nation. While the President does not hold this right, President Trump mobilized the military against Iran using his power as Commander-In-Chief, and under the explanation that these strikes were an act of “self-defense against imminent threat”.
The President further explained the U.S.’s suspicions that missiles in Tehran had the capability to reach the United States and would soon be launched. This claim has not been supported by U.S. intelligence or experts on the matter, who assert that Iran was far from developing ballistic missiles with the capacity to reach U.S. soil. These revived concerns come months after President Trump’s “Operation Midnight Hammer” on June 22, 2025, where the U.S. struck and destroyed three nuclear facilities in Iran.
Congresswoman Lori Trahan, representing Massachusetts’s 3rd district including Lowell, released a statement on the ongoing conflict:
“I’m praying for the safety of our servicemembers in the region who have been placed in harm’s way yet again and for their families who have already borne enormous sacrifice. Like all Americans, they were told just 10 months ago – when Trump ordered strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites – that Iran’s nuclear capability was set back years as a result. Now, we’re being told something altogether different: that those strikes failed, and that Iran may be more dangerous than ever. Our men and women in uniform deserve a clear mission, defined objectives, and a strategy that protects U.S. interests and regional stability without sliding into another forever war.”
On Monday, March 2nd, President Trump claimed that the war with Iran could take “four weeks or less”. While his estimation has grown since, more recent comments made by the President show a potential “winding down” of military involvement in the Middle East.
