Operation Epic Fury: Inside the U.S.-Israeli War on Iran as Trump Demands "Unconditional Surrender" and Russia Enters the Fray

On the morning of February 28, 2026, at approximately 7:00 AM local time, the skies over Iran filled with American and Israeli ordnance. In what would become the largest B-2 operational strike in U.S. history, fourteen GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrators — the world's largest bunker-buster bombs — slammed into Iran's underground nuclear facilities at Fordow and Natanz [1]. Tomahawk cruise missiles destroyed the Isfahan Nuclear Technology Center. Precision strikes leveled the compound of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Within hours, a nation of 90 million people was decapitated of its most powerful figure, its nuclear ambitions set back by decades, and the entire Middle East plunged into a conflict whose end remains nowhere in sight.

Eight days later, the conflict has not only metastasized beyond anything its planners publicly anticipated — it has drawn in a new, nuclear-armed participant. Russia is now providing Iran with satellite intelligence to target American forces [35][36]. Trump has rejected all diplomacy, demanding Iran's "unconditional surrender" [37]. Israel has set Tehran's Mehrabad Airport ablaze in a new wave of strikes [38]. And the White House has acknowledged that meeting its war objectives will take four to six weeks — a timeline that keeps stretching [39].

The Road to War

The path to Operation Epic Fury was paved over months of escalating tensions, failed diplomacy, and a White House that had been signaling its intentions with increasing clarity.

In early January 2026, Iran was already convulsing from within. Antigovernment protests that had raged for more than two weeks prompted authorities to shut down the internet nationwide. President Trump responded on January 2 with a threat of "lock and loaded" military intervention if Iran killed peaceful protesters, and by January 23, he announced that a U.S. "armada" — including the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln — was heading to the Middle East [3].

A direct military confrontation nearly occurred on February 3, when six IRGC Navy gunboats attempted to seize a U.S. tanker, the Stena Imperative, in the Strait of Hormuz [3]. Diplomatic efforts continued in parallel but made little headway. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi described a "historic opportunity" for a nuclear agreement as "within reach" on February 25, and a third round of indirect talks took place in Geneva the following day. One day later, Trump delivered a State of the Union address accusing Iran of reviving nuclear weapons efforts, and on February 28, the bombs began to fall.

The Opening Salvo and the Killing of Khamenei

The coordinated U.S.-Israeli operation had two codenames — Operation Epic Fury (U.S.) and Operation Roaring Lion (Israel) — and four stated objectives: preventing Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon, destroying its missile arsenal and production sites, degrading its proxy networks, and annihilating its navy. A fifth, political objective was stated openly: regime change from within [1].

The most dramatic achievement of the opening strikes was the assassination of 86-year-old Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Using CIA intelligence to pinpoint senior leaders' locations, Israeli airstrikes targeted Khamenei at his office within his residence compound in Tehran. Iran's government confirmed his death on March 1 [4]. On March 7, the Israeli Air Force went further, deploying approximately 50 fighter jets to drop around 100 bombs on Khamenei's underground bunker in Tehran, which the IDF said was being used by senior regime officials as a command center. The bunker was completely destroyed [40].

The reaction inside Iran was starkly divided. President Masoud Pezeshkian described the killing as a "great crime" and vowed it would "not go unanswered." Yet videos circulated from Isfahan, Shiraz, Kermanshah, and Sanandaj showing Iranian civilians celebrating in the streets [4]. An Interim Leadership Council was established on March 1, but with Israeli strikes continuing to target senior military and political figures, who can effectively govern — let alone negotiate — remains an open question [5].

Eight Days of Devastation: The Campaign by the Numbers

The scale of the air campaign has been staggering. By Day 8, U.S. Central Command reported that more than 3,000 targets had been struck inside Iran [41]. The Israeli military stated it had conducted approximately 2,500 strikes using over 6,000 munitions, claiming to have destroyed 80 percent of Iran's air defense systems and achieved "near-complete air superiority" [40][42]. CENTCOM Commander Admiral Brad Cooper confirmed that Iranian ballistic missile attacks had decreased by 90 percent since the war began, and drone attacks were down 83 percent [42].

Israel escalated further on March 7, launching what the IDF described as a "broad-scale new wave of strikes" on Tehran. Dramatic footage showed Mehrabad International Airport — one of Iran's busiest aviation hubs — engulfed in flames, with planes burning on the runway and thick black smoke rising over the capital [38]. Targets throughout the week included the presidential complex, the headquarters of Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting, IRGC missile production facilities in the Khojir area, and approximately 600 infrastructure sites [27][28].

Iran's Foreign Ministry has claimed that U.S. and Israeli strikes have hit 33 civilian locations, including hospitals, schools, the Tehran Grand Bazaar, and the historic Golestan Palace — a UNESCO World Heritage Site [28]. Preliminary casualty figures as of March 7 stood at more than 1,230 dead in Iran, at least 123 killed in Lebanon, 11 in Israel, and multiple fatalities across Gulf states, in addition to six American soldiers killed [2][9][30][41].

Russia Enters the War — From the Shadows

The most consequential new development of the conflict's second week was the revelation that Russia is providing Iran with intelligence to target American forces — the first indication that a nuclear-armed U.S. adversary is actively participating in the war, even indirectly [35][36].

According to the Washington Post, NBC News, and CNN, citing multiple U.S. officials, Russia has been passing Iran the locations of U.S. military assets, including warships and aircraft, since the strikes began on February 28. Much of the intelligence comes from Moscow's sophisticated constellation of overhead satellites, which can provide targeting data faster and with more precision than Iran's own capabilities [35][36].

The White House sought to downplay the significance. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the intelligence "clearly is not making a difference" given Iran's rapidly degrading military capacity [43]. But the implications are far-reaching: the conflict now features one of America's chief nuclear-armed competitors actively helping Iran strike U.S. forces. Senator Chris Murphy called it "an extraordinary escalation" and warned it could "draw us into a broader confrontation with Russia at the worst possible time" [36].

"Unconditional Surrender": Trump Closes the Door on Diplomacy

On March 6, President Trump slammed the door on any near-term diplomatic resolution. "No deal with Iran except UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER!" he wrote on TruthSocial, hours after Iranian President Pezeshkian had raised the prospect of mediation efforts [37].

When pressed on what unconditional surrender meant in practice, Trump told Axios: "Unconditional surrender could be that [the Iranians] announce it. But it could also be when they can't fight any longer because they don't have anyone or anything to fight with" [44]. At a White House event hosting Inter Miami CF, Trump declared that U.S. and Israeli forces "continue to totally demolish the enemy, far ahead of schedule and at levels that people have never seen before" [45].

The White House formally listed four war objectives: destroying Iran's navy, eliminating its ballistic missile threat, ensuring it cannot obtain a nuclear weapon, and weakening its regional proxies [39]. The navy objective is already close to completion — more than 30 Iranian naval vessels have been sunk, and the White House declared Iran's navy "combat ineffective" on Day 6 [39][42]. But the broader objectives, particularly the elimination of Iran's missile program and proxy networks, are expected to take four to six weeks — up from an initial suggestion of days [39].

Source: FRED / U.S. Energy Information Administration

Data as of Mar 7, 2026CSV

Escalation: Iran Strikes Back Across the Region

Iran's response has been swift, far-reaching, and increasingly indiscriminate. In the hours and days following the initial strikes, Tehran launched dozens of ballistic missiles and drones at Israeli territory and U.S. military bases across the Gulf. The retaliatory fire struck not only the nations that attacked Iran, but also neighboring states — the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Iraq, Bahrain, Oman, Azerbaijan, and Turkey — drawing condemnation for targeting countries that had not participated in the offensive [6][29].

Gulf states report that Iran has expanded its targeting beyond U.S. military assets to include civilian infrastructure — hotels, airports, and energy facilities [17]. In the UAE, at least three people have been killed and 58 injured, with the UAE Ministry of Defense reporting that half a dozen missiles and 126 drones were intercepted in a single day [17][29]. Qatar reported 16 injuries and confirmed that its forces shot down two Iranian Su-24 bombers. Saudi Arabia intercepted 16 drones and missiles aimed at vital oil fields and air bases [38]. Kuwait reported 32 injuries and at least one death, Bahrain alone intercepted 73 missiles and 91 drones [17].

The human cost to American forces continues to mount. Six U.S. service members have been killed, including four Army reservists — Capt. Cody Khork, 35; Sgt. 1st Class Noah Tietjens, 42; Sgt. 1st Class Nicole Amor, 39; and Sgt. Declan Coady, 20 — who died on March 1 when a drone struck Port Shuaiba in Kuwait [7]. Three U.S. embassies — in Kuwait, Lebanon, and Saudi Arabia — were shuttered, and the State Department ordered the largest U.S. diplomatic drawdown in the Middle East since the Iraq War [18].

A Historic Naval Engagement — and a Diplomatic Storm

In a moment that immediately entered military history, a U.S. submarine torpedoed and sank the Iranian frigate IRIS Dena in the Indian Ocean approximately 40 nautical miles south of Galle, Sri Lanka, on March 4. Sri Lankan Navy rescuers recovered more than 87 bodies and rescued 32 survivors; more than 100 crew remain missing [10][19].

The sinking marked the first enemy warship torpedoed by a U.S. submarine since World War II and only the second ship ever sunk by a nuclear-powered attack submarine — after HMS Conqueror sank the ARA General Belgrano during the Falklands War in 1982 [10]. The incident created a diplomatic problem for India, as the IRIS Dena had been participating in the International Fleet Review 2026, a naval exercise hosted by India. Congress Party leader Rahul Gandhi accused Prime Minister Modi of surrendering India's strategic independence as "the conflict has reached our backyard" [31].

The War Widens: Lebanon, Cyprus, and the Kurdish Front

The conflict has opened a significant new front in Lebanon. Hezbollah launched strikes against Israel on March 2, describing its action as a "defensive act" following the killing of Khamenei. Israel responded with a major escalation — strikes on Beirut's Dahiyeh, a Hezbollah stronghold — and issued blanket evacuation orders covering four major neighborhoods [30][32]. The Lebanese health ministry reported 123 killed and 683 wounded as of March 5 [30].

On March 2, a Shahed-type drone struck RAF Akrotiri, the British sovereign base in Cyprus — the first direct impact of the conflict on European soil. The UK deployed HMS Dragon, while France ordered its nuclear-powered aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle to the Mediterranean [20].

Most provocatively, Trump has opened the door to a potential ground front. When asked about Iranian Kurdish forces entering Iran from Iraq, Trump told Reuters: "I think it's wonderful that they want to do that, I'd be all for it" [25]. A coalition of five major Iranian Kurdish parties formed on February 22 and has been training for such an operation; an official with Komala said their forces were "ready to cross the border within a week to 10 days" [33]. Trump's statement that the United States "must have a role in choosing" Iran's next leader further signaled an expansive vision of the conflict's political objectives [25][26].

The Strait of Hormuz: A Global Economic Chokepoint Closes

Perhaps no consequence of the conflict has been felt as immediately or as widely as the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz. The IRGC formally announced the strait's closure on March 2, threatening any ship that passed through [11][29]. At least five tankers have been damaged and two crew killed, including two Indian crew members on the oil tanker Skylight, struck by a projectile north of Khasab, Oman [46].

Tanker traffic dropped to effectively zero. Over 150 ships anchored outside the strait. WTI crude oil surged from $66.96 on February 27 — the day before strikes began — to over $80 per barrel by March 5, with analysts warning prices could reach $100 [12][13]. Global stock markets declined, and airspace closures led to over 4,000 daily flight cancellations [13].

Source: FRED / CNBC / EIA

Data as of Mar 7, 2026CSV

Congress Votes: Both Chambers Reject War Powers Challenges

In a span of two days, both chambers of Congress voted to reject War Powers Resolutions that would have curtailed the president's authority. The Senate voted 47–53 on March 4, with Senator Rand Paul the only Republican to support the resolution [15][24]. The House rejected its companion resolution 212–219 the following day — a margin of just seven votes that reflected genuine unease about an expanding conflict launched without a formal declaration of war [34].

Competing Perspectives: How the World Sees This War

The administration's case: Supporters argue the strikes were necessary and overdue. Iran was within reach of a nuclear weapon, its proxies had destabilized the region for decades, and the regime's internal crackdowns demonstrated it would never reform from within. The White House has touted rapid military success: Iran's navy is "combat ineffective," its air defenses are 80 percent destroyed, and its retaliatory missile capacity is down 90 percent [39][42].

The antiwar position: Critics contend the strikes were launched without legal authorization and with shifting justifications. Trump's demand for "unconditional surrender" and his insistence on choosing Iran's next leader have deepened concerns that the conflict is drifting toward open-ended regime change [25][37]. The revelation of Russian intelligence assistance has introduced fears of a broader great-power confrontation [35].

The regional view: Gulf states hosting U.S. bases have become targets for Iranian retaliation without having had any say in the decision to strike. Iran insists it is exercising its right to self-defense, though its strikes on non-belligerent nations have drawn near-universal condemnation [17].

The European position: The UK, France, and Germany have adopted a middle path — refusing to join offensive operations while supporting defensive measures. An Iranian minister warned on March 7 that any European countries joining the attacks would become "targets" for retaliation [38]. Starmer's explicit rejection of "regime change from the skies" stands in sharp contrast to Trump's stated ambitions [6][21].

Source: GDELT Project

Data as of Mar 7, 2026CSV

What Comes Next

Eight days into the conflict, the war has achieved several of its stated military objectives: Iran's nuclear infrastructure has sustained devastating damage, more than 3,000 targets have been struck, the supreme leader is dead, and Iran's navy is combat ineffective [39][41][42]. But the costs are accelerating — in American lives, in economic disruption, in a diplomatic drawdown not seen since the Iraq War, and in a widening theater that now stretches from the Indian Ocean to NATO territory.

Three developments threaten to transform the conflict's character entirely. Russia's provision of targeting intelligence to Iran has introduced a great-power dimension that risks escalation beyond the Middle East [35][36]. Trump's demand for "unconditional surrender" has foreclosed the diplomatic off-ramps that might have limited the war's duration [37]. And the potential opening of a Kurdish ground front would move the conflict from an air and naval campaign to something with a ground dimension — a threshold the White House says it has not endorsed but that Trump's comments have unmistakably encouraged [25][33].

Reports indicate Iran made secret diplomatic outreach to the United States following the initial strikes, but the targeted killing campaign has eliminated many of the Iranian officials who might have conducted negotiations [5]. With the White House now projecting four to six weeks of operations, crude oil surging, Russia feeding intelligence to Tehran, and Tehran's airport burning, the question is no longer whether Operation Epic Fury will reshape the Middle East — but whether anyone can control how far the reshaping goes.