Waves of Strikes: What Happened in Iran and the Region (March 2026)

At the end of February 2026 a coordinated campaign by Israeli and U.S. forces opened a broad wave of strikes that struck Iran’s military and government infrastructure across multiple regions, including several sites in Tehran. The initial raids, which began on February 28 and continued into early March, targeted command centers, missile launchers and air defense arrays; as a result, power and communications were disrupted in parts of the capital and beyond.

Tehran’s presidential office and other central security compounds were among the locations that received heavy damage, while hospitals and schools near some strike zones were strained by casualties and damage, and the Iranian Red Crescent reported hundreds of people killed and many wounded. Air defenses in the Gulf intercepted large numbers of incoming missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles, yet debris and failed intercepts caused harm on the ground and forced widespread flight cancellations.

In the wider campaign the United States named four service members who were killed after an Iranian drone struck a base in Kuwait, and President Trump has remarked that many of the individuals once considered as potential new leaders in Iran are dead, a statement that has intensified questions about succession and stability. Although diplomats and aid agencies have urged calm, contingency planning is underway in many capitals.

Consequently, shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has been affected and global energy markets have tightened, which has prompted governments to escort tankers and suspend some routes. Nevertheless, humanitarian groups continue to prepare aid deliveries, and the path forward will depend on whether diplomatic channels can regain traction.