We’re making this story accessible to all readers as a public service. Support our journalism by *becoming a member today*.

US strikes Iran: What you need to know

Early Saturday, the United States and Israel launched an attack on Iran, marking the start of what appears to be a far-reaching and open-ended war. President Donald Trump said the operation was meant to eliminate an “imminent threat,” destroy Iran’s missile and naval forces, and ultimately encourage Iranians to overthrow their government. He later said the strike had killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei along with other senior regime figures.

Iran has since responded with retaliatory missile attacks on US, Israeli, and allied targets across the region. After weeks of military buildup, all signs point to a campaign far larger than recent clashes.

Politically, the moment seems to mark a sharp reversal for Trump.

After years of condemning the Iraq war and even branding himself the “peace” candidate, he has now embraced the kind of regime change conflict he long criticized. Allies once praised him for avoiding new wars, including politicians like JD Vance, while contrasting him with past hawks like Hillary Clinton, who infamously backed the Iraq war as a senator. That record now collides with a war whose goals and consequences remain deeply unclear.

Follow here for all of our latest coverage and analysis.

Trump’s war with Iran, briefly explained

A plume of smoke rises over Tehran, Iran, on February 28, 2026. Ehsan/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty ImagesThis story appeared in.The Logoff, a daily newsletter that helps you stay informed about the Trump administration without letting political news take over your life.Subscribe here.Editor’s note, February 28, 5:30 pm ET:President Donald Trump announced on Saturday afternoon that Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was killed in the airstrikes. The following story was published earlier on February 28, before the news of Khamenei’s deathRead Article >Why did the US strike Iran?

A plume of smoke rises after an explosion on February 28, 2026, in Tehran, Iran. Getty ImagesEditor’s note, February 28, 2026, 5:45 pm ET:This article was originally published on February 19, in the lead-up to war in Iran and updated on February 28 after airstrikes had begun, before the news of the death of Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.President Donald Trump

announcedearly Saturday morning that the US and Israel had launched an attack on Iran, saying the goal was to eliminate an “imminent threat” from Iran, “raze their missile industry to the ground” and “annihilate their navy,” and for Iranians to overthrow their government.Read Article >Trump attacked regime change wars for years. Now he’s launched his own.

Smoke rises over the city center after an Israeli army launches second wave of airstrikes on Iran on February 28, 2026. Fatemeh Bahrami/Anadolu via Getty Images.Editor’s note, February 28, 5:30 pm ET:President Donald Trump announced on Saturday afternoon that Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was killed in the airstrikes. The following story was published earlier on February 28, before the news of Khamenei’s deathWith the decision to once again launch major airstrikes on Iran, in conjunction with Israel, and call for the overthrow of the Iranian government, President Donald Trump’s foreign policy has come full circle. The US has once again launched the sort of regime change war, where the actual stakes for US national security are far from clear, that he has spent more than a decade deriding his predecessors for pursuing.

Read Article >The incoherence at the heart of Trump’s latest, biggest war

A screen grab from a video released on President Donald Trump’s Truth Social account shows him making statements regarding combat operations on Iran on February 28, 2026, in Palm Beach, Florida. Anadolu via Getty Images.Editor’s note, February 28, 5:30 pm ET:President Donald Trump announced on Saturday afternoon that Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was killed in the airstrikes. The following story was published earlier on February 28, before the news of Khamenei’s deathEarly Saturday, the United States launched an open-ended war on Iran. And nobody really knows why.

Read Article >Does the US have enough aircraft carriers for all Trump’s wars?

The US aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford is seen from a beach in Mallorca, Spain on October 4, 2025. Clara Margais/picture alliance via Getty ImagesEditor’s note, February 28, 2026, 7:30 am ET:On Saturday, February 28, the US launched airstrikes on Iran. The article below was originally published on February 26. Read Vox’s latest coverage of the attackhere.As his latest threats to Iran suggest, President Donald Trump has become increasingly comfortable deploying military force around the world. But even with a military as large and technologically advanced as America’s, there are limits to how quickly he can simply pivot from one global crisis to another.

Read Article >Gen Z really doesn’t want to go war

Fire at Fuerte Tiuna, Venezuela’s largest military complex, is seen from a distance after a series of explosions in Caracas on January 3, 2026. AFP via Getty ImagesEditor’s note, February 28, 2026, 7:30 am ET:On Saturday, February 28, the US launched airstrikes on Iran. The article below was originally published on February 3. Read Vox’s latest coverage of the attack.hereThere was an underrated storyline of the 2024 election, one that’s increasingly starting to resurface now, as President Donald Trump goes on a foreign policy crusade, threatening to upend longstanding geopolitical norms between the United States and our allies (cough, acquiring Greenland, cough): Gen Z really doesn’t want to go to war.

Read Article >