By Hadassa Ferreira, Arts & Culture Editor
On Feb. 28, the world woke up with the news that the U.S. conducted a major attack on Iran. After such an alarming moment, the world looks forward to understanding the reasons and implications of this happening for the future of the international community.
The U.S. joined the Israeli forces and conducted an attack on Iran, one that killed Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s leader for the past 37 years. According to the New York Times, the attack conducted on Saturday morning happened at Ayatollah Khamenei’s house, and the Iranian leader was killed at his office.
The New York Times also confirmed that Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s death was the result of extensive C.I.A. work. The U.S. intelligence agency had been tracking the Iranian leader for several months and aimed to identify his locations and patterns to determine the attack’s target.
Through intense intelligence work, the C.I.A. discovered that Ayatollah Ali Khamenei would meet with other top Iranian officials at a leadership complex located at the heart of Tehran. Also, according to the New York Times, on Saturday morning, attacks began, and multiple explosions happened in distinct Iranian cities such as Tehran, Qom, and others.
According to U.S. officials, the dozens of attacks that happened on Saturday were conducted with airplanes launching from bases around the Middle East, as well as at least one aircraft carrier. The Iranian militaries were United States’ main target.
While the attacks happened, it was announced that Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, had died. U.S. President Donald Trump confirmed Ali Khamenei’s death early on Saturday, stating that bombing attacks would continue throughout the week, uninterruptedly as long as necessary to achieve the U.S. administration objective of peace.
Beyond the supreme leader’s death, Iran’s news agency also announced the deaths of other high-level military leaders: Rear Admiral Ali Shamkhani, secretary of the Defense Council, and Major Gen. Mohammad Pakpour, commander in chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps.
According to the current U.S. administration, the major reason for the attack was the lack of success of the United States and Iran in reaching an agreement regarding the Iranian nuclear program. President Trump had been warning of possible strikes in Iran for weeks, and last week, U.S. and Iranian officials held a final meeting that ended without a positive resolution.
A factor that escalated the United States–Iran conflict was the tense situation between Iran’s government and the Iranian people. In January, the Iranian government used lethal force to suppress public protests. After attacks started on Saturday, President Trump encouraged Iranians to take over their government after U.S. military action was concluded.
Aligned with that, Israel’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, also stated that the U.S. and Israel’s attack in Iran could create the conditions for the brave Iranian people to take their destiny into their hands. For Benjamin Netanyahu, joining the U.S. in this attack on Iran serves the objective of addressing a government that he considers an existential threat.
Dr. Daniel DuBois, head of the Department of International Studies at Saint Leo University, said efforts to force regime change in Iran could create instability in the region.
“If the goal is regime change and empowering Iranian people … to rise up against them [the government], there’s a real scenario this could descend into a civil war,” DuBois said.
DuBois added that the outcome could depend on whether outside powers become directly involved in the conflict.
“The question would be whether or not the United States or Israel will commit soldiers, in the form of ground troops, to facilitate the war against the Iranian government and its military,” DuBois said.
The fact is that although some Iranians resent this event as a tragedy, a part of the Iranian population was, in fact, satisfied with the news of Iran’s supreme leader’s death. For those, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s death represents the end of a theocratic regime and a significant historic shift for the Iranian people; therefore, the people rejoiced.
Despite citizens’ reactions to the news, Iran did not respond positively to U.S. and Israeli attacks. The Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps stated that Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s death would only increase the nation’s motivations to continue their path, condemning the U.S. and Israel’s actions and promising to punish the aggression.
“As of now, much of Iran’s security force is intact, which means Iran can continue to suppress dissidents inside and outside its borders and attack its neighbors as well as the U.S. and Israeli targets outside of its borders, which is what we are seeing happening,” DuBois stated.
Some of the retaliatory efforts from Iran were a barrage of missiles and drones launched at Israel, as well as missile attacks that targeted U.S. military bases in Qatar, Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait, Al Dhafra Air Base in the United Arab Emirates, and the U.S. Fifth Fleet headquarters in Bahrain.
Regarding Iran’s future, the situation is still inconclusive; however, according to The New York Times, before the attacks on Saturday, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had already planned for a transition of power on the occasion of his death.
“There is no doubt that there has been the decapitation of Iran’s top leaders, but the Iranian government is an expansive and well-structured organization that has succession lines. So, just because the current Ayatollah has been killed, that does not mean that there are not successors ready to take his place,” argued DuBois.
