Following weeks of negotiations between US and Iranian officials over Iran’s nuclear program, the United States and Israel on February 28 launched a coordinated cooperation dubbed Operations “Epic Fury” and “Roaring Lion” against the Iranian regime.
To better understand the US-Israel war with Iran, here is a breakdown of what happened and its consequences in maps and charts.
#1 Which locations have been hit by US-Israel strikes?
The US and Israel have struck several Iranian military bases and government buildings. Satellite images show the extent of the destruction caused by the joint attacks.
For instance, the residence of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was heavily damaged. Khamenei and other high-ranking officials were killed in the attack.
In Kermanshah, recent satellite images show damage to multiple buildings at a missile facility.
The access to an underground missile facility near Kangavar appears to have been destroyed.
#2 Where have the US and Israel attacked and where has Iran retaliated?
As the US and Israel continue to attack targets in Iran, Tehran is retaliating with strikes against Israel and other countries, particularly those allied with Washington. Beyond the Gulf, the war has now spilled into Lebanon.
As US President Donald Trump met German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in the White House on March 3, Trump boasted that “just about everything’s been knocked out” in Iran, including its navy, air force and air detection systems.
He said that the new waves of attacks had killed even Iranian figures who could have taken over as new leaders. “Most of the people we had in mind are dead.”
#3 Why did the US and Israel attack Iran?
Trump and other US government officials have given different reasons for the strikes.
The US leader said that a primary goal is “to eliminate the Iranian nuclear program once and for all.”
When the bombing campaign began on Saturday, Trump also urged Iranians to “take over your government” once the bombardment was over. By Monday (March 2), US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, for example, claimed that the attacks on Iran are not a “regime change war.”
#4 Iran’s leaders: Who’s been killed?
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the supreme leader who ruled Iran for almost four decades, was killed on the first day of the coordinated US-Israeli attack. Other senior leaders were also targeted and killed.
Now that the supreme leader is dead, who is running Iran? There are three men on the country’s interim leadership council: President Masoud Pezeshkian, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei and Alireza Arafi, a clerical member of the Guardian Council.
Before his death, no successor to Khamenei had been named. Under Iran’s constitution, that task falls on the Assembly of Experts, an elected body of 88 senior clerics.
Trump said that the new waves of attacks had killed even Iranian figures who could have taken over as new leaders. “Most of the people we had in mind are dead.”
Currently, the power vacuum appears to be filled by Iran’s top national security official, Ali Larijani.
#5 How long can Iran keep fighting?
While several high-ranking Iranian officials have been killed, Iran’s regime is still intact. Trump projected the war to last four to five weeks but said he was prepared “to go far longer than that” if necessary.
Here’s how the military strength of Iran, the US and Israel stacks up.
On March 4, the Israeli military cautioned that Iran retains substantial capacity to launch missiles against Israel, despite ongoing strikes targeting missile launch sites in the Islamic Republic.
“We will continue to strike the missile launchers and reduce the firing, but the regime still has significant capacity, and I would like to remind you that our defence is not impenetrable,” said military spokesman Brigadier General Effie Defrin during a televised briefing.
The military also said in a statement it had struck a facility “for the storage, production, and launch of ballistic missiles — including Ghadr missiles — in Isfahan in western Iran.”
Recent satellite images show that a building at a missile facility near Isfahan was hit.
#6 How many people have died in the Iran war so far?
Currently, there are no reliable figures available to provide a definite number of people killed in the strikes.
For Iran, the estimates range from 500 to more than 800. For Oman, Iraq, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Kuwait, fewer than 10 deaths have been reported so far.
Figures for Lebanon range from 10 to more than 50. Six US soldiers were killed in a strike on a US air base in Kuwait. For Israel, 11 casualties have been reported.
#7 What’s the situation in the Strait of Hormuz?
Shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important oil chokepoints, has been paralyzed. Revolutionary Guards General Ebrahim Jabbari declared that Iran will “burn any ship” that tries to pass through the vital shipping route.
In response, Trump said the US Navy could begin escorting oil tankers transiting the Strait if necessary.
On March 4, the Revolutionary Guards claimed the Strait is under the “full control” of Iran’s navy, according to the semi-official Fars news agency.
#8 How is the Iran war affecting oil prices?
Following the escalating conflict in the Middle East, global oil prices, as expected, soared. Brent North Sea crude, the international benchmark, is reaching new record highs for the first time since July 2024 and is currently at just over $80 per barrel (March 4).
Julian Peschel, Anne Serwas and DW’s Infographics team contributed to this report.
Edited by: Gianna-Carina Gruen and Rob Mudge
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