The IAS GS Blog

Why is it important to have a consistent routine?

Consistency is the key to success in the Civil Service Examination. You also need to know what is the right thing to do. This post teaches you exactly to do that.

  • Society and Social Issues
  • History

Key Terms to Know

  • Operation Epic Fury — the US codename for the February 28, 2026 strikes on Iran
  • Operation Roaring Lion — the Israeli codename for the same joint operation
  • IRGC — Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps; Iran’s elite military and intelligence force
  • JCPOA — Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action; the 2015 Iran nuclear deal from which the US withdrew in 2018
  • Snapback Sanctions — mechanism under JCPOA allowing signatories to reimpose sanctions if Iran violates terms; triggered by UK, France, and Germany in October 2025
  • Axis of Resistance — Iran’s network of allied armed groups: Hamas, Hezbollah, Houthis, Iraqi militias
  • Strait of Hormuz — strategic chokepoint through which roughly 20% of the world’s oil supply passes

1. Issue/Problem

On February 28, 2026, the United States and Israel launched coordinated joint strikes on Iran, targeting key Iranian officials, military commanders and facilities, with the stated aim of regime change. The strikes killed Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who had led the country for nearly four decades.

2. Proximate (Immediate) Reasons

Nuclear Program

  • The Trump administration in February 2026 stated that Iran had restarted its nuclear programme and was developing missiles with enough range for an attack on the United States.
  • On February 20, President Trump issued a 10-day deadline for a deal. Following unsatisfactory results in a third round of negotiations in Geneva on February 26, US and Israeli strikes began on February 28.

Claimed Preemptive Threat

  • According to an anonymous US source, Trump authorized the strike after the US received intelligence that Iran was planning to preemptively launch missiles. However, the administration did not provide any evidence, and Pentagon officials told Congress in closed-door briefings there was no intelligence suggesting Iran was planning to attack US forces first.

Collapsed Diplomacy

  • Although the last round of talks ended with Iran agreeing to “never” stockpile enriched uranium, that was not enough to avert US military action.

3. Underlying (Structural) Reasons

Actor Underlying Motivation
United States Eliminate Iran’s nuclear and missile programme; end Iranian support for proxy groups; regime change; 47-year adversarial relationship since 1979
Israel Existential threat perception from a nuclear Iran; decades-long goal of dismantling Iran’s nuclear programme; weakening Iran’s proxy network (Hamas, Hezbollah)
Both Iran’s “Axis of Resistance” seen as destabilizing the entire Middle East

Iran’s Weakened Position Made It a Target

  • The attacks came when the Iranian regime was arguably at its weakest point for some years. There were extensive protests in Iran in early 2026, motivated by a weakened economy and struggling infrastructure. Many of Iran’s regional allies had been significantly weakened, primarily by Israeli military action from 2023.

Proxy Network as a Long-Term Threat

  • Iran has provided years of military aid and training to Hamas, supplied ballistic missiles and drones to Yemen’s Houthis, trained Shiite fighters in Syria, and helped Shiite militias in Iraq build missile capabilities. The US government considers Iran to be the foremost state sponsor of terrorism, spending more than one billion dollars on terrorist financing annually.

Economic Warfare as Prelude

  • In February 2026, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent claimed that Washington engineered a dollar shortage in Iran to send the Iranian rial into freefall and cause protests in Iran.

4. What Has Happened So Far

  • The US deployed two aircraft carrier strike groups and scores of advanced aircraft. Iran responded by launching missiles and armed drones against Israel and US military facilities in all six Gulf Cooperation Council countries, and effectively forced the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
  • Preliminary figures show 787 dead in Iran, at least 11 in Israel, six US soldiers killed, and eight killed in Gulf states. Israel’s air force dropped more than 1,200 munitions across 24 of Iran’s 31 provinces in a single day.

5. Key Debates and Concerns

Will regime change actually work?

  • The Iranian regime survived the economic devastation of US sanctions, the 2009 Green Movement, protests in 2019-2020, and the 2022 Woman Life Freedom uprising. Despite its unpopularity, the Islamic Republic will not collapse easily. Attacks on regime targets risk gutting state authority and opening the possibility of heavy violence among armed state actors striving to claim power.

International reaction

  • Russia condemned the strikes as an unprovoked act of armed aggression. Moscow will welcome the spike in oil prices, but cannot be happy about another display of Kremlin impotence.

6. India’s Stake

  • Energy security — The Strait of Hormuz closure directly threatens India’s oil imports; roughly 60% of India’s crude oil passes through this route
  • Diaspora — Approximately 9 million Indians live in the Gulf region, now directly in the conflict zone
  • Iran relations — India has invested significantly in the Chabahar Port project and values Iran as a trade corridor to Central Asia
  • Strategic autonomy — India will face pressure to pick sides between the US and its own long-standing ties with Iran

7. Conclusion

The US-Israel strikes on Iran represent the culmination of decades of strategic competition over nuclear proliferation, regional influence, and the future balance of power in the Middle East. While the stated justification centres on nuclear prevention, the underlying logic is one of regime elimination. The conflict carries severe consequences for global energy markets, regional stability, and India’s strategic interests — making it one of the most consequential geopolitical events since the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

Practice Questions

  1. Examine the factors that led to the US-Israel military strikes on Iran in 2026. What are the implications for India’s foreign policy and energy security? (GS2/GS3)
  2. “The Iran conflict of 2026 marks the failure of coercive diplomacy.” Critically analyse. (GS2)
  3. Assess the impact of the closure of the Strait of Hormuz on India’s economy and strategic interests. (GS3)
  • Nuclear Non-Proliferation — NPT, IAEA safeguards, India’s own nuclear doctrine
  • India-Iran Relations — Chabahar Port, International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC)
  • Energy Security — Strategic Petroleum Reserves, India’s oil import dependence
  • West Asia Policy — India’s “Look West” policy, Gulf diaspora remittances (approx. $40 billion annually)
  • UN Charter — Article 51 (self-defence), debates on use of force in international law