Individuals watch as smoke rises on the skyline after an explosion in Tehran, Iran, Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026.
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Amman, Jordan — In Tehran, panicked residents rushed house to shelter and terrified youngsters poured out of school rooms as U.S. air strikes hit the capitol, Iranians reached by telephone advised NPR.
The Iranian authorities stated one of many missiles hit a woman’s elementary faculty in Minab metropolis in Iran’s southern Hormozgan province, killing at the very least 40 college students.
“They have hit many targets around me and we hear fighter jets and missiles exploding,” stated a resident in Western Tehran reached by telephone earlier than communications have been lower in Iran. “People were panicking and trying to get to their homes,” she stated. “Children are running out of school.”
Talking on situation of anonymity as a consequence of fears of arrest, she stated there had been no warning from the Iranian authorities of a possible assault and other people have been caught unprepared. The airstrikes hit on the primary day of Iran’s work week whereas many have been at work or in class.
Iran responded to the assaults by launching strikes towards Israel and U.S. bases within the Gulf.
It declared that following the airstrikes in Iran early Saturday, it thought of all U.S. and Israeli pursuits and belongings within the area reliable targets.
“Our country’s armed forces will teach America and Israel a big lesson,” stated Brigadier Basic Abolfazl Shekarchi, spokesman for the navy normal workers.
The Bahraini authorities stated an Iranian airstrike had hit the U.S. naval base in Bahrain which is house to the U.S. Fifth Fleet. The United Arab Emirates, one other U.S. ally, stated it intercepted Iranian missiles. It stated shrapnel from one of many intercepted missiles killed a nationwide of an unspecified Asian nation in Abu Dhabi.
In Jordan, a number of explosions believed to be missiles being intercepted have been heard together with the sound of fighter jets. The Jordanian navy stated its forces had shot down two ballistic missiles.
Iran’s overseas ministry stated the U.S. and Israeli airstrikes had hit protection infrastructure and civilian websites throughout Iran.
It famous that Tehran had been in the course of diplomatic negotiations with the U.S. aimed toward stopping warfare when it was hit and known as for the UN safety council to satisfy instantly to debate the assaults.
Oman’s overseas minister, who mediated the U.S.-Iran oblique talks on Thursday flew to Washington on Friday to transient U.S. officers, saying he believed they’d made progress within the negotiations.
U.S. President Trump, in asserting that ‘main fight operations’ had began, urged Iranians to stand up.
“When we are finished, take over your government. It will be yours to take. This will be probably your only chance for generations,” he stated in a video handle.
Israel had pressed the U.S. to assault Iran whereas most U.S. Arab allies had cautioned towards it, saying it might destabilize your complete area.
In Tehran, one other resident, Roxanna, whom NPR spoke with throughout Israel’s 12-day warfare with Iran final June stated she and others who’ve protested towards the Iranian regime have been much less afraid than they have been then.
“We are really hopeful that the regime will fall this time,” she stated, talking from central Tehran. “We have stored food and will wait for now.”
The extent of help for the regime inside Iran stays tough to gauge following the most recent Iranian crackdown on protest wherein 1000’s of Iranians have been killed. Many of the casualties have been protestors shot by safety forces.
There isn’t any clear successor to Iran’s Islamic management, with opposition teams divided and regarded to haven’t any massive bases of help inside the nation.
