By Anthony Marcus for Eurasia Business News, February 28, 2026. Article no. 2037
U.S., Israel Attack Iran as Trump Urges Iranians to Seize Power and Remove Mollahs. The U.S. War Department called the operation to strike Iran “Epic Fury,” which began on Saturday morning, while Israeli authorities called it “Roaring Lion.”
Israel has been carrying out large, ongoing strikes on Iranian territory since the morning, including against oil, gas, and military targets, in what it calls a campaign to degrade Iran’s nuclear and missile programs; Iranian officials report some civilian deaths and have vowed major retaliation.
U.S. forces have assisted in shooting down Iranian missiles headed toward Israel, but Washington publicly denies participating in Israel’s offensive strikes inside Iran, and some reports say President Trump even vetoed an Israeli plan to kill Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
President Trump called on the Iranian military to surrender and lay down their arms, promising them immunity for this, and the residents of Iran to seize power in the country.
Former and current Israeli officials openly discuss the possibility that sustained strikes could lead to or encourage regime change in Iran, even when they say the formal goal is to weaken Iran’s capabilities.
Trump’s position and calls to Iranians
President Donald Trump has repeatedly warned Iran’s leadership that the U.S. could use force, tying this to Iran’s nuclear program and its treatment of protesters.
He has publicly urged Iranian citizens to “keep protesting,” “stand up,” and “take over” institutions, framing U.S. military pressure as a way to embolden demonstrators and hinting that strikes could be used to “give the protesters confidence that they could seize government and security buildings.”
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In recent statements and his State of the Union, Trump has said Iran must curb uranium enrichment and stop killing protesters if it wants to avoid harsher military action, while Iran accuses him of lying and interference.
Is this “U.S.‑Israel attack + open call to overthrow the mullahs”?
Israel is clearly attacking Iran militarily; the U.S. is supporting Israel’s defense and missile interception and has itself previously bombed Iranian nuclear sites, but it is not openly acknowledging a joint offensive whose declared aim is regime change.
Israeli media reported that the targets of Israeli attacks on Iran on Saturday morning were Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, President Masoud Peseschkian, as well as high-ranking civil servants and the military.
At the same time, Trump’s rhetoric toward Iranians—urging them to keep protesting and “take over” institutions—comes very close to an open call to remove the ruling clerical establishment, even as some U.S. officials still frame the formal objective as weakening, not toppling, the regime.
Protests in Iran began in late December due to the collapse of the national currency and a sharp rise in prices. Protesters in dozens of cities are advocating a change in the political system and the coming to power of Prince Reza Pahlavi.
Iranian Counterattack
Iran launched waves of retaliatory attacks against Israel and U.S. military bases across the Middle East in response to a massive campaign of American and Israeli airstrikes that began overnight.
“Iran’s missile strikes targeted the Al-Udeid airbase in Qatar, the Ali al-Salem airbase in Kuwait, the Al-Dhafra airbase in the UAE, as well as the base of the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet in Bahrain,” the Fars news agency reported, citing the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Earlier, Iran said it was ready to defend itself against the backdrop of strikes from the United States and Israel.
How governments classify Iran
The U.S. lists Iran as a “State Sponsor of Terrorism,” a formal category reserved for governments that repeatedly support terrorist groups; it also designates the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a Foreign Terrorist Organization.
The European Union recently went further by designating the IRGC itself as a terrorist organization, marking a major break with decades of a more engagement‑focused Iran policy.
Canada and some other Western states have also labeled the IRGC a terrorist group or are moving in that direction.
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© Copyright 2026 – Eurasia Business News. Article no. 2037
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