The United States and Israel launched a joint attack on Iran under the name “Operation Epic Fury”, triggering geopolitical shockwaves beyond the battlefield and raising questions about retribution, succession and presidential security after the death of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was confirmed. On Saturday, February 28, 2026, the United States and Israel launched a presidential Donald Trump It was described as a “major combat operation” targeting Iran’s missile and nuclear infrastructure. “We will destroy their missiles and raze their missile industry to the ground,” Trump declared in a post on “Truth Social.” He later said the goal was to “make sure Iran does not acquire a nuclear weapon.” The attacks caused a large number of civilian casualties. According to reports, a school in Minab was attacked, killing at least 153 people and children, and eventually led to the death of 86-year-old Khamenei in missile attacks around Tehran.
Iranian students studying in Russia lay flowers at the portrait of the late Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei outside the Iranian Embassy in Moscow on Monday, March 2, 2026. Khamenei was killed in a US-Israeli attack on Iran. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)
Iran responded with retaliatory attacks across the region, targeting Israel and Gulf states such as Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Kuwait. British Broadcasting Corporation report An attack on the Israeli city of Beit Shemesh killed at least nine people. Military and civilian sites were attacked, including a U.S. naval base in Bahrain and Dubai International Airport in the United Arab Emirates. Airports in major global transport hubs Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha were closed, leaving thousands of people, including British citizens, stranded.
Trump warns of assassination threats
Fears of further escalation have turned attention to the possibility of an assassination attempt against the US president. After Khamenei’s death, a video dated February 2025 resurfaced in which Trump answered a question about what would happen if Iran or its proxy groups Hamas and Hezbollah tried to kill him. “This is going to be a terrible thing for them,” Trump said. “Not because of me, if they did, they would be wiped out… That’s the end. “ He added that he had “left instructions” if that happened, warning that Iran would have “nothing left.” in another interview news nation katie pavlich tonightTrump was more direct: “I have very firm instructions – anything that happens, they will wipe it off the face of the earth.”Iran’s warning in January 2026, well before the current escalation of the conflict, underscored Tehran’s stance toward direct action against its leadership. Iranian Armed Forces spokesman Brigadier General Abolfazl Shirkaqi said at the time: “Trump knows that if anyone reaches out to our leaders with a hand of aggression, we will not only cut off that hand, but we will set their world on fire.” Adding that it was “not a slogan,” Tehran would retaliate decisively if its top leader was targeted.
“I caught him before he caught me”
In a phone call late Sunday ABC News Correspondent Jonathan Carr, Trump personally orchestrated this operation. “I caught him before he caught me,” Trump said of Khamenei. “They tried twice,” he said of previous attempts on his life. “Well, I caught him first.” According to reports new york postTrump also claimed that Saturday’s operation was “very successful and eliminated most” candidates who were expected to succeed Khamenei.
FILE – In this photo released by the official website of the Office of the Supreme Leader of Iran, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei listens to a speech by then-Revolutionary Guards Commander Mohammad Ali Jafari during a graduation ceremony for a group of Revolutionary Guards officers, May 20, 2015, in Tehran, Iran. (Office of Iran’s Supreme Leader, AP, File)
“It won’t be anyone we think of because they’re all dead,” Trump predicted. He acknowledged that the conflict could last “four to five weeks” and confirmed that four US military members had been killed. “This is war, and in war there are casualties,” he said. Trump also described Khamenei as “one of the most evil men in history,” writing: “This is justice not only for the people of Iran, but for all the great Americans and people from so many countries around the world who were killed or dismembered by Khamenei and his gang of bloodthirsty thugs.”
Past assassination plots linked to so-called Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps
Iran has threatened to retaliate against Trump since the United States killed Iranian General Qassem Soleimani in 2020. In 2024, Trump suffered two alleged assassinations: a shooting at a rally and another armed threat while golfing in Florida. Months later, U.S. authorities charged Farhad Shakeri, described as an “Iranian asset” by the Justice Department, with ties to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in a plot to assassinate Trump.
Donald Trump reacts after assassination attempt on Butler at a campaign event in July 2024
according to new york postAn IRGC official allegedly ordered Shaqri to track and assassinate Trump in the final weeks of the 2024 campaign. A criminal complaint unsealed in Manhattan federal court said Shaqri, who had served time in a U.S. prison for robbery, told the FBI that a contact in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps instructed him to develop a plan within seven days to spy on and kill Trump. If he fails to meet the deadline, the strike will be delayed because it will be easier to kill Trump if he loses. Iran denies involvement in any assassination plot. israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu It had previously been claimed in June 2025 that Iran planned two assassination attempts against Trump, but both were unsuccessful. When pressed, Netanyahu said: “Through agents, yes. Through their intelligence, yes. They want to kill him.”
Can Iran attack U.S. soil?
As it stands, it is understood that Iran does not possess missiles capable of reaching the U.S. mainland. However, this assessment does not eliminate the risk of covert or proxy operations. Security analysts point out that historical threats to U.S. presidents have come from individuals or small groups rather than overt foreign military strikes. While there is no absolute protection system, the President of the United States remains one of the most protected individuals in the world, with layered air defenses, real-time intelligence surveillance, enhanced transmission protocols, ongoing Secret Service protection and rapid military response capabilities. If retaliation were to be carried out, it would more likely be through covert channels rather than direct missile strikes.
What happens if the current president dies in office?
The constitutional framework for presidential succession has been established. If the current president dies during his term, the presidency immediately passes to the vice president. If that happened now, Vice President JD Vance would be in office. At 41 years old, if he is sworn in before August 2026, he will become the youngest president of the United States in history. After taking office, he will appoint a new vice president, subject to approval by both houses of Congress, and have the power to form his own cabinet.
Vice President J.D. Vance hosted an episode of “The Charlie Kirk Show” from the White House on Monday, September 15, 2025, following the assassination of the show’s namesake in Washington. (New York Times, Associated Press, Poole)
Eight U.S. presidents have died in office, and transition mechanisms have been rehearsed extensively within the White House and federal government.
Regional escalation and uncertainty
The U.S.-Israeli action comes after weeks of rising tensions and threats by Iran to take military action unless it agrees to a new deal on its nuclear program. Iran has repeatedly insisted that its nuclear activities are “entirely for peaceful purposes.” Israel’s defense minister said the retaliatory strikes were aimed at “eliminating threats to the State of Israel.” The coming weeks will depend on whether the confrontation stabilizes or expands further. Trump has expressed readiness to continue military engagement while warning that any attempt on his life would spark total destruction. In his own words: “Anything that happens, they wipe it off the face of the earth.”
