AT A GLANCE
- Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in joint U.S. and Israeli strikes ordered by President Donald Trump.
- More than 80 students were reported killed after a strike hit an all-girls elementary school in Minab, according to Iranian state media.
- Iran retaliated with missiles and drones targeting U.S. and Israeli military sites, escalating fears of a broader regional war.
- Congress is set to vote on Trump’s war powers, with bipartisan lawmakers demanding a formal authorization vote.
- Former Vice President Kamala Harris condemned the operation, calling it a “dangerous and unnecessary gamble” and a “regime-change war.”
Iran’s Supreme Leader Killed in U.S.-Israel Strikes as Congress Moves to Vote on Trump’s War Powers
Donald Trump confirmed early Saturday that the United States, in coordination with Israel, carried out sweeping military strikes across Iran, killing Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and triggering immediate retaliation across the region.
The unprecedented assault has escalated tensions in the Middle East, sparked civilian casualties, and set up a looming constitutional showdown in Washington as Congress prepares to vote on the president’s war powers.
Trump Announces “Massive and Ongoing” Operation
In a video statement shared early Saturday, Trump described the joint U.S.-Israeli operation as a defensive necessity.
“Our objective is to defend the American people by eliminating imminent threats from the Iranian regime, a vicious group of very hard, terrible people,” Trump said, acknowledging that American casualties were possible.
He added in a separate statement: “We’re going to ensure that the region’s terrorist proxies can no longer destabilize the region or the world and attack our forces… And we will ensure that Iran does not obtain a nuclear weapon. It’s a very simple message. They will never have a nuclear weapon.”
Later, on Truth Social, Trump confirmed Khamenei’s death.
“This is not only Justice for the people of Iran, but for all Great Americans, and those people from many Countries throughout the World, that have been killed or mutilated by Khamenei and his gang of bloodthirsty THUGS,” he wrote.
The president framed the campaign as a “massive and ongoing operation” aimed at preventing what he called a “very wicked, radical dictatorship” from threatening U.S. national security interests. He said joint forces would “destroy” Iran’s missiles and dismantle its ability to destabilize the region.
At the same time, Trump warned Americans that the conflict could result in casualties. “That often happens in war,” he said during an early morning address.
Civilian Casualties, Including Schoolchildren
Among the sites reportedly struck was an all-girls elementary school in Minab. Iranian state media reported that more than 80 students were killed and over 60 injured.
Bernice King and The King Center reacted on Instagram, mourning the children lost in the attack.
“Our nation bombed a girls elementary school this morning. Little girls going about their day…dead,” the caption read.
The civilian death toll has intensified global scrutiny and deepened concerns about the humanitarian impact of the operation.
Within hours, Iran launched retaliatory missiles toward U.S. and Israeli military bases. Most were intercepted, officials said, but footage showed a drone striking a high-rise building in Bahrain and another hitting near the Fairmont Hotel in Dubai.
Sources told ABC News that Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian was also among those targeted in the assault.
In a direct message to Iranian citizens, Trump openly urged regime change.
“When we are finished, take over your government. It will be yours to take. This will be probably your only chance for generations,” he said.
He continued: “For many years, you have asked for America’s help. But you never got it. No president was willing to do what I am willing to do tonight. Now you have a president who is giving you what you want… America is backing you with overwhelming strength and devastating force. Now is the time to seize control of your destiny.”
Even as the administration maintains the objective is preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons, the president’s call for the overthrow of its government has heightened alarm on Capitol Hill.
Congress to Vote on Trump’s War Powers
Top Capitol Hill Democrats, along with a small number of Republicans, watched the strikes unfold in alarm, criticizing Trump for launching the assault without express congressional approval.
The military action came just days before the GOP-led House and Senate were already scheduled to formally debate and vote on U.S. military action in Iran.
Democrats and at least three Republicans argue that Trump’s decision to strike while lawmakers were scattered across the country and not set to return to Washington for days raises serious legal questions.
“It’s a slap in the face of the United States Congress. The president has launched an illegal war when there is no imminent threat. He did not consult with Congress or allow for a debate in Congress, which even George W. Bush did,” Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna of California said Saturday morning.
House and Senate Democratic leaders, along with Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky, are demanding that GOP leaders immediately reconvene Congress to hold a formal vote.
“I am opposed to this War. This is not ‘America First,’” Massie said.
Sen. Rand Paul echoed that concern, emphasizing constitutional authority.
“The Constitution conferred the power to declare or initiate war to Congress for a reason, to make war less likely,” Paul said, adding that his “oath of office is to the Constitution, so with studied care, I must oppose another Presidential war.”
The upcoming votes, already set for midweek, will test members of the GOP’s far-right flank who have long championed Trump’s pledge to keep America out of foreign wars. Those lawmakers now face a public vote on whether to formally limit or endorse the president’s expanding military authority.
Lawmakers Demand War Powers Resolution
Even before the new reporting about the scheduled votes, bipartisan calls for a War Powers resolution were growing.
Rep. Thomas Massie previously wrote on X: “This is not ‘America First.’ When Congress reconvenes, I will work with @RepRoKhanna to force a Congressional vote on war with Iran. The Constitution requires a vote, and your Representative needs to be on record as opposing or supporting this war.”
Sen. Tim Kaine said, “For months, I have raised hell about the fact that the American people want lower prices, not more war — especially wars that aren’t authorized by Congress, as required by the Constitution, and don’t have a clear objective. These strikes are a colossal mistake.”
Why is it that this President refuses to even pretend that he cares about following the law?! I’ve been stomping & telling people that this election is life or death!
— Jasmine Crockett (@JasmineForUS) February 28, 2026
CONGRESS, not the PRESIDENT, but CONGRESS has the EXCLUSIVE authority to declare war! Speaker Johnson needs to…
Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, also urged immediate action.
“CONGRESS, not the PRESIDENT, but CONGRESS has the EXCLUSIVE authority to declare war!” she wrote. “Speaker Johnson needs to call us in IMMEDIATELY & it is time for the House & the Senate to pass a war powers resolution!”
House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said Trump’s actions contradict his prior promises.
“Donald Trump promised to keep America out of costly and endless foreign wars. He is now doing the exact opposite,” Jeffries said.
Protests erupted in cities including Washington, D.C., and New York City as demonstrators denounced the escalation.
Harris: ‘Recklessness Dressed Up as Resolve’
Former Vice President Kamala Harris sharply criticized the president’s decision, calling it a regime-change war the American public does not support.
“Donald Trump is dragging the United States into a war the American people do not want. Let me be clear: I am opposed to a regime-change war in Iran, and our troops are being put in harm’s way for the sake of Trump’s war of choice,” Harris said.
“This is a dangerous and unnecessary gamble with American lives that also jeopardizes stability in the region and our standing in the world. What we are witnessing is not strength. It is recklessness dressed up as resolve.”
While acknowledging that Iran poses a threat and should never obtain a nuclear weapon, Harris argued, “this is not the way to dismantle that threat.”
The latest offensive follows U.S. strikes ordered by Trump in June 2025 targeting Iran’s nuclear facilities. At that time, Trump claimed the U.S. had “obliterated” Iran’s enrichment capabilities.
“That, too, was a lie,” Harris said.
Even if Congress had granted authorization, she added, the strikes are “unwise, unjustified, and not supported by the American people.”
“There can be no equivocation in our opposition to Donald Trump’s war of choice, and Congress must use all available power to prevent him from further committing us to this conflict. Our troops, our allies, and the American people deserve nothing less,” she said.
With retaliatory missiles already exchanged and Congress preparing to vote on the president’s war authority, the United States now stands at a volatile crossroads — militarily abroad and constitutionally at home.
