The world is watching the headlines unfold, stories being told, information being fed in and coming out and opinions of people forming; but, what’s happening in Iran isn’t just another news story.

On Feb. 28, 2026, the United States and Israel launched a joint military campaign called, “Operation Epic Fury.” Operation Epic Fury hit major targets in Tehran, Iran, killing civilians, detonating nuclear sites and most prominent, killing Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and his staff, who have held ultimate power since 1989 when they succeeded Kohmenini; who ousted the Shah during the 1979 Revolution. 

This is a human political crisis that the world is oversimplifying and misinformed about. 

People are protesting in the streets, governments are striking military targets and social media is exploding with conflicting stories.

Truth is, there is no headline or TikTok video that can capture the complexity of what is really happening with Iran, much less what has happened in history. 

Why does this matter? The world’s reaction – or lack of understanding – in that matter, shapes the future of millions of people. 

Every protest, strike or false rumor around the world affects lives, regional stability and global politics. This oversimplification ignores the real pressures that ordinary Iranians face: economic hardship, political questions and the fear of casualties for a war they didn’t make. 

It’s unclear if US involvement was the right choice. On one hand, the strikes aimed to really prevent the further escalation of nuclear programs in Iran and neutralize any military threats to America, Israel or any other region in the Middle East. On the other hand, this involvement just fueled retaliation and unrest; globally. 

These strikes addressed this short term threat for a foreseeable better future, yes, but they also worsened a volatile situation; leaving ordinary Iranians and American Iranians in fear, caught between a repression and foreign intervention.  

Complicating this crisis further than the diplomacy angle, is the misinformation and propaganda online.

Like any situation, social media gives a dogmatic voice to everyone with an account. 

Some portray the United States and Israel as protecting freedom, others think these countries are escalating the war as a political gain. 

The Western World doesn’t know what is going on in Iran, partly because we aren’t there and the internet blackouts and censorship make it nearly impossible to confirm anything. Residents live in fear, uncertain of what’s true and what is exaggerated. 

Despite global attention, the core problems are unresolved and will continue to be. Iran’s internal issues, regional tensions and long standing disputes with foreign powers will not disappear on their own and not quickly. 

As a loud generation, we should be obligated to get real information, or at least the most accurate information there is out there. Social media is usually wrong or biased. The information fed to you is based on your algorithm and what you engage with the most. More information on that topic will be fed to you to increase your attention on the app. 

Brown University health reports that 41% of users see inaccurate content monthly, 21% see misleading information and 20% report misinformation. (Stimpson, Jim P, and Alexander N Ortega, 2023)

The oversimplicity  and overwhelming majority of people who think they really know what is going on in Iran and what has gone on is disappointing. Our generation believing everything they see online, is disappointing. It is naive to think that bias doesn’t exist and that the operation in Iran is just a bomb killing civilians. It’s not.