The U.S. attacks on Iran, called “Operation Epic Fury,” began on February 28, 2026. Since then, the United States military, under Donald Trump’s leadership, has bombed almost all nuclear sites and Iranian leaders (For example, Ali Khamenei, Ali Shamkhani, Mohammad Pakpour, and 40 others). The deployment is “a major military operation,” according to Mark Cancian, a senior adviser at the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies, who spent three decades in the Marine Corps. Cancian reports that the U.S. appears to have recognized that “bombing alone” cannot entirely protect commercial ships from Iranian drones and missiles, and that troops should have been ready sooner.
The troops being shipped are from a rapid-response force based in Japan, built around an infantry battalion supported by artillery, vehicles, and logistics units. Once the Marines arrive, they could be used in several different ways, but Cancian states their most likely mission would be helping to reopen the strait, which could happen by seizing small islands near the shipping lanes and setting up air-defense systems. According to the New York Times, before this deployment, 50,000 U.S. troops were already in the region.
Since this small war began, the U.S. has struck more than 9,000 targets. These strikes mainly focus on Iran’s military, nuclear sites, leadership infrastructure, 130 Iranian naval vessels, missile and drone infrastructure, air defense, and command centers. But with these strikes, it has cost six U.S. Army personnel’s lives, and oil is going up 40%, according to the New York Times.
This could impact the younger generation because these actions could lead the U.S. into a more major war, which would lead to people 18-40 years of age being deployed. This most likely wouldn’t affect those people who are already planning on joining a military branch, but for people who want to take any other route, this could be devastating. If this conflict keeps going, more countries can participate, which could lead to another war, which could lead to a draft.
Operation Epic Fury could lead us into a similar war to Operation Enduring Freedom. Operation Enduring Freedom was the initial response to the 9/11 terrorist attack that led to the U.S. troops being deployed in Afghanistan, which led to U.S. forces being in Afghanistan for nearly 20 years. With the intensifying conflict between the U.S. and Iran, it’s slowly starting to involve other countries.
China is sending its military technology over to Iran to strengthen its military to help fight against the U.S. Because of China helping Iran fight the United States of America, or the U.S., that could lead to them getting fully involved, which could cause another war other than this small war that’s going on.
