On February 28, 2026, Israel and the United States launched air strikes on Iran. The US and Israel targeted Iran’s capital, military sites, and infrastructure across the country. The Ayatollah (the supreme leader of Iran), Ali Khamenei, who had been in power since 1989, was killed in the first air strikes. Israel’s military has also said that dozens more senior figures in the IRGC (Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps) were killed as well. On March 8th, a new Ayatollah went into power, Ali Khamenei’s son, Mojtaba Khamenei. Other high ranking individuals have since been killed, such as top security official Ali Larijani, intelligence minister Esmail Khatib, and Gholamreza Soleimani, the head of the Basij (a large plainclothes paramilitary force). Israel said it had targeted them in air strikes. The US and Israel have also targeted key sites linked to Iran’s nuclear program, along with Iranian oil and gas sites. Following the US and Israel’s attacks on Iran, the country retaliated with missile and drone strikes against Israel, US bases, and countries allied with the US in the middle east.
As a student in Kearny high, it is easy to feel disconnected from the situation in Iran, and it can be easy to get caught up in everything especially with TikTok and other social media. So, I anonymously interviewed Kearny students to see what students might be thinking.
Q: How do you think the situation with the US, Israel, and Iran will affect you personally?
A: Because this war has impacted prices like foods and general merchandise.
A: Not directly, but it affected my daily members and friends because I have some family and friends out of the country that are being directly impacted by the bombs. For example, one family member was stuck in his apartment and they wouldn’t let him leave because of the bombs that were going on outside.
Q: How do you think the situation will affect the average student at Kearny high?
A: This war impacts KHS students, especially upperclassmen, who can drive because it raises gas prices, but also leaves the students with a sense of insecurity.
A: I think it will only affect the students here if any country decides to retaliate against the US. But if they attack New Jersey then I think every aspect will be affected.
Q: Do you think the US and Israel were justified in their attack on Iran?
A: I don’t think they were justified, since their means to attack was not enough to bomb the country, especially where civilians were in danger.
A: The US claimed to attack Iran to induce regime change and target the nuclear and ballistic missile program, but their attack involved killing almost 15 hundred people that were uninvolved. So no, because the government of another country should not be the US’s responsibility and I don’t think Iran was making a direct threat.
Q: Do you think Iran’s retaliation was justified?
A: I think it was kinda justified, since you have two major countries attacking you’ll have to protect yourself, but it should have never happened in the first place.
A: Yes and no, because after an attack like that it makes sense to want to defend their country because their people died. But, they also were doing the same kind of attack to the US, so it feels like they’re not really doing much because they’re doing the same thing
Q: How do you feel about the current situation with Iran, the US, and Israel?
A: I really think it’s something where you wouldn’t think the president would do a thing. Especially when they said they would resolve wars during their campaign.
A: I think it’s kind of unnecessary because there wasn’t really a conflict with them and the problem probably could have been solved if there was any in a much simpler way.
The interviews here might not fit every student at KHS, but hopefully it shed some light on the situation and what some people are thinking.