Iran - February 2026

On 28 February, the United States and Israel launched a large-scale air campaign against Iran, targeting military, nuclear and leadership sites. The strikes killed Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and members of his family, as well as several senior military and government officials, significantly escalating regional tensions. Iran responded with missile and drone attacks against Israel and U.S. military facilities across the region, including in Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates.

Update: Following the initial strikes, the conflict escalated into a prolonged regional confrontation. By mid-March, fighting had caused widespread humanitarian and economic disruption in Iran, including civilian casualties, internal displacement, infrastructure damage, and disruptions to essential services. Although a temporary ceasefire was reached in April, fighting later resumed. The Strait of Hormuz has emerged as a key flashpoint of the conflict, with shipping disruptions significantly affecting global energy supplies.

Sources: The Times of Israel, Reuters, Associated Press (1), The UN Refugee Agency, Associated Press (2)

On 3 February, the government approved a resolution allowing women to legally obtain motorcycle licences and ride motorcycles, representing a limited expansion of women’s rights and freedom of movement. Although women had already ridden motorcycles in practice, the traffic law did not explicitly provide for women to obtain licences, as the relevant provision referred specifically to issuing motorcycle licenses to ‘men’ and had been used by authorities to deny licenses to women.

Sources: Al Monitor