As Loyola students settle into spring semester, they’re hit with the striking news about the United States and its conflicts with Iran. Some students think that the U.S. President Donald Trump and his administration are hypocritical when it comes to their statements regarding the attack on Iran, while others question the attack’s justification at all.
On Feb. 28, 2026 the Supreme Leader of Iran Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was killed as a result of a joint air strike by Israel and the United States of America. This caused a rift of political power in the country. Part of the justification for this strike was to dismantle Iran’s potential nuclear power.
When commenting on the leader’s death, Trump claimed that this was a way for the Iranian people to take back their country and for a new form of government to replace its previous leader, referring to the protests that were already taking place in the country.
According to Loyola Political Science Professor Natasha Bingham, there were large-scale protests against the Iranian government by its citizens in December of 2025. The reason why these protests took place was because of things like corruption, high inflation, and dissatisfaction with strict political restrictions. These protests expanded into more political issues, which caused some citizens to demand government reform.
“The Iranian government responded with a widespread crackdown including mass arrests and reported use of live ammunition by security forces.” Bingham said. “ Authorities also restricted internet access nationwide to limit communication and media coverage.”
This led to many being arrested or killed during the crackdown.
This is the second time this year that the United States has either killed or taken a foreign leader. When asked about their opinion on the United States intervening in other countries, Freshman History Pre-Law major Amy Estrada thinks that Trump is being hypocritical with the way he is going about things in Iran.
“He also pointed to Iran’s human rights abuses as a justification for this attack,” Estrada said. “[It’s] hypocritical considering our allegiance to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu despite his government’s genocidal campaign against the Palestinian people”
Freshman filmmaking major Nimai Guhasarkar states that there’s no real justification for the attack.
He goes on to say that while there is proof of Iran using nuclear energy, there is no real proof of them having a nuclear weapon of some kind. Guhasarkar also states that the country should be more focused on what’s going on inside of it rather than outside of it.
“I feel like we need to stop,” Guhasarkar said. “There are so many internal problems. We just have to stop getting involved in everybody else in the world’s shit. You know?”
Estrada expressed concerns about how the attack could harm the United States’ reputation abroad.
“The U.S. often portrays other countries as backward or unstable, yet it is engaging in military aggression that is undoubtedly savage,” Estrada said. “This will create more division and disrupt an already fragile global peace.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
