FACT CHECK #FA9PSITV

WHAT WE FOUND

The claim that Iran started the war is directly contradicted by multiple high-credibility sources 1 5 8. The immediate outbreak of large-scale hostilities began on February 28, 2026, with coordinated airstrikes by the United States and Israel against targets inside Iran 1 5. These initial attacks included the killing of Iran’s supreme leader 1. While the conflict has deep historical roots dating back to the 1979 hostage crisis 3 10, the 2026 war itself was initiated by the United States and Israel 8. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has officially stated that Iran did not start the conflict but was forced to defend itself against aggression launched under false pretexts 7.

SOURCES

1. 1 · factually.coFACT-CHECKER
   Who Started the War: Iran or the United States?

   TIER A

2. 2 · amu.apus.eduACADEMIC
   US-Iran Relations: A Complex History of Conflict and Change | American Military University (AMU)

   TIER A

3. 3 · middle-east-online.comACADEMIC
   TRENDS study: US–Iran war is result of long historical process and complex interactions | MEO

   TIER A

4. 4 · dornsife.usc.eduACADEMIC
   US and Iran: A brief history of how decades of mistrust and bad blood led to open warfare

   TIER A

5. 5 · nytimes.comNEWS
   Iran War Timeline: Key Moments and Attacks In U.S. and Israel’s Campaign - The New York Times

   TIER A

6. 6 · en.wikipedia.orgWEB
   2026 Iran war - Wikipedia

   TIER B

7. 7 · globalsecurity.orgWEB
   Iran never initiated a war, only defended itself against US-Israeli aggression: Pezeshkian

   TIER B

8. 8 · britannica.comWEB
   2026 Iran war | Oil, Explained, United States, Israel, Strait of Hormuz, Map, & Conflict | Britannica

   TIER B

9. 9 · cfr.orgWEB
   Conflict With Iran | Global Conflict Tracker

   TIER B

10. 10 · theconversation.comWEB
    Iran and the US have been at war for decades – and there’s no end in sight

    TIER B

11. 11 · thehill.comWEB
    A history of US meddling in Iran brought us here

    TIER B