'world war 3' explained

Breaking down Israel’s strikes on Iran in words you'll actually understand

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Angels!!!! I’m gonna give you a classic luce-style explainer today because there is #big #scary #stuff happening in the world, and I think it would be good if we all understood it. A few caveats before we start:

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'World War 3' explained

You’ve probably seen what is being dubbed as ‘World War 3’ in videos, infographics, and hot takes on some Twitter-adjacent website - I sure have. But do you understand what you’re seeing? I sure didn’t, so I learnt about it. And now I’m going to pass that info on to you in a way I hope will make sense. Here goes!

First, if I only had one paragraph, here’s what I’d say:

On June 13, Israel launched Operation Rising Lion - the most aggressive airstrike on Iranian soil in decades - targeting key nuclear sites like Natanz and Fordow, along with military officials and top nuclear scientists. Israel says the goal was to “strike at the head” of Iran’s nuclear weaponisation program, hoping to shut it down for years.

But I have as much space as I want, so here’s some important background info:

The main players here are Israel and Iran. And their conflict didn’t spike overnight - it’s rooted in a 46-year rupture that transformed the former allies into ideologically opposed rivals. They became rivals during the Islamic Revolution, when Ayatollah Khomeini (the Shia cleric who led the Revolution and became the country’s Supreme Leader) tore off all diplomatic ties, labelling Israel the “Little Satan” (and the U.S. the “Great Satan” for that matter.)

Why are things kicking off now?

In short, Iran’s nuclear capabilities were getting too close for comfort.

By enriching uranium from about 5% (enough for nuclear power plants) to around 60%, Iran became dangerously close to having the amount of uranium needed to make a nuclear bomb.

SO, when Iran refused to let IAEA inspectors check its nuclear facilities, it triggered the agency’s first censure (official reprimand) of Iran in 20 years, escalating the threat. A day after this, Israel launched its first strike.

Luce note: IAEA inspectors are people from the International Atomic Energy Agency, which is the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog that promotes the peaceful use of nuclear energy and checks countries to ensure they're not secretly building bombs.

Via TIME:

Iran has insisted that it is not developing a bomb and that its nuclear program remains non-weaponized for peaceful energy purposes, though international inspectors have found increasing evidence to the contrary. The United Nations’ nuclear watchdog reported that Iran’s stockpile of 60% enriched uranium—just below weapons-grade—has grown large enough to produce multiple bombs if further enriched. Analysts say Iran could theoretically produce a bomb’s worth of material in as little as a week, and that no other country has that level of uranium without a nuclear weapons program.

A timeline of what’s happened since

The morning of June 13:

Israel launched “Operation Rising Lion” using over 200 aircraft and drones on 100+ targets across Iran, including nuclear enrichment sites in Natanz, Isfahan, Arak, missile bases, military housing, and even residential neighbourhoods in Tehran.

Senior IRGC (Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps) leaders and nuclear scientists were killed.

The afternoon of June 13:

Iran retaliated with Operation True Promise III, sending around 150 ballistic missiles and 100 drones toward cities like Tel Aviv, Bat Yam, Rishon LeZion, and Haifa. Defence systems intercepted most of them, but roughly 13–16 civilians have died and 340–450 are injured.

June 14–15

The exchange continues. Iran fired more missiles and drones. Israel advised evacuations around weapons sites in Iran. Hits were reported in Haifa and central Israel. Israel struck back at Iranian energy infrastructure, drone bases, Tehran’s Defence Ministry, and Mashhad airport.

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The cost of war

This is structural violence unfolding in real time. And right now, Iranian civilians are paying the heaviest price:

• At least 224 dead and 1,200+ wounded, over 90% of them civilians (per Iran’s health ministry).

• Tehran has no bomb shelters—people are sheltering in mosques, schools, subways, and basements.

• Roads are gridlocked with families fleeing. Fuel, food, medicine, and even internet access are collapsing.

Meanwhile, Israeli civilians are living with rockets, sirens, terror, and grief. Their defences have lowered casualties, but still around 14 dead and hundreds injured.

This obviously a fast-moving story, so you can visit here for live updates.

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