With deep alarm, the Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy (TIMEP) has watched another war come to the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, following the decision of the United States and Israel to launch a massive military operation targeting Iran on February 28, 2026, on the heels of U.S.-Iran nuclear talks.
The military operation, which Iran has responded to with counterattacks on Israel and a number of neighboring states who are either hosts of U.S. military installations or close U.S. partners, has set in motion a cycle of violence that has deeply destabilized the region.
Predictably, the war has left countless cities throughout the region under attack, increasing the risk that other countries and non-state actors join the fight and expanding the scope of the war into a regional conflagration. It has destabilized fragile political transitions, spread terror among civilian populations, sparked new waves of displacement, and led to immense loss of life.
In a moment in which the international legal order has been dealt a series of devastating blows, the decision to enter a war of choice with no regard for the consequences and despite reports from key mediators indicating progress in talks, is one that severely shakes the foundations of what remains of this order. Already, the conflict has been rife with violations of international law, as civilians have been illegally targeted and the sovereignty of states violated.
With urgency, TIMEP calls for an immediate cessation of hostilities and deescalation. This moment necessitates an unequivocal rejection of unlawful force. There is simply no alternative capable of delivering the peace, stability, and aspirations for a better future that the people of the MENA region and the world are entitled to.