The coordinated military campaign by the United States and Israel against Iran, often referred to as the 2026 Iran war or Operation Epic Fury, began on February 28, 2026. The strikes targeted Iranian military, nuclear, and leadership sites, following months of rising tensions, and led to significant regional escalation.
It stemmed from a breakdown in nuclear negotiations regarding Iran’s missile programmes and the large-scale military strikes aimed at destroying Iran’s nuclear and missile infrastructure, and severing Iranian support for regional allies.
This joint bombing campaign was also targeted at Iran’s leadership and military infrastructure, and killed top figures including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, security chief Ali Larijani, Intelligence Minister Esmail Khatib, and IRGC Commander Gholamreza Soleimani.
On April 7, 2026, the US-based group Human Rights Activists in Iran (HRANA) reported that 3,636 people had been killed in Iran since the war began, including 1,701 civilians, of whom at least 254 were children.
Iran accused the US and Israel of launching an attack on a girls’ school near an IRGC base in southern Iran on 28 February, saying 168 people, including around 110 children, were killed.
On April 3, 2026, a US F-15 fighter jet was shot down over western Iran. The pilot was quickly rescued and a search-and-rescue operation – which also came under fire – was launched to find a second crew member. Reports emerged late on April 4th that he had been found, and the US President Trump confirmed this shortly afterwards.
Global Effects:
This war shook the global economy by driving up energy prices, triggering a potential inflation crisis, and threatening to push over 32 million people into poverty.
The conflict has caused significant disruptions, including a 3.7% to 6% contraction in Middle Eastern GDP and rising commodity prices worldwide.
It triggered a severe global energy supply shock, with Brent crude oil briefly exceeding US$82 per barrel and over 100% surge in European natural gas prices.
Additionally, the closure of the Strait of Hormuz by Iran has caused major supply shortages, pushing global inflation up, damaging Asian manufacturing economies, and risking global stagflation.
It resulted in the “largest supply disruption in the history of the global oil market,” according to the International Energy Agency, with risks of shortages if the Strait of Hormuz remained blocked.
Manufacturing dependent nations like India, Bangladesh, Thailand, and South Korea faced energy rationing and economic strain. Japan and the Philippines, which imported nearly 90% of their oil from the region, faced severe pressures.
Insurers cancelled coverage and shipping premiums rose, forcing re-routing of vessels and disrupting trade routes. Stock markets experienced global declines.
In the Caribbean, the conflict has inflicted severe economic damage on the Caribbean economy through surging energy costs, rising food inflation, and damaged tourism.
Additionally, increased freight rates and high airfares have reduced visitor arrivals, while higher electricity costs threaten to trigger economic and social instability in the import-dependent region.
Here in Grenada, the conflict had significant, immediate, and potentially prolonged economic repercussions, primarily through energy-driven inflation and supply chain disruptions.
As an import-dependent island nation, Grenada experienced sharp increases in the cost of living and doing business. Oil prices surged, directly inflating the cost of electricity generation (via Grenlec) and fuel at the pump.
Rising freight rates and insurance premiums for shipping, exacerbated by the risk to vessels in the Middle East, are translating into higher prices for food, medicine, and consumer goods and the blockade or closure of the Strait of Hormuz by Iran is disrupting global supply chains, affecting the availability of items, including fertilizer and industrial materials, which can impact local agriculture and construction.
Condemnation of the war:
The 2026 US-Israel war on Iran has drawn intense international condemnation, with critics labeling it an illegal, unprovoked act of aggression causing massive civilian casualties, displacing millions, and breaking international law.
UN officials, human rights experts, and global powers like Russia and China have denounced the attacks, warning of global economic fallout and potential war crimes.
UN officials and over 100 U.S. legal experts condemned the strikes as unlawful and an act of aggression. Experts specifically stated there was no evidence that Iran posed an imminent threat that could justify a self-defense claim.
The attacks have been condemned for targeting civilian infrastructure, which experts warned could amount to war crimes. Iranian officials reported over 1,348 civilian deaths, including schoolgirls in Minab, and 19,000 damaged sites.
Pope Leo XIV has issued a sweeping and repeated condemnation of war, particularly focusing on the US-Israel conflict with Iran, describing it as “senseless and inhuman violence” and a “blasphemy of war.”
In a sharp rebuke of religious justifications for military action, particularly from US officials, Leo stated that God “does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war, but rejects them”. He termed threats by US President Trump to destroy Iranian civilisation as “truly unacceptable” and warned it was causing suffering in the Middle East.
Possible solutions:
This focus on a combination of mediated diplomacy and strategic de-escalation. Key approaches include mediated ceasefires via neutral parties (e.g., Pakistan, Oman), a negotiated partial agreement addressing Iran’s nuclear program and the Strait of Hormuz, and potential regional security pacts involving China or Qatar.
Pakistan and Oman have also engaged in mediations with the concerned parties to facilitate direct talks to move beyond military approaches.
Gradual De-escalation through a phased approach, beginning with securing the Strait of Hormuz, followed by addressing the nuclear issue and Iran’s proxy network has been suggested.
The parties are, however, far apart, with Iran calling strikes illegitimate and the U.S. seeking to curb Iran’s regional influence and nuclear programme.
Differing objectives between the US, Israel, and Iran have complicated the negotiating table.
In conclusion:
“Nobody Wins a War.” Although this is the name of a powerful calypso that was performed by the late Singing Sandra (Sandra Des Vignes-Millington), it highlights the devastation of conflict and the futility of seeking victory through violence.
The lyrics emphasise that war causes massive destruction and that “nobody wins” because the agony of defeat lingers. As long as violence and aggression still dwell in the hearts of man, brother the war will go on, it cannot be won”.
The song, which gained renewed attention in recent years, argues for peace over the “brutal crush of ideologies” that causes misery.
Simeon Collins is a former Director of the Grenada Bureau of Standards and first Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Caribbean Agricultural Health and Food Safety Agency (CAHFSA), a CARICOM Institution