The U.S. and Israel launched strikes on Tehran and other Iranian cities Saturday morning, after weeks of talks and rhetoric over Iran's efforts to develop nuclear weapons, and over regime change in the Islamic republic.

Writing on his social media account, Mihkelson, who chairs the Riigikogu Foreign Affairs Committee, stated: "Bearing in mind the geopolitical weight of the conflict and its impact on our security and future, supporting the joint operation of the United States and Israel is unavoidable. A half-measure would betray the hope of those in Iran who have given their lives for a future free of terror."

U.S. President Donald Trump announced Saturday that the main objective of the strikes is the destruction of the Islamic dictatorship.

This may, however, mean that the military action will be prolonged and cannot be limited to airstrikes alone, Mihkelson noted.

"If the goal of the United States and Israel is indeed to achieve the fall of the regime in Iran (Trump has called on the Iranian army and the Revolutionary Guard to surrender or die), then it can be assumed that the military action which began in the morning may last longer than we can currently foresee," the MP continued.

The entire free world must stand with the freedom-loving people of Iran. This is a decisive moment not just for Iran and the region, but for the security of the entire world.

— Marko Mihkelson (@markomihkelson) February 28, 2026

Mihkelson noted that although the U.S. has assembled the largest military force in the region in the past 20 years ahead of the strikes, including Nimitz- and Ford-class aircraft carriers, airstrikes alone will, in any case, not be sufficient to overthrow the Iranian regime.

To do so would most likely require a repeat of the successful special operation carried out at the start of the year to remove Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro from power.

Much also depends on Iran's actions; Iran has at the time of writing already launched missile counterstrikes on Israel and U.S. bases in the region, including a claimed strike on a U.S. naval base in Bahrain.

"Whether the United States and Israel are able in the first hours and days to break the resistance or whether the war begins to drag on depends on the defensive actions of the Iranian regime," Mihkelson continued.

The strikes also put significant pressure on both Russia and China, which are interested in shoring up Iran, as part of the counter-coalition joined by countries such as North Korea. Although Iran has received military and technical support from Moscow and Beijing, however, neither country is likely to intervene militarily, Mihkelson added.

Mihkelson reiterated the major geopolitical significance of the strikes, including that, by supporting Russia, Iran is de facto indirectly at war with Ukraine, and, more broadly, with Europe. This brings with it the risk of escalation even as far as a Third World War, the MP went on.

"According to Trump, the goal is to neutralize the entire military capability of the regime, from the nuclear weapons program to the navy and missile forces. Regime change, however, would bring about a major geopolitical shift in which Russia and China would lose their ally in the tense Middle East. In other words, regime change would offer hope that the chain of ongoing wars does not develop into a Third World War," Mihkelson added.

On how this might affect Russia's activities toward Europe, Mihkelson replied that this depends greatly on the unity of the Western alliance.

"European countries must grasp that in this great chaos in the world, only strategic determination and unified action can preserve us from global catastrophe. Europe must be ready today to deter possible aggressive attempts by Russia to open new fronts, visible or invisible. It is crucially important right now to shift gears on Ukraine and, within the framework of the coalition of the willing, to decide, for example, on establishing a no-fly zone over right-bank [of the Dnieper River] Ukraine," Mihkelson concluded.

Iran is also a major sponsor of the Hezbollah and Hamas terror organizations and is a major competitor to Saudi Arabia as an oil-producing nation.

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