A new and geopolitically complex war between the United States and Iran is escalating and as the number of American service members killed since the initial attack on Feb. 28 grows, many people are asking: Why are we involved? What is really happening? And what comes next?
To help make sense of the rapidly evolving conflict, we invited readers to send in their questions and asked USA TODAY journalists to break down the answers.
Here are some of the questions you asked USA TODAY:
The United States and Israel began strikes on Iran early on Saturday, Feb. 28, in a campaign that killed the nation's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and dozens of top officials and hit more than 1,250 targets inside the country. President Donald Trump said the strikes were intended to eliminate "imminent threats" from Iran and prevent the country from obtaining a nuclear weapon.
The war, which Trump said could last for weeks, plunged the Middle East into a conflict that the president said would end a security threat to the United States and give Iranians a chance to topple their rulers. Congressional Democrats are questioning whether Iran posed an imminent threat and are seeking a vote on the operation amid concerns it could spiral into an extended regional war.
