Following military strikes by the U.S. and Israel on Iran, which began on February 28 and resulted in the deaths of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other officials, President Donald Trump stated the action was to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon. Iran has since launched counterattacks across the Middle East, causing the deaths of four U.S. service members, with Trump warning of further casualties. Despite social media claims of over 1.8 million views alleging the UN labeled Trump a war criminal, this is false. The UN Security Council convened on February 28, where Secretary General António Guterres condemned the escalation from all sides and called for an immediate cessation of hostilities to prevent a wider regional conflict.