One of these predictions has resurfaced as people are questioning whether it could be linked to the current conflicts after the joint US-Israeli attacks on Iran on Saturday (28 February).
Donald Trump’s attack saw Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, among a number of other officials, killed. The Middle Eastern nation responded by firing ballistic missiles at Israel, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan.
As more countries are getting involved, the conflict has sparked WW3 fears, which in turn has led people to revisit Nostradamus’ specific prediction about war.
As outlined by Sky History, Nostradamus never dated 2026 explicitly, but experts have guessed that some of his prophecies could be linked to this year.
One prediction that pops up every now and again is the ‘seven-month war’ verse.
It cryptically reads: “Seven months great war, people dead through evil. Rouen, Evreux the King will not fail.”
Some believe the elusive passage alludes to a wider global conflict resulting in a third world war, and have linked it to the current tensions.
But just to reiterate, despite the social media rumours, this passage has never been linked to a specific year – it’s resurfaced numerous times when conflict has been going on.
It’s also important to note that the place names, Rouen and Évreux, are rooted in 16th century French geography, and obviously these have nothing to do with Iran, the US, or Israel.
One X user claimed: “Nostradamus predicted that a major world war would break out in the year 2026.”
While a second eerily added: “And so the Great Third World War arming in the east as foreseen by Nostradamus begins. Not has occurred. The party is just getting started. These are dangerous times. Keep the Faith.”
And a third wrote: “Nostradamus predicted that there would be a world war to end all wars because it would bring humanity to the brink of extinction.”
A fourth brutally chimed in with: “I thought we had averted Nostradamus prediction of the end of the world with the Middle East war after Israel Gaza had their peace treaty. But Trump is, of course the antichrist and is willing to finish the job.”
“Nostradamus apparently predicted a world war 3 starting in the Middle East. Is this it? Hope not,” questioned a fifth.
Sky History also explains that a lot of the chaos around Nostradamus’ predictions comes from something called confirmation bias, which is where meaning is assigned to a prediction after the event is already happened.
So, don’t take the prophecies, or what you see on social media, as gospel.
Iran strikes: what you need to know
Why is the United States and Israel attacking Iran?
US President Donald Trump announced on Saturday (28 February) that the US and Israel have started ‘major combat operations’ in Iran after explosions were heard in multiple cities across the country.
Following a significant buildup of US forces in the region in recent weeks, Trump declared in a video posted on Truth Social that ‘we are going to destroy their missiles and raze their missile industry to the ground’.
Alongside hundreds of civilian casualties – including at least 165 people, most children, after a reported strike hit a school in Minab – Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was confirmed dead following Israeli missile strikes around Tehran.
According to Trump, the aim of this weekend’s attacks were to ‘ensure that Iran does not obtain a nuclear weapon’.
Meanwhile, in reference to Israel’s retaliation strikes, the country’s defence minister stated that the goal was to ‘remove threats against the State of Israel’.
This has come after weeks of Trump threatening military action in Iran if the Middle Eastern country did not agree to a new deal over its nuclear programme. However, Iran has insisted repeatedly that its nuclear activities are ‘entirely peaceful’.
What areas of the Middle East have been affected?
In retaliation to the US and Israeli strikes, Iran has launched strikes of its own on Israel and Gulf Arab countries, which include Qatar, the UAE, Bahrain and Kuwait.
The BBC reports that at least nine people were killed in a strike on the Israeli city of Beit Shemesh, while military and civilian targets – including an American naval base in Bahrain and Dubai’s international airport in the United Arab Emirates – were also targeted across the weekend.
Several videos have been posted on social media from tourists and civilians that show the damage inflicted across these areas from missile and drone strikes, including many British citizens who are currently stranded in Dubai.
Is the UK going to war with Iran?
This is a question that has been asked repeatedly since the major combat operation began in Iran, due to the nation being an ally of both the United States and Israel.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer confirmed that British planes were ‘in the sky’ in the Middle East as part of a defensive operation ‘to protect our people, our interests and our allies’, and condemned Iran’s retaliatory attacks on ‘partners across the region’.
While the UK did not participate in the strikes, Starmer released a joint statement with the leaders of France and Germany, calling for Iran to ‘refrain from indiscriminate military strikes’.
“Iran can end this now,” Starmer said. “They should refrain from further strikes, give up their weapons programme and cease the appalling violence and oppression of the Iranian people – who deserve the right to determine their own future.”
However, the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Yvette Cooper, has said it is ‘simply not true’ that the UK is being dragged into another Iraq-style conflict in the Middle East.
While addressing a reported Iranian drone strike on a RAF base in Cyprus, she told Sky News on Monday, 2 March: “We took a very specific decision not to provide support for strikes that were taking place over this weekend. We have been clear that we believe there should be a diplomatic process, negotiations process.”