On 28 February 2026, Israel and the United States launched airstrikes on Iran targeting its nuclear program, striking more than 1,000 targets in the first 24 hours. An Israeli F-15I aircraft launched an air-launched ballistic missile from over international waters in the Red Sea to strike Supreme Leader Khamenei's compound in Tehran on February 28, killing Khamenei. Iran's Assembly of Experts confirmed Mojtaba Khamenei as the new supreme leader on March 8, and Iran formally named him as supreme leader on March 9. US B-1 and B-52 bombers launched bombing missions from RAF Fairford, and KC-135R Stratotanker aircraft from RAF Mildenhall conducted aerial refueling over the Mediterranean after Britain agreed on February 28 to allow US aircraft to conduct defensive missions from British bases. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte revealed on June 24 that European allies made their bases available to the US military during Operation Epic Fury, with 4,000–5,000 US planes taking off from European bases over six weeks; Italy's Defence Minister disputed this characterisation, stating Italy authorised only technical and logistical non-combat activities. Oman announced a breakthrough in US-Iran talks it had been mediating in the early hours of February 28, saying Tehran had agreed to zero uranium stockpiling and conversion of existing material into fuel, but the war began regardless.

Israeli strikes hit oil refineries and depots near Tehran on February 28, causing fuel to seep into the city's water system and trigger explosions in residential areas. A Tomahawk cruise missile struck a school in Minab on February 28, killing close to 170 children; a Pentagon investigation on April 7 confirmed US responsibility, raising the confirmed death toll to at least 175. On March 15, a missile struck a sports hall during a girls' volleyball match in Lamerd, Iran, killing 20 people; BBC Verify reported on June 19 that experts assessed a US-made Precision Strike Missile was likely used in that attack, contradicting a US Central Command denial issued on March 31 that had blamed a misfired Iranian Hoveyzeh cruise missile. An Israeli military operation in the eastern Bekaa Valley in early March killed 41 people, including Lebanese troops, civilians, and children. Israeli strikes killed at least 361 people in Lebanon in the space of 10 minutes on April 8. Human Rights Watch accused Iran on March 15 of committing war crimes by targeting Israeli civilian centres with cluster munitions. Six US military personnel were killed in a refuelling plane crash in Iraq on April 1. Iran suspended IAEA access to nuclear sites bombed by Israel and the US on March 15, and the IAEA subsequently pulled out its remaining inspectors.

Iranian retaliatory strikes hit Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Israel, Iraq, and Jordan, killing dozens of civilians and damaging airports, hotels, energy infrastructure, and residential buildings. Iran targeted Qatari energy facilities on February 28, destroying 17 percent of Qatar's liquefied natural gas export capacity for up to five years. An explosion and fire tore through Qatar's Barzan gas supply facility at the Ras Laffan industrial area on June 22, injuring at least 54 people and leaving 18 missing. Hezbollah fired rockets at Israel on March 2, drawing Lebanon into the conflict. Seven UN peacekeepers were killed in Lebanon during the conflict. A US military strike on the Palau-flagged oil tanker MT Settebello in the Gulf of Oman on June 9 killed three Indian sailors; India's Prime Minister Modi raised the matter with President Trump at the G7 summit on June 18.

General Dan Caine confirmed on April 9 that 13 US service members were killed, with 373 wounded and more than 13,000 targets struck, destroying roughly 80 percent of Iran's air defenses, 90 percent of its navy, 90 percent of its weapons factories, and nearly 80 percent of its nuclear industrial base. A Pentagon official confirmed in a sworn court filing on June 16 that the US military used Elon Musk's Grok AI chatbot to fire more than 2,000 munitions at 2,000 distinct targets in Iran within 96 hours. Pentagon chief financial officer Jules Hurst told a congressional panel on May 13 that the Iran war had cost about $29 billion so far, and Pete Hegseth appeared before Congress on June 23 to seek roughly $80 billion in supplemental funding. The Trump administration formally submitted an $87.6 billion supplemental spending request to Congress on June 24, with roughly $67 billion earmarked for the Department of Defense, including $21 billion specifically for munitions procurement.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced on June 14 that the United States and Iran reached a peace deal, and Trump declared the deal complete on June 14. The White House confirmed that an initial phase of the MOU was signed on June 15 by JD Vance and Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, with Trump witnessing. On June 17, Trump signed the memorandum of understanding at a post-G7 dinner at the Palace of Versailles, with Iranian President Pezeshkian also signing. The MOU committed both sides to a 60-day negotiating window, a reconstruction plan of at least $300 billion for Iran, full release of frozen Iranian assets, removal of the US naval blockade, and toll-free passage through the Strait of Hormuz immediately upon signing. The deal contained no restrictions on Iran's ballistic missiles, no commitment to release political prisoners, and no requirement to rein in Iran's proxy forces.

The US and Iran gave sharply conflicting accounts of the deal's contents. Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei released a written statement on June 19 saying he held a different view on the MOU but approved it after President Pezeshkian accepted responsibility. Iranian President Pezeshkian declared on June 21 that Iran would not relinquish its right to enrich uranium, and declared on June 23 that Iran would never negotiate about its defensive capabilities. JD Vance backed away on June 28 from past US pledges to destroy Iran's ballistic weapons capabilities, saying countries cannot be told they are not allowed to have self-defence. Trump and JD Vance acknowledged on June 21 that some elements of the understanding were not written in the MOU text, describing them as a gentleman's agreement. Trump posted on Truth Social on June 23 claiming Iran fully agreed to the highest level of nuclear inspections, but Iran's Foreign Ministry stated on June 22 that Iran made no new commitments on nuclear inspections. IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi confirmed on June 24 that inspectors would visit Iranian nuclear enrichment sites under the interim deal, but Iran insisted on June 25 that inspections would resume only after a final agreement was reached.

Iran announced on June 18 plans to charge usage fees for Strait of Hormuz transit, and Iran's newly created Persian Gulf Strait Authority circulated a letter to the shipping industry on June 19 laying out those plans. The US Treasury imposed sanctions on Iran's Persian Gulf Strait Authority on May 31. US Central Command announced on June 18 that it lifted its blockade on all maritime traffic entering and exiting Iranian ports. The IMO launched an operation to evacuate over 11,000 seafarers and hundreds of vessels trapped in the strait; IMO Secretary General Arsenio Domínguez had believed he secured Iran's agreement for a dual-route evacuation plan with northern and southern corridors before the IRGC forced four tankers to turn back on June 26 and declared only the northern corridor in Iranian territorial waters an authorised route. The IMO paused further evacuations after a cargo ship was attacked on June 25 and stated it would not resume until guarantees against future attacks were provided, with traffic falling to 40 transits on June 28. France and the United Kingdom led a demining effort in the Strait of Hormuz, backed by Germany, Italy, Japan, and Canada.

On June 25, Iran's Revolutionary Guards used a drone to strike the Singapore-flagged cargo ship Ever Lovely in the Strait of Hormuz, damaging the ship's bridge; all 21 crew members were confirmed safe. Trump condemned the attack as a foolish ceasefire violation and confirmed US forces intercepted three additional drones from the same coordinated attack. The IRGC warned on June 26 that ships not coordinating passage with its naval forces would be dealt with as violators. The US military struck Iranian missile and drone storage facilities and radar sites near the southern Iranian port of Sirik on June 26 in response. Iran's IRGC launched missiles and drones at US infrastructure in Kuwait and Bahrain in retaliation on June 27, targeting the Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait and the US Fifth Fleet headquarters in Bahrain; Kuwait's air defense systems intercepted two of the Iranian ballistic missiles with no injuries or damage reported. An IRGC drone struck the Panama-flagged tanker MT Kiku in the Strait of Hormuz on June 27, carrying more than two million barrels of crude oil. The US military launched a second round of strikes on June 27 targeting five coastal locations including Sirik, Bandar-e Lengeh, and Qeshm Island, hitting Iranian military surveillance infrastructure, communication systems, air defense sites, and minelayer capabilities. An Iranian drone struck a residential building in Muharraq, Bahrain on June 28. The IRGC released video footage of ballistic missiles launched overnight with messages in English and Persian calling Trump's war a "defeated war," framed as retaliation for a second day of US strikes. Iran's Foreign Minister specified on June 28 that Iran controlled the Strait of Hormuz for the next 30 days and warned that any unilateral intervention would delay reopening.

The United States and Iran agreed on June 28 to stand down following their exchange of strikes, with vessels able to move through the Strait of Hormuz freely, and agreed to cease their attacks and renew negotiations, with talks planned in Doha on Tuesday. Iran's deputy foreign minister stated on June 29 that technical talks with the US were not yet planned for that week and would only be held when conditions were met. Trump posted on Truth Social on June 27 threatening that Iran would cease to exist as a state if it did not stop attacking US interests, and warned the US might be forced to militarily complete the job. Israeli military chief Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir warned on June 28 of continued operations and said Israel was prepared to rapidly resume offensive operations in Lebanon and Iran. Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf called on June 28 for an urgent meeting of a newly formed conflict control unit involving Iran, the United States, and Lebanon. Iranian President Pezeshkian announced on June 29 that $6 billion of the $12 billion in frozen Iranian assets held in Qatar would be released and returned to Iran.

Technical talks in Switzerland concluded on June 23, with negotiating groups covering sanctions relief, nuclear issues, reconstruction, monitoring, Strait of Hormuz shipping, and Lebanon de-confliction. Ghalibaf confirmed on June 23 the release of $12 billion in frozen Iranian funds following the Switzerland talks. Marco Rubio arrived in Bahrain on June 25 to meet Gulf Cooperation Council leaders, reassuring regional allies that the US would protect their security interests and stating the US would not accept any tolls or fees on the Strait of Hormuz under any circumstances; Rubio told reporters during the tour that the US and Iran were planning to meet for further technical talks likely in Switzerland. The US Treasury issued a 60-day sanctions waiver on June 22 authorising the production, delivery, and sale of Iranian oil to the United States for the first time since the 1990s. Brent crude briefly fell below $72.48 per barrel on June 25, dropping to pre-Iran war levels for the first time since the conflict began, before rising as much as 4 percent to $74.89 per barrel on June 26 following the evacuation pause. Trump ordered an investigation into major energy companies including Shell and ExxonMobil on June 25, accusing them of price gouging. SpaceX shares fell 16 percent on Nasdaq on June 23, dragging down broader global equity markets.

Israeli and Lebanese ambassadors announced a framework agreement following a fifth round of direct negotiations in Washington on June 24, calling for Israeli forces to begin an initial withdrawal from southern Lebanon and their replacement by Lebanese armed forces, conditioned on Hezbollah's complete disarmament. Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem declared the agreement null and a humiliation on June 28, calling for it to be replaced by an Iran-US memorandum, stating that linking Israel's withdrawal to Hezbollah's disarmament crossed red lines, and accusing the Beirut government of undermining Lebanon's sovereignty. Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, Defence Minister Katz, and military chief Zamir issued a joint statement on June 23 declaring Israeli troops would continue to occupy southern Lebanon and demolish Hezbollah infrastructure across a security zone covering roughly 602 square kilometres. An Israeli airstrike near Nabatieh on June 24 killed two people, and an Israeli reservist soldier was killed in southern Lebanon on June 25, confirmed killed by Hezbollah militants in the village of Deir Siryan on June 28. Israel responded by killing the militant responsible for the attack. The Israeli army struck a 200-metre-long Hezbollah tunnel in southern Lebanon on June 29 containing hundreds of weapons. Trump criticised Israel at the G7 summit on June 18 for targeting civilian buildings, saying not everyone in apartment houses is Hezbollah, and JD Vance criticised Israel's military tactics on June 22, saying a country of nine million people cannot kill its way out of every national security problem.

The Senate approved a war powers resolution on June 23 in a 50-48 vote requiring Trump to seek congressional authorisation to use military force against Iran, marking the first time such a measure passed both chambers. Senate Republicans reversed course on June 25, blocking a second war powers resolution in a 50-47-1 vote after Senator Bill Cassidy changed his vote following a classified briefing outlining a plan to degrade Iran's nuclear, ballistic missile, and conventional warfare capabilities, with Senator Rand Paul voting present. Trump posted on Truth Social on June 25 celebrating the Senate's reversal, declaring "This vote puts Iran on notice." Democratic Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer pledged on June 21 that his caucus would not provide votes for a $300 billion Iran economic redevelopment fund. Barack Obama said on June 19 that the United States was worse off after the war with Iran than before it started. A CBS poll found on June 21 that 78 percent of Americans wanted the Iran war to end, and a Reuters/Ipsos poll found on June 23 that only 23 percent of Americans believed the United States was stronger because of the war.

BBC Verify reported on June 19 that official casualty figures showed more than 7,300 people were killed in Iran and Lebanon since the war began. Iranian government figures reported at least 3,468 Iranians killed, comprising 1,460 civilians and 2,008 military personnel. Lebanon's Ministry of Public Health reported on June 29 that the death toll from fighting since March 2 surpassed 4,000 people, with 1.2 million displaced by Israeli attacks. Israeli authorities reported 60 people killed in Israel during the conflict, including 29 civilians and 31 IDF soldiers. More than 100 people were killed in Iraq during the conflict, and the UAE defence ministry confirmed 13 people were killed in the UAE.