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. 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. 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. Iran struck Qatar's main gas facility at Ras Laffan on March 1, forcing Qatar to suspend LNG production in March.

Mass anti-government protests had spread across Iran in January 2026, fueled by economic woes, before the war began. Iran's official death toll rose to at least 3,375, including 383 children, and the Human Rights Activists News Agency reported that more than 1,700 civilians had been killed since US strikes began. Iran estimated $270 billion in direct and indirect war damages. The IMF predicted on May 13 that the Iranian economy would shrink by approximately 6 percentage points in the next year. Iran's official statistics center reported annual inflation of 53.7 percent and food inflation of 115 percent in mid-April 2026, and Iran's rial fell to a record low of 1.9 million to the dollar on April 30. Iranian authorities announced on May 13 a 60 percent hike in the minimum wage and coupon programs for essential goods.

Israel killed Supreme Leader Khamenei on February 28; Iran's Assembly of Experts confirmed Mojtaba Khamenei as the new supreme leader on March 8. US officials stated on May 7 that Mojtaba Khamenei was seriously wounded; an Iranian official stated on May 9 that he had suffered knee and back injuries but was in good health. Netanyahu publicly announced on May 15 his previously secret visit to the UAE during the war, after the UAE had denied on May 14 that he had visited the country or that an Israeli military delegation was present. Israel sent Iron Dome air defense batteries and personnel to the UAE on May 15 to defend against Iranian attacks during the war.

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. 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. Admiral Brad Cooper told the Senate Armed Services Committee on May 14 that Operation Epic Fury damaged or destroyed more than 85 percent of Iran's ballistic missile, drone, and naval industrial base through more than 1,450 strikes on weapons-manufacturing facilities. Cooper told Congress on May 15 that Iran's military capabilities had been dramatically degraded but that its leaders were impacting shipping in the Strait of Hormuz through rhetoric alone. NATO sources told The Independent on May 13 that Iran retained at least 60 percent of its missile capability and that its underground nuclear facilities were not destroyed but merely had their entrances closed. Pete Hegseth told lawmakers on May 13 that the war had cost Washington at least $29 billion in munitions and equipment over 74 days, with repair costs to US facilities potentially adding at least another $4 billion. Marco Rubio declared on May 5 that the offensive stage of Operation Epic Fury was over. A White House official confirmed on May 14 that any fresh US military action against Iran would be conducted under a new operation name to restart the 60-day War Powers Resolution clock.

Saudi Arabia launched numerous secret airstrikes against Iran toward the end of March 2026, and the UAE carried out secret bombing raids on several Iranian sites, including an oil refinery on Lavan Island in the Persian Gulf, in early April 2026. The UAE made a failed attempt on February 28 to convince Saudi Arabia and Qatar to launch a coordinated joint military attack on Iran. Iran targeted the UAE with more than 2,800 drones and missiles over the course of the war, surpassing the number it fired against Israel. Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi accused the UAE on May 14 of being an active partner in the US-Israeli aggression against Iran and of directly participating in attacks on Iran. The UAE floated a failed proposal at the United Nations on May 15 that would have authorized the use of force to respond to Iran's control of the Strait of Hormuz, and UAE presidential adviser Anwar Gargash publicly criticized the Gulf Cooperation Council on May 15 for its weak response to Iran's attacks. Araghchi also accused an unnamed UAE-linked BRICS member state on May 15 of blocking a final BRICS ministerial statement due to its support for Israel and the United States. The UAE quit OPEC on May 1 after 60 years of membership. The UAE announced on May 15 that it would complete a new oil pipeline bypassing the Strait of Hormuz by 2027 to secure crude exports, and Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Khaled bin Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan directed ADNOC on May 15 to accelerate construction of that pipeline. Araghchi urged BRICS nations on May 15 to condemn the US-Israel war on Iran as a violation of international law.

The IRGC declared on March 4 that it was in full control of the Strait of Hormuz. Iran suspended oil tanker transits through the strait on April 9 and laid sea mines in main transit routes. Iran's navy seized the oil tanker Ocean Koi in the Gulf of Oman on May 7, claiming it was disrupting Iranian oil exports. Trump announced a blockade of all Iranian ports on April 14, and US Central Command redirected 70 commercial vessels and disabled 4 others on May 14 to enforce that blockade. The US launched Project Freedom on May 4 to escort commercial ships through the strait, but it collapsed after approximately 50 hours on May 6 after Saudi Arabia refused to support the effort. Iran reached a deal with China on May 13 allowing a large number of oil tankers bound for China to transit the strait, and Iran established a new transit mechanism on May 14 requiring ships to submit detailed cargo, ownership, destination, and timing information to the Persian Gulf Strait Authority before receiving a transit permit. A Chinese private security company's vessel, the Hui Chuan, was taken into Iranian waters on May 14 for a documentation and compliance inspection. Iran's senior vice president Mohammadreza Aref declared on May 15 that the Strait of Hormuz belonged to Iran and Tehran would not give it up at any price. Araghchi defined the Strait of Hormuz on May 15 as an exclusively Omani-Iranian waterway with no international waters in between, and said Iran was coordinating with Oman on the future management of the strait, including Tehran's toll plans. A ship anchored off the UAE coast was seized by unauthorized personnel on May 14 and headed toward Iranian territorial waters. The Indian-flagged vessel Haji Ali sank off the coast of Oman on May 14 after a suspected drone or missile explosion; India confirmed on May 15 that all 14 crew members were rescued by Oman's coast guard.

Bahrain and the United States tabled a new UN Security Council resolution on freedom of navigation through the strait on May 13, which gained 112 co-sponsors. Six Gulf states sent a joint letter to the UN on May 14 calling on Iran to refrain from restricting international navigation through the strait. The UK and France prepared a rival freedom-of-navigation plan for the Strait of Hormuz and presented it to Oman on May 15. Trump and Xi Jinping discussed the Strait of Hormuz situation during talks in Beijing on May 14, agreeing the strait must remain open; the White House announced that Xi opposed Iran charging a toll in the strait and was considering buying more US oil to replace lost Gulf volume, and Trump said Xi offered to help end the war and pledged not to supply military equipment to Tehran. Trump departed Beijing on May 15 after more than 40 hours in the Chinese capital without a breakthrough agreement on ending the war. Trump posted on Truth Social after the Beijing summit on May 15 that the military decimation of Iran could be continued. China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement on May 15 reiterating opposition to the US-Israel war on Iran and calling for a comprehensive ceasefire, and stated that China recognized Iran's legitimate right to the peaceful use of nuclear energy while appreciating Iran's commitment not to develop nuclear weapons. Marco Rubio said on May 15 that the US would nudge China to do more to pressure Iran to reopen the strait while insisting the US did not need Chinese help.

Pakistan played a central diplomatic role throughout the conflict. Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi visited Islamabad on April 1 and met Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and army chief Asim Munir as Pakistan's Ministry of Commerce issued regulatory order SRO 691, designating six overland transit routes for cargo arriving in Iran through Pakistani territory. Trial shipments moved through the new Iran-Pakistan land corridor by May 1. CBS News reported on May 13 that Pakistan allowed Iran to park its aircraft on Pakistani airbases to shield them from US strikes; US Senator Lindsey Graham publicly criticized Pakistan over the report on May 14. The United States and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire brokered by Sharif and Munir on April 8, which was extended indefinitely on April 21. On May 7, the US and Iran negotiated a one-page memorandum of understanding outlining a two-phase structure to end the war. Iran sent its formal response to the US peace proposal to mediator Pakistan on May 10, demanding an end to the war, the lifting of sanctions and the blockade, and war damage compensation before agreeing to nuclear talks. Trump rejected Iran's response on May 10 as totally unacceptable and described the ceasefire on May 11 as on life support. Pakistan's Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar secured on May 15 the return of 11 Pakistani nationals and 20 Iranian citizens who were aboard US-seized vessels in the Gulf of Oman, and Pakistan's Foreign Ministry spokesperson confirmed on May 15 that the peace process was still working and diplomatic contacts were continuing. Araghchi visited Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on May 13, who called for a ceasefire and free transit through the Strait of Hormuz; Wang Yi urged Pakistan on May 15 to step up its mediation efforts between Iran and the United States. Araghchi said on May 15 that Iran welcomed diplomatic support from China to help ease tensions, that Iran doubted US seriousness about negotiations but would proceed if a fair deal was offered, and that the question of Iran's enriched uranium was in deadlock and would be postponed to later stages of future talks; Araghchi also confirmed he had discussed Russia's offer to store Iran's enriched uranium with Russian officials, though he said on May 15 that Russia's proposal was not currently under active discussion but could be revisited if negotiations progressed. Iran set five conditions for resuming talks with the United States on May 15, including war reparations and US acceptance of Iranian sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz. Trump told Fox News on May 15 that he was running out of patience to reach a truce with Iran and that hunting down Iran's enriched uranium was primarily for political optics rather than strategic necessity. JD Vance said on May 14 that the US was making progress in negotiations with Iran to end the war. An Iranian official warned on May 13 that Iran could start enriching uranium to 90 percent purity if Trump resumed bombing.

The Dallas Fed described the Iran war on May 8 as the largest geopolitical oil supply shock on record, estimating it could cut global GDP growth by 2.9 percentage points in a single quarter. Brent crude oil hit $122 per barrel in late April 2026, its highest level since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, before settling at $103.50 per barrel on May 11. The US Labor Department reported on May 12 that the consumer price index rose 3.8 percent year-on-year in April 2026, with the nationwide gasoline average reaching $4.50 per gallon by May 12. Trump announced on May 12 that he would suspend the federal gasoline tax. Spirit Airlines ceased operations after 34 years in business on May 12, attributing its collapse to heightened fuel costs from the Iran war. A CNN/SSRS poll found on May 15 that three out of four Americans disapproved of the economy under Trump and blamed his policies, including the war with Iran, for rising costs.

Hezbollah launched missile attacks on Israel on March 2, triggering Israel's ground invasion into southern Lebanon. Israel launched Operation Eternal Darkness on April 9, killing more than 300 people in a Beirut airstrike. Israel intensified strikes on Lebanon on May 13, killing at least 12 people in attacks mostly south of Beirut. Hezbollah launched rockets, drones, and artillery attacks on Israeli troops and military vehicles in southern Lebanon on May 15 and claimed to have downed Israeli drones. Lebanon and Israel announced on May 10 that direct negotiations were scheduled to begin in Washington the following week, and the two sides convened in Washington on May 14 for that new round of peace talks; a US official described the second day of talks on May 15 as positive. Lebanon's death toll reached at least 2,496, with more than 1.2 million people displaced and more than 10,000 homes damaged or destroyed since the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah.

The war deepened fractures within the Western alliance and in US domestic politics. Italy declined on March 28 to allow US bombers to land at Sigonella base without parliamentary approval, and Spain refused on May 8 to allow the US access to two joint military bases. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer publicly distanced the United Kingdom from America's Iran policy on May 8. Republican Senators Lisa Murkowski and Susan Collins both voted on May 13 in favor of a war powers resolution against the Iran war. The House voted 212-212 on a Democratic war powers resolution to rein in Trump's military authority in Iran on May 14, failing for the third time. A Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll published on May 7 found that 66 percent of Americans disapproved of Trump's handling of the Iran war.