The United States and Israel launched a joint military attack on Iran on February 28, 2026, according to multiple reports. The US attack involved two aircraft carrier strike groups and advanced aircraft, targeting Tehran and other Iranian cities. The strike killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and several high-ranking members of the Iranian clerical regime, multiple sources indicate.
Iran responded by launching missiles and armed drones against Israel and US military facilities in Gulf Cooperation Council countries. Iranian missiles caused serious damage in Israel, killing and injuring scores of people, according to multiple reports. Iran also struck civilian infrastructure in the Gulf, including ports and airports, multiple sources confirm.
The hostilities forced the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, through which 20% of the world's oil supply passes, according to multiple reports. The Strait of Hormuz is the crucial shipping route currently being blockaded by Iran’s military, according to major media. Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, and the UAE reported Iranian attacks on energy sites after Israel struck Iran's South Pars gasfield, multiple sources indicate.
Explosions continued for a 24th day in Iran, Israel, and across several Middle Eastern states, according to multiple reports. US forces struck more than 7,000 targets in Iran since February 28, according to US Central Command. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps says it launched attacks on at least 27 bases in the Middle East where US troops are deployed, and Israeli military facilities. Iran launched strikes across nine countries: Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE, and an Iranian drone struck a UK military base in Cyprus, multiple reports confirm.
At least 1,500 people have been killed and 18,551 injured in Iran by US-Israeli attacks, according to Iran's Health Ministry. The victims in Iran ranged from eight months to 88 years old, with 200 women among those killed, multiple sources indicate. 168 children were killed in a girls' elementary school in Minab, Iran, according to multiple reports. 55 healthcare workers were wounded and 11 killed in Iran, including four physicians, two nurses, and three emergency workers, multiple sources confirm.
An Iranian ballistic missile strike on Beit Shemesh, Israel, on March 1 killed nine people and injured more than 20, according to multiple reports. The US military confirmed 13 fatalities from Iranian attacks across the region. In Israel, at least 14 civilians have been killed since the conflict began, multiple sources indicate. Countries hosting US military bases experienced strikes, leading to at least 20 people killed across these nations, according to multiple reports.
The war has been characterized by multiple strikes on civilian sites and infrastructure by all sides, with flagrant disregard for civilian safety, according to multiple reports. The apparent US strike on a school in Minab, Iran, killed an estimated 175 people, mostly children, multiple sources indicate. US and Israeli attacks have struck other schools, medical facilities, residential areas, and a water desalination plant, according to multiple reports. Iranian attacks have struck civilian targets, including a desalination plant and urban residential areas, multiple sources confirm. These strikes could constitute war crimes under international humanitarian law, according to multiple reports.
Secretary Pete Hegseth closed the Pentagon office tasked with avoiding civilian harm and applied more lax rules of engagement, according to multiple reports. The Pentagon's targeting practices have relied heavily on Anthropic's AI model, raising questions about adherence to international humanitarian law, multiple sources indicate.
With the previous negotiating team, there’s no chance for talks, as the Iranian side regards the request for negotiations as another round of deception.
Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif held a phone call with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, expressing solidarity and calling for reduced tensions. Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif and Masoud Pezeshkian agreed on the urgent need for de-escalation, dialogue and diplomacy, according to an official readout of the call reported by major media. Senior Pakistani officials were back-channelling communications between Tehran and Trump administration officials, multiple sources indicate. Pakistan’s military leadership has been attempting to broker negotiations between the US and Iran, according to major media.
The prospects for US-Iran negotiations remain uncertain. Pakistan’s army chief, Asim Munir, had a phonecall with Donald Trump on Sunday to discuss the conflict, according to the White House. The US and Iran could meet for negotiations in Islamabad as early as this week, according to diplomatic sources cited by major media. Islamabad had yet to be officially confirmed as the venue for any peace talks, which neither side has formally agreed to so far, according to major media. Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, is believed to be preparing to travel to Islamabad, according to major media. There was no confirmation that anyone from the Iranian side would be in attendance at talks in Islamabad, according to major media.
Negotiation challenges include deep distrust and personnel issues. The US vice-president, JD Vance, is being put forward as a probable chief negotiator from the US side if talks do go ahead, rather than Witkoff or Jared Kushner, according to Pakistani sources cited by major media. Iran’s parliamentary speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, was the most likely to lead any talks from the Iranian side, according to sources cited by major media. Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf has so far dismissed reports of talks between the two sides as 'fake news', according to major media. According to The Guardian - World, a diplomatic source described that with the previous negotiating team, there’s no chance for talks, as the Iranian side regards the request for negotiations as another round of deception.
Historical context complicates current efforts. Negotiations between the US and Iran were still happening when the US began its bombing campaign, according to major media. The Iranian regime has viewed previous negotiations as an attempt by the Trump administration to deceive Iran into thinking it wanted a diplomatic solution, while it planned to attack, according to major media. Trump gave the strongest indication yet that he would be willing to halt US strikes after claiming that 'strong talks' were being held between Iranian officials and Witkoff and Kushner, according to major media. The US president has now given a five-day deadline to an ultimatum he gave over the weekend, threatening to 'obliterate' Iran’s power plants and energy infrastructure if they did not reopen the strait of Hormuz, according to major media.
Key military incidents include the sinking of an Iranian warship and strikes on nuclear facilities. An Iranian warship was sunk by a US submarine in the Indian Ocean near Sri Lanka, killing at least 87 personnel, according to multiple reports. The US and Israel conducted strikes on key Iranian assets, including facilities tied to its nuclear programme and Kharg Island oil export hub, multiple sources indicate.
Conflicting reports on casualty figures and specific incidents create uncertainty. Over 3,100 people have been killed in Iran as of mid-March, including more than 1,300 civilians and at least 200 children, according to multiple reports. Iranian authorities claim 168 people were killed in a strike near a girls' school in southern Iran, including approximately 110 children. The US is investigating the school incident, while Israel denies involvement, according to multiple reports. Independent analysis suggests a missile struck a nearby military base, raising questions about collateral damage, multiple sources indicate.
Economic implications have emerged from the conflict. Trump’s announcement of talks helped to boost markets as it brought oil prices sharply, according to major media.
The conflict continues with several critical unknowns, including whether formal peace talks have been agreed upon, the exact number of casualties given conflicting reports, and the specific details and responsibility for the school strike in Minab. The current status of the Strait of Hormuz blockade and the identity of chief negotiators if talks proceed also remain unclear.