The United States and Israel launched a military attack on Iran on February 28, 2026, according to multiple sources. Iran responded with missile and drone attacks on Israel and US military facilities in Gulf Cooperation Council countries. These hostilities forced the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic chokepoint that passes 20% of the world's oil supply, according to research. This escalation has disrupted global energy markets and heightened fears of a broader Middle East war.
US President Donald Trump declared the aim of the attack was regime change in Iran. However, the US-Israeli attacks on Iran cannot be legally justified under international law, according to Susan M. Akram, an ACW Non-resident Fellow. Trump administration officials have offered various and conflicting explanations for starting the war, according to research. The war resulted from an illusion of control by Washington, which believed it could coerce Iran without broader conflict, according to research.
The war began during nuclear negotiations between the US and Iran. The International Atomic Energy Agency said there was no evidence of a structured nuclear weapons program in Iran at the time of the strikes. According to a major media report, the last time Iran was in direct negotiations with the U.S. about its uranium enrichment capacity, Israel and the U.S. started a war and killed the ayatollah on February 28. Another major media report states Iran had promised never to develop nuclear weapons.
A conditional ceasefire between the US and Iran was agreed, scheduled for two weeks, according to research. The ceasefire is contingent on the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and a pause in strikes against Iran, according to research. Iran says a ceasefire in Lebanon and release of Iran's blocked assets are pre-conditions for talks, according to Iran's parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf. Iran threatened to break the truce over Israel's strikes on Lebanon, according to research.
US Vice President JD Vance is leading talks with Iran in Pakistan. According to a press conference, Vance expressed optimism about the talks and stated the U.S. is ready to negotiate in good faith but will be unreceptive if Iran plays games. Pakistan is hosting the fragile peace talks and has tried to appear as a relatively neutral party and mediate in the conflict, according to a major media report.
Trump threatened to bomb Iran's power and energy facilities if Tehran did not reopen the Strait of Hormuz by a deadline, according to the US President. According to a major media report, Iran is maintaining a stranglehold on the Strait of Hormuz, with some ship traffic allowed through but with toll fees. Donald Trump criticized the toll fees on Thursday, according to a major media report.
Human Rights Activists in Iran reported 3,220 people killed in Iran as of March 20, including civilians and military. Israeli authorities said 15 civilians were killed by missile fire in Israel as of March 19.
Iran accused the US and Israel of attacking a girls' school, killing 168 people including children; the US said it was investigating, and Israel said it was 'not aware', according to Iran. Expert video analysis by BBC Verify shows a US Tomahawk missile hit a military base near the school. According to a major media report, Israel's bombings of residential neighborhoods in Lebanon have killed hundreds of people and injured over a thousand, many of them civilians, women, children, and entire families when residential houses in Beirut were bombed.
Iran's Kharg island was bombed, and Iran struck the Jubail petrochemical facility in Saudi Arabia, according to research. An Iranian warship was sunk by a US submarine in the Indian Ocean near Sri Lanka on March 4, killing at least 87 people, according to research.
Khamenei's son, Mojtaba Khamenei, was named as his successor on March 8, according to research. US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said the successor was injured and 'likely disfigured', a claim denied by Iran, according to Hegseth.
According to a major media report, hours after the U.S. and Iran announced a ceasefire, which according to Iran and Pakistan also includes Israel's warfare in Lebanon, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the most extensive attack on Lebanon so far. Iran sees Israel's warfare in Lebanon as a clear violation of the ceasefire and initially completely blocked the Strait of Hormuz, according to a major media report.
According to a major media report, Israel is not invited to the peace negotiations but is a party to the war. The attacks have been condemned by European leaders and the UN, according to a major media report.
Key unknowns persist, including the specific deadline Trump set for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, the exact terms of the ceasefire, and the total casualty count. The current status of nuclear negotiations between the US and Iran following the attacks is also unclear, as are the specific concessions being discussed in Pakistan.