2026 Iran war

What we know so far

• 20 October 2026: Brent crude passed $111 a barrel, a five-month high, as Qatar and Pakistan presented Washington and Tehran with a joint proposal to revive US-Iran nuclear talks.^[13][14]
• 20 October 2026: Mohsen Rezaei, Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, declared that Iran will bar the export of its enriched nuclear material.^[1][6][14]
• 20 October 2026: Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian met Pakistan's army chief, Asim Munir, in Tehran to discuss mediation efforts.^[6][13][14]
• 20 October 2026: Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Iran and Russia have never worked more closely than now, a day after Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's 19 October visit to Tehran.^[6][13][14]
• 19 October 2026: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu released a video of a call with President Donald Trump in which he said they had a job to finish on Iran, and US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth visited Israel to meet him.^[6]
• 16 October 2026: Adm. Brad Cooper, commander of US Central Command (USCENTCOM), said the US naval blockade had kept Iran from exporting $25 billion in crude oil and had frozen about $350 million in Iranian cryptocurrency holdings.^[1][2]
• 16 October 2026: Pezeshkian told a UN nature summit in Armenia that the Middle East conflict amounts to ecocide.^[6][7][8]
• 8 October 2026: Trump said the United States would not resume military strikes on Iran before the 3 November midterm elections.^[1][2][8]
• 26 September 2026: Trump rejected Iran's proposal for a seven-day ceasefire.^[1][2][6][7]

Started

28 February 2026^[1]

US operation name

Operation Epic Fury^[1]

Israeli operation name

Operation Roaring Lion^[1]

Iranian operation name

Operation True Promise IV^[1]

US service members killed (Pentagon, October 2026)

21^[1][3]

US service members wounded (Pentagon, October 2026)

865^[1][3]

Deaths in Iran (HRANA count)

3,636^[3]

Cost to the US (Defense Department estimate)

$43.6 billion^[1]

Background

The war began on 28 February 2026, when the United States and Israel launched hundreds of air strikes against targets across Iran; one strike, on Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei's residential compound, killed him.^[1][2][3] On 1 March an Interim Leadership Council was established in Iran to exercise the functions of head of state after Khamenei's death.^[1][2] Iran blocked the Strait of Hormuz during the war and in late March 2026 declared sovereignty over it.^[1] Each side named its own campaign: the United States calls its initial air campaign Operation Epic Fury, Israel calls its campaign Operation Roaring Lion, and Iran calls its response Operation True Promise IV.^[1] American media have generally called the conflict the Iran war; some outlets called it the Third Gulf War, and Iranian state media called it the Third Imposed War.^[1]

0:11 Khamenei's death confirmed Reuters, 1 March 2026: Iranian state media confirm the supreme leader's death after first denying it, and Netanyahu says his compound was destroyed.

The Houthis entered the war on 28 March 2026, firing ballistic missiles toward Israel.^[1][2] A two-week ceasefire between the United States, Israel and Iran, mediated by Pakistan, began on 8 April 2026,^[1][2] but the Islamabad Talks between the United States and Iran on 12 to 13 April ended without an agreement.^[1][2] On 17 June 2026 President Trump and Iranian President Pezeshkian signed a memorandum of understanding to end the war, and on 28 June the two countries agreed to stop exchanging attacks with each other.^[1][2][9]

Timeline

1. 2026-02-28 US and Israeli forces launch air strikes against Iran; Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei is killed in a strike on his residential compound.^[1][2][3]
2. 2026-03-01 An Interim Leadership Council is established in Iran to exercise the functions of head of state.^[1][2]
3. 2026-03-28 The Houthis join the war, launching ballistic missiles toward Israel.^[1][2]
4. 2026-04-08 A two-week ceasefire mediated by Pakistan begins between the United States, Israel and Iran.^[1][2]
5. 2026-04-13 Islamabad Talks end without agreement; the United States imposes a naval blockade of Iranian ports.^[1][2]
6. 2026-06-17 A US-Iran memorandum of understanding to end the war is agreed and signed.^[1][2][9]
7. 2026-06-28 The United States and Iran agree to stop exchanging attacks.^[1][2][9]
8. 2026-08-25 The US Treasury announces Operation Economic Outcast, a new sanctions campaign against Iran.^[2][10]
9. 2026-09-26 President Trump rejects Iran's seven-day ceasefire proposal.^[1][2][6][7]
10. 2026-10-08 President Trump says the United States will not resume strikes on Iran before the 3 November midterm elections.^[1][2][8]
11. 2026-10-16 CENTCOM commander Adm. Brad Cooper says the US naval blockade has prevented $25 billion in Iranian oil exports and frozen about $350 million in Iranian cryptocurrency.^[1][2]
12. 2026-10-20 Qatar and Pakistan present a proposal to revive US-Iran nuclear talks; Iran's Mohsen Rezaei says Iran will bar export of enriched nuclear material.^{[1][2][6][13][14]}

Parties and their stated positions

The United States, Israel and Iran are the principal combatants; the Houthis have fought in support of Iran since entering the conflict on 28 March 2026.^[1][2] Each of the three main parties gave its operations its own name: Operation Epic Fury (United States), Operation Roaring Lion (Israel) and Operation True Promise IV (Iran).^[1] Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov visited Tehran on 19 October 2026, his first trip to Iran since the war began, and met Iranian officials.^[6][13][14]

1:54 Operation Epic Fury CBS News: US Central Command's footage from Operation Epic Fury, jets launching from carriers and Tomahawk missiles fired from destroyers.

In a video call released on 19 October 2026, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told President Donald Trump that they had a job to finish on Iran, and the same day US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth made an unannounced visit to Israel and met Netanyahu.^[6] Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian told a UN nature summit in Armenia on 16 October 2026 that the Middle East conflict amounts to ecocide.^[6][7][8] On 20 October 2026 Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said that Iran and Russia have never worked more closely than now, and Pezeshkian met Pakistan's army chief, Asim Munir, in Tehran.^[6][13][14] The same day Mohsen Rezaei, Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, declared that Iran will bar the export of its enriched nuclear material.^{[1][2][6][14]}

Diplomacy and negotiations

Pakistan mediated a two-week ceasefire between the United States, Israel and Iran that began on 8 April 2026, but the Islamabad Talks between the United States and Iran on 12 to 13 April ended without an agreement.^[1][2] On 17 June 2026 President Trump and Iranian President Pezeshkian agreed and signed a memorandum of understanding to end the war, and on 28 June the United States and Iran agreed to stop exchanging attacks.^[1][2][9] On 26 September 2026 Trump rejected Iran's proposal for a seven-day ceasefire.^[1][2][6][7]

0:34 Iran accepts the ceasefire Al Jazeera, live from Tehran, 8 April 2026: Foreign Minister Araghchi says Iran has accepted the two-week ceasefire, with talks set for 10 April.

On 20 October 2026 Qatar and Pakistan presented Washington and Tehran with a compromise proposal to revive US-Iran nuclear talks, and the same day Pezeshkian met Pakistan's army chief, Asim Munir, in Tehran to discuss mediation efforts.^[6][13][14] Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov had visited Tehran on 19 October 2026, his first visit since the war began, and on 20 October Araghchi said Iran and Russia have never worked more closely than now.^[6][13][14] UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres attended the 16 October 2026 nature summit in Armenia at which Pezeshkian called the conflict an ecocide.^[6][7][8]

Military events

The war opened on 28 February 2026 with hundreds of US and Israeli air strikes on targets across Iran, one of which killed Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.^[1][2][3] US Central Command (USCENTCOM) said that by 4 March 2026 the United States had destroyed 19 Iranian ships and one submarine.^[2] By 21 March it reported more than 8,000 Iranian military targets struck, including 130 vessels, and by 28 March more than 11,000 targets struck in Iran since the war began.^[1] The Houthis joined the conflict on 28 March 2026, launching ballistic missiles toward Israel.^[1][2]

0:28 The first day of strikes CBS News, 1 March 2026: smoke over Tehran on the first morning of the US and Israeli strikes, and the announcement that Khamenei had been killed.

The Pentagon counted 21 US service members killed and 865 wounded as of October 2026.^[1][3] On 8 July 2026 CENTCOM struck more than 80 Iranian targets in retaliation for Iranian attacks on commercial vessels.^[2] In October 2026 the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Iran's army struck and set ablaze multiple tankers attempting to transit the Strait of Hormuz by routes Tehran considers illegal.^[6][13][14] On 16 October 2026 Adm. Brad Cooper said the US naval blockade had kept Iran from exporting $25 billion in crude oil and had frozen about $350 million in Iranian cryptocurrency holdings.^[1][2]

Humanitarian impact

Death tolls in Iran vary by source. Iranian state media reported 1,270 deaths as of late March 2026,^[4][5] while Iran's UN ambassador said on 6 March 2026 that at least 1,332 people had been killed in Iran since the war began.^[4][5] HRANA documented 3,636 deaths in Iran as of 7 April 2026: 1,701 civilians, 1,221 military personnel and 714 unclassified.^[3]

On the American side, the Pentagon recorded 21 US service members killed and 865 wounded as of October 2026.^[1][3] Estimates of Iranian forces killed differ by source: the Israel Defense Forces stated that 6,000 IRGC members had been killed and about 15,000 wounded by 15 March 2026; Iran International reported at least 4,700 Iranian security forces killed and 20,880 injured as of 31 March 2026; and the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights estimated at least 6,620 members of the Iranian military killed as of 8 April 2026.^[3] On 16 October 2026 President Pezeshkian told a UN nature summit in Armenia that the Middle East conflict amounts to ecocide.^[6][7][8]

Economic effects

The US Department of Defense estimated the cost of the war at $43.6 billion as of September 2026,^[1] while the Congressional Budget Office reported $38 billion as of 1 August 2026, lower than the Pentagon's estimate.^[2] On 16 October 2026 Adm. Brad Cooper said the US naval blockade had kept Iran from exporting $25 billion in crude oil and had frozen about $350 million in Iranian cryptocurrency holdings.^[1][2] On 25 August 2026 the US Treasury announced Operation Economic Outcast, a new sanctions campaign against Iran.^[2][10]

On 20 October 2026 Brent crude passed $111 a barrel, a five-month high, amid reports of attacks on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.^[13][14] The same day Mohsen Rezaei declared that Iran will bar the export of its enriched nuclear material,^{[1][2][6][14]} and the IRGC and Iran's army struck and set ablaze multiple tankers attempting to transit the strait by routes Tehran considers illegal.^[6][13][14]

International reactions

Pakistan's mediation produced the two-week ceasefire that began on 8 April 2026; Pakistan then hosted the Islamabad Talks on 12 to 13 April, and on 20 October 2026 it presented, with Qatar, a compromise proposal to revive US-Iran nuclear talks.^{[1][2][6][13][14]} Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov visited Tehran on 19 October 2026, his first trip since the war began, and the next day Iranian Foreign Minister Araghchi said Iran and Russia have never worked more closely than now.^[6][13][14] UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres attended the 16 October 2026 nature summit in Armenia where Iranian President Pezeshkian called the conflict an ecocide.^[6][7][8]

On 8 October 2026 President Trump said the United States would not resume military strikes on Iran before the 3 November midterm elections.^[1][2][8] Accounts of the Strait of Hormuz differ: UKMTO and Marisks have reported attacks on shipping near the strait during October 2026, and Iran's army, navy and IRGC have said it is closed, while President Trump and the US Navy have said it is mine-free and open.^[6][7][8]

Latest developments

On 26 September 2026 President Trump rejected Iran's seven-day ceasefire proposal,^[1][2][6][7] and on 8 October he said the United States would not resume strikes on Iran before the 3 November midterm elections.^[1][2][8] Adm. Brad Cooper said the US naval blockade had kept Iran from exporting $25 billion in crude oil and had frozen about $350 million in Iranian cryptocurrency holdings; the same day Iranian President Pezeshkian told a UN nature summit in Armenia that the conflict amounts to ecocide.^{[1][2][6][7][8]}

On 19 October 2026 Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov visited Tehran for the first time since the war began, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu released a video of a call with President Trump in which he said they had a job to finish on Iran, and US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth visited Israel to meet Netanyahu.^[6][13][14] On 20 October Brent crude passed $111 a barrel, a five-month high.^[13][14]