First week (28 February – 6 March) On 27February at 3:38 p.m.
EST (11:08 p.m.
IRST), Donald Trump, traveling on
Air Force One to
Corpus Christi, Texas, gave the order to proceed with Operation Epic Fury. US missiles, drones, and
Israeli fighter jets began striking Iran the next day, around 9:45 a.m. IRST (1:15 a.m. EST). The strikes took place during active negotiations over Iran's nuclear program. The attacks coincided with the holy month of
Ramadan, during which Muslims
fast from dawn to sunset. The operation was codenamed Operation Roaring Lion by Israel. The
Israeli Air Force (IAF) said that it had struck 500 military targets in western and central Iran in the largest combat sortie in its history. Iranian naval vessels were also targeted. Israel later said its initial strikes used over 1,200 bombs in 24 hours. A US official said dozens of USstrikes were carried out by planes based around the Middle East and from one or more aircraft carriers. According to Iran International, quoting the
Iranian Students' News Agency, thousands of
Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) personnel, including several senior officials, were killed or wounded as several military bases were attacked. The strikes were coupled with cyberattacks on Iranian infrastructure, media, and phone apps, with messages calling on Iranians to rise up against their government. The cyberattacks resulted in a near-total internet blackout in Iran, lasting over 60hours with connectivity dropping to as low as 1%of normal levels, disrupting government communications, state media, and public services. Israeli military officials said months-long planning preceded their strikes, allowing them to pinpoint their targets, attain "tactical surprise", and gain US support. Attacking during the morning, rather than at night which was when most of Israel's previous attacks on Iran took place, added to the element of surprise. After the strikes began, Israel declared a state of emergency, citing expectation of an Iranian retaliation, and warned its citizens to remain in protected areas. Israel called up 20,000 reservists in addition to the 50,000 already on duty. The
Israeli Ministry of Health moved its hospital operations underground. Israel warned Iranian civilians residing near military industries and infrastructure to evacuate immediately. At 2:30a.m.EST on 28February, Donald Trump released an eight-minute video statement on
Truth Social, saying that the purpose of the USstrikes in Iran was effectively
regime change. Trump said that Iran's "menacing activities" endangered the US and its allies. He cited the
Iran hostage crisis, support for proxies such as
Hamas and
Hezbollah, and
its killings of protesters. Trump and
Benjamin Netanyahu both warned of the potential threat of nuclear weapons in Iran and called on the Iranian people to overthrow their government.
The Times of Israel reported that Defense Minister
Israel Katz labeled the strikes a "pre-emptive attack" intended to "remove threats to the State of Israel". in the Middle East, including bases used during the strikes Iranian forces reacted within hours by launching missiles and drones. Iran codenamed its military response . Iranian state media also dubbed the events as the Ramadan War, as the US-Israeli attacks coincided with the holy month of
Ramadan. Iran struck Israeli targets in
Tel Aviv and
Haifa as well as multiple countries throughout the Persian Gulf region. Major targets included Bahrain's capital
Manama,
Kuwait International Airport, the United Arab Emirates' capital
Abu Dhabi,
Riyadh and
Eastern Province in Saudi Arabia, and
Erbil International Airport and the
US Consulate General in Erbil in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. Iran reported striking the US bases of
Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar,
Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait,
Al Dhafra Air Base in the UAE, and the US Navy
Fifth Fleet headquarters in Bahrain. Local sources said Iran used
Shahed drones, which are among the weapons most used by Iran and its proxies, including Hamas and Hezbollah. On 1 or 2 March, Iran struck the radar bases for US
THAAD missile defense systems in Jordan, the UAE and Saudi Arabia, destroying at least one of them. Israel launched a new wave of strikes against Iranian targets. Iran launched missiles and drones on Bahrain, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE. The United Kingdom reported "two missiles fired in the direction of Cyprus", but that they "don't believe they were targeted at Cyprus". However, the presidents of Cyprus and
Northern Cyprus both denied the claims that any missiles were fired at Cyprus. Two oil tankers, the
Palau-flagged
Skylight and the
Marshall Islands-flagged
MKD VYOM, were targeted off the coast of Oman. Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz slowed to a standstill, with 150 freight ships, including many oil tankers, stalled. To avert further Iranian strikes, the
E3 (the UK, France, and Germany) resolved to back, if needed, "proportionate military defensive measures" against drones and ballistic missiles, signaling the potential for direct involvement. British prime minister
Keir Starmer said that US can use British bases for "defensive" strikes on Iran and disclosed that Ukrainian and other specialists would aid Gulf efforts to foil Iranian drone strikes.
CNN reported that Saudi Crown Prince Salman, with US backing, vowed to employ military force against further Iranian incursions, calling Iranian strikes "cowardly" due to Saudi airspace being closed to US and Israeli attackers. On 1 March, Trump announced that the US had accepted an Iranian proposal to further negotiations. However, Ali Larijani subsequently ruled out talks. strikes Trump issued letters to Congress leaders according to the 1973
War Powers Resolution. On 2 March, the
US embassy in Kuwait was struck and subsequently closed indefinitely; no casualties were reported. A senior official and advisor to the IRGC commander said he would set fire to any ship coming through the Strait of Hormuz, and added that no oil will leave the area. Qatar shot down two
Iranian Su-24bombers, making it the first nation to shoot down an Iranian aircraft in the conflict. The Qatari Ministry of Defense announced that
Ras Laffan Industrial City and
Mesaieed Industrial Area were struck by two Iranian drones. On 6March, it was reported that according to satellite imagery analysis by both
Bloomberg and the Energy Economics and Society Research Institute in Tokyo, Ras Laffan, the main gas facility in Qatar, appeared to have not been damaged before the "unprecedented shutdown" which sent fuel prices higher. , Iranian Kurdistan The United States and Israel attacked the
Natanz Nuclear Facility and the Iranian media reported damage to the Khatam-al-Anbia and Gandhi hospitals. A
friendly fire incident took place when the pilot of an
F/A-18 of the
Kuwait Air Force shot down three US
F-15Efighters. Israel and Hezbollah exchanged strikes. Hezbollah later claimed that the attack was a "defensive act" after over a year of Israeli
attacks despite
a 2024 truce. It added that it restarted fighting to force Israel to stop its aggression and evacuate from
seized Lebanese territories, emphasizing that the move was unrelated to the war. Lebanon banned military activities by Hezbollah after the attacks. An IDF spokesperson issued an emergency statement stating that the attack is to be considered "an official declaration of war by Hezbollah", vowing to "neutralize" the threat. Israel struck
southern Lebanon, Beirut, and the
Beqaa Valley. In Lebanon, the IDF killed Adham Adnan al-Othman, the head of Palestinian Islamic Jihad's armed wing,
Al-Quds Brigades, in Lebanon. The Royal Air Force station at
Akrotiri, Cyprus, was targeted by a drone strike around midnight local time, with one causing minor damage. Another strike on Cyprus led to
Greece announcing that they would deploy frigates and
F-16s to defend Cyprus from any further strikes by Iran. The pro-Iran militant group
Guardians of the Blood Brigade claimed responsibility for attacks on the US
Victory Base near
Baghdad International Airport and
Erbil,
Kurdistan Region, Iraq. The
Islamic Resistance in Iraq claimed responsibility for over 23drone strikes on USassets in Erbil. , Tehran On 3 March, US and Israeli strikes reportedly destroyed the
Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) headquarters, the
Expediency Discernment Council building in Tehran, and what Israeli officials described as an underground nuclear weapons facility called Min Zadai. The proximity of these strikes to the
Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant (about away) prompted the Russian agency
Rosatom to suspend construction on new units and evacuate non-essential staff due to a loss of communication with Iranian officials. US officials said US forces severely damaged Iran's naval capabilities, mainly in the Gulf of Oman, where several Iranian warships have reportedly been destroyed and key bases hit. Debris from an airstrike damaged
Golestan Palace, a
UNESCO World Heritage Site, causing UNESCO to issue a statement that damaging UNESCO property is against international law. Israel Katz
authorized a ground invasion of Lebanon on 3 March. They were later followed by a ground incursion in southern Lebanon with forces from the
91st Division with the goal to establish a "security layer" for the Israeli residents of northern settlements against Hezbollah, expecting to destroy their infrastructure in the
Israel-Lebanon border. The
Lebanese government reported that such Israeli
preventive attacks reached
Kfarkela and
Qouzah, provoking the
Lebanese army to do a redeployment from newly established border posts amid escalating Israeli activity in violation of the
2024 Israel–Lebanon ceasefire agreement. Israel also reported that it killed
Daoud Alizadeh, the commander of the Quds Force's Lebanon branch, in Tehran. Western diplomats and other sources told
The Jerusalem Post that Qatar had struck Iran after Iran had attempted to strike Doha's airport and Qatar shot down two Iranian
Su-24 bombers;
Channel 12 also reported Qatari strikes. Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesperson
Majed al-Ansari denied the accusation that Qatar had joined the "campaign targeting Iran". An IRGC general warned it would hit all economic hubs in the Middle East, and Abbas Araghchi said that any defensive European military involvement would be considered an act of war. "Adir" shot down an Iranian
Yak-130, the first kill of a crewed aircraft by an
F-35. On 4March, US secretary of state Marco Rubio announced that the US-Israeli attacks on Iran would increase in their intensity. Israel attacks hit the
Basij headquarters.
Mojtaba Khamenei survived an airstrike. The IDF announced that an
F-35I "Adir" shot down a Russian-made Iranian
Yak-130 fighter jet over Tehran, the first time that an F-35 has ever shot down a crewed fighter jet in air-to-air combat and the first time the Israeli Air Force shot down an aircraft since 1985. Iran launched strikes against the
Al Udeid Air Base, as well as
Aramco's Ras Tanura oil refining facility. The United States ordered the evacuation of non-essential workers in Cyprus in anticipation of Iranian strikes and issued a travel warning for the country. A ballistic missile launched from Iranian territory was intercepted by
NATO integrated air defense systems as it entered Turkish airspace, marking a significant escalation in the regional conflict. Turkey asserted its right to self-defense after the missile landed in
Dörtyol,
Hatay Province, and NATO secretary general
Mark Rutte stated that the alliance was committed to defending Turkey.
IRISDena An Iranian Navy frigate, ,
was sunk in the Indian Ocean by
United States Navy submarine , about south of
Galle, Sri Lanka. The vessel was returning to Iran following its participation in the
International Fleet Review 2026 and the multilateral
Exercise MILAN at
Visakhapatnam, India. The exercise required participating ships not to carry any ammunition, and the US likely knew the
Dena was defenseless, since it also sent a maritime patrol aircraft to participate. It was the first ship sunk by a submarine in active combat since the
Falklands War, and the first by an American submarine since
World War II. According to the Iranian army, 104 Iranians were killed and 32 were injured from this attack. The government of Azerbaijan said on 5 March that
two drones from Iran struck Azerbaijan's
Nakhchivan exclave damaging an airport and injuring two civilians. Keir Starmer confirmed that the UK's bases on Cyprus would be used to defend the airspace of Jordan from Iranian drones, while Italy, the Netherlands and Spain confirmed that they would be sending warships to defend Cyprus. Ireland stated that they would be willing to protect Cyprus and join the European defense coalition that had mobilized around the island if requested. The IDF killed Hamas official Wassim Attallah al-Ali in
Beddawi, Lebanon. Trump said on 6 March that there are "no time limits" for how long the war will continue for, and Hegseth stated that the war has "only just begun". The Iranian tanker was interned by the
Sri Lanka Navy, marking the first instance of a warship being interned in a neutral country since World War II.
Second week (7–13 March) are transferred to the US on 7 March 2026.|left On 7 March, the US sent a third aircraft carrier, , to the Middle East. The British aircraft carrier
HMS Prince of Wales was placed on advanced readiness to defend British interests in the region. Pezeshkian told reporters on 7 March that Iran would stop striking neighbors from 7 March onwards unless an attack originated from there. Despite this,
Dubai International Airport was later attacked by Iranian drones.
NDTV reported that following a week's hostilities, Iran might only have around one thousand ballistic missiles left. On 7 March, ballistic missiles were fired from Bahrain toward Iran, likely by US forces. On 8 March, Khamenei's second son,
Mojtaba, was
designated as Iran's new supreme leader. Also on 8 March, US Central Command posted a message on
X in Persian and Arabic which "strongly urge[s] civilians in Iran to stay at home" and alleging that "[t]he Iranian regime is knowingly endangering innocent lives by using heavily populated civilian areas to conduct military operations, including launching one-way attack drones and ballistic missiles". Israeli airstrikes hit some of Iran's oil storage facilities, killing four people. Strikes on fuel depots near Tehran caused a "river of fire" to pour out along the streets in the surrounding area, and the city became engulfed in a cloud of thick black smoke, causing black toxic
acidic rain to fall in the surrounding area. Residents were advised by Iranian authorities to stay indoors, wear masks when outside, and conserve food and fuel. Kuwait reported that two of its officers were killed while performing duties. The
Saudi Civil Defense agency said that a strike on a compound in
Al-Kharj killed two people and injured 12 others.
US Central Command announced the death of a seventh US service member from an Iranian attack. The United Kingdom's Ministry of Defense confirmed that its forces had intercepted an Iranian drone headed towards Iraq. Additionally, the Ministry declared their intention to send a
Merlin helicopter to the region to help aid in detecting future aerial threats. According to the
Iranian Red Crescent Society, a total of 65 schools and 32 medical facilities (such as hospitals and pharmacies) have been targeted since the war started, and more than 10,000 civilian sites have been damaged. On 9 March, NATO confirmed the interception of a second ballistic missile over Turkish air space, landing in the area of
Gaziantep. Meanwhile, Turkey deployed six F-16s and air defence systems to
Northern Cyprus to ensure its security. Trump claimed that "the war is very complete, pretty much", after speaking with Russian president Vladimir Putin, and said "we already won the war in many ways." He additionally claimed that the Strait of Hormuz was open but also expressed interest in taking it over from Iran. Trump later went back on some of his comments during a press conference held later that day, supporting Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in stating that the war was just the "beginning of building a new country" and that it would end "soon". However, Trump also said that the US will have the "most intense day" of strikes on Tuesday. Following Syrian president Ahmed al-Sharaa's support for the Lebanon's objective to disarm Hezbollah, the group
targeted the city of
Inkhil in Syria. About a dozen
B-1B bombers arrived at bases in Europe. Five landed at the Fairford Royal Air Force base, UK, joining three
B-52 bombers, while three others were redirected to
Ramstein Air Base, Germany.
GPS jamming of uncertain origin has disrupted navigation of ships near the Strait of Hormuz, which may lead to disastrous accidents for oil tankers. The
United States Department of State (supported by
Saudi Arabia) designated the
Muslim Brotherhood branch in
Sudan (a
Sudanese Islamist organization) as a
terrorist organization due to its nexus with the
Axis of Resistance. Members of their militia fought alongside the IRGC due to the contacts established with the
Al-Bara' ibn Malik Battalion during the
Iranian intervention in Sudan. On 10 March, a senior IRGC commander stated that Iran was only firing missiles with payloads of 1,000 kg or more. AFP reported that Iran's attacks were the "most intense and heaviest" since the start of the war. This shows a shift in tactics from saturating air defences to high-impact penetration strikes. Following the Syrian presidency's support for the disarmament of Hezbollah and a campaign of mobilization by the Syrian army on the Lebanese border, shells from Lebanon landed in the town of
Serghaya, from Damascus where the
Syrian Armed Forces forces presided. The strikes were confirmed by the Operations Authority of the
Syrian Army. Later in the day, Israel issued an urgent evacuation notice to southern suburbs of Beirut. US admiral
Brad Cooper reported that Iran's ballistic missile launch rate fell 90% from day one of the war and their drone launch rate fell 83%. Defense analyst AJ Jaff reported that the missile launch rate fell 92% (480 to 40) and the drone launch rate fell 92% (720 to 60). A branch of
Bank Sepah in Tehran was hit by a strike, prompting the IRGC to warn that in the future, they could retaliate by striking US or Israeli banks in the region. Iran hit
Stryker, a US-based medical supply company with a cyber attack. On 12 March,
UNICEF reported that more than 1,100 children were injured or killed (200 reportedly killed in Iran, 91 in Lebanon, 4 in Israel, and 1 in Kuwait), hundreds of thousands displaced, and millions unable to attend schools from the violence of the war since it started. It also noted that these numbers will likely increase. Iranian deputy
intelligence minister Akbar Ghaffari was killed in an airstrike. An Iranian attack set two oil tankers on fire off the Iraqi coast, killing one person and prompting Iraq to suspend all oil terminal operations. The historical
Safavid-era building of
Rashk-e Jenan, also known as the Rashk Palace, was destroyed by direct US-Israeli strikes. Other buildings that were damaged according to Ruhollah Seyed al-Asgari, the deputy director of cultural heritage for Isfahan province, include
Chehel Sotoun pavilion, the
Rakib Khaneh Mansion, the
Timurid Hall, the
Ashraf Hall and the windows of
Ali Qapu palace. Many of the affected buildings and monuments were legally protected by the
Blue Shield International, which called damaging such sites a war crime. Six French soldiers were injured in a drone strike at a base in Mala Qara, Iraqi Kurdistan. French president
Emmanuel Macron announced on 13 March that one French soldier was killed in the attack. on 13 March during the
2026 Iranian strikes on Oman. Also on 13 March, to help deal with the economic costs of the war, the US temporarily lifted restrictions on the sale of Russian oil. However, oil prices have barely been affected by this. Iran announced a coordinated offensive by IRGC Navy, the Iranian Army, and Hezbollah against Israel and US bases. Israel reported that 58 people have been hospitalized due to injuries following a missile strike. For the third time in the war, ballistic missiles entered Turkish air space and were intercepted, with explosions heard in the proximity of the city of
Adana as well as sirens from Incirlik Air Base. Israel struck several IRGC checkpoints in Iran. According to
Reuters, Israel attacked the checkpoints after receiving tip-offs by on the ground informants. Reuters also reported Israel had struck positions of the Basij used to suppress Iranian protests.
Third week (14–20 March) in 2015; the fires on the towers are a normal part of oil refining. As of the third week, analysts found little evidence of significant defections or desertions in the Iranian military; military defections have been considered a necessary condition for
regime change. The US
conducted a large-scale attack on
Kharg Island, a key oil export hub home to 90 percent of Iran's oil exports. Over 90 military sites were targeted while the oil infrastructure was not targeted "for reasons of decency", according to Trump. Oil prices have risen over 40percent since the start of the war. According to CENTCOM, around 90military targets were struck, while the island's oil infrastructure was not targeted. On 14March,
Kata'ib Hezbollah security commander Abu Ali al-Askari was killed in an airstrike in Baghdad, according to the group. The first two floors of the
Royal Tulip Al Rasheed Hotel in Baghdad's
Green Zone were hit by a drone whilst hosting a European Union and Saudi Arabian delegation. The attack was not claimed by anyone; however, due to the proximity of a similar attack that had happened 48hours earlier on the US embassy in Baghdad, there were suspicions of it being an Iranian attack. , 19 March 2026 On 16 March, both China and US-aligned
NATO nations in Europe rejected Trump's call to provide military support to reopen the
Strait of Hormuz. Trump rebuked his NATO allies, calling their decision a "very foolish mistake". On 17 March, Trump made a statement on
Truth Social renouncing NATO's assistance, and unexpectedly, US allies in the Indo-Pacific, namely Japan, South Korea, and
Australia, for refusing to join US-led attacks on
Iran during the war. In the same statement, Trump declared that the United States "[does] not need the help of anyone" regarding the war. In the early morning of 17 March, several senior Iranian officials, including
Ali Larijani and Basij chief
Gholamreza Soleimani were
targeted by Israeli airstrikes. Both their deaths were later confirmed by Iranian state media. The same day, Israel launched a ground invasion of
southern Lebanon. On 18 March, in a major escalation, In retaliation, Iran attacked the world's largest LNG production facility in Qatar. Trump claimed he was not aware of the South Pars attack, promised that there would be no more Israeli attacks on Iranian oil infrastructure, and threatened Iran not to continue attacking Qatari energy infrastructure. On the same day, Israel said it had killed Iranian intelligence minister
Esmaeil Khatib in an overnight airstrike. Pezeshkian confirmed Khatib's killing on the same day. A hair salon in
Beit Awwa was
struck by a projectile, killing four women and injuring six, with Israeli authorities stating that it was most likely
cluster munitions and Palestinian authorities saying it was an errant Israeli interceptor. , 19 March 2026, the first case of a damaged stealth fighter in combat On 19 March, a US
F-35 made an emergency landing after a suspected hit by Iranian forces. A
BAZAN Group refinery in Haifa was hit during a broader Iranian missile attack on the area as a retaliation for Israeli attacks on South Pars gas facilities. Netanyahu insisted that "You can't make a revolution from the air" and that "there must be a ground component — I won't share with you all the options", implying that there was a potential for limited assault operations involving soldiers on the ground in Iran. The US began
an aerial campaign against Iranian vessels and drones in the Strait of Hormuz as part of an effort to reopen it to international shipping.
Fourth week (21–27 March) Admiral
Brad Cooper said that the US military had so far struck more than 8,000 Iranian military targets, including 130 vessels. On 21 March, the US conducted strikes on the
Natanz Nuclear Facility using
bunker buster bombs to target the site. Russia condemned the strikes on Natanz as a "blatant violation of international law," while the
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) urged military restraint "to avoid any risk of a nuclear accident". In response, Iran struck the southern Israeli town of
Dimona, injuring at least 78 people. Iran said that it targeted the
Shimon Peres Negev Nuclear Research Center. Citing unnamed US officials, CNN and
The Wall Street Journal reported that Iran unsuccessfully attempted to strike the joint US–UK military base at
Diego Garcia on the
Chagos Islands in the
British Indian Ocean Territory. The report said one of the missiles broke apart mid-flight, while another was intercepted by a
SM-3 air defence missile launched by a US warship. Israel said that Iran used a two-stage
intercontinental ballistic missile to target the island. Iran denied launching missiles towards Diego Garcia, saying that it was an Israeli false flag attack. No evidence has been presented that the alleged Iranian missiles neared Diego Garcia or that one was intercepted. The
Houthi movement in
Yemen warned that it would respond to any escalation against Iran, including
efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. It specifically warned the two Arab countries offering to join the Strait of Hormuz campaign—Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates—that they "will be the first to lose in this battle". The Houthis further threatened to join the war in the event that US allies joined the attack on Iran or if the US and Israel used the
Red Sea to carry out operations. Lebanon's government expelled the Iranian ambassador. Trump issued an ultimatum to Iran, threatening to strike its
power plants unless it opened the Strait of Hormuz within 48 hours. Iran doubled down, threatening to "completely" close the Strait of Hormuz and strike vital infrastructure across the region such as energy and
desalination facilities critical for drinking water.
Iranian opposition figure and former crown prince
Reza Pahlavi called on Trump and Netanyahu to target the military while sparing civilian infrastructure which "Iranians will need to rebuild our country." Halfway through the deadline, Trump announced that he was postponing strikes against Iranian power plants for five days, and said the US was negotiating with Iran to end the war. Iran denied the talks ever took place or were taking place and called the president "deceitful". Iran rejected the 15-point peace plan presented by the US. Iran asserted that Lebanon must be included as part of a ceasefire deal, thereby making a ceasefire conditional on an end to the
2026 Lebanon war against Hezbollah. On 24 March, Israel or its allies shot down an Iranian missile crossing above Lebanon at high altitude, according to the Lebanese army, which also confirmed that the missile was not targeting Lebanon. This was the first time during the current conflict when a shootdown of an Iranian missile took place over Lebanese territory. A US strike on the Habbaniya military base—which hosts units from the
Popular Mobilization Forces—in
Al Anbar Governorate killed seven members of the
Iraqi Armed Forces and injured 13 others. In response, Iraqi prime minister
Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani summoned the US embassy's
chargé d'affaires in Baghdad. Iranian state media threatened that Iran could seize Bahraini and Emirati territory if the US "makes any mistakes", while signaling its readiness to open a new front in Yemen by closing the
Bab al-Mandab with the
Houthis. Israel said it killed Iran's top naval commander,
Alireza Tangsiri, purportedly as part of an effort to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, which Katz said Tangsiri was "directly responsible" for the closure of. On 27 March, a day after Trump and Hegseth announced the "neutralization" of Iran's military, an Iranian missile and drone strike on
Prince Sultan Air Base damaged several US refueling aircraft and injured at least 15 US soldiers. An
E-3 Sentry was also damaged by the strike. Military analyst Cedric Leighton described the attack as a "a serious blow to [US] surveillance capabilities". Iran showed no signs of ceding its control over the Strait of Hormuz. The same day, Iran blocked two Chinese ships from entering the strait and sought to formalize fees for ships passing through it. Despite pushes for talks, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz publicly vowed to "intensify and expand" Israeli attacks in Iran. The same day, the
Shahid Khondab Heavy Water Complex in Arak, which has in the past been used to test uranium enrichment, and the
Ardakan yellowcake production plant in Yazd Province were confirmed to have been damaged in Israeli airstrikes.
Fifth week (28 March – 3 April) The Houthis joined the war on 28 March
launching a ballistic missile towards Israel. The Houthis said that they had launched ballistic missiles targeting "sensitive" military sites in Israel, and vowed to continue the attacks "until the aggression on all resistance fronts stops". The missile was intercepted and no casualties were reported. The Houthis subsequently launched a second missile at
Eilat. In response, the internationally recognized
Yemeni government condemned Iran's "frequent attempts to drag Yemen" into conflict "through its terrorist militias". On the same day, 2,500 US marines from the
31st Marine Expeditionary Unit arrived in the Middle East. They are intended to be part of the effort to open the Strait of Hormuz.
US Central Command stated that it had struck over 11,000 targets in Iran since the beginning of the war. On 28 March, joint US–Israeli airstrikes severely damaged several residential and civilian facilities, including the
Iran University of Science and Technology. In response, Iran threatened to attack Israeli and American colleges across the Middle East. Airstrikes also struck a 10,000-cubic-meter water reservoir in
Haftkel, in
Khuzestan province. An Iranian missile struck a chemical plant in the
Ne'ot Hovav industrial zone, injuring one person and causing fears of a hazardous leak. A convoy of the Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces was seen entering
Khorramshahr in southwestern Iran. Eleven-year-old child soldier
Alireza Jafari died following an Israeli drone strike. On 29 March, Trump stated that he would prefer to "take the oil in Iran". He proposed taking Iran's oil export center,
Kharg Island, claiming that the United States could capture the territory "very easily", and implying that the US could occupy it for some time. although the feasibility and strategic value of some of Trump's threats were contested. On the same day Turkey and NATO intercepted the fourth missile directed towards Turkish territory. Iran denied firing a missile at Turkey, claiming that it was a
false flag attack. The US began flying
B-52 bombers over Iranian territory for the first time, indicating its confidence of
air supremacy over Iran. The US used bombers to target an ammunition depot and air base in
Isfahan, causing vast explosions. U.S-allied Gulf states such as Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Kuwait, and Bahrain reportedly pushed Trump to continue the war until there are significant changes in Iran's leadership. American journalist
Shelly Kittleson was kidnapped in Baghdad by
Kata'ib Hezbollah—the strongest faction within the PMF—who demanded that the Iraqi government release several detained members of the group. On 1 April,
Mehr News Agency, a semi-official Iranian government news outlet, reported that policy expert and former foreign minister
Kamal Kharazi was seriously injured and his wife was killed in an airstrike which hit his home. Iranian officials described the attack as an attempt to derail diplomacy, noting that Kharazi was overseeing a possible meeting between Iranian officials and US vice president
JD Vance. Airstrikes on the strategically important
Hengam Island in the Strait of Hormuz caused seven injuries. Trump indicated that he was no longer concerned about Iran's enriched uranium buried underground. Netanyahu asserted that the US–Israeli strikes have eliminated Iran's ability to produce nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles, thereby removing "two existential threats" to Israel. The Iranian president Pezeshkian published an open letter to US citizens. Late in the day on 1 April, Trump made a speech addressing the nation, in which he said that the strikes have "dramatically curtailed" Iranian missile and drone systems, and added that the attacks on Iran will escalate over the next two to three weeks to "bring them back to the
Stone Ages, where they belong". On 2 April,
two US strikes on the
B1 bridge between Tehran and
Karaj, which was described as the highest bridge in the Middle East, reportedly killed eight people and wounded 95 others, causing it to collapse. Trump gloated on the attack, which experts assessed as a possible
war crime. At the time of the attack, many Iranian families had been gathered in the parks below the bridge to celebrate
Sizdah Be-dar. Iran revealed major damage to the century-old medical center
Pasteur Institute of Iran. US Defense Secretary Hegseth boasted of "death and destruction from the sky all day long". An Iranian ballistic missile strike damaged an Israeli drone factory in
Petah Tikva. On 3 April, Iranian forces shot down a US Air Force
F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jet over the country, with the wreckage falling in the
Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad province of Iran, prompting a
search and rescue mission by US helicopters. The pilot was rescued that same day, but the
WSO remained missing and was
rescued alive 48 hours later. Iran released a video showing shooting down the aircraft using surface-to-air missile. On the same day, Tehran's
Shahid Beheshti University was hit by airstrikes, making the total number of universities hit to more than 30, according to the Iranian Minister of Science.
Sixth week (4–7 April) post in which Trump threatened, "A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again." On 4 April, explosions were reported at an auxiliary building of the
Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant as well as the Mahshahr Special Petrochemical Zone in
Mahshahr, Iran. The airstrikes in Mahshahr killed at least five and injured 170 others. An Iranian missile strike hit in the vicinity of the IDF's
HaKirya headquarters in Tel Aviv. On 5 April, after heavy fighting, the second stranded crew member from the F-15E downed on 3 April was recovered by US forces in a
rescue operation, which resulted in damage to helicopters, the shooting down of an
A-10 Thunderbolt II, and the destruction of two
C-130 Hercules, three IRGC members killed, and several American service members injured. On 6 April, the IRGC announced that the head of the IRGC's intelligence organisation, Major General
Majid Khademi, had been killed in a joint U.S.-Israeli airstrike. Their statement claimed that Khademi had "played a major role in Iran's intelligence and security apparatus over nearly five decades". Israel claimed that
Yazdan Mir, a high-ranking commander of the IRGC
Quds Force, had also been killed in the attacks. On the same day, before Trump's deadline for targeting Iranian infrastructure, Israel carried out strikes on the South Pars Petrochemical facility in
Asaluyeh, Iran. The
Israeli Air Force claimed that "85% of Iran's petrochemical exports" had been taken offline by now. At least 34 people, including six children, were killed in US-Israeli airstrikes across Iran, including against
Sharif University of Technology and residential areas. Iranian vice president and reformist politician
Mohammad Reza Aref, who is also an alumnus of the university, described the alleged use of a
bunker-buster bomb as a "symbol of Trump’s madness and ignorance". On 7 April, The Rafi'-Nia synagogue in central Tehran was
destroyed in an airstrike. Israel said that the building was destroyed due to collateral damage and that it was never meant to be the direct target of the airstrike. The same day, US forces began strikes on
Kharg Island. In response, Iran said its restraint in targeting oil infrastructure in the region would no longer apply. Trump posted to
Truth Social that "a whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again", causing international concern that Trump would use nuclear weapons. The Secretary General of Amnesty International said that Trump’s statement "may constitute a threat to commit genocide". Multiple
right-wing commentators and many Democrats condemned the post, and some
called for him to be removed through the
25th Amendment. The White House later said that "only the president knows" what he would do on Iran.
Ceasefire (8 April – present) On 7 April at 6:32 p.m.
Eastern Time in the US (8 April, 1:32 a.m.
in Israel and 8 April, 2:02 a.m.
in Iran), President Trump announced on Truth Social that the US and Iran had reached
an agreement based on the 10-point proposal mediated by Pakistani Prime Minister
Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal
Asim Munir, writing on Truth Social that Iran had sent the US a 10-point proposal, which the US believes is a "workable basis on which to negotiate". The US, Israel, and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire, under which Iran would also re-open the Strait of Hormuz; while the announcement occurred on 7 April in Washington, the acceptance and official implementation took effect on 8 April local time in the Middle East. After the ceasefire announcement, Iran's
Lavan Island oil refinery and
Sirri Island crude export facilities were struck by an "enemy attack". No party claimed responsibility. In response, Iran continued to conduct missile and drone strikes on Gulf Arab states such as Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, and Bahrain. on Beirut, Lebanon Israel and the US assert that the ceasefire does not include Lebanon, contradicting the Pakistani mediators and Iran. Hezbollah said that it halted attacks on Israel and on Israeli soldiers in Lebanon. Despite the ceasefire, Israel launched "
Operation Eternal Darkness", which Israel said included wide-ranging operation targeting all of Hezbollah's command and control centers in southern Lebanon,
Beirut and the
Beqaa Valley. These were the largest attacks since the start of the war, killing at least 357 people and injuring more than 1,200 others. In Beirut alone, at least 92 people were killed and at least 742 others were injured. In response, Iran threatened to attack Israel "if the aggressions against dear Lebanon are not brought to an immediate end", Iranian media later said that Iran paused Hormuz traffic over Israeli attacks in Lebanon. Hezbollah claimed responsibility for launching rockets towards northern Israel as a response to "cease-fire violations". On 11 April, Trump said that American forces had started "
clearing" the Strait of Hormuz. Iran claimed that an American ship on its way to the strait turned back after being warned.
The Wall Street Journal reported that several US Navy
destroyers entered the strait for the first time since the war began. A US official described it as an "operation that focused on freedom of navigation through international waters”. The Iranian government reportedly threatened to attack the ships, accusing the US of a ceasefire violation. US
Central Command said the ships are taking part in
minesweeping. On 11 April, the
talks between the US and Iran—the highest-level discussions between the two countries since the
1979 Islamic Revolution—were held in
Islamabad, Pakistan, lasting 21 hours, after which
JD Vance announced that no agreement had been reached, stating that Iran had refused "to accept our terms." Afterwards, Trump said that he no longer cared about negotiations with Iran. Trump declared that the US Navy would begin
its own blockade of "all Ships trying to enter, or leave, the Strait of Hormuz" from 13 April. He also said the US Navy would stop any ships that paid tolls to Iran. However,
United States Central Command clarified that the blockade would only be enforced on ships travelling to or from Iranian ports. The
IRGC Navy said that any military vessel approaching the strait would be considered a ceasefire violation and would meet a "severe response." Trump threatened to strike any fast-attack ships of the IRGC Navy, similar to how the US carried out
strikes against alleged drug traffickers during
Operation Southern Spear. According to a US analyst, Iran had 13 days of oil storage capacity, forcing it to shut down its oil fields thereafter and potentially damaging them. The same analyst estimated the loss of import and export capacity to $435 million USD per day. Those ships later stopped or turned around, after presumed interception by the US Navy, according to shipping data firms and the
Sydney Morning Herald. Later that day, a US official said that eight oil tankers sailing to or from Iranian ports had been intercepted since the start of the blockade, adding that all tankers complied with orders. Tankers leaving
Chabahar Port were contacted by a US
destroyer, while
Boeing P-8 Poseidon patrol aircraft were also used to intercept tankers. On 16 April, President Trump announced that Israel and Lebanon agreed to a
ten-day truce. As a result of the ceasefire in Lebanon, on 17 April, Iran announced that passage of commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz would be allowed during the truce. Despite this, President Trump said that the US blockade of ships traveling to or from Iranian ports would continue. As a result of the US decision to continue its blockade, Iran announced that it would re-impose restrictions on the Strait of Hormuz. Meanwhile, the US stated that its blockade had intercepted 23 ships traveling to or from Iranian ports. On 19 April, Trump sent two negotiators to Pakistan, saying that planned talks were Iran's "last chance" to reach a deal. He threatened that Iran would be "blown up" if the negotiations fail, saying the US will target power plants and bridges. The US Navy seized
an Iranian cargo ship on 19 April, saying it was attempting to evade their blockade. Trump said that a US
guided-missile destroyer fired at the ship, damaging its
engine room. Iran called this seizure a breach of the ceasefire, which was due to end on 22 April. Iran retaliated by launching drones at US ships, although no damage was reported. On 21 April, the Pentagon said that US soldiers boarded a sanctioned tanker in the Indo-Pacific region as part of an effort to disrupt ships providing support to Iran. Trump said the US military intercepted a "gift from China" to Iran. The Chinese foreign ministry stated that it "opposes any malicious association". The same day, Trump claimed the three
Iranian nuclear sites are being watched by the
US Space Force. JD Vance was expected to visit Islamabad for talks on 22 April, but the talks were paused by the US due to it not receiving a response from Iran. A day before the ceasefire was due to end on 22 April, Trump said he will not extend the truce unless Iran agrees to a deal and said the US military was "raring to go", warning that bombing would resume soon. Hours before the ceasefire was due to end, Trump extended the truce, saying he did so at Pakistan's request, to allow time for an Iranian proposal to be submitted. Hours after the ceasefire was extended, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard announced that it had seized two container ships and fired on one of them, causing "serious damage to the bridge". This was in response to the US seizing an Iranian ship three days earlier. On 22–23 April, three Iranian oil tankers were reportedly intercepted by the US in the eastern Indian Ocean and an Iranian-linked oil tanker was seized by the US. Later, Iranian state media reported that air defenses in Tehran engaged "small drones, micro-UAVs". On 23 April, Trump ordered the US Navy to destroy any Iranian boats laying mines in the Hormuz strait. Despite the Iranian seizure of two cargo ships, Trump claimed on 23 April that the US fully controlled the Strait of Hormuz and said that he is the one keeping the strait closed, because opening it would allow Iran to "make $500 million a day".
The Guardian described the situation as a "dual blockade", saying that while the US Navy was able to blockade Iranian ports, it had not been able to stop the Iranian blockade or open the strait to US allies. On 24 April, Iran said that it seized a ship suspected of collaborating with American military after the ship committed violations and ignored warnings. On 25 April, Trump said that he canceled the US negotiators' trip to Pakistan for negotiations with Iran. On 1 May, Trump issued letters to congressional leaders according to the 1973
War Powers Resolution limiting conflicts to 60 days, that hostilities had ended so far, but conflict remains. == Strikes and casualties ==