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. An Israeli F-15I aircraft launched an air-launched ballistic missile from over international waters in the Red Sea to strike Supreme Leader Khamenei's compound in Tehran on February 28, killing Khamenei, his wife Zahra Haddad Adel, his daughter, two grandchildren, and Mojtaba Khamenei's wife and 14-month-old daughter; Mojtaba Khamenei was severely injured in the strike. Iran's Assembly of Experts confirmed Mojtaba Khamenei as the new supreme leader on March 8, and Iran formally named him on March 9. 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. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte revealed on June 24 that European allies made their bases available to the US military during Operation Epic Fury, with 4,000–5,000 US planes taking off from European bases over six weeks; Italy's Defence Minister disputed this, stating Italy authorised only technical and logistical non-combat activities. 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, but the war began regardless.

On February 28, the US military sank the IRIS Dena, an Iranian warship, killing 104 of 136 crew members. Iranian fighter pilots bombed US Camp Buehring in Kuwait with conventional unguided bombs on March 15. 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. At least 96 separate US strikes hit Bandar Abbas and surrounding areas between February 28 and April 8. The Red Crescent reported 261 people killed in Hormuzgan province. The Israeli military launched approximately 10,800 strikes hitting some 4,000 targets in Iran, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu boasted on April 7 that the Israeli army destroyed 70 percent of Iran's steel production capacity.

Bombs struck at least five buildings in the Minab school compound on February 28, killing at least 108 people; Airwars verified 157 people killed, including 123 children aged 13 or younger. On March 15, a missile struck a sports hall during a girls' volleyball match in Lamerd, killing 20 people; BBC Verify reported on June 19 that experts assessed a US-made Precision Strike Missile was likely used, contradicting a US Central Command denial. An Israeli military operation in the eastern Bekaa Valley in early March killed 41 people. Israeli strikes killed at least 361 people in Lebanon in the space of 10 minutes on April 8. Six US military personnel were killed in a refuelling plane crash in Iraq on April 1. Iran suspended IAEA access to nuclear sites on March 15, and the IAEA pulled out its remaining inspectors.

Iranian retaliatory strikes hit Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Israel, Iraq, and Jordan, killing dozens of civilians and damaging airports, hotels, energy infrastructure, and residential buildings. Iran targeted Qatari energy facilities on February 28, destroying 17 percent of Qatar's liquefied natural gas export capacity for up to five years. Iran's drone production restarted and increased tenfold since the start of the war, and nearly 90 percent of Iran's underground missile facilities returned to full or partial activity by May. Two container ships seized by the IRGC in April — the MSC Francesca and the Epaminondas — remained held in the Strait of Hormuz despite the ceasefire. Hezbollah fired rockets at Israel on March 2, drawing Lebanon into the conflict; Lebanon's Ministry of Public Health reported on June 29 that the death toll from fighting since March 2 surpassed 4,000 people, with 1.2 million displaced. A US military strike on the MT Settebello in the Gulf of Oman on June 10 killed three Indian sailors; at least seven Indian seafarers were killed in total and more than 1,100 Indian sailors remained trapped in the Gulf region.

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. A Pentagon official confirmed in a sworn court filing on June 16 that the US military used Elon Musk's Grok AI chatbot to fire more than 2,000 munitions at 2,000 distinct targets within 96 hours. Pentagon chief financial officer Jules Hurst told a congressional panel on May 13 that the Iran war had cost about $29 billion so far, and the Trump administration formally submitted an $87.6 billion supplemental spending request to Congress on June 24.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced on June 14 that the United States and Iran reached a peace deal, and Trump declared the deal complete that day. The White House confirmed that an initial phase of the MOU was signed on June 15 by JD Vance and Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, with Trump witnessing. On June 17, Trump signed the memorandum of understanding at a post-G7 dinner at the Palace of Versailles, with Iranian President Pezeshkian also signing. The MOU committed both sides to a 60-day negotiating window, a reconstruction plan of at least $300 billion for Iran, full release of frozen Iranian assets, removal of the US naval blockade, and toll-free passage through the Strait of Hormuz immediately upon signing. The deal contained no restrictions on Iran's ballistic missiles, no commitment to release political prisoners, and no requirement to rein in Iran's proxy forces. Netanyahu refused on June 17 to abide by the MOU's demands for a regional ceasefire, and the Trump administration backed a separate agreement on June 20 giving Israel freedom of action in Lebanon until Hezbollah disarms.

The US and Iran gave sharply conflicting accounts of the deal's contents. Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei released a written statement on June 19 saying he held a different view on the MOU but approved it after President Pezeshkian accepted responsibility. Iranian President Pezeshkian declared on June 21 that Iran would not relinquish its right to enrich uranium, and on June 23 that Iran would never negotiate about its defensive capabilities. JD Vance backed away on June 28 from past US pledges to destroy Iran's ballistic weapons capabilities, and on July 1 said talks would begin addressing the nuclear issue. Iranian hardliners called on July 2 for a re-examination of Iran's fatwa against nuclear weapons possession. IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi confirmed on June 24 that inspectors would visit Iranian nuclear enrichment sites under the interim deal, but Iran insisted on June 25 that inspections would resume only after a final agreement. More than 60 members of Iran's Assembly of Experts demanded on June 29 that negotiators not cross Supreme Leader Khamenei's red lines on nuclear rights, revenge for assassinated leaders, the Strait of Hormuz, war compensation, and sanctions removal.

Saudi Arabia refused to allow the US to use its bases and airspace for Project Freedom, Trump's plan to provide a military escort for oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz, causing the plan to be cancelled on June 25. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman declined an invitation to attend the G7 summit in France on June 18 as a protest against US handling of the Iran war, and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio skipped Saudi Arabia during his three-day Gulf tour on June 29, which Riyadh interpreted as a deliberate snub. The United States considered on July 2 reducing its military presence in Saudi Arabia and relocating forces to Israel and Jordan following the disputes. The UAE held conversations with Iran, including with the IRGC, about economic incentives to make Iran investable, with Iran responding positively on June 25.

Iran announced on June 18 plans to charge usage fees for Strait of Hormuz transit, setting mid-August as the start date; Iran's ambassador announced on July 5 that China and other friendly countries would receive special fee considerations, while the US stated Iran cannot charge tolls under any final agreement. Iran and Oman established a joint committee on July 5 to determine management frameworks covering security of passage, vessel supervision, and environmental consequences of shipping traffic. US Central Command announced on June 18 that it lifted its blockade on all maritime traffic entering and exiting Iranian ports, and Iran exported more than 50 million barrels of oil in the two weeks following the blockade's lifting. The IMO Secretary General warned on June 24 that more than 80 mines would need to be cleared before any resumption of traffic in the usual shipping lane. France and the United Kingdom led a demining effort backed by Germany, Italy, Japan, and Canada; France and Oman announced on June 29 they would conduct joint de-mining operations, prompting Iran to insist only Iran could conduct such operations. Germany's Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said on July 1 he did not expect Germany to participate. At least 49 attacks on commercial vessels were recorded in the Strait of Hormuz since February 28.

On June 25, Iran's Revolutionary Guards used a drone to strike the Singapore-flagged cargo ship Ever Lovely in the Strait of Hormuz. The US military struck Iranian missile and drone storage facilities and radar sites near Sirik on June 26 in response. Iran's IRGC launched missiles and drones at US infrastructure in Kuwait and Bahrain on June 27, targeting Ali Al Salem Air Base and the US Fifth Fleet headquarters; Kuwait's air defense intercepted two Iranian ballistic missiles with no injuries reported. The US military launched a second round of strikes on June 27 targeting five coastal locations including Sirik, Bandar-e Lengeh, and Qeshm Island. An Iranian drone struck a residential building in Muharraq, Bahrain on June 28. On June 29, CENTCOM struck 10 Iranian military targets, and Iran retaliated with strikes against US bases in Kuwait and Bahrain. A US Navy MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopter made an emergency water landing in the Arabian Sea on July 2, leaving one crew member missing. The IMO suspended the proposed sea route through the Strait of Hormuz after Iran attacked two ships, and vessel traffic dropped sharply, with only 12 crossings on June 29, though transits rose to 40 on July 1.

The United States and Iran agreed on June 28 to stand down and renew negotiations, with talks planned in Doha. Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner arrived in Doha on June 30 but did not engage in direct meetings with Iranian officials. Qatar's Prime Minister and Foreign Minister met with Witkoff and Kushner on July 1 to restart talks, with Iran insisting any discussions would occur only through Qatar as an indirect mediator. The talks concluded on July 1 without a breakthrough; separate US and Iranian delegations agreed on July 2 to continue discussions with positive progress announced, with the next meeting scheduled after Ayatollah Khamenei's funeral. Trump met with Pete Hegseth and senior military leadership on July 1 to discuss options for renewing strikes on Iran, and JD Vance on July 1 could not guarantee the US would not return to combat before the MOU's 60-day deadline. Trump said on July 4 in a speech at Mount Rushmore that the US had "knocked the hell out of Iran" and given Iran "a week off for a funeral," and separately remarked that one shot could kill all Iranian leaders assembled at Khamenei's funeral but that the US would not do it because they needed someone to negotiate with.

Iran scheduled a state funeral for former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei beginning July 5 in Tehran, extended to seven days with burial moved to July 11 at the Imam Reza shrine in Mashhad, with stops in Najaf and Karbala, Iraq. Iran deliberately excluded European countries from the funeral, limiting attendance to neutral or friendly states. Delegations from more than 100 countries attended, including former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, Chinese NPC deputy head He Wei, Iraqi President Nizar Amedi, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, and Pakistani army chief Asim Munir; delegations from Axis of Resistance groups including Hamas, the Houthis, and Hezbollah also attended, with the Hezbollah delegation including members of Hassan Nasrallah's family and relatives of Imad Mughniyeh. On July 3, Khamenei's flag-draped coffin and the coffins of family members killed in the February 28 airstrike were displayed at Tehran's Grand Mosalla for a public viewing ceremony; a red flag from the Imam Hussein shrine in Karbala, bearing white calligraphy reading "Ya Hussein," was draped over his casket to symbolize a call for vengeance. On July 4, the coffins of Khamenei's family members killed in the February 28 strike, including his three-year-old granddaughter, were displayed alongside his coffin. At least eight mourners died in a crowd crush during the funeral procession on July 4, forcing authorities to evacuate Khamenei's body by helicopter. IRGC commander-in-chief General Ahmad Vahidi made his first public appearance since February 8 on July 3, sitting beside Khamenei's coffin. Mojtaba Khamenei released his first message to the nation on July 3, read by a state television anchor, describing seeing his father's body with a raised, clenched fist; he did not attend his father's state funeral due to security concerns. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz threatened on July 2 to kill Mojtaba Khamenei, saying he was marked for death.

The Senate approved a war powers resolution on June 23 in a 50-48 vote requiring Trump to seek congressional authorisation to use military force against Iran, but Senate Republicans blocked a second resolution on June 25 in a 50-47-1 vote after Senator Bill Cassidy changed his vote following a classified briefing. A CBS poll found on June 21 that 78 percent of Americans wanted the Iran war to end. Oil prices fell below $71 per barrel for the first time since the war began before stabilising at $72.07 on July 3, and analysts cut their price forecasts for the first time since the war began. SpaceX shares fell 16 percent on Nasdaq on June 23, dragging down broader global equity markets.

BBC Verify reported on June 19 that official casualty figures showed more than 7,300 people were killed in Iran and Lebanon since the war began. Iranian government figures reported at least 3,468 Iranians killed, comprising 1,460 civilians and 2,008 military personnel. Israeli authorities reported 60 people killed in Israel during the conflict, including 29 civilians and 31 IDF soldiers. More than 100 people were killed in Iraq during the conflict, and the UAE defence ministry confirmed 13 people were killed in the UAE.