2026 Iran war

Since 28 February 2026, the United States and Israel have been engaged in a war with Iran and its regional allies. The conflict began when the US and Israel launched airstrikes on Iran, targeting military and government sites and assassinating several Iranian officials, including Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. The surprise attacks were launched during negotiations between Iran and the US regarding Iran's nuclear program. Iran responded with missile and drone strikes on Israel, US bases, and US-allied Arab countries in West Asia; and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, disrupting global trade. The United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait responded with their own strikes on Iran and its regional allies. After the Middle Eastern crisis began in 2023, Iran and Israel exchanged missile strikes in 2024, and again during the Twelve-Day War in June 2025, which resulted in a US airstrike on Iranian nuclear sites. In January 2026, Iranian security forces massacred thousands of civilians in their crackdown on the largest Iranian protests since 1979. US president Donald Trump responded by threatening military action and starting the largest US military buildup in the region since the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq. Israeli–US airstrikes damaged military bases, government buildings, schools, hospitals, and heritage sites and resulted in civilian casualties. In retaliation, Iran launched hundreds of drones and ballistic missiles at Israel, US military bases in the region, neighbouring Arab countries including Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, as well as Iraq's Kurdistan. Drones or missiles also appeared to target Azerbaijan, Turkey, and Britain's Akrotiri military base on Cyprus. The conflict between Hezbollah and Israel escalated into the 2026 Lebanon war, killing more than 2,000 civilians and militants. The Iranian government has intensified its political executions and has restricted internet access for ordinary citizens, permitting connection only for government-approved users. The Trump administration gave various explanations for starting the war, including forestalling Iranian retaliation after an expected Israeli attack, destroying Iran's missile capabilities, preventing Iran from building a nuclear weapon, seizing Iran's oil resources, or achieving regime change. Iranian and some US officials rejected claims that Iran had been preparing an attack. The International Atomic Energy Agency said that, while Iran has refused to allow inspections of its damaged sites after the 2025 war, there was no evidence of an ongoing nuclear weapons program. United Nations secretary-general António Guterres and several uninvolved countries condemned the US–Israeli strikes; the UN Security Council passed a resolution condemning Iran's retaliatory strikes on the Gulf states. Critics of the war, including legal and international relations experts, described the US attacks as illegal under US law, an act of imperialism, and a violation of Iran's sovereignty under international law. The war's economic impact includes the largest supply disruption in the history of the global oil market, disruptions to the natural gas, fertilizer, aviation and tourism industries, as well as volatility in financial markets. Oil and gas shipments were disrupted by Iran's closure of the Hormuz Strait and Israeli and Iranian attacks on energy facilities. On 19 March, the cost of the war to the US military was estimated at US$18 billion, and the Pentagon requested a further US$200 billion. By 31 March, the cost to Arab countries was estimated at over US$120 billion. The Iranian government assessed the damage to their own economy as at least $300 billion and possibly as much as $1 trillion by 11 April. Trump claimed victory several times and claimed that Iran had "nothing left in a military sense". Iran, the US and Israel agreed to a two-week ceasefire brokered by Pakistan, beginning on 8 April; a ceasefire in Lebanon began on 16 April. The Iranian ceasefire came under strain as Iran refused to re-open the Hormuz strait, blaming the Israeli strikes in Lebanon. After the failure of the Islamabad Talks, Trump said he no longer cared about negotiations, and announced a naval blockade of Iran from 13 April; there is currently a "dual blockade", with the US Navy blockading Iran and Iran blockading the Persian Gulf. Trump has extended the truce indefinitely, but further strikes have occurred since. On 18 May, Trump announced the postponement of a "scheduled attack" on Iran following requests from Middle Eastern countries, including Qatar and Saudi Arabia.