# 2026 Iran war

| 2026 Iran-us Israel war |
| --- |
| Part of the Middle Eastern crisis (2023–present) |
| Interactive map of the strike locations

Locations struck by: * United States and Israel
* Iran, Hezbollah, and PMF
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|

|  |  |
| --- | --- |
| Date | 28 February 2026 (2026-02-28) – present (4 months and 1 day) |
| Location | * West Asia
* Indian Ocean
 |
| Status |
US strategic failure, extended ceasefire under the Islamabad Memorandum* Temporary ceasefire since 8th April and Lebanon ceasefire since 16th April
* Assassination of top Iranian officials including Ali Khamenei and Ali Larijani by the United States and Israel
* Iranian retaliation by striking American and Israeli targets and US allies and closure of the Strait of Hormuz, resulting global hike of oil prices
* Various European countries send forces to defend Cyprus against Iranian strikes
* Election of Mojtaba Khamenei as the Supreme Leader of Iran
* Escalation between Hezbollah and Israel leads to the 2026 Lebanon War
 |

 |
| Belligerents |
| * United States
* Israel
* Saudi Arabia
* United Arab Emirates
* Kuwait

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* **Attacked by Iran: Azerbaijan
* Bahrain
* Iraq
* Jordan
* Oman
* Qatar
* Syria
* Turkey
* United Kingdom
	+ Akrotiri and Dhekelia
	+ British Indian Ocean Territory

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**Bases targeted: Australia
* Italy
* Canada
* France
* Germany

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**Defensive countries: Cyprus
* Greece
* Netherlands
* Northern Cyprus
* Pakistan
* Spain
* Ukraine

\*Note: These countries have participated only in shooting down Iranian UAVs and ballistic missiles and at the same time, they were not attacked by Iran. | * Iran
* Hezbollah
* Amal Movement
* Popular Mobilization Forces
* Islamic Resistance in Iraq
* Houthi Movement

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* **Attacked by US and Israel: Lebanon
* Iraq
* Palestine
* Syria

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* Islamic Group
* Hamas
* Palestinian Islamic Jihad
 |
| Commanders and leaders |
| * Donald Trump
* Pete Hegseth
* Dan Caine
* Brad Cooper
* Curt Renshaw
* Derek France
* John Ratcliffe
* Benjamin Netanyahu
* Isaac Herzog
* Israel Katz
* Eyal Zamir
* Tomer Bar
* David Barnea
* Mohammed bin Salman
 | * Ali Khamenei **X Mojtaba Khamenei
* Ali Larijani **X Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr
* Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf
* Masoud Pezeshkian
* Majid Ebn-e-Reza
* Amir Hatami
* Abdolrahim Mousavi **† Ahmad Vahidi
* Majid Mousavi
* Naim Qassem
* Nabih Berri
* Falih Al-Fayyad
* Abdul-Malik al-Houthi
 |
| Units involved |
| *See order of battle* |
| Casualties and losses |
| * **Per US and Israel:**
	+ United States:
		- 15 soldiers killed
		- 538 military personnel wounded
		- At least 17 US sites in the Middle East damaged
		- equivalent to loss of $800m only due to the destruction of American military bases in the Middle East by Iranian strikes
		- 3 F-15Es shot down and destroyed by friendly fire
	+ Israel:
		- 51 soldiers killed
		- 29 civilians killed
		- 7,834 civilians injured
		- 690 military personnel wounded
		- $11.52 billion in economic damage

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* **Per Iran:**
	+ United States:
		- 650 soldiers killed or wounded
		- At least 12 radar systems and satellite terminals destroyed or damaged
		- Multiple AN/TPY-2s destroyed or damaged
		- 1 THAAD radar destroyed
		- 1 AN/FPS-132, 1 AN/TPS-59, 1 1 F-15E shot down and destroyed
 | * **Per Iran:**
	+ Iran:
	+ 3,375 people killed
	+ 26,500 injured
	+ $270 billion in direct economic damage
* **Per Hezbollah:**
	+ Hezbollah:
	+ 400+ fighters killed
* **Per Popular Mobilization Forces:**
	+ Popular Mobilization Forces:
		- 80 fighters killed, 270 injured

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* **Per Lebanon**:
	+ Amal Movement:
		- 6 paramedics killed

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* **Per US and Israel:**
	+ Iran:
		- 6,000+ Iranian military personnel killed and ~15,000 Iranian military personnel wounded
		- $145+ billion in direct economic damage
		- $300 billion to $1 trillion in economic damage
		- 190+ ballistic missile launchers destroyed
		- 155 naval vessels destroyed or damaged
	+ Hezbollah:
		- ~1,700 fighters killed
		- 5 fighters captured
	+ Popular Mobilization Forces:
		- 85 fighters killed, 139 injured
	+ Hamas:
		- 3 Hamas members operating im Lebanon killed

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* **Per HRANA:**
	+ Iran:
		- 3,636 people killed (1,221 military personnel, 1,701 civilians, and 714 unclassified)
 |
| *For naval losses, see this list*
*For aviation losses, see this list*
 Lebanon: 2,294 killed, 7,544 injured, 1,200,000+ displaced in Lebanon 2 civilians killed in Israel  Iraq: 26 soldiers and 23 civilians killed, 180 injured  United Arab Emirates: 2 soldiers and 11 civilians killed, 224 injured  Kuwait: 4 soldiers and 6 civilians killed, 77 soldiers and 32 civilians injured  Qatar: 4 soldiers killed and 20 injured  Palestine, West Bank: 14 killed and 15 injured  Bahrain: 3 killed and 42 injured  Oman: 3 killed and 15 injured  Turkey: 1 soldier and 2 civilians killed  Saudi Arabia: 2 killed and 16 injured  France: 2 soldiers killed and several injured  Syria: 1 killed  Jordan: 19 injured  Azerbaijan: 4 injured |
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The **2026 Iran War** or **Ramadan War** (as known as the Operation Epic Fury of the United States, Operation Roaring Lion of Israel, Operation True Promise IV of Iran) is a military conflict that commenced on February 28, 2026. The war was initiated by the major wave of surprise airstrikes made by the United States and Israel on Iran. The war is the biggest combat in the Middle East since 2003 Invasion of Iraq.

The war was preceded by conflict of several years regarding the nuclear program of Iran and its assistance to the actions of such groups as Hezbollah and Hamas. At the beginning of 2026, Iran experienced the most widespread demonstrations in decades domestically, which the Iranian government broke down with violence.

In the initial 12 hours on February 28, the U.S and Israeli forces targeted almost 900 strikes. Such attacks assassinated some of the senior Iranian leaders including the Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. The U.S. claimed that it aimed at ensuring Iran did not acquire a nuclear weapon and it would be stopping imminent threats in the region.

The attacks were retaliated by Iran firing hundreds of drones and ballistic missiles. These targeted:

* Israel: Bombing Tel Aviv, Haifa.
* U.S. Military Bases: Particularly the ones in Bahrain, Qatar, and Kuwait and UAE.
* Neighboring Countries: Jordan and Saudi Arabia were reported to have gone on strike.

The Iranian military too tried to shut the Strait Of Hormuz which is a narrow waterway through which 20 percent of the oil in the world flows. This has resulted in a significant shock of energy which has seen a tremendous increase in the price of oil and gas globally.

The war is still on as of 19th Of April 2026. Although the U.S. and Israel have demolished most of the military installations in Iran, the Iranian regime has replaced Ali Khamenei by Mojtaba Khamenei and is still struggling. Peace talks have not been successful yet as the United Nations and many countries have demanded a ceasefire. These have seen the killing and injury of thousands of soldiers and civilians in the region.

## Background

In 2018, the United States left the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (Iran nuclear deal). The Donald Trump government put back sanctions on Iran and used a "maximum pressure" plan.

The sanctions hurt Iran’s economy. The Iranian rial lost value, falling from 35,000 to 42,000 per US dollar in 2021. Banks that traded with Iran paid big fines. European companies stopped business with Iran. The sanctions made millions of Iranians poor, raised prices of food and medicine, and caused inflation and unemployment.

Tensions grew after the 7 October attacks in Israel and the Gaza war in 2023. Israel attacked Iran-backed groups like Hamas and Hezbollah. In 2024, Israel and Iran exchanged strikes, and in 2025 they fought a short armed conflict for twelve days. The US joined in alongside Israel and bombed Iran’s nuclear sites on 22 June.

In late 2025, large protests started in Iran because of economic crisis and rising prices. These were the biggest since the Iranian Revolution in 1979. The government used violence, killing thousands. Estimates of deaths range from 3,117 to 32,000. AP News said the violence made many Iranians hope for US help.

On 13 January 2026, Trump supported the protesters. On 23 January, he said a US "armada" was going to the Middle East, including aircraft carriers USS *Abraham Lincoln* and USS Gerald R. Ford.

## Casualties

### Assassination of Ali Khamenei

On 28 February 2026, an Israeli official said that Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei had been killed in air strikes and that his body was identified. Benjamin Netanyahu also said there were signs Khamenei was dead, but Iran’s foreign ministry denied this.

Iran International reported that Khamenei was dead, and Israeli officials said his body was found in rubble. Hours earlier, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Khamenei and President Masoud Pezeshkian were alive "as far as I know". Some Iranian sources said Khamenei was "commanding the field".

Western and Iranian media, citing Israeli sources, also reported Khamenei was dead. Donald Trump and Netanyahu both said they believed he was dead, but Iran did not confirm. Trump later wrote on Truth Social that "Khamenei, one of the most evil people in History, is dead […] He was unable to avoid our Intelligence and Highly Sophisticated Tracking Systems." CIA reports said that if Khamenei was dead, a hardliner from the IRGC would replace him.

### Military

Reuters said some commanders in the IRGC may have been killed, but could not confirm. Later, it reported that defence minister Aziz Nasirzadeh and IRGC commander Mohammad Pakpour were likely killed. Araghchi admitted losses but said they were "not such a big problem". Iran International reported that Ali Shamkhani was killed, along with four senior intelligence officials. The IDF later confirmed seven Iranian leaders were killed, including Shamkhani, Nasirzadeh, and Pakpour. Other officials reported killed include Salah Asadi, Mohammad Shirazi, Hossein Jabal Amelian, and Reza Mozaffari-Nia.

In Iraq, two members of the Popular Mobilization Forces were killed and three injured in an Israeli attack. A later report from *The New York Times* said three were dead. United States Central Command said it had no casualties and only light damage, while stopping hundreds of Iranian drones and missiles.

### Civilians

At 17:30 CET on the first day of strikes, the Red Crescent said 201 civilians were killed and 747 injured in Iran.

Iranian strikes also caused casualties. The first Iranian air strike hit a building in Israel, injuring one civilian. Magen David Adom said 89 people were injured in Iran’s first attacks, three directly and the rest indirectly. Later, a strike in Tel Aviv killed one woman and injured 20 others. In the United Arab Emirates, one man was killed in an Iranian attack. In Syria, four people were killed when an Iranian missile hit a building. In Dubai, four people were injured in strikes on residential areas. In Tehran, two students were killed in a strike.

#### Minab school airstrike

A girls' elementary school in Minab was hit in Israeli and American attacks. Reports said 201 students were killed and 747 wounded.

## Direct U.S. Military Involvement

For the first time since the conflict began, the United States conducted direct airstrikes on Iranian nuclear infrastructure, including Fordow and Natanz. President Trump reportedly authorized the strikes, citing "preemptive containment." The Pentagon confirmed F-22 and F-35 aircraft participated, but two U.S. fighter jets were reportedly lost during the operation, with pilots recovered via special ops teams.

### International Reactions

* Germany, via Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, described Israeli actions as “defensive and legitimate.”
* Russia and China condemned both Israeli and U.S. actions.
* The UN Security Council held an emergency session but failed to pass a resolution.
* European airlines (Lufthansa, British Airways, Qantas) suspended all flights over Iranian and Israeli airspace.

## Economic and Strategic Fallout

* Global oil prices spiked 11% after Iran threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz.
* Several oil tankers were diverted or delayed.
* Analysts warned that a protracted conflict could disrupt 30% of global oil shipments and lead to stagflation in Europe.

## Related pages

* Middle Eastern crisis (2023–present)
* Iran–Israel war
	+ June 2025 Israeli strikes on Iran
	+ United States strikes on Iranian nuclear sites
* 2026 United States strikes in Venezuela