War Overview & Timeline¶
How It Started¶
On February 28, 2026, the United States and Israel launched a coordinated strike campaign against Iran — approximately 900 strikes in 12 hours targeting: - Military infrastructure and air defenses - Missile production facilities - Leadership targets - Nuclear enrichment facilities
Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was killed in the initial strikes, along with dozens of senior Iranian officials.
The war is designated Operation "Roaring Lion" by Israel and Operation "Epic Fury" by the US.
Key Timeline¶
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| Feb 25-26 | Modi visits Israel; states "India stands with Israel" |
| Feb 28 | US/Israel launch 900+ strikes. Khamenei killed. War begins. |
| Feb 28 | Iranian missiles hit Naval Support Activity Bahrain (Fifth Fleet HQ): 2 dead, 50+ injured |
| Mar 1 | Interim Leadership Council takes power in Iran (Pezeshkian, Mohseni-Eje'i, Arafi) |
| Mar 1 | 3 AWS data centers struck in UAE and Bahrain — first military attack on hyperscale cloud |
| Mar 1 | 9 Israelis killed in residential strike on Beit Shemesh |
| Mar 2 | Iranian drones strike Qatar's Ras Laffan — 17% LNG capacity offline, 33% global helium offline |
| Mar 2 | Hezbollah launches missiles and drones into Israel — Lebanon front opens |
| Mar 2 | US embassy in Kuwait struck and closed indefinitely |
| Mar 2 | Iran effectively closes Strait of Hormuz |
| Mar 3-4 | Senate War Powers Resolution fails 47-53 |
| Mar 4 | Qatar shoots down 2 Iranian Su-24 bombers — 2 minutes from hitting Al Udeid and Ras Laffan |
| Mar 4 | QatarEnergy declares force majeure on LNG exports |
| Mar 4 | NATO downs Iranian ballistic missile over Gaziantep, Turkey |
| Mar 5 | House rejects War Powers Resolution 219-212 |
| Mar 5 | Iranian drones strike Azerbaijan's Nakhchivan airport |
| Mar 6 | Washington Post reports Russia providing satellite intelligence to Iran for targeting US forces |
| Mar 8 | Brent crude exceeds $100/barrel for first time in 4 years |
| Mar 9 | Mojtaba Khamenei (son) named new Supreme Leader after March 3-8 elections |
| Mar 9 | NATO downs second Iranian missile over Turkey |
| Mar 9 | Iranian ballistic missile launch rate collapses 92% (480/day → 40/day) |
| Mar 11 | IEA announces record 400M barrel strategic reserve release |
| Mar 11-15 | Brent peaks at ~$126/barrel |
| Mar 12 | UNSC Resolution 2817 condemns Iranian attacks (13-0-2, Russia and China abstain) |
| Mar 13 | Israeli military estimates 3,000-4,000 Iranian soldiers killed |
| Mar 14-15 | Israel reported "critically low" interceptor stockpiles |
| Mar 16 | Israel begins ground invasion of southern Lebanon |
| Mar 16 | MEK fighters attack governor's office in Khuzestan province, Iran |
| Mar 18 | Hengaw Organization estimates 5,300+ Iranian military deaths |
| Mar 18-19 | Second major Iranian missile strikes on Ras Laffan — "extensive" damage |
| Mar 21 | Iran strikes Natanz nuclear facility; IAEA confirms damage |
| Mar 21 | 180 wounded in Iranian strikes on Israeli cities Dimona and Arad |
| Mar 21 | Modi calls Iranian President Pezeshkian |
| Mar 22 | Russia launches Ukraine spring offensive timed to Iran distraction |
| Mar 22 | Trump issues 48-hour ultimatum: reopen Hormuz or power plants struck |
| Mar 22 | Iran threatens to "completely close" Hormuz if power plants attacked |
| Mar 23 | Trump delays strikes 5 days — "very good and productive conversations" with Iran |
War at a Glance (Day 23 — March 23, 2026)¶
| Dimension | Status |
|---|---|
| Duration | 23 days, fourth week |
| Iranian military deaths | 5,300+ |
| Regional deaths | 2,300+ |
| Lebanese displaced | ~1 million (19% of population) |
| US service members killed | At least 13 |
| Israeli civilians killed | 9+ (Beit Shemesh + others) |
| IDF killed (Lebanon) | 2 |
| Countries affected by strikes | 12+ |
| Oil price | $100-110/barrel (Brent) |
| US cost | $16.5B+ (day 12 estimate); $2B/day peak rate |
| Munitions used | 5,197 in first 96 hours |
| Hormuz traffic | 92% collapse |
| Status | Ceasefire talks initiated; 5-day strike pause |
Sources¶
Al Jazeera, CNN, NPR, Fox News, Time, BBC, Washington Post, CSIS, FPRI, Wikipedia — all February-March 2026