US-Iran War: Timeline of Key Events in 2026

Last updated October 27, 2026. Reporting runs through about mid-October, and we found no confirmed newer developments. We’ll update this page as they arrive.

Overview

The US-Iran war began with US-Israeli strikes on February 28, 2026. It has since centred on the Strait of Hormuz, a US blockade of Iranian ports, and on-and-off ceasefires mediated in part by Pakistan. This page collects the key events, with sources, and links to PK Times coverage.

Timeline

  • February 28: The US and Israel strike Iran. Reuters reported the attack was timed to a meeting Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, was holding with top aides. Iranian state media later confirmed his death. Iran responds with missiles and drones aimed at Israel and US allies in the region. The Pentagon calls the campaign Operation Epic Fury. (FDD, Al-Monitor)
  • April 7–8: A ceasefire, brokered with Pakistan’s help, takes effect. Sources date it April 7 or 8. Talks in Islamabad on April 11–13, the highest-level US-Iran talks since 1979, end without a deal after about 21 hours, reportedly over the Strait of Hormuz and Iran’s nuclear programme. (Aaj News, Digital Pakistan)
  • Mid-April: After the talks, US Central Command begins a blockade of all Iranian ports. Ships travelling between non-Iranian ports keep transit rights. Iran, which has restricted the Strait of Hormuz since the war began, says passage is allowed only under its control and for a fee. US crude rises about 8% to over $104 a barrel. (Marine Insight, CFR)
  • June 17: The Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding, a 14-point interim agreement meant to halt the war and reopen Hormuz, takes effect, with Pakistan as mediator. Sources differ on who signed. (Qatar Tribune)
  • July 7–24: The US resumes strikes after Iran targets shipping in Hormuz, and the two sides trade attacks until about July 24. (Michigan Public)
  • August: One Reuters-based report says both sides agreed in principle to extend the ceasefire. Brent crude fell to about $87 on August 27 on hopes that Hormuz traffic would normalise. The US energy agency’s August 11 outlook expected Gulf production to return to near pre-war levels in early 2027. (Aaj News, Hellenic Shipping News)
  • September 1: US forces strike Revolutionary Guard targets after what CENTCOM described as attempted attacks on shipping and on US personnel. Iran fires missiles toward a US base in Jordan, and Jordan says it intercepted eight. (Coeur d’Alene Press)
  • September 3: Vice President Vance says he can’t say when gas will return to $3 a gallon. The national average was $4.12. (KMPH)
  • September 9: The IAEA board votes 23 to 3, with eight abstentions, to refer Iran to the UN Security Council over nuclear safeguards, the first such referral in 20 years. (Deccan Chronicle)
  • September 12–13: BRICS leaders in New Delhi call for “maximum restraint” in the Middle East. (ThePrint)
  • September 14: The Pentagon inspector general’s first report puts the war’s cost through June 30 at $33.4 billion, including $22.3 billion on munitions, and cites “strategic inventory shortfalls.” (SAN)
  • September 21: Iranian state media says the US refused visas to members of President Pezeshkian’s UN delegation. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
  • October 9–10: The Pentagon’s database lists 21 US troops dead and 865 wounded in operations against Iran. Two of the added deaths were non-hostile. Counts have been revised several times and differ by category. (Express Tribune)

Why it matters

  • Energy. Hormuz normally carries about a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas, according to the US Energy Information Administration. Brent has swung from over $100 in spring to the mid-$80s in late August.
  • Cost. The inspector general’s estimate excludes the cost of repairing damaged bases.
  • Regional spillover. The war has fed the Saudi-Houthi escalation, with Hormuz closed and Red Sea routes now carrying more Saudi oil. See our Saudi–Houthi timeline.

Pakistan’s role

Pakistan mediated the April ceasefire and hosted the Islamabad talks, and its prime minister was named as mediator on the June memorandum. The Foreign Office said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met President Pezeshkian on the sidelines of an SCO summit, and that Field Marshal Asim Munir visited Tehran. It has also pledged support to Saudi Arabia, which puts Pakistan in two roles at once. (The Star)

Open questions

  • Is the ceasefire holding, and is the US blockade still in force? We found no confirmed reporting after mid-October.
  • Will the IAEA referral lead to Security Council action? Russia and China hold vetoes there.
  • When will Hormuz reopen fully? Gulf exports were still running well below pre-war levels in August, according to FXEmpire.
  • US midterm elections are scheduled for November 3, 2026.

PK Times coverage