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Iran since 1979: revolution, crises and wars with Israel and the United States
This dossier traces the Islamic Republic of Iran from Ruhollah Khomeini’s return in February 1979: the monarchy’s overthrow, the hostage crisis, the Iran-Iraq War, Ali Khamenei’s succession, sanctions, domestic protests and nuclear negotiations. It also follows regional confrontation through Tehran’s allies, rapprochement with Saudi Arabia and the transition to direct Iran-Israel attacks in 2024.
The twelve-day war of June 2025 is distinguished from the conflict opened on 28 February 2026 by US and Israeli strikes. The chronology examines Ali Khamenei’s killing and Mojtaba Khamenei’s succession, civilian victims, regional fronts, energy infrastructure, Hormuz, blockades and attempts at agreement. The Qatari consultations that originally defined this dossier remain integrated into the expanded history.
Sourced entries distinguish established facts, announcements, attributed responsibility and unverified outcomes. The reconstruction selects principal milestones rather than recording every military operation. No final, consistent human toll across all theatres is established here. Dates without a known time are ordered by calendar day.
Last updated : 66 key moments
Tehran, 3 December 2019. Illustrative archive photograph for the dossier; it does not show the 2025 or 2026 strikes. — GTVM92 — CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/ — 3 décembre 2019, sans modification.
Where things stand
As of 1 November 2026, the available sources establish no Hormuz reopening agreement from the Doha consultations. Tehran also announced terrorist designations for the Royal Navy and RAF and a hostile-group designation for MI6; the decision's practical effects are not established.
Confirmed
US submarine sinks Iran’s Dena warship off Sri Lanka
On 4 March 2026, a torpedo fired by a US submarine sank the Iranian warship IRIS Dena off Sri Lanka.
Sri Lankan forces launched a rescue operation. The Associated Press reported 32 survivors and 87 bodies recovered, citing the Sri Lankan navy; these figures describe the toll communicated at that time.
The vessel was returning from a naval exercise hosted by India. The attack extended the confrontation into the Indian Ocean, far from Iranian territory and the Strait of Hormuz. It concerned a warship and must be distinguished from attacks on merchant shipping.
Hezbollah joins the war and Israel strikes Lebanon
On 2 March 2026, Hezbollah opened fire on Israel following Ali Khamenei’s death; Israel responded with strikes in Lebanon.
The Iranian-backed Lebanese movement presented its action as retaliation for the supreme leader’s killing. The expansion opened a distinct front, affecting Lebanese civilians and negotiations for a regional truce.
The same day, the United States announced the loss of three F-15Es mistakenly shot down by Kuwaiti air defences during Iranian attacks; all six crew members were recovered. The two episodes illustrate the war’s geographical expansion.
US and Israel open war against Iran; Ali Khamenei is killed
On 28 February 2026, the United States and Israel launched a strike campaign against Iran. Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was killed in the opening attacks.
Iranian military and security officials were also among the targets. Iranian confirmation of Khamenei’s death followed the initial US and Israeli announcements; it must not be confused with the time of the attack.
The leader’s death opened a succession at the top of the regime without itself establishing its collapse. Iranian retaliation and regional expansion are documented separately to distinguish the different actors’ actions.
Minab school is hit; investigations document civilian victims
On 28 February 2026, Shajareh Tayyebeh primary school in Minab, southern Iran, was hit as the war opened; children and adults were killed.
Human Rights Watch called on 7 March for a war-crime investigation and noted that neither Washington nor Israel had then acknowledged the strike. Amnesty International subsequently attributed the attack to US forces in its 17 March investigation.
The sequence of investigations matters: later attribution must not be presented as established in the first hours. Published death tolls vary by date and source; this entry does not merge them into a final total.
On 26 February 2026, indirect Iran-US talks in Geneva ended without an agreement despite progress announced by Omani mediators.
Abbas Araghchi represented Iran; Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner participated for the United States. Oman announced further exchanges and technical discussions in Vienna.
Disagreements concerned the nuclear programme and sanctions relief, among other issues, against the backdrop of a US military buildup. The mediator’s optimistic assessments did not constitute a signed compromise or a guarantee against the outbreak of hostilities.
On 8 January 2026, Iranian authorities imposed a near-total internet shutdown as protests that began in late December spread.
Tehran, 3 December 2019. Illustrative archive photograph; it does not show the events of 2026. — GTVM92 — CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/ — 3 décembre 2019, sans modification.
The movement began over the rial’s depreciation and rising living costs before becoming political. Telephone and digital restrictions isolated the population and sharply reduced available information.
Journalistic investigations documented deaths despite the blackout. Access difficulties prevent partial counts from being treated as final totals. This domestic crisis preceded the February war and must be examined as a distinct sequence.
In late September 2025, UN sanctions predating the 2015 agreement were reimposed on Iran through the snapback mechanism.
France, Germany and the United Kingdom triggered the procedure on 28 August. Security Council attempts to prevent its completion failed. The UN factsheet dates reapplication to 27 September; press timelines place it on 28 September depending on the reference time zone.
The return of these measures marked the failure of another diplomatic phase after the June war. They added to national sanctions while remaining distinct from them.
On 24 June 2025, a ceasefire announced by Donald Trump ended the principal phase of fighting between Israel and Iran.
The previous day, Iran had targeted a base in Qatar used by US forces in response to the American bombing of its nuclear sites. The sequence therefore directly involved Qatari territory.
The ceasefire resolved neither the nuclear dispute nor inspection difficulties. The IAEA reported that the attacks interrupted its verification activities in Iran and that inspectors were withdrawn at the end of the month for their safety.
On the night of 21–22 June 2025, the United States struck three Iranian nuclear sites: Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan.
Operation Midnight Hammer involved B-2 bombers and cruise missiles. It marked direct US military intervention in the campaign Israel had begun on 13 June.
Donald Trump claimed destruction of the targeted capabilities, but a full damage assessment and the fate of nuclear material required verification. The observed strikes alone did not establish elimination of the entire programme.
On 13 June 2025, Israel launched strikes on Iran’s military and nuclear structures, opening a twelve-day war.
Natanz was among the installations hit. The IAEA subsequently documented attacks on several nuclear sites and the interruption of its verification activities for safety reasons.
Iran retaliated against Israel. This campaign was distinct from the war opened in February 2026: it was an earlier phase of sustained attacks on Iranian installations, not part of the same military timetable.
On 8 December 2024, rebel forces took Damascus and Bashar al-Assad left Syria, ending his rule.
Iran and Russia had supported the Syrian government during the war that began in 2011. Hezbollah had also deployed fighters to sustain that ally.
The fall came while Hezbollah had been weakened by fighting with Israel. It changed Iran’s regional environment ahead of the 2025 and 2026 wars, without meaning that all Iranian networks or military capabilities disappeared at once.
