United Kingdom · Israel · Iraq · Islamic Republic of Iran · Kuwait · Lebanon · Sri Lanka · Oman · Panama · Pakistan · Qatar · Russian Federation · Saudi Arabia · United States of America
File
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
Israel strikes Iran after the 1 October missile barrage
On 26 October 2024, Israel struck Iranian military sites in retaliation for Tehran’s missile attack on 1 October.
The operation targeted air defences and missile-related capabilities, among other objectives. Iran reported limited damage while Israel said it had achieved its objectives; these damage assessments came from the belligerents.
The October cycle extended April’s direct exchanges. The CRS describes a broader regional context involving Iran’s allied groups, whose actions must nevertheless be distinguished from attacks carried out directly by the Iranian state.
On the night of 13–14 April 2024, Iran launched drones and missiles at Israel, its first direct attack of this scale from its own territory.
Tehran presented the operation as retaliation for the 1 April strike on an Iranian consular building in Damascus, attributed to Israel. Most projectiles were intercepted with help from Israel’s partners.
After years of indirect confrontation and covert operations, the episode openly exposed both countries’ territories to reciprocal attacks. It preceded another cycle of direct strikes in October.
Iran and Saudi Arabia announce restoration of relations
On 10 March 2023, Iran and Saudi Arabia announced a Chinese-mediated agreement in Beijing to restore diplomatic relations.
The two countries planned to reopen their embassies within two months and affirmed sovereignty and non-interference. The announcement followed talks between their security officials.
The rapprochement concerned two rival powers involved in several regional crises. It did not automatically settle conflicts in Yemen, Lebanon or Syria, or Iran’s confrontation with the United States and Israel.
Mahsa Amini, 22, died on 16 September 2022 after her arrest by morality police in Tehran, prompting protests that spread across the country.
Her arrest on 13 September concerned compulsory veiling. Authorities cited a medical cause while her family and witnesses challenged their account; UN experts called for an independent investigation.
The mobilisation concerned women’s rights and the regime’s political domination. Findings from investigations published later must be distinguished from what was established when she died, preserving how knowledge developed.
On 8 January 2020, Iran launched ballistic missiles at Iraqi bases hosting American personnel in retaliation for Qassem Soleimani’s killing.
The Quds Force commander had been killed by a US strike near Baghdad airport on 3 January. Iranian missiles targeted Ain al-Asad and a facility near Erbil, among other objectives.
The sequence constituted a direct confrontation on Iraqi territory. It must be distinguished from operations by Iranian-allied groups: in this instance Tehran itself claimed and carried out the military action.
On 15 November 2019, the announcement of a steep fuel price increase triggered a wave of protests in Iran.
From 16 November, authorities imposed a near-total shutdown of global internet access. Amnesty International documented hundreds of deaths and unlawful lethal force; its initial count of 304 victims was increased to 323 in 2021.
Those figures come from the organisation’s investigation rather than an agreed official toll. The communications shutdown obstructed documentation of violence and illustrates the connection between economic crisis, protest and repression.
Trump withdraws the United States from the nuclear deal
On 8 May 2018, Donald Trump announced the US withdrawal from the JCPOA and the restoration of American sanctions on Iran.
The US president considered the agreement insufficient to protect his country’s interests. Other participants did not withdraw at the same time, so the American decision must not be described as a collective termination.
The rupture undermined Tehran’s expected economic benefits. The chronology must distinguish the US withdrawal in 2018 from Iran’s subsequent reductions in its nuclear commitments.
On 16 January 2016, the JCPOA reached Implementation Day after the IAEA verified Iran’s principal initial nuclear measures.
The United States and European Union lifted or suspended the nuclear sanctions specified in the agreement. This milestone concerned the fulfilment of technical conditions, distinct from the July 2015 political agreement.
Other US restrictions remained based on grounds separate from the nuclear issue. The agreed relief therefore did not remove every sanction or every dispute between Iran and Western countries.
Iran and six powers conclude the Vienna nuclear agreement
On 14 July 2015, Iran and the United States, China, Russia, France, the United Kingdom and Germany concluded the JCPOA in Vienna, with the European Union.
Group photograph in Vienna after the nuclear agreement announcement, 14 July 2015. US Department of State, public domain. — U.S. Department of State / Wikimedia Commons — domaine public (PD-USGov) ; 14 juillet 2015 ; réduction de taille, sans autre modification.
The agreement provided for nuclear programme limits and international verification in return for relief from nuclear-related sanctions. It built on the diplomatic process and the November 2013 interim agreement.
The Security Council endorsed it through Resolution 2231 on 20 July. Its conclusion did not mean full normalisation between Washington and Tehran: it concerned the nuclear file and the commitments attached to it.
Disputed presidential result sparks the Green Movement
On 13 June 2009, protests broke out after the announcement of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s reelection, which his opponents disputed.
Supporters of Mir Hossein Mousavi alleged fraud. Demonstrations continued despite bans on gatherings and restrictions on communications and media.
Human Rights Watch later documented arbitrary arrests, mistreatment and force against protesters. The officially declared result must be distinguished from the challenges to it and the documented abuses; this entry does not endorse the vote as free and uncontested.
On 23 December 2006, the Security Council adopted Resolution 1737 imposing sanctions over Iran’s sensitive nuclear activities.
The text demanded suspension of the specified enrichment and reprocessing activities. It restricted supplies of sensitive materials and technology and froze assets of listed individuals and entities.
A committee was established to oversee implementation. This multilateral regime differed from earlier US sanctions: it linked Security Council decisions to the IAEA’s verification demands.
