The 2026 Iran war has reshaped the Gulf, oil markets and U.S. politics. This guide pulls together what The Boston Report has reported since the conflict began on Feb. 28, 2026, when the United States and Israel launched military operations against Iran, according to Al Jazeera. It is organized as a timeline, then by theme, with links to our detailed reports. Where figures are disputed, we say who reported them.
Iran war timeline: from February to October
- Feb. 28: U.S. and Israeli military operations against Iran begin. The U.S. campaign is called Operation Epic Fury. See our early explainers on how U.S. military assets were positioned near Iran and potential decapitation strikes.
- March: CENTCOM reported more than 3,000 strikes in the first week, hitting command centers, missile sites, air defenses and naval assets of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (war escalates as thousands of targets are destroyed). Pentagon officials told senators the first six days cost at least $11.3 billion, roughly $1.9 billion a day (the Epic Fury price tag).
- March to May: Oil climbed above $100 a barrel for the first time in more than three years (soaring oil prices during the Iran war), and Iran fired missiles across the region (Iran fires missiles across the Middle East). By May, indirect messaging continued through intermediaries (the Iran war in 2026: military, economic and political situation).
- June 17: A Pakistani- and Qatari-brokered memorandum of understanding set a 60-day negotiation window. Trump declared it “over” on July 7 after disputes over shipping control and renewed strikes, and U.S. strikes resumed on July 8, according to our reporting on Iran’s seven-day roadmap and Trump’s pledge not to strike before the midterms.
- Sept. 24–28: Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi unveiled a seven-day plan at the U.N. General Assembly, Trump rejected it as “unacceptable,” and Iran said it was “fully prepared” for war to resume (Iran ‘fully prepared’ after Trump rejects Hormuz plan). Araghchi then met Qatari mediators (Strait of Hormuz talks explained).
- Oct. 2–8: A third U.S. aircraft carrier headed toward Iran (US third aircraft carrier heads toward Iran), the U.S. pulled bombers from RAF Fairford (RAF Fairford bombers), and tanker attacks hit a wartime weekly high (Hormuz tanker attacks surge).
- Oct. 8: Trump wrote that the U.S. “will not be attacking Iran at any time prior to the midterm elections” on Nov. 3, citing “productive discussions.”
The Strait of Hormuz and the oil shock
Before the war, the strait handled roughly 20% of the world’s oil and gas supplies, per Al Jazeera. Middle East crude exports rebounded to 12.8 million barrels per day in September, versus 18.8 million in February, according to Reuters citing Kpler. Ships in the Gulf have faced repeated attacks since Feb. 28 and the strait has effectively been closed, The Guardian reported. In the week to Oct. 5 there were at least 12 attacks on oil, LNG and LPG tankers around the strait, and an Iranian Revolutionary Guard adviser said about 10 ships a day were transiting versus about 125 before the war, while Secretary of State Marco Rubio disputed Iran’s claim of “full control” (The Guardian). Brent crude moved back above $100 on Oct. 7.
Iran’s proposal asks the U.S. to release frozen funds, lift sanctions and end its naval blockade of Iranian ports, with the strait reopening and nuclear talks starting by the seventh day. A U.S. official said the sides remain apart on timing and sequencing, and each accuses the other of breaking the June memorandum.
The Gulf and Yemen front
The war has spilled into a renewed Yemen conflict. Houthi missile and drone attacks on Saudi targets prompted France to send troops to guard Saudi Arabia’s Yanbu terminal, and Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey moved their Mecca defense pact from paper to practice. The Yemeni government began an offensive against the Houthis on Oct. 4, after reports of a planned Red Sea assault, and the coalition said it destroyed 136 targets in its large-scale operation. Houthi strikes on Riyadh’s airport killed three Saudis (Houthi Riyadh airport attacks).
Who is Iran’s Revolutionary Guard?
The IRGC sits at the center of Iran’s military and proxy network. Our background pieces on the IRGC and its global network and the declining power of the IRGC and its proxies explain its structure, and a militia drone strike on a U.S. Black Hawk in Iraq shows how proxy attacks have reached U.S. forces.
What to watch next
NBC News reported that Trump’s national security team has weighed options for resuming large-scale operations before the midterms (NBC News). Three questions matter: whether Iran’s reply to the U.S. response narrows the gap on enrichment and Hormuz transit; whether the U.S. buildup of three carriers and two amphibious groups, expected by the end of November, continues; and whether tanker attacks keep Brent above $100. We update this page as our coverage develops, and you can follow all of it in the World Affairs hub.