Situation brief
At 1:15 am on February 28, 2026, the United States (Operation Epic Fury) and Israel (Operation Roaring Lion) launched a coordinated campaign against Iran. In 20 days, the U.S. has flown 6,000+ combat sorties striking 6,000+ targets, destroying 90+ Iranian vessels. The IDF has carried out 7,600+ strikes, destroying 70%+ of Iran's missile launchers. On Mar 18, Israel and the U.S. struck South Pars — the world's largest gas field. 13 US KIA, 200+ wounded. War cost: $16.5B by Day 12 ($1-2B/day).
On Mar 16, Israel launched a ground invasion of southern Lebanon — the Battle of Khiam is ongoing, Litani bridges destroyed, 1 million+ displaced. Israel killed senior Iranian officials Ali Larijani, Esmail Khatib, and Gholam Reza Soleimani (Mar 17-18). Iran retaliated by striking Ras Laffan LNG terminal in Qatar (~20% of global LNG) and Saudi Aramco's Yanbu refinery. Oil hit $116/barrel. The Strait of Hormuz remains closed — 90%+ traffic halted. Mojtaba Khamenei has rejected all ceasefire overtures. Lebanon: 968+ killed, 1M+ displaced.
Key figures
Published reference points by party
United States
Operation Epic Fury
6,000+
targets · 27 days 6,000+ targets struck (3,000+ in first 7 days). 50,000+ service members deployed; 1,000+ 82nd Airborne + 2,500 Marines en route. 90+ Iranian vessels destroyed. Kharg Island, South Pars gas field struck. 13 US KIA (7 combat, 6 KC-135 crash). Week-1 cost: $11.3B.
CENTCOM / Pentagon / AP · Mar 26
Israel
Operation Roaring Lion
7,600+
strikes · 27 days 2,000+ strikes on regime HQ, 4,700+ on missile program. 70%+ Iranian launchers destroyed. Ground invasion of south Lebanon launched Mar 16 — Battle of Khiam ongoing. Senior kills: Alireza Tangsiri (Navy cmdr), Behnam Rezaei (Navy intel), Larijani, Khatib, Soleimani. Targeting Isfahan, Tehran.
IDF / AP · Mar 26
Iran
True Promise IV
2,000+
projectiles at UAE alone UAE: 314 ballistic missiles, 15 cruise missiles, 1,672 UAVs intercepted. Mar 26: 8 missile waves at Israel. Hormuz Strait: Iran charging tolls in Chinese yuan for passage — 'toll booth regime.' Oil at $104/barrel (+40%). Ras Laffan LNG terminal struck. Iraq: 80 security forces killed.
UAE/Qatar MoD / Lloyd's List / AP · Mar 26
Hezbollah
Lebanon Front
1,500+
rockets & drones · 27 days 280+ claimed attack waves since Mar 3. Mar 14: 56 attack waves (record day). ~100 rockets/day avg sustained. IDF ground invasion south of Litani launched Mar 16 — Battle of Khiam ongoing, Litani bridges destroyed. Coordinated barrages with Iranian missile salvos. Constant overnight fire.
Alma Research / AP · Mar 26
Charts
Current operation at a glance
Coalition strike volume
US targets struck + ships destroyed vs Israeli munitions deployed and Iranian launchers neutralized.
Iranian True Promise IV — target breakdown
Iranian projectiles engaged by regional air defenses — UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia.
Hezbollah rocket escalation
Estimated daily launch volumes from Lebanon since ceasefire broke on Mar 1.
Event timeline
Key events since Feb 28 — newest first
2026-03-26 AP
Israel kills IRGC Navy commander Alireza Tangsiri and Navy intel chief Behnam Rezaei in Bandar Abbas strike. Heavy strikes reported in Isfahan (nuclear sites, air base) and Tehran. Israel says attacks targeted Iranian 'production sites.'
2026-03-26 AP / Lloyd's List
Iran launches 8 waves of missiles at Israel throughout Thursday. Gulf Arab bloc confirms Iran charging tolls in Chinese yuan for Strait of Hormuz passage — Lloyd's List calls it 'de facto toll booth regime.' Iran parliament working to formalize fees.
2026-03-26 AP
Trump warns Iran to 'get serious soon' on negotiations — 'before it is too late, because once that happens there is NO TURNING BACK.' Pakistan confirms acting as intermediary for US-Iran indirect talks. Oil at $104/barrel (+40% since Feb 28).
2026-03-26 AP
UAE: 2 killed by shrapnel from missile interception over Abu Dhabi. Morocco civilian contractor killed in Bahrain. West Bank residents facing missile debris without siren alerts or shelter infrastructure. Shrapnel killed 4 women in Hebron beauty salon last week.
2026-03-25 AP / Iraqi MoD
US strike on Iraqi military clinic in Anbar province — Iraq reports 7 soldiers killed, 23 wounded. Iraq condemns attack as violation of international law, summons US Chargé d'Affaires. US denies targeting medical clinic.
2026-03-24 AP / NYT
Trump administration delivers 15-point ceasefire proposal to Iran via Pakistan intermediaries. Pakistan PM Sharif says ready to host talks. Iran FM denies any negotiations underway. Trump delays deadline to bomb Iran power plants to allow talks.
2026-03-24 AP / Pentagon
US orders 1,000+ troops from 82nd Airborne to region — trained to parachute into contested territory to secure airfields. 2,500 Marines aboard USS Tripoli en route. Total US forces: 50,000+. Speculation about Kharg Island seizure operation.
2026-03-19 CBS / Pentagon
Hegseth and Caine deliver Pentagon briefing on Day 20. Trump demands other countries help reopen Strait of Hormuz — says they should 'be responsible.' US Navy still not escorting tankers. Saudi Arabia 'reserves right to military action' against Iran.
2026-03-19 Al Jazeera
Israeli air raids devastate southern Lebanon — dozens killed in two days. Ground forces advance past Khiam. IDF spokesman says ground operation expected to last 'at least 3 more weeks.'
2026-03-18 Bloomberg / JPost
Israel and US strike South Pars gas field — world's largest, at Asaluyeh, Bushehr (phases 3-6 hit). Israel kills Intel Minister Esmail Khatib. Oil hits $116/barrel. European gas benchmark jumps 6%.
2026-03-18 CNN / Al Jazeera / ABC7
Iran retaliates — strikes Ras Laffan LNG terminal in Qatar (~20% of global LNG affected, 'extensive damage'). Drone hits Saudi Aramco Yanbu/Samref refinery. Advanced missiles hit central Israel — 2 killed. Qatar expels Iranian military attaches.
2026-03-17 Al Jazeera / Fox News
Israel kills Ali Larijani (Supreme National Security Council secretary) and Gholam Reza Soleimani (Basij commander-in-chief). Pezeshkian sets ceasefire terms: guarantees Iran won't face further aggression.
2026-03-16 Al Jazeera / Axios / JPost
IDF launches 'limited and targeted ground operations' in southern Lebanon. Battle of Khiam begins. 2+ bridges over Litani River bombed — cutting south Lebanon from rest of country. 1 million+ Lebanese now displaced.
2026-03-16 Iran International / Time
Iran FM: 'Iran does not seek ceasefire but war must end.' Mojtaba Khamenei rejects all peace overtures — demands US/Israel 'accept defeat and pay compensation.' No active peace talks underway.
2026-03-14 ABC30 / NPR
Trump confirms U.S. struck Kharg Island — Iran's main oil export terminal. 'Military targets obliterated.' Israel strikes Tehran refineries. 2,200 additional Marines (31st MEU from Okinawa) deploying aboard USS Tripoli.
2026-03-14 Alma Research Center
Hezbollah launches 56 attack waves — highest daily figure recorded. Coordinated with Iranian missile salvos. ~100 rockets/day average sustained.
2026-03-14 ABC7 / State media
Mojtaba Khamenei, confirmed as Supreme Leader Mar 8, expected to issue first 'strategic' message. IRGC and top leaders have pledged allegiance.
2026-03-13 Fox News / DefenseScoop
Hegseth declares Mar 13 'highest volume of strikes' over Iran. 50,000+ service members supporting Epic Fury. Iranian drone attacks down 95%. Six crew killed in refueling aircraft crash over Iraq (non-hostile). US KIA total: 13.
2026-03-13 IDF / Times of Israel / INSS
IDF reports 7,600+ strikes in 2 weeks: 2,000+ on regime targets, 4,700+ on missile program. 84 Iranian sailors killed in Iris Dena sinking. Planning 'massive' ground invasion south of Litani River. Additional division and brigades deployed to northern border.
2026-03-13 Al Jazeera / JPost / CNN
Hezbollah fires 100+ rockets at northern Israel — hits Kiryat Tivon (80 wounded) and Zarzir (30+ wounded). ~850 rockets/drones in past 8 days. Israel destroys bridge in Lebanon, threatens 'Gaza-scale devastation.' Lebanon: 773 killed, 800K displaced.
2026-03-13 UAE MoD
UAE reports air defenses have engaged 285 ballistic missiles, 15 cruise missiles, and 1,567 UAVs from Iran since start of conflict. On Mar 13 alone: 7 ballistic missiles and 27 UAVs intercepted.
2026-03-12 AP / IDF
Hezbollah launches 200+ rockets at northern and central Israel — largest barrage to date. Projectiles reach Haniel (central Israel). Israel strikes car near Beirut beachfront killing 8, wounding 31.
2026-03-12 AP News
Iran strikes Iraq's Basra port (1+ killed; all oil terminals halted), Bahrain's Muharraq facility (major fire), and Dubai's Address Creek 2 Tower. Tehran security checkpoints attacked overnight — 10+ killed.
2026-03-12 Al Jazeera / CENTCOM / CNBC
Six US crew killed when KC-135 refueling aircraft crashes over western Iraq (non-hostile). US Energy Secretary Wright says US 'not ready' to escort tankers through Strait of Hormuz.
2026-03-12 AP / IDF
Israel strikes Taleghan 2 nuclear facility in Iran — site had been destroyed in Oct 2024 but Iran was restoring it.
2026-03-11 AP / UN
UN Security Council votes 13-0 demanding halt to Iran's attacks on Gulf states. First week of war cost U.S. $11.3B (Pentagon to Congress); $5B on munitions in first weekend alone.
2026-03-11 AP News
Strait of Hormuz effectively closed: tanker traffic down 90%. Iran vows to block 'even a single liter' of oil. Strikes Dubai airport area (4 wounded), Oman's Salalah port fuel tanks.
2026-03-11 JPost
Hezbollah launches 100+ rocket barrage at northern Israel — Iron Dome overwhelmed, only half intercepted. IDF strikes 70+ Lebanon targets.
2026-03-10 AP / CNN
U.S. destroys 12+ mine-laying Iranian vessels near the Strait of Hormuz. Hegseth warns of 'most intense day of strikes.'
2026-03-09 AP News
Rallies in Tehran support Mojtaba Khamenei as successor. Iranian FM rejects ceasefire from China, France, Russia — 'We hold the upper hand.'
2026-03-09 PressTV / Tribune India
True Promise IV: Iran and resistance axis conduct coordinated ops. Iraq's Islamic Resistance: 24 operations in 24 hours. Bahrain drone attack injures 32 including children.
2026-03-08 ABC7 / Iranian state media
Mojtaba Khamenei elected as Iran's new Supreme Leader, replacing his father killed on Feb 28. IRGC and top leaders pledge allegiance.
2026-03-07 AP / Pentagon
Sgt. Declan Coady, 20 — first U.S. KIA — killed in Iranian drone strike on command center in Kuwait.
2026-03-06 PressTV
Iran launches 22nd wave of True Promise IV: hypersonic Fattah, Khorramshahr-4, Khaibar missiles. Multiple-warhead systems deployed.
2026-03-05 Reuters
~60 Hezbollah rockets/drones on Mar 2, similar on Mar 3, double on Mar 4 before major Israeli retaliation in Beirut.
2026-03-03 Red Crescent / HRAI
Red Crescent: 600+ Iranian civilians killed; HRAI: 742+. U.S. intelligence: Iranian government damaged but not near collapse.
2026-03-01 NBC News
Iran launches Operation True Promise IV: 420+ missiles and drones across 9 countries. 39% at Israel, 40% at UAE, 11% at Qatar.
2026-03-01 Times of Israel
Hezbollah fires rockets at northern Israel — first since the November 2024 ceasefire. Lebanon front opens.
2026-02-28 Reuters / multiple
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei reportedly killed in a U.S.-Israeli airstrike.
2026-02-28 CENTCOM
Operations Epic Fury (U.S.) and Roaring Lion (Israel) launch at 1:15 am. U.S.: 900+ strikes in first 12h. Israel: 200 jets, 1,200+ bombs in 24h.
Data compiled from public sources by an AI research agent. Figures may be incomplete, disputed, or reflect single-source claims. Casualty counts are inherently uncertain in active conflict. Always verify with primary sources. Last updated 2026-03-26.