The February 28 Attacks: How the Iran War Began

The current war began on February 28, 2026, when the United States and Israel launched strikes against Iran. In the months since, the conflict has widened in stages: from strikes inside Iran, to a fight over the world's most important oil waterway, to missile exchanges reaching deep into the Gulf states.

Iran's central move has been the Strait of Hormuz. Tehran says vessels must use routes it authorises, and its Revolutionary Guards describe the arrangement as “smart control” of the strait. The United States Central Command rejects that claim and says traffic continues to move — more than 19 million barrels of oil transited on Monday alone, by its count.

The campaign against shipping escalated sharply from late September. TradeWinds counted 26 strikes on vessels from September 29; the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations centre counted 15 ship attacks between October 6 and October 14. On October 14, Singapore's Maritime and Port Authority confirmed that the container ship GFS Pride had sunk after being struck by a projectile in the strait — the second confirmed sinking of the war, after the Safeen Prestige. All 21 of the Pride's crew were evacuated safely.

Tehran's aims are now stated openly. Two senior Iranian officials told Reuters on October 14 that new ship-targeting tactics began about ten days earlier, aimed at keeping oil prices high into the United States midterm elections. Brent crude has held near $106 a barrel.

October also widened the war's geography: Houthi attacks closed Riyadh's international airport (see our Saudi Arabia report), the Saudi-led coalition struck back across Yemen, and a ballistic missile hit the Aramco headquarters complex in Dhahran. This backgrounder is updated as the war develops.