Iran war timeline
The war between the United States and Iran: the strikes, the attacks on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, the suspected plot against RAF Fairford and the talks to end the war.
12 timelines from the outlets of our US edition, 28 September to 9 November 2026, oldest first. Each one gathers the articles about one development, day by day.
Latest timeline: Trump administration held talks with Iran on deporting Iranians during the war, court documents show
- Suspected RAF Fairford plot: U.K. prime minister says Iran's Revolutionary Guard 'almost certainly' directed it
Five men were arrested near RAF Fairford, a U.S.-run air base in England used by American bombers to strike Iran, and released on bail; British Prime Minister Andy Burnham said there were 'strong indications' Iran played a part. A sixth man, a dual U.K.-Iranian national, was arrested in London and also released on bail, and on October 6 police arrested a seventh man, 22, in London on suspicion of a terror offense linked to Iran, who was released on bail on October 8. The U.S. Air Force has brought all its bombers at RAF Fairford back to the United States. On October 12, Burnham said the security incident was 'almost certainly' directed by Iran, the LA Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer and PBS NewsHour reported, the latter two naming Iran's Revolutionary Guard, and the Inquirer added that all seven men arrested in the investigation have been released on bail and no one has been charged so far. On October 13, the head of MI5 said Iran is trying to hit military sites in the U.K. and that the suspected plot to attack the U.S.-run air base in September is not unique, The Philadelphia Inquirer, ABC News and the LA Times reported, the LA Times adding that Ken McCallum, who leads the U.K.'s domestic security service, said Tehran is seeking to intensify its attacks in Britain beyond the traditional targets of Iranians opposed to the country's Islamic authorities.
- US soldiers wounded in Iranian drone strike criticize Army's delayed medical response
U.S. soldiers seriously wounded in an Iranian drone strike have criticized the military's medical response, claiming they were left without adequate care. They described delays in treatment, poor coordination in transporting the injured, and bureaucratic obstacles that hindered their recovery. Some soldiers and their families have raised concerns publicly for the first time about the military's handling of the situation. The incident is described as the deadliest Iranian strike on American troops to date. The soldiers are now speaking out about what they describe as a failure in the medical system.
- Trump suggests letting Iran 'take out' Los Angeles and San Diego at a rally
At a campaign rally, President Donald Trump suggested letting Iran "take out" Los Angeles and San Diego. California Gov. Gavin Newsom called him "deranged and dangerous." Trump made the remarks during a speech in which he also said gas prices would soon be lower, touted his ouster of Venezuela's leader and attacked news outlets.
- Iran calls the latest U.S. response on ending the war 'insufficient' and threatens regional data centers
Fortune and PBS NewsHour reported on Sunday 11 October that a senior Iranian official, the head of Iran's Supreme National Security Council according to Fortune, said Tehran finds the latest U.S. response to a proposal to end the war 'insufficient'. The official also warned of attacks on regional data centers and cables if fighting intensifies again, according to both outlets, and Fortune said AI facilities in the region were also threatened if the war escalates sharply again.
- British police rearrest two men suspected of assisting Iran's intelligence service in an air base plot
British police have rearrested two men suspected of assisting Iran's intelligence service in a plot at a U.S.-run air base, The Philadelphia Inquirer and ABC News reported on Tuesday 20 October. Police said a 24-year-old British national and a 25-year-old dual U.K.-Iranian national were arrested under the National Security Act, according to CBS News, which described alleged spying for Iran in a U.K. air base incident. PBS NewsHour reported that police have been investigating a suspected terror plot on September 27 against the U.S.-run base in western England.
- Iran says seven oil tankers caught fire or were damaged in the Strait of Hormuz
Iran's state television reported that seven oil tankers caught fire and were damaged overnight in the Strait of Hormuz after either being targeted or striking naval mines, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported on Thursday 22 October. Iran's government says the seven tankers have caught fire or been damaged in the strategic strait, the Inquirer and the LA Times reported, headlining that Iran says the tankers were attacked as fears grow of a return to war. According to the Inquirer, it potentially marks the largest single-day incident since the Iran war began on Feb. 28.
- US-Iran talks: Iran's chief negotiator says the US must act to prevent renewed war
On Saturday 24 October Tehran's ambassador to Islamabad said Iran remains open to U.S. talks under a Pakistan-brokered interim deal reached in June, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer and ABC News, and The NY Times reported that a letter from Vice President JD Vance suggested an immediate resumption of comprehensive talks, including about Iran's nuclear program. Qatari mediators held more than 12 hours of talks in Tehran on Friday 30 October to reach a deal to avoid a resumption of American-led attacks on Iran, Axios reported, according to CNBC. After a tense weekend Iran's delegation left the negotiations in Qatar, Iran saying it is awaiting the latest U.S. response and would fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz to shipping within two days if Washington meets several conditions, including lifting its blockade of Iranian ports, according to PBS NewsHour, the LA Times and The NY Times, and on Tuesday 3 November The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that Iran's chief negotiator says it is up to the United States to prevent renewed war after Tehran's 'firm and rational response'. On Sunday 8 November President Donald Trump said renewed U.S. strikes on Iran were 'highly unlikely' if progress is made in negotiations over its nuclear program and reopening the Strait of Hormuz, CNN reported, according to Bloomberg and CNBC, and Trump told 60 Minutes there is 'no reason' to escalate the war with Iran, CBS News reported on Monday 9 November.
- US to reduce staffing at four Middle East embassies over increased threats from Iran
The State Department says it will reduce staffing at four U.S. embassies in the Middle East, The Philadelphia Inquirer and ABC News reported on Saturday 24 October. The reduction comes after the department received intelligence that Iran has stepped up efforts to target American personnel in the region and elsewhere, according to the two outlets. In a memo sent on Friday 23 October to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton said Clayton's teams 'have received intelligence that Iran has substantially increased efforts to target U.S. personnel,' PBS NewsHour reported.
- Iran war's cost to the US rises to $47.1 billion, the Pentagon tells lawmakers
The cost of the war in Iran rose to $47.1 billion through Oct. 16, the Pentagon told lawmakers, The NY Times and The Philadelphia Inquirer reported on Wednesday 28 October, bombs, missiles and other munitions accounting for more than 60 percent of the expenses, and CBS News reported a cost to the U.S. military of at least $47.1 billion as of mid-October, according to a new estimate from U.S. Central Command. Trump said the war will end 'when I want it to', CNBC reported, as PBS NewsHour wrote that the Republican president has said new strikes on Iran are an option after the midterms and is sending more military resources to the Middle East, despite initially promising Americans a military campaign that would last only a matter of weeks. On 29 October Fortune reported the cost of $47.1 billion to American taxpayers, according to the latest estimate the Pentagon has provided to Congress, headlining that the U.S. tells Middle East allies to prepare for possible new strikes on Iran after the midterms.
- U.S. military carries out limited strikes on Iran's Qeshm Island, which U.S. officials call defensive
The U.S. military carried out limited strikes on Iran's Qeshm Island, U.S. officials said, NBC News reported on Tuesday 3 November, the strikes appearing to be limited as opposed to a full return to hostilities and coming on the eve of crucial American midterm elections. A U.S. official said the U.S. had conducted defensive strikes on some Iranian targets in the Strait of Hormuz, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported. The NY Times wrote that the officials called the action a defensive measure and said it was limited, with no immediate plans to escalate, and CNBC that the U.S. military carried out attacks on Iran's Qeshm Island on Monday, even as the Trump administration has been underplaying war risks, CNBC headlining that Vance hopes for a 'negotiated settlement' with Tehran.
- Trump administration held talks with Iran on deporting Iranians during the war, court documents show
Court documents reveal President Donald Trump's administration held secret talks with Iran about deporting Iranians during the ongoing war, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported on Thursday 5 November in an AP exclusive. The documents show that the administration maintained contacts with Iranian officials during the war over the removals, specifically for submitting travel documents and figuring out 'possible avenues for removal', PBS NewsHour reported, and the LA Times wrote that the Trump administration has deported people, including Iranians, to countries other than their own in an attempt to circumvent diplomatic hurdles. The LA Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer and PBS NewsHour reported on Monday 9 November that a U.S. deportation flight from Arizona of at least eight Iranian nationals bound for Iran was abruptly canceled at the last minute, an attorney said, the Department of Homeland Security refusing to comment on the details of removal operations.
- Iran's Revolutionary Guard says it has lifted its self-imposed limit on ballistic missile range
Iran's Revolutionary Guard says it has lifted the self-imposed limit on its ballistic missile range, The Philadelphia Inquirer and ABC News reported on Saturday 7 November in a roundup of Mideast news. The Inquirer then reported that extending the range beyond the 1,200-mile limit puts parts of Greece and the Balkans, the entire Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, and most of Egypt within reach.
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