Iran conflict
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The gist
Iran says it plans to announce a new 'exclusion zone' near the Strait of Hormuz.
The six-month war has stalled talks and pushed up costs for families worldwide.
Background
The war began on Feb. 28 with U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran. Iran retaliated by effectively shutting the Strait of Hormuz, a waterway through which about 20 percent of the world's oil supplies flowed before the fighting. A fragile ceasefire was announced in June, but on-and-off fighting has persisted as negotiations collapsed. Iran now says it plans to announce a new 'exclusion zone' near the strait, signaling continued pressure on the key oil route.
How it unfolded
- Feb 28, 2026The war began with U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran.
- Jun 2026A fragile ceasefire agreement was announced; the U.S. and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding in mid-June, but talks later collapsed.
- Jul 2026President Donald Trump indicated in a social media post that U.S. troops would bomb one bridge or power plant, including in Tehran, any time a ship in the Strait of Hormuz was shot at.
- Sep 6, 2026Iran says it plans to announce a new 'exclusion zone' near the Strait of Hormuz.
- Sep 9, 2026Top White House advisers privately raised with President Trump the prospect that the Iran war could drag on through the remainder of his term, U.S. officials said.
- Sep 10, 2026The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said the war could end if Washington stopped threatening Iran and met Tehran's conditions, including a halt to interference in its nuclear program and an Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon.
Who’s saying what
- Official
- The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps says the war could end if Washington stops threatening Iran and meets Tehran's conditions, including a halt to interference in its nuclear program and an Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon.
- Analysts
- Sina Azodi of George Washington University says neither side will 'cave in' because it 'will not look good on them, so the only option is to escalate,' and that unless there is a political settlement the war will continue.
- Public
- A late-August Reuters/Ipsos poll found 31% of Americans supported U.S. strikes on Iran while 63% opposed; 83% expected U.S. military involvement to continue for an extended period, and 61% said the conflict has made life more expensive for their families.
- Advisers
- Top White House advisers, including Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, privately warned President Trump that the conflict could extend beyond the January 2029 inauguration as Iran holds out against economic and military pressure.
Still unverified
Iran claims a strike on a U.S. ship in the Strait of Hormuz, but the U.S. denies it. US officials told CNN on September 10 that they believe that [incomplete].