when did the iran war start 2026

The Iran war of 2026 is widely reported to have started on 28 February 2026, when the United States and Israel launched large-scale joint airstrikes on targets inside Iran.

When did the Iran war start in 2026?

Quick Scoop

• Most major news and reference outlets date the start of the 2026 Iran war to 28 February 2026.

• On that day, the U.S. and Israel carried out coordinated air and missile strikes against Iranian military and government sites across several cities, including Tehran, Isfahan, Qom, Karaj, and Kermanshah.

• This opening wave, conducted under the U.S. operation name Operation Epic Fury and the Israeli codename Operation Roaring Lion , killed Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and other senior officials, transforming a tense crisis into open war.

Key timeline around the start

• 27 February 2026 (order given): President Donald Trump gave the order to initiate the operation while en route to Texas; the formal green light came on this date, but strikes had not yet begun.

• 28 February 2026 (hostilities begin):
  • Around 9:45 a.m. Iran time (IRST) , U.S. missiles, drones, and Israeli aircraft began striking multiple Iranian targets.

* Over the first 12 hours, reports indicate **hundreds of coordinated strikes** (nearly 900, according to one detailed account), aimed at air defenses, missile sites, and leadership facilities.

* This date is therefore treated in timelines and encyclopedic references as the **official start** of the 2026 Iran war.

In short, if you are asking “when did the Iran war start 2026,” the commonly accepted answer is 28 February 2026 , when the joint U.S.–Israeli air campaign against Iran began.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.