FULL STORY OF IRAN WAR - FROM 1970S TO 2026

Global Affairs Session 21 23 April 2026

IRAN WAR 2026 – THE FULL STORY

From the Shah-era alliance to the fragile April 2026 standoff

The Iran War of 2026 emerged from decades of accumulated hostility: the fall of the Shah, the hostage crisis, the Iran–Iraq War, Hezbollah’s rise, the nuclear dispute, the collapse of the JCPOA and increasingly direct conflict between Iran and Israel. This session follows that full chain from the early 1970s to the unresolved standoff of 22 April 2026.

Full timeline Shah and Revolution War and proxy power Nuclear story The turbulent 2020s Final war 2026 Key figures

Setting the scene

The presentation places the Iran conflict within the wider history of American wars and recalls the close relationship between Washington and Tehran before the 1979 Revolution. Under the Shah, Iran formed part of a pro-Western regional order and maintained extensive military, economic and strategic cooperation with the United States.

Iran War 2026 – full timeline

1. In the early 1970s, Iran under the Shah was a key U.S. ally in the Middle East, forming part of a pro-Western regional order.
2. The 1979 Iranian Revolution overthrew the Shah and established the Islamic Republic, transforming Iran into an anti-U.S. ideological state.
3. The 1979–81 U.S. Embassy hostage crisis permanently damaged diplomatic relations between Iran and the United States.
4. The 1980–88 Iran–Iraq War strengthened Iran’s militarized worldview and long-term security anxieties.
5. In 1982, Hezbollah emerged in Lebanon as a powerful Iran-backed group, giving Tehran influence near Israel’s borders.
6. In 2002, secret nuclear facilities at Natanz and Arak were exposed, triggering global concern over Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
7. By 2003, the IAEA began inspections, turning Iran’s nuclear program into a sustained international dispute.
8. In 2006, UN sanctions were imposed on Iran, escalating the nuclear standoff into a global issue.
9. After 2011, Iran expanded influence in Syria, while Israel increased strikes to block Iranian military buildup.
10. In 2015, the nuclear deal (JCPOA) limited Iran’s nuclear activities in exchange for sanctions relief.
11. In 2018, the U.S. withdrew from the deal and reinstated sanctions, sharply increasing tensions.
12. In January 2020, the U.S. killed Qassem Soleimani, Iran’s key military strategist, escalating conflict.
13. On 7 October 2023, Hamas attacked Israel, triggering a wider regional conflict involving Iran-backed groups.
14. On 1 April 2024, an Israeli strike on an Iranian diplomatic site in Damascus killed senior Iranian officials.
15. On 14 April 2024, Iran launched its first direct large-scale missile and drone attack on Israel.
16. On 1 October 2024, Iran carried out another major missile strike, marking continued escalation.
17. On 13 June 2025, Israel launched large-scale airstrikes on Iran’s military and nuclear infrastructure.
18. By late June 2025, a short but intense war ended in a ceasefire after heavy damage on both sides.
19. In September 2025, international sanctions intensified again, isolating Iran further.
20. From late 2025 into early 2026, Iran faced major domestic protests due to economic stress.
21. By February 2026, internal unrest and external pressure increased the likelihood of a wider regional war.
22. On 28 February 2026, Israel, with U.S. coordination, launched a large pre-emptive strike on Iran, marking the start of the 2026 war.
23. In early March 2026, Iran retaliated with missile and drone attacks across Israel and the Gulf, while allied groups opened additional fronts.
24. On 8 April 2026, a temporary ceasefire was brokered, but fighting and violations continued.
25. By 22 April 2026, the conflict had entered a fragile standoff phase with ongoing tensions, naval incidents and unresolved demands between the sides.

Iran under the Shah

In the early 1970s, Iran under the Shah maintained a strategic alliance with the United States, fostering military cooperation, economic growth and regional geopolitical stability.

Shia Revolution 1979 and hostage crisis, 1979–81

The 1979 Iranian Revolution replaced the Shah with an Islamic Republic, and the ensuing hostage crisis shattered U.S.–Iran relations, creating lasting geopolitical tension and mistrust.

SAVAK

SAVAK was an acronym for Sâzemân-e Ettelâ'ât va Amniat-e Kešvar, translated in the presentation as the “National Security and Information Organization.”

Iran–Iraq War and the rise of Hezbollah

The Iran–Iraq War deepened Iran’s militarized mindset, while Hezbollah’s rise in 1982 expanded Tehran’s regional influence through proxy power near Israel’s borders.

Iran’s nuclear story

Iran’s nuclear program exposure in 2002 triggered global concern, leading to IAEA inspections and escalating into international sanctions, turning the issue into a prolonged global dispute.

Iran was building its regional strengths steadily

Alongside the nuclear dispute, Iran steadily developed a regional network and strategic footprint across the Middle East, extending its influence through allied governments, armed groups and proxy relationships.

JCPOA done, JCPOA scrapped

The 2015 nuclear deal eased tensions by limiting Iran’s program, but the 2018 U.S. withdrawal and sanctions reignited conflict, increasing regional instability and military escalation.

The turbulent 2020s

The 2020 killing of Soleimani escalated U.S.–Iran tensions, while the 2023 Hamas attack on Israel expanded conflict, drawing in Iran-backed groups and widening regional instability.

Violent 2024

In 2024, escalating strikes between Israel and Iran, including direct missile and drone attacks, marked a dangerous shift toward open conflict and regional war dynamics.

First major direct skirmish, 2025

In 2025, Israel’s major airstrikes triggered a brief but intense war with Iran, ending in a ceasefire while sanctions and domestic unrest deepened instability.

Final war 2026

In early 2026, rising tensions led to a full-scale Iran–Israel war, marked by pre-emptive strikes, retaliation, fragile ceasefires and an unstable standoff.

Key figures in the 2026 war

Killed in the 2026 war — senior leadership losses

• Ali Khamenei: Supreme Leader; killed on 28 February 2026.
• Mohammad Pakpour: IRGC commander.
• Abdolrahim Mousavi: Senior military leader.
• Aziz Nasirzadeh: Defence minister.
• Ali Shamkhani: National security strategist.
• Esmail Khatib: Intelligence chief.
• Gholamreza Soleimani: Paramilitary (Basij) leader.

Alive or active during the war

• Mojtaba Khamenei: Supreme Leader.
• Ahmad Vahidi: De facto power centre after leadership losses.
• Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf: Key negotiator and political figure.
• Abbas Araqchi: Diplomatic face during the conflict.
• Masoud Pezeshkian: President during the conflict period.

Value addition

Glossary and related terms

Shah

The title used by Iran’s monarch before the establishment of the Islamic Republic in 1979.

Islamic Republic

The political system established after the 1979 Revolution, combining elected institutions with clerical authority.

SAVAK

The Shah-era intelligence and security organisation named in the presentation as the National Security and Information Organization.

Hostage crisis

The 1979–81 seizure of the United States Embassy in Tehran and the detention of American personnel.

Hezbollah

An Iran-backed political and armed organisation that emerged in Lebanon in 1982.

Proxy power

Influence exercised through allied governments, movements or armed groups rather than only through direct state action.

IAEA

International Atomic Energy Agency, the international body responsible for nuclear safeguards and verification.

JCPOA

Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, the 2015 agreement limiting Iran’s nuclear activities in exchange for sanctions relief.

Sanctions

Financial, trade or diplomatic restrictions imposed to pressure a state to change its behaviour.

Pre-emptive strike

A military attack launched to prevent or disrupt an anticipated attack by an opponent.

Ceasefire

An agreement or arrangement to stop fighting, temporarily or permanently.

Fragile standoff

A tense condition in which active conflict is reduced but the underlying disputes and risk of renewed fighting remain.

IRGC

Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, a major military and security institution of the Islamic Republic.

Basij

A paramilitary force associated with Iran’s Revolutionary Guard system.

Value addition

Conceptual references

• The Shah-era U.S.–Iran strategic partnership and the transformation produced by the 1979 Revolution.
• The 1979–81 hostage crisis and the long breakdown in diplomatic relations.
• The Iran–Iraq War, Hezbollah’s rise and the growth of Iran’s regional network.
• IAEA inspections, international sanctions and the JCPOA nuclear agreement.
• The escalation from indirect regional confrontation to direct Israel–Iran attacks between 2024 and 2026.